Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (7 page)

She
returned the picture to its hiding place and replaced all of the journals
except one. This one she would need to reference when formulating the serum.
She grabbed the stack of mail to read while finishing her sandwich. Most of the
envelopes contained bills of some sort. One was an official notification from
the FDA. She ripped the flap open and pulled the paper from inside. Her pulse
sped up as she read the contents. “Yes!  YES!” Isabelle pumped her fist in the
air. Her pain medicine had received official approval and would be marketed
soon.

One
more envelope was left. There was no postage, no return address. Her name was
written in bold, red block letters.
That’s odd
. She shoved the envelope
in her purse to look at later.

As
Isabelle set up her supplies, her mind drifted to her son as it often did. She
was looking forward to the weekend and spending time with the boy. Connor never
ceased to amaze her with his artistic talent. She hadn’t been around a lot of
kids, but she knew he was brilliant. There was something else about him she
knew was different, she just hadn’t figured out what. Most of the time, speaking
to Connor was like talking to an adult. Every now and then he would let loose
and act like the six year old he was. Usually, he was quiet and contemplative.

Isabelle
busied herself with the formula, checking over her father’s notes on prior
serums he had created. Somewhere along the way, Jonas must have come across a
similar situation. Now that Isabelle was aware of Gargoyles, the notations made
sense. In the past, she hadn’t understood what he was trying to accomplish.
Isabelle was able to take one of his formulas and tweak it fairly easily. It
would need to be tested, of course. That was the only drawback; she would have
to experiment on an inmate. Isabelle secured the antidote, getting it ready to
deliver to the Pen. Before she left, she called Dante to let him in on her
progress. He would want to be there when she administered the serum.

Reluctantly,
she dialed his number. “Hello?” His rich, deep voice sent a shiver through her
body. The sound of a woman laughing in the background quickly squelched any
amorous thought. “Hello? Isabelle?”

“Dante,
I have the antidote complete. I will deliver it to the Pen and administer a
trial dose to one of the inmates. I just thought you would want to know.”
Isabelle hung up. Aggggh! She was so stupid to think he would actually wait
around on her. After he brought her breakfast, she’d felt hopeful. How many
women did he have lined up? Pretty women who weren’t plain Janes. Whatever. Her
phone immediately rang, and she answered without looking at the caller I.D.

“Hello?”

“Isabelle,
why did you hang up on me?” Dante’s voice was guarded, and the noise level in
the background was much less than before. He must have stepped outside.

“Because
I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.” God, what was she, fifteen?

“I
am not on a date, Isabelle. I am having lunch with my Queen.”

“Oh.
Well, you do not have to explain yourself. We are not mates.”

“Not
by my choosing, if you recall,” he responded, his voice as clipped as hers.

Sighing,
she responded, “I thought you would like to know I have the antidote. I am on
my way back to the Pen to administer the first dose. I will speak with you
later.” She hung up, thinking about why he would be having lunch with Kaya.
Isabelle liked the woman well enough. She had been helpful during Tessa’s
ordeal. She realized how relieved she was his lunch partner was Kaya. Wow. Was
the mate bond causing the jealousy? Hearing another woman’s laughter had
clearly caused her to become upset. She needed to think about that, analyze her
feelings. However, that would have to wait.

She
packed up the serum and drove across town. She didn’t expect to see Dante there
so soon, but he was waiting by the back entrance when she arrived. He opened
her car door for her and offered his hand. She took it, allowing him to help
her out of the small vehicle. She probably should apologize for being short
with him on the phone. Instead, she removed her hand from his, and rather than
walking around the car, she bent over the driver’s seat to reach for the small
cooler she used to transport the antidote. If Tessa was correct, she needed to
up her game in making Dante want her. If he was submissive, she was going to have
to do the seducing.

Isabelle
heard Dante groan when she bent over. She knew he was close. Close enough that
when she backed out of the car, she bumped into him. Dante’s hands grabbed her
hips as she looked up over her shoulder, “Oh, I’m sorry.” Dante didn’t release
his grip, and Isabelle didn’t step away. Instead, she leaned into his body. If
the erection pressed to her back was any indication, he was definitely affected
by her. She kept her eyes locked on his and licked her lips. He closed his eyes
and released his grip.

“No
apology necessary. I am proud of you for creating the formula so quickly,”
Dante said as he took the bag from her hand. She didn’t miss the fact he
strategically placed it in front of his crotch.

“I
can’t take all the credit. I just tweaked one of Jonas’ formulas.” Isabelle shut
the car door and locked it. She proceeded to the door of the prison with Dante following
behind. “It was strange, seeing a formula so close to the one I needed. It
makes me wonder if he was already working on the same type of serum, and if so,
why.”

As
Isabelle passed the door to Gregor’s office, Dante reached out and took hold of
her hand to stop her. “Hang on a second. I want to tell Gregor what we’re
doing.” Instead of dropping her hand, Dante held it as they walked through the
waiting area to the warden’s door. “Hey, Brother. Isabelle’s back with the
formula.”

“That
was quick. Great work, Isabelle.” Gregor stood from his desk and motioned for
them to lead the way. Isabelle felt odd holding hands with Dante at work. He
obviously felt it was appropriate as he threaded their fingers together. For
some reason, that felt more intimate.

“Where’s
Tessa?” Isabelle asked Gregor as they reached the clinic.

“I
dropped her off at home after we had lunch. She has to check on some of your
siblings before we leave for Egypt.”

Isabelle
was glad her cousin wasn’t there as a distraction. She was getting used to
Tessa’s high energy, but she didn’t need her around when she was administering
the antidote. After going over the inmate files for weeks, Isabelle had finally
discerned who had been given the most Unholy blood. She had a list of inmate
names in order of urgency. She gave Gregor a copy of the list so he would know
who to call up first. Gregor radioed for the inmate, Teddy Johnson, to be
brought to the clinic.

