by J. M. Davies
“Are you okay? You seemed distracted in there,” Marcus asked.
Ella and Sparkles were approaching from behind and he glanced back at the cause of his loss of focus—the green-eyed witch—and smirked at his friend.
“Sort it out. Tomorrow—well, who knows what it will bring, but waiting never helped anyone. Talk to her.”
Jake flexed his shoulders and waved his head from side to side to ease the stiffness in his neck. “I will.”
Ella reached his side and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “Why don’t you come over for dinner, you two?”
He smiled down at her. “Another time. Sparkles and I have plans.”
Isabella glared at him with her bright-green eyes that made his stomach clench. “We do?”
He extricated himself from between his friends and after studying the beauty before him, was nervous for a moment she might resist. Not willing to give her time to analyze his request, he pulled her hand from her side and laced his fingers with hers. It was now or never, and quite frankly, he couldn’t function without resolving his conflicted feelings, come what may.
“Yes, Sparkles, we do.”
Her green irises flared and he knew, despite the fact he wasn’t a witch or anything other than a plain boring human, this incredible woman wanted him. That was enough for him to take the risk and find out what this bloody Roman was to her. Urgent footsteps made him look up.
Steel, with his rigid and military-style short haircut, bobbed down the steps toward them.
“We leave at one o’clock. Shadow, Bear, and the others are going now to observe and keep an eye on the facility. Any changes—I will be in touch. Do not leave the compound.”
“Sir, is that absolutely necessary? I made plans,” Jake said. It was true; he had brought along a picnic basket in his truck and he had picked out just the right spot down the coast, off the beaten track, where he would wine and dine Isabella with the intention of casually asking her who the fuck was Roman. He swept his hand through his short hair, glancing back at Sparkles, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“It’s okay, we can find somewhere here to talk. Come on.” She tugged his hand and pulled him away. He looked back at Marcus, but let her guide him away.
“Damn it, Meadows! Not another bloody couple. You know the rules!” Steel shouted.
“Steel, this is one you’ve broken yourself. You know when you work closely with team members, feelings develop,” Marcus said.
“Don’t talk to me about feelings, Drayton. Christ, you better be focused on the task at hand in the morning, Meadows, or I’ll have your balls.”
“I will, sir.”
Jake turned his back on them and stomped off toward the cliff top with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Isabella stole his concentration. Before he took another step, there was something he needed to do. He grabbed her waist, which brought her to an abrupt stop, and twisted her around to face him. All her fiery-red hair swung around, hanging like a river of lava over her chest. He captured her face in both his hands and noted the sharp intake of breath. By the rise and fall of her round breasts, she was surprised by his action. He knew her heart beat fast. No, he wasn’t a witch or any magical being. He was simply a man. Jake leaned in close, watching her cheeks flush and her head tilt back just enough that her mouth lifted at him. For once, his gaze fixed on something other than her hypnotic eyes. Those wicked and luscious plum lips beckoned to him like fruit asking to be devoured. He leaned his forehead down on hers.
“Just where are you taking me, Isabella?”
She leaned her body into his and placed her hands on his waist as if to steady herself.
“My home, if you want?”
Her clear eyes sparkled up at him, and he swore a shadowy island echoed there in the green of her eyes, bewitching and tempting him. He lifted his forehead away and moved his thumb to caress her full lower lip. He swept it gently across her sensitive skin, gaining her complete attention. Tempting, so tempting. He removed his finger.
“Steel said we weren’t to leave the compound,” he said.
“Technically, we won’t. Come with me, Jake. Don’t you trust me?”
He cocked his head to the side. There weren’t many he did, but he trusted each member of his team, including her. “Don’t be putting me under a spell and ravishing my body—because I know how much you want to, Sparkles.”
“Ha, you’re funny. I wouldn’t need to waste my magic on you for that. You want me more than you can begin to understand, and I know that without question, lover boy. Now we need to go because time is of the essence and I need to be ready for tomorrow.”
