Chapter Six
Isaac stormed down the steps of Saige’s building, already regretting losing his patience with her. What she said, though… He slammed the outside door open and took off down the street at a brisk walk. He knew she was young. He knew that their pairing had happened unexpectedly, tying them both together forever. He knew how hard her life had been, given her issues with trust and with men, but none of that helped him contain the anger that shot through him the moment she’d told him she was broken. He knew what that meant. He knew she felt like she didn’t deserve to be happy or safe, and that made him crazy.
I may have hesitated all those years ago, but I haven’t since then. And I never will again. I’ll never fail my family when they need me, and now that includes Saige. I’ll keep her safe, even if she doesn’t want me to. He hadn’t spent the past century learning how to kill for nothing.
He made it to the parking lot behind the building where he taught his class, and stopped outside of his car. He had to get a grip. Driving while he was this upset wouldn’t be wise. He took a deep breath and let it out, and then did it again. It didn’t help.
“Shit,” he muttered, and then he dug out his cell phone to call his brother Greyson. He worried about the shadow Saige had seen. After sharing her memories, he was convinced she wasn’t being paranoid. It could be her father, or something even more ominous. Either way, he needed her protected, and that meant calling his brother for help.
“Hey, Isaac. Interesting that you called,” his older brother said when he picked up.
Isaac sighed, knowing that his brother would have sensed his pairing with Saige through the net. “Yeah. Things here are…” He paused, trying to think of a way to explain everything that had happened. But I can’t, because I’m not exactly sure how I got to this point. He shook his head, giving up. “I need some more sensors, Greyson.”
“The Stronghold net strengthened again, you know,” Greyson replied, voice neutral. “Who is she?”
Isaac rubbed his face. “Her name is Saige, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Everyone knows, Isaac. It’s kind of impossible not to notice when the energy fueling our tech suddenly increases exponentially. Every pairing—”
Isaac cut him off. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Every time one of us pairs with someone, the Stronghold net grows stronger. It’s a good thing, except when the woman you pair with doesn’t want you around.” He took another deep breath. His worry over Saige and their tenuous connection had him on edge.
A pause, and then Greyson sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry, Isaac.”
“I can’t talk about it right now.” Isaac could tell his brother was curious, but he really didn’t want to get into it all, and especially not over a cell phone line. “The sensors? Do you have any extras? Something’s been following Saige, and I need to figure out what’s going on.”
“Something?” Greyson asked, sounding confused. “Not Spiders?”
“No. Something else. It might be her father. It might be another player. I need more information,” Isaac replied, trying to keep the details to a minimum.
“Well, you’re in luck. I just finished making another set of five, and they have the cloak tech Solomon just invented,” Greyson said. “You can have them.”
“Okay, great. I’ll come by for them once I get home. Give me an hour or so,” Isaac unlocked his car and slid into the driver’s side. He’d calmed down, but he still felt unsettled. Because Saige isn’t here with me. And I can’t protect her like this. I need those sensors.
“Is that wise? I live on the opposite side of the country.”
Isaac frowned. “The transporter is instantaneous. I can pop in and then pop out with no fuss, remember?”
“I know. I just mean that you’ll be very, very far away from your paired mate,” Greyson said. “That won’t be very comfortable for either of you.”
“Fuck.” Isaac hadn’t really thought about that. “I don’t suppose…” He trailed off, worrying over Saige being alone in her apartment.
“Yes, I’ll bring them to you. Just let me know when you’re home,” Greyson said, a note of sympathy in his voice.
Isaac grimaced. He hated having to rely on his brothers, but this time he had no choice. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“It’s really no problem,” Greyson said, and then added. “If there’s anything else I can do, just let me know.”
“I wish there was,” Isaac told him, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He was starting to get a headache. And it’s only going to get worse, the longer and further we’re apart. He started the car, putting the air conditioner on full blast. “I’ve got to get going.”
“No problem. I’ll see you soon,” Greyson said, and then the line went dead.
Isaac tucked his cell phone back into his pocket, then pulled out of the lot. It was going to be a hell of a long drive home.
****
Saige paced her apartment, stopping every once in a while to curse Isaac out loud, and then berate herself for being a bitch. He didn’t deserve her attitude. Guilt made her stomach roil, but she gritted her teeth and kept walking, hoping the movement would calm her down. She massaged her temples, but it didn’t do a damn thing to help her increasingly annoying headache. It wasn’t until she stubbed her toe on the only chair she owned that she stopped. “Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered, hands on her ankle as her foot throbbed.
