Jesus, she might really kill him.
***
The next morning, Isaac left Sabrina at dawn. He told her he had a merger meeting to go to, and she knew he lied to her. He may have “work
” to do, but it had nothing to do with real estate, and probably everything to do with evil vampires.
She twiddled her thumbs for a few hours, even picked up her latest knitting project she had been neglecting, before deciding to visit Connor at McGuiness’s. Her hatred of being alone had caught up to her and slowly drove her insane. Though Isaac had reminded her to stay home, he couldn’t truly object to her going to see another Enforcer, could he? She and Isaac came there often to enjoy the quietness of the tavern before opening hours, and Connor’s divine omelets.
She’d be perfectly safe.
Her decision made, she hopped in the car and drove straight to the tavern, windows cracked despite the coolness of the autumn breeze. She inhaled the fresh air, feeling a sense of rejuvenation. The outdoors always brought her to life. She hated being trapped inside. And she’d spent way too much time there lately. Once this whole mess ended, she’d sleep outside, just because she could.
As she drove the winding roads through the hills, she racked her brain for any possible solutions to get her and Isaac out of their current predicament. It seemed a hopeless endeavor. She’d only been able to come up with one suggestion, and it hadn’t gone over well at all. She shuddered as she recalled Isaac’s anger upon hearing her plan.
Arriving at the tavern, she hopped out of the car before heading inside with a light skip to her step. Zeke lurked nowhere in sight, causing her to wonder if the homeless act had indeed been a front all along. He probably lived in a flat somewhere with a wife and kids, she snorted. She made a mental note to ask Isaac about it later on. The tavern might not be open, but she knew Connor would be there. He was always here early if he wasn’t at her house.
The door had been left cracked open, a piece of cardboard jammed in the lock, like it always was before hours, and she walked to the kitchen unannounced. The scent of eggs cooking teased her nose, and her stomach growled in eagerness. She paused mid-stride when she heard low voices. Smiling smugly, she recognized Connor and Sheila’s voices. Maybe she’d been right about them. Hopefully she wouldn’t interrupt a rendezvous.
Tiptoeing, she crept silently past the empty tables and flickering lights to approach the pair and decide if she should leave. However, once she got close enough to hear them, she froze in her tracks, all thoughts of leaving gone.
“I know Elijah is out there, and I’m positive he and Isaac have communicated. I’ve seen it in his head, and Sabrina’s. There’s no doubt,” Sheila said.
Sabrina’s blood ran cold. They knew.
“Sheila, you don’t know the whole circumstances.” Connor sighed.
“I know he’s the enemy, and as such, should be killed.”
“It’s his brother. It’s not so cut and dry,” Connor insisted. “He’s not a huge danger to humans. He mostly feeds off of animals. He uses blood banks, for Christ’s sake. He’s only lapsed a few times as a vampire. If Isaac wants to leave his brother alone, who are we to judge? I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.”
“His brother is a menace to humans because of what he is. And what about Sabrina? She’s in the middle of a love triangle. Isaac and Elijah fight over her like two dogs with a bone. They think she is their long-lost love, reincarnated.” Her voice held a tone of disgust.
Sabrina’s fists tightened at her sides as anger rushed through her blood. She longed to jump out and defend Isaac against Sheila’s bitter words.
“Sabrina loves Isaac, Sheila. Maybe Elijah has feelings for Sabrina, but I have no doubt Sabrina is loyal to Isaac.” He paused. “There were a few fights in the beginning, but they’re happy now.”
“And what will he do about her?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s human, Connor. We all know relationships with humans don’t work. They get old and die, or they get killed. It’s not natural. We need to stick to our own kind.”
“There are only two female Enforcers in existence, Sheila. It’s not a whole lot of women to throw around,” he said ironically.
“There’s nothing wrong with dallying among humans,” Sheila insisted, “but to love one is disastrous.”
“What makes you such an expert on the subject?”
From Sabrina’s hiding spot, she saw Sheila blush and look away from Connor’s scrutiny. “I fell for a human once. I was so happy, I debated doing the forbidden by changing him myself.”
“Sheila—” Connor began.
“I know, I know. But we were going to do it, and run and hide. I had the perfect plan. We were going to run away to some exotic island while I changed him, and we would go to the United States via false ID, and hide in a big city there. We’ve always had such a hard time tracking down our enemies in big cities. I figured I’d use that.
“So, we had our plane tickets bought, our bags packed. I sent him out to get some books for me to read on the flight. He never came back. He got hit by a car. Dead on impact. Isaac came and told me. He’d been there when it happened. I’ve often wondered if he’d somehow taken care of a sticky situation, if you know what I mean.”
Connor shook his head as Sabrina stifled her gasp beneath her hand. “I don’t think Isaac would kill your boyfriend, Sheila. That’s crazy.”