The Half-Breed Who Found His Other Half (10 page)

“I’ll go pack now, but we’ll see each other again before I leave,”

Isaac told him.

“Okay.” Chantay forced a smile. “Go on. Go with your brother.

I’ll be fine.”

For a few seconds, Chantay thought Isaac would actually change his mind. The half wolf hesitated, earnestly scanning Chantay’s face.

Chantay dared to hope that somehow, they’d figure out a way for Isaac to stay by his side and remain unharmed.

But that moment of vacillation passed, and Chantay felt Isaac’s resolve steel. The half wolf kissed Chantay’s temple and murmured,

“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t fail you. I promise.”

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As Isaac turned and left the room, the door closed behind him with frightening finality, and Chantay realized that, in his selfish need to keep Isaac with him, he might have pushed his mate into the very course of action he’d been trying to avoid. Even if he trusted Isaac and his abilities, Chantay’s automatic protectiveness had triggered a need to prove himself in the half wolf.

Chantay fell to his knees on the floor and curled into a small ball.

Oh, no
. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to Isaac.

No sooner had he thought that than the door burst open and Isaac stalked inside. “If it means so much to you, baby,” the half wolf said,

“I won’t go. I’m sure Brody is more than capable of handling this on his own.”

Chantay stared at his lover in shock, surprised that Isaac had sensed his distress. But then, he shouldn’t be, right? The mate bond allowed for Isaac to hear his thoughts and emotions, and it worked both ways. Wherever Isaac went, Chantay would have a way to know what was going on with his lover.

He eyed his mate, scrutinizing his heart and Isaac. Yes, it was important to him for Isaac to stay, but it was just as vital for Isaac to go. Isaac needed this. He needed to make his father and his siblings see that he could be one of them. It was a step toward the acceptance Isaac had sought all his life, and Chantay couldn’t in good conscience deny Isaac this chance.

Besides, what did he expect? He couldn’t keep Isaac tied to him forever. The man was half wolf, half ram, protective, and powerful no matter what anyone else said. He was destined to be a warrior, and Chantay needed to get used to the thought.

“I’m sorry, Isaac,” he said. “I’m being childish and unfair. You have to go. I understand that, and I am thankful for it. I trust you to bring Rhys back.”

Even as he said the words, a weight seemed to lift off his heart.

Yes, he had to believe in Isaac’s strength. They’d just found each other, and Isaac would never allow them to be parted.

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“That’s it, baby.” Isaac grinned at him. “I won’t ever allow anyone to tear us apart.”

As they hugged once again, Chantay sent a prayer to the Nameless One to protect Isaac in his impending journey and added one plea for himself. No matter what came next, he had a feeling he would need a lot of strength to surpass it.

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“Are you sure this is the place, Brody?” Isaac eyed the house in front of them, unable to contain his suspicion.

“Why?” Brody arched a brow. “Don’t you think it looks enough like a witch coven?”

On the contrary, Isaac thought it looked too much like a place where traditional witches were likely to hang out. The address they’d been given by their father, courtesy of information provided by Rhys Whitaker, was for a property in the middle of a forest in Oregon.

There were fences everywhere, as well as “private property” signs, but as far as Isaac could tell, very few guards.

A couple clustered around the main entrances to the property, but for a shifter, it wouldn’t be a problem to sneak inside.

“This has to be it,” one of the men with them said. “I can sense magical wards around it.”

The guy in question was an addition to their group, originating from the Whitaker family’s staff. If the incubus said there was magic present, it was probably true. Still, Isaac felt something was amiss. It was too quiet. It almost seemed like the forest was watching them, and the sensation caused a strange familiar itch to nudge at the back of his mind. He couldn’t quite remember when he’d experienced this same phenomenon, but it unsettled him greatly.

“It could be a trap,” he told his brother.

Brody seemed to muse on his words. “There is a chance of that, yes. But that’s why we have magic users with us.”

