them in a small cooler. On her way out, Isabelle stopped in Gregor’s
office. Before Tessa’s wreck, Isabelle had been intimidated by her boss. Now
that he was practically family, she was much more comfortable around him. She
knocked on his door before entering.
“Good
afternoon, Isabelle. How’s my mate faring? Is she driving you crazy yet?”
Gregor was grinning, knowing just how high strung Tessa could be.
“No,
actually she’s been pretty subdued today. We have a good grasp on the inmates who
need an antidote. I’m going to my clinic now to work on it. The reason I
stopped by is to let you know I’ll be out of town this weekend. Will that be a
problem?”
“Not
that I can see. If anything arises we can call in Dante, or worst case
scenario, Joseph.”
Isabelle
flinched at the mention of her father. “Excellent. Thank you, Gregor. I’ll see
you later.”
Gregor
clasped his hands together over his flat stomach. “Take care of yourself. Oh,
and Isabelle? Be patient with Dante.”
She
gave Gregor a faint smile and turned to leave. She knew he and Dante were
close, and with his comment, she wondered if Dante had shared the events of their
date with his brother. She also wondered if her father had helped out at the
Pen before now. How often had he been mixed up in their lives with no one
realizing who he was?
As
she drove across town, her thoughts turned to Sophia. Technically, the younger
woman was Isabelle’s niece. Sophia’s father, Sam, was one of Isabelle’s
siblings. One of many she had yet to meet. Having no prior knowledge of her
brothers and sisters, Isabelle didn’t worry about them as she would someone she
was close to, like Maria and Rico. Even though Maria’s last text had been to
assure Isabelle they were okay, she was still a little worried.
Two
people in the world besides Isabelle knew who Connor really was. Even though he
had started school, he was too young to discuss his personal life with any of
the other kids. Isabelle had explained the importance of keeping her identity a
secret. She often wondered if it was too much responsibility for one so young.
Was that how Tessa and Tamian had been raised? Sure, they had been older, but
they were trusted with the knowledge that not only Jonas was alive, but both
their mother and Caroline were never going to age. Did Jonas not have enough
faith in Isabelle to keep the family secrets?
The
ache in her heart was still present when she thought of her parents. At least
she visited Connor as often as possible, ensuring he knew she loved him and
wanted to be part of his life. She trusted him to keep her secret. If he
slipped, she would deal with the fallout when and if it happened. She would
never abandon her son completely, no matter what.
Rico
had texted last night as per their agreement. Anything out of the ordinary was
to be communicated immediately, no matter how small or insignificant. She might
be considered paranoid, but she knew in her heart if Stavros ever found out
Alexi had an heir, one of two things would happen. Either he would make sure no
child of hers lived to see his father’s inheritance, or the man would do his
damndest to take Connor away from her. Either way she would lose her son. She
couldn’t let that happen.
Before
she transitioned, Isabelle felt truly alone, as though she had no family other
than the three people in Tennessee. Now, she had Tessa back in her life, and by
proxy, Gregor. She had Dane, sort of. She needed to reach out to her brother. If
she were to agree to the mate bond, she would have Dante. If she had Dante, she
would have the entire Clan at her back. Was her being scared of losing her son
reason enough to mate with the Gargoyle? No, it wasn’t. She had to wonder,
though, what would it feel like to have a huge family? One who immediately
accepted you, loved you.
Arriving
at the clinic, Isabelle parked in her reserved spot and turned off the motor. Walking
to the door, a chill ran over her spine.
office. Before Tessa’s wreck, Isabelle had been intimidated by her boss. Now
that he was practically family, she was much more comfortable around him. She
knocked on his door before entering.
“Good
afternoon, Isabelle. How’s my mate faring? Is she driving you crazy yet?”
Gregor was grinning, knowing just how high strung Tessa could be.
“No,
actually she’s been pretty subdued today. We have a good grasp on the inmates who
need an antidote. I’m going to my clinic now to work on it. The reason I
stopped by is to let you know I’ll be out of town this weekend. Will that be a
problem?”
“Not
that I can see. If anything arises we can call in Dante, or worst case
scenario, Joseph.”
Isabelle
flinched at the mention of her father. “Excellent. Thank you, Gregor. I’ll see
you later.”
Gregor
clasped his hands together over his flat stomach. “Take care of yourself. Oh,
and Isabelle? Be patient with Dante.”
She
gave Gregor a faint smile and turned to leave. She knew he and Dante were
close, and with his comment, she wondered if Dante had shared the events of their
date with his brother. She also wondered if her father had helped out at the
Pen before now. How often had he been mixed up in their lives with no one
realizing who he was?
As
she drove across town, her thoughts turned to Sophia. Technically, the younger
woman was Isabelle’s niece. Sophia’s father, Sam, was one of Isabelle’s
siblings. One of many she had yet to meet. Having no prior knowledge of her
brothers and sisters, Isabelle didn’t worry about them as she would someone she
was close to, like Maria and Rico. Even though Maria’s last text had been to
assure Isabelle they were okay, she was still a little worried.
Two
people in the world besides Isabelle knew who Connor really was. Even though he
had started school, he was too young to discuss his personal life with any of
the other kids. Isabelle had explained the importance of keeping her identity a
secret. She often wondered if it was too much responsibility for one so young.
Was that how Tessa and Tamian had been raised? Sure, they had been older, but
they were trusted with the knowledge that not only Jonas was alive, but both
their mother and Caroline were never going to age. Did Jonas not have enough
faith in Isabelle to keep the family secrets?
The
ache in her heart was still present when she thought of her parents. At least
she visited Connor as often as possible, ensuring he knew she loved him and
wanted to be part of his life. She trusted him to keep her secret. If he
slipped, she would deal with the fallout when and if it happened. She would
never abandon her son completely, no matter what.
Rico
had texted last night as per their agreement. Anything out of the ordinary was
to be communicated immediately, no matter how small or insignificant. She might
be considered paranoid, but she knew in her heart if Stavros ever found out
Alexi had an heir, one of two things would happen. Either he would make sure no
child of hers lived to see his father’s inheritance, or the man would do his
damndest to take Connor away from her. Either way she would lose her son. She
couldn’t let that happen.
Before
she transitioned, Isabelle felt truly alone, as though she had no family other
than the three people in Tennessee. Now, she had Tessa back in her life, and by
proxy, Gregor. She had Dane, sort of. She needed to reach out to her brother. If
she were to agree to the mate bond, she would have Dante. If she had Dante, she
would have the entire Clan at her back. Was her being scared of losing her son
reason enough to mate with the Gargoyle? No, it wasn’t. She had to wonder,
though, what would it feel like to have a huge family? One who immediately
accepted you, loved you.
Arriving
at the clinic, Isabelle parked in her reserved spot and turned off the motor. Walking
to the door, a chill ran over her spine.
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