by Tamara White
Ten minutes pass, and the knocking has grown louder and more insistent, so I’m beyond pissed when I climb out of bed. I stumble a little, my head spinning with dizziness, but I manage to right myself easily enough. I’m nowhere near my full strength, despite the day resting in bed and refueling on fresh meat, but I guess that’s just a testament to how powerful Isobel is without knowing what she is.
I grumble under my breath as I stomp downstairs. The knocking is getting louder and louder, to the point if I had to guess, I’d say someone is beating my front door with their fists.
I’m going to kill whatever dick thinks it’s okay to show up at eight o’clock in the evening and bang on someone’s door without announcing themselves or calling ahead. It’s beyond rude and I’ll be making sure that they think twice about coming up to my home without an invitation.
I make it to the front door, angrier than ever. Gripping the handle tightly, I take in a deep breath in the effort to get some control, but the dickhead is still knocking. I wrench it open with a near animalistic growl. “Who the fuck is knocking on my door at this time of night?”
I blink, sure my eyes are deceiving me. Standing in front of me, looking like a man who’s been through hell, is none other than my ex, the man who unintentionally caused a clusterfuck of epic proportions today without even being here.
Red hazes my vision, and before I can think about my actions, my fist snaps back and I clock Drake firmly in the face. The satisfaction of hearing his jaw crack is a sound I’ll treasure for days.
He stumbles on the porch, his eyes wide with shock. His hand comes up to cradle his jaw and he stretches his mouth wide, possibly checking if I managed to dislocate it. I hope I fucking did. Motherfucker deserves a hell of a lot more than a broken jaw.
I don’t even give a shit about his lack of shoes and the haggard state of his clothes. He’s obviously seen better days, but that’s not my fucking problem. The moment he chose the council over us, I stopped caring about what happened to him.
If I could kill him right now. I would. But that’s a fate that will be delivered by his brother, not me. Hell, maybe I could offer him to Isobel instead. It might make everything right.
He clears his throat nervously. “I guess I deserved that,” he mumbles contritely, not meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t need your help. There’s a girl on campus, someone extremely important, that I need to find. I need you to help me find her. Her name, is Isobel.”
How fucking dare he show up here without any damn warning and ask after her! I don’t know exactly what he did to her, but I know it mustn’t have been a fucking picnic for her to react in such a way.
I step out onto the porch, and Drake gives me a hopeful look. I smirk and raise my fist, striking him right in the temple. A move he taught me to incapacitate your victims from attacking you.
He goes down like a bag of rocks, hitting his head on the railing. I smile over his prone body, enjoying seeing him weak.
While I can’t kill him, it doesn’t mean I can’t tie him up and leave him for Tristan or Isobel to take their rage out on. Maybe at least then some good will come from all the pain he’s caused.
I bend over, ignoring the small amount of discomfort I feel as I grab Drake by the ankles and drag him into the house, all the while whistling.
A long time ago, I would have been happy to have him show up like this. I would have welcomed him with open arms, but there is only so much damage a man can do to his family before the hate grows stronger than the love.
Drake’s body squeaks along the hardwood floor as I drag him through the hall and past the kitchen toward Tristan’s room. I could pick him up to bring him down the stairs, but that’s too nice. Instead, I continue to drag him, his head hitting each step on the way down, and when I reach the bottom, I stop, wondering if I’ve somehow turned into Tristan. Huh, maybe that’s why Tristan is so angry. Drake just pisses him off. It would explain a lot.
I go past our family room and into the back area that was built for certain instances like this. Well, it was actually built in case any of us lost our shit and needed to be contained, but this will do. I will tie him to the chair and find Isobel. Maybe if she sees that we’re not on his side, she won’t abandon Tristan. I don’t care what she thinks of the rest of us, but it’s Tristan who needs her most. I can’t see him return to the downward spiral Drake left him in. And I’m willing to do anything to ensure Tristan doesn’t ever feel that way again.