Jake glanced around the vicinity, unsure how Isabella would manage to keep them here and take them to her home at the same time. He scratched his head, wanting to ask her and at the same time not wanting to appear stupid. He had never dated a witch before. Come to think of it, he had never dated before. He blew out a breath. “Is this a date, Sparkles?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“I want to know who Roman is to you before I go anywhere.”
“It’s complicated, but I will explain when we get there.”
Jake stood back, distancing himself from her delectable body. That word froze the blood in his veins. He didn’t want complicated. It sounded nasty and painful to him.
Isabella sighed and pressed her lips together. “He saved me. I’m a witch, but I’m not immortal. I have real blood in my veins. I was somewhere I shouldn’t have been, and there was an altercation with a vicious and sadistic monster who is drawn to children. You see, Jake, I’m a hunter—it’s what I do. It’s what I was raised to do. To keep my kind and those like us safe. But this time it was a human. A child. Afterward, I ended up injured, badly. The girl died. I couldn’t save her. Roman smelled the blood from miles away. I would have died too, but instead, he took a risk and exposed who he was. He killed the monster—and saved my life.”
Isabella heaved out her story and he stood, listening to every word and watching every expression she made. He believed her. Hell, with everything he had learned over the past months, he’d learned anything was possible, but he crossed his arms. “Okay, so why does this hero of yours believe you belong to him?”
She huffed out a long breath and pouted. He liked it when she did that to her lips—it made him want to kiss her senseless—but he needed to know it all.
“You’re a stubborn man. I could have explained all this on the island.”
Now, his curiosity piqued. “Island? Where is this island?”
Isabella swept her arm wide out to the Atlantic Ocean and some miles south arose a rocky island surrounded by white mist. It wasn’t there before, and he was certain it didn’t exist on any official map. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her—he did—but he didn’t understand why she felt it better to explain about Roman there and not standing right where they were. Something inside him insisted he keep asking and he wouldn’t move until he did.
“Nice. Is that where all your people live?”
Isabella nodded as she looked at the island. “It’s our sanctuary. A place of peace where no one can harm us. It’s my home, but I have many places that I stay. Here at Steel’s mansion, for one. I’m the sort of girl who, wherever I lay my hat, is my home, but the isle is different.”
Staring down at the lush green grass, he sat down, and Isabella followed. He leaned back with his arms stretched out behind him for support; she sat with her legs crossed over in front of her as she picked a dandelion and blew the white petals at him.
“I like the sound of your island, Isabella, but before I go anywhere, I need to know why you feel unable to explain everything to me here.” This time, he sat forward and he peered deep into her eyes, resisting the lure that tugged at his heart, not wanting to be captivated by her charms.
“On the island, you would have to hear me out. You wouldn’t be able to simply walk away.”
He shook his head. Wow, Sparkles wanted to kidnap him. H
e smiled, but noted behind her eyes a sadness he had never seen before and he leaned over to take her hand. “Thanks for being honest with me, but I’m not going to walk away. Now, tell me.”
“I was dying, and he’s a vampire. He made me drink his blood, it healed me, but it also linked us in a way I cannot break. I’ve tried. He thinks we are fated in some twisted way to be together, and that I’m his prize. I have told him that my feelings are not what his are, but he refuses to listen. He claims that will change, and that I belong to him, but I’m not a possession. I don’t accept what he says.”
Jake listened and understood her situation. The man had saved her, and although he wasn’t a mind reader, he saw conflicted feelings shuttered behind those arched brows. She was right; it was complicated. He pulled her hand and stood, drawing their bodies together. He brushed her long, wavy hair back over her shoulder and ran his thumb along the edge of the pale skin of her neck. Two brown circles stared at him like moles at the base of her collarbone. Roman had marked her, and instinctively she reached her hand up to cover them.
