Incompatible Means (Completed)

Chapter 13

I stood staring into those unique sage eyes as my body thrummed with anger, I was immobilized with the intensity of my emotion, not the two men holding my arms. The vampire that had just entered was the same vampire that had taken Isabella from right under my nose on my last mission. Though I knew there was a good chance I might find out his identity on this job, I never would have imagined he would be so close to Roderick himself. Had Roderick sanctioned the abduction of a little girl? My stomach twisted at the thought that I had let such a monster touch me. Better not to dwell on those emotions. I let the all too familiar anger attempt to comfort me.

"Explain," Roderick's voice brought me back to my senses, a little. I shrugged off the guards' arms but didn't change my attack stance. If the opportunity were to present itself I would kill him.

"This twisted thing standing next to you killed a young girl under my protection," the vehement disgust in my voice seemed to surprise everyone in the room. Except for the sage eyed vamp, his expression remained blank but it seemed his eyes now held sorrow. Not that I would believe the monster capable of any emotion close to guilt. Roderick looked to the vamp and simply raised an eyebrow.

"She speaks of the Cortez girl, sir," the vamp answered. At once Roderick's face relaxed in recognition before almost immediately his brow furrowed.

"Silas are you are telling me that you have not only met this woman before but knew she was a hunter?" Roderick asked.

"Yes, sir. As you recall I briefed you on that trip, I informed you of the hunter with a description. I have only just returned from the latest job I received directly after that conversation." Silas responded calmly.

It looked as if Roderick was wanting someone else to direct his anger towards for falling into an almost lethal trap. But I was past caring about anyone else's emotions, as mine boiled over.

"How can you just callously sit there and talk about a young girl's murder as if it were nothing more than an errand?" I threw up my hands in exasperation. "You are all worse than fifth, you are demented, soulless monsters, every last one of you." My voice had almost cracked towards the end, long suppressed emotions threatened to surface, and I struggled to maintain a level head. My words seemed to have varying reactions around the room, while the humans looked at me as if I was some crazy fanatic. Silas looked upon me with something close to pity now, while Roderick's expression warred with hurt and indignation.

"The girl was not murdered," Roderick said flatly.

"Don't give me that propaganda bullshit. That because you need blood to survive that it isn't murder." I retorted taking a step towards him. Instantly the guards restrained my arms once again, but I was in no mood to be touched and flung them off forcefully, also turning to give them death glares.

"Enough," Roderick raised his voice a little, reminding me that the bigger threats were at my back. I again faced him, the guards didn't touch me again. "Call her, Silas so that we may carry on."

Without questioning, Silas took out a large screened smartphone and pressed a couple of buttons, taking a few steps towards me he held up the phone so that I could see the screen. I watched as a phone vibrates in tune with the audible ring a few times, just as I was about to insist I would not be distracted the phone disappeared and I saw what looked like a camera pointed to a vaulted ceiling. Then I heard it.

"Hello? Silas is that you?" It was a little girl's voice, one I didn't want to hope I recognized. But as I tried to doubt it, the camera on the phone shifted a bit I saw brown eyes that I knew I would never forget. Though they were not nearly as haunted as the last time I saw them, I couldn't deny it any longer when all of Isabella Cortez's face filled the screen. Her eyes squinted in scrutiny as she moved closer to the phone, then they lit up.