Isabelle hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew that. My anger, a product of frustration and the pull, receded. The smell of trees and sound of bird calls helped center me. My life had changed so drastically when I first saw her; and since that moment, I hadn’t stopped to consider what that meant.
She was my world. It was that simple. Seeing her easy relationship with Ethan had hurt. Watching her grieve and pine for him had hurt more. And, I’d gotten so caught up in that hurt that I’d ignored one simple fact. I was made for Isabelle. Her entire life she’d never met anyone like me. Someone she could be near. Someone she could love and not hurt. We were meant for each other.
I would wait like I said, no matter how hard the waiting might be.
The sudden silence alerted me something was wrong.
Grey, I think—
A dark shape crashed into me from the side and another from behind. Claws raked my ribs. I growled and threw both of them off.
Carlos. There are more coming. Get out of there, Grey sent back.
I could feel his worry and focused. I charged one mutt before he could stand. My fist connected with his face. Skin split and bled. I pulled back and hit him again and again. He grunted and fell to the ground.
Something collided with me. A weight settled on my back. Teeth sunk into my flesh, and I roared. Twisting, I tried to fling the other mutt from me. Then I saw the rest. It was too late to run. Five more ran toward us. Ignoring the one on my back, I faced the newcomers.
They found me, I sent Grey.
I know. I’m coming. Hold them off.
I partially shifted my hands and teeth and swiped out at the first. I caught his shoulder, ripping into flesh. One of his companions grabbed my arm and pulled back. Then they fell upon me. Seven to one.
Fists beat my face. Claws tore at the skin of my back. Their collective weight drove me to my knees. I struggled against the assault but pinned as I was, didn’t inflict a quarter of the damaged they did.
My blood ran wet and warm into my mouth, and my head started to ache.
Tell Isabelle—
Tell her yourself. She’ll be there before me.
Panic hit me harder than any fist, claw or tooth. I raged and surged upward against the weight. She couldn’t come. I knew what she would do. She’d hurt herself, or worse, trying to save me.
The sound of an engine cut through the growls and snarls. I tried harder to free myself. Tires skidded on loose gravel.
A door opened, and all movement above me stopped. She was here. I roared, grabbed a leg, and heaved. It won me enough room to throw another. All the rest, but one, moved away. The pain of his teeth in my back barely registered as I tried to lift my head.
Grey, where are you?
Close.
“Stop,” Isabelle said. She sounded annoyed. Behind the wall, my emotions stirred, and I knew she was already subtly pulling the Urbats’ emotions.
“Go ahead and pull a stunt like you did on the road,” one mutt said. “He’ll die.”
I knew that voice. Before I could place it, someone moved close to me. I lifted my head just enough to see her shoes several yards away.
“You read fiction and go for a run the morning after I pissed off Doofenshmirtz, here? How did you not see this coming?”
I had no answer for her. Pain ate any sensibility.
“Fine,” she said.
I could hear her stalk toward me.
“Isabelle, go,” I said, head still hanging low. Blood dripped to the ground. It felt like it was coming from an ear, but I couldn’t be sure. The ache was in the back of my head.
“I don’t think so. I have something to say.”
She squatted beside me and gently touched my swelling cheek.
“You promised.”
Her words pierced me. I’d promised never to die on her and almost had.
The mutts around us growled. The scent of her amusement did not reassure me.
I’m here, Grey sent me.
All hell broke loose. Four Urbat launched themselves at us. With a cry, Isabelle started fighting. Thumps, thuds, and growls rang around me. I struggled to my feet, blinked twice, and inhaled deeply to clear my vision. The faint scent of Isabelle’s blood filled my nose as I stumbled toward her. She stood between me and the four mutts. She moved with speed, fending them off while draining their emotions. Her knuckles bled.
I had to help her, but the shapes and moves weren’t making sense. I shook myself in an effort to clear the ringing in my head. That’s when I realized she already had one down. Two of Grey’s were already reverting to human form.
Isabelle kicked the next mutt in the chest so hard I heard a crunch. He went down, too.
“Stay…” she said as she ducked under the next male’s swing.
“out of…” She came back up with a jab to his throat. He wheezed and collapsed.
“my…” Swinging wide, she caught another in his ribs as he tried to feint around her.
“way, Carlos.”
The half-formed mongrel dropped. Suddenly, everything was quiet.
