“It’s not your fault,” Isaiah assured her.
“He’s right,” Justin said. “We’ve dealt with our share of psychos in the last few years, and we’ll deal with this one, too.”
“I just feel bad because this psycho is my relative,” she admitted.
“Some of the psychos we’ve dealt with have been our family, so we aren’t in any position to judge you,” Justin insisted. “Now, let’s talk about your anxiety.”
Phoenix nodded but said nothing.
“I noticed last night that caffeine made matters worse, and that’s why I cut you off. I also called Sofia, and she put me in touch with a breeder doctor in the New England area. I was surprised that the doctor was willing to talk to me.”
“What did you tell the doctor when she asked why you needed advice on treating a hunter?” Phoenix asked.
Justin shrugged. “Actually, she told me she’d rather not know who I was helping because it might obligate her to tell the hunters about our conversation. Anyway, she’s had some success treating anxiety in breeders, but she’s never treated a hunter for it.”
“There are some differences between hunters and breeders,” Phoenix began. “Differences that go beyond the ability to have children or sense vampires.”
“That’s what she said, but it was a good place to start,” Justin replied before pointing to a tray with two syringes on it. “If this works, I can get these made into a pill form, but I don’t want to waste the effort until we’ve tested it.”
“So, I’m a guinea pig?” she asked. “What’s the risk to me?”
“If the dosage isn’t right, the sedative part could knock you out,” Justin explained.
“Is it safe?” Isaiah asked.
“I wouldn’t be willing to try it on your woman if I thought there might be a risk to her,” Justin huffed.
Swallowing hard, Phoenix stared at the needles. “Let’s see if this works,” she finally said.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
They were hunting a hunter—something Isaiah had never expected to happen. Then again, he’d never expected to be falling in love with a hunter either. He still wasn’t happy about having Phoenix with them tonight, and he’d even tried talking her out of it again that afternoon, as had Justin. Caitlin had even argued that it would be safer for her to stay home. Drew had been the only one on her side about coming with them.
Caitlin and Lydia had been the ones to help Phoenix with her disguise, and Isaiah couldn’t decide if he wanted to curse them or thank them. Her body was barely covered by something that could be better described as a shirt than a dress. He’d been trying to find a panty-line under the slinky red dress, and he was seriously wondering if she actually had panties on at all. The temptation to drag her back upstairs to check before they’d left the house had been strong. If she bent over, he and everyone in the club would know the answer. They’d also know if she was wearing a bra, since he was pretty sure, if she moved the wrong way, her breasts were going to fall out.
While he’d seen plenty of women dressed this way, it had never done much for him. He preferred women in more casual clothes. Then again, he’d prefer an evening at home, watching movies, to a night at a club. Still, he’d been half-hard since he’d seen Phoenix walk down the stairs in her club-wear and red wig. The makeup, he could do without, but Lydia had insisted it would do more to hide her. No one would be looking for a redhead trying to grab everyone’s attention.
“Huh,” Aiden said thoughtfully as they walked into the club. “You sure they’ll be here tonight?”
“Can’t you find them?” Justin asked.
“Nope,” Aiden replied.
“Don’t tell me your handy tracking skills are on the fritz,” Justin teased.
“Fuck you,” Aiden shot back. “I never met the hunters, and I know the real reason you’re making fun of my skills. You’re jealous that you didn’t have me around to help when you were stalking Caitlin.”
“Stalking?” Phoenix asked with wide eyes. “This is the second time someone’s mentioned Justin stalking Caitlin.”
“Justin doesn’t understand the whole dating process,” Caitlin told her.
“So, he stalked her,” Aiden added. “And he didn’t do a very good job of it since I wasn’t here to help him.”
Justin snorted. “Isaiah did a pretty good job of helping me stalk her.”
“You helped him stalk Caitlin?” Phoenix asked, and Isaiah wanted to kill his brother for sharing his involvement.
“I hacked into the computers at the college so I could enroll Justin in the same classes as Caitlin,” Isaiah admitted.
