Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

CAIN

" Y ou said we were just going to talk to them!" Bishop shouts in exasperation at Archer. It's hard to make out his voice over the bursts of automatic gunfire from the approximately twenty men across the warehouse from us. Due to Bishop's shield encasing the three of us, we're relatively safe. At least for now.

"It's not my fault they didn't want to talk to us!" Archer counters with a grin. Pausing to reload his M4 carbine, Archer fires at the men protecting the weapons crates once more. He's enjoying himself much more than Bishop is.

"Considering you stole from them last month, I would say it is your fault," I chime in.

Bishop glares at Archer, who just rolls his eyes. Archer frequently drags the mage into chaotic situations without warning him beforehand. It's only Bishop's quick thinking that has kept him alive this long while working with Archer.

Shaking my head at the two of them, I slip out from behind Bishop's shield. I keep close to the wall and use the various crates scattered throughout the open industrial space as cover. While Bishop is fairly strong, he can't hold the shield indefinitely. Archer keeps the men distracted, so it's my job to incapacitate them.

Sneaking behind one of the shooters at the back, I lunge toward him and slap one hand over his mouth. With the other, I sink my blade into his vulnerable throat and sever his windpipe to prevent screaming. I tear through his carotid artery and jugular vein as well. A rare smile crosses my lips as I watch him choke on his own blood. When he finally goes limp, I drop his corpse to the dirty warehouse floor and stab him through the heart a few times.

I feel no remorse as I slowly work through the remaining men the same way. Instead of doing anything to help others, these panther shifters are content to sell automatic rifles and machine pistols to cartels, human traffickers, and the occasional dictator. Their deaths only make the world a better place.

When only five shifters remain, they start to realize something is wrong. Fools. I roll my eyes as they frantically search for whoever killed their associates. As they're searching for me, Archer manages to pick off four of them. I glare at Archer when I step behind the last one and slit his throat. His warm blood sprays onto my forearms, already dripping with blood from the others.

"I had them handled, Archer." I drop the last panther's body to the ground and walk to one of the largest crates. Pulling off the top of it, I see the M4s and MAC 10s we were looking for. At least today wasn't a bust like last night. We've been looking for these weapons for a week. I had to cancel my date with Isabel yesterday to go on another wild goose chase. She agreed to move our date to today, so we need to wrap this up quickly.

"Sorry for stealing your kills, man." The shit-eating grin on Archer's face tells a different story. He isn't sorry in the least. Sighing, I ignore him to start inventorying the other crates. Bishop, Archer, and I split up to tackle three to four crates each.

"Where are these weapons going?" Bishop asks.

"To a handful of packs, clans, and mage towns in the south. The small groups of supernaturals are getting hit hard by the Knights of Aeneas right now. We'll see how those fuckers like being subject to automatic weapons." Archer bares his teeth at the thought of the Knights. They're a human organization dedicated to wiping out anyone with magic. The Knights want to steal the magic for themselves, which usually means killing anyone who has it.

Since they have no honor, the Knights often use automatic weapons on unarmed shifters, mages, vampires, and others. While magic users all have their own inherent weapons, they're not always enough when it comes to the Knights. We try to even the playing field by smuggling weapons to supernaturals across the country. The wealthier packs, clans, or towns will buy them from us, while the poorer ones get the guns for free. It's not the most lucrative of our revenue streams, but it does arguably the most good.

"Can you two handle the rest of the inventory and clean up?" I ask as I finish with my last crate. "I need to get to my date with Isabel."

"You might want to clean up first," Bishop informs me. "You have blood splatter on your face, your arms are covered in it, and your gray shirt is now red. You can't go out with Izzy looking like that."

Glancing down, I see that he's right. My arms are painted with drying rust-colored blood, and my shirt is stained with the same substance. Even my pants are splattered with it, but my shiny black derby shoes are relatively clean. A quick check of my watch shows that I'm already late. "I don't have time to change, Bishop."

Bishop mutters something under his breath about me being a psychotic wolf before mumbling a spell. I'd be offended if it weren't the truth. My skin tingles where his magic brushes against me. I close my eyes at the unnerving sensation. When I don't feel his magic anymore, I open my eyes to see that I'm completely clean.

"You need a portal too?" Bishop asks while continuing to inventory one of his crates.

I nod at him. "Yes."