“This is your own fault,” she told herself, staring down at her red pinky toe. “It better not be broken.” She headed for the bathroom. Turning on the cold water, she stuck her foot over the side of the tub, grimacing when the water hit her sore toe. She should’ve kept her cool and not thrown Isaac out so abruptly.
“No,” she said aloud. “I shouldn’t have slept with him. What the hell was I thinking? Now he’s stuck with me, and no one deserves that.” She stared at the water swirling around her foot. Her skin was even redder now—the cold water chilled her skin. She remembered her grandmother urging her to date a Sentry, and snorted, half amused, half pissed off.
“Oh, the irony. ‘Just give romance a chance, Saige,’ she says, and what do you know, I end up in bed with my history professor, who just happens to be a Sentry. Fuck my life.”
This was her grandmother’s fault, Saige decided, nodding. If her grandmother hadn’t nagged at her, she wouldn’t have even been thinking about sex. And when Isaac had seen her home, she would’ve just said goodbye at the door, like a normal person, and not jumped his bones like a sex-starved lunatic. Except you’re forgetting about how you wanted him long before you talked to your grandmother, a little voice at the back of her head reminded her. “Dammit.”
When her phone rang, it startled her enough that she knocked her already painful toe against the porcelain. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she said irritably, twisting off the water. She groped for a towel, then gave up as her phone kept ringing. She headed back out and grabbed her cell from the bag she’d left near the door in a heap on the floor. When she recognized the number, she sighed.
“Saige here,” she said, staring at the water she’d tracked across her small apartment.
“Saige, hi. June called in sick. Can you come in? We need you at the store,” her manager Marsha said. “I’m sorry. I know it’s your night off. If foot traffic slows down, I can let you go early, and pay you some overtime.”
“Marsha, hey. How are you? I’m fine,” Saige said, snarking at her boss. “Thanks for asking.”
“Saige, you’re killing me here. I already had one delivery guy drop a shipment out back and smash every plate in the box,” Marsha replied tiredly.
“Oh, hell. I’m sorry,” Saige said, feeling like a jerk. “What time?”
“Can you be here five minutes ago?”
Not unless I use Isaac’s transporter tech, Saige thought, rolling her eyes. “Ha. I’ll do my best to invent time travel, but no promises.”
“Thank you,” Marsha said, sounding relieved. “I think June hacked up a lung while she was on the phone with me.”
“Ugh. I hope she left her germs at home, and not all over the store,” Saige said, grabbing a towel to mop up her floor. She glanced at her bed, then quickly looked away. Her fitted sheet stretched half on, half off the mattress. The comforter was scrunched up in a pile near her pillow. The flat sheet … well, she was still wearing it. She’d have to deal with the cleanup from her failed hookup disaster later.
Or maybe never. I can sleep in my chair, right? The thought of washing her sheets and erasing all evidence of Isaac in her bed filled her with an unexpected pang of regret. She thought she’d be relieved to have him gone, and instead she felt off-balance. Worried. “I need to grab something to eat, and then I’ll be there.”
“Okay, thanks, Saige. You’re a life saver,” Marsha said.
Saige snorted. “I’m not even close to being that nice of a person, Marsha. I expect donuts. And coffee.”
Marsha laughed. “I can do coffee. If you want donuts, you’re on your own. See you soon.” She hung up.
Saige smiled wryly, then sighed as she surveyed the wreckage of her apartment. Right now, it felt like a painful metaphor for her life. Her body still buzzed with the afterglow of Isaac’s lovemaking, but her head hurt more with every minute that passed. “I am so screwed.”
****
Isaac strode into his cabin, and headed right for the pillar taking up space in the middle of the room. He put his hands on it, willing his energy to interface with the Stronghold net. When he felt the familiar tingle of energy aligning, he pulsed an inquiry to Greyson. Sooner than he’d expected, his brother’s image appeared on the pillar, like a sci-fi movie’s virtual reality special effect. He nodded as Greyson’s silver-flecked brown eyes focused on him.
“That was quick,” Isaac said, stepping back. He didn’t have to be touching the pillar anymore to maintain the connection.
“I’ve got the sensors ready,” Greyson said, hands holding a small box.
“Mi casa es su casa,” Isaac replied, opening his arms in the universal sign for welcome. “Feel free to drop in.”
Greyson smiled. “Eva is coming with me.”
Isaac made a face. “Of course she is. She wants to know what happened.” He didn’t even have to phrase it as a question. His sister-in-law wasn’t the subtlest of women. He loved her like a sister, but sometimes her intuitiveness caught him off guard. “She’s going to interrogate me, isn’t she?”
