Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (8 page)

Just
thinking of his mate and their scorching kiss had his dick pressing against the
shorts he had changed into. Dante pulled the elastic band down, freeing his
cock from the restraint. He closed his eyes and imagined Isabelle on her knees
between his opened thighs. He gripped his dick and began stroking, using the liquid
seeping from the tip as lube. He thought of Isabelle’s lips sliding over the
head and down the shaft, taking him as far as she could. His cock was thick and
long. He would have to be careful should Isabelle ever decide to give him a
blowjob. Brown hair bobbing up and down the length, chocolate eyes focused on
him as she savored his taste, had Dante gasping. Moans humming in her throat
spurred his orgasm. Dante’s hips pumped faster into his hand as he chased his
release. With a final thrust, Dante roared out Isabelle’s name as white streams
of ejaculate shot onto his chest.

Isabelle
grabbed a biscuit at a drive through and ate it on the way to the Pen. She was
lucky to have shifter metabolism, or all the junk food she ate would take its
toll on her body. She didn’t plan on staying long, just long enough to look in
on Vincent and take the blood samples from the inmate.

Isabelle
stood at Vincent’s door watching the shifter sleep. At least he appeared to be
asleep. He was lying on his bed with his back turned to her. She softly called
his name, but he didn’t move. This was the first time in recent days he didn’t
acknowledge her presence. After about five minutes, she was ready to give up
when he rolled over and looked at her. “I don’t want to talk.” He rolled back
over, giving her his back again. Isabelle couldn’t imagine being confined to a
small room day in and day out. She left him to his thoughts and headed to her
office. She was going to draw blood from the inmate she had given the antidote and
take it to her clinic for testing. Deacon escorted her back upstairs before setting
out to secure the inmate.

Once
the inmate was seated and strapped down, Isabelle checked Teddy’s vitals. His
heart rate was slower, and his pupils less dilated. The serum was having a
positive effect already. As Isabelle was drawing the two vials of blood, the
inmate spoke for the first time. “Thank you.”

Isabelle
was shocked, but she tried not to show it. “For what exactly, Mr. Johnson?”

“I
know I’ve done bad things, or I wouldn’t be here. But I don’t want to become a
monster. I kinda figured out what Doc Henshaw was doing to me. He never said
anything, and it took me a while to get it. He told me he needed my healthy
blood, but he was injecting me too. If I was healthy, why would he be injecting
me with anything? Then after a few times of him sticking me, I felt my body
changing and my mood getting foul. I wanted to punch something. I’m in here for
robbing a bank, not because I killed someone. Whatever you gave me last night
must’ve worked, ‘cause I don’t feel like that anymore. So, thank you.”

“You’re
welcome. I’m taking your blood to see if one dose was enough to counteract what
was previously given to you. Don’t hesitate to let one of the guards know if
you feel the antidote wearing off. We want to make sure to get all of the
previous injections out of your system.” Isabelle placed a Band-Aid on the
withdrawal point and released him to the guards. How many of the other inmates
had figured out what Henshaw had been up to? How many of those were like
Johnson and didn’t want the accelerated aggression? Whether they were aware of
what was happening to their bodies or not, Isabelle was going to undo all the
damage the previous doctor had caused.

Isabelle
arrived at her clinic thinking about her dinner date later that evening. She
would stay at work long enough to test Teddy’s blood and then she would put her
plan in motion. She was going to have a manicure and pedicure, as well as get a
wax job. She didn’t know if Dante preferred a bare mound or a more natural
look. She would find out tonight.

 Thinking
of her mate, she absentmindedly placed her purse on the edge of her desk. It
fell to the floor, spilling the contents. “Crap!”  She bent over and picked up
the miscellanea, shoving it back in. She grabbed the envelope without the
return address, having forgotten all about it. She stood and placed her purse
safely in the middle of the table before plucking the letter opener out of the
pen holder. Carefully, she sliced open the top of the envelope. She pulled out
a single sheet of paper and read five typed words:

We
Know About The Boy

Isabelle
barely made it over the trash can before she threw up the biscuit she had eaten
earlier. When there was nothing left on her stomach and she was dry heaving,
she grabbed a water bottle, rinsing her mouth. She picked up the letter and
read it again. Five words. Those five words just turned her world on its axis.
“Shit, SHIT! Oh god, oh my god!” Isabelle paced the room as she called Rico’s
cell phone. He would already be at work, but she would leave him a message. One
that would let him know they had been compromised.