Bishop whispers another spell before a portal to Isabel opens. I check to make sure no one is waiting to ambush me before stepping through.

"Thank you," I tell him. Bishop portaled me straight to Hawthorne Grove's downtown, which saved me thirty minutes of driving each way. We're across the street from Anya's Apothecary. The shop is on one end of the main street, so there aren't as many people milling about in front of it.

"I would say no problem, but this whole afternoon has been a problem. If you or Izzy need anything, just let me know." Bishop gives me a distracted wave before turning back to the warehouse and shutting the portal.

My fingers drum a steady beat on my thigh as I regard the shop. It's a whitewashed brick building with a greenery-filled sign hanging out front. The sign matches the dark green awning. A variety of bottles and plants fill the shop windows. I can't see Isabel from where I'm standing. While she goes by Izzy, the nickname doesn't seem to fit my mate. Isabel matches her much better.

I'm surprised to realize I'm nervous. I haven't been nervous since I was a child. The memories try to flee their boxes in my mind, but I slam the lid shut on them before they can. Nothing good comes from remembering that which is best forgotten.

Smoothing my hand over my light gray button-down shirt, I make my way across the street to the shop. When I pull open the door to the apothecary, I'm hit with the overwhelming scent of medicinal herbs. I can barely smell the berry and sunshine scent of my mate.

Isabel glances up when I walk in. She's standing behind the counter with an old woman. The woman is much shorter than her and has her white hair twisted up. The old woman's brown eyes twinkle when she sees me, which is odd, as I've never met her before.

A shy smile crosses Isabel's pink lips when she sees that it's me. "I'll be right over, Cain. Just give me one minute."

I dip my chin in answer and take the time to study my mate. Her tongue darts out as she focuses on something. Isabel's blonde hair with purple and blue ends falls into her face as she glances down at the thick book she's writing in. She bats the wavy strands away with an impatient hand.

When she's done writing, Isabel turns to the old woman. "Are you sure it's okay for me to skedaddle early, Anya? I can stay later to help if you need."

Anya huffs. "Go on your date, dearie. Be a young woman for once. Have fun. Make bad decisions. Live a little."

Isabel snorts and grins at Anya. "Shouldn't you be encouraging me to be safe and make good decisions?"

"You're too responsible for your age, so no." Anya's brown eyes fill with sadness as she considers Isabel. I wonder if Anya knows what Isabel can't or won't tell us.

"Me, responsible? I think you have the wrong girl, Anya. I've turned in at least three assignments late this week, my mom still cooks my meals, and I've converted six of my fellow students today alone to lives of debauchery." Isabel grins at Anya as she talks. The sadness in the old woman's eyes lifts at Isabel's teasing. It's impressive how well my mate uses humor to ward off any serious conversations.

Anya shakes her head at Isabel and shoos her away. Isabel holds her hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I'm going!"

When Isabel walks around the counter, I take in her light purple dress dotted with small white flowers that's so different from anything I've seen her wear. The A-line dress has cap sleeves and flows around her pale thighs. It accentuates her narrow waist and flared hips. A grin wants to break out across my face at the sight of her white high-tops with the dress. It seems very Isabel to pair sneakers with a dress.

"What?" Isabel questions as she notices me staring. "I got something on my dress, didn't I?" She groans as she looks down, trying to find what I'm looking at.

"You don't have anything on it, angel. I was just surprised by the dress. I haven't seen you in one before. You look beautiful."

Isabel blushes at my compliment, her cheeks turning an enticing shade of pink. I wonder what else I could do to make her flush like that. My dick perks up at my thoughts, and I will it to go down before I tent my pants.

"Oh. Well, you always dress up, so I wanted to be at least a little dressy. I wasn't sure if we were going somewhere super fancy or something." Isabel fidgets with her dress as she talks, and I find her nervousness endearing.

I do dress up more than my peers. One of my fathers instilled in me the importance of first impressions. He always told me that dressing sharply is essential to being taken seriously and earning respect. While I don't think there's anything wrong with a T-shirt and jeans, I can't shake the feeling of being underdressed when I leave the house dressed like that.

"We're not going anywhere fancy. Thank you for going out with me this afternoon instead of yesterday. I got caught up unexpectedly." I don't elaborate on what held me up. She doesn't need to know all the gritty details of our less-than-legal businesses.

"No worries, quiet boy." My lips twitch again at her nickname for me. I haven't been a boy in a long time, but I don't mind her endearment. "Where are we going?"

