“Not just from you. It’s a protective spell I crafted on my first night here. I couldn’t—can’t—let anyone else find out I’m half demon. Vampires, other demons, witches… I wouldn’t be safe from any of them.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Everyone fears that which they do not know and cannot control.”
“What about you?” she ventured. “Do you fear me?”
An unexpectedly warm smile spread across Isabelle’s face. “No. I know there’s much more to you than a hybrid created to ensure the endless dominion of her vile makers.”
Jaci returned her smile. “Well, when you put itthatway…”
“Gabriel also told me about your half-sister, and the other secrets you’ve kept from him.”
Shame heated Jaci’s cheeks, but before she could explain herself, Isabelle held up a hand and said, “I’m not here to pass judgment, Jacinda. I haven’t the time nor the inclination. You were trying to protect yourself, and Gabriel’s actions at Bloodbath didn’t exactly lay the groundwork for a relationship built on trust and security.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t call those first few weeks a relationship. That was more like a punishment.”
Isabelle arched an eyebrow, another smile touching her lips. “Was?”
“Things… evolved. We got closer. I wanted to tell him about everything, but things just got so crazy, and…” She lowered her gaze to the floor, cursing herself inside. “Doesn’t matter. If I could rewind the clock and do it over, I would. But I can’t.”
“The fact that you want to, though… That’s growth.”
“Really? Feels like one step forward, a hundred steps backward to me. At the rate I’m screwing things up lately, I’ll be back in diapers before you know it.”
“Growth is rarely a straight line, especially where love is concerned. There are—”
“Love?” Jaci forced out a laugh, ignoring the wave of heat the word unleashed in her chest. “Have youmetGabriel Redthorne? That man is utterly incapable of emotion, let alone forming an actual relationship with another person.”
Isabelle said nothing. Just nodded her head and smiled like a wise woman of old, making Jaci hot and itchy and more than ready to jump on a different train.Anytrain.
“So,” Jaci said brightly. “As much as I love a good tea party, I’m pretty sure that’s not why you’re here.”
“I’malwaysavailable for a tea party,” Isabelle said, “but you’re right. I’m here because I want to help with this Viansa situation.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“You do realize Viansa is a dangerous succubus, an original demon with the powers of mind control and illusion magic, and—not to put too fine a point on it—a psychotic bitch?”
“All the more reason I want to help. The vampire family I’m bonded to—a relationship I cherish more than you could possibly know—is in grave danger. That alone is cause for my involvement. But one of those vampires is alsoveryworried about you—whether he’ll admit it out loud or not—and I can’t blame him. This is big, Jacinda. Bigger than you. He knows you need help—more than he can give you on his own.”
The thought of Gabriel’s concern prickled her insides. It felt too heavy, just like his compassion had earlier. A thing she didn’t deserve and didn’t even know how to carry.
“Viansa ismysister,” she said defensively. “Mydisaster to fix.”
Again, Isabelle said nothing. Just lifted the mug to her lips, sipping her tea as if she had all the time in the world for Jaci to come to her senses.
After an agonizingly long moment of silence, Isabelle finally said, “Accepting help is not a sign of weakness. Quite the opposite, actually. It takes a strong woman to recognize when she needs it, and an even stronger one to take it when it’s offered.”
The words cut right to the heart of the matter, leaving Jaci completely raw and exposed. Her gaze darted around the living room, desperate for something else to land on, for a subject change, for an excuse to show Isabelle the exit, run to the bedroom, and burrow deep beneath her blankets, hiding away from the world.
But in the end, therewasnothing else to land on. All Jaci had left was the truth.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “It’s just… Where I come from, help isn’t offered without strings, and blindly accepting it is the fastest way to eternal damnation.”
Isabelle nodded, her eyes reflecting a deep understanding Jaci hadn’t even realized she’d needed. “You’re not in hell anymore, sweetness. Try to remember that.”
A tear slipped down Jaci’s cheek, but Isabelle’s soft touch on her hand brought a new smile to her face.
