I wrapped my hand around Al’s throat and pulled him forward until our noses almost touched.
Mind control is an interesting thing; the greater the intellect of the person you're trying to persuade, the harder it is to take over their subconscious. I tapped into Al’s mind like a hot knife cutting butter. I locked him in a statue-like state, keeping my hand on his neck, and turned to Izzy.
"Are you okay?" He nodded while rubbing his wrist, but didn't take his wide eyes off of Al’s face, still etched in anger. Israel was the only one who seemed concerned; the diners that Al was so valiantly trying to protect from our gayness were eating their greasy food while not giving a shit what was going on around them. "Has he hurt you before?"
"Never any worse than this," he replied, lifting his wrist. "Just a shove here or there if I was in his way. He never gave me a bruise or anything; it's okay."
I tightened my grip on Al’s throat. He deserved to die; attacking a master vampire's mate was punishable by death, but I didn't want Israel to witness such a thing. My mate was too sweet for his own good; even defending his abuser. But hell, his own father slapped him around; maybe he saw his boss's behavior as normal. Maybe he was even grateful that he didn't hurt him worse.
I sighed and cupped my hand on Izzy's cheek. "It's not okay," I argued gently. "No one gets to lay a hand on you, you understand?" He nodded and cast his eyes to the floor, but I lifted his head right back up. "I'm not upset with you; I'm worried about you. That's a Daddy's job, to watch over his boy. So please let me take care of you. You deserve better than this place and this man. Come with me and let me make you happy."
The corners of his lips ticked up and his eyes shimmered. "Yes, Daddy." I kissed his forehead and he turned a worried gaze back to Al. "Will he be okay?"
"He'll be just fine." Unfortunately. I wasn't about to leave him without a parting gift, however. I locked eyes with him and asked in my mind, "Can you hear me?" Al slowly nodded and I loosened my grip. "First, you're going to apologize to Israel for everything you've put him through and admit that you're a dick."
He turned towards Izzy and said in a monotone voice, "I apologize for everything. I'm a dick." Izzy's brow furrowed in confusion, but he gave a nod.
"Good. Those are the last words you'll ever speak to him. From this moment on, you are not to touch him, approach him, or even look at him. If you see him coming down the sidewalk, you are to turn around and go the other way. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Now for the fun part.
"To make up for your sins, you will spend your weekends volunteering. You'll give your time and energy to helping those less fortunate than you. You will keep all negative words from your lips and spread nothing but peace."
I released my physical and mental hold over him, and he blinked rapidly. When he saw Israel standing next to me, Al turned around quickly and hustled back into the kitchen. Granted, it wasn't as satisfying as squeezing the life out of him, but I thought it was a nice tribute to Izzy to have his tormentor spread some positivity in this crazy world.
"Shall we?" I asked Israel, offering him my elbow. He looked back and forth between me and the kitchen doorway before nodding and taking my arm. When we stepped out onto the sidewalk, he removed his rabbit from my jacket and carried it in his free hand. I squeezed his fingers and suggested through a smile, "Let's go home."
Chapter Four
Before we went to my place, Israel asked if we could stop by his apartment to gather his things. It was unnecessary, as I would provide him with everything he needed, but I wanted him to be completely comfortable with the move and keep anything that brought him security. So, we walked back to his tiny place and collected everything he owned, which barely filled one garbage bag.
Israel didn't say much as we packed up his things, and I assumed he was concentrating. But when I called for a limousine (it was easier than asking a coven member to drop off a car, and honestly, I wanted to treat Izzy; nothing was too good for my mate) to take us to the coven house and Izzy didn't say a word about the vehicle as we climbed inside, I worried something was wrong.
The limo pulled away from the curb and I turned to Izzy to ask what was bothering him. But before I could speak the words, he asked, "You're not human, are you?"
I was surprised by the bluntness of his question, but I wouldn't lie to him. "No, I'm not." I sighed and added, "I'm sorry; that wasn't how I wanted you to find out." There were definitely gentler ways of breaking my identity to him than manipulating a man's mind in his presence.
"I knew something was off when Al apologized to me," Izzy admitted. "He never would have done that on his own."
I muttered, "The bastard," under my breath, and Izzy snorted a laugh.
"Yeah, pretty much." His smile disappeared when he asked, "What did you do to him?"
"I didn't hurt him," I ensured. "And he's in no danger of hurting himself. I simply told him to leave you alone and urged him to be a better person." I hated to ask but I had to know, "Did it frighten you?"
Israel thought a few moments before shaking his head no. "I'll admit it was strange seeing him all frozen like that, but I remembered what you said; that vampires use mind control to avoid fights. I knew you wouldn't hurt anyone unless you had to, and that you were just protecting me." I nodded my agreement and he asked, "So that's what you are? A vampire?"
"I am." I let him digest the words for a moment before asking, "How do you feel about that?"
"Hmm." Izzy stroked his fingers through his long hair as he thought. "I guess I don't feel anything about it." I arched an eyebrow and he explained, "It doesn't change who you are. I said you were the nicest person I ever met and I meant it. You don't hurt me and you want me to be happy. You understand what I need and want the same things as me. You're the best Daddy I could ask for. If you don't care that I'm human, why should I care that you aren't?"
As he spoke, my smile kept stretching until my cheeks hurt. "Thank you, Izzy. You're the best boy I could ask for too." He pursed his lips and I gave him a soft kiss.
"Will you tell me about vampires? I've only heard what my parents told me and I know none of that is true. I want to know all about you."
"You make me so happy." The fact that he was not only unafraid of my identity but curious about it meant the world to me. "Come up here." I patted my thighs and Izzy quickly climbed onto my lap, nuzzling into my chest.
"Where to begin?" I asked myself as I gathered my thoughts. I took a deep breath and started, "There are many fables about how vampires came to be; curses, black magic, deals with the devil, but the reality isn't nearly as fantastic. We are products of the universe just like humans, but our genetic makeup is a little different. It's true that we need to consume blood to survive, but that's true of many animals. I suspect it's off putting to people because of our physical similarities to humans. Human beings eat the flesh and meat of other animals - sometimes even raw meat that drips with blood, but we're still seen as different."