Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (22 page)

“Is everythin
g all right out here?” Marco’s
gaze swept over Dante’s face and then shifted to Giovanni’s.

No!
Dante wanted to yell.
Everything was fucked!
The children were
still in the clutches of some evil psychopath. T
hey were possibly facing a force none of them was prepared for,
but despite all this
he couldn’t stop thinking about Isis and how
she’d made him feel when he believed she was genuine
.
He had been so close to admitting to her the depths of his feelings that he’d
begun
to imagine a future with her.
Cloaking his thoughts, he managed not to let the words slip out of his mouth. He took steady, deep breaths to get the erratic beating of his heart under control.

Giovanni finally answered for the both of them. “Yes. Dante and I were getting some air. It seems he’s as anxious as I am to find the other children. How is Jagger, by the way?”

Marco frown
ed
not see
m
ing to believe the explanation he’d been given. He
gave Dante
and then Giovanni
another once-over before answering. “A little worse for wear, but his mother and uncles are healing him so he’ll be as good as new very shortly. We’ll need him to lead us to our destination, but, of course, Nico and Sasha are reluctant to put him in the line of danger once again. Plus, Nico and Sasha are arguing about the role she’ll play in taking down the demon, if, in fact, one has attached itself to
Beatrice
.”

Giovanni’s lips tilted in a humorless half smile. “There’s no doubt in my mind one has. Having Sasha’s powers at our disposal is an asset we can’t afford to squander. I’m sure once Nico understands the magnitude of what we’re up against, he’ll relent.”

Marco laughed without humor
. “You obviously don’t realize how stubborn Nico
can be, but I see your point. I see his as well because if Maggie had to be the catalyst in order to defeat Beatrice, I too would hesitate. It’s been hard enough to not go insane with worry about Gianna.”

Dante cursed under his breath, realizing yet again he’d been so wrapped up in his own selfish issues he had failed to offer the comfort he knew his brothers needed. Walking over to Marco, he wrapped his arm around the younger vampire and placed his head against his. “I promise you on my life, we’ll get the children back alive.”

Giovanni moved to Marco’s other side. “And
,
I second that promise.”

“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” Romeo asked, stepping onto the terrace. His usual devil-may-care expression had been replaced with one fraught with tension and sadness.

Dante reached out and took Romeo’s hand in his and pulled him close. “How are you holding up, Ro
meo
?”

Romeo’s lips twisted briefly in a cross between a grimace and a smile. “How am I supposed to feel? I’m torn between happiness, guilt, and helplessness. I’m happy Nico has been reunited with his son and Jagger is back with us and in one piece. But then
,
there’s this guilt that’s eating me up inside at the jealousy I feel. It hurts that I envy my brother having his son back to the point where I can’t stay in the room with them for more than a few minutes because I
want my children back
. And
,
I feel helpless not knowing the well-being of Jaxson and Adrienne, wondering if they’re hurt or scared about what’s being done to them. And
,
that I’m not there to protect them.” He squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head.

If Dante wasn’t mistaken, he’d seen
tears
glistening in Romeo’s cobalt gaze. It was the closest he’d ever seen Romeo come to crying, and it tore at Dante’s soul. It wounded him to see his brother like this, especially when he didn’t know what words to offer to make it better.

“If it makes you feel any better, Ro
meo
,” Marco began. “I felt the same way. Gia is so small and unable to defend herself. She needs us to survive. I made a vow to my wife that no harm would ever come to her and our family, but look at what has happened. I’ve let her down.”

Dante felt every bit of
the
ache radiating from his brothers tenfold. He happened to glance up to see a pained expression cross Giovanni’s face as well.
He felt it
,
too.
Before he could
offer words
of
comfort
, Nico joined them.

“I was beginning to wonder where you’d all disappeared to.”

Dante pasted a smile to his face, not wanting Nico to see his anguish. It wasn’t his fault Jagger had made it back and the others hadn’t. “Here
,
we are. I thought you, Sasha, and Jagger might prefer a little privacy.”

Nico inclined his head. “I appreciate it. They’re healing him now. His body was mending on its own, but it
w
ould
have taken a while to get h
im back to normal because he’s
so young.
They’re also purging him of all the dark magic surrounding him.
I’m thankful to have him back alive.
I thought I’d go insane with worry. I’m sorry about…”

Marco patted Nico on the
shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re happy for you and I know you care and
we
appreciate it.”

“We’ll get your children back. They may not be my children, but they are yours and because they are a part of you, I love them too.”

This time a genuine smile curved Romeo’s lips. “Thank you, Nico. That means a lot, and I hope you don’t think Marco and I begrudge you your happiness in the reunion.”

“I know you don’t.” Nico sighed. “So I guess the question
that
remains
is
where do we go from here?”

“It’s time for the confrontation that’s been eluding us for centuries,” Dante answered. And this time
,
he knew after the showdown between him and Adonis, only one of them would be left standing.
He had never been more sure of anything else in his life
.

