“Roman likes you.” Pulling her onto his lap, he wrapped her in his arms. Phoenix let out a contented sigh and rested her head against his chest. Isaiah stroked her hair and shifted slightly to reposition his dick, which was getting way too excited with her on his lap.
“Am I hurting you?” she asked, looking up to meet his eyes. He got the impression she knew exactly what his problem was.
Isaiah felt his cheeks heat.
Phoenix giggled and stroked his cheek. “You are so hot when you get embarrassed like this,” she told him.
Isaiah let out a startled bark of laughter. “Then I guess you’ll find me hot most of the time. I wasn’t thinking about my dick when I put you on my lap. It wasn’t about me trying to seduce you, but my dick has a mind of its own when you’re around.”
“Are you blaming me for your erection?” she was trying to look stern, but he caught the teasing twinkle in her eyes.
“Well, I wouldn’t have this problem if you weren’t so perfect,” he insisted, which earned him a snort from her.
“Perfect?” she asked. “I hardly think that’s a word anyone is ever going to use to describe me.”
“You’re perfect for me,” he insisted. Tipping her face up so he could kiss her, Isaiah’s lips moved against hers in a gentle kiss that was simply meant to show her how much she mattered to him. Of course, it quickly turned into a passionate joining of their mouths, followed by him practically tearing at her clothes.
The knock on the door was not a welcome interruption.
“Go away!” Phoenix shouted.
“Sorry, but playtime’s over, kids.” Isaiah recognized his cousin, Aiden’s lightly accented voice, and he groaned.
“I hate my family,” Isaiah grumbled loud enough for Aiden to hear.
“See you in five minutes,” Aiden called through the door. “If you aren’t there, I’m sure Roman will come looking for you next.”
“Can’t we have twenty minutes?” Phoenix asked Isaiah, kissing his chin before resting her head against his chest.
“I wish,” he told her. “If Aiden came to get us, it means Roman is here.”
“I haven’t met Aiden, have I?” she asked.
“No,” he assured her. “You’d remember him.”
“Are you going to tell me he says things even more shocking than Drew?” she asked.
Isaiah chuckled. “Nobody says things more shocking than Drew. Aiden is just hard to forget because he’s the only one in the family who grew up in Ireland, so you can’t miss the accent. He also does a lot to look different from the rest of us.”
“Like wearing glasses he doesn’t need?” she teased. “Vampires have perfect vision, except for the photo sensitivity.”
“I don’t wear the glasses to look different from the family,” he assured her.
“Then why do you wear them?” she asked as she climbed off his lap, which was probably a good thing since he really needed to get his erection under control.
“The ladies go for the glasses,” he told her, waggling his eyebrows for effect.
Phoenix laughed. “They are pretty sexy, but I still say you need a pocket protector.”
“Woman, stop mocking pocket protectors,” he warned as he got to his feet. “I am telling you, they are highly under-appreciated and useful. I might use one myself if I still wrote anything by hand.”
“Something tells me I’m going to come across a pocket protector in your room,” she said as they walked toward the door.
Isaiah made a mental note to hide his pocket protectors. While he didn’t use them anymore, he’d been reluctant to toss them since he never knew when they might come in handy. Still, something told him Phoenix would tease him because she really didn’t understand how useful they were.
Chapter Thirty-One
“This house is a maze,” Phoenix complained as they made their way to meet with Roman. She was so turned around, she almost wished she’d dropped some breadcrumbs along the way.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The main sitting room,” he replied, before adding, “We usually meet there, so I assume that’s where everyone is.”
“Why do they call it the main sitting room?”
“It’s the one near the front of the house,” Isaiah explained.
“How many sitting rooms does this place have?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Before you start asking me why it has so many, I have no idea.”
“This house is too big,” she muttered as they entered the room full of vampires.
“I agree,” Roman told her. “My son is more hospitable than I am.”
“You’re both anti-social,” Lydia stated.
