Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (6 page)

“Kaya,
my Queen, I am in need of a favor.” Dante knew Kaya was still getting used to
the whole “queen” business. The few times she had needed to step into the role,
she had done so spectacularly.

“Okay,
what do you need?”

“This
is of a personal nature. One I am truly embarrassed to bring to your attention,
but as a woman, you are the only one I can speak with. I took Isabelle out to
dinner last night. Let’s just say things were strained, and the night didn’t
end as either of us hoped it would. I want to ask her over to my place for
another date, to make up for last night. I need help in making it romantic.
Tessa’s out of the question, because her idea of romance is jumping off a
mountain without a parachute.” Dante stopped talking when he realized he was
rambling and Kaya was laughing.

“You
are not wrong there. I’ve never met anyone like Tessa. I would be glad to help.
How about lunch today at Anderson’s”

“That
is perfect. I really appreciate this.”

“No
problem. I will see you soon.”

Dante
disconnected and sat back in his chair. Now, as a courtesy, he needed to let
Rafael know he would be having lunch with Kaya. Before he met with his Queen,
he wanted to gauge Isabelle’s mood. He had a plan on how to do just that.

Still
frustrated from lack of contact with Dante the previous night, Isabelle was in
a fairly foul mood when she sat at her desk, attempting to look over files.
Thinking of her Gargoyle had Isabelle daydreaming about him. She wanted to
loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt. She wanted to know what he looked like
underneath his clothing. Did he have a six pack with a hot V that ran along his
hipbones? What about a happy trail of hair that started below his navel and
disappeared below his underwear? Was Dante a boxers or briefs kind of Gargoyle?
Did he even wear underwear? Was his chest smooth or was it hairy? Did he work
out with weights or was he a runner? Did he look as sexy in real life as she
imagined in her dream? Her thoughts were running amok with images of a naked
Dante calling her name.

“Isabelle,
is everything okay? You are flushed.” A very real Dante stood by her desk,
looking concerned.

“I’m
fine. What are you doing here?” Dammit, she hadn’t meant to sound so rude, but
his surprise appearance while she was thinking naughty thoughts was a little
embarrassing.

“I
brought you breakfast.” Dante was holding a bakery bag and a tray containing two
coffee cups. “I was hoping we could share some time together this morning.

“I
would like that, thank you.” Isabelle cleared off the corner of her desk,
making room for their food. “Please, put it down here.”

Dante
was dressed in his usual button up shirt and khakis. “Do you wear blue jeans?”
Probably a silly question, but she knew so little about the male who was
supposed to be her mate.

He
cocked an eyebrow and responded, “Of course. When I’m working, I wear khakis.
When I’m home, I prefer to wear sweatpants or shorts. Since it’s just me most
of the time, there’s no need not to be comfortable. But if I’m going out
somewhere casual, I put on jeans. Do
you
wear blue jeans?” Dante waited
for her answer while he arranged the food on her desk. First, he pulled a
couple of small paper plates from the white take-out bag. Next, he removed a
couple of bagels and cream cheese, placing one on each plate. Her coffee was
already fixed with cream, no sugar. She appreciated the fact Dante listened
when she talked and remembered the little things she said. Like how she fixed
her coffee. His own coffee would be black.

“I
do, actually. I might not be the biker chick Tessa is, but I love my jeans and
sweatshirts. What’s your favorite dessert?” As long as Dante was being forthcoming,
Isabelle was going to take advantage and learn little things about her
intended.

“Chocolate.
Anything chocolate. And yours?” Dante took a bite of his bagel, still giving
her his undivided attention as he chewed. They spent the next half hour asking
simple questions and answering honestly. When his time was up, Dante took
Isabelle’s hand in his and softy kissed her knuckles. “The morgue is calling. It’s
been a pleasure.”

Isabelle
was pleasantly surprised at his showing up unannounced. After he left, she was once
again daydreaming of her Gargoyle and wondering how long he was going to be a
gentleman. Tessa’s voice from somewhere down the hall had her closing her eyes.
She knew Tessa wanted to come help, but she really hadn’t expected to have to
deal with her this early in the morning. Tessa was a spitfire, wide open
throttle, twenty-four seven. The near fatal wreck that broke several bones and
put Tessa in a coma hadn’t slowed her down. If anything it made her more
appreciative of being alive, and now she was making up for lost time.