Chapter Sixteen

The pounding in her head was the first thing Isis noticed when she came to. She attempted to open her eyes, which felt as if they were being held closed by two-ton weights. She gagged as the rancid smell of rotting flesh and stale blood assailed her nostrils and traveled to her esophagus. She frowned.
She didn’t know what was happening but she had to get away from the stench.

Slowly, she managed to open her eyes only to find herself in a dark room. That scent. That putrid odor was strong and she had a feeling it contributed to the throbbing in her head. She must have suffered a bad head wound if she
still felt the side effect
.
Her skull had probably been
cracked. Hopefully
,
the ache would fade away soon.

Comprehension finally dawned as she remembered her last conscious thoughts. Dante!
The look of pure hatred he’d sent her way hurt far worse than any of the blows Black Adder had delivered.

Anger singed her blood as she recalled the trick he’d played on her.
If she got her hands on that
asshole
, she’d squeeze the life out of him. Even
back then when
th
ey’d been lovers, she’d known how menacing he was
. Back then
,
it had excited her. Now, his attitude nauseated her.
It was embarrassing to know she’d aligned herself with him and the first group that had accepted her after her grandfather had rejected her.

Her thoughts drifted back to Dante as she shut her eyes against the dull ache within her heart.
He was her mate
, the one she wanted in her life always, and he had to know it
,
too.
But she understood why he was angry with her. She couldn’t even
blame
Black Adder because had she told
Dante
about her past association with the Serpent Gang, he might have actually listened to what she had to say in the face of Black Adder’s lies.

Her former lover had been so convincing that even she would have believed the worst of her. It was no wonder why Dante had been so ready to discard her.
Because
of that, she
could
never hate Dante Grimaldi.
She loved him, and Isis believed their love was worth fighting for. If she managed to get out of the mess she was in, she vowed she’d do whatever it took to make him believe her and realize they belonged together.

For now, Isis had to throw all her energy into escaping. When Black Adder was ready to finish her off, someone had saved her. At the time, Isis couldn’t figure out where she’d heard that voice before, but now she was sure it belonged to the cloaked figure she’d had seen during that mysterious ceremony she’d stumbled on. It had to be Beatrice. It all made sense now.

Isis ha
d
seen the fear
Beatrice
had inspired within Black Adder
so it was clear that
Beatrice
wielded a
power
beyond anything she had ever witnessed. Otherwise, the usually arrogant leader of the Serpent Gang would not have shown such deference, especially to a woman
.

Isis stored that information away in the back of her mind for later use as she switched her focus to escaping.
Slowly
,
her eyes
began
to adjust to the darkness, and she looked around. She was in a room bare of furniture except for the large cot she’d regained consciousness on. Surveying her surroundings, she noticed heaps of something she couldn’t quite make out on the floor. Isis suspected it was the source of the stench.

Swinging her legs over the cot, she stood and realized she was still naked.
It was just as well
.
It would be
easy
to shift without the encumbrance.
Grabbing the blanket off the cot she’d been lying on, she wrapped it around her
body
toga style and made her way to the closest pile on the floor. She’d only taken a couple steps before halting. It was a corpse. A rotting, stinking corpse and judging by the smell of it, the body must have been there for a few days. Upon closer inspection, her stomach lurched at the gory sight before her. What used to be human no longer had a face. Maggots and flies crawled in and out of the gaping holes where a face should have been. It had been a woman and a young one
,
if she went by the smoothness of the bruised, naked skin.

Unable to take the sight before her, Isis turned away and inspected yet another cadaver, which was in the same condition as the first. She didn’t need to examine the other two to know she’d find something similar.
She didn’t understand why there would be dead human corpses lying around.
The stink was now firmly embedded in her nostrils, and if she didn’t get out of
this room soon, she’d throw up
. There was nothing more offensive to a shifter than rotting meat.
That
was probably
why
she had been
tossed her in here: to make her suffer.

Upon further inspection of the airless room, she noticed a big wooden door almost cloaked amid the stone walls. She sighed with relief at seeing her means of escape, but that relief was short-lived. Grasping the door hand
le, she yanked, but to no avail
.
Hoping the first time was a fluke,
Isis tried again with the same result.

Dammit!
She hadn’t used her full strength, but it shouldn’t have been that hard to open a damn door. With her next attempt, she did use all her might, only to find the damn thing wouldn’t budge an inch.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down
.
Silently counting to ten
,
Isis
took a step back before giving the door a powerful kick. All it caused was a dull throb in her foot. Something was definitely wrong here. She tossed the blanket she’d wrapped around herself aside and went to her hands and knees, channeling her fur form. A howl tore from her throat as her insides shifted and fur sprang from her pores. Her muzzle elongated, teeth sharpened, bones snapped, and muscles contracted until she had fully shifted.

Once she was completely in wolf form, she hurled herself against the door, using every ounce of strength in her being. The door still didn’t move. Her suspicions were confirmed; there was some kind of enchantment surrounding it
otherwise, she would have busted the door down easily
. She should have known
her captors would leave nothing to chance
, especially after all she’d learned about black magic.
What she didn’t understand was why Beatrice would want to keep her hostage.
She could be of no possible value to the Grimaldis.
Dante certainly wanted nothing to do with her.

