“This is a friend of Isabel’s?” Pierre asked, his disgust evident from his expression.
“Yes,” Tristan said. “Everly’s definitely odd, but her concern for her friend is real.”
Pierre dabbed the side of his mouth with his napkin. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said.
Tristan did too.
* * * * *
Chapter Fifteen
Izzy pulled against the extension cord Stone had bound her with, trying to break it. She only succeeded in cutting off her circulation. He’d tied her up in the little girl’s room, so she had a constant reminder of what sat out in the shed.
The sun moved across the sky fast. It was only a matter of time before he came for her to take her to his realm. She had to get out of here. Izzy yanked, and pain shot through her wrists.
She wondered where Tristan was. Wondered if he was even alive. Stone had thanked her for helping him. Izzy’s head dropped back and hit the wall with a thunk. How could she have been so stupid?
If Tristan was alive, the chances of him forgiving her were slim to none. She might not have helped attack him, but she had been in contact with Stone the whole time.
Please be alive...if for no other reason than to avenge me.
Izzy yanked at the cord again. It stretched, but held. Stone would have to untie her when he moved her. Wouldn’t he? What if he didn’t? Izzy needed to have her hands free in order to fight.
He’s a werewolf, a little voice reminded her.
No, he was something far worse than the creatures she’d encountered over the years. Izzy racked her brain trying to remember what Tristan had told her about Darklings. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much because she hadn’t wanted to listen.
She had to think. There had to be a way out of this situation. She wasn’t a damsel in distress. Okay, maybe she was, but there was no way Izzy would let him drag her anywhere. She’d rather die. At least if they found her body, her sister Mindy would know what happened to her.
The door opened. Stone stepped into the room holding... Izzy squinted. Was that a sandwich?
She thought about the little girl in the shed, and her stomach twisted. “I’m not hungry,” she said.
“You have to eat something,” he said. “The crossing is rough on the body. It’s especially difficult for humans. Don’t want you dying before you get there.”
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I said I wasn’t hungry,” she said. “I’ll never be hungry enough to eat a child. Now get that away from me.”
Stone scowled at her. “It’s peanut butter and jelly.” He walked into the room and placed the sandwich on the small dresser, then sat beside her on the bed.
Izzy scooted as far away from him as her bindings allowed.
“You have a choice here. You can either eat this sandwich on your own, or I’m going to hold your smart mouth open and force-feed it to you. Either way, you’re going to eat.”
“I can’t eat with my hands tied.” Izzy held her hands up for emphasis. “I can’t even feel my fingers anymore.”
Stone glanced at her hands, which were turning blue. “You shouldn’t have been pulling on the cord,” he said.
Izzy just stared at him.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll untie you, but if you try to get away I’ll make sure you can’t move at all next time.” Stone ran his finger down the side of her thigh.
She jerked her leg away. His touch made her skin crawl. “I need to use the bathroom,” Izzy said.
Stone untied her and waited for her to climb off the bed. He walked her into the hall to the bathroom and pushed the door open.
“Go ahead,” he said.
“I can’t go while you’re looking,” she said.
“Then you mustn’t have to go very bad,” Stone said.
Izzy grimaced. She did have to go bad. She’d been holding it for over an hour. No way was she leaving this bathroom without relieving herself.
“Can you at least turn your back?” she asked.
Stone rolled his eyes. “Humans,” he said. “You all have so many needless quirks.”
“Humor me,” she said.
“Fine.” Stone turned his back. “But this is another thing you’ll need to get over when we reach my realm.”
Izzy kept an eye on him while she quickly relieved herself. She did not want him looking at her. Just the thought of him seeing her naked made her physically ill. There was no way she could let him take her to his world. Death was far preferable to whatever Stone had planned.
She had always assumed that all monsters operated like Stone. Then she’d met Tristan and her opinion changed. Izzy laughed to herself. Her opinion had more than changed. It had done a one-eighty. She’d gone from fleeing from the monsters to sleeping with them, except...Tristan wasn’t a monster. Stone was.
She stared at his back. Izzy had hoped Stone would give her a moment of privacy so she could use her cellphone, but he’d been too smart for that. She washed her hands, then took a quick sip of water to ease her dry throat.
“All done,” she said.
“Good,” Stone said. “Now eat. I won’t ask you again.”
He walked her back into the bedroom and took a seat at the child’s desk. Izzy sniffed the sandwich and lifted the bread to examine it.
Stone swore. “It’s just peanut butter and jelly. For goddess’ sake, just eat it!”
Izzy jumped at his raised voice. She took a tentative bite of the sandwich. It tasted normal, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t put something in it. Please don’t let it be ground-up little girl.
Her stomach gurgled.
“Keep eating.” Stone kept a close eye on her.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“I told you. You’re needed in my realm,” he said.
“What’s so special about my gift that you have to kidnap me for it?” she asked, taking another bite. Izzy would kill for a glass of milk, but she wasn’t about to ask him for anything.
