My heart lodged in my throat and tears filled my eyes as I glanced at Isaac. He sat in the seat beside me appearing grim, but his gray eyes had a distant look to them. Almost as if he was remembering those days from long ago.
“I couldn’t let it happen. I loved my father, because he was my father, but Isaac is my brother. My best friend, too. Having him live in exile would have been painful. But to watch him be beaten and be expected to stand back and do nothing? I couldn’t let that happen. So I did the only thing I could think of to stop it,” Josh said with a sigh. I had never seen him look so sad before. Almost as if the past was eating him alive and he had to get it out.
“What was that?” I asked softly.
“Courtney, I hope you understand when I tell you this—I had no other option. Hopefully Michael and Nick really can understand me and know this as well. I have to live with myself every day for my actions, but Isaac forgives me. And I’m learning to forgive myself as well,” Josh insisted.
“What did you do, Josh?” I asked a little more firmly.
“I killed our father.”
Chapter 22
I had no words to respond to Josh’s bombshell. What did someone say when the person in the car with you said they killed their own father? I had never been in that situation before, and with my other companions shifted into wolves, I was flying solo on this one.
I cleared my throat after a few more moments of silence and glanced over at Isaac. He was staring straight ahead out of the windshield. “Well, you did what you had to do. Nobody can fault you for that. You were helping your brother. And from what you said, the entire town as well.”
“Thank you, Court,” Josh said with a heavy exhale, his tone filled with gratitude.
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Nick lay his head on Josh’s lap. I saw Josh swallow hard and lift his hand to stroke Nick’s soft fur. Michael, in turn, pushed his nose against Josh’s side. I quickly averted my eyes back to the road to check that things were okay before looking back at Joshua. His eyes glistened with unshed tears at the gestures Michael and Nick had made. They told him, in ways only animals could, that they accepted him and that they were okay with his past.
“Michael wasn’t right, you know,” I told Isaac.
“What are you talking about?” Isaac asked as his eyes slid in my direction.
“About not being part of the Exi. It’s pretty obvious that you are,” I said with a shrug.
I heard a whining noise from the back seat and knew it was Michael. “I think he agrees with you,” Isaac laughed.
“So is this the wrong time to bring up the fact that I’m starving?” Josh spoke up from the back seat.
“Yes,” Isaac and I said at the same time.
Josh let out a gusty sigh. “I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday, and I worked up quite an appetite with this guy.” He stroked Nick’s head again lovingly. “And we missed breakfast.”
“I hate to say it, but I’m kind of hungry, too,” Isaac admitted. “They weren’t the only ones who worked up an appetite.”
“I guess we can hit up a drive-through,” I relented, albeit full of guilt.
“I actually think we should stop somewhere,” Josh said slowly.
“What? Why?” I asked and locked my wide eyes on his through the mirror. Nick let out a quiet howl in protest.
“Babe, listen to me, okay?” Josh said as he spoke to Nick. “We haven’t really game planned what we are going to do. The plans we’ve made haven’t been very specific, I think we were all avoiding talking about our impending doom.. And this morning, we were all so upset over Kimberly’s disappearance, that we didn’t actually decide what needed to be done. We need to formulate a plan of action so no one gets hurt, or worse.”
It was true, we’d basically only planned to go to the cave once the rain stopped. We really sucked at this hero business.
“I can’t believe I am actually about to say these words,” Isaac said as he reached up to tighten his hair that he had knotted on top of his head, “but the twerp is right.”
“How did those words taste coming out of your mouth?” Josh snickered.
“Like acid,” Isaac snarled.
“Shut it. You know I’m your favorite brother,” Josh said in a sing-song voice.
“That’s because you’re my only brother,” Isaac sighed.
“And that is what makes me your favorite,” Josh laughed as he bent down to rub his cheek over Nick’s silky black fur.