“And that worked?” Phoenix asked, staring at Caitlin in disbelief.
“Nah,” Aiden drawled. “There had to be a kidnapping before things really worked out. Kidnapping is an essential part of the Draksel courting process.”
Isaiah groaned. “You’re going to leave me after spending time around my family, aren’t you?” he asked Phoenix.
Phoenix laughed at his distress. “No, but I would appreciate it if you’d keep your stalking down to a minimum.”
Isaiah gave her a shy smile, glad she wasn’t freaking out. “I’ll do my best, but you’re adorably stalkable.”
“Stalkable?” Caitlin scoffed. “That’s not even a word.”
“Let’s focus on finding the hunters and argue about grammar later,” Isaiah suggested.
“I could have sworn you were with us when we met the hunter,” Justin told Aiden.
“Nope,” Aiden replied. “I was at home with my very pregnant wife.”
“I still can’t believe you aren’t home helping Tempest with the babies,” Justin remarked.
“Tempest wanted me to go with you,” Aiden explained. “Actually, she wanted to go, since she’s a super badass, but she was worried about her boobs leaking all over.”
“Oh. My. God.” Caitlin glared at Aiden in that condescending way only she could manage. “Do any of you ever think before you open your mouths?”
Aiden pretended to consider her question for a moment before shaking his head. “Not often.”
“Ugh!” Caitlin threw her hands up in the air. “You’re both just as bad as Drew.”
“That was a low blow,” Justin told her before leaning close to her ear, and Isaiah was glad for the loud music which prevented him from hearing what his brother said to make Caitlin blush.
Since Isaiah didn’t normally join in their banter, no one seemed surprised that he was mostly staying out of it now. There was a lot going through his mind at the moment. For all he knew, this hunter might be just as crazy as Phoenix’s sociopath cousin. He couldn’t stop worrying that he was putting Phoenix in more danger by bringing her to the attention of the local hunters.
Phoenix seemed completely at ease with the situation. He was pretty sure the medication Justin had given her right before leaving the house was helping. Justin had made a minor adjustment after she’d complained about being a little groggy with the first dose. Phoenix seemed thrilled with the results, except for the caffeine headache.
“You okay?” Caitlin asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Of course, it was enough to make him laugh because Caitlin wasn’t the type to offer comfort.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Isaiah assured her.
Caitlin gave him one of her scarier looks, probably because she didn’t believe him and didn’t want to have to push to find out what was wrong. She might even be tempted to read his mind. Technically, she couldn’t read minds unless the person projected their thoughts, which he and his family apparently did.
“I don’t need you to comfort me,” he almost snapped, and he wasn’t surprised by the sharp look Phoenix shot his way.
“Leave him alone, baby,” Justin said, looping an arm around Caitlin’s waist. “He’s just worried that we’re putting his woman in danger.”
“Stop calling me his woman,” Phoenix told Justin. “I’m not some piece of property to be owned by any man.”
“
Now, I really wish Tempest was here,” Aiden said with a laugh. “She would love watching you put Justin in his place. You will have to forgive my cousin for being an ass. It’s just his way.”
“Don’t pretend you’re any better than I am,” Justin argued.
“If it ain’t Doc Vamp and his hot woman. What are you doing out my way?”
They all spun to see the guy who’d spoken those words. He was huge. Standing a few inches over six feet, the guy had broad shoulders and muscular arms. His blond hair was a little on the long side, and his sea-green eyes were calculating as he gave them a mocking smirk.
Justin’s slight nod to Isaiah confirmed that this was the hunter they were looking for.
“We were looking for you,” Isaiah began, moving slightly in front of Phoenix to shield her, earning him a hard poke to his back.
The hunter chuckled, looking over Isaiah’s shoulder at Phoenix. “How is it that you vampires seem to find all the hot women with attitude? You gotta tell me where they're hiding.” When no one answered, he shrugged. “So, why are a bunch of vampires looking for me?”
