Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan (21 page)

She stared at his back. Izzy had hoped Stone
would give her a moment of privacy so she could use her cellphone,
but he’d been too smart for that. She washed her hands, then took a
quick sip of water to ease her dry throat.

“All done,” she said.

“Good,” Stone said. “Now eat. I won’t ask you
again.”

He walked her back into the bedroom and took
a seat at the child’s desk. Izzy sniffed the sandwich and lifted
the bread to examine it.

Stone swore. “It’s just peanut butter and
jelly. For goddess’ sake, just eat it!”

Izzy jumped at his raised voice. She took a
tentative bite of the sandwich. It tasted normal, but that didn’t
mean he hadn’t put something in it.
Please don’t let it be
ground-up little girl.

Her stomach gurgled.

“Keep eating.” Stone kept a close eye on
her.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“I told you. You’re needed in my realm,” he
said.

“What’s so special about my gift that you
have to kidnap me for it?” she asked, taking another bite. Izzy
would kill for a glass of milk, but she wasn’t about to ask him for
anything.

Stone stared at her for so long that she
thought for sure he wasn’t going to answer. “Nothing,” he said.

Nothing? Not the answer she’d been expecting.
“Then I don’t understand why you went to so much trouble to get
me.” She set the sandwich down.

“Your gift is necessary, but not needed,”
Stone said cryptically.

“I don’t understand,” Izzy said.

“Don’t expect you to,” he said. “Now
eat.”

Izzy picked up the sandwich and took another
bite. At least her stomach began to settle, though for how long was
anyone’s guess.

“You said earlier that it wasn’t important
that I be able to think quickly,” she said.

Stone grinned. “That’s right.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because you are only needed for
breeding.”

Izzy dropped the sandwich onto the plate. Her
throat worked convulsively as she fought to keep the contents down.
The plan was to breed her to monsters like himself.

She shook her head in denial, but Izzy knew
from his pleased expression that Stone told the truth.

“I’m going to be sick.” She jumped up off the
bed and raced past him. Izzy barely made it to the toilet before
she threw up her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

She heaved and heaved until there was nothing
left to expel. Izzy pushed off the toilet seat and grabbed onto the
sink to pull herself up.

She glanced in the mirror. The color had bled
from her face, leaving her pasty. Izzy splashed water on her face
and rinsed her mouth.

Stone stood in the doorway, holding another
sandwich. Had he made two? Or had he gone and made another one
while she threw up?

Izzy glared at him. “I hope you don’t expect
me to eat that. Right now I can’t keep anything down.”

He simply stared at her as if she hadn’t
spoken.

“Did you hear me?” Izzy sneered.

Stone arched a brow. “Every word. Did you
hear me?” He held the plate out to her. “The choice is yours.”

Izzy snatched the plate out his hands.
“You’re an asshole.”

Stone had her around the neck before Izzy
blinked. The plate dropped onto the bathroom floor a second before
he slammed her against the wall.

“I’ve had about enough of your mouth,” he
said. “I overlooked the fact that you spread your thighs for that
monster. The only reason I didn’t rip your womb out was because
it’s needed, but your tongue isn’t.” Stone squeezed, cutting off
her air.

Izzy clawed at his hand, but he only squeezed
harder. She choked, and black dots appeared before her eyes.

“Now you’re going to pick that sandwich up
and you’re going to eat it all, then I’m going to tie you to the
bed until we need to leave,” he hissed. “Don’t worry. It won’t be
long. Nod if you understand me.”

She tried to move her head but couldn’t.

His grip on her eased a fraction.

Izzy sucked in much-needed air.

“One word, one whisper, and I will rip your
tongue out and eat it,” Stone said. “Got it?”

Izzy nodded.

Stone released her.

She fell to her knees.

“Pick it up.” Stone pointed to the
sandwich.

Izzy’s hands shook as she scooped the
sandwich up and placed it back on the plate.

“Good girl,” he said. “Now get up.”

She staggered to her feet. Izzy caught sight
of her reflection a moment before he shoved her out the door.
Finger marks ringed her neck.

