Isabel and the Werewolf Beast (Vampire Tales #1)

34. Isabel

Chapter thirty-four

Isabel

“ Y ou’ve taken this beast thing to the extreme,” I said, clinging to the fur of Dante’s massive arms.

I never realized a werewolf could grow so big. He must be close to twelve feet in height. His long legs took us far and fast across the castle grounds. He ran past the pond and toward the forest where I’d taught him how to accept his wolf shape. Once inside the trees, which he struggled to get through, and broke many branches on the way, he found a spot and sat on the ground hugging me and Asher to his chest.

No longer worried I’d fall from a great height, I soothingly patted his arm.

“Dante, you need to come back. We might be able to save Asher.”

His body shuddered like he was holding back tears. I understood he loved his brother. He’d put his brother’s needs before his own all his life for the sake of his family.

“I can give him some of my blood. Vampire blood has healing properties.”

Dante’s massive form shook.

“We can give him some of your blood too. His blood healed you.”

His massive head shook from side to side.

“Have you even checked his pulse? I can hear it. It’s faint.”

His massive eyes found my face. His head tilted to the side then he carefully placed me and Asher on the ground. I kneeled beside Asher and checked the tiny thread of pulse beating in his neck. He had a huge burn mark over his right shoulder and arm. At least the magic ball hadn’t hit him square in the chest. There was some hope. Tiny but it was there. I bit into my wrist and placed it in Asher’s mouth.

Dante growled menacingly.

“It’s your brother. Don’t go all possessive over me with him. I’m trying to help him.”

Dante dropped his head to the ground and lay down. I watched him while my blood dripped into Asher’s mouth and slid down the back of his throat from the tiny puncture wounds on my wrist.

“Look at me. Not Asher.”

His eyes snapped to mine.

“I’m your mate and you need to do what I say.”

Dante whined.

“Good boy,” I said. “Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.”

His nostrils flared as he breathed in and warm air gusted over me as he breathed out .

“And again. Find the calm center. Let the rage go.”

Dante breathed deeply again. His eyes lost a little of the red flare in the whites of his eyes. I lifted my wrist and swiped my tongue over the puncture wounds until they stopped seeping blood. Dante’s eyes followed the motion of my tongue and his expression turned from angry to aroused. As much as I wanted him in any form, I shook my head.

“Now you need to shift for your mate.”

Dante blew a hot breath out through his nostrils ruffling my hair.

“Come on big boy,” I crooned. “I want you in any form but you might break me in two when you’re this big.”

He swiped his tongue over my face and then shuddered. Slowly his body shifted growing smaller and smaller until he shifted back down to his normal half-shifted state then even more slowly his body shifted to human.

“I knew you’d do it.”

Dante lifted his head from the dirt and stared at me bleakly. “Will he live?”

“I don’t know. His pulse is weak but so was yours. Although a magic injury differs from blood loss. We should take him back to the castle and the infirmary.”

He pushed up onto his hands and knees. Dirt and blood covered his body, but I wouldn’t want him any other way. He’d protected me with his life and if Asher hadn’t dived in front of his brother, then Dante would be dead from a direct hit to the chest. As selfish as it was, I was glad Asher took the hit and not Dante. Maybe I had fallen in love with him.

I rushed forward and dropped to my knees, kissing him with the overwhelming emotions filling my heart. He kissed me back so effortlessly that it was like our mouths should always join this way.

“What was that for?” he asked, cupping the back of my head.

“I… I think I love you.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Finally, you admit it.”

“Only took you almost dying twice.”

“I didn’t almost die twice. It was once.”

I pointed at Asher. “If he hadn’t knocked you out of the way, you would have died.”

“You don’t know that.” He stood and puffed out his chest. “I might have lived.”

I stood and scoffed. “Yeah, right?”

“Anyway.” He rolled his eyes. “Let’s get Asher to the infirmary, then you can give him my blood.”

“All this blood swapping is getting confusing in knowing who has whose blood.”

Dante scooped Asher into his arms. At least in any form, he was strong. His power was always there for him to use.

