Isobel: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Six)

by Brenda Trim

  “What I really need is a nap. It’s been a long-ass day.” Rami closed his eyes as the cloth ran over his wound, making them sting. The cool, pungent ointment soothed the area a second later.

  “No rest for the wicked. Your first assignment is in. You’re needed at the Sensabaugh Tunnel. We’re closing down that portal to Hell once and for all,” his Chief relayed, making excitement surge through his blood.

  He was meant to eradicate every single demon on earth. He felt it all the way down to his tormented soul. He would make sure they regretted the day they’d killed him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Elsie smiled as she watched Isobel playing with Pip. She adored the furry little animal and Pip loved the attention. Pip had fit into the house seamlessly when Kyran and Mack had returned with him from the dragon realm of Khoth, but Elsie never imagined the small, grey fuzzball would become her daughter’s playmate. Only Mack, Elsie thought, would adopt an animal while being chased by deadly Unseelie Fae through a foreign island.

  Elsie was still amazed at how quickly Isobel was growing. Only a month old, Isobel was not only sitting up, but also crawling around everywhere. Izzy was always on the move, and thankfully, Elsie had an entire household to help with her. She understood firsthand what the old saying “It takes a village” meant with regards to raising a child.

  Nate had been busy child-proofing Zeum which was a huge relief to Elsie, but what kept everyone in the house on their toes was Izzy’s constant disappearing act. She had figured out what she could do and loved the attention of having everyone on a wild goose chase to find her latest hiding spot. Her version of hide and seek was going to be the death of them all.

  It had been about two weeks since Ramiel had returned to Heaven and the house was different. It had been bittersweet for her to see him go, but it was time. His link was established and Elsie knew better than anyone that it became more and more difficult for him to be around her and Zander. They had once been married and deeply in love with one another. She knew the pain of losing him, but had moved on. She found her reason for living in Zander, but Rami hadn’t found anything.

  Still, she cared for him and missed his presence daily. Luckily, he promised to pop in from time to time and check on them.

  Isobel loved Rami and had summoned him at least ten times the first two days he was gone. He came each time, proving to her she could count on him. With Cailyn’s help, they were trying to teach Isobel that calling Rami was for emergency purposes only. Elsie was pretty sure her daughter understood, but had a feeling she missed the company of her Guardian Angel.

  “There’s my favorite vampire,” squealed Mack, bringing Elsie out of her musings. Elsie was so happy that her friend was still a part of her life. They had quite the history together back to the days of SOVA when they hunted vampires. Of course, they’d ultimately discovered the creatures that stalked the night killing the innocent weren’t vampires at all, but skirm, the evil creations of demons.

  Elsie smiled at the irony of their matings. While Elsie was mated to Zander, the Vampire King, Mack was mated to his younger brother, the Vampire Prince, Kyran. They had also joined the ranks of the Dark Warrior Alliance. It seemed she was destined to be a warrior in the battle against evil. Good thing she didn’t mind one bit.

  Mack bounced over and plopped down in the middle of the media room, joining Elsie and Izzy on the floor. Pip ran over and jumped into Mack’s lap, sending Isobel into a fit of laughter that had all of them giggling. Pip only encouraged her by flipping over and rolling around on his back. The small, koala-like animal was a gentle creature and, it turned out, great with children.

  “What’s up?” she asked, smiling at the two of them.

  Mack was full of life and energy and it was hard not to get swept up in her enthusiasm. It was what had drawn Elsie to the female when they’d met. At the time, Elsie had been a broken shell, full of pain and grief. Mack had taken Elsie under her wing and given her life new purpose. Without that direction, Elsie was certain she would have wasted away in the wake of devastation Dalton’s death had caused.

  Isobel noticed a glittery package sitting next to Mack and immediately crawled in its direction. “Uh-oh, I hope that’s for her because our little hurricane makes a bee-line for anything pink and sparkly,” Elsie warned, giving Mack a heads-up.