Stone stared at her for so long that she thought for sure he wasn’t going to answer. “Nothing,” he said.
Nothing? Not the answer she’d been expecting. “Then I don’t understand why you went to so much trouble to get me.” She set the sandwich down.
“Your gift is necessary, but not needed,” Stone said cryptically.
“I don’t understand,” Izzy said.
“Don’t expect you to,” he said. “Now eat.”
Izzy picked up the sandwich and took another bite. At least her stomach began to settle, though for how long was anyone’s guess.
“You said earlier that it wasn’t important that I be able to think quickly,” she said.
Stone grinned. “That’s right.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you are only needed for breeding.”
Izzy dropped the sandwich onto the plate. Her throat worked convulsively as she fought to keep the contents down. The plan was to breed her to monsters like himself.
She shook her head in denial, but Izzy knew from his pleased expression that Stone told the truth.
“I’m going to be sick.” She jumped up off the bed and raced past him. Izzy barely made it to the toilet before she threw up her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
She heaved and heaved until there was nothing left to expel. Izzy pushed off the toilet seat and grabbed onto the sink to pull herself up.
She glanced in the mirror. The color had bled from her face, leaving her pasty. Izzy splashed water on her face and rinsed her mouth.
Stone stood in the doorway, holding another sandwich. Had he made two? Or had he gone and made another one while she threw up?
Izzy glared at him. “I hope you don’t expect me to eat that. Right now I can’t keep anything down.”
He simply stared at her as if she hadn’t spoken.
“Did you hear me?” Izzy sneered.
Stone arched a brow. “Every word. Did you hear me?” He held the plate out to her. “The choice is yours.
”
Izzy snatched the plate out his hands. “You’re an asshole.”
Stone had her around the neck before Izzy blinked. The plate dropped onto the bathroom floor a second before he slammed her against the wall.
“I’ve had about enough of your mouth,” he said. “I overlooked the fact that you spread your thighs for that monster. The only reason I didn’t rip your womb out was because it’s needed, but your tongue isn’t.” Stone squeezed, cutting off her air.
Izzy clawed at his hand, but he only squeezed harder. She choked, and black dots appeared before her eyes.
“Now you’re going to pick that sandwich up and you’re going to eat it all, then I’m going to tie you to the bed until we need to leave,” he hissed. “Don’t worry. It won’t be long. Nod if you understand me.”
She tried to move her head but couldn’t.
His grip on her eased a fraction.
Izzy sucked in much-needed air.
“One word, one whisper, and I will rip your tongue out and eat it,” Stone said. “Got it?”
Izzy nodded.
Stone released her.
She fell to her knees.
“Pick it up.” Stone pointed to the sandwich.
Izzy’s hands shook as she scooped the sandwich up and placed it back on the plate.
“Good girl,” he said. “Now get up.”
She staggered to her feet. Izzy caught sight of her reflection a moment before he shoved her out the door. Finger marks ringed her neck.
Izzy didn’t fight when Stone tied her up. There’d be no escape—at least not alive. He hadn’t meant to, but Stone had given her a weapon to use against him. Now all Izzy had to do was get him mad enough to kill her. Given her track record with the monsters, that shouldn’t be too hard.
* * * * *
The door opened at three-thirty. Tristan had been debating whether to leave, when he heard the footsteps drawing nearer. Hope soared until he realized there was only one set. The key clicked in the lock, and the door swung open. Everly stepped into the living room.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
Everly yelped and pressed a hand to her throat. “What are you doing in my apartment?” she asked, her charcoal-lined eyes narrowing on him. “How did you get in?”
“The new door wasn’t that strong.” He glanced at the crack he’d left in it.
She scowled when she saw the damage to the door. “You’re going to pay for that. Now what are you doing here?” She glanced around the space. “Where is Izzy?”
“She’s the reason I’m here,” Tristan said. “Have you heard from her?”
“What’s happened?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“Nothing yet,” he said, but that wouldn’t be the case for long.
Everly pushed the door closed and walked deeper into the room. “Are you alone?”
“Yes.” Tristan didn’t tell her that the wolves already knew all about her. That would come later. Right now, he didn’t want to spook her. “Have you heard from Isabel?”
Everly stared at him for the longest time then sighed. “No,” she said. “I haven’t spoken to her since I saw you guys in the square.” She threw her bag down and took a seat across from him.
Tristan tried to hide his disappointment, but he mustn’t have been too successful.
“What’s happened to her?” Everly asked. “I thought you were protecting her.”
He was supposed to be, but that hadn’t worked out well. If he lost her for good, he’d live with the regret for the rest of his life.
“The evil that came to town has her,” he said.
Everly didn’t say anything. She zoned out for a moment, then her attention snapped back to him. “I can’t sense her,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.
“Does that mean she’s dead?” Tristan’s chest tightened to the point of pain. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe, as Isabel’s face and his brother’s blurred together in his mind.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so,” Everly said. “I think she’s on the other side of the river. Water mutes my powers.”
