“Rex has told me much of you,” Viveca said. “I’m sorry I haven’t come into the store to meet you before now. I’ve been—” She sighed. “Very busy, I’m afraid.” She held out a pale hand.
Shaking, Isabella touched her hand to Viveca’s perfectly manicured red-tipped fingers.
“Isabella,” Rex said. “I know you’re upset with me, and I cannot blame you. I acted foolishly. But we need to talk. Please. It’s important.”
“Rex, my cousin and her boyfriend are missing. They’ve been gone for over forty-eight hours, and—”
He cut her off. “I know. That’s why we’re here.”
“Dougal’s been out day and night, and I only came home to get some much-needed sleep last night.”
“Dougal will not find them, sweetheart.”
Isabella’s heart leaped at the endearment, but she ignored it and pursed her lips.
“I had a hunch my nephew, Markus, might be involved, and I’ve been searching as well, with no luck. But this morning…”
“What?” Isabella nearly shouted. “What happened this morning?”
“Er, well, Viveca here…”
“I got a visit from Markus’s father, my dear.”
Isabella’s gaze met the other woman’s. While Isabella prided herself on her ability to read people—it was part of being a witch—what she found in Viveca’s striking eyes startled her. Pain and sorrow, yes, but also regret. And love.
“May we come in?” Viveca said. “The sun is rising, and our kind don’t do well in sunlight.”
Isabella didn’t want to invite them in, but her curiosity had been peaked. She also had no desire to see two people burst into flames on her front porch. For the first time, she noticed both Rex and Viveca wore long sleeves and pants, despite the summer heat.
“Forgive my ill manners,” Isabella said. “Please, come in.”
“Markus’s father and I were never actually married,” Viveca said, “but he was the love of my life, and I of his.”
“So then, what happened?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “What matters is that he and Markus have your cousin and the young MacGowan.”
“Why? Why would they want to hurt Suzanne?”
“It’s not Suzanne they want, sweetheart,” Rex said. “It’s Damian.”
Isabella’s widened her eyes. “What?”
“You see, Markus thinks Damian is—” He cleared his throat and paced the hallway. “Markus thinks Damian is a blood wolf, Isabella.”
“What’s a blood wolf?”
“A werewolf, in layman’s terms,” Rex said. “But a different kind of werewolf than you’ve probably heard of. I always thought they were a myth, but evidently Markus thinks otherwise.”
Isabella’s knees buckled, but Rex caught her. Her heart jumped at his touch, but again, she ignored the feeling.
“He means to kill Damian, Isabella.”
“But Merlina’s book says that vampires—”
“Aren’t killers. She’s right. And frankly, if Damian is a blood wolf, Markus won’t be any match for him. Samael, on the other hand, is another matter.”
“Samael?”
“Markus’s father,” Rex said.
“Another vampire?” Isabella shook her head. “If Damian can handle Markus, why couldn’t he handle his father?”
“Because, my dear, the father of my son is not a vampire.” Viveca laid a hand on Isabella’s forearm. “He’s a demon.”
Isabella wasn’t aware she had fallen to the floor until Rex lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hallway and into the parlor. He set her gently on a sofa.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” He caressed her forearm lightly.
Viveca sat on the other side of Isabella. “’Tis my curse to love a demon, child. I didn’t know what he was when we made Markus together. When I found out, I sent him away, and he visits me only in my dreams, and only then when he’s near Padraig. He came to me early this morning.”
Chills cut through Isabella’s skin.
“He said he had been with our son. He didn’t have to say more. I knew, then, as only a mother can, that my son and his father were involved in your cousin’s and young Damian’s disappearance.”
“S-So,” Isabella stammered, “what do we do now?”
“I can find Samael, child,” Viveca said. “He’s in my heart, my soul. And he’s near.” She stifled a sob. “The others, including my son, are not safe.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Isabella,” Rex said softly. “I don’t want you to come along.”
“Are you crazy? Of course I’m coming. Why else would you come here?”
“It was my idea,” Viveca said. “I felt you had a right to know what’s going on.”
“But—”
“Please.” Rex’s cerulean eyes melded to hers. “I know I’ve no right to ask this of you, but I can’t have you put in danger. I couldn’t bear it. Will you trust me, lass? Will you trust me to bring them home to you?”
“But the sun is rising. How?”
He smiled gently, his eyes kind. “Are you worried for me, sweetheart?”
“No. Of course not.”
“We’ve the best sunblock available, made for our kind. And glasses with UV protection. And you’ll note we’ve covered as much skin as we can with our clothing.”
“I—”
“Will you trust me, Isabella?” He caught her tear with his forefinger and pressed it to his lips.