Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Bearers ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

When I was thirteen years old, Bryan kissed me for the very first time. It was the strangest feeling in the world to be kissed by someone who wasn't your own parent.

“What was that?” I demanded after Bryan had pulled away from me.

Bryan's gaze was oddly distant. “I love you Jay. I love you so much.”

“W…what?” I stammered.

“I love you.” Bryan gently brushed my hair out of my eyes. “You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen and I want you so bad.”

I did the only thing I could.

I ran.

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Chapter 15

The next morning, Daire was silent at breakfast. Caelyn and Aidan understood why and left him alone. They watched with sad expressions on their faces. On the Breeders' side of the room, Aleksei was strangely subdued.

“You okay?” Bryan asked in a low voice.

“Fine. Leave me alone,” Aleksei snapped.

Bryan didn't flinch at Aleksei's harsh tone.

“All right.” He shrugged.

Breakfast ended and the Bearers and the Breeders started their usual trek to their first lesson. Aidan and Caelyn hung back with Daire who was finishing up his breakfast. He was slower than usual because of Colin; the six month old was starting to eat food in addition to the breast milk Daire provided. Once the two of them had finished, Aidan took care of the tray while Daire got up.

“So I guess we've gotta say goodbye to Colin, huh?” Aidan asked softly, returning to where they were.

“Yeah.” Daire nodded sadly.

“Can I hold him?” Aidan asked.

“Of course.”

Aidan held out his arms and Daire put Colin in them. Colin started fussing a little, but quickly settled down.

“There we go. You're a good kid. I'm really gonna miss you. I've gotten used to having you around.”

Colin looked up at Aidan inquisitively and then he smiled. Aidan felt a piece of his heart crack.

“Here.” His voice cracked.

He handed Colin to Caelyn who held him for several minutes before relinquishing him to Daire once again.

“We'll see you tonight,” Aidan said.

“Yeah.” Daire tightened his arms around his son.

Caelyn stepped forward and put his arms around Daire for a brief hug.

“Stay strong, okay honey?” he whispered.

“I'll try,” Daire replied.

“Aidan and I both love you.”

“Me too.” Daire's voice was filled with his unshed tears.

Caelyn pulled away. He watched Daire leave with Colin in his arms. Aidan wrapped around Caelyn and the two of them walked to their lesson.

Daire was escorted to John's office by several guards. Aleksei was there, handcuffed, and surrounded by several more guards. For once, John wasn't sitting behind his desk, but stood at the window looking out.

One of the guards cleared his throat nervously and John turned. “I brought the boy, sir.”

“Ah yes. Thank you.” John smiled. “Now that you're here, Daire, we can proceed. As I said before, we're going to see the Council, which requires us to leave The Institute. I expect both of you to be on your best behavior while we're out. The rest of the world is very much aware of The Institute and what it does, but they do not know the intimate details. We try and keep it as quiet as possible so we'll probably receive quite a bit of attention. I know it'll be hand, but try and ignore the stares and whatever else may happen. With that said, I believe it's time ofr us to leave.”

John was the first to leave the office with Daire and Colin right behind him. Aleksei was led out last, surrounded by a numerous amount of guards. They left The Institute through a side door and for the first time in over three years, Daire stepped outside. He blinked at the harsh light, unused to what real light was like. A black limo waited for them just beyond the door parked on a gravel drive. The back door had been opened.

“Climb in first Daire,” John instructed.

Daire nodded and handed Colin to one of the guards so he could get in. When he was situated, the guard handed Colin back to Daire. Several guards got in on both sides and surrounded Daire. Then, Aleksei got in, seated across from his mate. The rest of the guard sat around him. John sat up front with the driver.

Daire stared out the window for the entire ride, which had been rolled down to let the fresh air in. He had forgotten how beautiful the world was. They drove through the countryside with gentle rolling hills that soon became dotted with houses. Eventually, the houses started becoming closer and closer together and the land flattened out. The countryside became a city that gave rise to large buildings that glistened in the sun. Their pace slowed as the streets became choked with more and more cars. Finally, the limo stopped.

“We have arrived,” John announced.

The doors were opened and everyone climbed out. Aleksei's wrists were released from the handcuffs. He rubbed them to get circulation back in them. They had stopped in front of a large white marble building. The building was decorated with ornate statutes of angels.

