Isabel and the Werewolf Beast (Vampire Tales #1)

36. Dante

Chapter thirty-six

Dante

T he vampires erupted into a roar, all standing at once.

“Josephine, no,” Vampire One said.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Josephine’s eyes flared red as she glared at every vampire. “Unless you want me to tell you what to do.”

The uproar ended as quickly as it started.

Josephine stepped around the table and walked toward me. “If you may escort me to Barth. Alone.”

Isabel’s panicked gaze landed on me. I gave her a reassuring smile even though I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or how this would go.

“Perhaps it would be best if I organize for you two to meet alone?”

“Fine.” Her lips pulled into a tight smile. “I’ll wait outside the gates and you’ll bring Barth to me.”

All these orders were making my skin prickle and my throat gurgled like I might growl at her. I kissed the top of Isabel’s head and strode out of the room before any more objections were made.

Josephine was almost silent as she strode beside me out of the castle and onto the pathway to the front gate. I didn’t know what to say to one of the first vampires. So many questions pounded inside my brain that I had trouble singling one out from the others. Before I knew it, we’d walked through the gates. Gates that not that long ago I’d been stuck behind with Isabel. Who knew that time would become my fondest memories?

Leaving Josephine at the edge of the forest, I ran through the trees. The sooner I facilitated this meeting, the sooner I’d get back to Isabel. Being away from her made everything inside me ache with the need to be back by her side. How did werewolves stand being apart from their mate?

Up ahead, the sounds of people talking shifted through the leaves of the trees as though carrying the voices to me. A split second later, a wolf stepped into my path. I held my hands up.

“I’m Dante, remember? My brother Asher is part of your pack now.”

The wolf shifted. Fur became skin as a man stood before me.

“Asher isn’t here,” the werewolf said.

“I know. I need to talk to Barth about Asher and vampires.”

“Follow me.” He nodded, sending his thick black hair falling over his eyes .

We walked deeper into the forest toward the voices and the camp that Asher was once a part of. As soon as we stepped into the circle, the werewolves stopped talking. Barth stood from the log he was sitting on. His brows dipped into a deep frown.

“Asher took off and hasn’t come back. Have you seen him?”

The concern in the pack leader’s voice was more than our father had ever held for us. Asher had chosen right to join this pack.

“He’s with me.” I hung my head as the emotion at thinking I’d lost Asher welled to the surface again. I hadn’t lost him though. He was still here. “He’s not all right.”

A second later, a warm hand landed on my shoulder and Barth eased me onto a log to sit. He kneeled before me.

“What happened?”

Every word of the battle with Silas spilled from me, every word about Isabel and her family trying to help my brother, how the professor vampires had arrived and the outcome of the meeting. Barth rocked back on his heels before he stood and let out a long whistle.

“Josephine is here?” He whispered the question. “She wants to see me?”

“She’s waiting outside the castle.”

“I haven’t seen her for so long.” There was a hint of longing in his voice.

“She said the same.”

Barth stood. “They voted to end killing werewolves?”

“Yes.”

“Holy shit this is big news.” His entire body vibrated with energy. “If this is true, then all our lives will change. Maybe we can be happy with each other again.”

I didn’t want to rain on his happiness, but I had to ask, “Do you know how to help Asher? ”

“Sorry, I don’t. We avoided warlocks and witches once vampires turned on us. Most of us hid in forests accepting the animal side of us more and more because vampires stayed in cities closer to their food source.” He crouched before me again. “Asher is pack. We’ll help you look for a cure.”

It was better than no help, better than our parents ever did for us.

“I’ll take you to Josephine now.”

Barth rose to his impressive height. Even in his human form, he was a large man. I shoved myself off the log and led him through the forest. He most likely knew the forest better than me, but he didn’t rush me, or tell me I was going the wrong way. Every instinct inside me told me to head back to Isabel. I didn’t need a sense of direction when her sweet scent drifted on the gentle breeze ruffling through the trees.

Up ahead, the vampire stood against a tree, almost blending with her environment. As we approached, she straightened, her eyes glowing red in the darkness of the night. A chuffing noise rumbled from Barth’s chest then he raced across the distance. Josephine ran forward too. They embraced in a tight hug and didn’t let go.

“Josephine.” Barth whispered, burying his nose in her hair.

She giggled, reminding me of the happy giggles Isabel let out on the rare occasion surprising me with how ecstatic I was to hear her delight.

They drew apart and stared at each other as I hovered a few paces away from them.

“It’s true,” Josephine said. “We’ve voted to end the war with werewolves.”

“About time.” Barth folded his arms over his muscular chest.

“Did you find your mate?”

“I did. ”

Her shoulders drooped into a defeated slump.

“Then a vampire killed her.”

She gasped. “Barth, I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry won’t bring her back, Josephine,” Barth said with a bite to his words.

“I know. At least now we’ll end this.” Josephine placed a hand on his folded arms.

“It won’t be easy.”

Josephine stepped closer and placed her other hand on his arms. “Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy.”

Barth unfolded his arms and hugged her again.

I slipped away into the night, leaving a vampire and werewolf to reconnect, to start a new future. I had a future with Isabel. A future now where the world wasn’t out to keep us apart.

The longer I was away from her, the more certain I was that our being together was the most important thing ever. Every fiber of my being said I needed to be by Isabel’s side. Now.