Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (35 page)

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“Maybe you should explain this to me again because none of it is making sense.” Isis shook her head. This had to be part of some weird dream.
La morte dolci
? Although it was clear something was wrong from looking at GianMarco, who now paced the floor in agitated motions, Isis couldn’t fully process what she’d been told.

He suddenly turned to her, his amber eyes glowing and his fangs bared. “I’ve already explained three times. He’s near and he will have you whether you want it to happen or not, but if you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest
—
”

“GianMarco!” Maggie stood up and walked over to her husband. “You’re frightening her. Let me try to explain, okay?”

“But Maggie…”

She cut him off by placing her lips over his. “Shh. I know it hurts, baby, and I promise you’ll have relief.” She kissed him again. “I promise.” Maggie turned to Isis with a reassuring smile, but it did nothing to ease her concerns.

Standing up, Isis placed her hands on her hips. “If the two of you are finished, might I remind you that no one is ‘having me’ without my say-so. Dante, GianMarco, or anyone. Do you understand?”

Maggie approached her, the smile still pasted on her face. “It’s okay, Isis. I was scared once
,
too. When GianMarco and I met, he was a terrible person to be around. I constantly wanted to strangle him.”

Isis backed away, suddenly uncomfortable at the other woman’s
proximity
. What the hell? It was bad enough her body
had reacted
to GianMarco, but she found it particularly disconcerting to be so aware of Maggie
,
as well. Her nipples had tightened to painful peaks
,
and all she could think about was getting rid of these two before she made a fool of herself. She crossed her arms over her chest to hide the evidence of her arousal.

Isis didn’t want to hear that Dante loved her or how he was suffering from some kind of sickness that drove him insane, all brought on because he’d denied what was in his heart. She most certainly didn’t want to feel this pull toward his family members. Shaking her head more vehemently this time, Isis took a step back. “I’m not interested in hearing this.”

Maggie moved closer until their bodies touched. “Of course
,
you do.” She reached out and pushed a lock of Isis’s hair from her face and placed her hand against her cheek. “There’s no use in denying what you feel. It’s only natural. Dante is your
bloodmate
and your body is crying out for his. The pull you feel with us is the connection we all share. Dante and GianMarco are very close, so it’s only natural you should want him when he’s in this state. And since GianMarco made me, there’s a pull between us as well.”

“No,” Isis whispered, even as her hands fell to her sides.

Maggie smiled, catching Isis’s face between her hands. She pressed her lips against the shifter’s in a gentle kiss before tracing Isis’s lips with her tongue. Isis didn’t want to respond, but under Maggie’s gentle touch she found herself trembling. Trying to maintain some sense of sanity, she pushed the other woman away. “No! This isn’t right. I want you two to leave.”

“We can’t do that. Don’t you understand? When Dante gets here
,
there will be no reasoning with him.” GianMarco practically growled the words.

Isis narrowed her eyes. “What the hell is this? Good cop, bad cop? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

The words were barely out of her mouth
,
when her door buckled under the pressure of something that had pounded against it. Unable to help herself, she let out a scream. Dante stood in her doorway, his eyes glowing and his face twisted in what she likened to rage and passion. He’d come for her just as they said he would.

Isis suddenly wished she’d listened to Maggie and GianMarco.

Chapter
Twenty
-Five

“I need you, Isis.” The deep, gravelly voice was a parody of his normal dulcet tone.

Isis froze.
He sounded almost as monstrous as Beatrice’s demon had
.
What was happening to him?
Despite how they’d parted
,
with one look at him
,
any ill will she’d felt toward him was gone. It was clear he had suffered just as much as she had
,
but his pain had manifested into something that had changed his entire physiology.

Maggie took her by the hand and led her down the hallway. “Which one is your bedroom?”

Isis
pointed to the second door on the right, still not fully grasping what
had happened.

“Come back here, now!” Dante yelled, taking a step forward, only to be blocked by his brother.

GianMarco shook his head. “No, Dante. Not this way.”

“Get the fuck out of my way, Marco. This is between me and Isis.”

The younger vampire placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder in what looked to be a reassuring gesture. “As it should be…later on, but
,
right now
,
you’re in no condition to be alone with her.”

Dante, however, would not be calmed down. He grabbed GianMarco by the arms and tossed him across the room.

“Come on.” Maggie pulled Isis into the bedroom and closed the door, as if that would help. If Dante really wanted to get to her, no door would hold him back.

“We h
ave to go out there and help your husband
! Did you see Dante? Something’s wrong with him!” Isis demanded.

