she was losing blood much too fast. He could also smell another scent, one that was unique to him, daisies and sunshine. And it was everything Tristan could do not to turn around and go back to the States and forget he’d ever decided to help Aaron.
What were the chances of finding his mate while helping out someone, a master someone at that? He lived in France most of the time, having been born there, so finding his mate there while visiting the States was too much to bear. He didn’t want to settle down, not now, maybe not even ever. But he had given his word he’d help out. Aaron MacManus was a good man and good men were few and far between. Especially vampires.
Tristan slowly walked to her and knelt down. He searched her body mentally and found that if Pete hadn’t have acted when she had, the woman would indeed be dead. Her back was broken, as were both her legs. She had eight ribs broken and one had punctured her lung. Her left hip was also broken in two places. Her jaw was cracked and she had a deep concussion. Plus, there were a multitude of cuts and abrasions, glass still imbedded into several of them. Tristan opened the vein at his wrist and forced her mouth open with his other hand. He squeezed her nose closed so she would either have to swallow or choke. He knew what he was doing, and the consequences of his actions. As soon as she swallowed the first mouthful, it was sealed. He was halfway to fully bonding with her, and he wasn’t happy about it.
When a pureblood bonded with a mate, it was slightly different than a turned mating. There had to be a blood exchange, a give and take at the same time. There also needed to be a sexual completion for them both, preferable with another blood exchange to ensure the bond. Once that was complete, they would be truly bonded and mated. But Tristan was of royal blood too. With this, there was a ceremony where they used a family heirloom, a jeweled dagger, and cut a vein over their hearts and drank from there. This exchange was more of a ritual than a need, but it was still practiced today. But he didn’t want to think about that right now. Besides, maybe, just maybe, he was wrong about the girl. And she was just a woman who smelled good . Yeah, he thought, and I’ll go do a jig in the sunny streets tomorrow afternoon.
He felt Pete standing over him moments later. He didn’t take his eyes from the woman on the ground who was still sipping from his wrist. He didn’t have to hold her nose any longer, as she was now drinking greedily from him. The taste of him to her was just as addictive as her scent was to him.
“Who is…do you know her name?” he asked Pete, who stood just behind him. He could feel that she had just fed. His own hunger leapt in response to her fresh smell.
“She didn’t have any ID on her that we could use, but we managed to track down seven lockers at different points across the city. Each one had a different passport and identification to go with it. There were several variations on the same names, but nothing solid. She…she saved my life tonight. It’s my fault she’s in the condition she’s in. I…her power base is incredible.”
Tristan didn’t say anything for a long time. He pulled away from her mouth and licked the wound to seal it. She was badly hurt still. His blood, being pure, would heal her, but it would take a while because of the extensive damage that had been done to her. But she wouldn’t die, not now at any rate.
“She can’t be moved yet, at least not by conventional means. I have a place here in the city we can all go to. I’ll take her with me and you and your men can meet us there. I’m Tristan St.
James, by the way, and you are…”
“Sorry, I’m Piccadilly Marshall, everyone calls me Pete. I’m mated to Dominic, Aaron and Colin’s bodyguard. I have to get back to the States soon. My mate is nearly bonkers without me, and he knows, you see, about tonight. He wants me home.”
“Understandable. I