Izzy didn’t fight when Stone tied her up.
There’d be no escape—at least not alive. He hadn’t meant to, but
Stone had given her a weapon to use against him. Now all Izzy had
to do was get him mad enough to kill her. Given her track record
with the monsters, that shouldn’t be too hard.

* * * * *

The door opened at three-thirty. Tristan had
been debating whether to leave, when he heard the footsteps drawing
nearer. Hope soared until he realized there was only one set. The
key clicked in the lock, and the door swung open. Everly stepped
into the living room.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

Everly yelped and pressed a hand to her
throat. “What are you doing in my apartment?” she asked, her
charcoal-lined eyes narrowing on him. “How did you get in?”

“The new door wasn’t that strong.” He glanced
at the crack he’d left in it.

She scowled when she saw the damage to the
door. “You’re going to pay for that. Now what are you doing here?”
She glanced around the space. “Where is Izzy?”

“She’s the reason I’m here,” Tristan said.
“Have you heard from her?”

“What’s happened?” she asked, ignoring his
question.

“Nothing yet,” he said, but that wouldn’t be
the case for long.

Everly pushed the door closed and walked
deeper into the room. “Are you alone?”

“Yes.” Tristan didn’t tell her that the
wolves already knew all about her. That would come later. Right
now, he didn’t want to spook her. “Have you heard from Isabel?”

Everly stared at him for the longest time
then sighed. “No,” she said. “I haven’t spoken to her since I saw
you guys in the square.” She threw her bag down and took a seat
across from him.

Tristan tried to hide his disappointment, but
he mustn’t have been too successful.

“What’s happened to her?” Everly asked. “I
thought you were protecting her.”

He was supposed to be, but that hadn’t worked
out well. If he lost her for good, he’d live with the regret for
the rest of his life.

“The evil that came to town has her,” he
said.

Everly didn’t say anything. She zoned out for
a moment, then her attention snapped back to him. “I can’t sense
her,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“Does that mean she’s dead?” Tristan’s chest
tightened to the point of pain. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe,
as Isabel’s face and his brother’s blurred together in his
mind.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so,”
Everly said. “I think she’s on the other side of the river. Water
mutes my powers.”

Good to know
, he thought, but he
needed concrete info to find her.

“Tell me about this evil,” she said.

Tristan wasn’t sure how much he should say to
her.

Everly’s dark eyes narrowed. “Don’t even
think about lying, even by omission. The more I know about it, the
more I can help.”

“The thing is like my people, but not,” he
said cryptically. “Everyone and everything has a shadow side. Our
shadow side doesn’t live in this realm. It exists in another
dimension.”

“Okay,” she said, her brow furrowing as she
listened carefully.

“The Darklings—that’s what we call them—can
cross into this realm. When they do, they bring death and madness
in their wake,” he said.

Everly’s lips pursed. “Is that why I couldn’t
pinpoint its location?”

“Perhaps,” Tristan said. “They have powerful
magic behind them. Magic that comes from their dark world.”

“Magic? That shouldn’t have mattered with
me.” She kicked off her boots and curled her feet beneath her. “Are
they werewolves, or are they sorcerers?”

Tristan sat forward. “They’re a bit of both.
They use magic, but they shift into a wolf form.”

“What does this thing want with Isabel?” she
asked.

“Isabel isn’t the only one it’s after.” He
gave her a pointed stare.

Everly’s eyes widened, and she gulped. “So
what does this thing want with me and Isabel?”

Tristan shook his head. “Again, it’s not just
you two it’s after. It’s all women like you.”

She frowned. “Like us?”

“Sighted-Ones,” he said trying to be patient
while his beast raged inside him. “The Darklings need women like
you.”

“Need us for what?” she asked.

She already knew the answer to the question,
but she obviously needed to hear it said aloud.

“They want you for breeding purposes,” he
said. Tristan gripped the side of the chair until he heard the wood
groan, then forced his fingers to ease. “They can only mate with
Sighted-Ones. Normal women go mad if they’re scratched or bitten by
them, then they eventually die.”