“Yes. And
,
I have all the confidence in the world GianMarco will be able to handle Dante. He understands what’s going on.” A loud crash of breaking glass sounded from outside the bedroom door. Maggie didn’t so much as flinch.

“Are you nuts?” Isis attempted to shove Maggie away from the door so she could go out there and stop the commotion. But
,
the other woman remained immobile. “
How can you just stand there?
Dante is in some kind of crazed state.”

“
La morte dolci
,” Maggie stated too calmly for Isis’s taste.

“I don’t care what the fuck it’s called. I’m not going to stand here and let them tear each other apart on my behalf.”

“Do you love Dante?”

The question had come so far out of left field, Isis paused. “Huh?”

Maggie nodded patiently.
“Of course
,
you do. I’ve seen the way you look at him and I saw i
t on your face when he burst into the apartment
.” Another loud crash followed her statement, jolting Isis into motion. She grabbed Maggie and managed to pull her away from the door.

“If you go out there, you’ll only exacerbate the situation. Let the men handle it. GianMarco knows what he’s doing.” This time Maggie didn’t try to stop her.

Isis yanked the bedroom door open and raced to the living room to see Dante’s fingers wrapped around his brother’s throat so tightly, GianMarco’s eyes bulged.

She jumped on Dante’s back and was knocked back with a sharp elbow for her efforts. Hopping to her feet, she grabbed Dante’s arm, trying to get him off GianMarco. Again
,
he slapped her away, but this time with such force she sailed through the air and crashed into the wall.

Maggie was by her side in a flash, helping her to her feet. “Now
,
will you listen to me?”

“He’s going to kill him! Don’t you care about your mate?”

“Very much so, but I also have faith in his ability to handle this. Look.” She pointed in the brothers’ direction. GianMarco had twisted out of Dante’s grasp and had his brother pinned to the floor. This time when Maggie led Isis to the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Isis flopped on the bed, dumbfounded.

This had to be some kind of crazy nightmare and she sure as hell wished she’d wake up from it. “Okay, I’m ready to listen.” Isis flinched at the lou
d thud against her bedroom door. She forced herself not
to run back outside.

Maggie smiled, sitting down next to her. Their thighs touched and Isis’s knee-jerk reaction was to scoot away, but something within her compelled her to stay near this beautiful vampire fem
me
. She’d never been particularly attracted to women in a sexual way, but there was no denying how her body
had
suddenly respond
ed to Maggie Grimaldi’s
voluptuously full frame. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the soft-looking curls
framing her face and those lips. She couldn’t figure out what was happening to her.

Maggie placed her hand on Isis’s thigh. “It’s okay. This is new for me
,
as well.”

Isis narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “I thought you said you’d experienced this before.”

“What I said was the experience of
la morte dolci
wasn’t new to me because of GianMarco. I’ve never actually been with a woman
,
either. Does this bother you?”

Isis couldn’t answer, never having given it thought.

“Ever since GianMarco brought me over, I realize there are so many experiences mortals limit themselves to because they’re so afraid to let go and explore who they are. I haven’t
been a vampire long, and maybe
things are a little different for shifters, but our mates are determined by this”
—
she placed her hand over her heart
—
“not this.” She pointed to her head.

Isis nodded. “I understand.” She’d always known vampires were sensual creatures, taking their pleasures anywhere and however
,
they pleased. It explained Maggie’s attraction to her, at least partially. She moistened her suddenly dry lips. “You’ve explained this madness Dante is suffering through, but do you simply expect me to spread my legs for him and pretend all is forgiven?”

“Like I said, I know how you feel. I had a similar experience with GianMarco. Before we finally admitted our love for each other, he was such a pain in the ass. He was temperamental and difficult to be around. His partner at the detective agency
had even threatened
to
disembowel him
.
At the point, I just thought it was because his personality sucked. What I didn’t realize was that he was fighting his feelings for me because he’d already suffered the loss of his first mate and son. He didn’t want to be hurt again so did his best to scare me off. Basically
,
that strategy backfired on him. By denying his feelings for me
,
it drove him to madness.
La mo
r
te dolci
is a sickness a vampire suffers through when he’s denied or denies himself his heart’s desire.
That’s
exactly what Dante’s done to himself. He loves you, Isis,
but he’s been hurt
,
too, so please don’t turn him away
.”

Isis
sighed
. “I do love him. I don’t want to
after all the horrible things he said to me
, but I do. But that thing out there…it’s not Dante. He’s become some kind of monster. He shoved me away as if I was nothing to him.”

