Avet, Danica - Ain't No Bull [The Veil 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (30 page)

“What did Queen Albreda say anyway?” Izzy asked because that had to be the reason they were here.

“The Council, Ruby, and Queen Albreda met two days ago. It seems your…um, mate may have stumbled upon a conspiracy to wipe out several top-notch Veilerians at one time.” She raised one of her hands when Izzy opened her mouth. “Don’t even ask for details, Izzy. You’re out, remember? All I can tell you is that we’re here and we’ll take care of it.”

Izzy blinked up at Saga, not sure she’d heard correctly. Rosetta looked the other way when Izzy glanced at her. “What? You mean…I can’t even help?”

“You can’t help. In fact, you should have been at the Black Dog Camp, not here, but I’ll overlook that because he’s your mate.” Saga shook her head, her eyes filled with sadness. “But I can’t let you do anything else. You’re not part of the tribe right now, Izzy. You’re outcast until you learn how to control yourself.”

“But…I was the one who brought this to the Council and Queen Albreda’s attention! This is my op!”

Again, her mentor shook her head and as Izzy watched, she cloaked herself in authority. “If it would’ve just been the song at the get-together, Queen Albreda might have let you in on this, but the e-mail about VP Chief Snow to every Amazon tribe as well as every employee in the Veilerian Protection Agency? She might have let that slide as well. But then you were nearly tagged by the human police after molesting male dancers at Lani’s bachelorette party.” She shook her head sadly. “There’s no in for you on this job, not this time. But because you gave us information that has no doubt saved hundreds of lives, Queen Albreda will give you one final chance to redeem yourself. You can walk away from this now, go to the Snow Blind Camp in the
Yukon
, or you’re out of the tribe indefinitely.”

Shock held her immobile. What had been fun and games had only dug a hole her queen seemed ready toss her into. They weren’t just keeping her out of the operation, they were going to kick her out of the tribe if she didn’t follow the queen’s directives. She felt…numb. This was it. She could tell by the shadows in Saga’s eyes that what she decided now would follow her for the rest of her life.

She didn’t want to make that choice. She’d fucking mated Grant whether she’d intended to or not. She wasn’t sure where they were going from here, but she wasn’t ready to give up. Not quite yet. She…cared about him and dammit, she didn’t want him hurt by the Eturians. She knew he could take care of himself and her tribal sisters were fierce indeed, but they didn’t have the feelings for him that she had. She needed to be here to make sure he was safe.

Except, was she ready to give up the tribe? Disobeying the queen’s orders would be considered treason and she’d be outcast. Not just from the Blood Maidens, but from all tribes. She would be an Amazon without a home for the rest of her life, and if things didn’t work out with Grant—which she suspected they wouldn’t since he’d taken off—she wouldn’t have anyone.

Her eyes wandered from Saga to Rosetta. Her two best friends had stood by her side through everything, they were her true sisters. Leaving the tribe meant giving them up, giving up on everything they’d been through together. It also meant cutting ties with everyone she’d met through the Blood Maidens—Ruby and Lucian, Connor and Piper, Malachi and Lani, and all of their children. The family she’d discovered after years of roaming. She’d have to give them all up to stay with Grant…who might or might not care enough about her to be with her forever.

The silence in the room was deafening as she weighed her decisions. The tribe was everything to an Amazon. Mates joined the tribe, becoming part of the community. Grant would never leave his parents to join her. Even if she stayed with him, she wouldn’t be part of her tribe.

What to do?

It boiled down to one simple question: How strongly did she feel about Grant?

The answer was simple. She didn’t know.

Without a word to her friends, Izzy stood and walked to the room Grant had given her. She wanted to shower, but chances were she’d end up changing her mind if she saw the bathroom. They’d pleasured each other in there earlier in the day.

In the room, she pulled out her uniform, dressing in the leather pants and moccasins she’d made with her own hands. Then came the tunic. Normally they’d wear a leather halter, but in the freezing temperatures, she was able to wear the tunic she’d made when she first joined the Blood Maidens. She ran her fingers over the crest burnt into the right shoulder of the top.

A tree bent nearly backwards by an unseen wind, it was a reminder to Izzy that she’d withstood many harsh times in her life. The loss and death of her mother, the numerous tribes and friends she’d made and lost through her nomadic years. Everything she’d experienced, she’d survived.

She yanked the tunic over her head, pulling her hair out from the neckline and into a careless ponytail. She packed her duffle bag, forcing herself not to think about what she was doing. No, she wouldn’t think about Grant and what might have been. Her future was on the line. Without solid evidence that he was meant to be a part of it, she couldn’t risk permanently alienating her tribe.

Izzy shook her head. It was no use thinking about it. She’d made her decision and as hard as it would be, she’d live with it. Hells, she’d survived without anyone before, she’d survive again.

She swung the duffle over her shoulder and entered the living room. Saga and Rosetta stood together, their heads close as they spoke. Fallon leaned against the wall next to the front door. The three of them looked up as she walked out.

Yeah, she’d expected them to be surprised, but the utter shock on Fallon’s face, she could’ve done without. Giving a mental shrug, Izzy headed for the front door.

