Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (34 page)

Chapter
Twenty
-Four

“You are so damn stubborn, Isis. Why don’t you just go to him and tell him how you feel?
Don’t you think
two months is enough time for him to have calmed down
?
And
,
Uncle Dante is a reasonable man.” Persephone Kyriaki
s flipped a long strand of blue
-black hair over her shoulder with an exasperated sigh.

Isis slumped deeper into her sofa, watching the television but not really seeing a single thing on it. She only half listened to what her friend was saying. Persephone had been going on and on about contacting Dante, and frankly it was getting old.

Isis
wanted
to forget him, not have a constant reminder every time her friend opened her mouth. Wasn’t it enough that the pain of being away from him ate away at her heart, keeping her awake at night? Didn’t she deserve a break from the steady barrage of images that randomly popped in her head? What about the sensation of total and utter devastation, as if she was missing a part of herself? Why
was it necessary to talk about it?

“You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Seph. This isn’t something I want to discuss.”

“Well, you’re going to have to talk about it sooner or later because all you seem to do is mope around your apartment. You never visit anymore, even though you’re welcome in our home anytime. My father has even offered you refuge on our island. It can’t be healthy to stay cooped up in here all day.”

Isis shrugged. “Sorry
,
I don’t live in a huge mansion like you.”

“That isn’t what I meant and you know it. Have you even gone on runs the last two full moons?”

Isis flipped the channel, not bothering to answer. Persephone
ripped the remote out of her grasp and
flung it across the room where it hit the wall
and shattered into several
pieces. “Will you at least acknowledge me when I’m talking to you?

Isis turned her attention to her friend, more than a little annoyed at the attempts to engage her in a conversation she didn’t care to participate in. “Fine. I’m acknowledging you. Now what?”

“You know what I mean. You’re a fighter, Isis! My best friend wouldn’t sit around and sulk; she’d go and fight for her man.”

Maybe part of the reason Persephone was pushing so hard was because Isis hadn’t told her what had happened that night. She was only aware of a falling out. “I did go to him and was
humiliated for my efforts
.”

Persephone’s eyes widened and her mouth flew open. “What?”

Isis twisted her lips into a humorless smile. “You heard me. My body may have
wanted him, and
it still does.
But
,
he made me feel so dirty
. He looked at me
like
I was less than something on the bottom of his shoe.”

“No.” Her friend whispered her disbelief.

“It’s true. I don’t think he could have made it more clear how he felt about me. So y
ou tell me
,
what
should
I do now?
Go to him again and have my already battered self-esteem torn to shreds?”

“Oh, Isis, I didn’t know.” Persephone threw her arms around her.

“Of course
,
you didn’t. I never told you.”

“I’m so sorry. And
,
here you were taking my shit. I haven’t been very supportive of you. All I could see was you were hurting and I thought I knew what was going on, but I really didn’t.”

Isis rested her head against her friend’s. “It’s okay.”

“You’re taking it surprisingly well. I mean, you don’t look like you want to c
ry. I’d be bawling my eyes out.”

“
I’m all out of tears. Besides, crying would change nothing. Whatever Dante’s issues are, they’re his problem
s
to iron out. They’re no longer mine, nor do I care to have this discussion.”

“But how can you ignore it when the two of you belong with each other? When I saw the two of you l
aughing together, I just knew—
”

“I thought we agreed to drop the subject. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“But
,
you’re going to have to deal with it
,
eventually.”

Isis raised a brow, torn between strangling her friend and telling her to leave. “Do I? Since we’re on the subject of who belongs with whom, let’s talk about your love life, shall we? How do you know the man your father has picked out as your mate isn’t the one for you
,
when you haven’t met him yet? From what I understand, the men of Pack Magnuson are quite handsome and I hear Eric Magnuson is no exception.”

Blood rushed to Persephone’s face, turning it bright red. “You know nothing about it. My father is being his usual overbearing self. He knows of my preference and I won’t accept this Alpha just because he says I should.”

“Of course not but I bet you haven’t told your father about that mortal you’ve been spending a lot of time with lately. I’m sure if he knew
,
he’d put a halt to
your
romance before it properly begins.”

Persephone j
umped to her feet. “You know
nothing
about it
.”

“I know what you told me about it.”

“But we weren’t talking about me.”

“We are now and might I add, in my opinion, the only reason why you date human men is because you can walk all over them. This Hugh guy you’re seeing is probably wrapped so tightly around your little finger
,
you keep his balls in your pocket.”

The younger shifter’s nostrils flared and she bared lengthened canine teeth. “If that’s the way you feel, I guess I don’t need to stick around, do I?”

Isis shrugged. “Doesn’t feel good to have your life psychoanalyzed, does it? If you want to leave, Persephone, you know where the door is.”

Olive-colored eyes grew stormy as Persephone clenched her hands at her sides. “
Fine
,
I will
.” She turned on her heel and stalked to the door and paused. “Well, I’m leaving now.”

Isis stared at her television. “Okay.”

“And when I leave
,
I may not be back for a very long time.”

Isis shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“And
,
you can sulk all you like on your own.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Okay. Good-bye, I’m leaving.”

Isis examined her nails. “Yeah, you said that already.”

There was no reply, but Persephone stayed rooted to the spot as if she was expecting Isis to stop her. Finally, she opened the door. “I’m going now.”

“Later.”

The door slammed shut and Persephone came storming back to the living room. “I can’t believe you were willing to let me walk away just like that. I thought we were friends!”

Isis glanced up to see the hur
t brimming in her friend’s eyes
. She released a long sigh and stood up. “We are friends, Seph, and I apologize for being so obstinate. This is just a sore subject for me. And you’re right; I have been holed up in my apartment for days. I don’t think I’ve seen sun or moonlight for at least a week.”