“It’s not you, it’s the sickness. When GianMarco had come to me, and I discovered he was a vampire, imagine what was running through
my
mind.
At least you’re already an immortal
and
have knowledge of others like you. I didn’t have that advantage. He attacked me and I fought him
and I was nearly strangled because of it.”

“By GianMarco?”

Maggie nodded.

Isis’s mouth fell open. “He could have killed you.”

“He
could
have, but he didn’t because Dante was there to help ease the way. He convinced me to help his brother out and give myself to him. You see, at the time
,
I wasn’t one hundred percent convinced of my feelings for GianMarco, so I was really conflicted. But you, on the other hand, know without a shadow of a doubt what you feel for Dante. You love him. Give him this one night and then from there the two of you can iron your problems out. GianMarco and I will stay throughout the night until we’re sure the darkness has left his mind, and then you two are on your own.”

“You should have seen him. He was so vicious to me the last time I faced him.”

“Isis, I don’t know you very well and hopefully
,
that will be remedied soon. But from what I’ve observed of you, you’re very brave, strong,
and
kind
.
I think
you’re perfect for Dante
. Don’t give up on him.”

Isis lowered her lashes. “I…I don’t know how to go about this.” Her hands trembled in her lap as she thought of what was expected of her. Dante’s hands all over her, his cock pulsing deep within her pussy was enough to send a fiery burst of desire to her core.

“Let me help you.” Maggie leaned over and kissed Isis on the neck. “Don’t be ashamed of the sensations you feel from my touch. They’re an extension of your desire for Dante,” she whispered, capturing Isis by the chin.

Isis felt as if she had fallen into some deep trance as she stared into Maggie’s dark brown eyes. When their lips met, she reveled at the softness of Maggie’s mouth against hers. The kiss was gentle, but insistent. And
,
she liked it. When Maggie pressed her tongue against the crease of her lips, Isis opened her mouth with a sigh, allowing the fem
me
entrance.

Maggie tasted of raw honey and spice, and Isis pushed her tongue forward to savor Maggie’s sweetness. The hands that had been resting on her lap slowly moved up and down her arms and finally cupped her breasts. Isis found herself pushing
into
that caress, enjoying the tender touch.

Isis gripped the sides of Maggie’s face, deepening the kiss. In the back of her mind
,
she couldn’t believe how turned on she was and how much her body responded to this fem
me
’s skillful touch.

It was Maggie who pulled back first, looking slightly winded, her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide. “Whoa. That was pretty intense.”

“I’ll say,” Isis said breathlessly, wanting to continue but not finding the words to admit it. The commotion outside had either died down or no longer registered because all Isis could hear was the pounding of blood in her ears. Her pussy
pulse
d
as her desire increased
. She squirmed on the bed.

“What now?” she asked.

Maggie held her shoulders as she guided Isis to lie
down
on her back and slowly pushed her T-shirt up, exposing her abdomen. The vampire placed light kisses on her bare stomach, sending trails of molten fire through Isis’s body.

“Mmm, you’re so sweet. It’s so different with a woman, isn’t it?”

Isis could only nod as Maggie pushed her shirt up and over her breasts before kissing the flesh overflowing her bra. “Lift you
r
arms,” Maggie commanded.

Without debate, she raised her arms as she was ordered, helping the fem
me
to remove her T-shirt. Maggie didn’t immediately remove Isis’s bra. Instead
,
she began to work on Isis’s jeans, in no particular hurry. The anticipation
made Isis shiver
. There was something titillating about the slow ease with which Maggie undressed her.

By the time she lay naked except for her underwear, Isis could barely keep still beneath that steady dark gaze. She reached out to pull Maggie to her but the vampire jerked back with a chuckle. “Easy, sweetie, there’s no rush.” She ran her hand down the center of Isis’s torso to rest on her stomach. “You’re very beautiful. It’s no wonder Dante is so taken with you.” She looped her finger beneath the waistband of Isis’s panties. “Shall I get rid of these?”

Isis caught her bottom lip between her teeth, not trusting herself to speak. Maggie eased her
panties
down Isis’s thighs and discarded them before letting her dark gaze roam her body.

The fem
me
dropped more kisses against Isis’s belly and thighs, moving her lips against her heated flesh. Her mouth touched Isis everywhere except the one place where Isis wanted it the most. Unable to help herself, she raised her hips, eager for more. Maggie raised her head with a knowing smile on her face.

Rubbing two fingers between Isis’s parted thighs, Maggie raised a brow. “Is this what you want?”

Isis nodded again, still unable to find her voice.

“Tell me.”

“I want you inside me.”