Immortal Blood (7 page)

“Son of a bitch
,” Izzy cursed from the back porch.

“What happened now?” Bain asked as he came in from the living room
. He’d been healing and thwarting accidents left and right for Izzy today. He was surprised the house was still standing around them at this point. And he had thought things couldn’t get worse than last night.

“Nothing
… It’s fine,” she called out.

“Either nothing happened or something happened, but
it’s fine. So what happened?”

Izzy sighed
. She couldn’t even clip a few flowers to brighten up her house. This time it was a stupid bee, earlier it had been cuts, a burn from lunch, walking into things, and the challenge of her stairs, not to mention just the flat-out irritating things—a dropped glass, pitcher of water, a backed-up sink, a burned belt on her vacuum, and a broken sliding glass door.

She had to give Bain some major points; he was so very unexpected
. He was quite handy and, even more than that, he was helpful. He’d healed her a couple times today, each time sending shivers dancing down her spine, a reaction that had intensified since their time on Club Zion’s dance floor. Part of her knew it wasn’t good, but she couldn’t wait to feel those shivers again. Still, she did her best to shake off the lust his cool breath caused in her.

All the healing and the need for his help around her house had the independen
t, successful woman in her hating that she needed the help at all. She was being forced to admit there was something to this whole luck thing.

“Izzy
, are you okay?” Bain asked, stepping out on to the porch.

Izzy pulled the stinger from her finger and handed the
fresh-cut yellow and orange lilies to Bain.

“I’m fine
. Just a little bee stin—” Izzy cleared her throat, and tried again, “Stin…” Izzy coughed and hurried to the sink, where she filled a glass with water and tried to swallow some of the liquid.

“What’s the matter with
you?” Bain asked, following her inside and laying the flowers on the counter next to the sink.

Izzy turned to Bain as she struggled to swallow some air into her burning lungs
. Her eyes went wide as she couldn’t get the air past her esophagus. She tapped at her throat frantically.

“Are you allergic to bees?” Bain asked
, trying to keep his cool, but feeling a small amount of panic.

He grabbed her hand and viewed the swollen prick on her finger; Izzy shook her head as she began to feel lightheaded. She’d never been allergic before. Hives began to pop up around the sting on her hand and up her arm. Bain blew a strong, steady breath over her finger and hand, the swelling receded and the hives disappeared from her soft, smooth skin.

The healing in her hand and arm was quick, but Izzy felt her panic rise as the swelling in her throat remained. She was still able to pull in small, short bursts of air, but not nearly enough. She stared at Bain, her eyes wide and shining with near tears, silently begging him to help her.

“You’re going to have to trust
me, sweetheart,” Bain said as he pushed Izzy head back and exposed her neck.

Bain
’s lips settled softly on her neck and blew lightly against her sensitive skin. He then moved his mouth to her slightly parted lips. Izzy jerked from the shock of his satin lips against hers. Part of her wanted to sink into him, while the other part of her knew this was not a sexual move; he was trying to help her breathe.

“Stop fighting me
,” Bain whispered against her lips, “and open your mouth.”

Izzy let her lips fall open and closed her eyes
. Bain’s breath was cool and sweet as it flowed through her mouth. She could feel her tongue tingle at the contact with Bain’s healing breath. It flowed over her tongue and against the back of her throat, finally making it down her throat and into her lungs.

She could breathe again, but Bain made no move to pull back
, and she made no attempt to force him back. Izzy fought to keep from slipping her tongue into his mouth and exploring every inch of what lay behind that wickedly sinful smile.

Bain left his lips unmoving against Izzy’s
. This was insane on more than one level. Things were getting worse, and now he knew Zander was lurking somewhere too close for his comfort. Not to mention he was having trouble fighting this need he was feeling for her. He wanted to run his lips over every inch of her body, to know her intimately, and after feeling her soft body rub against him last night, he was losing the fight to act professional. He wanted her, like he had never wanted anything else before in his long existence.

