by Erin Hayes
“Isaac…” Zoey gently laid her left hand on his shoulder and drew some of his rage into her, working to calm him. “Not like this.”
“I’m certain I didn’t just hear that name,” one of the further-back therions mused, sauntering between the two in front of him and squaring off in front of Isaac. After a quick once-over, his eyes focused over Isaac’s shoulder and took in Zoey, his nostrils flaring for a moment. “This is an unwelcome surprise, Isaac. I’d’ve hoped that you’d know better than to come back here,” he narrowed his eyes towards Zoey again, “and with some punked-out vampire skank, no less?”
Before she could even try to stop him, Isaac had worked a clawed hand around the therion’s throat, plowed past the others, and pinned him against the wall. Though the rest of him looked human, Zoey wasn’t certain how much longer he’d refrain from fully transforming, but, as she watched the others turn on him and work to wrestle him free, she was more concerned how much longer they’d both be breathing.
“Just what in the hell is going on here?” a stern, feminine voice cut through the chorus of snarls, effectively silencing all of them and turning every carnal eye away from each other’s throats.
One of the therions whimpered as the three backed away, leaving Isaac with enough room to step away from the still-gasping fourth.
“Just a little catching up with your brother, Delilah,” Isaac’s voice was gravelly and labored over misshapen vocal cords, and Zoey had to wonder how far he’d let himself start to turn before reversing it. Clearing his throat, he flexed his now-human hand and glared back at the therion he’d nearly choked moments earlier. “Isn’t that right, Declan?”
“‘Catching up’?” the one called Declan growled as he rubbed at his throat. “You’ve got some nerve!”
Isaac bared his teeth, which Zoey was thankful to see were still human. “Bold statement from the one advancing on a pair of warriors on a public street!”
“Warriors?” Declan’s eyes widened and he looked back at Zoey before turning to the female. “Dee, we had no idea—”
A slender, manicured hand raised and cut off Declan’s words as effectively as Isaac’s death-grip on his throat. With her hand still raised to her brother and the other three therions, Delilah turned her bright green eyes to Zoey and Isaac.
“So you’re a warrior now?” her once stern voice turned husky and inflective, sounding more like a call girl. Zoey frowned as the picturesque female let her hand drop to a popped hip, offering a sensual curve to her already attractive form: long, curly brown hair with expensive-looking highlights, flawlessly tanned skin, and the sort of curves that sold magazines. The image of her was a near-perfect contrast to Zoey’s short, dyed hair, light-blue eyes, and petite figure.
And the way she and Isaac talked to one another…
There was history there!
A brick of jealousy slammed down on her already tension-twisted stomach and Zoey fought a wave of nausea.
“Warrior or not,” Declan growled between clenched teeth, “this traitor finally drags his sorry ass back here and has the nerve to bring some life-stealing slag with him! You can’t possibly be siding with him after breaking your engagement!” he turned on Isaac, jabbing an accusatory finger in his face, “You got away with a lot, but to add to that insult like this? You go too far!”
Zoey caught a pained shift in Delilah’s aura at the mention of the engagement, but she hid the moment as a confident and piercing gaze settled on Zoey. Though there was no malice or anger in either her eyes or the surface of her mind, she got the icy impression that she was being sized-up.
Another brick hit her square in the guts as the comparison replayed in her head.
“Well, I’m certain our dear Isaac wouldn’t have come all this way just to dredge up old memories and show off new toys,” she let her eyes pass once more over Zoey before locking squarely on him. Without looking away, she called out to the others: “Declan, you and the boys head inside. I’m sure these two are just lost and in need of a friendly reminder of how to get out of here.”
Declan growled and started towards Isaac again, “I can just show them to their car!”
“Declan!” the icy voice returned and sent a tremor through the advancing therion’s aura. Without another word, the four males turned away and headed back into the apartment building.
“So what are you here for?” Delilah demanded before the door had even fully closed. “And why should I continue to keep my pack off your throats?”
“Delilah, I’m sorry, really…” Isaac’s voice was uncomfortably sincere. “I’m sure you know I wouldn’t be here bothering you if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. However, I am here on official Council business.”
“The Council, eh?” Delilah raised a perfect eyebrow and glanced back at Zoey, “So I take it she is really a warrior then?”
Isaac straightened his posture. “We both are, actually.”
“Both?” Delilah scowled. “Since when does The Council recruit therion packs?”
“Since therion packs joined with vampire clans,” Isaac said flatly.
A long, tense moment passed as Delilah processed this information, then she shook her head. “So you two really are…”
“Not that it’s important,” Isaac put an arm around Zoey, “but yes, we are!”
A cold, condescending stare bore down on Zoey, and Delilah chuckled. “How the mighty have fallen.”
Another growl echoed from Isaac’s core and Delilah smirked at the sound, seeming more pleased with the reaction than threatened by it. “Okay, so you two lovebirds are here on official Council business for what exactly?”
“I assume you’ve heard about the escaped hybrid? They received word he was in these parts and they suspect he—”
“Yea yea, we were informed, and I told those twits that we’re more than capable of handling ourselves and explained they can pick up what’s left if and when he chooses to try something,” Delilah folded her arms across her chest. “Which only leads me to further question the need for you two to be here.”