Greyson smiled wryly. “You know it.”
“Whatever.” Isaac sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Hell, maybe she can give me some advice. I need help. Women confound me.”
“Help?” Greyson burst out laughing. “Are you insane? Do you really want to take advice from someone who loves to play matchmaker? She introduced Solomon and Lucy, remember? I’ll do you a favor and not tell her you said that.”
Isaac scowled. “I don’t see you offering me any help.”
“That’s because he’s a man. Men are notoriously clueless when it comes to romance,” Eva said, stepping into view. She looked at her husband. “No need to not tell me what Isaac said. I heard everything.” She grinned impishly.
Greyson flushed slightly.
“Hell. The two of you disturb me,” Isaac muttered, stepping back further. He pressed his thumbs to his temples. His headache was getting worse. “She’s got you wrapped around her little finger, Greyson.”
“You can have a happily ever after, too, Isaac. All you have to do is trim that thing you have growing on your face.” Eva smirked.
“But this is part of my disguise,” Isaac protested, fingering his chin.
Eva raised her eyebrows at him. Isaac hunched his shoulders. “I’m going to trim it soon,” he muttered. “Saige doesn’t like it.”
Eva laughed.
“Please come on over so you can lecture me in person. It’s more fun that way.” He waited a beat. “Not that you need my permission. I’m sure you already planned on telling me how badly I screwed up.” He forced a smile so she’d know he was teasing.
Eva rolled her eyes at him. “We ready?” she asked, turning to her paired mate and husband.
“Yes,” Greyson replied.
She nodded and put her hand on his arm. The view screen faded, and then a moment later, Eva and Greyson were stepping out of the pillar and into Isaac’s open living room.
“I’m never going to get used to that,” Greyson said, rolling his shoulders. “Walking through solid stone is unnatural.”
“Don’t tell Solomon that. He’ll be crushed that you don’t like his invention,” Eva said, smiling up at her husband.
“It may be useful, but it’s still creepy as hell,” Isaac said, striding forward. “Hey, Greyson. Thanks for stopping by.” He touched his finger to the side of his eye.
“Greetings, Isaac.” Greyson returned the gesture, the Sentries’ salute for their oath to always watch for enemies, and then, surprisingly, he pulled Isaac into a one-armed hug.
“Whoa, man.” Isaac said after Greyson let go. “Hugs now?” He turned to Eva. “What the hell have you done with my cranky, antisocial brother?”
Eva laughed. “He was only grumpy because he was lonely.”
Greyson frowned at his wife, then shrugged. “She’s right.”
Isaac smirked. “You’re whipped, Greyson.”
Greyson snorted. “So are you.”
“What? No, I’m not,” Isaac protested, giving Eva his best “help me” look. She raised her hands and shook her head, leaving him to fend for himself. At least, I’m not whipped yet, he admitted very privately to himself. If he concentrated, he could feel Saige’s frustration and guilt over their link, but the pain of his headache made it difficult. “Where are the sensors?”
“Right here.” Greyson held out the box.
Isaac took the box from him and opened it, inspecting the contents. “Five of them. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Greyson looked around. “You really shouldn’t be so far away from her, you know.”
Isaac sighed, then rubbed his forehead. Again. “Yeah, but she’s not all that happy about pairing.”
“How is that possible? She had to have agreed with it for it to happen,” Eva said.
“It kind of snuck up on both of us,” Isaac admitted, shaking his head. “I honestly didn’t think it could happen so fast, or so easily.”
Greyson frowned. “Snuck up on you? It’s not the kind of thing that can just happen. You have to choose it. It takes a lot of concentrated effort to pair with another person. It’s not like you can just trip and fall into someone else’s brain.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to the universe. We were in the middle of things, and then … boom. Pairing. If I’d tried to stop it, we would both have ended up with brain damage.” Isaac headed for the kitchen area. He needed a drink. “Do you want something to drink? Coffee?”
“No thanks,” Eva said, clearly confused by his explanation of his and Saige’s pairing. She glanced at Greyson. “Pairing wasn’t that easy for us.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Greyson said.
Isaac frowned. “It was too easy. I would’ve been a hell of a lot more careful if I’d realized how easy it would be.” He pulled a glass out of the cabinet. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d still choose to be with Saige. She’s an impressive woman.”
“But you’d have taken more time to get to know her first, right?” Eva asked.
Isaac nodded. “Exactly.”
“She’s not entirely human, is she?” Greyson suddenly said.