“Nick and Michael, if you agree with Josh and Isaac about stopping, then you two might want to shift back. We can grab you some clothes to change into once we’re parked,” I told them as I kept my eyes peeled for an exit that advertised a place to eat. “And Josh? Hands to yourself if Nick changes back. I don’t need any bodily fluids on my back seat.”
“You are no fun,” Josh pouted.
A few minutes later, my back seat was filled with one very happy Fae and two naked men. Thank goodness my windows had a tint to them or I’d have a lot of explaining to do. And oddly enough, since everything that had happened, I was getting quite used to seeing two of my best friends naked.
“I’m not too thrilled about the idea of stopping, knowing that Kimberly is out there, but I do agree that we need to strategize,” Nick finally said, and I watched him bat Josh’s wandering hand away.
“Josh, behave,” Isaac warned from the front seat.
“Cock block,” Josh muttered and crossed his arms.
“There’s a diner,” Michael pointed from behind Isaac, then reached out to squeeze Isaac’s broad shoulder.
“Perfect,” I said and took the exit to reach the eatery Michael had pointed out.
I quickly parked in the back of the lot and exited my car to sift through the bags in the trunk. I grabbed some clothes and tossed them into the back seat. Isaac climbed out of the passenger seat and stood beside me outside of the car while Nick and Michael quickly dressed. I assumed Josh sat inside to “assist” Nick.
“I could not get dressed quick enough with those two,” Michael huffed as he quickly scrambled out of the car.
“Get a private peep show?” Isaac asked before pulling Michael into his arms for a quick kiss.
“Something like that,” Michael grimaced after they parted.
“Come on, you two. Remember? We need to eat and plan how to save our friend?” I reminded Nick and Josh as I knocked on the window.
Through the tint I could see the two men in my car quickly jump apart. Nick climbed out of the car and shrugged as Josh followed behind him. Josh’s hair looked mussed and his eyes were glazed over.
“Seriously, you two? Our fucking friend is missing!” Michael bellowed.
“What can I say? Nick’s intoxicating,” Josh practically slurred his words out.
“And Josh’s handsy ass is pretty hard to resist. But you’re right. Kimberly is missing, and we need to get this shit figured out. Let’s get inside,” Nick commanded as he took control of the situation and started to head toward the diner.
As soon as we walked inside, the wide-eyed hostess immediately seated us. I could feel the tension radiate off her body the minute she focused in on Isaac. I could see why, though. Had he not been on our side, his size alone would have been intimidating to me as well. But oddly enough, I wasn’t at all scared of him or Josh. I knew they would never hurt me, and the gentle way both of them treated my friends made me feel safe. I felt in my gut that they’d do anything to help me and my friends out, and I took comfort in that feeling. Even if Josh did murder someone and Isaac looked like he bench-pressed rhinos.
“Hi, my name is Amy and I will be,” the waitress started to say and then seemed to lose her voice as soon as she looked at Nick. She cleared her throat before continuing, “I mean, I’ll be your waitress this afternoon.”
From my vantage point of sitting directly across from Josh, I could see his body tense up and his usually glittering eyes slanted into a harsh glare. Nick barely paid her an
y attention as we all ordered our drinks.
After she retreated to fill our beverage orders, we mutually decided to wait until after we had our food in front of us before we dove into the conversation regarding Kimberly. We didn’t want our overly exuberant hostess to interrupt or overhear us.
“Are you ready to order?” Amy asked Nick, completely ignoring the rest of us after she handed us our drinks.
Nick kept his eyes downcast on the menu and rattled off his order. He quickly folded his menu and turned his attention to Josh. Josh opened his mouth to begin to place his order, but the waitress had all of her focus on Nick. I could feel Josh’s body vibrating in rage.
“Um, excuse me, peaches, focus on me for a second, honey.” Josh’s voice dripped with scorn as he snapped his fingers in front of her face.
“Oh, shit,” Isaac sighed and leaned back in his chair. Clearly he knew what was about to go down.
Michael’s gaze lifted from the menu he was studying to watch the unfolding scene at our table.
