Immortal Blood (13 page)

Izzy rolled her eyes; she would have to deal with one of her more difficult clients right now.

“Sally, the theme is Halloween. It doesn’t need to be narrowed down any further.”

Izzy listened to the bar manager argue with her and suppressed a sigh. She knew the client was
always supposed to be right, but this was ridiculous.

“Sally, have you talked to Ben about this?”

Ben was the owner and, last she knew, they were on track to create a pretty fantastic Halloween event. She had all the props reserved; she and Ben had put together a simple menu for the night, with specialty drinks and food for the event.

Sally was irritated that Izzy even asked, her curt response that she was in charge of the event now,
putting Izzy in her so-called place.

“I can work up a few themes for you
… yes… okay, but we don’t have much time. I’ll work on it today, and get some ideas e-mailed out to you tomorrow. Then you’ll need to decide by the end of the week, and Ben will have to approve the changes.”

Izzy hung up and sighed. She rested her face in her palms, her elbow supporting her head on the
tabletop.

“Rough day?” a deep voice asked.

Izzy lifted her gaze, and lifted, and lifted, for it to finally settle on the face that belonged to the voice, where it remained. She stared, at a loss for words. The man standing in front of her was tall. Her head seemed to lift until it hit the back of her neck. He had to be around six-foot-seven, with the darkest shade of black hair she’d ever seen. His skin was tan, and his eyes were the most stunning shade of glacial blue. If not for the eyes, she would have said he looked Native American and goddamn if he wasn’t a stunning mix of all things masculine and gorgeous.

He smiled at her, a beautiful lift of the corners of his lips, with no
teeth, and the left side lifting just a fraction higher than the right. There was something telling in the smile.

“Shoot,” Izzy whispered.

The man’s jaw twitched as his muscled arms crossed over his chiseled, tightly t-shirt wrapped chest.

“Are you Cree? I’ve met the other brothers, so I’m guessing that makes you Cree, and if I remember
right, Bain warned me that you were omniscient.”

Cree’s smile widened as he extended his hand towards Izzy.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Izzy smiled and stood to take his hand
. “You too.”

She was embarrassed
. She wasn’t used to others just picking up on the things she was feeling, but she knew Lothar had picked up a few things she would have rather kept to herself. And now she had just sat slack jawed and ogled the only other Immortal who could read her.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted.

Cree laughed, letting out a deep rumble as he let go of her hand. “Don’t be, I do my best not to read too much when I met new people, but you project, Isabelle.”

“I project?” she questioned.

“Yes, you project what you’re thinking and feeling.”

She shook her head and smiled sheepishly at him. “Then I guess I really do need to be sorry.”

He waved a hand at her, dismissing her concerns. “No, I just thought I would warn you.”

She smiled. “So
, I’ll be more careful around you and Lothar.”

He just smiled and dipped his chin.

“I came in here for one, to introduce myself and two, to let you know that I sent Bain off on a job. He didn’t have time to come find you first so I told him I would let you know, but he should be back by dinner.”

“Oh, ok
ay, well thanks for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome
.”

Cree’s attention was cast down then to the
floor, where a happy Garcia purred and weaved through his legs.

“He is yours?” Cree asked as he picked Garcia up and scratched under the purring feline
’s jaw.

Izzy smiled
. “Yes, is it a problem for him to be loose in the castle?”

“Not at all
. Has Rowan seen him yet?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“She will fall in love when she does; she loves animals. Anyhow, I will let you get back to work.”

“Ok
ay, thanks… hey Cree, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.” He set Garcia down to focus on Izzy.

“How often does this kind of stuff happen?”

Cree raised a brow
. “You mean Fae attacks on humans?”

Izzy nodded
. Cree studied her for a moment. Fae business was just that… Fae business, but he trusted his judgment and he already trusted her.

“As far as Zander is concerned
, it happens every hundred years. As far as the rest of the Fae creatures… it just depends. Not all Fae need things from humans, but there are species out there that need humans to survive.”

“Like vampires?” she noted.

“Yes.” He nodded. “And succubi; they actually need human life forces to survive. Where others just enjoy causing chaos, there are some who feed off fear, and others who feed off joy. Some Fae are good, and some are just prone to be bad.”

Izzy nodded
. She got the impression there was more, but wasn’t going to push him to tell her. She was actually thinking he might know better than she did about what she could handle. There was, however, one more question she needed to ask.

“Do you think Rowan will be able to get Zander to return some of my luck?”

Cree smiled as he thought of Rowan’s ability to lead, and her passion to help those whenever possible. “If anyone can convince him, she is the one who can do it.”

Izzy smiled and nodded. She had gotten that impression.

Izzy spent the rest of that day trying to come up with a good theme that would satisfy Sally, until it was nearly time for dinner.

