Dante (Stone Society Book 3) Read Online Free

to ignore it. “Aren’t you going to get that?” he asked,
nodding in the direction of her purse.
     “No,
I will look at it later. I find it very rude when people pay more attention to
electronics than the person they are with. If it is an emergency, whoever it is
would have called, not sent a message.” Isabelle placed another bite of food in
her mouth and chewed slowly.
     Dante
couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth. Her full lips weren’t as red as they had
been when he picked her up. The lipstick was fading with each sip of wine she
drank, each bite of food that passed through her lips. He remembered their
softness the one time she had pressed them to his own. That night he had
dreamed of her pressing them somewhere else on his body. She had made the first
move, and he wondered if that was a prelude of things to come. He hoped so.
    When
her phone vibrated again, he reached out with his mind. “You should probably
take that.” His mind was also alerted to Caroline and Jonas making plans to
confront Isabelle. He would not let that happen. While Isabelle handled the
frantic caller, he would handle her parents. “Will you excuse me?” Dante asked
Isabelle. He stood, not waiting on an answer.
     Dante
strode to the table his mate had visited earlier. If Jonas was surprised to see
him, he didn’t show it. Caroline, however, looked up at his tall frame, eyes
wide. He wanted them to know how serious he was. “Joseph, if Isabelle wasn’t
clear earlier, let me reiterate what she said. She is serious about you not
being in her life, and as her partner, I will abide by her wishes. What this
means is I will do everything in my power to make her happy, and if you think
for one second I will allow you close to her in this restaurant, on the street,
at her place of employment, anywhere, you are sadly mistaken.
    “While
I may or may not agree with her decision, I suggest you leave her alone. She is
going through a lot and does not need the extra burden of you harassing her. Do
I make myself clear?” Dante knew he was stepping over the line as far as Jonas
was concerned, but he would protect his mate at all costs.
    “You
do realize I am an Original, do you not?” Jonas whispered, knowing Dante would
hear him.
    Dante
lowered his own voice even further, “Yes, one who was ostracized by the other
Originals. One who has been hiding out for the last thirty odd years, playing
god with people’s lives. One who abandoned his child when she needed him the
most. One who has no authority in the States. That honor belongs to my brother.
If you haven’t heard, there’s a war brewing. A war you started over two hundred
years ago. If you don’t want to get caught in the middle, I suggest you realize
who I am.” Dante didn’t wait for acknowledgement. He had kept Isabelle
waiting long enough.
    He
returned to their table, only to find the plates had been removed and replaced
with dessert. She obviously hadn’t taken the call, because Isabelle was smiling
at him. “I hope you like chocolate.”

Three
     
    Maria
Sanchez was pacing the living room of her home. Her husband was late. Enrico
was never late. The money Isabelle gave them each month to watch over her son, Connor,
was more than adequate to live off of. Rico kept his job as a welder so no one
would be suspicious of two people living a modest life with no plausible
income. Connor was sitting on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table,
drawing pictures. He was advanced intellectually for his age, and his artistic
skills were phenomenal. Most of the artwork that adorned their home had been
created by the six year old.
    Even
though she had spoken to her on the phone earlier, Maria called Isabelle, only
to have voicemail answer. She left a message, trying not to sound frantic,
especially in front of Connor. Maria had yet to hear from her. She was worried
and didn’t know who else to talk to. Each call to Rico’s phone had gone
straight to voicemail. She couldn’t