“Pardon?” The waitress turned to Josh in surprise.
“No, I don’t pardon you. I’ve been sitting here for the last few minutes trying to order my food. But you have been standing there eye-fucking my boyfriend, instead of doing your damn job, which is writing down what food I want to eat.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t,” she stammered and blushed furiously. “I didn’t realize. What would you like to order, sir?”
My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when I saw Josh close his own and muttered under his breath. “Oh, sweet Jesus, Lord give me strength. No, she did not just call me that.”
“Josh, calm down.” Nick reached under the table to, I assume, place a calming hand on his thigh.
“Here we go,” Isaac muttered and looked at his brother in bemusement. Clearly he was used to this kind of thing.
Josh shuddered and held up a finger. “First of all, peaches, don’t ever address me as ‘sir’ ever again. That’s for old people, and well, look at me.” He gestured toward himself. “Do I look like someone who is old? I don’t think so. Second of all, this man right here is off-limits. As pretty as you are, you are not competition. Clearly you don’t have the right parts. Now, I want the number five combo, extra cheese on my hash browns, and then, please, take my friends’ orders. We have some business we need to take care of, so your promptness and fast service would greatly be appreciated.” Josh glared at her as he wrapped a possessive arm around Nick, who in turn, leaned into him.
I’d never heard Josh speak that way. The delivery of his words could have been considered a lethal weapon. The remainder of us at the table had a hard time placing our orders with a straight face. I felt awful for the poor girl, but she did have it coming to her, in a way. She’d blatantly ignored us while she’d continuously stared Nick down. She’d needed to be put in her place and Josh had done just that.
Our food came much faster than we’d anticipated, and after Amy placed the food down in front of us, she quickly asked if we needed anything else. After Josh’s blunt dismissal, she quickly retreated to check on her other tables.
“Alright. Let’s start planning how we’re going to save Kimberly,” Nick announced after we ate half of our food.
After that, our food was quickly forgotten. The only thing that mattered at that moment was saving our friend.
Chapter 23
“This won’t be easy,” Josh warned us, his voice losing any trace of silliness.
“No, it won’t. Even if it appears to be easily accessible, it won’t be. Those ghouls you saw in the parking lot are only the beginning of what will be awaiting you,” Isaac said.
“What else could there be besides vamps and creepy-looking dead guys?” Michael asked.
“Mutated animals. Traps. It’s hard telling what will be in those woods. It’s going to be an obstacle. But since we’re flying overhead, we’ll be able to keep tabs on things for you,” Josh explained.
“Did you just say ‘mutated animals’?” I asked in shock. “How in the fuck did they mutate animals?”
“Okay, I guess I wouldn’t go as far as to say they are mutated. Let’s just say the Strigoi decided to get creative with their vampire venom and the animals up in the mountains, and they decided to experiment. The animals are used as their own personal guards.”
“So if you are up in the air, how are you supposed to alert us if there are those ghouls or animals in the way?” Nick inquired.
“That’s where Courtney comes in.” Josh shrugged and took a bite of his hash browns. “These were much better when they were warmer.”
“What?” I asked in surprise.
“They were better when they were warm. The cheese was all melted, and now they’re just a glob of mush,” Josh whined as he set his fork back down.
“Babe, focus please.” Nick grabbed Josh’s face and turned his attention to him.
“Focus on what?” Josh asked, his gaze dropping down to Nick’s lips.
“Josh!” Isaac said firmly from across the table. “Explain to Courtney where she comes in during all of this. She doesn’t know about it yet.”
“Know about what?” Michael quickly asked Isaac.
Josh sighed heavily and mumbled under his breath, “I keep forgetting you guys are new to this crap.” Reluctantly, he tore his gaze away from Nick and focused on me.
“Stop pouting. Once we find Kimberly, we will have plenty of time, just you and me. So tell us what’s going on,” Nick reassured Josh and planted a light kiss on Josh’s neck.