"I wanted to take you to meet some of the pack." I offer her my hand. Her storm cloud gray eyes bounce between mine briefly before she places her hand in mine. Isabel's hand is so small compared to mine. I have the urge to wrap her up to keep her safe from the world. I highly doubt she'd let me do that, otherwise I would.

"That's an intense first date, dude." Isabel worries her lip between her teeth, and I resist the urge to pull it free with my thumb. While she's visibly nervous, she still follows me out of the shop. Her trust in me makes me puff up in pride.

"You mentioned volunteering with music and children. The pack provides after-school programs for children whose parents work late. I thought you might enjoy playing music with the pups." We reached the secluded alley that should work for portaling, so I turn to face my mate as I talk.

Her delicate face lights up with pure joy at the mention of working with children. "I take back my first judgment. That totally sounds like fun."

"I'm glad you think so. The music room has guitars and pianos. Do you need anything else?" My hands itch to settle on my mate's waist, so I shove them into my pockets. I'm not sure what she's comfortable with touch wise. After how she reacted when sparring with Luca, I want to be extra careful when touching her.

"Nope. The only instruments I can play are guitar and piano. I prefer guitar, though."

"Perfect. If I show you a picture of the music room, can you portal us there?" I drag my phone out of my pocket as I wait for her answer. Mages can portal anywhere they've seen before. If a mage hasn't been to a location, then a picture of the place will often work instead.

"I can do that, quiet boy."

I show her a picture of the music room at our pack house. It has warm, dark wood floors, matching paneling, and a thick oriental carpet at the center of the room. The sizable room is dominated by four pianos and racks of guitars. Maria Nightshade, Luca and Archer's mother, loved music, so we have her to thank for this room.

After taking in the picture, Isabel mutters something, likely in Latin, under her breath. I feel her magic burst out into the air. The electric currents of her magic ghost over my skin, causing my hair to stand straight up. While the sensation is eerie, it's not entirely unpleasant.

A portal snaps to life on the brick wall in front of us. I don't see any of the pups yet, but I'm sure they'll be excited to see a portal for the first time. Offering Isabel my hand, I wait for her to take it before stepping through the portal.

"Cain!" a chorus of young voices cheer when I walk through the portal. I release my mate's hand as Noah crashes into me. I lift up the small boy and am rewarded with peals of laughter. As soon as I set the blond pup down, I have four more clinging to my legs and arms. I pretend to struggle to lift my arms or walk. The pups giggle at my antics, and a rare smile crosses my lips.

When I look over to my mate, I see her lips stretched in a wide grin as she watches me with the children.

"What's a mage doing here?" Addison, one of the teenagers in the program, sneers. Her navy eyes are glaring at my mate. It's understandable that Addie is wary of strangers, after what happened to one of her dads, but I still don't like her talking to my mate like that.

"She's my mate, Addie. Treat her respectfully, please." At my proclamation, the entire room freezes. Almost as one, all the pups turn to look at Isabel with wide eyes. She stares back at them with similarly wide eyes, unsure what to do as the center of attention to twenty pups.

"Does that mean—" Addie begins to ask. I give her a nod, telling her that Isabel is also Luca and Archer's mate. She squeals so loud, I have the urge to slap my hands over my ears. "Oh my God! Finally!" The other teen girls join Addie in squealing and jumping around.

Isabel's confused gaze meets mine. I suppose, with having to pretend to be magicless, my mate isn't used to anyone being excited to see her. An ache forms behind my sternum at that thought.

"I didn't bring Isabel just to introduce you to my mate. She also plays guitar and piano, and she's here to teach you to play some songs."

"Can you play Taylor Swift?" Mia, a brunette pre-teen pup, asks. Addie and her other friends nod frantically next to Mia, excited at the prospect of learning some of their favorite songs.

"Yeah, I can play quite a few of her songs. What song do you wanna learn first?" Isabel gives her full attention to the girls as she talks. I can tell that the pups are already smitten with our pack's future luna. As the mate to the pack's alpha, Isabel is automatically considered as highly ranking as Luca, even though she's not a wolf.

Addie and her friends look at each other before all shouting at the same time, "‘You Belong with Me'!"

Isabel's lips kick up in a smile before she nods. "Yep. I can totally play that. Come on, let's all get guitars. I'll play it through for you once before I teach it to you." The girls stare up at my mate with stars in their eyes as they all trail her.