“
Bain
?” Izzy whispered his name against his lips, sending a shiver of need through him.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he pulled his lips from hers, the loss of her softness against him registering instantly. Bain laid his forehead against hers and simply breathed her in.

“Maybe we should go see Rowan now,” she said softly.

Bain nodded
. “Yeah, we probably should. Do you want to go see your family tomorrow night first or leave now?”

“Now, I think now is good
.” She smiled, but there was a shakiness to her voice.

*****

A smooth chuckle greeted Bain’s ears as Uriah picked up his cell.

“Hello
, Bain.”

“Hello
, Uriah.”

“What’s going
on, brother? Thought you said you’d be back with one Isabelle Moreno in hand over a week ago.”

Bain
grunted. “Shut up… Did you know how stubborn she was when you left me here?” he asked in a deadpan voice.

It had been over a week since Uriah had left him
there.

Uriah laughed
. “That I did, and it’s what I like about her.”

“Yeah
, same here. Where’s Ro? I can’t get a hold of her or Cree.”

“They left the compound early this morning
, headed out to check on one of the villages on the border.”

“Is everything
all right?”

“I think so, just some
small-time minions causing some disturbances, nothing all that threatening.”

“
All right. Izzy had a close call this afternoon. We’re going to head to the compound now.”

“Is she
all right?”

Bain grunted, but it sounded more like a growl
. “She is now, but she got a good scare. Plus, we ran into Zander last night.”

“What happened with Zander last night?”
Worry was written all over Uriah’s tone.

“Same shit as always
. He tried to knock me off my game, hoping I would let my guard down and he could get back to Izzy. From what he told me last night, he wasn’t quite finished with her.”

Uriah mulled that over
. It wasn’t encouraging information. “That doesn’t sound good. Is he actively trying to kill his marks now?”

“No, I think he had other intentions with Izzy.”

“Oh I see,” Uriah said steely.

“Yeah
, so we’re heading out in a few. We should be there in a couple hours.”

“Sounds good, I’ll let the others know.
” Uriah’s voice took on a snarky tone. “Should I have Darnell set up one of the guest rooms, or will she be staying with you?”

Bain did growl this
time. “I’m not in the mood, Uriah, and you shouldn’t give me any ideas. Have Darnell set up the room next to my own.”

Uriah laughed and smiled to himself.
“You got it, brother. I look forward to having you home.”

Bain slid his phone back in his pocket and headed up the stairs to help Izzy. She was on the phone so Bain scooped up Garcia and put him in the carrying case that sat on a mahogany chest at the foot of her bed.

“Marie, stop it
… well yes… oh my god no… no… Marie, I can’t make it tomorrow because I need to head out of town… yes… Please stop. I’ll be fine… Marie! I love you, but I gotta go. If I have service, I’ll call you. Okay… I promise. Goodbye.”

“Little sister worried about
you?” Bain asked.

Izzy sighed
. “Yes, but she’s more worried about me leaving with
you
.”

“Ah, and here I thought she liked me
. I guess I didn’t make as good of an impression last weekend as I had thought.”

“It’s not that
; she does like you.”

Bain smiled
. “She doesn’t really know me all that well; I can’t blame her for worrying. Can you?”

“No
, not really and I feel bad. I can’t make her feel better about the situation, and I certainly can’t explain all of this to her.”

“Nope,” Bain agreed, “but you’ll be able to call her.”

“AT&T has towers in the Middle World?” she asked sarcastically.

The corner of Bain’s mouth twitched. “No, but we
’re not going to the Middle World exactly.”

“What do you mean?” Izzy’s eyes narrowed.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Izzy
sighed. She’d never been good with surprises.

Bain watched Izzy. She’d fallen asleep nearly an hour ago. She tried to stay awake, her lids falling slowly over her pretty blue eyes. She had blinked back the sleep a few times, but had finally given into it. He didn’t want to wake her, but they had finally arrived. She was going to need to see this to understand it.

“Izzy
.” Bain said her name and gently nudged her shoulder. “Time to wake up, sweetheart.”

