“Didn’t they tell Sly that someone wanted to say hello to Jet and Lilly?” Shae observed. “Maybe someone’s trying to show us what they can do.”
“There’s a frightening thought,” Malone said.
“Has the High Council granted Jet and Lilly’s request yet?” Alpha asked irately. “Since you can’t seem to find Blackjack or Onyx, the assassin you do have in custody might be able to shed some light on all these weird events. Roan did have a lot of power within this territory at one time and returning from the dead is pretty goddamn weird.”
Isis felt her eyebrows raise a little, surprised at how much Alpha knew. Although she supposed it made sense that the Monroes would share important information with her, since she was an ally now.
“Not yet,” Jade answered.
“For fuck’s sake!” Alpha threw her hands up in air. “Since you’re all quite useless and the Lair is closed for the night, could you kindly get the fuck out? I’ve got to clean up. Unless of course you want to trash anything else?”
“Can I borrow this for a while?” Alex asked, holding up the book. Alpha waved her off.
“Isis and I need to go to the Meadows to get patched up,” Jensen mentioned. “We’ll meet you lot back at the mansion.”
Wonderful, I get to spend even more time with him, Isis thought irritably. First I save him, then I get shot, and now he’s going to follow me to the Meadows. Could my night possibly get any worse?
*~*~*~*~*
Onyx sputtered and coughed when a bucket of ice water was tossed in her face. She was bound tightly and hanging upside down from a heavy metal hook, but felt more in control of her body than she had earlier. She looked around. Everything was shadowy and Onyx wondered whether or not it was still night. The only light was the extremely bright floodlight pointed directly at her face.
“It’s an abandoned slaughterhouse, been empty for decades.” Sly’s voice came from somewhere in front of her. The sound of a chair being dragged across the old floor echoed throughout the empty space. Sly soon appeared, swinging the chair around so it was in front of her. She straddled it backwards, sitting down in front of the assassin.
“It’s perfect for when you need to hang someone upside down and beat them like a piñata,” she mentioned, grinning as her eyes wandered up and then back down. “Did you know that high amps of electricity screws with our ability to shape shift? Yeah, you’re not going to be able to change form for at least a week. So I don’t have to worry about you scampering away before I get a chance to ask you my questions.”
“Fuck you, Sly!”
Sly clicked her tongue and shook her head. “That’s not very nice, Onyx. I’ve been very polite, all things considered. The least you could do is answer a few simple questions.”
“I won’t tell you shit.”
Sly chuckled, brushing her long fingers through her hair. “Then I’m going to have to start cutting things off. Or I might gouge out your eyes to start. I’m in the mood for a little violence tonight.”
Onyx glared at her. “Then I’ll just bleed out and you’ll have nothing.”
“I could start by skinning you,” Sly continued on, standing up and walking around Onyx. “Or perhaps I’ll just spend some time beating you with a baseball bat. I did always enjoy the classics. Who are you working for, Onyx?”
Sly blinked, and suddenly, she was in the middle of her forest. She spun around once, startled and disoriented. The fresh cold air filled her lungs and the call of birds sounded distantly. She looked down at her watch and stared at the time, not believing her eyes.
It was the afternoon.
“What. The. Hell?” Sly said softly, looking up again. Her eyes fell on a strange gray lump a few feet away. She moved closer, caution coloring every step. Sly was stunned to discover it was a body — one of the scentless men. She carefully crouched down and felt for a pulse. There was none. She pulled her hand back, rubbing her suddenly cold fingers together. After a minute, a small smile began to curl her lips. Missing time, a change in scenery, and a mysterious dead body. Interesting. Very interesting, she thought.