“Because,” Isaac sighed, “effective or not, your methods aren’t exactly the sort that inspire confidence in officials.”
Delilah scoffed, “You seemed plenty ‘inspired’ when we were working together.”
Zoey cleared her throat and stepped forward. “The Council sent us as a precaution. Since the hybrid is an escaped prisoner they’re trying to act with swiftness and discretion, and—”
“And you leeches don’t think we’re capable of ‘swiftness and discretion,’ is that it?” Delilah glared at her.
“That’s not what I—” Zoey stopped herself from getting too heated and took a deep breath. “We were asked to intercept the threat. I don’t think The Council was aware of the… uh”—she blushed and looked back at Isaac, who kept his predatory gaze on Delilah—“history between you two.” She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, “I certainly didn’t know.”
“Uh huh,” Delilah’s face was unimpressed and remorseless. “That’s a lovely story and a compelling sentiment and all, and I’m sure that you two have some talking to do after all this, but I don’t see why we should care about—”
“Dee,” Isaac began, and Zoey’s insides churned at his casual use of the same nickname the therion’s brother had used, “for the sake of our time and my sanity I’m not going to challenge your arrogance, but I suggest you put your sense before your pride and see that The Council wasn’t inviting you to handle this situation, they were offering you a warning. Like it or not, we are here to do this job, and I’d hate to have to write in my report that you and your pack were less than accommodating when they’ve been so lenient about you renting apartments and serving drinks to humans for the past few years.” He took a long step that brought him face-to-face with Delilah, and Zoey felt a lump form in her throat at the sight. “And since it’s exactly that sort of thing that’s drawn this murderer into your territory in the first place—since, in more ways than one, th
eir decision to come here and the risk that they pose to not only your pack but anybody in this city is due to your brashness and negligence—I think it would be a very, very bad idea to choose now as the time to withdraw your hospitality.” His lip curled back and Zoey wasn’t certain if he was about to bite her or kiss her, “So many are eager to blame you for enticing this sort of attack, Dee. How do you think closing your doors to the people who are here to clean up your mess will look to The Council when the time comes to renew your permits?” He shrugged and stepped away then, suddenly casual and nonchalant. “Assuming, of course,” he let out a dry, emotionless cough, “you all live long enough to see a potential renewal.”
A long, tense silence followed.
A painfully long and dreadfully tense silence.
Zoey, clearing her throat (eager for any sort of sound at that moment), pushed herself to step forward and return to the warmth of Isaac’s side. “We don’t want this any more than you do, I assure you. Isaac said your pack might be able to help, but if that’s out of the question we won’t persist. We only ask that you not interfere with our business while we’re here.”
The therion smirked, humming to herself as she stared at the two. “No, our dear Isaac has a point. We are in the business, after all, and since we both answer to the same bosses it only makes sense that we help you with your jobs, right? You can stay, and we’ll help however we can,” she smirked “However, in return, you two can help us at our nightclub. You know, a little”—she chortled and lingered on Zoey’s body for a moment—“tit for tat.”
“That’s…that wasn’t exactly a part of the deal,” Zoey frowned.
“It is now, darling. We don’t offer something for nothing, and since you’re getting to stay rent free and mooch off our pack’s resources, I think it’s only fair that you lend a hand in return.” Delilah turned halfway and motioned for the door, “So…? Do we have a deal?”
Zoey frowned, seeing the challenge in the female therion’s eyes. The weight in her stomach turned molten as the jealousy burned within her, and something deep within her rose to the surface.
“Of course!” she blurted, wrapping her arm around Isaac’s. “I’m sure it won’t be any trouble.”
Delilah glared and turned away abruptly, leading them into the building. “Perfect! Declan will show you to a room”—she motioned to her brother, who hadn’t made it more than ten steps past the door—“but I wouldn’t get too comfortable. Club opens in two hours.”
Zoey watched as Delilah gave one last look towards Isaac before she turned and disappeared down the hall, leaving them to the cold, angry glares of her brother as he begrudgingly led them into the roaring madness.
First Impressions
It took twenty minutes to get unpacked. Between the mission and the events that still felt like a bad dream to her, Zoey was having trouble focusing. Finally, after stuffing the last of her clothes into an already over-stuffed drawer, she sat on the edge of the cheap double mattress. The studio apartment they’d been offered was barely big enough to fit the two of them and their luggage comfortably, but, with Isaac leaning against the wall opposite the bed, she was uncomfortable with how distant he suddenly felt. Looking at him expectantly, she resisted the urge to read his mind and watched as he bit his lip. Even without spying, she knew he could tell she was upset. What she couldn’t tell was what it was that was upsetting him. It was simple to believe that he was unsettled that she’d finally learned the truth of some hidden part of his past; that it was more about the circumstances. But there was the other part of her—the rational part; the part that usually had all the right things to say when it was other peoples’ problems she was dealing with—that thought it might be concern for her. Replaying the scene and seeing Delilah’s swagger in her memory, however, she was having a harder and harder time believing that.
And with the memory of the female therion came an unfamiliar feeling.
