11. Isaiah

Patten threatens to choke Dominik, and as Shep tries to remind him it isn’t what Jade wants, I wander over to the window, tuning out their argument. The sound of rushing blood fills my head, reminding me of my growing, gnawing hunger.

I need to feed. And soon.

Wilkerson doesn’t have a hospital. Which means no blood from that quarter.

“Isaiah, will you tell this idiot that we need to kill dragon guy as soon as fucking possible?” Patten snarls. “I’m sure she won’t mind once he’s dead.”

“And I bit Jade when I promised I wouldn’t,” I say, briefly silencing him.

“That was different. This”—Patten stabs a finger toward the bedroom ‘dragon guy’ wandered into moments before—“deserves a neck snapping. Or a face clawing.”

I look away. Dominik might deserve to die for what he did, but Jade was clear about what she wanted and what she didn’t. “Shep is right. We?—”

Glass smashes.

I throw myself to the right, grunting as hot, sharp pain rakes my belly.

As I straighten from my near fall, something thumps into the wall opposite.

I take in the blood seeping through my shirt. Any higher and it would have been heart’s blood.

“What happened?” Jade darts out of the room, out of breath. Her eyes are wide as they bounce between me, my shirt, and the hole in the wall.

“Someone tried to take out Isaiah,” Patten says.

“Someone did not intend to take me out,” I deny, angling my body away from her. She’s been through enough already. She doesn’t need to see the blood coating the front of my gray silk shirt.

Patten stalks across the room and yanks something out of the wall before holding it up.

A wooden stake.

His brows knit together. “So launching stakes at vampires is a sign of friendship, is it?”

Everyone stares at the stake, then, in unison, swivels their heads toward me.

I feel my skin knitting itself together, the wound closing as blood clots and my bleeding stops. I’m healing much slower than I usually would, and it’s taking more energy. Too much for such a small wound.

Tiny bright lights bounce here and there.

I blink them away, only for them to return seconds later. My stomach churns, and rushing blood fills my head, all alarming signs warning I’ve gone far too long without feeding. I need to sit down and regain my composure.

I walk over to the dining table, pull the chair back, and prepare to sit down. “It was nothing. I am?—”

Slap.

My right cheek stings.

“Hey! Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” Patten calls out in a sing-song voice.

Another slap. This time my left cheek.

I wrench my eyelids open.

I’m not at the dining table.

I’m flat on my back on the couch with everyone gathered around me. Patten is crouched closest, hand raised, poised to slap me.

I grip his wrist when he lifts it an inch. “Do that again and I’ll launch you out the window.”

Patten flashes everyone a grin. “Told you a couple of slaps would return him to the same grouchy vamp as before.”

Jade moves closer, teeth worrying her lip. “Are you okay, Isaiah?”

“I’m fine.” I move to get up.

Shep places his hand on my shoulder, nudging me back on the couch, concerned. “No, you’re not. You fainted.”

Fainted?

I stare at him. “I do not faint.”

Dominik, standing near the window with his arms crossed, eyes me curiously. “I’ve seen a vampire as pale as you once before, and he hadn’t fed in days.”

I shake my head, denying it. “I have?—”

“No. I hate to admit it,” Patten interrupts, “but dragon guy is right. Ever since someone stole your cooler of blood, you haven’t fed.”

Dominik’s brow furrows. “Why would he need a cooler?” He waves his hand toward the window. “This town is small, but there are people in it. Why not feed on one of them?”

Patten stabs a finger at me. “See! Didn’t I tell you…” Patten’s voice trails off, and he lowers his finger at the moment he must realize he’s agreeing with Dominik for the second time. Dominik, who not only kidnapped Jade, but who he was seconds from strangling minutes before. Clearing his throat, Patten refocuses on me. “Why haven’t you been feeding?”

“Your concern is unnecessary.” I brush Shep’s hand from my shoulder and sit upright.

Everything goes black.

A sharp slap returns me to consciousness.

I’m flat on my back on the couch.

“You were saying…” Patten doesn’t even try to hide his smug smile.

Jade is twisting her fingers together, even more concerned than before.

“I haven’t been feeding,” I reluctantly admit.

“Why not?” Shep prompts.

“It’s a long story,” I say, looking at the hole in the wall. “And I don’t think this is the place to tell it. Whoever shot that might be out there planning something else.”

“Atticus?” Jade frowns at the window, clearly anxious. Though not anxious enough to want anything to do with Dominik, who, when he moves toward her, she turns away from him.

The collector is the bigger threat here. To all of us. Yet, I would prefer it was him and not who I think it is. “Maybe.”

Meliah steps forward. “I have to monitor Brennan as he heals so he can stay with me. A coven member left town for a short vacation. It might be safer to stay at her house than here. It won’t take long for Atticus to find you here.” The witch looks at the broken glass. “If he hasn’t already.”

I swing my legs to the floor and Shep grips my arm, helping me up.

Jade doesn’t move. She’s frowning at Meliah. “I want to stay with him.”

Meliah’s expression is sympathetic. “That might not be a good idea.”

“Because?” Jade prompts.

“If Atticus goes after your dad, you can’t protect him, and he can’t protect you,” Dominik answers bluntly. “But we can protect you.”

She looks at him, clearly not believing him.

“He has a point,” Shep says. “When Atticus had someone ram your dad off the road, he grabbed you and left Brennan behind. He will want you more.”

“But I don’t know you,” Jade says to Meliah, “and I’m supposed to just trust a stranger? I’ve tried that trusting game before and it came back to bite me. Literally.”

“Meliah won’t hurt me.” Brennan’s voice is faint, barely audible at all.

Jade is across the living room and beside her dad a moment later. “Dad?”

Silence.

“He’s still healing,” Meliah says, joining Jade.

Jade looks at Meliah. “And if Atticus attacks?”

Meliah lifts her chin. “Then he won’t find a helpless witch. I have ways to protect my home and the people in it. Atticus doesn’t know your father is with me. I can give Brennan the time he needs to heal. Then he can join you.”

Jade chews her lip, wavering. “And you’re sure you can heal him?”

Meliah nods. “He is healing. It will just take time.”

Jade gives her a long look and then, sighing, bends to kiss Brennan’s forehead. “I’m putting a lot of trust in you to look out for him. More than I should for someone I don’t know.”

Meliah nods. “I know. It is not misplaced.”

Jade gives her a searching look then sighs. “Okay.”

It takes minutes to gather our belongings so we can leave the rental.

“Come here, vamp, I’ll make sure you don’t faint again.” Patten grins as he steadies me and Shep picks up Brennan to take him to Meliah’s car.

Patten rests his hand on my shoulder and refuses to let go, guiding us to the front door while Shep tells Dominik to grab our bags.

Dominik’s lips pinch.

Jade steps forward. “I’ll help with the bags.”

Dominik watches Jade pick up Shep’s black duffel, grinds his teeth together, then stalks over to her and snatches the bag from her. “I will carry this.”

She nods, turning away. “Then I’ll go grab the others.”

“There won’t be space for all those in the car.” Shep nods at the suitcases Dominik’s driver set down.

“Those clothes are expensive,” Dominik says tightly.

Jade barely looks at them. “We can leave them. Clothes don’t matter.”