CHAPTER EIGHT
In the early hours of the morning, the sun rose a brilliant shade of red and the frost glistened in the light. Isis was in her room, shuffling through her nightstand drawer. She took out the spiral with all her information and notes on Coop and shoved it into her messenger bag along with her baton before tossing the bag onto the bed. She walked over to the wardrobe, pulled out her coat and threw it on, buttoning it up. She moved back to the bed and grabbed the bag, throwing the strap diagonally over her shoulder. Pulling out a set of keys, Isis opened the door to her room, looking up and down the hall. It was still early in the morning, so most shape shifters were still asleep. She knew her three teammates would be. Jet and Lilly were always swamped with one thing or another. They had yet to meet with Roan. Isis could tell Jet was beginning to get frustrated with the High Council and she imagined Lilly was as well. The protectors had also been unable to get in touch with Halley. Isis had a feeling the daughter would have warned her mother about the Monroes. However, Halley’s daughter wouldn’t know about Isis.
She closed the room door behind her and hurried down the hall to the main staircase. Isis was going to walk into town and have a cup of coffee at the local diner. She had called the Halley — the wife of the man who looked like Coop — the day after the encounter with the men at the Lair. After a lot of cajoling, Isis had finally convinced the nervous woman to meet her in town for coffee. The woman was harmless enough from what Isis could tell. She sounded as though she was scared of her own shadow. To be on the safe side, Isis had made sure the place they were meeting was as public as possible. She hated going back on her word to Jade, but something about this mystery was tugging at her. She was connected to it somehow and she wanted to know how. She wanted to get answers about Coop, preferably sooner rather than later.
Isis made it downstairs and jogged to the front door, glancing once more over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been seen. Around her, the mansion was silent. She unlocked the large front door, opened it as quietly as possible, and slipped out.
*~*~*~*~*
Isis sat in the diner, working on her second cup of coffee. She hadn’t been sleeping a lot lately and she was certain the only reason she was still on her feet was the sheer amount of caffeine she consumed. The diner was mostly empty; still too early in the morning for most people. There were a few older men sitting at the counter, working on large breakfasts. An older grandmotherly woman sat in the next booth over with a younger woman sitting opposite her. Some college students sat in another booth behind them. The waitress seemed to know them and often stopped at the booth to talk with them. Isis could hear the sounds from the kitchen as a cook went about preparing food. There was a scent of eggs, different grilled meats, and fresh baked goods hanging in the air. The windows were clean, as was the black and white checkered floor. For the most part, the diner was pleasant except for a woman who was trying to keep her unruly toddler under control on the opposite end of the diner. The kid kept screeching “Donut!” and Isis found herself wishing his mother would just give in to his demand.
She glanced out the window, squinting against the brightness of the sun-kissed snow and checked her watch again. Halley was almost ten minutes late. Shape shifters don’t hide without good reason, Alpha had told her. Halley was very scared of something. Isis sighed, deciding to give the woman ten more minutes. She wasn’t in a hurry and appreciated the change of scenery.
Isis’ eyes fell on a maroon sedan parked in the small lot. She had glimpsed it once or twice since entering the diner and hadn’t paid it any heed. Now that she was looking closer, the windows were unusually tinted. Isis squinted as she looked at the car. It was almost as if the windows were completely blacked out. As she continued to stare, Isis could almost make out a pair of binoculars. Was someone watching her …?
“Well, fancy meeting you here.”
The sudden
loud greeting caused Isis to jump about a foot in the air. She almost knocked over her coffee as she looked up at Jensen, who was standing over the table, grinning. He was wearing his usual nice clothes: pants, vest, light shirt, jacket, and nice shoes. Isis wondered if he ever wore anything other than tailored clothes. He looked like he was heading to some high society function and it made him stick out like a sore thumb in their plain surroundings. Everyone in the diner had turned at Jensen’s loud voice and they were now staring at the two of them. The students started snickering. For the second time since meeting Jensen, Isis felt her face get hot as she flushed in embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands, mentally saying every swear word she knew. Jensen obviously couldn’t care less about the attention he was attracting. He clicked his tongue as he sank down in the empty seat opposite Isis.