  Much to Zander’s dismay, their daughter loved everything sparkly and pink. In fact, Suvi, one of the Rowan triplets, fed that obsession at every turn. The witch had even given Izzy a charm bracelet with shiny silver charms to match her mommy’s. Izzy loved the high-heeled shoe best with the bat coming in at a close second.

  “You know it is. Come see what Auntie Mack has for you,” Mack cooed, holding the package to lure her in. Isobel crawled right to her, extending her arms greedily.

  “You girls are spoiling her rotten. She’s going to be impossible if you keep it up,” Elsie teased. They did spoil her but she didn’t care. This baby girl was loved and cherished and that was all she could ask of anyone.

  “A girl can never have too many of these,” Mack responded and Isobel quickly tore through the tissue paper then Mack helped her unwrap what was inside. It was a black t-shirt that had Isobel clapping her hands in excitement. Mack turned it around so Elsie could see what it said.

  “Oh no! She’s not wearing that!” Elsie objected.

  Isobel looked over and pouted at Elsie as if she knew exactly what it said and disagreed with Elsie’s decision. In red writing was Lil Bloodsucker and there was a mosquito below the words.

  “What? How can you not love this, it’s perfect for her. Right, Izzy?” Mack asked and Isobel started clapping again. Pip ran around in circles, adding his vote. The sight warmed Elsie’s heart. She never imagined her life would be so full after she’d lost Dalton, but Elsie found it again with Zander. She silently prayed that Ramiel would find new hope, as well as, love and happiness.

  Looking at the shirt again, she had to admit it was pretty darn cute. Shrugging her shoulders, Elsie caved, “Looks like I’ve been outnumbered on this one, but you get to deal with Zander. I’m not defending your gift.”

  “Yay, win for Team Mackenzy, high-five girlfriend,” Mack boasted, lightly slapping Isobel’s palm which only brought another round of belly-aching laughter from the baby. Just then Breslin, Cailyn, Shae, and Illianna came bursting into the room, carrying chips, salsa and a pitcher of margaritas.

  “What’s the occasion?” Elsie asked, more than ready for a drink. Not that she drank much, but she did love a good margarita. Some people were wine or beer lovers, but tequila was her poison of choice.

  “My brathair, your thoughtful mate, told me you’re done nursing and in need of tequila and girl-time,” Breslin offered, as they all squatted on the floor in a big circle.

  Isobel seemed over the moon as the energy buzzed between all the women in the room. Cailyn poured the drinks while Breslin synced her phone and music blared from the wireless speaker nearby. Jessie stood up and started dancing along with Breslin and Cailyn. Bouncing up and down, Isobel was determined to join in the fun so Elsie sat down her drink and picked her up. Pretty soon the entire group was moving and singing as loud as they could.

  This was exactly what the doctor had ordered and Elsie took a moment to appreciate all of her blessings. Isobel wasn’t out of danger, far from it, actually. Elsie knew that was going to continue to be a problem, but she had the best family and friends imaginable. Her new family would do anything for her, as well as, each other. In fact, she wanted to plan a celebration for no other reason than she was thankful. In the midst of all the blood, fighting and chaos, they needed to take time to celebrate and share their joy. Illianna had taught them that. The angel had been through Hell, literally, and was nothing but a ray of sunshine in their home. If she could come out and share her joy in life, Elsie could reciprocate.

  “Turn down the music,” she shouted, gesturing to Breslin. As the music softened, everyone turned to her curiously. “I just had an ide
a, let’s throw a party. Just for our family, nothing big, maybe a pool party. Although, I’d like to get some fireworks to shoot off around the lake. Izzy would love that, don’t you think?” she asked excitedly.

  “I love where you’re going with this! Nothing better to warm up the cold weather like an indoor pool party. Plus, I’m all for going oot and buying something new to wear. I need to introduce Izzy to some of my favorite designers,” Breslin pointed out, going over to a side table and pulling out a pad and pen. “Let’s make a food and drink list for Nate and decide on decorations. I canna let him plan this alone,” she laughed, sitting on the leather sofa, “or it’s sure to be a catastrophe.”