“This is the building where the Council meets,” John explained in a low voice for Daire's benefit. “The Council is the governing body. They make the rules and let the police force enforce them. They were also the founders of The Institute when the number of Bearers started to dramatically drop. They deal a lot with The Institute and have a keen interest in its running. I essentially run the Institute as I see fit, but I receive some guidance from the Council and they oversee the whole thing.”

They went into the building and looked around, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. He was so used to the plainness of The Insitute that seeing this place made it seem like he was in a dream. The hall was enormous and empty for the most part. The floors were made of nice tiles that made a pattern across the floor. There were columns that held the building up made of white marble. Across the hall were a row of metal doors that turned out to be elevators. Even the inside of the elevator was expensively decorated. They rode in an elevator up to the third floor and when the metal doors slid open with a slight hiss, they found themselves in a large reception area much like the one in the Medical Facility of The Institute. The only real difference was that there were actually people there. John uttered directions ot the guards and went to the receptionist's dest. One of the guards gently touched Daire on the arm.

“This way,” he said softly.

He guided Daire to an empty seat in the corner. Aleksei sat next to him. The guards stood around them. After John had finished talking to the receptionist, he joined them.

“We have to wait for a few minutes,” he told them.

They waited. Daire tried to keep Colin quiet so people wouldn't stare at him. Despite his efforts, they attracted many curious glances. It was pretty obvious where they were from.

Their names were called at last and they all got up, attracting even more curious looks. A woman around forty or so led them into the Council's chambers. She left them at the door. The chamber was dimly lit, casting shadows on the faces of the occupants of the room. The Council members sat behind a large wooden desk in a half circle. There were twelve of them altogether, right men and four women, all of them in their forties or fifties. Their faces all looked as though they were etched from stone and if they didn't blink every now and then, Daire would have believed that they were statues, which scared him. For some reason, he was cold and gave a quiet shudder. Instinctively, Aleksei moved closer to him and didn't correct his position.

“Are these the two you spoke of?” a woman with long raven hair asked in a dramatic voice.

“Yes,” John responded, his tone respectful. “This is Aleksei and his mate Daire.” He motioned first to Aleksei and then Daire. The woman's steely glance fixed on Colin. “Ah yes, this is Colin, Aleksei and Daire's son.”

“We wish to speak to Aleksei and Daire separately,” the woman said.

“All right,” John responded.

“We have set up a small private room for you to wait in.” A man with rust colored hair that hung behind his ears gestured toward a door to their immediate left. “John, if you and Daire would be kind enough to wait, we'll speak to Aleksei first.”

John nodded and went with Daire and Colin and several of the guards through the door the man indicated.

The room was small and empty except for several pieces of furniture; chairs, couches, and a small wooden table. It was better lit than the Council's chamber and even had several small windows. Best of all, it was warm. Daire sank onto one of the threadbare couches and kept Colin occupied. The minutes dragged on. At lunchtime, food was sent in for them. Daire hastily ate something, not even caring what it was, and then turned his attention to Colin. He decided that he was just going to nurse Colin to make it easier. He opened his shirt and held Colin to his breast. After a few seconds, Colin started suckling.

John watched interestedly. “It appears you've gotten the hang of it.”

“Yeah,” Daire agreed.

After Colin had finished, Daire closed his shirt again. Aleksei finally returned with his guards, looking immensely drained.

“Are you okay?” Daire asked worriedly.

“I'm fine!” Aleksei snapped.

He sank down in a chair and put his face in his hands. There was a gentle knock on the door.

“Daire's presence is requested in front of the Council,” an unfamiliar woman said.

Daire took in a shaky breath and got up with Colin in his arms.

When he entered the Council's chambers, he noticed that they hadn't changed their position at all.

“So,” a man's voice rang out across the floor. “You are Daire?”

“Yes sir,” Daire answered nervously.

“And how old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“I see. And you like your life at The Institute?”

“Yes. It's very nice. They treat us well.”

“Do you have friends?”

“Yes. Caelyn and Aidan.”

“Bearers like you?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you think of your mate?”

“Oh…uh…he's all right. He and I don't get to interact very much because they separate us, of course.”

“You don't think he's cold?”

“He's a little standoffish, I admit, but he does have some good qualities.”