“We need your help,” Isaiah replied.
With one raised eyebrow, the hunter regarded him “You do realize how crazy that sounds, don’t you?”
Isaiah nodded. “This involves hunter business, or we wouldn’t be coming to you for help.”
The hunter focused on Isaiah. “What kind of hunter business?”
“Hunters being hunted,” Isaiah told him without blinking.
“Are you threatening me?” the hunter asked in a menacing tone.
“Not yet,” Isaiah replied without backing down. “That could change if you fuck with me on this. A woman I care very much about is in danger, and I’ll do anything to protect her.” He did not miss the exasperated sigh coming from behind him.
The hunter said nothing at first, merely studied him before finally nodding. “Good answer,” the hunter praised.
“Are you going to help us?” Isaiah repeated because he wasn’t ready to introduce Phoenix. He didn’t want to start things off with a lie by giving a fake name, and he was pretty sure there weren’t too many women named Phoenix around.
The hunter shrugged. “I’m going to listen to what you have to say.”
“The show’s about to start, so we should leave before we can’t hear each other,” Caitlin suggested.
The hunter leaned into Isaiah, pretending to whisper, but he spoke loud enough for everyone in their group to hear. “She’s totally into me. Once she gets over pitying Doc Vamp, she’ll be all mine. Then I’ll show her what a real man can do.”
Caitlin snorted. “I’m surrounded by assholes tonight.”
“I seriously doubt my wife would go for someone like you,” Justin said, wrapping an arm around her waist.
The hunter laughed. “Don’t worry, honey,” he told Caitlin. “My uncle is a lawyer, and he can get that divorce through real quick when you’re ready to ditch the doctor.” Without giving her time to answer, he turned his attention to Aiden. “Who’s the rock star wannabe?”
“I was going for the biker look,” Aiden muttered.
“Yeah, not seeing it,” the hunter shot back before looking directly at Phoenix again. “I cannot forget to acknowledge the gorgeous redhead. Let me be the first to thank you on behalf of all the men in the club for wearing that dress tonight. It has made my week, maybe even my month.”
The dick-wilting look Phoenix shot his direction was enough to make the hunter cringe. “Ouch! It must not be my night with the ladies,” he complained. “Where should we meet for this little chat?”
“I’ll send you the address,” Justin told him.
“Fine, but I’m bringing back up. Try not to take this the wrong way, but I’d have to be an idiot to trust you. My gut tells me you’re okay, but I don’t plan to set myself up to be killed.”
“Two hunters,” Justin told him. “Give me your number so I can send you the address.”
The hunter nodded and gave Justin a number.
“Send me the address, and I’ll let you know when I can make it there,” the hunter said before walking away.
“We probably should have decided where we’re going to meet the hunters in advance,” Justin stated. “We need someplace private where we can talk without worrying about being overheard.”
“How about Lyd’s condo?” Caitlin suggested.
Isaiah nodded. “I like that idea. With the condo on the market, we’re not putting anyone in danger.”
Justin nodded and pulled out his phone to message the hunter before Aiden stopped him.
“Are you going to use your regular phone?” Aiden asked. “We could grab one of those prepaid ones and activate it so we have a more anonymous way of communicating with them.”
“I already have one on me,” Isaiah offered.
“This is better,” Justin insisted.
“Justin is right,” Caitlin agreed. “There’s too much distrust for this to work. Someone needs to give in and show that they can trust the other.”
“We don’t trust him,” Justin pointed out.
“Just send the information,” Phoenix said with an exasperated sigh. “You do realize you can change your number, right? I’ve seen that house, so I’m sure you can buy a new phone if it comes down to it. It would be a pain to change your number with you being the doctor, but it can be done.”
Justin nodded and sent the text to the hunter.
Chapter Forty
Despite Phoenix’s nerves, as they waited for the hunters to arrive, she didn’t feel a panic attack coming, and that was a huge relief. Isaiah had been on the phone with Drew for the last five minutes, basically telling Drew no in different ways.