“Oh darling, you are so busted,” he continued loudly. He didn’t even attempt to keep the amusement out of his voice. Isis once again kicked herself for saving his life.
“I’m not a prisoner and last time I checked, I don’t have a curfew,” she grumbled under her breath from behind her hands.
“No, you don’t. So why on Earth did you sneak out of the mansion without telling anyone?” Jensen asked pointedly. “You’re supposed to let at least one person know where you’re going. That’s just common sense with all the weird things going on, especially for a member of the Four.”
Isis dragged her hands down her face, shaking her head. Jensen looked over at the college students sitting nearby. The women had definitely taken notice of him, as had one of the men.
“She’s a very bad girl. Might have to spank her later,” Jensen mentioned, nodding over his shoulder at Isis, winking at them. He turned his sky blue gaze back to Isis, smiling in a way that made her want to slap him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Isis hissed.
“Is the coffee any good in this place? I assume you’ve come here often enough to know,” Jensen replied in a conversational tone, as he reached over and lifted up one of the thin laminated menus. He made a face of disgust and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser, brushing a sticky substance off his fingers.
Isis squinted at him. “What are you talking about? I’ve never been here before.”
“No?” Jensen folded his hands. “So you just kind of sneak all over?”
He smiled charmingly at the waitress when she came over. “Just a coffee for now, thanks.”
He looked back at Isis. “I assume you realize you have a tail.”
Jensen tilted his head toward the window. Isis scratched the back of her neck, subtly glancing over her shoulder.
“The maroon sedan out there. Been following you since you reached town,” Jensen continued. “Not bothering to hide, which is a bit troubling, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t,” Isis mumbled, turning her attention back to him. The waitress stopped by the table, filling up Jensen’s coffee mug. He grinned and winked at her, picking up the steaming mug and sipping, his eyebrow raising in surprise.
“That’s not half-bad. Though I still prefer imported roasts, fresh-pressed,” he mentioned, turning his attention back to Isis. Isis stood and tossed some bills on the table before heading for the exit, pulling on her coat as she made her way to the door. She heard Jensen follow close behind.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked. She opened the door, letting a blast of cold air into the warm diner. Once she was outside, Isis pulled out her baton and flicked it down, expanding it to its full length.
“I’m not big on being followed,” she growled. “You may have heard that I had a bad experience.”
“I see. So your solution is to smash the hell out of a car in front of numerous eyewitnesses?” Jensen laughed. “Quite the cool-headed strategist you are.”
“You got a better plan?”
The sound of screeching tires brought their attention to the parking lot just in time to see the maroon car speed away and disappear around a corner. Isis pressed her baton on the ground, collapsing it again. She looked over at Jensen, who was watching the direction the car had sped off in. It was the first time she had seen him expressionless. The confidence was gone and his eyes narrowed. Isis shook her head and changed her direction, walking the opposite way. After a moment, she heard Jensen jog after her.
“Okay, I think we may have gotten off to a bad start,” he said as he caught up to her, shoving his hands in his pockets. The cold winter air nipped at their faces.
Isis laughed, glancing around to make sure no one else was following her. “You don’t say.”
“Hey, I’m not entirely to blame here. If you weren’t so quick to jump to conclusions . . .” Jensen trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air.
“I really have nothing more to say to you,” Isis replied as she carefully stepped around a patch of ice.
“You walked here, right?”
Isis glanced at him, confused. “Yes, I walked. Why?”
“Because I drove, and it’s rather chilly out. Think of it as an olive branch.”
Isis looked down at the dirty snow as they crossed the street, doing her best to ignore Jensen. Once they had crossed, Jensen moved so he stood in front of her. Isis glared at him, getting increasingly aggravated.
“What do you want, Jensen?”
“I would just like to give you a ride to the mansion. In a nice heated car,” Jensen offered, sincerely. “Come on. You don’t want me to follow you in the car, do you?”