Chapter Forty-Two
Isobel
Ellen invited me to stay with her last night, insisting it was stupid to be on the road in the middle of the night. Finally, I relented, knowing it would be pointless and just lead to a lack of sleep for me.
After everything was squared away with the binding magic, it was just past two in the morning. Since it’s a five to six hour drive back to Midnight, I’d be stupid to think I could be awake after that. And since we planned only to be at Midnight long enough for me to grab supplies and say goodbye, it made sense for me to rest.
We’re just now pulling up at Midnight, and it’s barely past three in the afternoon, so thankfully it’s not too late. Which means me and the Alphas can get on the road sooner rather than later. The three of them followed in their car—if you could call that military-style jeep a car. When I asked why we were going in such a vehicle, they pointed out that it could go off road and it could come in handy where we’re going. They also explained it would be easier to camouflage so we wouldn’t have to worry about the council finding it and removing it before we could escape. It somewhat made sense, I guess. That they think it will be a quick in and out gives me hope for the mission.
Ellen parks the car, turning to me with a concerned expression. “Are you sure you want to do this? Considering your new condition, I mean,” she says, her gaze flicking down and back up again.
I roll my eyes as I get out of the car. Echoing car doors are heard and I see that the Alphas kept their word by sticking close to us. They said they would follow me and help me grab my weapons since I insisted on taking them with me. When I made a point of saying that if I used one of mine, the person attacking me would die without a doubt, they kind of shut up. I could tell they were curious, but they knew not to push. They may be my allies for now, but I don’t plan to just dump all my secrets in their hands and have them reveal them to the world.
Besides, it’s not like they aren’t taking their own weapons into the prison. And for three shifters as strong as them to rely on more than just their animals, well, it tells me just how dangerous it really is down there.
I haven’t had a chance for them to divulge their actual time within or what got them put away, but we have discussed just how to break in. According to the way they escaped, they found a secret passage and were able to time their getaways while there weren’t any guards. Which is going to be the hard part.
A guard room is the only way in or out of the prison. Unlike human prisons, the guards don’t constantly patrol or monitor the inmates. There are just a few guardhouses that contain the ones in charge of interfering if needed. The cafeteria is completely enclosed, with the guards also being the ones responsible for providing food or blood. People line up and eat what they are given or go hungry.
So even if we break in and get to the guardhouse, we’ll have to wait for them all to go on break or something. I mean, I did contemplate using a little magic, but to be honest, the thought worries me. Basic small magic is easy. Anything too strong and I could get addicted to the power.
“Isobel?”
I turn, plastering a smile on my face. “I’m sure, Ellen. I need to start finding a way to reach out to the world. I’m not strong enough, nor do I have enough allies to go against the council yet and if this is the first step in me becoming who they turned me into, then it’s a step I have to take.”
It kills me that I have to leave the guys so soon, but at least I’m not simply leaving them without some kind of goodbye. Tristan e
specially deserves more than that from me. He needs to know this isn’t his fault and that I will be back.
I won’t be telling him where I’m going, but hopefully, he’ll understand. If not, then there isn’t much I can do.
I have to be smart now. If not for me, then for my child. Making these relationships with other Alphas is important for my survival and my child’s.
I can tell Ellen wants to say something, but she doesn’t, just nodding in acceptance. I think it’s why I like her so much. She’s happy to throw her two cents into the conversation when she thinks it matters, but when she knows her words won’t make a difference, she keeps them to herself.
We walk in silence through the gates and to my dorm, the three Alpha men following us at a distance. Some people stop to stare at the men, but thankfully pay no notice to myself or Ellen.
I was a little hesitant about handing my weapons and belongings to these men, but since we’ve done the binding, I doubt they would be able to leave me without it causing some kind of physical pain. Besides, as I warned Tyler when we were discussing my weapons, if one of them tried to use them, then they’d end up with a lovely surprise. Not that Tyler believed me. Oh well, if he doesn’t, then he’ll just have to face the consequences of messing with my stuff.