Roman’s lips lifted ever so slightly as he regarded Lydia. “I don’t recall you complaining about my social skills earlier.”
Lydia snorted. “I was commending you on your oral skills, not your social skills.”
Isaiah groaned. “Please, try not to scare Phoenix away, everyone. She’s likely to run as soon as she realizes how crazy you all are.”
Phoenix almost laughed. “Are you kidding? I have a family member trying to kill me, and one killing to protect me. There is no way I can start judging your family’s brand of crazy.”
Looking around the room, she recognized Lydia, Roman, Justin, and Caitlin. There was also a petite blonde with warm brown eyes. When her eyes landed on the biker with the long brown hair, neatly trimmed goatee, and tattoos, she realized Isaiah had been right about her being able to easily recognize Aiden.
“You must be Aiden,” she deduced.
Aiden grinned, clearly pleased that she’d recognized him. “That I am,” he said with a nod. “And you’re the hunter Isaiah is smitten with.”
“Smitten?” Justin scoffed. “Nobody says smitten.”
Aiden flipped him off.
“I’m Ivy,” the blonde introduced herself.
“The psychologist,” Phoenix added.
“Why do so many people say that like it’s synonymous with eater of babies?” Ivy asked, scrunching up her pert nose.
“Sorry,” Phoenix told her. “Maybe I’m just a little sensitive about it because everyone has spent so much time talking about my anxiety today.”
“That must be very frustrating,” Ivy said and then giggled. “Okay, now I do sound like I’m here to psychoanalyze you. I am available if you need me, but today, I’m here to talk about the meeting with the hunters.”
“I’d like this matter handled tonight,” Roman insisted. “Ivy and Willow can make it this evening.”
“We can’t do it tonight,” Caitlin argued.
Roman merely raised an eyebrow, which earned him a snort from Lydia.
“It’s Tuesday,” Lydia pointed out.
“That is what my calendar says,” Roman replied dryly. When Lydia let out an annoyed huff, he sighed. “Very well. Since we can’t go on Tuesdays, for some unfathomable reason, we’ll plan for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is Wednesday,” Lydia stated.
This time, Roman laughed. “Believe it or not, I know Wednesday comes after Tuesday.”
“The hunters aren’t likely to be at the club on a Wednesday,” Lydia told him as if it were obvious.
“Thursday, they might be there because there’s a good headliner,” Caitlin added.
Roman merely waited for more of an explanation.
“It’s still possible they won’t go until the weekend,” Lydia insisted. “Friday is our best bet.”
Isaiah shook his head. “We shouldn’t wait until Friday.”
“We can’t make it Thursday or Friday,” Ivy said regretfully.
“They have hunting of their own to do Thursday and Friday,” Aiden finished for her. “As much as I understand the urgency, I agree that we’ll probably be wasting our time going before Thursday. If it weren’t for Tempest and the babies, I’d say it couldn’t hurt to go multiple nights.”
Roman nodded. “We’ll wait until Thursday. Ac
tually, I think I’ll stay behind so this doesn’t seem like a power move.”
“Good idea,” Phoenix agreed. “Even with my tattoo masking my abilities, I can sense your power, and it will seem like you’re trying to intimidate them.”
“I’ll go with in case Phoenix needs any help dealing with her anxiety,” Caitlin offered, sounding less than thrilled with the idea.
“Let’s hope this doesn’t end up being a huge mistake,” Phoenix added nervously. She was still having serious doubts about the wisdom of approaching the hunters.
“You don’t need to go with us,” Isaiah told her, with a hopeful expression. It was clear he didn’t want her to go.
“This is about me,” she argued.
“I know, and I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I’m just saying that you’re not alone. We’ll go without you if you’d rather stay behind,” Isaiah assured her.
“Isaiah is right,” Roman agreed in a gentle voice. “It would be safer for you to stay here while they talk to the hunters. We don’t want to risk your safety.”
