Reclaimed

by Diane Alberts

  Fury swelled over Sabrina, and she fought to free herself using the few unbroken body parts she could still move. Unfortunately, she remained trapped beneath the tree so she watched in dismay as Louisa propped him against a tree and punched him in the face. Though he jerked at the abuse, he didn’t awaken even as blood gushed out of his nose.

  “That was fun.” Louisa laughed. She turned away from Isaac and looked at Sabrina. “Everything’s coming together perfectly. Thank you for your help.”

  Sabrina swallowed roughly and glared at her enemy.

  “Go to hell.”

  Louisa smiled and stalked over to her. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” She came over to Sabrina’s unharmed arm and grabbed it. “Did you say something, hmm?” Leaned into her face, she arched a brow and watched Sabrina, smiling delightfully—with pure evil. Excitement shone in her eyes, and lit up her face in a sheer mockery of joy. Sabrina knew if she opened her mouth, she would receive another useless limb as an award for her efforts. But she no longer cared.

  “I said, go to hell, you nasty bitch.” The pain of her arm being broken came immediately, and she bit her lip without a sound. She felt her teeth rip through her lip and tasted the metallic flavor of blood on her tongue, but she refused to budge. The pain doubled when Louisa twisted the arm at an unnatural angle. Still, she didn’t cry out. It was the only thing in her control at the moment, and by God, she’d remain silent.

  Louisa studied her with wide eyes, and exclaimed, “What the hell is wrongwith you?”

  It would have been almost laughable in any other circumstance. The woman who made a habit of torturing women and breaking bones asked what was wrong with her. But the irony got lost when Louisa released her arm and ripped the tree off her legs to throw it at Isaac. It landed against his chest, the thick crunching sound causing Sabrina to cringe. The tree rolled to a stop at his feet.

  His eyes were open, and he looked pissed. He’d changed into a vampire; it showed in the hard lines of his face. He roared, murder written in his eyes, and threw the tree off of himself. He jumped up and charged at Louisa. He halted when Louisa grabbed Sabrina and held her in front of her like a shield. Louisa had one hand on her head and another on her shoulder.

  “One more step, and you can say goodbye to her head,” she warned. “You’ll never be able to save her if she’s headless, no matter what beast you become.”

  “Don’t listen, Isaac. She’ll kill me no matter what you do.”

  “Shut up, you insignificant human.” Louisa growled in her ear. She turned to Isaac and taunted, “What a predicament, Isaac. What should you do? You can’t come save her. She’d be dead before you even get close to me. And if you don’t come to her rescue, she’ll die anyway.

  “So will you step forward now, knowing she will be put out of her misery quickly, like a dog? It’s what your brother did to Amelia—stabbed her like a sick animal. She didn’t deserve his mercy. Or, do you wait, holding out hope that some way, somehow, you will overcome me? Now, that’s a laughable prospect.”

  Isaac hissed. “I will kill you, Louisa. Have no doubt.”

  “You are such a man, all talk and no action. All these promises you men make to women, but never follow through. Love, honor, respect—revenge.” She sneered in an unnerving imitation of humor. “I’m sure you swore to keep Sabrina safe from me. Yet here she is. Broken and bloodied. And soon? Dead.”

  Louisa backed away, and Isaac took a casual step closer. She glared at his movement. “Stay back.”

  He obeyed her command, holding his arms up in a gesture of peace. “Louisa, we can work out a deal, I swear. I’ll let you walk away, if you just give me Sabrina,” he said in soothing tones. “We can make this work….”

  Louisa sneered at him. “No, and don’t move again.” She looked behind him and her eyes widened in horror. Isaac whirled around to see what stood behind him, only to see nothing but the gloomy forest. He cursed and spun back around. He’d fallen for the oldest trick in the book, damn it.

  She’d left.

  ***

  Louisa looked down at her bundle in disgust.

  Weakling.

  Though even she had to admit she had been impressed by the strength Sabrina had shown thus far. She’d refused to give in to Louisa, and she knew Amelia wouldn’t have been so strong. She would have been screaming and crying like a baby long ago.

  Sabrina had hardly uttered a cry the whole time, and she’d been much rougher on her than she had been Amelia. Louisa felt a reluctant respect for this woman, this mere human. She didn’t want to feel any kind feelings toward her, but found she did.

  Louisa almost wished she didn’t have to kill her. She reminded Louisa of how she, herself, had been, so long ago. Stubborn, strong, beautiful. Even with broken bones throughout her body, Sabrina’s strength and beauty shone through into the night.

  She ignored any and all feelings of pity or sympathy for Sabrina, and increased her speed. She almost made it to the cliffs when something hit her from behind. She fell on top of Sabrina and heard another bone break from the force of her fall.

  Maybe I killed her.

  She jumped to her feet, but before she could reach a standing position, she got hit from behind and thrown back on the ground.