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Anson nodded. “There’s no helping it, Isaac. We have to go in there.”

Isaac realized the other werewolves were right, but he still didn’t feel very happy about it. “Let’s just be extra careful,” he told Brody.

“We don’t know what’s waiting for us in there.”

“We can do this, Isaac,” Liam encouraged him. “Don’t worry.”

The other wolves probably thought that Isaac was being jumpy and cowardly for no good reason, but to their credit, they didn’t rush forward recklessly. Instead, Brody took into account Isaac’s suggestion and ordered a careful approach.

Their group slowly made its way toward the fence, with the magic users in front of them mumbling incantations. According to the Sidhe and the incubi, warlock wards could be worked around by someone who knew what he was doing. Isaac appreciated their presence more than ever, but something told him that in spite of their intervention, the presence of this mission had been anticipated.

“Maybe you should come back,”
Chantay said in Isaac’s mind.
“I
don’t have a lot of contact with the witches, but that time in Paris,
when one of them participated in the attack on the Cunningham
home…It was bad.”

“I remember, baby, but we can’t leave. You know that. Rhys is
most likely in there. He risked his life to provide information for us,
and we don’t abandon our own.”

Isaac sensed his mate’s apprehension and pain. Chantay was torn between his concern for his brother and that for Isaac. Isaac would have preferred to spare his mate of this distress, but alas, he couldn’t be in two places at once, and he needed to do this.

Was he selfish to demand Chantay to cater to his insecurities? Did he really want to save Rhys at all, or was this all meant to prove something else, to soothe Isaac’s ego? Isaac didn’t know. The truth was that his wolf demanded for him to protect the person Chantay cared about. Not only that, but Isaac suspected that through this mission, he might found out what had hurt Chantay so badly. Only a
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magic user could have caused the half fae to nearly die because of a mere emotional scan, and Isaac intended to hunt that person down and preferably eviscerate him or her.

With that in mind, Isaac followed behind his companions as they jumped over the fence, using the abilities of the magical creatures in their party to cloak their approach from the wards. With each step he took, Isaac sensed the feeling of wrongness intensify. Sweat beaded his brow, but he kept quiet, knowing that, in spite of the risks, this mission was necessary.

Yes, it was likely that their enemies were waiting. Yes, it was possible that they would be attacked. But Isaac had promised Chantay to come back and bring Rhys with him, and not even a whole coven of witches could keep him from doing so.

Finding renewed resolve in his bond with Chantay, he shut down the part of him that screamed to get out of there and steeled himself for the ensuing battle. For no doubt, there would be a battle, and Isaac would win. There simply was no other way.

As they approached more and more, it seemed apparent that most of the guards had been set around the large house in a tight, organized circle. To a certain extent, the maneuver confused Isaac, until he realized that whoever owned this place had no intention of allowing them into the mansion, only to lure them onto their turf.

But Isaac wasn’t afraid. He shared a look with his brother and nodded. They needed to be ready, because as stealthy as their operation had been so far, the witches just might be one step ahead of them.

It was for that reason that Isaac wasn’t surprised when one of the incubi suddenly cursed and froze. A Sidhe soldier tried to reach for him, but halted in his tracks, as if unable to move. Isaac himself suddenly had trouble breathing, and when he tried to step forward, he found that he could not.

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So far, they’d been able to hide themselves in the trees around the house, but it seemed that this strategy didn’t help them much. Witches and warlocks appeared out of nowhere, surrounding them.

“Would you look at that?” a man asked. “We have ourselves a couple of new pets.”

“And you’re surprised at that.” A witch arched a dark brow at the first speaker. “You were clearly told this would happen.”

In that moment, a veil seemed to lift from Isaac’s eyes, and he realized where else he’d experienced the strange feeling. This dark power had indeed been the one present at the Cunningham manse when Chantay had collapsed. The person guilty for Chantay’s pain was here.

And then, the guards parted to reveal another approaching person.