“I wasn’t sleeping
, just resting my eyes,” she mumbled softly.

Bain let out a bark of laughter
. “You sound like my grandmother.”

Izzy’s eyes flew open then
. “Your grandmother? She’s still alive?”

“Indeed she is. I’ll take you to meet her.”

“Really?” That would be kind of amazing. Izzy wanted to ask how old she was, but wasn’t sure if that would be rude.

Izzy blinked the sleep from her eyes as they got out of the car. “Where are
we, Bain?”

There was a slight nervousness in her voice; they were literally in a large field surrounded by trees. She could barely make out the road that had led them here.

“Do you know what tree that is?” Bain pointed out a small tree being dwarfed by the taller ponderosa pines; it was thick with yellow leaves and full of bright red clusters of berries.

“Uh, no
, can’t say that I do. I’m not a botanist.”

“No, but you are a smart ass
,” Bain muttered.

Izzy raised a brow at him
. “Okay, I deserved that. What kind of tree is it?”

“It’s a Rowan
.” Bain stood behind Izzy and turned her in a full circle. The perfectly rounded meadow’s circumference was lined with the bright trees.

“Ok
ay, that’s actually really cool, and they’re very pretty, but why did we stop here? Is this how we get to Rowan’s compound?”

“This
is
her compound.” Bain smiled as Izzy’s brows knitted together. “Trust me and don’t hold your breath.”

Bain pulled her against his chest and wrapped her in his wings as
he spun them in a full circle. Izzy watched the ring of Rowans pass by. She felt a shift in the air. It warmed and, as Bain stopped them, she was greeted by a wide bridge that led over a small brook, and into a large, stone-built castle. The color was fascinating, in a soft terracotta with towers and turrets. There was a large, ornate shield over the tall, wooden doors, featuring an eagle perched on a man’s arm and a snake wrapped around the other.

“Welcome to
the Middle World and Rowan’s compound,” Bain said as he let Izzy go and stood tall and proud next to her.

“What was that? How’d you do that?”

Bain smiled as he lightly took her elbow in one hand and grabbed her bag and a hissing, yowling Garcia with the other. She hadn’t even seen him pull her poor cat or her bag from the car. The thought had her turning to see if the car was still there. It wasn’t.

“Rowan
’s compound sits between our two worlds. That’s why we have cell service here. We won this land many, many years ago, when Rowan took her role as leader to the Light Fae. She had her compound built on this spot. This is the strongest passage between our worlds. As it is our goal and responsibility to protect humans from the Fae, Rowan cut off one of the main hubs by building her fortress upon it.”

Izzy walked with
him, shaking her head. It was unreal and fantastic at the same time. Two men stood guard at the large, ornate wooden doors, both nodding as she and Bain approached. Bain nodded back as they opened the doors.

“What were they?” Izzy asked
, looking over her shoulder to get one more peek at the two men who stood in full armor at the entrance to this medieval fortress.

It wasn’t at all what she expected the doors opened to a
large, open courtyard with stables, a large, open gorge tower, and a conical spine to her left. Izzy smiled cautiously at the few people milling around. She noticed a chapel in the distance as Bain steered her through a stone wall with a large, open archway to her right. This area opened into a spectacular garden area with a mosaic pathway to the castle’s main keep. The building was square and simple in its design, but rose high above the castle’s curtain walls. It had a long wing of what Izzy guessed was the main living area jutting off to the right, at half the height of the keep’s walls. It was hard for Izzy to wrap her head around the pure size of this fortress, or compound as Bain had called it.

It was massive and beautiful
, especially the gardens. They were filled with fall colors, a large Rowan tree sat center stage of the shrub, and a flower-filled garden. Vines grew on both sides of the main door to the castle’s keep. Bright red roses adorned the deep green vines. It was magical.

Ah
… the events she could hold here.

“Rowan
’s guards.” Bain’s voice pulled her back to him and away from her work-related musings.

“What?”

“You asked what they were… They’re Rowan’s guards.”

“Well yeah
, I gathered that, but
what
are they?”