She shook her head to rid herself of the memory
of his disdain
and growled at the obstruction blocking her escape. Frustration ate away at her like acid.
She had no idea of how to get out of this mess she found herself in. Isis
lay on her belly, muzzle to the floor as she contemplated her next move.

A sinister laughter bounced off the walls and Isis bounded to her feet once again, her ears perking up.

“There’s no use trying to escape. You’re well and truly caught.”

Black Adder.

She turned toward his voice and focused on the ball of smoke that appeared behind her. In the darkness of the room, she could only make out the silhouette of his muscular figure and the gleam of his white teeth. Advancing on him would do her no good. She’d learned that particular lesson the hard way. Isis could at least get the answers she
needed
. “
Where am I
?”

“You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, although if I had my way, you’d be a distant memory.
Beatrice
seems to think you may be of some use.”

“
I don’t see how, because I’d rather die than to help you
.”

Black Adder
laughed
, a deep, throaty sound of pure, evil glee. She hated it. “Oh, but that’s exactly how you’ll help us. You’ll die right in front of lover boy.”

Her heart caught in her throat. She would rather he just hit her than taunt her this way. The reminder of the lost special bond between her and Dante was nearly more than she could take, not that she’d let Black Adder see he’d gotten to her. “
News flash, asshole, Dante and I are finished, thanks to you
.”

“Hmm, I should think so
,
too, but
Beatrice
doesn’t agree.
Maybe
he still cares for you. Or not.
In the meantime, how about I
reacquaint myself with your delectable body one last time before you go
?
”

She took a step back. “
You wish.
You might as well kill me now if you think for a minute I’d willingly fuck you again
.”

“I never said I needed your cooperation.” Before she could respond, he teleported to her side and gripped her by the neck. His nails dug into her flesh, but this time the fight between them wouldn’t be so one-sided. She owed him big time.

Isis turned her head and locked her teeth over his forearm, biting down hard enough to rip off a chunk of his flesh
and
hang on. Black Adder screamed in anguish as he tried to shake her off, but she was determined not to let go without creating serious damage. He punched her in the head to free himself. Isis tightened her grip in return, ignoring the pain as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

His blood filled her mouth and Isis was thoroughly satisfied to know he was in pain. With his free hand, Black Adder gripped her throat, cutting off her air supply, finally forcing her to let go. She swiped him across the face with her paw, her claws
gouging
his skin. He released her, but she wasn’t going to lose her advantage by hesitating. Springing forward, this time she went for his throat. Teeth sinking into his arteries, she bore down as hard as she could.

Isis wanted him to pay for all his past transgressions and for the lies he’d told Dante. With a shout of pain, he punched her in the midsection hard enough to make her gasp for breath, thus freeing himself from the death grip she’d had on him.

He was ready for her next attack. One hand gripped the now gaping hole in his neck, and he shot currents of electricity from his free one. The jolt slammed into her so hard Isis flew backward and hit the wall. She hadn’t been prepared for that blow and wasn’t given a chance to recover before his hands were locked around her throat.

Barking and snarling, she fought to break free, clawing at him. But he held her out of reach. “You always were a stupid fucking bitch. Did you think you could best me?” His eyes glowed bright red in the darkness.

There was only one hope for her. She concentrated on shifting back to her two-legged form, although the grip around her neck made it difficult for her to breathe. She made it midway through her transformation before Black Adder punched her in the stomach, stopping the change. Fur still covered her body, but she was mostly human in shape.

Black Adder snarled, “You can’t hope to best me, Isis.” His grip cracked a bone in her neck. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she brought her knee up to meet his groin. The surprise of her assault made him loosen his grip, giving her enough leeway to twist free. Extending her leg again, she kicked him in the balls harder than before. He fell to his knees.

Balling her hands into fists, she dealt him a right hook followed by a left uppercut. When she lunged toward him, she met the floor. He’d dissipated into a puff of smoke only to reappear behind her. Black Adder gripped her by the hair and yanked hard enough to break her already cracked bone.

Isis howled.
He could break every single bone in her body but she
refused to let it end this way. He’d bested her once before, but she wouldn’t let him do it again
,
no matter how powerful he was
. She could barely move her head as the pain flared in every single nerve
ending
of her body but her determination gave her the strength to stand her ground. That, and her desire to live.

If she lived another day, it would give her the opportunity to see Dante again and convince him of her feelings for him. Without that chance, she had nothing to fight for.

Instead of going in for an attack as she had before, she waited for him to come to her. With fangs bared and talons curled, he flew at her. She moved out of the way before he reached her. Black Adder ran toward her again, but Isis grabbed one of the corpses and tossed it at him. The momentary distraction gave her the opportunity to mount an attack of her own. Isis kicked him in the face as hard as she could, knocking him to the ground,
she then
used the heel of her foot to stomp his head into the floor.