Alliance of Shadows: NEIL

Hidden in Plain Sight

“What happened?” Clara stopped in her tracks as she and my father saw what we were doing.

“He was laughing at me,” Izzy said. She turned back to me with a devious glint in her eyes. Bringing the pillow down on me again and again, she told them: “So, I. Am. Punishing. Him.”

All I could do was laugh as I tried to defend myself against the pillow in her hands. I caught her by the wrist and pulled her on top of me. “It's fine. We’re just having some fun. Right, Izzy?”

She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat up. Izaria turned her head away as she muttered, “Fun for you, maybe.”

As soon as they closed the door, the pillow was back in her hands. Setting her gently to the floor, I scrambled to my feet and out the door as she cursed me out. I was happily enjoying her playful new attitude.

An hour later, I knocked on her door. Sticking my head into her room, I held out a plate of macaroon cookies. She was sitting on her bed, flipping through one of her many books.

Izzy glanced up as I sat down on the bed. "What do you want?"

"I brought you a peace offering," I murmured as I set the plate on her nightstand.

"Are you trying to make me fat, Neil," she said, rolling her eyes.

I grinned at her, “Not in the slightest! Let’s make a bet, shall we?”

She paused, her fingers stopping mid-page-turn as she glared over at me. “I do not like where you’re going with this, Mr. Dane.”

“Oh well, Ms. Wilkes,” I responded. “Do you want to hear the bet or not?”

Rolling onto her back, she covered her eyes with her arm. The action effectively blocked me from her view as she groaned, “Might as well, I’m only going to lose anyway.”

“Nice to know you think so highly of my gambling skills, sweetheart,” I said. “If I can make you laugh, in any way, you have to go out on a date with me.”

The arm over her face moved enough that I could see the glare she was sending my way. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Nope,” I replied innocently, “Why would you even ask me that?”

She groaned in defeat, flopping back to the bed as she set the book down. “Fine, for the love of the Gods, I'll go out with you tonight.”

“And you’ll dress up for me in your pretty new clothes?” I asked. Was I behaving like a spoiled child? You had better freaking believe it. I was basically the man of the hour in that moment, and even King was in my head practically breaking into a dance routine.

“Yes! Geesh, you can be such a child, Neil,” she was getting exasperated.

Actually, the answer to that was a resounding yes. I was totally being a child, but it was helping her without ever catching her attention.

Clara’s words from that morning burned in my head. “She needs to know about the Werewolves within the next two days, Neil. The gathering is only a week away, and the pack members will start arriving soon. Leave your father to me; you handle my niece.”

Inching towards the door, I knew that my pestering wasn't going to end well, but what the hell. YOLO, I thought, my hand closing over the cold brass of the knob. I knew she was mad at me for not letting the date subject drop, yet I still turned back to her, fighting a grin, “You know something, Izzy?”

“What now?" She snapped with a soft growl.

Surprised that she even dared to growl at me, I twisted to face her. “You're so hot when you’re mad.”

Izaria shrieked, grabbing at one of her pillows. I took that as my cue to run and bolted like a bat out of hell.

By the time six o’clock came around, I was trying my best not to let my own anxiety ruin the mood. While waiting down by the front door, I had been nervously pacing holes in the already worn mat. It took all I had to beat back the urge to drag her back up to the bedroom when she finally appeared.

She walked down the stairs in a beautiful, strapless red-and-black patterned dress that hugged every curve of her body. From the swell of her breasts to her toned waist, it fit her like a second skin before it flared out in layers that were short in front and long in the back. Her long hair flowed down around her shoulders, held from her face by a thin, intricately made silver headband. On her feet were a pair of one inch heeled, black ankle boots that zippered up on the outside with a barely visible butterfly pattern across the top of the toe.

Dad walked into the foyer, determined to see us off and let out a low whistle of appreciation. He looked over Izzy appreciatively, winking at me as he called out to Clara. “Hon, you gotta come to see this.”

Clara’s jaw dropped as she walked into the room. She'd never seen her niece so well-dressed before, and it showed. She had to do a double take at the girl standing by my side. “Is that my niece? Neil, you better not be stepping out on my girl.”

The teasing atmosphere worked its magic as laughter echoed through the hall.

It was true, though. Izzy looked, sounded, and behaved more confident with each passing day, and it looked so good on her. She had overcome so much over the last few months. Izaria giggled softly, “How do I look?”

“Baby girl, you look stunning,” Clara exclaimed. She grabbed Izaria and hugged her close as dad murmured his agreement.

“No, she doesn’t,” I said in mock disappointment. My father glared daggers at me, but Izzy knew what I was doing. She had long ago gotten used to my banter. “She looks downright delectable. I had better be on the lookout for the big bad wolf. I heard he likes to devour delicious things.”

I could see the colour staining her cheeks a beautiful shade of red. She turned to her aunt and smiled, “We won’t stay out too late.”

"Take the whole night if you need to, sure. You’ve no need to rush back, Izzy. School's finished and you’re grand here, so have a good night out, alright? Neil, give us a ring if there's any bother, lad.”

It was amazing to see my father falling back into his old good-natured ways. He and I never really saw eye-to-eye on much, but all it took was one look, one smile from my angel to change my entire world. To change me. Tonight, I would return the favour and hopefully make her happy. I was willing to offer her everything, and I was silently praying she accepted.

She giggled when I opened the passenger door for her. “Always a gentleman.”

I grinned, “Only for you, baby. Only for you.”

Gunning the engine, I pulled out of the parking lot. She laughed as I spun the tires, making the gravel spray in different directions. My father would have my head for that later, but it was worth hearing her laugh. She would always be worth it to me.

I had a renewed lease on life, and it was not something that I was willing to let go of any time soon. After tonight, I would know for sure if what Izzy and I had was truly meant to be. I just hoped and prayed that I didn’t screw this up.

Oblivious to the fact that she was going out with a Werewolf, Izaria continued to sing along with the radio. It amazed and concerned me that she rarely questioned my ability to hear a pin drop in a room three doors from mine. She never mentioned anything about me not losing my breath while jogging when she was left breathless after a two-kilometre run. It was as if she didn't care.

Izaria proved time and time again that she was getting stronger. It was a significant improvement her aunt accredited to me and my tireless efforts. She sighed as I stopped at a red light. "Neil, you've been so good to me, but I feel like you've been keeping secrets."

"I wish I was able to tell you everything, but I can't. I'm not allowed to say anything until tomorrow," I whispered.

"You're dirty little secrets can't be that bad, Neil. I mean, it's not like you have a hidden room where you torture and kill your girlfriends.” As if that line of thought threw off her good vibes, she blinked over at me. “You don't, right? You don’t have a hidden room in the basement somewhere in an abandoned house where you torture and kill people, I mean."

I laughed, "What the hell have you been reading or watching that gave you an idea so twisted?"

"The Detroit True Crime Chronicles," she replied. "It's a good read when I'm in the mood for it."

"Yeah, well, you kind of sounded like my best friend just now. It's makin' me hella nervous just knowing you're related to him, you know." I told her honestly.

The light turned green, and I continued to drive to our destination. "I'm not a closet serial killer, honey. My secrets could potentially have me locked in a padded room with a straight jacket strapped to my back, but it's nothing too serious."

"So, tell me one thing that you can speak of," she goaded.

Deciding to tell her what she’d saved me from, I said, "Well, before you came along, I was in a state of constant depression and never spent time with anyone else. A scattered phone call was the only way I kept touch with my real friends, but I distanced myself from others on purpose."