“Wouldn’t dream of interfering,” I said, watching her look at the fallen males.
She glanced back at Grey, who was still in his fur and standing over a body. Blood covered his grey muzzle.
“Thanks, Grey,” she said.
She’s bleeding. Is she all right? he sent me.
“He wants to know if you’re all right,” I said. I reached around her and touched her fisted hand, skimming over the skin just below her bloody knuckles.
“I’m fine.”
Wait there. I’ll get dressed and drive us back. Gabby says it’s clear. No one else is moving toward us.
“Grey’s going to the SUV and getting some clothes. Gabby says things are clear now.”
Isabelle’s hands remained fisted. She was still bloated with stolen emotions and ready to fight.
“Before we go, you need to get rid of the emotion that’s left.”
She watched Grey trot away, then moved further into the trees. She’d just beaten four males to the point they couldn’t move—I wasn’t sure they were all alive—and she was worried about hurting them further.
I followed her so she wouldn’t be alone and knew how those males felt. Everything hurt. My face was swollen to the point I could barely see out of one eye, the bites at the base of my neck and shoulders stung, as did the cuts on my back. And, I was missing a shoe somehow.
She pushed everything out and turned to face me for the first time.
Pity lit her eyes.
“You big, dumb fool,” she said, tears gathering.
I shuffled forward until I stood before her then gently wiped the tear from her cheek. It made the crying worse.
“It could have been you, too,” she sobbed.
I wrapped my arms around her.
“Never. I’ll keep my promise. I’ll stay with you.”
One of the men moved on the ground behind us. Isabelle lifted her head from my chest and looked around me. Her tears dried and the scent of anger enveloped us.
I’m dressed, Grey sent me.
We’ll be right there.
She pulled away and went to the male. He attempted to right himself again and ended up on his back. It was the same mutt from the road. Isabelle tilted her head, considering him, then squatted beside him. Although he was injured, so was I. If he tried to go after her again, I wasn’t sure how much help I’d be.
“Isabelle, back up,” I said. She ignored me.
“Don’t like being my bitch twice, do ya?” she said to him.
He told her to go mate with herself. She ignored that, too.
“Now, why would Blake send you after us when I told you I was coming for him?” she asked in a sing-song fake way she said things when annoyed.
He clenched his jaw and remained silent.
“Hmm…Maybe you didn’t tell him. Or maybe he sent you because he doesn’t want me coming to him, but I doubt that. He sent fifty men to try to catch us before. So why only seven this time? Unless… someone’s not being a good boy.
“Here’s what I think. I think you lost your temper the last time we met and convinced these idiots it was a good idea to chase one of us down. Not smart. You’re going to be in trouble when Blake finds out.”
A sickening crunch cut off his laugh as the bones in his chest repositioned themselves.
“You’re Blake’s,” he said. “But I told you, we’re going to leave you with nothing.”
His words caused a wave of anger to build behind my wall. My head ached as I clenched my fists to stay in control.
She stood, placed her foot on his chest, and pushed down hard. His knitting bones cracked under the pressure, and he rasped in pain.
“Don’t push me. You won’t like it if I lose my temper.” She removed her foot from his chest. “Tell Blake he’s wasting his men. He’ll need every one of you when I get there.”
Pride swelled within me at her fierceness. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned away from him and walked with me to the SUV. Our progress was slowed by me. She didn’t comment, though.
Grey leaned against the vehicle, watching us. He had a phone in his hand.
Found your shoe, he sent me.
“You get to drive,” Isabelle said. “Everything okay with the rest?”
“Just fine,” he said, moving to the driver’s seat.
Isabelle opened the back door and stepped aside to motion me in. She hadn’t met my gaze again since crying. I gently lifted her chin.
“Sit with me.” I needed her beside me. I needed to know she was all right. That we were all right.
She nodded and waited for me to ease myself onto the seat. My back burned like it pressed against coals as I moved over. She quickly got in beside me and told Grey to go. Neither of us buckled.
I sighed, leaned my head back against the seat and stopped trying to keep my eyes open against the swelling. The scent of her worry wrapped around me. Blindly, I reached out for her hand and touched the back of it. She turned her palm up and wrapped her fingers around mine. It felt so good to touch her that I could almost ignore the sound of my blood dripping onto the seat.