As if summoned by Isaac’s anger, a small boy made his way toward them, a strikingly cold expression on his face.

“Isaac Wade, as I live and breathe,” he said, his voice sounding far too mature for his apparent age. “You’re late. I almost thought you’d disappoint me and not show up.”

Isaac bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from spouting an insult at the boy. It was not because of fear, but rather, because he had to force himself to remain calm. Every feeling of wrongness he’d experienced was centered around this child. Isaac didn’t know how it was possible, but it seemed that the boy was the guilty party behind the attack on Chantay.

Through their bond, Chantay reached out to him, his trepidation and terror clear
. “There was a boy with Elder Mercier’s group in
Paris. I went to see Rhys back then and spotted him just as he was
placing a spell on Rhys. I don’t know more about it other than the fact
that he’s dangerous.”

Isaac knew exactly what Chantay was talking about. Even if he hadn’t directly been involved in the decision-making process that followed after Elder Adele Mercier’s attempt to instigate a war between the species, he’d found out from his family that the
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Cunninghams had been forced to release the conspirators as a gesture of goodwill to prevent exactly what Adele had wanted. Both the Sidhe and the mer had responded positively to it and were now cementing an alliance with the shifters. The warlocks had not, and sadly, it seemed that, for once, the Cunninghams had made a grave error. The person they had released must be much more powerful and important than they’d originally thought.

As if irritated by Isaac’s silence, the child gestured for the guards.

“Take them inside and lock them in. Put the half-breed separately.”

Isaac had no clue why he was so special as to warrant extra attention, but he didn’t like it. Through their mind link, he sensed Chantay’s increasing agitation and did his best to send waves of calm to his mate.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m letting the others know of what happened,”
Chantay said.

“Chances are that they might already know from Carson or any other
mate of those present, but…Oh, Isaac, I don’t know what to do. How
can I help?”

“Just stick with me, Chantay. This guy won’t be able to be vigilant
forever. Whether he knows it or not, we can break this spell. Mate
bonds are more powerful than any magic.”

It was true. All the people who’d had mates had recovered from the mysterious child’s attack without needing the intervention of Winter Tomacelli’s healing power. But the boy was arrogant, and he might not know that. For the moment, Isaac kept calm and allowed the witches to lead him into the house without fighting, with the boy leading them toward an unknown destination.

“It seems your father did exactly as I wanted him to,” he suddenly said as they walked through the corridors. “You shifters are so predictable you don’t deserve to live.”

At that, Isaac couldn’t keep his temper. “My father would never willingly send us into your clutches.”

The boy stopped walking and turned toward Isaac and smirked.

“Are you serious? My clutches?” He barked out a laugh. “You’re
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hilarious. I might keep you as a pet just for that comment. But no, my dear Isaac, your father didn’t do that, or rather he didn’t think he did.

He just encouraged you to come so that he could arrange a separation between you and your supposed mate.”

When Isaac just gaped at him, the boy chuckled again. “Don’t look so shocked. You didn’t think he’d give up so easily, now did you? You know what they say. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and that’s exactly what Elder Wade is. A mutt who thinks too highly of himself.”

Isaac was disinclined to believe anything that came from the child’s mouth, but he had to say he actually believed this particular thing. His father might not have wanted them to be captured, but he might have planned to separate Isaac from Chantay by sending Isaac away.

“Be careful, baby,”
he sent to his mate.
“Stick close to King
Sterling and Winter. I don’t think they’d hurt you. Leave the mansion
as soon as possible.”

“That’s exactly what your father wants,”
Chantay replied stubbornly.
“And yes, I will leave, but only to come get you. I won’t
let you get hurt.”

“No, Chantay.”
Isaac might not fear for himself, but he definitely feared for his mate.
“Please, I need you to be safe. As long as I know
you’re out of harm’s way, I can keep a cool head to get out of here. I
promised, remember? I promised I’d come back.”