Phoenix wasn’t used to people standing up for her, let alone people she barely knew. “Thank you. While I appreciate your offer, it’s time for me to do something other than hide.”
“We’ll have your back,” Aiden assured her.
Isaiah laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. “You’re not alone anymore.”
For the first time in many years, she believed that was true.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Isaiah was starving. Thankfully, Drew had been out picking up lunch while they’d all met about going to the club. The reason for sending him out was that they didn’t want him to argue about going to the club to meet the hunters. Normally, Drew wouldn’t care enough to get involved, but he had a soft spot when it came to Phoenix.
Roman, Ivy, and Aiden had all left right after the meeting, so Isaiah was now sitting in the kitchen, eating pizza with Phoenix, Justin, Caitlin, and Drew. It was a strangely quiet meal. For his part, his mind was on getting upstairs to finish what he’d started with Phoenix earlier. Just thinking about that had him hiding his erection under the breakfast bar. Based on the occasional smirk Drew sent his way, his cousin knew what he was thinking. None of them were sure what Drew’s ability was, but it involved sex in some way.
“Are you done?” Isaiah asked Phoenix.
“Yes, I’m done,” she replied.
“Did you want to watch a movie?” Drew asked.
“Not now,” Phoenix replied. “I think we’ll just go up to Isaiah’s room and rest.”
Justin obviously decided to join in on the teasing. “How about a game of cards?”
“Don’t be a prick,” Caitlin warned.
“Fine,” Justin told them, “Go upstairs, and we’ll see you later. Enjoy your nap.”
What Isaiah wanted to do was toss Phoenix over his shoulder and carry her upstairs to his room, but he exercised great restraint by holding her hand and walking her out of the kitchen. They were passing through the foyer, almost at the stairs, when the front door opened.
“Isaiah!” came the excited voice of Helena Draksel, his mother.
Stifling a groan of frustration, Isaiah faced his mother, figuring things could always be worse. It could be his father.
“Helena! Do not walk away from me!”
“This is what I get for thinking things couldn’t get any worse,” Isaiah grumbled. Not only did his father storm into the house, he was followed by Sofia. While Sofia was technically his grandmother, no one in the family, other than Drew, referred to her as such. They all called her Sofia—at least, that’s what they called her to her face. The woman was as warm and cuddly as a black mamba.
Rather than cowering, like she’d done most of his life, his mother spun around and glared at his father with her hands on her hips. While Isaiah looked a lot like Justin, his father looked like Justin’s twin—a fact Justin hated. The only way to tell them apart was their apparel. His father had an unfortunate habit of dressing in clothing that looked like it had been rejected by the local thrift store. Today, he wore navy blue sweat pants that had white lint stuck to them. He’d paired the sweats with a grey hoodie that was missing the pocket on one side. His father looked even more slovenly when standing near his mother. Helena’s short red dress was form-fitting on top but flowed out around her hips. She’d recently cut her long sable hair, and it now barely touched her shoulders.
“Something tells me we aren’t going to make it up to your room,” Phoenix said with a sigh.
“It would seem unlikely,” he agreed. “I’ll introduce you to Sofia and my parents once things settle down.”
“What are you all doing here?” he asked, walking over to give his mother a hug. He gave his father a slight nod. That was as much affection as they shared on a good day. His father had never been a loving man—not with his sons and certainly not with his wife.
“We heard about Andrei,” Sofia replied, sounding more emotional than he’d have expected. It was strange looking at Sofia and realizing she was over five-hundred years old. She looked to be about twelve, which was how old she’d been when Isaiah’s grandfather had married her. From what Isaiah had heard, it was a good thing his grandfather was dead. The cruelty Sofia had endured at his grandfather’s hands was likely the reason she was so cold. With her long red hair touching her ankles, and her violet eyes, she looked innocent enough, but there was nothing innocent about Sofia.