“Ah
, you mean what kind of Fae are they?”

“Yeah
… is that inappropriate to ask?”

Bain chuckled
. “Not really, they’re sirens.”

“Like the beautiful sea creatures
that send sailors to their deaths?”

Bain
sighed. “You carry some major stereotypes, sweetheart. They are obviously male and I guess maybe they’d be considered beautiful, but they aren’t sea creatures. They live on land and breathe air, and they are an excellent warning systems, as well as fighters, both using their ability to burst eardrums and hand to hand.”

Izzy smiled sheepishly at him
. “Sorry, I can’t help but try to understand all of this by equating it to what I’ve learned about mythology and stories I’ve heard.”

“I know
, and I understand. Now come on, I’ll introduce you to my brothers.”

Izzy nodded and followed Bain i
nto the open foyer of the main keep. She watched as people bustled by, most stopping to greet Bain briefly, and then moving on.

“It’s about time you got back
. I’ve been stuck handling Cree on my own. He’s not happy, brother, not at all,” a relieved voice boomed from above them.

Izzy
’s eyes shot up where a tall man stepped from a balcony a good forty feet above them. Izzy gasped and stifled a scream as the black-haired man came free falling down. Halfway to the ground, a pair of onyx wings sprouted from his back and glided him down the rest of the way safely.

Bain shot Izzy a quick
, sideways glance before approaching the man. Izzy’s heart calmed, giving her the opportunity to look at the guy. He was a few inches shorter then Bain was and sported a goatee. It did very little to hide the baby face that sat behind the scribble of facial hair. He looked young, maybe twenty-five, but Izzy knew better. She tried to remember what Bain had told her about his brother. She thought he had said the youngest name was Kale.

Bain pulled his brother into a half hug
. “What’s wrong with Cree?” he asked.

“He’s a pain in the ass
,” the brown-eyed Immortal teased. “Nah, I just miss having my partner in crime around.”

Bain nudged the man with a hard fist
. Izzy grimaced, it looked like it would hurt, but he didn’t even seem to notice.

“
All right, Kale. This is Isabelle.” Bain introduced his brother. She was proud she had the name right.

She stuck her hand out
. “Izzy, you can call me
Izzy
.”

“Hey! I thought only your friends were allowed to call you Izzy?”
Bain said with mock outrage.

Izzy shrugged
. “No, in fact, everyone calls me Izzy. I just wasn’t sure I wanted you to.”

“Why not?” Bain feigned hurt.

“Because you were an arrogant, bossy, smug intruder in my home.”

Kale let out a soft chuckle
. “I like her already. It’s nice to meet you, Izzy.”

“You too
.” She grinned.

“I’ll walk with you guys to your room
. As soon as we get you settled, Bain and I have to meet with Lothar and Uriah. Darnell will be by shortly to see if you need anything. But we shouldn’t be long. Then someone can show you around.”

Bain narrowed his eyes at Kale, but didn’t say anything.

Izzy smiled as she, Bain, and Kale made their way up the wide staircase, to the right and into the building off the main keep. She didn’t hear much of Bain and Kale’s conversation; she was busy taking in the sights. The walls were covered in tapestries and paintings, some depicting people or Fae as it were, others showing battles and some of landscapes that looked too perfect to be anything you would see in the Human World.

“Here ya go, I’ll leave you two to it and I’ll see
you in Cree’s chambers in a few. Again, it was nice to meet you, Izzy.”

“You too. Thanks Kale.”

“I won’t be gone long. When I get done, I’ll show you around and introduce you to my other brothers.”

“Ok
ay, sounds good.”

“
All right.” Bain turned and headed out the door.

“Hey
, Bain?”

“Yep.”

“Thanks for… everything.”

He winked at
her. “My pleasure. Now hang out till I get back. Don’t stray too far; it’s easy to get lost in here.”

“I think I’ll wait right here till you get done.”

Bain nodded and closed Izzy’s door behind him. Now he needed to find out where Ro and Cree were, and why Lothar was calling a meeting.