Uprising

Chapter 11

I never slept anymore after my conversation with Jake. My head had been turning over what he'd said and where he'd been going with the conversation about my mum, which had led me to just keep thinking over everything I knew about her.

I wasn't sure what time it was but I heard movement downstairs and figured Jake was awake. It had still been dark out and I hadn't wanted to disturb him in case he'd decided to get back to work as much as I had wanted to go back down and continue our conversation to find out just what he knew about my family and, most of all, my mum.

A little more time passed and a knock on the door downstairs came quietly and the door opened pretty quickly. Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I went and opened the door to the bedroom and stood on the landing to find out who was coming at this time of the morning.

"Thanks for last night." It had been Eric who had spoken. I guessed he'd come to check in to see if I'd behaved or not.

"Don't worry about it. She's still asleep at the moment. Any news on who was in the house or why?"

"No. The vampire and I went searching last night, but who knows what time it happened? I mean for all we know, it could have been that the boyfriend left the door open."

"You're lying now." Jake's tone sounded defensive in the moment and it set me on edge. "What are you hiding, Eric?"

"Nothing." Eric laughed, but I knew the nervousness to the laugh; he was lying and he was trying to brush it under the carpet for some reason. Just what had he known? I had no clue but I intended to find out one way or another.

"Not biting." Jake answered with the stubborn tone I'd heard earlier, and for once I was pleased to hear it because I'd certainly wanted to know why he was lying too, because he never lied without a reason.

"Jake..." A sigh of defeat came, and I could picture him running his hands through his hair as he always did when he felt that way. "I need you to just drop this. Please, for Isabelle's sake. She has enough to deal with at the moment and doesn't need this hanging over her head either."

"So what are you going to play, the silent protector?" Jake snapped. "Just tell me what the f**k is going on."

"Yeah, I will, and I always have." Eric snapped back. "I can't have her wrapped up in this s**t, she's been wrapped up in too much as it is and when she moved, I made a promise to protect her. So like I said, back off and just forget it."

I didn't like the way that Eric had snapped and I knew he was getting close to his limit so I decided to go down and stand in the middle and do my own digging into Eric for the truth. When they both heard me moving, they both seemed to go quiet.

"Morning. Trust you slept well." Eric grinned when he saw me. Despite trying to play off his usual tone with me, I could see the tension in the simple way he stood. With Eric, it was easy to read him like a book at times, given how long I'd known him.

"Cut the crap." I told him as I folded my arms over my chest, watching him. "Who was in my house?"

"Princess... didn't think you'd get this bossy first thing in the morning."

"You can drop that too before I make you regret it." I snapped at Jake without looking at him. "I've had a very long and bad night and I don't want to hear anymore. I want the truth."

"Iz, now isn't the best time..."

"Now is perfect." I told him. "Who was in my house? If you don't tell me, I'll call Xander and get it out of him."

I could see the frustration in Eric's eyes as he seemed to mull over the situation and his eyes kept going over to Jake. I knew he didn't want to tell me in front of Jake, so I decided on a plan.

"Can I have a coffee, Jake?"

"Now?"

"Yep, while Eric decides if he's going to tell me the truth or not." I told him simply.

"Fine." He muttered, heading into the kitchen. It felt like he was angry with me, but I didn't care; at the end of the day, I wasn't ready to tell him about me and I certainly had every intention after today to keep as far away from him as I could, as we had both agreed that that would be the best course of action to keep us from killing each other.

"Well?" I asked him simply with my arms folded over my chest. "Do I deserve the truth?" I asked him.

"Izzy, I never ask for anything from you; please... please, just trust me on this one thing. I'm trying to keep you away from all of the drama that's fast coming."

"Eric, my life is drama, drama I never asked for, so what's a little more?" I asked simply.

"Because it's not simply drama, Izzy, this..." He ran his hand through his hair. "This is bad s**t Izzy."

"And everything else I've been through isn't?" I asked him simply. "Like I said, if you don't tell me, then I'll just go and ask Xander and I know he won't lie or hide it from me because he values our friendship and he is certainly scared of..."

"I know, I know." He sighed and then shifted his weight as if he were feeling uncomfortable with his decision but part of him knew it was the only thing he could do to keep me off his back and to keep me in his good graces. "The Order of Blood." Eric whispered. "That's who was in your house. I don't know what they were looking for, as it doesn't make sense that they'd come after you."

"Order..." I broke off, frowning, as the name sounded familiar to my ears. Why had it sounded so familiar? I hadn't been sure and I could hear Eric still rambling on at me, but my mind was still turning over the name.

"Isabelle?" I snapped out of my thoughts as Jake's voice seemed to pull me out of it as he had the coffee out for me to take.

"Thanks." I muttered and went and sat down. I needed to slow my head down and think. I needed to figure out where I'd heard the name before. That had to be the main thing I sorted first, but I just couldn't place it.

"Did you even hear what I said?" Eric asked me a little sharply.

