Page 79 of Isabel and the Werewolf Beast

“I should feed before we arrive,” Isabel whispered, tugging my hand into a compartment behind a man.

The man lifted his chin as he surveyed us from the leather seat. Isabel’s vampire power flared as she stared into his eyes.

“Stay still. Don’t say a word,” she commanded.

My heart hammered as my tongue twisted in my mouth. I wanted to stop her, but I didn’t at the same time. This was who she was. A vampire who fed on humans. But could I stand to see her feed from another man? I touched the moonstone necklace and concentrated on stayingcalm for her.

“In one minute, you’ll fall asleep for the entire train ride. You’ll wake refreshed with no memory of us.”

Isabel sat on the seat beside him. The red velvet fabric suited her and her pale skin as she lifted his wrist to her mouth and buried her shiny white fangs into his flesh. The beast inside me roared with protectiveness, but Isabel drank a couple of pulls into her mouth, then released the man’s hand. She winked at me before gently setting the man back into the seat, patting the floppy brown hair on his head like he was a good boy. Isabel tugged me out of his compartment and led me across the corridor to our compartment. She settled into my side as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

For her, it hadn’t.

But this was my mate, my life now. I accepted her for who she was even while I was jealous she’d fed from another man.

“My grandsire wouldn’t have offered help if he didn’t believe it would work,” Isabel said, tracing her thumbnail over the back of my hand.

The scenery outside the window whizzed by in a blur of buildings in the city to rambling hills to the ocean lapping at the shore with waves of silver moonlight. Any other time I might be happy to be traveling out of my village, out of my country to a place where monsters were accepted and taught in an academy.

But all I could think about was Asher. And my mate.

“Ludwig wasn’t too fond of me when he first met me.” I dragged my gaze from the window to the beautiful woman by my side. My mate.

“He’s never too fond of anyone to start with.” A delicate smile pulled at her blood-red lips. “You’re still frowning,” Isabel said, leaning over my arm, peering into my eyes with the concern of a woman who had nothing but love in her eyes.

I never thought I’d see that look aimed at me. Let alone now I was a monster. She accepted me too.

“Just me being jealous you fed from another man.”

She laughed huskily. “So you’d be fine with me feeding from a woman?”

My grin stretched lopsided as I contemplated her words. “I’d be jealous of anyone you fed from. Can’t you feed from only me?”

“We both know what happens when I feed from you.” She fluttered her thick black eyelashes.

I let out a long drawn-out sigh and draped my arm around her shoulders. “I won’t ever get used to this.”

“To us?” Her delicate throat worked as she swallowed. “Or to me as a vampire?”

“To being loved so wholly.”

“Dante, you will and so will I,” she whispered.

“You were the first person to accept me for who I was as a beast. How could I not accept you as a vampire?” I leaned down and kissed her. “I love everything about you.”

“I love every part of you too.” Her luscious red lips stretched into a happy smile.

The train slowed, the steady click of the wheels echoing in a softer tune now. Brighter lights flickered on as most people slept the journey through the night. Shuffling noises sounded from the compartments around us as people prepared to disembark. I stood and balanced easily as the train lurched to a stop on the tracks. Isabel joined me and together hand in hand we walked from the train onto the platform.

An attendant dressed in a yellow button-down vest and black pants rushed forward and led us to where they’d unload Asher and Isabel’s very large travel case. By the time we threaded our way through the crowd of people the coffin and Isabel’s case were on a trolley and being wheeled to a tall black horse snorting steam inthe frigid night air, shuffling from hoof to hoof, leather creaking under the strain of the fidgeting animal. The carriage behind it was tall and long, intricate swirls of carved wood decorated the exterior and the same insignia as the professors wore on their suits glowed under the golden lights dotted along the outskirts of the train station.

“A horse and carriage?” I whispered in Isabel’s ear.

“The professors are old. Ancient. Plus the track to the Nightshade Academy is only accessible this way unless you want to walk?”

“I’m not leaving Asher’s side.” My claws threatened to burst through my skin, but I held the beast inside.

The attendant and the carriage driver loaded the coffin and the case onto the top of the carriage and strapped them in place with ropes.

---