Isaiah’s arm slid protectively around Phoenix because at least two people in the room were not the nicest of people on a good day. While his mother and Sofia had formed a strange bond over the last few months, neither of them were on speaking terms with his father.
“I’m just following my stubborn wife,” his father muttered.
“Who is the young lady?” his mom asked, her eyes locked on his arm wrapped around Phoenix’s waist.
“This is Phoenix,” he introduced. “Phoenix, this is my mom, Helena, my father, Josef, and Sofia. Sofia is. . .” His voice trailed off as he tried to come up with the right word to describe what Sofia was to him.
“Grandmamma?” Drew called out as he entered the foyer. “What are you doing here?”
Sofia glided toward Drew and wrapped him in her arms. “You poor boy!” she crooned. “This must be so hard for you.”
Drew stiffened, and Isaiah saw the emotions pass across his face. Isaiah could somewhat understand his cousin’s mixed feelings about the death of his father. Andrei hadn’t been a good father by any stretch of the imagination, but Isaiah was sure there had been moments when Andrei had at least tried. Those were the memories that would haunt Drew during the times when he found himself feeling almost indifferent about his father’s death. Isaiah suspected he’d feel the same indifference if his own father were to die. He was sure that, every once in a while, he’d remember a good time and feel guilty for not missing the man.
Phoenix seemed to sense Drew’s distress because she was obviously trying to draw attention away from Drew. “I’m a hunter,” she announced.
Drew pulled back from Sofia and laughed, all the tension seeming to drain from his body. “Thanks, babe,” he said, giving her a wink.
Sofia appeared delighted. His father looked nervous. As for his mom, she was too busy pretending to ignore his father to even react to Phoenix’s statement.
Isaiah saw the moment his father recovered from his shock, his face fully expressing his anger and disapproval.
“Why is there a hunter in the house?” his father demanded, before grabbing his mom’s arm and dragging her behind him.
“What are you doing?” his mom demanded.
“Protecting you from the hunter,” his father insisted.
“If you don’t get your hands off of me, I will kick you!” his mother threatened, and that’s when Isaiah suddenly wished he’d taken Phoenix the long way back to his room.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Phoenix still couldn’t believe she’d blu
rted out that she was a hunter to a group of vampires, just to draw their attention away from Drew. Then again, the rest of Isaiah’s family already knew, so she figured it wasn’t a big secret.
“You really should kick him,” Sofia prompted Helena.
“I demand to know why there is a dangerous killer in this house!” Josef shouted, still trying to stand in front of Helena.
“I live here,” Drew drawled, intentionally misinterpreting what Josef had said.
“I’m not going to kill anyone,” Phoenix assured them.
“Isaiah’s been fucking her so often, she probably doesn’t have the energy to kill anyone,” Drew added.
“Andrew!” Sofia scolded. “You are far too young to be talking about this sort of thing.”
Phoenix snorted.
“You too, young lady,” Sofia added.
“She’s right,” Isaiah said softly, his warm breath caressing her ear. “I’ll have to punish you later.”
“That was hot,” Drew rasped out, his eyes locked on hers.
“I’m a hunter,” Phoenix told Sofia. “I won’t ever look any older than I do now. For all you know, I could be two-hundred years old.”
“You’re younger than Andrew,” Sofia stated with narrowed eyes.
“How do you know my age?” Phoenix asked in surprise.
“I remember your uncle,” Sofia explained. “His passing was very sad. He was quite a man.” Her voice was slightly breathy when she said the last part.
“You slept with her uncle?” Josef gasped, looking like he’d just smelled something foul.
“Why don’t you pull that self-righteous stick out of your ass, Josef?” Helena suggested, moving to stand closer to Isaiah.
Josef’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“I slept with your uncle a few times,” Sofia admitted.
“My uncle hated vampires!” Phoenix exclaimed.
Sofia chuckled. “I never said we were friends.”
“I was hoping my ears were playing tricks on me,” Justin muttered as he made his way into the foyer.
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