"No, I didn't. All I heard was blah, blah, blah." I told him and then took a sip. "But I get the feeling I know what you said. Drop it, don't go and chase it, blah, blah, blah."

"I give up with you." He muttered, throwing his hands up in the air. I watched him as he seemed to look at Jake. "I blame you for this." He muttered.

"Why do you blame him? I'm old enough to know the truth and old enough, stupid enough, and petty enough to tell you that I want an answer or I'll get my answer another way."

"Wow. I'm liking her more and more." Jake laughed as he went back to his office. "I'll leave you two to fight this out, but no blood, please; I don't think my dad would be happy with that." He shrugged.

"Izzy."

"Eric." I countered. "I'm a big girl; tomorrow I'm eighteen and as much as you hate the thought, I'll be a grown up." I told him as bluntly as I could manage without telling Jake too much. Grown up... That was it. I remembered where I'd heard the name Order of Blood. I put my coffee on the table next to where I was sitting, got up quickly, and ran to go back up the stairs.

"Where are you going now?" Eric asked.

"I figured it out." I muttered and then ran up the stairs, grabbed my phone, and texted Cordelia. I'm coming over; I need answers. I ran back down the stairs and then headed to where my coat was and put it on, searching for my car keys.

"Princess, you never got much sleep last night; you don't want to be going anywhere but bed." I looked up to see Jake looking at me seriously. He was really starting to piss me off with his new pet name he'd decided to give me.

"I'll be fine." I muttered. "I need answers and I know who will give me them." I looked at Eric at that comment.

"Can't you go back to bed for a few hours and then make the drive?"

"No." I told him simply. "Unless you want me to kill him because he called me princess again." I tilted my head with a grin. "Besides, now is the best time for me to go. You know that better than anyone because the roads will be clear and if someone is following me like you seem to think, I'm pretty sure I'll spot them, won't I?"

Eric went to argue but Jake was next to me. "If it's that important, I'll drive you wherever you are going. Eric can follow and bring me home."

"No." Eric and I both said it at the same time. "No offence, Jake, but I wouldn't feel comfortable driving with you. Thank you for the offer and all that." I told him and then looked at Eric. "This is something I have to do on my own. Besides, I was going there anyway." I shrugged. "It's just a few hours earlier than I planned."

"What about school?"

"I'll call in sick." I told Eric, seeing frustration on his face all over again. "I'll call you when I get there or I'll get her to call you." I shrugged.

"You know she's going to do what she wants, right?" Jake put his arm around me. "I really do like you now, Isabelle. I guess I never thought you'd stand up to the big bad alpha in the making the way you are."

"His alpha charms don't work on me." I told Jake simply as I shrugged off his arm. "Besides, Eric should know, when I get something in my head, I won't stop till I do it."

"Don't I just know that." He muttered. "You better call me when you get there or I'll be pissed at you." I went and kissed Eric on the cheek as I pulled out my keys from my pocket. I knew I had spare clothes at Cordelia's to get changed into when I got there and I was pretty sure she'd also let me grab a quick shower too, if I knew her too well, then I could deal with whatever was coming my way.

"What no kiss for me?" Jake complained.

"Nope."

"Well I better walk you to your car and see if I can get you to change your mind." Jake laughed as I headed to the door. I could hear the fun Jake was having by his voice and if I was honest, he deserved it because of the lying to Jake. I was sure it wasn't a big deal if Jake knew that the Order of Blood had been the ones who had broke into my house, surely it meant nothing except that they were idiots and had the wrong house?

I began to walk down the path after I opened Jake's door. I looked up as I got half way down the path and froze in fear as I found the figure watching me. How? How had the person known where I was? What did they want with me? I was about to open my mouth to speak when I felt someone pulling me back behind them and then a second pair of hands pulling me back into the house and then the door shut.

I stood with my back to the wall as I took a couple of deep breaths as my head had begun to spin. What was going on? Who was that person? What did they want with me? I could hear my heart hammering hard against my chest in my ears. I had to calm down. I had to breathe and calm myself before I either passed out or I sent myself into a panic attack.

"Comtheano." I whispered to myself quietly as I closed my eyes and forced my mind to focus on the word. "Comtheano." I whispered again as I began to feel a calm wash over me, as if it had been a wave. Just as I felt myself get back to my calm self, the door opened as I felt the cold breeze cross my face.

"Isabelle?" I felt warm hands on my cheeks and I opened my eyes to look at Eric. "Are you ok?"

"What's going on?" I whispered to him.

"I don't know." He told me quietly and urgently. "Cordelia..."

"That's where I was going to go." I told him as my eyes darted to the door. I could see a figure coming up the path.

"Later." He told me and dropped his hands as Jake came into the house.

"That was someone from the Order of Blood. What are they doing here and why were they standing by your car, Isabelle?" He slammed the door and for the first time that I'd met Jake, I felt scared of him.