CHAPTER FOUR
The music was too loud, there were too many people, and if one more frat boy grabbed her ass or her breast, she was going to scream and smack them across the head with a beer bottle. Jostled for the tenth time since she arrived, Isabelle wondered at the insanity that made her agree to this.
Hopefully it was only temporary lapse in sanity. God forbid, she be stuck with the insane need to get out and be “social”. The very idea had her skin crawling. She desperately wanted to be back in her nice little room with her books and the old myths of a world that so fascinated her.
Isabelle wanted to be away from the jocks vying for attention by drinking as much beer in ten seconds as humanly possible. Cheered on by frivolous little females in skirts that left little to the imagination and who would literally do anything to be with one of the jocks. Isabelle wept for the future of the human race.
The walls of her mind were being battered over and over by the blazing emotions of everyone around her. Each touch was painful to her soul. Even through the joyous descent into depravity, some of these people were bordering on depression and suicide.
She felt it all, like knives cutting into her brain. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to center herself, to feel only within. The noise dampened for a moment. Maybe she could do this. How many minutes left until her sixty-minute ordeal was up? Damn it, forty-five! She had only been here fifteen minutes? Already she felt strung out and drained. For one insane moment, sorrow rushed over her. Some deep part of her heart had hoped, just this once, she could be around people, be normal. It had been a foolish delusion.
She lifted the red plastic cup to her lips, allowing the tepid, tasteless beer to touch her tongue. She held it in her mouth for a few moments. Looking around the room to make sure no one saw her, she spat it back into the cup quickly and set it aside. Who could drink this crap? How did anyone get any pleasure from this? These people were crazy! This wasn’t fun. How could anyone in their right mind find this fun?
It was no doubt evil of her to keep silent as some drunk twenty-something grabbed the beer she’d just spat in and began drinking. Oh well, he could have her cooties. More spit was being exchanged between couples in the corners of the room than what she had deposited in that cup anyway.
Her neck was getting stiff, her head was beginning to pound, and this place was making her feel sick from the filth. Someone bumped into her and the fragile hold on her protective wall faltered. Her vision was flooded with light and flowing colors, everything coming to her at once. Then she was that frat boy, she felt as he felt.
Poor boy, he was so desperate to be accepted, he was willing to be the butt of all the jokes, allowing his Fraternity to humiliate and belittle him. He had to get in this House. He just had to. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to live. Thoughts of suicide if he failed beat at him, but he put on a façade of enjoyment. Laughing, he rejoined his “Fraternity Brothers” ‘brothers’. What a fucking joke.
The connection broke and Isabelle fell back against the wall. She felt like she was about to retch, breathing through the mini panic attack, she moved out of her corner of safety, making a break for the door. Natalie was tonsils deep with some guy in the corner, so now was the perfect time to escape the madness. The air around her was too close, too hot, filled with the smell of sweat, beer, and the raging emotions of humanity. Panic started to grip her anew as she barreled towards the exit and freedom.
She did not get far. In her blind rush to leave, she ran straight into what she at first thought was a damn wall it was so hard. Blinking and straightening she went to apologize but her breath caught in her throat. She took a step back and looked up into the brightest green eyes she had ever seen in her life. Those green eyes however were looking at her in total and absolute shock as if someone touching him were against every principle he stood for. Damn jock, no doubt. She barely noticed the second male who, in turn, also looked as if someone had slapped him.
“Did she just run into you?” The second man asked.
Isabelle looked between the two. Both turned their full and terrifying gaze upon her, one with eyes like liquid silver and the other with eyes of angry evergreen. She backed up another step, her mouth wide and no doubt gaping like a fish. The green-eyed man could have been ripped right from the pages of her romance novels. No, wait. Let’s call him what he was. A sex god. Mr. Sex God.
His eyes narrowed, all his attention seemingly focused on her made her hair stand on end. She experienced the strangest feeling of electric current running over her skin.
“It appears so. Is this a common occurrence in this century?” His attention shifted to the other male for a second before returning to her. She couldn’t help but notice an edge of tortured desperation in those emerald depths.
“Not so much. Humans believe less and less in the other worlds. Their brains tend to just ignore us. The fact this little one ran into you is interesting. Very interesting.” The look the silver-eyed man gave her sent chills over her skin. Isabelle suddenly felt like she was a prize meal, and he had the winning ticket. “I would be happy to take her back to the apartment. So rare for a mortal to be able to touch us without effort on our part.” The blatant hunger in his eyes and the promise in his voice had Isabelle sucking in a breath.
The green-eyed male suddenly moved between his comrade and her. She found it odd, it was an almost protective gesture. He seemed to shield her from the view of that powerful silver gaze. Why did that please her so much?
