Page 97 of Love Bites

“There’s no way he’ll accept that,” Izzy said. “He would have no guarantee that we’ll keep up our side of the deal. With Curtis dead, he’d lose any bargaining chip he possessed. He won’t take anything except a mate bond.”

“Then we’ll just stay here,” Zora decided. “The vampires can keep us safe, and we like it here. They’re cool. We don’t need to leave the Manor.”

Clem nodded. “It’s not worth one of us giving up our freedom for it.”

Avery agreed. “I’m not willing to mate with someone just so I can leave.”

Everyone looked at Izzy.

Her bottom lip was between her teeth. Usually, she made decisions quickly, and didn’t change her mind about them.

We waited.

Her lip popped free, and familiar certainty settled on her face. “I’ll do it.”

I blinked.

The rest of us did too.

“I can’t be trapped here forever,” she said. “I’m losing my mind. Hale knows Porter, right? Does he trust him?”

I nodded slowly. “All of the leaders do.”

“Then he can’t be that bad. I’ll mate with him. He’ll kill Curtis, and we’ll be free again.”

“That’s insane,” Zora protested. “It’s great here. We have an amazing pool, and the vampires treat us well. Plus, they’re always willing to feed us.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t spend my life trapped in this building with vampires,” Izzy said firmly. “I don’t want to. I won’t.”

“The wolves areworse, notbetter,” Clementine argued.

“If he’s not going to treat me like shit, I’ll figure it out. I just can’t stay here forever,” Iz repeated.

“It’s her choice,” Avery said. “If she wants to leave, this is probably her best opportunity to do that. The werewolf alpha will be able to keep her safe, and he’ll buy the rest of us a little more security, too.”

“You guys deserve not to live in fear of Curtis anymore. We all do,” Izzy said, rising to her feet. “Let’s go tell Hale.”

Zora put her hands out. “You should at least think this through a little longer.”

“You know that’s not really my style.” Izzy flashed her a small grin.

Zora sighed, shaking her head. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe a little.”

Worried about the turn of events, I followed Izzy out of Clem’s room. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her ripped, baggy jeans as the door shut behind us.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked her.

“Do you regret mating with Hale?”

The question made me blink.

“If you could go back in time and refuse, would you do it?” she added.

“No,” I admitted. “But all of us would’ve been at Curtis’s mercy if I turned him down.”

“And all of us will be trapped here if I don’t mate with Porter,” Izzy said. “I don’t think I could regret choosing freedom.”

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