Josh groaned. “Okay, you’re a seer, right? You have the dreams and visions.”
I nodded. “Yes. We’ve already established that.”
Josh grinned and didn’t say anything. I just sat there, staring at him dumbly, until he further elaborated.
“Can you hear this?”
I gasped. “What was that?”
Isaac let out a low rumble that I could only assume was his version of a chuckle. Clearly, my reaction amused him.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked, obviously confused by what was happening.
The two Fae sitting with us continued to sit there silently.
“Michael is such a feisty little thing in the bedroom.” I heard Isaac’s voice in my head that time.
“Seriously, Isaac? I did not need to know that!” I glared at Isaac.
“What is going on here?” Michael asked in annoyance, irritated that he was being left out of the loop.
“How am I hearing you two?” I asked, ignoring Michael.
“You can hear our thoughts,” Josh explained.
“How is that possible? I only have visions. I don’t read minds,” I quickly denied what Josh was trying to tell me. Because it was freaking crazy.
“It’s not reading minds,” Isaac began to explain. “Since you’re a seer, your mind is more open than other humans. Since your mind is open, you’re more accepting to hearing our voices telepathically.”
“Great, so now I’m even more of a freak than I already was. First I was seeing things, now I can hear things,” I grumbled and rolled my eyes. Then a sudden thought occurred to me and I asked, “How come I wasn’t able to hear you two before?”
“We didn’t let you. We didn’t push our thoughts into your mind,” Isaac answered with a shrug, as if it made all of the sense in the world.
“If you two can get into her mind, doesn’t that make her susceptible to the Strigoi as well?” Nick piped up.
Isaac and Josh hesitated to answer him. “It does,” Josh finally said. “But honey, don’t worry about that. We will be flying overhead to keep tabs on everything. If we see you start to stray off the path, or act out in any weird way, we’ll be able to tell.”
“It’ll be fine. We will take care of you.” Isaac reached over and squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“So what do we need to do?” Michael asked.
“First, we are going to finish this lukewarm breakfast. You two,” Josh pointed to Nick and Michael,
“need to eat to build up your energy. You’re going to need it so you can fight off anything that stands in your path.”
“Then what?” Nick asked before he shoved a bite of pancakes into his mouth.
“I know exactly where the cave is. I will direct us where we need to go. Once we are on the outskirts of the shield, Isaac and I will take flight. As I suggested before, it’ll be beneficial if you two are already in wolf form. You two will need to shift in the parking lot before we head out,” Josh explained.
“If you’re flying, won’t you be seen from the ground?” I asked.
Isaac nodded. “From a distance we look like large birds. No one will be any the wiser as to what we are. You have been to the cave in your vision. You know what to look out for. We will need you to keep your mind focused on not only staying open to accept our words, but also to remember where you need to go.”
“That sounds easy enough.” My voice was dripping in sarcasm.
“How exactly are we supposed to fight off the ghouls and their experiments?” Nick probed.
“They’re killed just like the Strigoi and Liderc. Rip their throats out. Decapitation works well, too. The Strigoi and Liderc can even be stabbed in the heart. But in order to save the hostages—especially Kimberly—you will have to get through all of them first, and it will not be easy.”
“I don’t have any weapons,” I reminded them.
Isaac cleared his throat. “I have a cache in a storage unit not too far from here. We knew this day would be coming. We wanted to prepare for when it did.”
“I see,” I said shakily. “Well, let’s get out of here so I can stock up.”
Shortly after we flagged down our waitress, who made it a point to hand the check directly to Nick, we paid our bill and went outside to our car. Nick and Michael went around the building with Isaac so he could grab their clothes, and they shifted back into their wolf forms.
Even after being around them numerous times, seeing my friends as such beautiful and powerful animals still took my breath away. I could see a newfound determination in their eyes. I knew without a doubt that they’d kill anything that crossed our path in order to not only keep me safe, but to save our friend.
Fated Heroes Page 13
