My blood boiled. I wanted Israel's father's head on a pike right next to his boss. But Izzy didn't need to see my vengeful side; he needed kind words and a tender touch. Maybe that's why he needed a Daddy; to experience unconditional love that it sounded like he'd been deprived of all of his life.
I bent down to rub my cheek to his, in turn running my nose along the outside of his ear and whispered, "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but listen to what I say; you are not a freak. Nothing you desire is wrong or dirty, and you are absolutely stunning." I pressed a soft kiss to the top of his ear and when I pulled back, his eyes were glistening.
"Thank you."
I smiled and asked, "May I walk you home now?" When Israel nodded, I eased his sucker from his fingers and placed it back in the sack full of medical supplies. I whispered into my mic that my guards were free to go, and they wished me luck.
I offered to carry Israel’s bag of dirty clothes, but he blushed and shook his head no. He did tuck his rabbit under his arm and let me hold his hand as we walked, and my heart sang; his skin was soft and smooth against mine, and our fingers fit together perfectly.
I hated to stay on a sore subject, but I needed to know about Izzy's situation, and what I’d be walking into when I took him home, so I asked, “Do you still live with your father?”
“No. He told me to leave when I turned eighteen; I haven’t spoken to him in nearly two years.”
“What about your mother?”
“My mother agrees with my father; she said it’s shameful that I chose to be gay and live a life of sin. I tried telling her that it wasn’t a choice, but that just made her angry. She said I was accusing her of doing something to make her child turn out so horribly.” Okay, apparently I need three pikes. “I haven’t spoken to her either.”
“I’m so sorry.” It made my heart ache that Israel had no one in this world, but that wasn’t the case anymore.
“It’s better this way.” I had to agree; his own father cut off his fucking ear, and both parents were ashamed of him. He didn’t need that kind of negativity in his life. I squeezed his hand and gave him a tight smile, and we walked along in silence for a while.
Israel piped up a few minutes later, asking, "What were those creatures doing in the city tonight? I thought they were banished to the woods."
Banished? "They live in the woods,” I corrected. “Shifters like having room to run and being connected to nature.”
“My mom always said that they were cursed; that they must have done something terrible to be turned into lowly vermin.” Oh, for fuck’s sake. I wasn’t upset with Israel for his words; he didn’t know any better. He was just repeating what he’d heard all of his life from an ignorant woman. But I wanted to help him understand.
“Shifters aren’t turned into anything; they’re a different species, born with the ability to change from animal form to human form. They’re very special, and most of them are as kind and civilized as you or me. But just like any species, there are good and bad shifters. That particular group was just up to no good." Israel was listening intently, and I decided to press my luck. “I have many friends who aren’t humans; cougar shifters, bear shifters...even vampires.”
He gasped as his eyes went wide. “Vampires?” I nodded and he swallowed hard. “But...how can vampires have friends? They trick people into following them with their mind powers and then they lock them in a room and drink their blood every day until they die.”
I blinked in surprise as my feet came to a stop. “Did your mother tell you that?” He nodded yes and I let go of his hand to massage my temples. Despite the medical advancements and benefits to human life that vampires had achieved over the years, there was still lingering animosity towards us from ass crabs like Israel’s mother.
“Israel, that’s simply not true. Vampires are gifted with the ability of persuasion, but they certainly don’t use it to lure people to their deaths.” Granted, in the past, we would use it to put people in a relaxed daze so that we could feed and they wouldn’t remember the encounter, but it was a one-time thing, not a death sentence. And that had been a very long time ago. “They only use those powers when attacked, and it’s usually to avoid a fight. They’re not evil creatures lurking in the darkness to kill.”
Israel hugged his rabbit and looked down at the ground. “Are you mad at me?”
“What? Why in the world would I be mad at you?”
“Because I said mean things about your friends. I’m so sorry; I didn’t know.”
I quickly realized why Israel thought I was angry with him; my fists were clenched and my brow was furrowed in at the frustration of his mother’s ignorance. I relaxed in an instant and stepped closer to him. “No, Izzy; I’m not mad at you. I’m sorry if it seemed that way. Come here, little one.” He let me wrap my arms around him and hold him against me.
“I like it when you call me that,” he said into my chest.
“Izzy? Or little one?”
“Both.”
I chuckled into his curly hair. “Me too.” I placed a kiss to the top of his head and stepped back. “Are we getting close to your home?”
“Mmhmm. It’s right up there.” He pointed down the street to an old, dilapidated apartment building. Though my stomach knotted up with anguish over his living conditions, I nodded and took his hand again.
When we made it into his building, it was worse than I feared; there were cracks in the walls and holes in the threadbare carpet. Water damage stained the ceiling and lightbulbs flickered as we walked down the hall. There was an elevator, but it had caution tape stretched across it, so we took the stairs to the third floor, where I followed Israel to a warped wooden door.
He slid a key inside the knob, but when he turned it, nothing happened. “It sticks a little,” he explained before nudging the door with his shoulder, but it remained closed. “Ouch,” he whispered, rubbing his shoulder before squaring up to try again.
“Please allow me.” I didn’t want him to hurt himself. Israel nodded and stepped back, and I turned the knob as I knocked my shoulder into the wood. The door gave way and opened to reveal his tiny shoebox apartment.
Israel thanked me and motioned for me to follow him inside. His entire living quarters were held in one square room. In the corner was a twin size bed, across from which was the smallest kitchen I’d ever seen; it consisted of two stacked cabinets, a hot plate, sink, mini fridge, and microwave. There was no other furniture and no television to be found, and near the front entrance was a slender door which I assumed led to the bathroom.
“I’ll take these to the laundromat tomorrow,” Israel said as he rested the plastic bag he carried onto a pile of dirty laundry on the floor. I placed my own bag on top of the cabinets and Israel gave me a pretty smile.
“Thank you for walking me home. It was nice to not be so scared.”
Everything Israel said was so sweet, yet laced with a little sadness that got me right in the gut. “It was my pleasure.” I enjoyed getting to know him on our little stroll. "If you get ready for bed, I'll get you tucked in for sleep."
"Really?" At my nod, he hustled into the bathroom and after a few minutes, returned with his teeth brushed and all ready for bed. I would've liked to help him with his routine, but I didn't want to push too far.