Zoey had practically wanted to jump her after finding out they had been engaged. She was still seething! It was an unusual feeling for her, this violent, irrational impulse—it just wasn’t like her! She was trained, and if the situation called for it she could handle herself in a fight, but she had never been one to want to fight.
Since when had the last resort become the first impulse?
“Zoe…” Isaac’s voice was shaky and barely recognizable as his own, “we can talk about this, right? It was… it was a long time ago. To tell the truth, I barely remembered the engagement until The Council mentioned this pack as a possible resource. By then…” He shrugged, “I was afraid how you’d react. It was arranged, if that makes any difference. Our packs were working together so closely that we began to see strength in a union. The two of us were the best candidates at the time: young, impulsive, easily swayed…”
“Even if you’d forgotten—even if things changed since then—” she narrowed her eyes, “why wouldn’t you at least tell me? You… you say you were afraid of how I’d react? Were you afraid I’d refuse to go… or were you afraid I’d refuse to let you come with me? Is that why you accepted this mission?”
“What? No! I accepted this mission because The Council asked for you specifically to deal with this psychopath and I wasn’t about to let you deal with something like this on your own! Love, I know you’re hurt—it was dishonest and stupid of me to not say anything sooner—but don’t confuse my stupidity with anything else. Delilah”—hearing him say her name made something knot in her stomach—“is just a familiar face with some uncomfortable history tied to it.” He crept forward and kneeled in front of her, “You are everything for me now.”
She wanted so much to believe him and have the angry jealousy go away, but every time she tried to convince herself she had something worth choosing over Delilah she came up empty. If Isaac had been afraid to tell the truth before out of fear of her reaction, what guarantee did she have that he wasn’t still scared? Maybe this was just another moment of fear driving him to be dishonest. Pushing herself to believe him, she begrudgingly allowed him to wrap his arms around her and pull her into him. The moment that distance was closed, doubt and distrust began to fade. Nothing that felt that right could’ve been a lie.
Figured. With just one touch, Isaac could make everything bad go away.
“I guess you’re right,” she smiled. “I shouldn’t worry this much.”
“You shouldn’t worry at all,” he grinned and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers.
She sighed against his lips and melted further into his embrace. The kiss instantly began to grow more heated as all the pent-up thoughts and physical demands she’d been suppressing made themselves known once more. She’d gotten a taste of him in the Jeep, and while she remembered the moment fondly there was a howling need for more. His tongue darted past her lips, reminding her just how skilled he was at such things, and the howl intensified. He was good; very, very good. Too good, she realized, to confine his skills to something as confining and unforgiving as time. After some struggling against herself and her lover’s grip, Zoey dragged herself away. Isaac pouted and moved to reengage.
“Knock it off, you!” she giggled. “Because of your friends’ little deal, we have to leave for the night club in a little over an hour. Plus, I still need to call Serena.”
A low grumble vibrated deep within Isaac’s chest, but the growl was anything but angry. “Alright, you little tease,” he chuckled, standing up, “but this isn’t over, understand?” A sizable bulge rolled down the thigh of his pant leg and he let out a heavy sigh as he moved to adjust himself. “It’s only postponed,” he winked at her and, when he’d tamed his erection to something far less noticeable, he turned to head out. “I’ll let you have some privacy for your call.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m going to make sure Declan and the others know not to mess with you,” he said flatly.
Zoey blushed at the sudden power in his tone. “Declan…”
Isaac stopped a
nd looked over his shoulder. “What about him?”
“You really would have killed him,” though she’d meant it as a question, she somehow couldn’t bring herself to doubt his response enough to inflect it. “I mean, back in the street—after what he’d said—you really were going to transform right there and kill him, maybe even the others.”
“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” he said matter-of-factly. “One way or the other, they’ll learn to keep their thoughts to themselves. Whether they get to keep their tongues inside their heads…” he shot her a smirk that made her insides tingle and shrugged. “Nobody trash-talks my girl.”
“Thanks, Isaac,” she smiled. “I love you.”
“And I love you. Don’t forget that,” he added before stepping out.
After a moment of easing her mind, Zoey reached for her phone and began mentally preparing herself. She dialed out Serena’s private line and sighed as the answering machine picked up.
“This is you-know-who,” Serena’s voice chimed, “and if I know you then you know what to do. If not, kindly go fuck yourself with an elk antler! And if this is Channing Tatum then—”
“Really?” Zane’s voice, muffled with distance, rose in the recording.
“Oh hush! You know I’m joking, you big baby!” Serena barked back, “Anyway, do what you gotta do! Muah!”
BEEP
“Jeez, I can’t believe that’s still your outgoing. Come on, Serena, pick up! I need your brand of insanity, ‘cause I’m stuck in an apartment filled with therions who hate my guts and I’m starting to remind myself more of you than myself and I’m kind of freaking out about—”
“Wait… what in the who-now?” Serena’s voice cut off Zoey’s rant as she picked up the line. “Back it up, girl! You are stuck WHERE and WHO hates you? Cause, if—aw, hell no!—they’re gonna answer to… Zane! Hey, honey? For the love of—ZANE!”