When we reach my dorm, we stop and wait for the Alphas. They may be sticking close by, but there is no need for them to come upstairs.
Once they reach us, I hold up a hand and point to the spot in front of me. “Stay.”
Vincent’s eyebrows go up and his mouth opens to object or say something that will most definitely annoy me.
“No. You guys don’t need to come into my dorm and draw more attention to yourselves. Just wait here and I’ll be back in about ten minutes. I don’t have much stuff.”
Flynn places a hand on Vincent’s shoulder to stop whatever the lion has to say. Instead, the bear offers me a polite smile. “Go, Isobel. We’ll wait.”
I nod, tempted to stick my tongue out at the angry lion. I don’t know what his problem is, but he’s been a pain ever since I first met him. Rather than antagonize the shifter, though, I take the high road and simply turn and step into my dorm.
Ellen chuckles as we take the stairs quickly. “Man, that boy has a big stick up his ass. You should have offered to remove it for him.”
I snort, the idea entertaining. “Yeah, because that would have been received well. Maybe you should have asked to remove it.”
“Oh, if he keeps acting like a dick, I will.”
I have no doubt she will. She doesn’t hold back when she wants someone to know just what she thinks of them. She may not snark back to her own Alpha for fear of being kicked out of her Panthera, but she has no reason not to be a bitch to the other Alpha’s.
We reach my room and I open the door for Ellen to enter, following after and closing it behind us. Ellen’s eyes go around the room curiously, obviously noting the lack of belongings. “So, what do you want my help with?”
I purse my lips, looking around at my meager belongings. “Uh, if you want to grab all the shit that you can see, then I’ll grab the stuff I have hidden away,” I instruct, as I move to my bed and pull the duffel bag from underneath it, and laying my backpack beside it.
“What do you mean hidden?” she inquires, immediately setting to work. She heads straight to my shelves where most of the obvious stuff is stacked and begins grabbing the piles of clothes and gently packing them into the duffel.
While she’s crouched down at my duffel, I reach under the mattress and pull out my short sword, still in its sheath.
She whistles lowly, her eyes glued to the weapon I rarely use. It was an impulse buy. I saw it and I knew I had to have it. I activated it, just as I did everything else I owned, but it barely gets time out of the sheath.
I place it reverently into the duffel while Ellen watches on. When it’s safely secured, I get up and throw her a wink before grabbing my other weapons. She stands and grabs the rest of my stuff, casting me an astonished smile every now and then.
Finally, once she’s done packing my belongings and I’m still grabbing weapons hidden from their various spots. She turns to stare at me, marveling at the many different knives, daggers, and guns with all their bullets, plus the various herbs and such needed to infuse some of the blades.
“You don’t play it safe, do you, Isobel?”
I bend to zip up the bags, smirking up at her. “I can’t afford to play it safe. The council is after me, as are many others, I’m sure. Having this much backup ensures I’ll always be safe, no matter where I am. It’s not secure to shift most of the time, especially if I’m in a small town populated mainly by humans. It would suck for animal control to pick me up, because some well-meaning human says they saw an arctic fox roaming around Las Vegas. I mean, it’s not exactly a common occurrence.”
“Wait, like a real arctic fox? You can shift into one?” she questions, completely awed. When I told her of my past, I explained I could shift into a few forms but not what shifters they were.
“Yep. I’m small and white, but vicious as fuck. It takes a while to get the blood out of my pristine coat,” I tease. I’m sure she would absolutely love to see me in that form. If you’ve ever seen an arctic fox in the wild, you’d know they are adorable creatures, but deadly when provoked. Just as I am.
I glance one last time around the room, ensuring I have everything. There’s a chance I may come back quickly, but on the off chance I don’t, well, it pays not to have so much of my crap around to be shared with others or stolen. For once, I’m glad I didn’t go clothes shopping and buy more essentials. Now they’d just weigh me down.