Isaac paused with his hand on the faucet. “Perceptive bastard,” he muttered. He filled his glass with water and downed the entire thing in one swallow, then exhaled. “There was always something about her that was different from the other humans I’ve met.” He set the glass down and ran a hand over the back of his neck. “She saw right through my disguise. She’s very intuitive. She always has been.”
“You need to tell Bruno.”
“Oh hell, no,” Isaac said, glaring at his brother. “I’m not going to get everyone involved in my love life. Not yet, anyway.”
“We only want to help,” Greyson said.
“No.” Isaac snorted. “Nope.”
Eva laughed. “Well, you know where we live if you need us.”
“I do.” Isaac rolled his shoulders, but the tension in his neck wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m going to set these up immediately. Someone or something was following her, and I don’t feel comfortable with her wandering around without protection.”
“Did you give her the shield ring?” Greyson asked.
Isaac nodded. “I did, but I doubt she’ll wear it.”
“She shouldn’t need it, though, right? I mean, you paired?” Eva sounded confused. “She has the same protection from the Spiders as you do. She can even fight them off.”
“We paired, but she didn’t want me to stay with her. I had no time to explain the nuances of her newly enhanced abilities.” Isaac debated what to tell them. “She’s had a rough life. And this unexpected metaphysical whammy didn’t endear her to me.”
“But she has your memories.” Eva looked at her husband. “As soon as I saw what you’d been through, I understood everything.”
Greyson pulled her close. “It doesn’t always work the same for all of us.”
“That is the truth. Our parents had terrible arguments,” Isaac said, grimacing as he remembered. “They loved each other, but their love couldn’t fix everything wrong in their lives.” Eva looked so sad at this that Isaac had to smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay. I’ve only just met her. I intend on wooing her.”
Eva smiled. “You were always a flirt.”
Isaac chuckled. “We’ll see if my skills are up to the task.” He looked at his brother. “Do you know if the Others tinkered with anyone else’s DNA? Or just our family? And no, I’m not forgetting the Sentries in Europe and Asia.”
Greyson rubbed his chin. “As far as I know, our family and those two others on the other continents were the only ones. And we’re the ones responsible for maintaining the Stronghold net and all the tech. The other Sentries are just watchers, but you know that. The DNA mutations didn’t take properly for them.”
“I know that Saige felt more than human when I met her. Something about her called me here.” Isaac paused, thinking about her intuition. “I don’t know. Nothing makes sense. I have her memories, but she doesn’t know much about her father’s family.”
“I can ask Solomon if he knows anything. He’s better than all of us when it comes to searching the repository for old archives.”
“No, no. It’s okay.” Isaac did not want his other brothers getting involved. “If you ask Solomon, he’ll tell Bruno, and then I’ll have Mr. Cantankerous all up in my business. Again. He’s already calling me every other day.”
Eva chuckled. “He’s not that bad.”
Isaac gave her a look. “Yes. He totally is.”
“His time will come,” Greyson said cryptically.
Isaac knew his brother meant that Bruno would meet his mate, and everything would change. “That time can’t come soon enough for me,” he said, grinning as he imagined Bruno falling in love. “I’m going to see if I can get a front row seat for the show.”
Eva shook her head. “You guys. Don’t be mean to poor Bruno.”
“Poor Bruno?” Greyson looked at his wife in disbelief.
Eva just smiled. “Come on. Let’s go home. Isaac will want to set up his sensors and we’re wasting his time.” Greyson let her pull him to the pillar, but just before they dematerialized, he paused.
“You’ll let us know if you find something, right?” Greyson asked.
Isaac nodded. “If it’s important, I’ll share it.” And he’ll have to be satisfied with that for now. I won’t betray Saige’s trust unless I’ve got a damn good reason. Right now, we don’t know anything about her father’s genetics or the shadow following her.
“Very well,” Greyson said, clearly understanding what Isaac hadn’t said.
“Keep safe.” Isaac touch his finger to the corner of his eye.
“You, too.” Eva touched her eye.
“I’m only a moment away, brother.” Greyson nodded, then touched his eyes. Eva put her hand on his arm, and together they stepped into the pillar.
Isaac waited until they’d gone, and then he grabbed the sensors. “Might as well get this done sooner rather than later,” he said, tucking the box under his arm. He headed outside, involuntarily glancing up at the sky. The muted green of the Sentry’s camouflage shield protecting the planet shimmered in the atmosphere if he looked at it just right. The Stronghold tech was stronger than ever, but for some reason, that knowledge didn’t reassure him. He needed his paired mate to be safe. And to protect her, he needed Saige to accept him. He’d do whatever it took to change her mind about their connection. Even if it means following her like a creepy stalker, he vowed.