“Oh? Such as…?”

“Well he's very loyal, strong, brave, and very passionate.”

“And how is he in bed?”

Daire flushed. “It was…not bad. He was…surprisingly gentle my first time.”

“So you are satisfied with your sex life?”

Daire shifted uncomfortably. “We only had sex once, so I can't say for sure.”

“That is a fair answer. So…you have a child with Aleksei?”

“Yes.” Daire nodded, shifting Colin in his arms. “This is Colin.”

“How old is he now?”

“He's six months old.”

“How old were you when he was born?”

“I was almost fifteen.”

“That means that you have only had one heat, if my calculations are correct.”

“Yes. I got pregnant my very first time.”

There was a low murmuring from the Council.

“Daire, do you fear your mate?” A bald headed man asked.

Daire hesitated, thinking carefully. “I did…at first. But I don't anymore because I've gotten to know him a lot better and I understand him.”

The Council members looked surprised at his answers. They were silent for a while.

“We have no further questions for you. You may return to the other chamber,” the man who had been questioning him told him.

Daire nodded and brought Colin back into the other room. Aleksei hadn't moved since the last time Daire had seen him. Daire silently sat on the same couch as before, Colin on his lap. After a few minutes, John was called into the Council room alone, leaving Daire and Aleksei alone for the most part. There were guards present in the room, but they ignored Daire and Aleksei. Daire and Aleksei ignored each other as well.

“Daire? Aleksei?” John asked, suddenly sticking his head in the room. “It's time.”

Daire stiffened slightly. He let out a long breath and got up. Aleksei mirrored his actions. They went back into the Council's chambers. There was a young couple standing off to the side. Daire was aware of a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Daire, Aleksei, I'd like you to meet Allison and Jeff. They are going to be Colin's foster parents,” John said, motioning to the couple. Daire nodded, his throat tight. “Allison, Jeff, this is Daire who gave birth to Colin and his mate Aleksei.”

Daire stared at the couple. They were both dark-haired and in their early thirties.

“Hi Daire,” Allison said softly, stepping forward. Daire moved to meet her. Jeff and Aleksei remained where they were. “Is this Colin?”

“Yes,” Daire answered politely.

“Oh,” Allison breathed. “He's beautiful.”

“Would you like to hold him?” Daire asked.

“Yes.”

Daire handed his precious son over to her and slowly stood back. He stood by Aleksei. Aleksei glanced over at Daire. The blond was watching Allison take Colin over to her husband, an incredibly sad look on his face.

Suddenly, Aleksei had an urge to put a comforting hand on his mate's shoulder. He blinked, surprised at the sudden surge of emotions. But was it such a bad thing? He didn't know anymore.

John placed a hand on Daire's shoulder and silently indicated that they should leave. Daire nodded and slowly moved toward the door. Aleksei followed. Allison glanced up at them as they passed, startled. Daire looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Aleksei pursed his lips, wishing he was anywhere but there.

Once they had left the building, Daire lost control. Without any sort of a warning, he threw himself at Aleksei and completely broke down. The guards started to move forward to separate them, but John waved them away. He watched Daire and Aleksei intently. Aleksei was stiff and he looked like he wanted to push Daire away, but he never did. The guards and John looked on in stunned silence as Aleksei gently wrapped his arms around his mate and just held him.

“Aleksei, I think we need to get going,” John said quietly.

They were attracting quite a few stares. Aleksei nodded and started moving toward the limo, which was difficult for him because Daire was tightly clinging to him. Somehow, they managed to get in. The guards climbed in after them and as before, John sat up front with the driver. Daire cried for the entire trip back to The Institute.

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Aleksei couldn't concentrate at his afternoon lessons. He still didn't understand why he had reacted the way he had to Daire after he had started crying even though nearly a month had passed and Daire had calmed down. At first, he had thought it was merely instinct that drove him. Now he wasn't so sure. He had felt something when Daire broke down. It was small, but he was sure it was there.

Finally, the lessons came to an end and they briefly went back to the dormitories before heading for dinner. On the way, Aleksei caught a glimpse of Daire with his two friends and made up his mind. He knew what he had to do in order to make things right. Part of him had already accepted it, a larger part than he thought…

Aleksei boldly stepped into the Bearer's dormitories after he was sure they were all gone to dinner. As he predicted, Daire had lagged behind, and even better, his two friends were gone. This made his job so much easier. Daire looked up at the sound of his footsteps and a startled expression crossed his face. Aleksei knew what he was about to attempt was risky, but he had stopped caring a long time ago.