My mate goes to the racks of guitars and starts passing them out. She makes sure every pup who wants one gets it before taking a guitar for herself. I'm surprised that some of the boys grabbed an instrument as well.

Isabel sits on the ground with her legs tucked under her. She rests the guitar on her lap as she waits for the pups to get settled. The kids fan out around her as Isabel plays a few notes to get a feel for the instrument. Once she's sure everyone is ready, Isabel starts playing the song. She has a lovely alto voice. Her delicate fingers expertly play the guitar. It's clear she's very experienced with the instrument.

As Isabel sings the song, Prue walks up beside me. "This her?"

"Yes." I glance at my sister, who's the spitting image of one of our fathers. With her auburn curls and hazel eyes, she looks just like him. I look like our mother, with the same black hair and green eyes. Any time I look in the mirror, she's all I see. As such, I try to avoid my reflection.

"She's really pretty. Your mate also has a way with the kiddos. She's much better than the vipers you like to fuck." Prue smiles sweetly at me as I gape at her. Leave it to her to bring that up.

"Prudence! You're lucky she's not a wolf and can't hear you." My little sister just grins at me chastising her. Prue's mischievous and loves causing chaos. I don't have the heart to rein her in most of the time.

"Relax, Si. She seems chill. I doubt she'd claw my eyes out just for mentioning you've screwed women before." Isabel might seem calm now, but I've seen the rage burning in her eyes at times. With what Bishop said about her power, she could easily take Prue. My mate doesn't seem prone to fighting for small slights, thankfully.

I just shake my head at her. Much like the pups, Prue and I are both transfixed with my mate singing. Even the pups who didn't grab a guitar have gravitated closer to her.

Once she's done with her play through, Isabel patiently teaches the whole group how to play the song. Never once does she get frustrated with the constant questions. Instead, she lights up each time she's asked something.

I've never seen my mate like this. She's so relaxed and open. Instead of her usual thorniness, she wears like armor, Isabel is sweet and gentle with the pups. Her laughter frequently rings out across the room, and Isabel has a perpetual smile on her graceful face.

Prue leaves sometime during the song, having to get back to her many tasks she does to keep the pack running.

Once Isabel teaches the pups the first song, she asks if anyone else has a song they want to learn. "Can you teach us something that's not girly shit?" Jake calls from his spot near the back. At thirteen, Jake is all long limbs and awkwardness. He's at the age where he thinks it's manly to put down things girls like.

Isabel doesn't get upset at Jake's rude request. She just rolls her eyes at him. "I can teach you to play ‘Gasoline.' Let me know if it's too ‘girly' after the play through."

As Isabel plays the catchy song, Jake can help but bop his head, making his brown curls bounce everywhere. When she finishes the song, Isabel looks to Jake to see if he wants to learn the song. "That was dope. Will you teach it to us?" Jake asks shyly, his earlier bravado gone.

"Sure thing, my dude." Isabel looks down at her guitar to begin teaching the pups. I watch her teach song after song to the kids. She happily stays until the last pup is picked up. Our date that I meant to be an hour or so turns into three hours of her working with the children. Every single pup makes her promise to come back again.

Once all of the kids are gone, Isabel stands up and puts away her guitar. She stretches her arms and her skirt rides even higher on her toned thighs. I'm a bastard for continuing to look rather than turning away, but I do it anyway. When she turns to walk toward me, I drag my eyes up her alluring form. I meet gray eyes and pink cheeks as she watches me watch her.

"Thanks for bringing me here, quiet boy. I really enjoyed it. The kids or, um, pups? Whatever you call them, they were adorable. I had a ton of fun." Isabel gifts me with one of her rare genuine smiles, and I know at that moment that she holds all the fragile shards of my heart in her small hand.

After my childhood, I dreaded finding a mate. Even in the short time I've known Isabel, she's proven herself to be compassionate, kind, caring, thoughtful, and the complete opposite of my mother. Watching Isabel with the pups has only nurtured the growing trust I have in my mate.

"Both pups and kids work. I'm very glad you enjoyed spending time with them. I know it's late. Would you like to have dinner with me before going home, angel?"

"I'd love to, Cain. I'd enjoy spending time with just the two of us."

I offer her my hand again, and she takes it. I walk out of the music room, excited for what the future holds for the first time in a long time.