“I will see to the female.” Isabelle shivered when he spoke, she had never heard a voice like his before. While it was commanding, it hinted at a barely contained agony. He was ruled by it. For the first time in her life, she wanted to reach out and touch someone. She wanted to know the source of his torment. The other male appeared ready to argue. He didn’t get the chance to, however. Green Eyes turned and grabbed her by the arm, leading her—well, more like yanking her—from the building.
“Let me go, damn it!” Pulling and fighting against the grip he had on her arm was a lesson in futility. He did not appear to be willing to let her go any time soon. She had no choice but to follow as he dragged her away from that emotional torture chamber.
Isabelle had ascended from insanity to rubber room crazy in a matter of minutes. The two men had engaged in such inane conversation, she thought she must be dreaming. Then this one, who looked more like an angry Greek warrior, had grabbed her from the Frat house. It hadn’t been lost on her that Mr. Throwback hadn’t caused her pain when he’d touched her. His touch had instead been cooling to her frazzled emotional barrier. But that little jewel of amazement was going to have to wait until he was not studying her like he was going to keep her as some kind of pet.
“Fight all you like, it will do you no good. No one can see us.” What the hell was that supposed to mean? No man should have a voice like his and use words like “no one can see us.”
She took a few moments to compose herself and consider her options. She had a sexy-as-all-hell male refusing to release her. Currently appearing to stare into space like he was having flashbacks, and here she was not fighting back. Screw this. Bringing her foot down hard on his instep, she was rewarded with a grunt of pain as she was released.
Isabelle didn’t even think, she just brought her knee up, landing a square hit on his most precious possessions. The male collapsed to the floor with a groan, his breath leaving him in a rush of clear agony. He covered his groin, his face turning an unhealthy shade of white. Not waiting to see if she had crippled him and trying not to feel guilty about having crushed his crown jewels, she turned and bolted into the darkness.
For as long as Greed existed, he would never live down his humiliation in that moment. He knelt on the gravel path as he tried to catch his breath, watching her run away. The pain pulsed through him in waves making his eyes water. All he could think was, what the fuck?
He had been steadfastly ignoring her until they were away from the hellhole and into some semblance of fresh air. He’d been so consumed with questions, how had she collided with him? He had been covered fully in a glamour, it was impossible. Who was this little human who’d fought him like a hellcat, yet held such pain in her eyes? He’d found himself reluctant to release her arm. Her skin was warm, soft, a sensation he had long forgotten. His arm tingled, the sensation travelling up to his heart.
He’d looked over her face, there had been nothing amazing about her. She was plain, yet not. Her hair was a halo of mousey curls around her face. Her skin held the tanned hint of someone from the Mediterranean. Exposed shoulders and knee length summer dress showed the expanse of smooth skin, despite the autumn chill. That smooth skin made his body stand up and take notice. A straight nose and full lips that begged to be ravaged reminded him of how long he had been locked away without a female’s touch. Her eyes were blue—no wait, not blue, violet. Where had he seen such a color before? He couldn’t remember, yet a shimmering face formed in his mind, forgotten in his years of pain. But Greed knew one thing. He knew it from the second she’d run into him; he knew it in his soul. She was his.
His mind had been so wrapped up in ‘her’ his guard had been down. The damn little minx had not only managed to get out of his grip, but then proceeded to damage any chance of him fathering a child in the near future.
Damn her, she was going to pay for that. The desire to lay her over his knee and spank that ass of hers hit him, leading to all sorts of other places he wanted to lay her. Rolling to his feet, Greed gritted his teeth against the pain, letting out a harsh breath his hand cupping his groin again. The pain slowly began to ebb. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he sucked in a breath. God damn! He hoped to Hades Ze hadn’t seen that. He didn’t need his brother bringing this up. EVER!
He focused, trying to determine where the little female had gone. Oh she was going to get it now! He grudgingly accepted he had been bested by a woman. Making a mental note to not let his guard down around her again, he vanished into the darkness. For the first time since his release, he felt something other than anger and impassive acceptance. Excitement now thrummed through his veins, oh yes, he was motivated now. He was going to hunt down that minx, then he was going to make her pay for what she did to him. Oh, retribution was going to be so sweet.
Isabelle kept running, pausing only once or twice to make sure the male wasn’t following. Remorse bit at her. It wasn’t like he’d harmed her at all. Other than being terrifyingly gorgeous with a gaze that could melt an ice-cap, he had seemed as shocked as she at their meeting. Panting a little, she leaned back against the wall of a campus building, closing her eyes. She found herself hoping he was alright, then shook her head. He had been about to hurt her, right?