 The
inmates on the list had been monitored closely for the last few weeks. Their
tempers were higher and their aggression increased. Most had been moved to
solitary until they could receive the antidote. When the guards brought the
first inmate to the clinic, he was uncooperative. Once Isabelle explained she
was hoping to counteract what the other doctor had been trying to accomplish,
he calmed down. What she didn’t explain to the man was exactly what Henshaw had
injected him with. Half an hour later, the inmate was back in his cell, and
Isabelle was ready to call it a night. “I’ll draw blood from him tomorrow for
testing. All we can do now is wait.”

Gregor
turned for the door once they were finished with the inmate. “Excellent work,
Isabelle. I will leave you and Dante to do whatever it is you need to do. I’m
headed home. I will see you both tomorrow. Good night.” They both told Gregor
goodnight.

 Even
though there had been two shifter guards along with Dante standing sentry,
Gregor had stayed with them. She didn’t feel as if she were being scrutinized.
If she were in charge of all the inmates’ well-being, she would want to be
present, too. Actually, she was in charge of their well-being, just not to the
extent Gregor was. Before that moment, she hadn’t thought of what a huge
responsibility Gregor had.

Isabelle
walked to her office where she secured the rest of the antidote in the small
refrigerator. She had left a small amount of the serum at her own clinic just
in case something was to happen to the supply she brought to the Pen. As she
locked her office door, Dante told her, “I’ll walk you to your car.” He took
Isabelle’s hand in his. He might not be aggressive, but he was affectionate.

Isabelle
unlocked her car and tossed her purse onto the passenger seat. When she turned
to face Dante, he squeezed her hand and asked, “Isabelle, would you please have
dinner with me?”

“Tonight?”
Isabelle was thrilled he wanted to see her again, but she was tired. The day
had worn on her mentally.

“How
about tomorrow night? I’d like for you to come to my home so I can cook for
you.” Dante was rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

Isabelle
took a step closer, mentally willing him to kiss her. “I’d really like that.”
And she meant it. She wanted to see where he lived, wondering if his house was
as anything like Gregor’s.

“Excellent.
I will pick you up at your house around six, if that is acceptable.”

“It
is. I will see you tomorrow then?” She hadn’t meant for it to come out as a
question, but her mind was on the nearness of his body.

 Dante
raised her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips softly across her knuckles.
That was nice, but she wanted more than nice. Before he could walk away,
Isabelle closed the distance between them, placing her hands on his chest,
feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. She ran her hands down his arms
slowly, allowing herself to feel. Feel the lean muscle under the cotton
material. Feel the strength of his shifter body. Feel herself getting wet from
such a simple touch. She looked into his eyes to make sure she wasn’t making a
big mistake. When she saw longing there, she knew what to do. She didn’t grab
his ears as Tessa suggested, but she did place her hands on either side of his
head, pulling him down so she could press their lips together. Dante’s hands
finally found her hips, pulling her closer to him.

The
kiss was soft, unassuming, but Isabelle wanted more. She tentatively touched
her tongue to the side of his mouth, and he opened for her. She didn’t hesitate.
Her tongue sought his, dancing, teasing, testing, learning. One hand clutched
his hair tighter, the other sank into his bicep. The kiss deepened and became
more heated, desperate. Dante’s cock came to life, growing harder and longer
against her stomach. Isabelle hated breaking the connection, but she needed to
come up for air. Both of them were breathing heavily. If Isabelle didn’t leave
now, she was going to do something she hadn’t done since college. There were
too many guards who could walk out of the building and see Isabelle on her
knees. Dante growled, low in his throat. He probably didn’t know what she was
thinking, but he could smell her arousal. Damn shifter senses.

Dante
leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, “I will see you tomorrow.” He
touched her lips with his finger tip then strode to his van. Isabelle wanted to
sit in her car and think about what she’d done, but Dante would probably worry when
she didn’t leave. Instead, she started her hybrid and headed for home. While
driving, she began formulating a plan. A seduction of sorts that had tomorrow
night ending the way she wanted it to. One where they wouldn’t be ending the
night unsatisfied. She was going to take Tessa’s advice and grab her Gargoyle
by the wings.

With
a glass of scotch in hand, Dante relaxed on the sofa, classical music softly
floating through the air. Speakers were strategically placed around his home,
allowing the music from the stereo and television to sound better than if
Thomas Dolby had installed them himself. He thought back to his lunch meeting
with Kaya. She had several ideas to offer when it came to a romantic night in
with Isabelle.

When
he and Kaya had finished eating and were ready to leave, Kaya told him, “Be
patient, Dante. I know what it’s like to be told you have a mate. When you live
in a human world where you can choose your life partner, then are told that
person has been chosen for you, it’s a lot to swallow. I think I accepted it
more readily because I hadn’t been loved before. From what you’ve told me,
Isabelle has already experienced love and loss. Some people don’t want to risk
the hurt again. I honestly think she’ll come around. Just don’t push.”

 After
the phone call with his mate, he was pretty sure the dinner plans were moot,
until he met up with her at the Pen. When she bent over to retrieve the cooler
from her car, her slacks tugged at her perfectly round ass. The seam of her
pants slid between her cheeks, giving the illusion she was either wearing a
thong or no panties at all. The thought of her bare ass caused his dick to
twitch. When she backed into him, her ass raised a little higher in the air,
and he about lost it. And later when she kissed him? His dick was ready to
burst through the zipper. He had been harder than he could remember ever
getting, all because his mate was flush against his body. With clothes on. He
couldn’t imagine how it would be when they were finally skin to skin.