“I agree. You have mine. I have Asher’s blood. Asher has your blood and soon he’ll have mine.”

“Don’t forget I’ve had your blood too.”

“One extensive family of blood donors,” he said.

“We are.” I touched the bite mark on my neck. “You made me a part of your family. Now you and Asher are a part of mine.”

“Lucian and Maximus will be thrilled.”

I laughed. “I have other vampire brothers and sisters too. A grandsire that’s well… you’ll see for yourself.”

“Awesome. I can’t wait to meet them,” he said, sounding less than enthused. “All we have to do now is convince the entire vampire population to stop killing werewolves.”

“After all of this that should be easy.”

“Isabel,” he said. “Can’t we hide in your castle? Maybe put another curse on it so no one can get in then I can have you all to myself.”

We walked out of the small forest on the castle grounds and past the pond. I almost walked toward Screamer, but Asher was more important than seeing if my pet octopus was back to normal. I’d come back later and check on him. Every other part of the curse had lifted, so I didn’t see why Screamer would be any different.

Asher let out a small moan.

“That’s a good sign,” I said.

“Is it?” Dante frowned.

“Yes, it means he’s regaining consciousness.”

Our steps carried us closer to the castle. Lucian stood in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. His intense gaze never left me as he checked for injuries.

“I’m fine,” I said patting Lucian on the arms and sliding through the gap between him and the door.

“What was that upstairs?” He stepped in front of Dante and didn’t let him inside.

“I’ve never shifted that big before today so I couldn’t tell you.”

“I don’t know how you tapped into that much power, but you need to be careful around Isabel.”

“I’d kill myself before I ever harmed her.”

“See that you do otherwise I’ll do it for you.”

“All right, you two.” I sighed. “Lucian, let Dante inside his brother needs the infirmary and probably more blood.”

“Isabel, helping these werewolves is so wrong.”

“It doesn’t feel wrong. In fact, it’s the first thing that’s felt right ever since you turned me. I have a purpose now and not just balls, dancing, fancy objects, and fine clothes.” I placed my hand on Lucian’s shoulder. “Remember when I was human, and I was a nurse in the war, I helped people. It’s how you found me that night helping the woman who was attacked and left for dead. ”

Lucian placed his hand on top of mine. “Of course, I remember. You were so full of compassion, and the scent of blood drew me.”

“You tried to help me heal that woman and then when she died, you turned me.”

Lucian turned his head. “Your thirst for revenge was lovely, dear. How could I not?”

“Besides that part of the story, it was helping the woman that brought us together.” I squeezed my fingers into his firm shoulder.

“There’s nothing wrong with the fancy stuff,” Maximus said walking into the foyer and interrupting my story.

“I never said there was, but there’s more to our immortal lives. More to any life.”

Lucian stepped aside and let Dante in through the door. Dante shut the door and flicked the lock. I dropped my hand from Lucian.

“It might be a good idea to lock your doors from now on,” he said.

“Perhaps.”

I didn’t bother telling him anyone who wasn’t human could break through a locked door with ease. If it gave him a small sense of protection, then I’d let him have it.

“You were a nurse?” Dante asked gathering me close to his warm body.

“I was during the war. Many women were.”

Lucian and Maximus’s footsteps echoed as they retreated deeper into the castle leaving me and Dante to talk as we walked to the infirmary. For me to reveal all of who I was to the man I loved.

“I was born in France in the early nineteen hundreds. As my parents Maurice and Rosalind told it, France suffered heavily after the first war. Lives were lost, veterans were disabled, and agricultural land was ruined. They rebuilt quickly though. We’re resilient people. We became world famous for our artists, musicians, and writers. Life became better while I was growing up, but then the Great Depression hit. Life went downhill, but that was nothing compared to the second war in 1939. You never comprehend the destruction of war until you’re standing in the middle of it.”

Dante’s arms tightened around my body offering me the comfort and courage to talk about the most difficult time of my life.

“My parents helped as many people flee the country as they could. I volunteered as a nurse to help the wounded. I quickly learned how to bandage bullet wounds… and more horrific injuries… I’d rather not remember.”

