Brothers 3

Chapter 29

James moved through the dark forest as quietly as he could. He was aware that he was being watched by the pricking feeling on the back of his neck. How was she hiding from him? He inhaled and followed her scent. The sap of trees diluted the smell and he had to concentrate to separate the smells of the forest from her. Moonlight split through the branches and lit up the path in front of him in patchy silver beams. James's eyes adjusted to the dimness with ease, and he scanned for the slightest movement. A bunny scurried in front of him, and he was so on edge he almost chanced it. Damnit man keep it together. You just need to find Isabel and figure out what is going on. She isn't a danger to you. Even after giving himself a pep talk, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease creeping up his spine.

"Hello."

James whirled as the voice sounded behind him. His fangs were extended in case he needed to attack but he came face to face with Isabel. Her dark hair was braided down her back and she wore a thin white vest that meant he could see her body through it. His gaze drifted to her chest before he could stop it and she giggled.

"I thought you might like this outfit." She did a spin, showing off the tight jeans she was wearing.

James smiled tightly. He might be attracted to her body, but the image of Skylar kept popping into his head, like a reminder of what he was missing.

"What are you doing here?" He searched her eyes for any sign of a lie. Maybe she wouldn't meet his gaze, or she would keep looking around, as if waiting on an ambush.

She grinned and met his unwavering stare. "I'm not allowed to come and see you?"

"I didn't think you would want to." Everything about her, her scent, her heart rate, even the fact that she wasn't sweating gave the impression that she was calm. That she had nothing to hide.

"I was upset the last time we saw each other. I didn't know how serious it all was and I just saw that you lied to me. But now that I have seen more of this world I understand why you would do anything to survive." She stepped into his space and placed her palm flat against his chest. She was warmer than any of the vampires he was usually around and the beast within him responded, keen to take a bite. He kept his face neutral as she played with the ends of his hair with her fingers.

"I missed you. Anyone else I talked to wasn't the same. They told me to control myself. They took all the fun out of having powers."

James would bet they did. Not many people wanted an untrained witch about. They were dangerous and that was when they were mostly happy. She hadn't been happy when she left here. So why the sudden change? His back stiffened. If he didn't know he could protect himself from her then he might have fled. There was a voice in his head telling him he still should.

"You seem tense," Isabel tilted her head, her eyes catching the moonlight, "Is there a problem. Do you not want my help now?"

James stiffened. He needed her help. What was wrong with him? She had come back, and he was turning down this gift of luck. He tried to force himself to relax but nothing he did eased the tension in his muscles. His instincts were telling him something was wrong. Yet he wouldn't turn down the only chance he had at freedom.

He took her delicate hand in his and squeezed. "I do want your help. I'm grateful that you still want to help me."

Surprising him, she leaned in and kissed him. At first he responded but quickly the image of Skylar invaded his thoughts. How she had looked at him while they shared a meal. The feeling of sitting so close to her, almost kissing. Somehow he longed for that almost kiss more than this one.

He leaned back and painted on his best smile. This was going to be a hard one to sell. He didn't want to be with her, but he would still need her help. He felt sick at the memory of how she had asked if he loved her. This wasn't going to go down well.