She left the library with Garcia hot on her heels; he was ready for his dinner too. She still hadn’t seen Bain and she had to be honest with herself, she was missing him and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to dinner without him. Still, she messed with her hair and put on some makeup. When she had returned to her room, there was another beautiful dress laid out for her. This one was a deep burgundy color; it had rhinestone-embellished straps with a very fitted bodice that ran to her hips before it draped at an angle to the floor.

Izzy slid on a pair of matching heels as a knock sounded at her door. Her brows lifted as she made her way to open
it; Bain didn’t usually knock.

Izzy opened the door to a crisply dressed Kale, who had a
troublemaker smile twisting his lips.

“I know
… not the Immortal you were hoping for, but Bain, Uriah, and Lothar aren’t back yet, so Rowan and Cree asked me to come escort you to dinner.”

Izzy smiled, he was right
… He was not the Immortal she was hoping to see, but he was a good substitute. She liked Kale. Izzy slid her arm through his and nodded as she shut the door.

“Kale
, you are a perfect escort,” Izzy told him as they walked towards the dining hall. “Thanks for not making me enter that room alone.”

Kale chuckled
. “I wouldn’t even do that to my worst enemy.”

Izzy gave him a
sidelong glance. “Really?”

“Yes, I know what it can feel like entering that room
. I don’t always get along with everyone. I get the stares from time to time, so I can only imagine how it feels to be a human among them.”

“You don’t get along with people?” Izzy really didn’t believe that
. She had liked Kale from the first time she met him.

He chuckled again. “Not always, I am apparently the troublemaker.” He winked as they neared the dining hall.

This time Izzy laughed. She had mentioned that to Bain, and he had corrected her by saying they were free spirited. “I was told you were a free spirit. So now you’re a free spirit with Patron as your sidekick.”

Kale dropped his chin in a short nod, a smile gracing his face.

It was a different dining hall this time—a much larger one with a much larger crowd. There were way too many people mingling in the beautiful marble room. Multiple crystal chandeliers suspended from the high ceilings bathed the room in a soft, yellow glow. Rectangle tables filled the room, adorned with crisp white tablecloths, floral arrangements with multiple fall-colored roses, and candles giving the room a romantic and soft feel.

Izzy’s instincts had her squeezing Kale’s arm. This was not a place she wanted to be
. The various sets of shrewd eyes following her made her feel exposed and uncomfortable.

“Are you trying to test my muscles
, Izzy, or are you nervous?” Kale grinned.

“Now is not the time to make fun of me
. Why are there so many people here this time?” she whispered.

“Because Rowan and Cree just returned
. Lady Esperanza made it a big deal.”

“I feel like everyone is staring at me
,” Izzy said, trying to keep a polite smile on her face.

“They are
,” he stated simply. “There are probably a few reasons. Part of it is because you’re walking in on the arm of a
free spirit
, the other part is that everyone has been hearing about the human among us. Plus, people are curious about the woman who caught and kept Bain’s eye. Finally, you look beautiful, and people are bound to stare.”

Izzy smiled up at him. He was sweet
, and he had made her feel better.

“Which part of that made you smile?” Kale asked.

“All of it,” she admitted.

“Ah, so you aren’t afraid of me escorting you?”

“Not hardly. I was always a bit of a free spirit myself. I never fit into the perfect Latino female role. I don’t usually care what others think. So, free spirit or not, I’m relieved to be on your arm.”

Kale smiled. “It’s like you trust me. I’m flattered.”

Izzy let out a soft laugh. “I do trust you. I trust most of the people I’ve met here.”

Kale narrowed his deep eyes on her. “Let me guess
, you’re on the fence about Lady Esperanza.”

Izzy didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to. Kale knew all too well how Lady Esperanza was.

Izzy was seated between Kale and Cree, a nice buffer from Lady Esperanza
, who sat to her left and across the table from Cree. By the end of dinner, Izzy’s eyes were nearly glued to the door, anxiously awaiting Bain’s arrival. Cree had said he should be back by dinner, but dinner had long passed and there was still no sign of him.

Izzy knew something was up when Cree took a call after dinner while everyone was mingling
, and soon came to get Rowan and Kale. They had a hushed conversation that ended with Kale and Cree heading out of the dining hall, both pulling out their cell phones again and placing hurried calls.

“Rowan?” Izzy moved over to the leader, who was anxiously watching the two men leave.

Rowan smiled, a forced calm in her features. “Yes, Izzy?”

“Where is Bain?” Izzy asked.

Rowan’s smile faltered slightly. “He’s on his way back.”

“Is he
all right?” Izzy asked, worry and panic rising in her. She had a feeling the answer wouldn’t be the one she wanted to hear.

“He’ll be fine; he was injured and is on his way to see Meriah.”

Izzy’s brows knitted together. “How bad is he?”