“Belle!
You’re looking like someone kicked your puppy this morning. What the hell?”
Tessa plopped down in the chair Dante had occupied only minutes before. The cane
was gone, and Tessa was looking as fit as she had before the wreck. “I just
passed Dante. Please don’t tell me you two are arguing already.”

Instead
of telling her cousin she was the reason for the mood, she could deflect the
conversation to Dante. Did she really want to get into this with Tessa? Would
her cousin take her seriously, or would she offer some smart-ass commentary? 
Sighing, she relented, “Dante and I had our first date.”

“And?”
Tessa sat up in her chair, expecting the juicy details, of which there were
none.

“And,
it was a disaster. I began the evening comparing him to Alexi. I confronted
Caroline and Jonas, letting them know they are dead to me. Dante dropped me off
and gave me a nice kiss before saying goodbye.”  There. Now she would see which
part Tessa picked up and ran with.

“The
only part I consider a disaster is I heard nothing about hot monkey sex.” Tessa
removed her leather jacket and settled in.

“There
was no sex, not that I truly expected it on the first date. But there were no
fireworks either. Don’t get me wrong, the mate bond was there, pulling at me.
If I’m not mistaken, Dante was feeling it as well, but either he was being a
gentleman, or he isn’t interested. He brought me breakfast this morning and we
talked, but still… nothing.”

“You
said there was a nice kiss. Did you grab his ears and pull him closer to you
and lick the seam of his lips? That nice kiss could have turned into a
nice
kiss that could have turned into wild monkey sex.” Tessa’s eyebrows were
raised. She was serious.

“No,
I didn’t grab his ears. I’m not comfortable being aggressive with someone so…”
Isabelle couldn’t finish her sentence. Dante was so what? Large? Intimidating?
Absolutely gorgeous?

Tessa
leaned to the side and placed her arm on Isabelle’s desk, finishing the thought
for her. “Someone so passive? Sometimes a man needs a little nudging, you know?
Just because he’s a badass Gargoyle doesn’t mean he’s the take charge type in
the bedroom. If you want it, go for it. I guarantee the mate bond will kick in
if you take the Gargoyle by the wings, so to speak. Now, hand me one of those
folders.”

Isabelle
handed the next file in the stack to her cousin. Could it be that simple? What
if Dante was submissive? That would put a whole new spin on their relationship,
if they ever got to the relationship level. She would definitely test Tessa’s
theory next time they were alone together. For now, she had an antidote to
formulate. For the next few hours, the two women worked side by side, comparing
notes on the folders they studied. When they finally came up for a break,
Isabelle asked about Sophia. Tessa hadn’t heard from the girl, and she was
getting really worried. Tessa was planning a trip to go search for her.

“How
does Gregor feel about you heading off to Egypt?” Isabelle thought about Tessa
traveling all over the world, watching over the half-bloods who had yet to
transition. When she thought of her own adventure in Greece, she cringed. Connor
was the only good that came from visiting a foreign country.

“He’s
ready to go with me. He says Deacon’s got the Pen under control. Besides, he
wants to help Nikolas search for Sophia just as much as he wants to watch my
back. From what he’s learned, Nikolas is ready to tear the sands apart. It’s
been weeks now with no sign of his woman, and he’s freaking out. I have to
admit, I’m sort of freaking out too. Not only did her parents disappear, now
Sophia has as well. As a matter of fact, we’re leaving Sunday.”

Isabelle
could understand how Sophia felt. If something were to happen to Connor, she
would not stop until she found him, no matter how far she had to travel.

“I
know you’ll be glad to get out and do something… adventurous. I hope you find
her and her parents. When you get back, I want to meet them. I want to know
about all my siblings, and I want to meet those who have already transitioned
and know about the family.”

“We
can do that,” Tessa said, smiling softly. Tessa had apologized more than once
for keeping her family a secret from her.

“I’m
going to head over to my clinic. Do you need anything before I go?” Isabelle
stood, stretching her back. Her stomach growled, and she realized how much time
had passed.

“No,
Gregor is taking me to lunch, but thanks,” Tessa told her as she stood and
stretched as well.

“I
probably won’t see you before you leave, so have a good trip.” Isabelle didn’t
bother telling her cousin she had her own trip to take. Hers wasn’t out of the
country, but it was important. She needed to see her son.

Tessa
looked at her questioningly, but didn’t ask whatever was on her mind.

