Chapter Thirteen
“Iseult attack. Iseult punish now.” Iseult was halfway to the door before she realized she was in Spiderus form.
No, a plan. She needed a strategy. Iseult stewed, she cursed, she scuttled around her bungalow for the rest of the day while she pondered her method of attack.
Several scenarios occurred, and she rejected each before coming to a final decision.
The perfect way to gain payback for Betrys’s betrayal.
Iseult stomped over to her communicator. “Head guard,” she demanded. She tapped her two front feet on the tiles in an impatient rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat.
“Yes, mistress,” the man replied in a prompt and obliging manner.
“I require your services later tonight. Please come to the resort and wait outside the fence until I call. The barrier surrounds the resort, but a Spiderus will have no trouble jumping.”
“Yes, mistress. We come now.”
“I will call you with details,” Iseult said and cut the call.
Now she would practice her shifting. For her plan to work, she must walk through the resort in her humanoid form. Yes, more food for strength. That would make a good start.
“How much longer?” Betrys asked.
Leo bit back a smartass comment. If he stood in Betrys’s shoes, he’d act crazy too. “You know the plan, sweetheart. Joe and Sly are entering the mansion after dark. You gave them the code for the gate, and they reported that there are minimal guards. They will call as soon as they’re clear.”
“I don’t care about the currency. I can earn more,” Betrys said. “I just want my son.”
“We’ll get Ricci. Try not to worry.”
A tap sounded on the door, and Leo went to answer, cracking it open a fraction before he opened it.
Saber entered, carrying a tray, and Eva followed him.
“We brought dinner.” Eva’s bright-blue eyes held curiosity as her gaze darted to Betrys.
“I hope you don’t mind, but we decided to eat with you.
Tell us if we’re spoiling any romantic plans.
” A saucy wink winged in Saber’s direction, then she ducked her head and allowed a lock of smooth blonde hair to screen her expression.
His older brother grinned, and once the trays were on the table in the dining area, he wrapped his arm around his slim wife and dragged her against his side. “Too bad if they object. They’ve had all day with just the two of them.”
“Betrys could do with the distraction.” Leo shot a quick look at her. “She’s worried about her son.”
“Sly and Joe contacted me a short while ago,” Saber said. “That’s another reason we decided to invite ourselves for dinner. The remaining staff seem to be having a party in Iseult’s absence.”
Betrys gaped at Saber. “A party? That’s not sanctioned by Iseult. She’ll be furious if she discovers this.”
“I didn’t think so. That’s what Eva and I decided during the walk here.”
Leo witnessed the exact moment his brother noticed the mating mark on Betrys. In the hours since he’d bitten her, the wound had closed over and, although he hadn’t examined the mark, he thought a tiny black cat tattoo was forming—just like the ones Eva and Casey bore.
Betrys wouldn’t leave him anytime soon, not since both he and his feline had claimed her as their mate. The knowledge brought a wealth of satisfaction, and he wanted to shout the news to everyone in the resort who would listen. Maybe later. First, they needed to rid themselves of Iseult.
Saber opened his mouth, but Leo gave a faint shake of his head.
“What did Iseult do today?” Leo asked.
“She stayed in her bungalow. No one has seen her, apart from room service. We sent Casey to deliver her meal instead of the new droids Scarlett has designed for the purpose,” Saber said. “Casey reported that she answered the door in humanoid form.”
Betrys drew a sharp breath. “She must be feeling better. Until Leo— I’d never seen her in her spider form.”
A loud squawk outside the door had them all turning in that direction.
“Sorry.” Eva pulled a face. “That sounds like Bluebird.”
“Let him come inside,” Leo urged. “I don’t think Betrys has met Bluebird yet.”
Saber strode to the door and opened it to the blue bird Betrys had seen roaming around the resort.
Bluebird strutted inside, gave one anxious honk, and headed for Eva.
Leo smiled, as he always did on seeing their pet.
Eva and Saber’s pet was an odd-looking bird—sort of a cross between the pictures he’d seen of the extinct dodo bird and a turkey.
The bird was a vivid blue with a lighter blue-colored beak and matching legs.
Eva and Saber had come across the bird while exploring on the other side of Ione Island, and they’d brought the juvenile bird home with them.
During the day, Bluebird wandered the resort, and he spent his evenings with Eva and Saber.
“Meet Bluebird,” Eva said, her hand stroking the bird as he cuddled into her.
Betrys grinned. “Ricci would adore him. He’s always wanted a pet, but of course, it wasn’t possible at the mansion.”
“We’ll get him a pet,” Leo said. “Maybe a puppy. Jerrod’s bitch is about to have pups. He’ll want to find homes for them.”
“What’s a puppy?” Betrys asked.