When
the three of them agreed on Maria and Rico raising Connor, Isabelle confided in
them about Alexi’s family. She did not tell them what the Sarantos family had
been after. As far as Rico and Maria knew, her father was just another man, not
the world famous scientist who caused the near apocalypse thirty-three years
prior. She did tell them if Stavros Sarantos ever found out he had a
grandchild, he would be hell bent on taking him from Isabelle. He would have no
legal ground to stand on, so he would take him any way he could.

Rico’s
voice mail picked up. “I’m calling about your cleaning services. Please return
my call as soon as possible.” If anyone were tapping into his phone, hopefully
they would think it was a wrong number since Rico was a welder. If they had
already tapped into Isabelle’s phones and knew her number, they were well and
truly screwed. Next, she called Maria. If Rico didn’t get the message soon
enough, Maria could lose valuable time. If they were being watched, they were
fucked anyway.

When
Maria didn’t answer, Isabelle left the same message she left for Rico. Now all
she could do was wait. She thought about calling Dante. If they had completed
the mate bond, he would have no choice but to help her. Since she had put a
limit on the relationship, she didn’t feel like she could call him. There was
no way she was calling her parents. If only she had family to help her. Wait,
she did. Dane was a detective. Even though they hadn’t known each other long,
surely he would help her. She would call him if things went south. Well,
farther south than they were at the moment.

Dammit!
Isabelle hated the waiting, the not knowing. While she waited on Rico to call,
she went about testing the inmate’s blood sample. She tried to keep her focus
on the specimen she was studying. Her son’s safety was out of her hands. As
much as she hated to admit it, she was helpless. If she concentrated, she could
have the results and prepare more of the antidote if the samples proved to be
successful. Rico would call her when they were on the road.

The
blood samples were clean. There was no trace of Unholy blood visible. Isabelle sat
at her desk and put her head in her hands. Too much time had passed with no
call from either Rico or Maria. She placed a call to both their phones.
Immediate voice mail. This was getting to be too much. There was no way they
would not answer and keep her waiting unless something was wrong. She didn’t
have Dane’s number in her phone, so she pulled up his patient file in her computer.
Finding his cell number, she called him.

“Abbott.”
His voice came through along with some background music. He was driving.

“Dane,
I’m sorry to bother you at work. This is Isabelle, and I need your help.” She
was pacing the small space of her office.

“Isabelle,
you sound like you’re about to go off the ledge. What’s up?”

“This
is something private, and you’re going to have a lot of questions. I promise I
will give you the answers. I’d rather do this in person. Can you meet me? I
know I’m asking a lot when you don’t really know me, but I have no one else to
turn to.”

“This
sounds ominous. Of course I’ll help you. We’re family, after all.” The music
was gone.

Family.
That sounded so good to Isabelle. Other than Maria and Rico, she never felt
like she had family to lean on. “Can you meet me at my clinic? I’m afraid to
leave.”

“Yeah,
I’m not too far away. I’ll be there within ten.”

“Thank
you, Dane. I’ll see you soon.” Isabelle disconnected. She continued to pace the
floor, waiting on her brother. Wow, she had a brother. Actually, she had
several, but until she met them, they wouldn’t seem real. Smelling where she’d
thrown up, she pulled the trash bag out of the garbage can, tying a knot in the
top. Shifter noses were sensitive, and if she could smell where she’d gotten
sick, she knew Dane would be able to as well. She took the bag to the back door
and dropped it. She would deal with it later. She headed to the lobby to wait, cell
phone in her hand. As soon as she saw Dane’s car pull into the lot, she
unlocked the door and held it open for him.

“Thank
you so much for rushing over here. Like I said on the phone, I didn’t know who
else to call.” Isabelle led Dane to her office.

Dane’s
appearance was casual, wearing the dress code of a detective. His stance was
anything but. Before his transition, Isabelle had only seen Dane when he was
sick. Now that he was a shifter, his demeanor had changed. He stood tall and
alert. “You’re welcome. But what about Dante? He’s your mate, right?”