Isabelle
grabbed her purse and headed to the Pen’s clinic. She finally had a good idea
of what would be needed to create an antidote. Luckily, Henshaw had not used
all the Unholy blood on the inmates. She was going to need some to create the serum.
She removed the vials of blood she had found hidden in the back of the refrigerator
and placed them in a small cooler. On her way out, Isabelle stopped in Gregor’s
office. Before Tessa’s wreck, Isabelle had been intimidated by her boss. Now
that he was practically family, she was much more comfortable around him. She
knocked on his door before entering.

“Good
afternoon, Isabelle. How’s my mate faring? Is she driving you crazy yet?”
Gregor was grinning, knowing just how high strung Tessa could be.

“No,
actually she’s been pretty subdued today. We have a good grasp on the inmates who
need an antidote. I’m going to my clinic now to work on it. The reason I
stopped by is to let you know I’ll be out of town this weekend. Will that be a
problem?”

“Not
that I can see. If anything arises we can call in Dante, or worst case
scenario, Joseph.”

Isabelle
flinched at the mention of her father. “Excellent. Thank you, Gregor. I’ll see
you later.”

Gregor
clasped his hands together over his flat stomach. “Take care of yourself. Oh,
and Isabelle? Be patient with Dante.”

She
gave Gregor a faint smile and turned to leave. She knew he and Dante were
close, and with his comment, she wondered if Dante had shared the events of their
date with his brother. She also wondered if her father had helped out at the
Pen before now. How often had he been mixed up in their lives with no one
realizing who he was?

As
she drove across town, her thoughts turned to Sophia. Technically, the younger
woman was Isabelle’s niece. Sophia’s father, Sam, was one of Isabelle’s
siblings. One of many she had yet to meet. Having no prior knowledge of her
brothers and sisters, Isabelle didn’t worry about them as she would someone she
was close to, like Maria and Rico. Even though Maria’s last text had been to
assure Isabelle they were okay, she was still a little worried.

Two
people in the world besides Isabelle knew who Connor really was. Even though he
had started school, he was too young to discuss his personal life with any of
the other kids. Isabelle had explained the importance of keeping her identity a
secret. She often wondered if it was too much responsibility for one so young.
Was that how Tessa and Tamian had been raised? Sure, they had been older, but
they were trusted with the knowledge that not only Jonas was alive, but both
their mother and Caroline were never going to age. Did Jonas not have enough
faith in Isabelle to keep the family secrets?

The
ache in her heart was still present when she thought of her parents. At least
she visited Connor as often as possible, ensuring he knew she loved him and
wanted to be part of his life. She trusted him to keep her secret. If he
slipped, she would deal with the fallout when and if it happened. She would
never abandon her son completely, no matter what.

Rico
had texted last night as per their agreement. Anything out of the ordinary was
to be communicated immediately, no matter how small or insignificant. She might
be considered paranoid, but she knew in her heart if Stavros ever found out
Alexi had an heir, one of two things would happen. Either he would make sure no
child of hers lived to see his father’s inheritance, or the man would do his
damndest to take Connor away from her. Either way she would lose her son. She
couldn’t let that happen.

Before
she transitioned, Isabelle felt truly alone, as though she had no family other
than the three people in Tennessee. Now, she had Tessa back in her life, and by
proxy, Gregor. She had Dane, sort of. She needed to reach out to her brother. If
she were to agree to the mate bond, she would have Dante. If she had Dante, she
would have the entire Clan at her back. Was her being scared of losing her son
reason enough to mate with the Gargoyle? No, it wasn’t. She had to wonder,
though, what would it feel like to have a huge family? One who immediately
accepted you, loved you.

Arriving
at the clinic, Isabelle parked in her reserved spot and turned off the motor. Walking
to the door, a chill ran over her spine. Hurriedly, she grabbed the mail out of
the box before letting herself into the building and locking the door behind
her. Only then did she look around the area. “Geez, paranoid much?” Isabelle
chastised herself. She needed to put the bad thoughts out of her head and focus
on the task at hand.

Isabelle
placed the Unholy blood in her refrigerator for safe keeping. Before she
started working, she made herself a sandwich so she would be able to focus
better. As she sat at her desk eating, she unlocked the bottom left drawer,
pressed her index finger to the hidden lock, and unlatched a secret
compartment. She pulled out a stack of her father’s journals. A picture of her
and Connor from the last time she had visited him was nestled between the pages
of the first book. Her heart skipped a beat thinking of how much she loved her
little boy. If she mated with Dante, would he accept another man’s child? Love
him as his own? Or would he turn his back on them both?