“Bluebird! Leave that jar alone,” Eva said.
Bluebird ignored her to stretch his neck and peck at the jar filled with the dead Spiderus.
Saber plucked the bird up before placing the container on a higher shelf.
He set Bluebird on the floor and the bird strutted over to the shelf, glanced up at the jar, and gave a honk that sounded disappointed.
“A puppy is another Earth creature. I’ll take you to visit Jerrod once we’re able to move about the resort without worrying about Iseult.” Leo grinned at Bluebird’s antics.
Leo enjoyed having dinner with his brother and sister-in-law and he thought their presence tamped down some of Betrys’s concern for her son.
“Congratulations,” Saber said in a low voice when he and Eva were leaving.
“Thanks.” Leo glanced at Betrys and saw she was occupied with Bluebird. “I didn’t plan it. But it felt right so I went with my gut.”
Saber’s brows drew together. “She doesn’t know.”
“Not yet. I thought she had enough to worry about.”
“There’s a tattoo forming. She’ll notice in the morning.”
“I know. I’ll have to take it slow with her, but it looks as if Ma has her first grandchild,” Leo said, and the grin that spread across his lips felt normal instead of forced to hide his true emotions.
“He’s a great kid, Saber. So serious with eyes that have seen too much. He needs to learn how to play.”
“You’ll teach him to play,” Saber said. “Ma will be beside herself, trying to work out why our mates all bear the mark of the cat.”
The laugh that burst from Leo felt good too. “Thanks for coming and bringing dinner.”
“I’m just glad you’re doing better.” Saber drew him in for a quick man-hug.
“Bluebird, are you coming?” Eva asked.
Bluebird honked and remained next to Betrys. Her hand slowed in her petting, and he thumped his head against her leg.
Eva laughed and shook her finger at her pet. “Oh, you faithless creature.”
“He can stay,” Leo said. “He’ll let us know if he wants to leave.”
Once they were alone, Betrys turned to Leo. “I like your family. Eva told me she used to own restaurants in the city on Dalcon.”
“Casey used to be in the military. There’s no reason why you and Ricci can’t live here. We’re expanding in new directions at every opportunity.”
“I’d need to find a job.”
“Talk to Saber,” Leo said, instinct telling him not to push.
Instead, he’d plant the seeds and play a waiting game.
No, he’d make love to his mate, take her to bed and seduce her to his way of thinking.
Betrys had escaped one prison with Iseult, and he didn’t want to make her feel as if he’d placed her in another cage.
Humidity drew beads of sweat to Iseult’s forehead as she exited her climate-controlled bungalow. The solar sun had left the sky, and the landscape beyond the resort lay in darkness. Perfect for her men to lie in wait until she requested their aid.
Iseult strode along the gravel path, anger holding her form together and keeping her stomping toward her goal.
Somehow, Betrys had seduced one of Pretty’s brothers when the brother should have belonged to her.
A vein pulsed in sync with her furious footsteps and the crunch of the gravel beneath her Elsa designer shoes.
Her nostrils flared as she followed Betrys’s scent.
Her path took her away from the colored lights and the excited cries and screeches of the women who were attending the dress-up party in the main ballroom.
Instead, she pursued her assistant’s scent trail, the seductive male aromas that crisscrossed Betrys’s direction almost intoxicating with their delicious notes.
The bouquet intensified, almost overpowering her assistant’s. Iseult halted and breathed deep to decipher the different layers. She followed a fork to the left and lost the trail.
“Ah,” Iseult said with triumph after backtracking. “I have you.”
This time, she followed the trail to a building, a separate bungalow. Iseult opened the door and walked inside.
Felix trotted into the ballroom, full of women in fancy dress, and searched for his brother.
He found him trying to fend off the advances of a determined alien woman.
Her hair tendrils were curled around his older brother’s arms, holding him close even as Saber tried to retreat without making a scene.
It would’ve been funny under other circumstances.
“Saber,” Felix barked. “Excuse me, ma’am. We have something that needs the boss’s attention.” Felix signaled for one of their employees, and he hurried over to ask the woman for a dance.
“Thanks. I tried to tell her I was mated, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“Iseult is on the move,” Felix said. “Our guards thought she was coming here, but she’s headed toward the private quarters.”
“Fuck. Have you alerted Leo?”
“He’s not answering. Casey has moved into position.” A shrill buzzer started beeping on Felix’s wrist unit. “Crap. That’s the fence alarm. Wanna bet that it’s Iseult’s men come to back her up? It’s in the south sector.”
“On it.” Saber spoke into his communicator.
Felix took the opportunity to contact the guards they’d put on Iseult.
“Our security team is on their way,” Saber said. “Where is Iseult?”
“Leo’s quarters.” Felix broke into a run.