“I’m not telling you where we are.” Isaiah rolled his eyes. “I’ll look into it later.” More eye rolling. “I already told you I’d try to find her. Now, I need to go. The hunters should be here any minute.” An exaggerated sigh accompanied the eye rolling this time. “You do want me to keep Phoenix safe, right?” Isaiah’s face softened this time. “I know you want to be here, and the fact that I almost wish we’d brought you with us is proof I’m losing my mind. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Without giving Drew time to say anything else, he ended the call and tucked his phone into his pocket.
“When did you become Drew’s new bestie?” Aiden asked.
Isaiah sighed. “I’d like to say it’s because of his connection with Phoenix, but he started calling me incessantly before that.”
“He’s got a lot going on,” Justin added thoughtfully. “I’m not sure Drew knows how to deal with it, and you’re one of the only people who won’t hang up on him.”
Caitlin nodded her agreement. “He’d rather call Trish, but the whole thing with Hunter makes him uneasy—or it did before Drew learned that he’s his brother and not his son. He might start calling her after things settle down.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Isaiah grumbled.
Phoenix heard her phone chime and looked down to see it was Drew calling.
“Is he honestly calling you now?” Isaiah asked.
“Just give me a minute,” she told him. “Hey, Drew. What’s going on?”
“Hey, Nix,” he greeted her. “I was thinking about what we need to do to find your crazy cousin.”
“She’s not crazy!” Phoenix insisted.
Drew snorted. “Seriously, Nix, the chick is so nuts, squirrels probably follow her around. Before you say anything, I get that this is a whole pot talking about the kettle situation in your mind, but try to think of it as an expert opinion. I’ve lived crazy my whole life, so I can tell when someone’s cord doesn’t quite reach the outlet, if you know what I mean.”
“Drew,” she warned impatiently.
“Fine,” he relented. “I was thinking about what we need to do to find your pathologically high-spirited cousin.”
“Why are you so worried about finding her?” While she and Drew had been good friends, he’d n
ever struck her as the type to worry about someone he’d never met. That probably came from being raised by a serial killer who took him out on kills. He would have had to learn to distance himself from people to survive his childhood.
Drew’s hesitation proved he wasn’t sure of his own reasons. “I don’t know, Nix,” he admitted. “She’s dealing with this shit alone, and someone needs to be on her side. The whole thing doesn’t make much sense to me, so I’m not really sure what I’m trying to accomplish with all of this.”
“I’m on her side,” she argued.
“I get that, but you’re hiding, too. She needs me,” Drew added more quietly. “Hell, she might be the only person in the world who’s ever needed me, Nix.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” she tried to reassure him.
“It is true,” he insisted. “You ask any of my uncles or cousins, and they’ll tell you I’m a fucking burden. Not a single one wants to deal with my shit, and I can’t blame them. I was tagging along on kills when I could barely talk. I’m a mess, and I don’t have much to offer anyone.”
“You were a good friend to me,” she reminded him.
“Yet when shit hit the fan, you didn’t even consider calling me for help,” he pointed out. “Don’t bother trying to make me feel better. I’m not after sympathy, despite how it must sound. Listen, even when I thought Hunter was mine, he didn’t need me. Hell, it was more than that—what he needed was for me to stay as far away from him as possible. I grew up with two head case parents, and no one needs that kind of shit. Even though my dad wasn’t letting out his inner-slasher, he ignored the stuff my mom was doing and let her drag me along each time she took a ride on the crazy train. This is the first time in my life I’ve genuinely believed someone needs me, and I gotta do something to help her.”
The knock on the door wasn’t a welcome interruption because Phoenix got the impression Drew really needed to talk. “The hunters are here, so I need to go, but I promise we’ll talk more about Shayla later.”
“Sure, babe. Be careful.” He hung up without waiting for a reply.
“That was Drew,” she explained quietly. “Something is really bothering him.”
Vampire in Geek's Clothing (Psy-Vamp Book 6) Page 16