Isis glanced off to the side. She didn’t like cold weather – never had – and a nice warm car sounded inviting. She also knew Jensen would find some way to embarrass her if she didn’t take him up on his offer.
“Fine,” she agreed. “But I don’t want to hear you the entire way back. One word, just one, and I will get out of the car. Even if it’s still moving.”
Jensen grinned and nodded, moving out of her way so they could continue walking side-by-side. Isis followed him to a parking lot behind a shop across the street, making a mental note to call Halley. She worried someone might have gotten to the skittish woman first. She should probably let the Monroes know as well. Jet is going to be pissed at me, Isis thought.
Jensen made his way over to a silver Jaguar. He pressed a button on the car keys and the car chirped twice. Isis moved to the passenger side of the car. Jensen slid into the driver’s seat, a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips. As soon as Isis buckled her seatbelt, he locked the doors.
“So, are you going tell me why you snuck out today?” he asked, grinning. “You didn’t think we’d just sit in stony silence the whole way back to the mansion, did you?”
Isis glared at him. “Are you going to tell me why you got weird when that car drove away?”
Jensen laughed. “Weird, there’s something I’ve not been called before.”
“I’m tired, it was the best I could come up with,” Isis muttered in response, closing her eyes as she put her head against the window. Jensen smoothly pulled out of the parking lot, moving onto the deserted street. He stopped at the crosswalk to allow some pedestrians to move to the other side of the street.
“Don’t think you’re going to get out of this by pretending to be asleep,” he said as he glanced over at his passenger. “I’ve lived much too long to fall for that.”
“How old are you anyway?” Isis asked without opening her eyes.
Jensen shrugged as he inched the car forward again, making sure no more people were crossing. “No idea. I stopped counting years ago. Time doesn’t concern me.”
“The usual response of immortals,” Isis said as she opened her eyes partway, noticing Jensen’s overly cautious driving. Great, he’s dragging this out for as long as he can. That’s just wonderful, she thought irritably.
“Not necessarily, I just don’t care all that much,” Jensen replied as he stopped at a red light. “Anyone ever told you how human you sound?”
“I was raised by them, sue me,” Isis shot back, looking up
at the red light in an attempt to turn it green through sheer will power. It didn’t work.
“What were you doing out?” Jensen asked again.
“Why is it any of your damn business?”
“Okay, then I’ll just start guessing. Were you doing some amateur sleuth work?” Jensen began, lightly pressing on the accelerator when the light turned green. “Why would one of the Four go out on her own? Hmm, lovers’ tiff perhaps?”
Isis snorted and shook her head, hating the world for a moment. Only in her life would the seeming resurrection of her assassin biological father mean she would be saddled with a shape shifter as obnoxious as Jensen. The car ride back would only be roughly fifteen minutes, but it couldn’t end soon enough in Isis’ opinion.
“But if that’s not it, what else could it be?” Jensen continued, gasping suddenly. “Is it possible that you’re trying to catch my eye? Are you manipulating me into following you? While I’m flattered, I’m afraid it would be rather awkward, what with my being so close to your uncles. And of course there’s the fact that you’re considered a guardian.”
“I’m crushed. Really, utterly devastated,” Isis answered in a flat voice.
“No, no, I think I’m onto something. It’s all starting to make sense now: taking a bath in my room, the little lover’s nip under the table, taking a bullet for me. You’re a kinky little thing, aren’t you?”
“Your ego is unbelievable,” Isis scoffed with a shake of her head. “I was taking a bath in my room. I stabbed you with a fork because I wasn’t in the mood for a game of footsie. If that’s your idea of a lover’s nip, then someone’s been mistreating you, sweetie. I was grazed by a bullet, saving your sorry ass after you got beat down by a guy who looked like an insurance collector. And sorry to break it to you, Jensen, but you are not my type.”
Through Storm and Night (The Shape Shifter Chronicles Book 2) Page 15