Her brain finally caught up with her racing heart and realized she had felt nothing from him. No emotions, no constant bombarding attack on her defenses. He had been blissfully silent. How was it even possible? Everyone had emotions. They were a blanket of sharp peaks and shallow troughs of feeling she was always tripping in or being stabbed by. But with him, he was a calm flat sea with barely a ripple.
Isabelle breathed slowly, willing her heart to slow down. She was pretty sure waiting in the dark was hardly the best plan in the world. She listened intently for a few moments but didn’t hear anyone following. Frowning, she looked around, trying to discern where she was. She hadn’t spent much time exploring the university grounds. She knew where her dorm was, where her classes were, and well, that was about it. So the dark section of campus where she now stood was new to her. Crap, her brain berated her as she headed down the barely lit pathway. She hoped she could at least make it to the main campus. From there, she would know where she was.
The only sounds in the darkness were her feet crunching on the gravel path. Fear of the unknown lurking and hidden in the night around her irrationally gripped her mind. She felt her chest contracting as her brain played out all the bad things that could happen. One thing Isabelle had learned from being an exposed nerve to the emotional tide of others, was to always trust her gut instinct. The night was growing cold, not like the Greek Warrior God had thought to grab her jacket before pulling her from the party.
Shivering, she rubbed the chill from her arms, wishing she had it now. Unease began to curl through her. Someone was watching. It wasn’t the green-eyed male. He had evoked a totally different response, almost like déjà vu. Isabelle scanned the dark path ahead. She could hear people somewhere in the night, not far away. Her brain screamed at her, told her to turn around and go back. Never one to ignore her inner senses, she stopped and turned to leave, only to be brought up hard and fast by a scrawny looking boy in sweats and a baseball cap.
“Well, lookie what we have here. You know good girls shouldn’t be out this late at night on campus. Let me escort you back to your dorm. Least a gentleman can do.”
Gentleman my ass, was her first thought. Isabelle wasn’t about to be accosted by two men in one night. The sick feeling washing off this male turned her stomach. Glee, he was insanely happy he had run across her. Panic threaded into her heart as she took a step back.
“I’m fine, thank you. I don’t need any help.” She turned and began to walk away from the boy and the sick feeling rolling from his form.
Unfortunately, she didn’t get far. A second boy, much shorter than the first, stepped out from the trees blocking her path. Terror gripped her, but she refused to allow it to get a foothold. Without a word she changed direction again. Her heart was about to jump out of her chest, she was sure they could hear it beating.
“Hey lady, where you going? It’s not safe out here.” The sound of jogging footsteps and tall Baseball Cap was back before her, leaning on a tree. “You’re not being very polite, you know? I think we need to show you how to be polite to people offering to help you.” The sickness seemed to swell from him. Isabelle could feel it like a stifling blanket over her lungs.
This was why she liked to remain alone. Being an exposed receiver for every dark feeling someone possessed eternally rubbed her brain and soul raw. She always knew when they would hurt someone, or show contempt for others. She needed to get away from here, this place was rancid with their presence.
“Brian, grab her.” The cold words came from Baseball Cap’s mouth and terror settled over her.
“Don’t use my name, fucker! We don’t want her to ID us!”
“Dude, you honestly think we’re going to let her walk away? Why? We would be arrested. Hurry up and grab her before she runs.” The one called Brian shook his head, making a grab for her. Isabelle whirled out of his reach and took off at a run. She should have just remained with Big, Tall, and Green-Eyed. Too late for regrets now. Branches whipped across her face as she ran, the voices of the two men behind her like the hounds of hell at her heels.
The darkness made it hard to see, plus she was looking behind her. Stupid move, but primal instinct wasn’t always the most intelligent. She had to get into the light, somewhere she could find people. Her brain was rushing a mile a minute. That meant she wasn’t paying much attention to where she was running. She tripped over a fallen log and lost her footing, her ankle screaming in pain, forcing the air from her lungs. Isabelle covered her mouth and bit down hard on the meat of her palm, anything to stop herself from screaming at the pain now radiating from her ankle. Tears burned in her eyes as she buried herself against the log. No way she could run now, she was a sitting duck. She only hoped they didn’t find her and lost interest.
Her hope was quashed a second later as a filthy, pudgy hand grabbed her, dragging her out of her sanctuary by her swollen ankle. Pain forced a scream from her throat. Then she felt weight on her hips. She wasn’t giving this bastard what he wanted without a fight. She turned into a wildcat. Her nails scratching, teeth biting as she used the pain to fuel her fight.
“Fuck! Get down here and hold her! Hurry up! Someone probably heard her scream.”
Baseball Cap covered her mouth with his hand as Brian grabbed her head and slammed it against the ground. Light exploded behind her eyes, dots flashing over her vision. Sweaty hands grabbed hers and pinned her to the damp ground. Her brain swam with pain, and she watched in horror as Baseball Cap struggled to unbutton his jeans with one hand.