  Elsie sat Isobel down on the floor with Pip, chuckling, “Poor Nate, he loathes parties. We’ll do the planning and help him set up. He’s fine as long as we don’t leave the details up to him. I want it very colorful and fun,” she added, sitting next to Breslin to collaborate on ideas.

  Her sister-in-law was a ferocious Dark Warrior, always in the thick of battle, killing skirm and demon without mercy or compunction, but she loved to dress up. Seeing Breslin after the last battle, covered in blood and entrails from head to toe, you’d never guess that she preferred expensive, high-heeled shoes and thousand dollar designer dresses over black combat gear. She was a girly-girly, as Cailyn would say, as much as she was a warrior.

  “I agree. Oh, we should invite the witches and their mates. Isis can bring Donovan to play with Izzy,” Cailyn added. Isobel looked up and smiled, clearly approving of the playmate. Either that or she just liked being included in the discussion. Pip crawled into her lap to snuggle even though he was almost as big as she was, but she didn’t care. She leaned her head down, burying her face in his soft grey fur. The little kippie purred, clearly content with the affection.

  “Yes, add them to the guest list. And Jessie and James, too. We don’t get to see her nearly enough since she moved out of Zeum. All I know is that shifter changed her world because I’ve never seen her happier,” Elsie professed, sipping on her margarita.

  It was her famous, or infamous depending on whom you asked, frozen Monsterita, and it was hitting the spot as she felt the slight buzz hit her system. She hadn’t had one since before her pregnancy and was quickly feeling the effects. Supernaturals required more alcohol than humans to get drunk, but at the moment, she felt like a virgin, drinking for the very first time. She had to laugh to herself as the well-known Madonna song played through her mind.

  She grabbed a tortilla chip and stuck it in the bowl of homemade salsa then her crack recipe. Orlando loved her jalapeno ranch dip and had dubbed it crack, claiming it was more addictive than a drug. The name had stuck and was how the members of Zeum referred to the tasty appetizer.

  Give Elsie a margarita with chips and dips and that was all she needed to be satisfied. Well, maybe that and her sexy vampire.

  Breslin turned up the music again and their group tossed around suggestions for the party, enjoying the food, drinks and company. Isobel curled up on the floor, using Pip as her pillow and fell asleep. Elsie was super excited and couldn’t wait to tell the others. She hoped Zander was okay with the idea of a celebration. He could be overly protective and for good reason, they faced danger from every angle. But, that only proved Elsie’s point. They needed to celebrate and enjoy life more than they needed to hide and cower.

  There hadn’t been any additional attacks on their property and the Sheti had not been seen again. Jace postulated that the Sheti had taken a huge loss and were likely questioning their wisdom in helping the demons.

  Kadir had no doubt sold the idea to them as a sure win with them attacking in the middle of the day, but the battle had not gone in their favor. No one assumed their absence meant that they were gone for good. The skirm were still an issue and always would be as long as there were demons to control them, but it had been quiet since Rami had left and Elsie prayed to the Goddess for a period of peace. Maybe Isobel’s birth was a sign of harmony and calm for the Tehrex Realm.

  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the world was that simple, she thought, ignoring the niggle to her mind that she was wishing for the impossible.

  *****

  Zander scanned the pool area, knowing his uneasiness wouldn’t rest until the party was over. He was against the idea, but Elsie had insisted on the celebration and he could never refuse his mate something that made her happy. As he looked over the last-minute security additions he knew he wouldn’t be relaxing at all this evening.

  The pool was an extension of the house, enclosed by three walls and a ceiling of glass, which kept the cold away, but did little in the way of protection from enemies. He’d be more comfortable if the walls were made of stone or if the pool was two stories underground. Gerrick and Jace had reassured him their property was protected, but after the incident with the Sheti breaking through their gates, he wasn’t willing to assume total safety.

