~YULIA
“You want me to do what?” I asked in disbelief.
“It is alright if you don’t want to do it, Yulia, it was a wild suggestion,” Issa said as he drove us home.
“I am not against it, I just did not expect you to willingly put me in harm’s way, I thought I was too precious to you for that kind of thing,” I replied.
“Was that sarcasm?” He asked as he glanced at me before he faced the road again.
“No, I am just surprised, that’s all. I was actually excited too… So, when do we start?” I asked.
“You also sound excited,” Issa mumbled.
“I am tired of being on the sidelines, and this puts me in the front line of what is actually going on,” I replied.
Nothing was said as he drove and we both sank into the silence of the car.
“Are there any other crazy exes I should be aware of?” I asked.
“Yes,” He replied. “I will make a list when we get home,” he replied.
“That was sarcasm, wasn’t it?” I asked with a small smile.
Issa shrugged as he drove.
“Is everything going to be fine between you and your boss,” I asked him.
He frowned at me like he was confused. “My boss?” He asked with slight disbelief.
“Deucalion?”
“He is not my boss, I just work with him, he needs me more than I need him,” He said.
“Why do you work with him? You do not seem to like it,” I inquired.
“He has something I want,” he answered.
“The key?” I guessed.
“Yes.”
“What is so special about this key?” I asked, intrigued.
He clamped his mouth shut as he stopped for a traffic light.
“It is fine if you do not want to talk about it,” I said as I saw the reluctance on his face.
“It is a key to a strange box belonging to your parents, your biological parents,” He replied and I could hear the strain in his voice.
Talking about my real parents was a touchy subject for him and I suspected that it was because he had once met them before they died.
“What is in the box?” I asked.
“I don’t know and that is why Deucalion is using it as a bargaining chip against me,” Issa replied with an angry tightness in his voice.
“That is why he wants you to mate with his daughter,” I said with a deep realization.
I remembered what Albus said about Lycans taking other lovers even when they were mated.
“Deucalion is not the only one that wants a child from you, is he?” I asked.
“No, he is not. A lot of werewolf families want my seed,” He replied.
“How many?” I asked.
He shrugged and moved the car when the light turned green.
“Wow, that many… You don’t know the actual numbers?” I asked in disbelief.
“There are lots of werewolf packs, Yulia and not all of them want me to impregnate their daughters and sisters, some want me dead too,” He replied.
His phone buzzed and he checked it with one hand as he controlled the steering wheel with one hand. “Jamal has safely transferred Lana to his place,” he told me.
“That’s…good to hear, I think she likes him,” I said as I recalled her complimenting his looks.
“Do you like him?” Issa asked me.
“Jamal? Yes, I do,” I answered. “If we weren’t mated, I would have gone for him,” I added with a straight face as I looked over at him.
He had an intense disapproving glare on his face and I could no longer keep my face straight. I burst into laughter and shook my head in wonder.
“That was not funny,” he muttered which only increased my laughter.
“It is hilarious when you are jealous, I find it so cute,” I said with a chuckle.
The house showed up on the wind screen and began to loom larger as he drove. In moments, we were in front of the house and he parked outside the garage. He killed the engine and tapped a few buttons on his phone before he switched off the screen.
“Jamal says Lana is getting better, she is asleep for now,” He said and got out of the car.
I was relieved that Lana was in good hands. I was a bit reluctant to enter the house because the memory of what took place was already haunting me.
“We could sleep somewhere else tonight if you want,” Issa offered as he sensed my discomfort. I shook my head.
“It is fine, I just find it hard to believe that I did what I did to Iris, it all happened so fast,” I told him as we both headed inside.
“She will think twice before she messes with you again,” Issa replied.
The smell of burnt flesh and clothes was all over the place that I almost gagged.
“Wow,” Issa said as he glanced at the big crack in the wall, where the impact of Iris’ powerful body had slammed into it. “Even the air smells burnt,” He added in amazement.
“Sorry about the paintings,” I muttered as I saw how the fire had destroyed the wall around the place where I stood. It burnt everything in my path including a few expensive portraits of landscape arts.
“Insurance will cover it,” He said with a shrug. The maids had already cleaned up the broken pieces of glass on the floor. “I will get a painter to fix the wall, it is all good,” He added as he looked around.
I walked into the kitchen and Issa followed me. I opened the fridge and pulled out a cold box of orange juice. I did not realize how parched I was until I finished the whole content of the juice box.
I looked at the empty box, mildly shocked at the level of my thirst.
“You used a lot of your powers, so you need to replenish your lost energy,” He said.
“Is that what happens when you use your shadow powers?” I asked.
“Yes, but I mostly replenish my energy with sex,” He said with a smile.
“Really?” I asked.
He smiled wider and shook his head.
“You are impossible sometimes,” I said, matching his smile with mine. “Okay, let us talk about you using me as bait to lure in the cult of the black rose,” I said as I remembered our discussion in the car.