I throw my bag over my shoulder and grip my duffel tight. It feels strange that I was only here for a week. It felt like longer and yet so much has happened.
Ellen and I meet the three men out in front of the dorm where we left them. I hand my bags to Tyler and Vincent, hesitating only for a second. I will hunt them down if they try to take off with my shit.
Flynn hangs around for a moment as the other two take off back the way we came, taking my bags with them.
“We agreed you get an hour. Say your goodbyes and meet us at the car. If you’re not there by the time the hour is up, we’ll be leaving without you. I tried to convince them to give you more time, but they’re anxious to get on the road and get Andrea out of there.”
“It’s alright, I understand. I won’t be long, I promise.”
He smiles and turns away, leaving me alone with Ellen. At least he and Tyler have been nice to me. Maybe Vincent is just being shitty simply because he doesn’t want to go back to a prison he escaped from. That might explain all his current issues, but I guess I won’t know unless I ask. Though it seems strange for them to volunteer to help me if they don’t want to actually go back.
My running theory is that one of them is also Andrea’s mate.
Ellen glares at me, her arms crossed. “Don’t even think about saying goodbye to me, girlie. You are going to march into that prison and waltz your tight ass out of there and back to my Panthera, gloating about how easy of a job it was.”
“Ellen,” I begin, but she cuts me off, and suddenly I’m wrapped in a tight hug.
“No, don’t you be a damn hero, Isobel. If anything happens to you, I’ll find a way to bring you back and nag you to death for not listening to me.”
She lets me go and I give her a mischievous smile, gasping melodramatically with a hand pressed to my chest. “Why, Ellen, I’d never dream of playing the hero.”
She rolls her eyes at my dramatic display. “Yeah, sure, and my left tit doesn’t hang lower than the right.”
I shake my head, not really wanting to take stock of whether that statement is true or not. Instead, I stare at the woods, knowing I have other goodbyes to get through. Ones that won’t be as easy. I just hope no one tries to follow me when I leave.
Chapter Forty-Three
Isobel
I hesitate on the front
step, unsure whether this is the right thing to do or not. I want to say goodbye for my own selfish reasons, not because it’s good for them. Maybe it’s good for Tristan, because I can see him blaming himself for my leaving without an explanation, but the others, they don’t need a justification, they would probably be fine if I just up and left them.
Besides, they deserve to know I’m not angry at any of them. It may hurt that they know Drake, but none of us could have known about the connection we each shared with him, especially not with me being so private. I guess that’s what happens when you try to keep a secret.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I raise my hand and knock on the door softly. Part of me hopes they won’t answer it.
After a few moments, I hear footsteps echoing through the house. As they move closer, nerves get the better of me and I almost flee. Give me an angry supe any day and I’ll take that sucker down faster than he can say “lunch,” but men who I’m starting to care about, yeah, I’d prefer to run.
The door suddenly swings open to reveal a smiling Marcus. At the sight of me, his smile slips ever so slightly before quickly morphing into one of utter happiness. “Isobel! Thank God you’re okay. We weren’t sure where you went after you left. We thought maybe you weren’t coming back.” He moves aside to clear a space for me to enter. I step across the threshold, glad his welcome is positive.
Once I’m inside, he closes the door quickly, as if worried I may flee if it’s left ajar. Maybe he’s picking up on my nerves?
Marcus grabs my hand and starts dragging me farther into the house. “Guys! Isobel’s here!”
“What? Really?” I hear shouted from Adrian upstairs. Footsteps come thundering through the house as Adrian practically dives from the staircase to greet me. The others’ footsteps are also hurrying through the house.
Adrian scoops me up in a hug so tight that for a moment it feels like he’s cracked a rib before he lets me go. I barely get a moment of relief before Jesse has me in a snug hold. His head nuzzles my shoulder, breathing in my scent deeply. For a second I worry he’ll pick up on whatever it was that alerted Ellen to my pregnancy, but when he doesn’t make an exclamation of shock, I relax into his embrace.