“What happens to a woman if one of these
things takes her into their world?” she asked.

“Nothing, other than the obvious, if she’s
truly Sighted,” he said.

“Lovely,” she said. “How long has this thing
had her?”

Tristan tensed. “He’s had her since
yesterday.”

Everly shot out of her chair. “And you’re
just coming to me now?”

She had every right to be angry. He was
angry, too. Tristan had failed Isabel when she needed him most. He
snarled. No, he’d failed her before then.

“The Darkling tried to crush my skull in,” he
said. “And nearly succeeded. I have no idea why I’m alive, but I
assume it’s because of Isabel.”

Everly put her hands on her hips. “So she
saved you, but you couldn’t save her.”

That about summed it up, though there were
extenuating circumstances.

Tristan ran a hand through his hair and
scrubbed it over his face. Despite the shift, his head was still
sore.

“Have you slept?” she asked, losing some of
her fury.

“Not much,” he said.

Everly sat back down. “What can I do?”

“I need you to use your gift to try to locate
her,” he said. “If that fails, I need you to let me know if you
hear from her. I doubt the Darkling will simply let her call, but
knowing Isabel, she’ll wiggle out of his grasp. At least for a
short while.”

She watched him closely. “You love her, don’t
you?”

Tristan stiffened in his seat. “Don’t be
ridiculous.”

“You’re awful quick to deny it,” she said.
“But if you don’t love her, then why go to so much trouble to find
her?”

Because he didn’t want Isabel to suffer in
the Darkling world. Because he couldn’t imagine never getting to
see her again, even if it was from afar. Because she was his, and
the Darkling had taken her from him.

“It’s my job,” Tristan said.

Everly smirked. “Liar. Didn’t look like you
were doing your job when I saw you guys in Jackson Square,” she
said.

“I was,” he said.

She snorted. “You’re not that good of an
actor. You care for her.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,”
he said.

“Actually, I do,” Everly said. “You forget I
had a vision about you guys, and there was a whole lot more going
on than just encountering evil.”

Tristan’s jaw clenched. “Visions can be
wrong.”

“So you haven’t slept with her?” Everly
asked.

Heat spread across Tristan’s face, and his
gaze dropped.

Everly grinned. “That’s what I thought. Job,
my ass. You like her.”

“Will you help me if I say I do?” He’d tell
her anything to get her cooperation.

“No.” She shook her dark head. “But I will
help Isabel.”

“Can you try to find her?” he asked.

Everly nodded and closed her eyes. She took
several deep breaths, then the muscles in her face relaxed. Minutes
passed, and nothing happened.

Tristan tried to be patient, but every minute
that went by brought Isabel closer to being taken into the other
realm. There was a slim chance that the Darkling had already
crossed her over, but it was more likely he’d need time to heal
from his injury.

Just the thought that she might be gone
forever made his beast howl in agony.

What if this didn’t work? What if he was too
late?

Everly’s eyes popped open. “What I’m seeing
doesn’t make any sense,” she said.

“Tell me everything,” he said. No clue was
too small.

“I saw flashes of a child. She had fair hair
like Isabel and held a stuffed bear,” she said. “Like I told you,
it doesn’t make sense.”

A child that looked like Isabel... It wasn’t
hard for Tristan to imagine such a thing. In fact, it was far too
easy.

“Did you see anything else? Anything at all?”
he asked.

“Destruction and water, but it could be
anywhere in New Orleans. I’m sorry,” she said. “If I get anything
else, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks for trying.” Tristan rose. “I need
you to do one more thing for me.” He grabbed the sheath that held
Selene and tucked the lodestone in the side of it.

Everly’s eyes widened when she saw the sword,
and she jumped off the beanbag. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear,” she
said. “Please don’t kill me.”

Tristan glanced at the sword in his hand and
frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She stopped inching toward the front door.
“You’re not going to kill me because I know too much?”

He grimaced. “No,” Tristan said. “I was going
to ask you to hold this until I shift into my other form. Once I
do, I need you to tie it around my neck.”

“Oh.” She sounded oddly disappointed.