“When I was at the psychiatric hospital, he knew my energy was failing. The bond we share allows him to know where I am unless I’m on the island. The magic shields it from all eyes and no one can enter unless they are invited.”
Jake held the sides of her arms and watched as she played with her mouth, chewing the top lip as if nervous, and again he pushed for more.
“So, Roman saved you by giving you his blood. That was honorable, and yet I didn’t get that sense from him or from you. What did he ask for in return, Isabella?”
Her face paled and she twisted out from his hold. She walked toward the ocean with her back facing him. Jake followed but remained a short distance behind her.
“My blood. The first time, I didn’t realize the bastard was drinking from me. I was weak from the injury. When he explained, he made out I was too tempting to resist. Either way, by that action, he caused a bonding to take place against my will.”
She dipped her head and he turned her around to pull her into his arms, unable to stop himself, knowing that she needed his comfort. Isabella molded her body into his and he groaned. His body throbbed with need for her.
“Have you two ever kissed or done anything else? Does he have a right to make a claim on you?”
She shrugged out of his clasp and shook her head. “No, we haven’t, but you don’t understand. In a world of different entities, there are laws. Laws we must adhere to. The laws of our world are fragile, just like here with you humans. At any moment, the balance can be disrupted and therefore my sisters agreed to his claim on me. They said I broke our rules that said we weren’t to interfere with humans in the first place. I put my family in jeopardy and I must pay.”
Okay, his head ached. Isabella was right; it was complicated, and not something that would be resolved overnight. The desire that had been building vanished. Usually, he could indulge in casual sex; looking over at Isabella’s curves made his mouth water, but he backed away. He couldn’t do this. Not now.
“Look.” He shrugged. “I need to go and run, work off some tension, lift some weights. I can’t think straight.”
Isabella strode away from the edge of the grass and headed back to the mansion. He charged after her. No one was around; everyone had left, carrying on with whatever plans they had for this afternoon knowing tomorrow they needed to be focused only on the mission.
“Isabella, stop. I have listened to all you had to say. Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
“I’m a witch, Jake. I can read your emotions and if I try real hard, hear your thoughts. You’re looking for a way out. I get it. I do. You want me, but you don’t want the shit that comes with me. You said you wouldn’t walk—well, here’s the thing, you don’t have to. I’m going. See you at one o’clock.”
He stared after her as she strode away with a straight and determined swing to her hips. God, she was sexy when she was angry. But he didn’t stop her. He couldn’t. He raked his hands through his hair and swiveled around.
“Shit,” he said to the air quietly.
****
Ella stood next to the fireplace, ready, in her navy trouser suit and starched white shirt, with her hair pinned back into a conservative chignon. Resting at her waist was her Glock, secured in the holster. She had been ready since midnight. It was now one thirty in the morning. Jake and Isabella sat in the chairs that flanked the mantelpiece. Marcus had been discussing the step-by-step mission they were undertaking this morning. She pressed her sweaty palms together and blew out a short breath. She could do this. She could.
“Okay, the complex is designed in a large U shape. Ella and I have identification passes to get us past the military police and inside the building. Isabella and Jake, you’re going to disarm the surveillance camera system. The team, including Shadow and Bear, are all situated, ready to move when the live feed goes down. We will meet them in the laboratory to collect the professor and recover Nate. Any questions?”
Ella swallowed. They had been reviewing their plan for the last thirty minutes. Marcus sounded focused on the task, but this was their baby. A million “what-if” scenarios raced in her mind. What if they were caught? What if the security badges and clearance didn’t come through on Black Hawk’s computer? What if Nate wasn’t there? What if…
“Shah. Stop thinking about all the ways this can go wrong. Steel penetrated their computer system, and when they scan our identification cards, the fake identities will appear. We’re two FBI agents performing an investigation of the facility, which is authorized and sanctioned by headquarters in Boston. As part of an ongoing and active case file, we want to interview Professor Simon Cohen in relation to the murdered Professor O’Connor. We know he will be in the building because we have been given that information by another employee, which we are not at liberty to discuss in any detail. By the time they are able to get confirmation, it will be too late.”
