Isabel and the Werewolf Beast (Vampire Tales #1)

32. Isabel

Chapter thirty-two

Isabel

I spun around in Dante’s hold, experiencing the evidence of his sex dripping between my legs, but it was the bite mark on the back of my neck that pulsed in time to the beat of his heart. I’d read about werewolf mating in the books as I was sure he had too since those books were the ones we’d read under this tree.

“What did you do?” I asked, placing my hand on my neck.

“I claimed you as my mate,” he said while doing his pants up.

“This is impossible.”

He bent and wiped his firm palms up the inside of my damp thighs, wiping away the evidence of our time together, but my body clenched in a renewed desire to have him inside me again.

“It can’t be impossible since I did it.” He lifted his palms to his mouth and licked them clean.

My core clenched watching the way his tongue worked over each finger reminded me how good he was at licking me with it. I ruffled the skirts of my dress back into place. Dante picked up my discarded underwear and shoved them into his pants pocket.

“Is that your trophy?”

“You’re my trophy.” He grinned. “That’s a souvenir of our first time.”

“You’re crazy.”

“You keep telling me that.”

“Maybe one day you’ll realize it.”

“Love, I’m crazy about you.”

I laughed. “You like to keep me guessing, don’t you?”

“You do the same to me.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe you bit me.”

“You enjoyed it.”

“You enjoyed me biting you more,” I said.

“I did,” he said. “Want to bite me again?”

“You realize if I bite you, we’ll have sex again.”

“And the problem is?”

I laughed. “You’re too adorable.”

“Adorable like a puppy?”

“Yes, you are sometimes. You surprise me every day I’m with you. One minute you’re a sweet bookworm, the next you’re gentle and caring tending to my wounds, and then you become this lust-filled dominant alpha.”

“I’m not an alpha.”

“You’ve been an alpha your whole life taking care of your brother. Is he all right?” I asked, recalling how much he’d looked after his younger brother, the reason he’d run into the forest after our intimate time in the infirmary.

“Asher is good. He’s found a pack. A new family.”

I placed my arms around his waist and drew him into a hug. “He’ll always be your brother first.”

“I know and I understand I need to let him go and stop looking after him. He’s made so many wrong decisions in his life, but I think this one is the right one.” He lowered his head to my neck and kissed the bite mark. “I love everyone will comprehend you’re mine.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“My teeth marks glow under moonlight.”

“I’ve committed to this now, haven’t I?”

“Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. We don’t even grasp why vampires kill werewolves. It could be something as silly as a former lover spat.”

I tilted my chin up. “You think a vampire would set the entire vampire population against the entire werewolf population over a jilted love or some such thing?”

Dante chuckled. “Sounds ludicrous when you say it like that.”

“Because it is. Wait.” I wriggled out of his arms. “Lucian knows the reason.”

“Let’s go ask him.”

“Yes.”

Dante slid his hand into mine and I let him. As much as I wanted to deny it, there was a connection between us. Our hearts, bodies, and minds wanted this even if it would cause us heartache with our species. We walked back into the castle and to the library where Lucian and Maximus sat with their heads in the books.

“Lucian,” I said. “It’s time you told us why vampires kill werewolves.”

He closed the book and studied me then curled his nose. “You reek of werewolf and sex.”

Maximus gaped at me .

“So what.” I placed my hands on my hips. “Who I have sex with is my decision.”

Lucian crossed his leg over his knee. “There’s a saying once you go animal you can’t come back.”

“I think my human form proves that’s not true,” Dante said. “I can be animal and human.”

Lucian placed his hands over his knees. “Werewolves and vampires used to be one.”

“What do you mean?” I sat in the chair opposite him.

Dante shifted behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders protectively, which made my insides curl with heat.

“The reason you don’t remember why vampires kill werewolves is because you were never told. The academy professors are full of secrets they’ll never share with the average vampire.”

“But they shared them with you?” I asked.

“Yes, share, if that’s what you want to call the way I came across the information.” He lifted his lip in a bloodthirsty grin.

Dante’s fingers tightened on my shoulders, but Lucian was my vampire father. He’d never hurt me.

“What secrets did you discover?”

“Lots. Vampires and werewolves used to live together. They dated too.” He gave Dante’s hands a pointed glare. “I’m not happy you are with a werewolf.”

“Noted,” I said.

That was the way we worked. We’d say how we felt about something the other did and then the other person would acknowledge it. Then it would be over to no longer be discussed in any way.

“What happened?” Dante asked.

“The usual. Differences in our species caused conflict. Vampires became more and more refined while werewolves became more animalistic. They drifted apart. ”

“That doesn’t explain the killing.”

“No. It was the human discovery of vampires that generated that. Humans hunted us. Staked us in the heart. Burned. Beaten. You name it, the humans tried it on us. The professors discovered a document stating the werewolves outed us to the humans while keeping themselves a secret. Instead of outing the werewolves, we killed them. If they wanted to be our enemy, then we’d fight them ourselves, not use humans to do our dirty work.”

“Humans are for eating,” Maximus said.

“Exactly, if we’d used the humans to retaliate against the werewolves, then who knows what war would have ensued and how many would have lost their lives? We need human blood to survive while werewolves survive on the meat of animals,” Lucian said.

I sat back in the chair. Dante rubbed my shoulders in a soothing caress.

“So, I’m dating our enemy for real.”

“Yes.”

“But neither of us remembers why we’re enemies. Surely enough time has passed that we can move on from this feud. Humans only think of vampires as a myth now.”

“Time doesn’t matter to those who were there when it happened.”

“You mean the professors?”

“Yes. They are the oldest of vampires. They remember everything.”

“Will they kill us?”

Lucian looked out of the window. “The actions of the professors can’t be determined.”

“Well,” I said, standing. “I intend to ask them.”

“Isabel, that’s not a good idea.”

“Why? If a werewolf told humans about vampires years ago, what does that have to do with us today? Humans don’t hunt us. We have plenty to feed on. The two werewolves I’ve spoken to instead of killing on sight have turned out to be likable. Should we keep punishing them for their ancestor’s mistake?”

“They’re ancient and set in their ways.” Lucian returned his gaze to my face. “They’re the primeval.”

“And they’ve used us for too long to do their dirty work. I say no more blindly following orders that make little sense.”

Loud noises arose from outside the castle breaking off my tirade. The steady hum of voices drifted through the window even though they were closed. A knock echoed on the front door then it slammed open so hard we heard it inside the library.

“Isabel, I’m here to collect you,” Silas called out.

“Oh, hell, no.” Dante stood in front of me. “You two, get her out of here. I’ll kill Silas.”

“Dante, don’t be ridiculous. We’ll all handle this together.”

“No, mate.” He spun around so fast that he was a blur. He hoisted me over his shoulder and then deposited me in Lucian’s arms. “My job is to protect you.”

“Lucian, put me down.” I kicked my legs, but Maximus grabbed them. “You’re being a bunch of idiots.”

“He’s already cursed you and decapitated you. Do you think I’ll give him another chance to get near you?” Lucian said, carrying me toward the secret passageway through the bookcase.

Maximus grabbed inside the bookcase, found the secret button and a bookcase swung inward to the passageway.

“That is very cool,” Dante said. “I intend for you to show me all your secrets when I’m finished with Silas.”

“Damn you,” I yelled at Dante.

Lucian shut the secret door and sealed us in the soundproof passageway. No one would hear us in here. We’d be safe, but Dante, the werewolf who’d made me give away my training to be with him, was at risk of Silas’s evil machinations.