“Let’s make a deal. I won’t mention Dante to you
,
if you come out with me. We can catch a movie and have a bite to eat or just go for a walk. How’s that sound?”

For the first time in days,
Isis smiled
. “I’d like that.”

Getting over Dante wasn’t going to be easy. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she ever would, but life would go on whether she did or not. And Isis intended on living it, no matter how much it hurt.

<><><>

“I hope we make it there before he does. Are you sure we’re going in the right direction? I think we may have taken a wrong turn.” Maggie looked out the window with a frown.

GianMarco
groaned in frustration
. “
Have a little faith in me.
Paris said this is where Isis lives and we’re going in the right direction.”

“But maybe you should pull over and ask for directions. We’ve been driving a lot longer than I think we should have.”

GianMarco silently counted to ten and took a deep breath. “Maggie, I know where I’m going. I know this area a little better than you. Trust me.” After Dante had left their party nearly four weeks ago, no one had heard a word from him despite constant phone calls and attempts at communication.

But because of the bond they shared, GianMarco knew his brother wasn’t doing well, could in fact feel him getting sicker by the hour. It wouldn’t be much longer before he was too far gone and he knew he and Maggie had to get to Isis before Dante did. Dante would seek Isis out and when he found her, there was no telling what would happen.

When GianMarco had been in the throes of the illness, it had only been a matter of a few weeks when he’d succumbed to it but Dante had been holding on longer, and because he’d fought so hard against it, the grip of the madness would be hard to break.

These past few nights, GianMarco would wake in a cold sweat, yet his skin was hot to the touch. Pain would tighten around him like a fist, squeezing him from the inside out until he could barely breathe. He couldn’t control his body’s functions at times. He’d be in the middle of a mundane task and all of a sudden he’d be so horny he couldn’t think coherently. Thank God for Maggie, because in those moments
,
he’d take his mate aside and fuck her until she nearly fainted. Not that he or she minded that last part, but it was getting worse.

Earlier today, he’d been in the middle of feeding his
daughter
, when an agonizing, searing ache had seized him. He’d clutched the baby tightly against his chest and didn’t even realize that he was still holding her until she let out a cry of protest. It was then he knew with absolute certainty his brother needed him.

When he’d tried to reach Dante, he got a headache for his efforts. It further confirm
ed
what he already knew. He and Maggie had contacted Paris and found out where Isis lived, hoping if they could get to her first and explain the situation, she’d be fully prepared when Dante finally put in an appearance. When one didn’t understand something
,
it was only
natural to fight. And Isis had
proven that she wouldn’t take anything sitting down.

They
had taken Gianna to Romeo and Christine’s and then
,
headed north to Isis’s Long Island residence.

Even now an incendiary heat pulsed through his veins, threatening to erupt in an explosion of massive fury. He was irritable as well, but GianMarco knew his symptoms were nothing compared to what Dante was probably suffering through at this moment. Romeo and Nico were feeling it to a lesser degree, but neither had ever been in the full throes of
la morte dolci
, rendering them incapable of completely understanding the illness. For that reason, he had volunteered to take care of this issue, although his brothers would step in
,
if needed.

It didn’t seem like they could get there fast enough. He breathed a sigh of relief once he noted the street they needed to turn down. “See? Here we are.”

“Hmph. I think we could have gotten here sooner if you’d made that right on Main Street.”

“
Maybe,
but it doesn’t
matter now
.
” He parallel parked his
vehicle
on the side of the street.

GianMarco took Maggie’s hand as they walked toward the large brownstone. At the front door, he pressed the button next to Isis’s apartment number. “Let’s hope she’s home.”

There was no immediate answer, and he pushed the button again with growing impatience. The heat in his body was starting to take over, and the veins in his head began to throb. Dante was near.

Very near.

He rang the bell again. “Shit. Where the hell is she?”

“Well, it’s not like she was expecting our arrival. Maybe
,
we can let ourselves in. I think Isis wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.”

“What wouldn’t I mind under what circumstances?”

GianMarco jumped. He hadn’t heard her approach, yet another sign that he was losing control of functions he normally had an easy handle on.

He whirled around to see Isis standing there with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. Her body was encased in a pair of worn jeans and a simple white T, yet the clothing skimmed every single curve. Dante’s feelings for her manifested themselves through him, and GianMarco’s body tightened in awareness of her. He panted, unable to control his reaction.

He’d expected something like this might happen because of his own period in the madness. Maggie rubbed his arm. “It’s okay. I’m here with you, baby.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed the side of his mouth.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on here?” Isis demanded.

Maggie released GianMarco’s arm. She walked toward the shifter and took her hands. “We’re here because we have something to tell you and it’s of grave importance.”

Isis snatched her hands out of Maggie’s grasp. “If it’s about Dante, I’m not interested in hearing it. As far as I’m concerned, he’s made his feelings quite clear.”

GianMarco couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
Dio
, she was beautiful.
Not
as lovely as his Maggie, but in that moment
he
wanted her. Needed her. “Isis, whatever Dante may have told you, please believe
,
he loves you. He’s just a stubborn fool and
—
ah!” A sharp pain seared through his chest. He gritted his teeth and took several deep breaths to slow the erratic beating of his heart. Was this how Dante had felt when GianMarco was going through this?

Isis frowned and jerked her thumb in his direction. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s in pain,” Maggie explained.

Isis’s brows flew together as concern worked its way across her face. The wary stance she’d taken before was now gone. “What’s the matter? Is there anything I can do to help ease his suffering?”

“Yes, actually
,
there is.”

“What?”

“When the time comes, you’ll have to give yourself to him.”

Isis shook her head. “What! Did I hear you correctly?”

Maggie took her by the arm. “I think we should take this conversation inside.”

Isis nodded and looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her.