“Technically
no, and what I’m about to tell you would probably change his mind about that
anyway. Dane, how much do you know about me, about my past?”

“Not
much, really. Why don’t you tell me what this is about.” Dane sat in the chair
next to her desk, giving her his undivided attention.

Isabelle
sat down in her chair and, after showing him the letter, told her brother about
her life. She didn’t leave anything out. She began with her childhood, wanting
Dane to know why she didn’t feel she could call on Jonas or Caroline. She
included her time spent with her foster family before she filled in everything
after, leading up to now. “I’m really worried, Dane. It’s been hours. They
should have been here by now. Every call goes straight to voice mail. I just
know something has happened to Connor.”

At
some point in her story, Dane had taken her hand in his, offering comfort. He
still didn’t release it when he said, “I have a friend in New Nashville. That’s
pretty close to where they live, right?”

Isabelle
nodded, and he continued, “Let me give him a call, see if he knows anyone in
New Columbia. We’ll start there. Write down everything you can think of:
address, phone numbers, make and model of their car.” Isabelle did as
instructed then waited while Dane called his friend. She watched her brother as
he did what he did best. She took in his features as he talked on the phone. Dane
was handsome. She had noticed that immediately when he came to her as a
patient. When she really studied his features, she saw a lot of Jonas in him.
His hair was dirty blond, and his eyes were the most striking blue. She
wondered how many of her siblings took after their father, and how many, like
her, took after Caroline.

“Corey’s
calling a friend he knows in New Columbia. Since they haven’t been missing twenty-four
hours, we can’t officially call in the authorities. But Corey knows as well as
I do the importance of the first few hours when someone is missing. Can I ask
you something?” Dane sat back down in the chair beside Isabelle’s desk.

“Of
course.” Isabelle didn’t sit, though. She couldn’t. She offered Dane a bottle
of water. When he took it, she paced the floor.

“Why
are you reluctant to mate with Dante? I’ve met the guy on several occasions
during investigations, and he’s solid.”

Seeing
the empty garbage can, Isabelle pulled a new trash bag out of the cabinet and
placed it in the can. “I told you about Alexi. I thought I was in love and that
our marriage would last forever. I was wrong, on so many levels. I don’t know
if I trust myself to choose another life partner. Then again, I didn’t actually
choose Dante. From what everyone says, the fates choose our mates for us. Do
you believe in that stuff? That there are these three mystical creatures out in
the cosmos drawing names out of a hat, putting us with someone we are supposed
to stay with forever? I don’t doubt Dante is solid, as you put it. And I won’t
deny the mate pull is there, but we went on a date, and quite honestly, I’m not
sure we’re compatible.”

Dane
laughed at his sister’s monologue. He took a sip of water and replaced the cap
on the bottle. “I can find the fates conceivable. I mean, look at us; we’re
shifters. So if we’re real, who’s to say they aren’t as real as we are? I get
what you’re saying though. You remind me of Tessa when she was denying her bond
with Gregor. You’re fighting to stay away from your mate while I’m fighting for
mine. Julian is convinced Katherine is his mate, and I think she belongs to me.
It’s all crazy. But I do know this; Dante has already claimed you. He lost his
shit when Deacon wanted you to interview the albino. Phased, wings and all,
knocking breakfast dishes off the sideboard at the manor. Rafael had to order
him to stand down. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“He
did?” Isabelle knew from watching Gregor with Tessa how strong the bond could
be, even before the mating was official.

“He
did, indeed. And this thing with Connor? I can promise you Dante is going to
accept your son, because he’s a part of you. It isn’t like you turned your back
on Dante for another man. You didn’t know what you were back then. If you had
known you were a shifter with a mate somewhere in the world, you probably
wouldn’t have married a man knowing he wasn’t your mate. I can see why you told
our parents what you did, but Dante is reasonable. He’s not going to hold your
past against you, nor turn his back on your son.” Dane’s phone rang, pausing
their conversation.

“Abbott.
Are you sure? Fuck. Okay, I’ll call you back.” Dane sighed, closing his eyes.
When he finally looked at Isabelle, she could see the pain in his eyes. Pain
for her. “I’m sorry, Isabelle. Rico’s dead. Maria and Connor are gone.”