  His anger churned over the fact that his mate and child weren’t even safe in the home he’d built for them. His Dark Warriors could protect themselves, but Zander was responsible for them. He’d worked hard to provide a safe haven for his family and that had been taken from them. He wanted to crush Kadir between his palms and end his existence forever, but couldn’t because the coward hadn’t yet shown his face. Not that killing the archdemon would make them safe because Lucifer would simply send another. But it would be satisfying.

  A sideways glance from his mate told him he needed to shield his rage. Not wanting to ruin her evening, Zander sent her a smile before turning away to get his anger under control. Taking a deep breath, he took in the festivities and had to admit, the females had done an incredible job with the decorations.

  The theme was a fiesta, complete with colored lights, streamers, piñatas, and sombreros. Brightly colored balls floated in the pool with towels and robes scattered about for the guests. Salsa music echoed through the large space and Elsie’s frozen cocktail machine was in full gear, dispensing margaritas into plastic cups with squiggly straws.

  A slap on his back grabbed his attention, “Brathair, here, you need this,” Bhric said, handing him a glass of Scotch. Zander accepted the drink, clinking it against the other beverage Bhric was holding.

  “Aye, you’re right. I canna help but think this is a bad idea. I’d like to cancel the whole fucking thing,” he mumbled, taking a deep swig.

  Nearby splashing snagged his attention. Orlando and Rhys were roughhousing in the water, dunking one another. Rhys disappeared below the surface, masked by the dark water. Zander checked his watch, wondering why the pool’s interior lights were off, but realized the automatic timer had about five more minutes.

  Suddenly, Orlando barked, “Fucking Rhys,” as the cambion broke the surface, holding Orlando’s swim trunks in his hands. Illianna was sitting on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water and burst out laughing. Zander would never understand why the female encouraged Rhys, but she was the one person who found his shenanigans entertaining.

  “Bro, you’re getting slow in your old age. Hell, Izzy has quicker reflexes than you,” Rhys joked, tossing the wet material at Orlando’s head. The shifter snatched them mid-air and wrestled with the fabric, trying to put them on while standing in the pool.

  “Yeah, you’re a funny fucker. Just remember, paybacks are hell,” Orlando challenged with a huge grin.

  It was nice to see the warriors enjoying themselves. It had been beyond tense in the house since Isobel’s birth and it was refreshing to see the males relaxing. Zander reminded himself that they’d made Zeum as secure as they could and his family was healthy and whole. He couldn’t ask for more than that.

  “Look, the witches are here. Och, I wish Suvi wasn’t mated. Her fine arse in that skimpy bikini is going to torture me all night,” Bhric blurted, and Zander followed his gaze to the group entering the pool area. His brother wasn’t wrong, Suvi looked very sexy in her black, barely-there swimsuit and signature high heels, but she didn’t hol
d a candle to Elsie.

  Zander’s eyes drifted back to the pool and the stairs where Elsie was playing in the water with Isobel. Elsie was wearing a silver, sequin bikini that complimented her peaches and cream complexion. It reflected off the water, almost glowing against her skin. One would never know she’d recently given birth with her toned body. A benefit to being supernatural, Zander thought, but he found her irresistible no matter what. It was Elsie’s inner fire and caring demeanor he loved most. She brought light to the dark, lonely corners of his soul.

  Elsie was jumping up and down in the water as Isobel clung to her arms, breasts bouncing with the movement and Zander hardened in response. He wanted to snatch her from the pool and escape for a night of unadulterated pleasure, which was another incentive to call it a night.

  “I’m getting screwed on this family and close friends deal,” Bhric sputtered, drawing Zander out of his erotic fantasy. “I might cut oot early and head over to Confetti Too for some real action.”

  “You canna leave too early, I need you here to keep an eye on things. Too many distractions are an invitation for surprise attacks,” Zander warned, polishing off his drink.