Eternal [HS]

Chapter Eleven

HARRY IS LOSING HIS MIND.

The plan was for her to stay by his or Niall's side the entire night, staying out of the way so she wouldn't get hurt, and he'd find a chance to whisk Adeline away for interrogation. It was supposed to be quick, easy, and smooth enough for them to be back home before midnight, yet here he is, trying to not appear as frantic as he feels as he searches the house for the one person he never should've left alone.

At first, he assumed that Liam was here today to help with the interrogation. He thought that Niall wanted more backup, considering that they were bringing a human along, but he didn't even know they were going to be here, let alone bring Jo along.

The rooms pass in a blur, and he can't help but stop and double-take at every woman that has the same color hair or similar features to her. The only thing that kept him calm while he caught up with Liam was knowing that she was safe with Niall, but then he watched in horror as he walked into the room without her. He didn't bother explaining before setting off to find her with a sinking, nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

His shoes tap the floor harshly with every step he takes, and he struggles to remember which rooms he has already visited by the time he crosses the main entrance hallway to the other side of the house.

The memory of watching her being pinned to the ground and nearly murdered this morning plays on a loop in his mind. All he can see is the fear that lingered in her eyes for the hours that followed and how she kept glancing at him for reassurance before falling asleep on the couch, like she needed to know that he'd still be there once she woke up to relax.

There's only one room left to check. If she isn't there, he doesn't know what he's going to do. His chest aches, and he feels the rage begin to bubble up inside of him at the possibility of her being hurt—

Her giggling laughter rings through the air like the delightful chime of a bell.

He stops abruptly just before the open doorway, hiding behind it, and peeks around the corner to see her there. If she's laughing, she's okay, so he doesn't want to come barreling in with his protective instincts flaring at an all-time high. Luckily for him, it's easy for the person she's with to mistake his scent for her since he recently fed from her.

"You should come to see me again soon," a feminine voice he prays doesn't belong to the person he suspects it does says, "I never spend time with anyone half as interesting as you. Isaac always had me locked away in the house for protection, but it drove me crazy half of the time."

Isaac.

The name strikes a chord of familiarity in his mind, and he realizes, with no small amount of terror, that the woman she's talking to is the vampire associated with the gang they're actively plotting to dismantle. His first reaction is fear, but it's cut short by a moment of rational thinking to actually process the sentence that left her mouth.

It was an invitation for them to see one another again...which means more access into Adeline's life and more information about her husband's gang affiliation. But is he willing to put Jo in danger to obtain that information? Having someone on the inside would be useful, but not her, not the very person he's trying to protect from these people. For all he knows, this woman could be just as evil as her husband was, and that isn't a risk he wants to take.

If it were Niall or Liam, it would be different. At least they're vampires, but she's a human in a foreign land where violent criminals hunt her kind for sport. He doesn't know if he can live with himself if he lets her befriend one of those people. There's so much light and liveliness left in her, even after everything she's been put through since coming here, and he doesn't want to watch that light disappear.