You have moments where clarity of the present hits you. It all seemed rather surreal. Despite struggling, she was trapped. No amount of fighting could prevent her fate. Every sense was alive, which made it all the worse. The smell of the man above her, mixed with rotting leaves and recent rain. His emotions of triumphant success and gleeful joy echoed how sick to his very soul he truly was. Would this be her last memory, rotting leaves and a rotten soul? Terror still writhed inside her, clarity solidified inside her, Isabelle knew she was going to die tonight.
She could feel hands reaching under her dress. God no, please no. Her brain couldn’t deal with the truth of what was about to happen. Then from somewhere in the distance an animalistic roar filled the darkness. It reminded her of primal rage and pure anger. How odd. Suddenly her hands were free and the sound of cracking bone and pitiful sobbing filled the night. Was that her crying?
The weight was gone from her in a second, her head lolling to the side. A beast, no, a man threw Baseball Cap against a tree as if he were some kind of rag doll. His head snapped back, his body slumping down to the forest floor.
Isabelle felt like she was in a dream, watching through haze-filled eyes as He-man picked up Baseball Cap by his throat, bringing his mouth close to his own. How strange, she thought, as something shimmery and black was pulled from the creep’s body, vanishing into the beast of a man who now dropped Baseball Cap like he was trash.
She watched light infuse his form, ethereal, swirling shapes appearing on his skin. Beautiful, she thought as those glowing green eyes turned to her, watching her from the darkness. Flicking flames of emerald licked at his skin before dancing off into the sky, it was mesmerizing. How had she thought his eyes were evergreen? They were bright, sparkling emeralds. The glowing man walked towards her and knelt, his scent wrapped around her, sinking into her brain. She felt like she was floating, wow he smelled so good.
“Woman, speak to me.” There was a tinge of worry in his sparkling eyes. He looked down over her body as if he didn’t know what to do with her now that he had found her.
“Izzy… not woman… hmm you smell like spices.” She felt the fog drifting over her mind. Concussion no doubt, plus the pain from her ankle, she couldn’t think straight. Right now, with his body crowding close to hers, she didn’t care. He provided her a moment of blissful, pain free, silence. It was a gift she didn’t know that she could ever repay.
“What sort of name is Izzy? I do not like it…” The male snorted and touched a finger to the bleeding wound on the back of her head.
It made her laugh a little despite the pain. “Isabelle, Mr. Grouchy…sorry I ran…” Her voice faded as darkness finally overtook her brain.
Greed looked down at the human female. If he had been a moment later, those cursed souls would have…it was unthinkable. Rage swelled inside him. He couldn’t even put a name to how vile they were. He looked over the woman again. Isabelle, her name whispered through his mind like a benediction. He stood to leave, he knew he should leave. No doubt someone would find her in the morning. She didn’t have life threatening injuries. Having ties to humans was bad—it had only bought him pain.
Walking away, he paused and looked back at her prone form. Mud and leaves matted her halo of curls, her skin darkening with bruises. His eyes moved to her ankle, not quite broken but she wouldn’t be using it for a while. Gritting his teeth, he stepped away, drawing up short again. His fingertips tingled from where he touched her head, the scent of her blood still on his fingers. He rubbed them against his jeans to alleviate the sensation.
Greed lifted his hand to his chest, trying to work through the torrent of emotions rushing through him. The idea of leaving her here for anyone to find was abhorrent to him. One thought permeated through the haze of emotionless indifference. Mine. He was the embodiment of greed and Greed knew with every fiber of his being this little female belonged to him. The Sin of Greed kept what was his.
Returning to her prone form, he lifted her into his arms. Greed breathed in her scent, indulging himself in that small pleasure, her scent wrapping around him sending a rush down his spine. Below the stench of rotting vegetation and lingering fear, he smelled violets. Again with the violets. He was developing an addiction. She weighed so little in his arms, and even though she was tall for a mortal, he still dwarfed her.
He moved past the fallen bodies of those he had killed this night. No concern for them marred his determination. He needed to get the injured female back to the apartment. The best healer he knew was Lucifer, but his leader would have a fit if he bought back a human. Greed found he didn’t care in the least.
With skin on skin contact, his body came alive. Everywhere they touched, he experienced the sensation of flames licking over his flesh. Yet under it all he could feel the pain radiating through her body. It was unacceptable. His mind made up, he gathered the shadows around him, feeling the energy flowing over his skin. Holding the female close, he used the shadows to travel from the dark path to the rooftop of his home. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to go down well with his brothers. Snorting, he headed to the door. Like he cared what they thought. They would just have to accept it. Greed did not give up his property, not to anyone, not even his brothers.