Page 64 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

She stopped tightening against possible tickles and straightened to look into my eyes. Then she stared at me a moment, her face uncovered and scars on full display. Lips relaxing into a smile, she cupped my face in her hands and kissed me.

Behind us, a throat cleared. We reluctantly pulled apart to glance over and find Henry in the doorway of his office, watching us. This time, getting caught didn’t make us leap apart. Instead, Isobel and I shifted closer to each other, facing him side by side.

Henry’s gruff, censuring stare eased when he looked at his daughter. “You do seem happier,” he finally relented.

Her entire presence brightened. “I am.”

Henry gave a single nod. “Then so am I.” After a single approving nod my way, he disappeared back into his office, where he closed the door.

I blew out a relieved breath. Isobel turned to me, her smile letting me know she was onto me. I’d been even more worried about my conversation with her dad than she’d probably been.

But what she said to me was, “Are you going to go straight home, or do you have plans this evening?”

The question was odd enough to make me pause and focus on her face. She looked expectant and hopeful, her eyes already begging, which let me know she wanted something from me. My blood pulsed with anticipation. I moved toward her, ready to give her anything.

“I don’t have plans,” I said, focusing on her mouth. “Why? Did you want me to stay?”

She bit her lip. “Actually, no. I’d like to go somewhere. Do you think you could take me?”

I shook my head, certain I’d misheard her. “What?”

“I said, I’d like go—”

“Are you kidding me?” I shouted. “Yes! I’d love to take you somewhere.

You mean, out of the house, away from Porter Hall, right? This is so…holy shit. Where do you want to go?”

She bit her lip. “It’s a surprise.”

I blinked. “A surprise?”

With a nod, she cleared her throat and glanced away. “So…are you in or not?”

Nodding freakishly hard, I said, “Of course I’m in. Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you. Gladly.”

“When’s the last time you left Porter Hall?” I asked, glancing toward the passenger side of the truck as we waited for the gates to swing open and let us out of the driveway.

Isobel bit her lip as she thought about the answer. “About six months ago, I think.” She shrugged. “I had a checkup with the doctor.”

“And before that?”

She kept her gaze fixed out the front windshield, but her hands sat tightly clasped in her lap, revealing her nerves. Leaving the property was a big deal for her. I reached out to cover her cold, trembling hands with my warm, steady ones, letting her know I understood. When she glanced over, I sent her a bolstering smile.

“Which way?”

She told me the address of where she wanted to go. I nodded, because I knew the area. Strangely, it wasn’t too far from my apartment. Then I tightened my grip on her knuckles and pulled onto the roadway.

The trip into town was quiet. I kept thinking I needed to start some brilliant, witty conversational topic, but the more I tried to think up something interesting to say, the less my brain spun ideas. Suddenly, I realized I was nervous. Not because I was going out into public with Isobel, but because she trusted me enough to take her there.

What if someone said something or did something to offend her and she never attempted another outing again? It was my responsibility to make it worth her while, to make her want to try again. This duty felt massive and almost too heavy for me to bear.

I wanted her to enjoy her time away from Porter Hall.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Isobel’s voice shook me from my thoughts. Glancing in the direction she pointed, I grinned.

The entire sidewall facing the road of the abandoned brick warehouse we passed bore a striking painting of a wolf grinning out at all the cars that passed. Next to it, a quote read:

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