Daire watched him through cool sapphire eyes as he approached, however, he didn't stop Aleksei's path. As his mate drew nearer and nearer, he started to get nervous, but for some unexplainable reason, he couldn't bring himself to draw away. Such was Aleksei's power over him.

“W…what are you doing?” he stammered.

Aleksei did not speak, but allowed his actions to instead. He wrapped his arms around Daire's frame. His lips gently pressed to his mate's for a slow, hesistant kiss. Daire was quick to pull away, though he couldn't break Aleksei's hold.

“What the hell was that?” he growled in a low voice that reminded Aleksei of the bad blood between them.

New feelings of guilt washed over him. It was his fault that they were so distant. Daire had never hurt Aleksei or even tried to. It had always been the other wayu around. Aleksei had tried to protect his heart from being hurt, but in the process, he had hurt the one person who would possibly love him despite everything he'd done.

“Aleksei?” Daire asked.

Aleksei stared at his mate for a long time, the words getting all jumbled up in his head.

“That was…exactly what you thought it was,” he said finally.

“Stop talking in riddles!”

“Can I not kiss my own mate?”

Daire's eyes widened. “Does that mean you accept me…accept us?”

“Yes.” Aleksei nodded.

“And you think…that I'm just going to pretend like nothing happened, that you didn't ignore me for over three years and just forgive you?”

“No.” Aleksei shook his head. Daire's eyes widened even more as Aleksei continued, “I don't expect you to forgive me for anything. I don't deserve to be forgiven. I was a cold, heartless bastard and that's inexcusable. I don't expect us to have a relationship. I understand you hate me for what I did. I hate myself for it. You did nothing to deserve the way I've been treating you and I'm sorry. I really am sorry.”

Daire looked like he was going to say something but Aleksei stopped him. “Daire, please let me finish. Over and over again, you showed me kindness I didn't deserve. And when you told me that you loved me, when I was in the medical wing, I didn't know what to thing or how to react. No one had ever said that to me before, not even my own parents.” Aleksei swallowed hard. “I told myself that I didn't feel anything for you. Never had, never would. I couldn't. But I was wrong.” Aleksei shook his head. “God, I was so wrong.”

“What are you trying to say?” Daire asked.

“Daire…” Aleksei's voice was the softest Daire had ever heard it be. “Daire…I love you.”

Three simple words, three simple words that had taken him years to say. And now, knowing Daire would never accept them…

“I'll leave now Daire. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I can see that you still hate my guts.”

“Yeah?” Daire hissed. “Well I guess you don't know me as well as you think you do.”

“Daire…mmph.” Aleksei grunted as Daire unexpectedly threw himself at him, pressing their lips together.

“What? I don't understand,” Aleksei said with a frown when Daire had pulled away.

“I love you, asshole,” Daire growled.

Aleksei kissed him again, this time with a lot more feeling.

Caelyn stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was causing Daire to miss dinner. He and Aleksei were locked in the most passionate kiss he had ever seen. Aleksei had Daire pinned against the wall and was kissing him with such a force Caelyn had never seen before. And Daire was responding to the kisses eagerly. A smug grin flitted across Caelyn's face as he turned to Aidan.

“You owe me five bucks.”

To be continued…

Notes: (gives huge evil grin). I had that scene with Aleksei and Daire at the end there planned since the beginning. I changed it and added a lot more detail to what I had originally written, but I knew this was going to happen the whole time. Even before I knew Aleksei was sexually molested. (dodges random flying objects for cliffhanger) Don't kill me? Please? Otherwise you won't see what happens with Aleksei and Daire. Oh yeah, I posted a sketch of Caelyn on DA if you're interested in what he looks like.

Speaking of him and Aidan, the two of them had a bet going about whether or not Aleksei was ever going to come around or not. There are slight references to betting in one of the earlier chapters, but I didn't go into any detail. But yeah, Caelyn and Aidan made a bet on Aleksei. Looks like Caelyn had a lot more faith in him than Aidan did.

And if you didn't already, please go and vote for your favorite character in my poll.