Ella sighed and nodded. When Marcus went over the plan, it sounded feasible—almost easy. Earlier at Steel’s house, they had each rehearsed their parts and acted out the scene a million times until everyone knew the part they were to play. Her heart thudded in her chest. Hopefully, after everything, she would hold her baby in her arms. A swell of panic rose again.
“The nursery isn’t set up. We don’t have anything ready for him…”
Marcus grabbed her hand. They needed to leave in five minutes, and she stared toward the stairs leading to the nursery that only a couple of months ago had been waiting for their son’s arrival.
“Ella, it’s not too late to back out. I understand how hard this must be for you. I can do what needs to be done with the team if you want to stay here. Just say the word, but know that Ava is here, and when I give the order, she is going to set Nate’s room up.”
She stared at his serious and unsmiling face, understanding instantly. He was determined and confident but underneath he was realistic and couldn’t predict the outcome. Marcus had thought of everything, but held off assembling Nate’s room until he was certain. It brought everything to the front of her mind. Everything the professor had put her and her family through: the drugging, the abduction, taking her baby. Anger overtook her fear. She needed to go. Ella wanted to face the man she hated and loathed. She lifted her head higher. “I’m ready.”
Marcus stepped closer. “As much as I want him dead, we need the bastard alive, Ella. You have a gun, but we need him. He can help us get at the heart of the Elusti.”
There was no way to hide her emotions, but she agreed killing the man wouldn’t help in the overall goal, which was to defeat the organization behind him.
“I know.”
Jake and Isabella stood, both quiet. Marcus swept his glance over to them, noticing the odd silence too.
“Is there a problem, you two?”
“There’s no problem, boss.” Jake’s determined steel-gray eyes gave nothing away.
“No problem, just focused on the task at
hand, sir,” said Isabella.
They each spoke with a clipped, business-like tone. It was obvious they weren’t talking to each other. They had arrived at the house separately and neither smiled, but now wasn’t the time to delve into why, even if she felt some empathy toward them.
“Good, because this isn’t an ordinary mission. This is about bringing my son home,” he said.
Ella studied Marcus as he clenched his jaw and a fine bead of sweat covered his forehead. He was controlled but the weight of the mission and its success lay on him like a dead weight. Ella felt for her gun; feeling the cool metal at her side was enough to push her to move.
“Let’s go.”
She wanted to squeeze Marcus’s hand and hold him, but the tension he felt swirled inside her, and neither closed the gap between them. They needed all their attention on what they were going to do. Marcus lifted his navy fitted jacket and shrugged his arms through the sleeves, covering his white shirt. Marcus led the way, with Ella and the others close behind. The drive into Andover would take around forty minutes. With it being dark outside, it wasn’t expected to encounter much in the way of traffic. Ella left the house and stared at it for a moment; when they returned, their life would change completely. Butterflies fluttered in her belly, but she strolled away and slid into the back seat of the Humvee.
Marcus turned the engine on and it purred to life. He maneuvered the vehicle out of Steel’s estate, sliding his security card through the gate at the entrance, and drove down the dark, quiet road.
“Shadow, Bear, how’s it looking at Black Hawk?” He spoke through his headset.
“Quiet, boss.”
Ella sat behind Marcus next to Isabella, who seemed preoccupied and quiet. Jake sat in the passenger seat with his headset on but he was focused on the iPad screen in front of him.
Isabella slid closer to her and touched her hand. “I have a gift for you to wear under your shirt. It’s a blue agate crystal necklace. It will help calm your mind. You’re dealing with a lot of stress and hearing all the voices is setting you off-balance. This will help you to tune everything out except for what you need to hear.” Isabella leaned over her and threaded a black ribbon around her neck. Dangling at the bottom was an oval milky-blue stone.