“He’ll be fine
.” Rowan motioned Darnell to them. “Darnell, please escort Izzy back to her room.”

“Of course
.” Darnell dipped his chin to Rowan and smiled wide at Izzy.

Izzy’s eyes darted between Rowan and the sweet older man.

“Rowan, wait—” Izzy began, but Rowan cut her off.

“Isabelle
, please, he will be fine. Someone will come to fill you in once we know more.”

Izzy wanted to argue, wanted to demand to see him, but in this
place, she had no right to. She had no standing with these people and truly, she had no idea where she stood with Bain. She forced a smile and followed Darnell back to her room.

Hours had passed by, leaving Izzy restless and anxious
. She felt almost sequestered in her room, not feeling the freedom she had felt prior to tonight.

Was Bain ok
?

All her thoughts swirled around that one very important piece of information. Rowan had said he
would
be fine, which implied he was not ok at the time. Izzy couldn’t stop her mind from drifting and creating horrible scenarios, ones where Bain was either severely injured, bleeding and in pain, unconscious, or worst, he hadn’t made it to Meriah after whatever mission Cree had sent him out on.

Izzy knew she was in trouble
. She shouldn’t be feeling this helpless and scared over a man she had met only a few days ago.

She scoffed. “Probably shouldn’t have done any of the other stuff with him either,” she said
, softly chiding herself.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a knock sounded on her door
. Izzy let out a deep breath before opening it.

Relief flooded her as she looked up into Bain’s bright
eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips. He was okay. Nothing was visibly wrong with him. The relief she felt at seeing him nearly made her cry; she had been out of her mind worried about him.

“Were you talking to yourself?” he asked.

“You stood me up for dinner,” Izzy responded, stepping to the side to let him in the room.

Bain shook his
head, declining the invitation into her room. Izzy lifted her brows at him in question.

“I need to go take a
shower, and I need to sleep.”

Izzy forced a smile. “I should have known something was up when you actually knocked on my door.”

“Yes, well, I stood you up for dinner—as you put it. I thought knocking was the right way to go.”

Izzy continued to smile at him
. It was a little more natural now, not quite as forced. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine
… better now,” he murmured as he stared down at her.

Izzy was well aware of where Bain’s eyes were drifting. The deep V-of her
nightshirt left little of her cleavage to the imagination.

“But you don’t want to come in?” she asked in a
low, sultry whisper.

“No
… but I think you should come with me,” Bain said.

Bain wrapped Izzy in his arms. He then tossed her over his shoulder
, smiling while she laughed and didn’t struggle as he carried her off to his room.

With little effort
, Bain tossed Izzy onto the soft, red velvet covers of his bed. Izzy struggled to prop herself up on her elbows, still laughing as Bain caged her with his arms. Her breath caught as he lowered his head for his lips to capture hers in a deeply possessive kiss. He reached to his bedside table, grabbed the remote for his flat screen, and handed it to her.

“You better be right here when I get back
,” he told her in deep voice.

He wanted to hold her after the night he’d had
. He wanted the warmth and softness that was Izzy.

Izzy nodded, smiling as she took the
remote, wiggled to the top of the bed, and moved under the covers.

Bain stripped his black clothing from his body, parts of his shirt sticking to his skin from the dried blood. That son of bitch Zander was using not only Izzy’s luck, but all the others, against him.

It had been a close call. He’d wanted to get Zander so badly that when Cree said they got news that Zander was back in the
Human World, he’d lost all sense of the training that came so naturally to him and jumped at the opportunity to kick his ass. He, Uriah, and Lothar had all nearly paid for it.

Had Kale and Cree not shown up and helped them get him back here and to Meriah
… well, this night would have turned out quite a bit differently.

Bain stepped into the
shower, allowing the heated water to rain down on him. He scrubbed at his heated skin as the crimson of his blood mixed with the water and swirled down the drain. Nearly twenty minutes later, when the water finally ran clear to the shower floor, Bain tuned the faucet off and stepped out to stand in front of the mirror.

He caught sight of the marred skin on his stomach. Meriah had healed him, but his skin was still angry from the wounds
. It would heal the rest of the way in a few hours. Until then, he would keep a shirt on to cover the reminder of the night’s events. It was why he hadn’t dragged Izzy into the shower with him. She didn’t need to see the remnants of the fight.

Bain
dragged his hands through his thick tresses, his form of brushing his hair. He sighed and stepped from the bathroom. A smile pulled his lips and created small dimples in his cheeks. Izzy was snuggled, sound asleep, in
his bed
.

Bain crawled in next to Izzy
, pulling her close to him and laying his head on the pillow next her. Bain burrowed his face into her hair and took a long breath, pulling her scent deep into his lungs. A smile spread over his face as he let the sleep he so desperately needed take hold of the night.