She stopped at the threshold, taking one last look at Grant’s home. Funny how comfortable she’d become here in such a short time. He’d given her a warm, comfortable place to stay that had somehow become like her own home, more so than her tent back in the Blood Maidens’ camp. She was sure the accommodations in the
Yukon
wouldn’t be half as nice.

Izzy straightened her shoulders.

“Take care of him, okay? ’Cause, you know, he’s a good guy.” She cleared her throat which had become strangely tight. “Watch out for his parents, too. Ormond might want to go after them to persuade Grant to do whatever it is he wants.”

“What should we tell him, Izzy?” Rosetta asked as Izzy stepped out onto the porch.

Early afternoon sunlight broke through the clouds, spilling over Grant’s land as though bathing it in blessings. Damn, she was going to miss this place! Her heart ached like a son of a bitch. She rubbed the spot absently.

What should they tell Grant?

“Tell him he can keep BOB.”

She shut the door behind her, leaning back against the wood for support. Was she really doing this? Leave Grant without telling him? She thought about her tribe. Yeah, she supposed she was. Well, wasn’t she wonderful. Mate the male and walk out on him. Yeah, he’d love that.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Izzy fumbled for her car keys as she stalked to her car. She had to get out of here. The
Yukon
was waiting for her. How…exciting.

Once the Tahoe was started and she had it in gear, she couldn’t help but look at Grant’s house again. Dammit. She felt as though she was leaving something really important behind and it wasn’t BOB. No, it was Grant. That damned irritating, arrogant, sweet bull had gotten under her skin. Like a tick.

Izzy spun out of the front yard, flinging snow and mud left and right. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She was doing the right thing. She knew she was. Grant was destined for some sweet, little cow-swan…whore who’d make his life nice and comfortable.

A tear spilled down her cheek.

Grant’s life was here in this boring, freezing cold country. He had roots here, he had family. He had a mother who would continue to smother him until he was so dependent on her, he couldn’t feed himself.

Another tear spilled.

No, she was doing the right thing. If he had decided to make a life with her, it still wouldn’t have worked. Grant was better off without someone like Izzy in his life. He had his company which required him to rub elbows with important people. He’d shared the big dreams he had for his security company with her, and after watching him for the past few days, she knew he deserved to see those dreams come true. She’d only get in his way by saying something inappropriate, or playing the wrong song at the wrong time.

Another tear spilled and Izzy took a deep, shuddering breath. Resolution powered through her. It was better for Grant. She might not be able to leave for herself, but for him, she could.

Her eyes dried up as she reached the end of Grant’s drive. It was fortunate, too, because that was the exact moment all four of her tires blew.

Izzy gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep the heavy SUV from flipping over. The backend fishtailed dangerously close to the steep ditch next to the highway, but she managed to keep the car on the road. Heart pounding a hundred miles a minute, she brought her vehicle to a controlled stop, gravel and snow crunching under her shredded tires.

What the hell had taken out all four tires at once?

Curious, she climbed out of the SUV and walked towards the end of Grant’s drive. The snow was slush from the vehicles coming and going, so it was difficult to see anything. Izzy crouched where she suspected her tires had blown, carefully brushing the snow from the ground, she discovered sharp spikes planted just beneath the surface. Huh. Who would do something like—

A soft rustling sound from the bushes next to the drive spun Izzy around, but she was too late. She caught a glimpse of a dreadfully familiar face a split second before sharp pain lanced across the back of her head.

Stars dotted her eyesight as she fell to the ground at the feet of the one male who wanted her dead and wouldn’t care how much it hurt to get her that way.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Grant fidgeted in the seat as Ricky drove them back to the ranch. He wanted to be with Isola right now, wanted to be sure she understood they were permanently bonded. His heart thundered with hope and anticipation. The ring had fallen out. That had to mean she cared for him, possibly even loved him.

“You need to drive faster.”

Ricky sighed deeply and nudged the car a little faster. “She isn’t going anywhere, cuz. Just relax, okay? You don’t want her to think she has you wrapped around her little finger or anything, do you?”

He shrugged. “I
am
wrapped around her little finger and I don’t care if she knows or not. She’s my mate.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

Now he was getting pissed. “She
is
my mate, dammit!”

“I didn’t—Hey! No horns in the car!”

Grant shook his head, surprised to realize his body had begun to shift into his half-man form at the slightest hint that someone would challenge his right to mate Isola. He had to concentrate on calming himself to reverse the shift. Yeah, horns in the car would be a bad idea.

“Got it together again?” Ricky asked in a voice laced with laughter.

“What did you mean?” Grant couldn’t help the low growl in his words. He didn’t like the thought that Ricky might not approve of his mating. He genuinely cared what his cousin thought about his mate.

“I meant you’re making a mistake in dealing with her. If she knows you have it this bad for her, you’ll be her bitch for eternity. Do you really want that?”

Ah, now he got it. Ricky, whose mother had wrestled the power away from his father in their relationship, lived in fear of being caught by a strong woman. Grant pondered that for a while. Isola had him good. He knew it, but he didn’t mind. She didn’t want to control him. Oh, she was bossy as all hell, but it was in a fun, adorable way, and he always ignored commands he didn’t want to hear.

“You’ll understand when you’re mated,” he finally told Ricky as the bear turned the car into Grant’s drive.