“Don’t then,” Dante said, rubbing a soothing hand up and down my back.

“One day…” I swallowed the thick lump in my throat. “While I was at the hospital, my parents were gunned down in their own home for trying to help someone escape.”

“Isabel, I’m so sorry,” Dante’s voice came out in a soft whisper caressing my bruised heart.

“When I came home from the hospital to get a few hours’ sleep, I found them on the floor of our kitchen. Blood, there was so much blood.” I lifted my chin and stared into his eyes. “I didn’t know it would be the start of my life with blood.”

“Is that the night you became a vampire?”

“Yes. I stumbled out onto the debris-ridden streets back to the hospital. I thought maybe if I went back to work and then came home again, I’d find it was all a bad dream. A nightmare inside the nightmare I was already living.”

“But it wasn’t.”

“There were nightmares for everyone. It was late when I returned to the hospital, dark. The woman’s screams stopped me in my tracks, but then deep inside me, the rage at finding my parents dead surged to the surface. I’d seen so many people die. Some in my arms. And I wasn’t there for my parents, but I could be there for this woman. I rushed toward her screams that were fading each second and I found her in the gutter, bleeding from a stab wound, her dress torn and bloody, her skin pale beneath the gritty glow of the yellow street lamp. I tried to stop her bleeding, but there were so many stab wounds and I didn’t have enough hands.

“Then Lucian kneeled by my side. His hands covered the stab wounds too, but by then, the woman’s lungs filled with blood, her screams had turned to gurgles and I knew, I knew she was going to die no matter what I did.”

“Sweetheart.” He cupped the back of my head and held me in the comfort of his embrace.

“The second she stopped breathing, I finally stared at Lucian to offer him my thanks for trying to help, but the sharp points of his fangs hung out of his lips and I sat back on my haunches at the sight of my new nightmare. He said nothing for a long time. We just stared at each other until I finally asked if he was going to kill me.”

Dante chuckled. “Of course. You are that brave.”

“He said he didn’t want to kill me. I laughed and told him I had nothing to live for. Every one of my family was dead, and I was hopeless at stopping people dying in this stupid war.”

“None of that was your fault.”

“It sure felt like it. I told Lucian if he would not kill me he might as well fuck me and I kissed him.”

Dante’s hold tightened.

“Don’t worry, we only kissed that one ridiculous time.”

“Please don’t tell me about any of your previous lovers. I’ll kill them all.”

I laughed, deep and husky. “Okay. ”

“What happened next?”

“We heard another woman scream. I ran. Lucian was faster because he was a vampire. By the time I got there, the man was lying unconscious on the ground and Lucian was mesmerizing the woman into forgetting what happened. I asked him how he did what he did and he told me he was a vampire and then he said he’d remove my memories of him. I told him I wanted revenge on the man and I guess Lucian saw a spark in me he wanted to sire as a vampire because he asked me if I wanted revenge so much that I’d give my life for it.”

“You said yes.”

“Of course. My parents were dead. The war was horrible. I didn’t think my life was worth living. I didn’t realize I was giving up my human life to live an eternal life as a vampire, but here we are.”

“Lucian turned you and you killed the man?”

“When I woke from my human death as a vampire I was so hungry and Lucian had conveniently left the man with me.” I shrugged. “He was the first human I drained dry of blood and I’m not sorry about it either.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for killing scum.”

“I’m not innocent, Dante, I tried my best to only kill our adversaries, but I killed other humans far less deserving of death than him. I was overcome with rage and bloodlust as a new vampire. One particularly bloody night, Lucian caught up with me and gave me the moonstone necklace. It helped me control my heightened emotions and once I went to the Nightshade Academy, I learned to not kill. To be better at feeding from humans.”

“Thank you for telling me your horrific story. I want to wrap you up in a blanket and protect you from all of it.”

I smiled and cupped his face in my hands. “You can’t protect me from my past. ”

“No, but I can be here for you day and night to chase any nightmare away.”

I placed my lips against his and kissed him. We both had our nightmares from our pasts, but together we’d banish those demons and build a future.