Good to know, he thought, but he needed concrete info to find her.
“Tell me about this evil,” she said.
Tristan wasn’t sure how much he should say to her.
Everly’s dark eyes narrowed. “Don’t even think about lying, even by omission. The more I know about it, the more I can help.”
“The thing is like my people, but not,” he said cryptically. “Everyone and everything has a shadow side. Our shadow side doesn’t live in this realm. It exists in another dimension.”
“Okay,” she said, her brow furrowing as she listened carefully.
“The Darklings—that’s what we call them—can cross into this realm. When they do, they bring death and madness in their wake,” he said.
Everly’s lips pursed. “Is that why I couldn’t pinpoint its location?”
“Perhaps,” Tristan said. “They have powerful magic behind them. Magic that comes from their dark world.”
“Magic? That shouldn’t have mattered with me.” She kicked off her boots and curled her feet beneath her. “Are they werewolves, or are they sorcerers?”
Tristan sat forward. “They’re a bit of both. They use magic, but they shift into a wolf form.”
“What does this thing want with Isabel?” she asked.
“Isabel isn’t the only one it’s after.” He gave her a pointed stare.
Everly’s eyes widened, and she gulped. “So what does this thing want with me and Isabel?”
Tristan shook his head. “Again, it’s not just you two it’s after. It’s all women like you.”
She frowned. “Like us?”
“Sighted-Ones,” he said trying to be patient while his beast raged inside him. “The Darklings need women like you.”
“Need us for what?” she asked.
She already knew the answer to the question, but she obviously needed to hear it said aloud.
“They want you for breeding purposes,” he said. Tristan gripped the side of the chair until he heard the wood groan, then forced his fingers to ease. “They can only mate with Sighted-Ones. Normal women go mad if they’re scratched or bitten by them, then they eventually die.”
“What happens to a woman if one of these things takes her into their world?” she asked.
“Nothing, other than the obvious, if she’s truly Sighted,” he said.
“Lovely,” she said. “How long has this thing had her?”
Tristan tensed. “He’s had her since yesterday.”
Everly shot out of her chair. “And you’re just coming to me now?”
She had every right to be angry. He was angry, too. Tristan had failed Isabel when she needed him most. He snarled. No, he’d failed her before then.
“The Darkling tried to crush my skull in,” he said. “And nearly succeeded. I have no idea why I’m alive, but I assume it’s because of Isabel.”
Everly put her hands on her hips. “So she saved you, but you couldn’t save her.”
That about summed it up, though there were extenuating circumstances.
Tristan ran a hand through his hair and scrubbed it over his face. Despite the shift, his head was still sore.
“Have you slept?” she asked, losing some of her fury.
“Not much,” he said.
Everly sat back down. “What can I do?”
“I need you to use your gift to try to locate her,” he said. “If that fails, I need you to let me know if you hear from her. I doubt the Darkling will simply let her call, but knowing Isabel, she’ll wiggle out of his grasp. At least for a short while.”
She watched him closely. “You love her, don’t you?”
Tristan stiffened in his seat. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re awful quick to deny it,” she said. “But if you don’t love her, then why go to so much trouble to find her?”
Because he didn’t want Isabel to suffer
in the Darkling world. Because he couldn’t imagine never getting to see her again, even if it was from afar. Because she was his, and the Darkling had taken her from him.
“It’s my job,” Tristan said.
Everly smirked. “Liar. Didn’t look like you were doing your job when I saw you guys in Jackson Square,” she said.
“I was,” he said.
She snorted. “You’re not that good of an actor. You care for her.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Actually, I do,” Everly said. “You forget I had a vision about you guys, and there was a whole lot more going on than just encountering evil.”
Tristan’s jaw clenched. “Visions can be wrong.”
“So you haven’t slept with her?” Everly asked.
Heat spread across Tristan’s face, and his gaze dropped.
Everly grinned. “That’s what I thought. Job, my ass. You like her.”
“Will you help me if I say I do?” He’d tell her anything to get her cooperation.
“No.” She shook her dark head. “But I will help Isabel.”
“Can you try to find her?” he asked.
Everly nodded and closed her eyes. She took several deep breaths, then the muscles in her face relaxed. Minutes passed, and nothing happened.
Tristan tried to be patient, but every minute that went by brought Isabel closer to being taken into the other realm. There was a slim chance that the Darkling had already crossed her over, but it was more likely he’d need time to heal from his injury.
Just the thought that she might be gone forever made his beast howl in agony.
What if this didn’t work? What if he was too late?
Everly’s eyes popped open. “What I’m seeing doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
“Tell me everything,” he said. No clue was too small.
“I saw flashes of a child. She had fair hair like Isabel and held a stuffed bear,” she said. “Like I told you, it doesn’t make sense.”
A child that looked like Isabel... It wasn’t hard for Tristan to imagine such a thing. In fact, it was far too easy.
Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan Page 16