  Elijah launched off the tree at his side and landed on Louisa, snarling. She twisted within his grasp, her hair whipping around them, and they rolled around the ground in a battle for control. Their breathing came out in harsh pants as each fought to get a grip upon the other, a grip that could give an advantage. They slammed into an old tree near Sabrina, and it shuddered from the strength of the impact.

  Louisa fought against his hold desperately and kicked him in the stomach. He soared through the air and bounced off an enormous boulder. She leapt to her feet and sprinted for Sabrina.

  Isaac only spared a cursory glance at Sabrina before he joined in the fray. Her biggest threat wasn’t lying alone in the forest; it was Louisa. And Louisa ran straight for her. He growled and launched himself at her.

  The tree shook under the force of the blow, but she whirled around the trunk and climbed the tree. He followed suit, gaining speed as he got higher and higher. As Louisa reached the top of the towering tree, she froze. Her eyes looked from where Elijah perched on the outside of the thick branch to where Isaac stood on the inside. She’d gotten trapped between them, and judging from the panicked darting of her eyes back and forth between the brothers, she knew it.

  Isaac took a step closer to her in unison with Elijah. She growled as they took another step. Isaac looked at Elijah, and Elijah nodded imperceptibly. He would lunge for Louisa, and Elijah would rip her head off while he held her captive in his arms. Isaac roared and jumped at her. His arms groped thin air, and he plummeted to the ground below.

  He heard Elijah cry his name as he bounced off of branch after branch. He tried to grab the branches as he hit them, but still got beaten in the face, back, and side by the unyielding bark as he flailed for a stronghold.

  Blackness threatened to overcome him, and he cursed when he realized he’d changed back to human form. He needed to start controlling his emotions better so he could in turn control his changes. He spent the rest of the short fall trying to concentrate on changing back into a vampire, or a wolf, or anything.

  He failed.

  He crashed to the ground below.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Wake up, Isaac.”

  He heard Elijah’s voice as if it came through a train tunnel, as though he yelled from the other side. He moaned and opened his eyes to stare at his brother for a moment, then his eyes widened.

  He jumped up and under obvious effort, and Elijah followed.

  “Where’s Louisa?” Isaac grunted.

  “I think she’s left. Let’s get Sabrina out of here. She needs to be examined by a doctor.”

  Isaac blanched as he remembered his brief glimpse of her lying broken on the ground. He whirled and sprinted back to where Sabrina had been.
He stopped, spinning wildly in a circle as his heart raced. She wasn’t there. She couldn’t possibly move on her own, so it left one person.

  Louisa.

  He cursed. “Louisa!”

  “Over here,” she called sweetly.

  They turned at the sound of her voice. And both froze in horror. She perched at the cliff’s edge, holding Sabrina over the edge by her neck. Her feet hung useless, like a rag doll’s. The cliffs towered above the ocean at intimidating heights—the same cliffs that had killed many a person foolish enough to approach too close to the edge. Louisa practically glowed in triumph.

  Isaac looked at Louisa’s face, and at Sabrina’s lifeless body, and knew what she would do. It showed in the evil smile that lurked on her face, the excitement shining in her eyes. He yelled out in fury and ran. He sprinted faster than he ever had before. But he still arrived too late.

  Louisa hurled Sabrina over the side of the cliff. She plunged toward the water at an alarming speed, soon to sink into the dark, cold, turbulent seas below. Isaac dove over without breaking stride, and after impossibly long, breathless seconds, knifed into the water.

  He searched frantically, looking for any signs of Sabrina. He caught sight of her head and saw her take a gasping breath. She sank below the surface, and he took a deep breath and went down after her. He swam in the direction he’d seen her sink, hoping against all odds he would find her in the treacherous waters.

  His hand brushed against something, and he immediately latched onto it. Seaweed. Damn it. He had the benefit of being able to hold his breath longer than a human, and he’d never been more grateful for the gift than now. He swam deeper, and each stroke brought more despair over him.

  He had to find her. He couldn’t live without her.

  ***

  Elijah yelled Sabrina’s name and sprinted to the edge of the cliff. He tried to follow into the water out of instinct—he had to save Sabrina—but his body forced him to stop at the edge.

  He watched Isaac dive neatly over the edge and cursed. He studied the water, trying to see her head, her body, anything.

  There. There she is.

  She sank below the surface, her red curls disappearing below the dark water once more, and he watched in helpless frustration as Isaac swam toward her. He kicked a rock lying near the cliff’s edge, and it rolled into the ocean, where he, himself, could not go.

  Damn, what a useless piece of crap he’d turned out to be.

  Laughter came from behind him, and fury overcame him.

  “That held a nice touch, don’t you think? This time, there’s no way you can save her. You can’t save her. Again.”

  He roared in anger and lunged at her.

  “No, Elijah!” she shrieked.

  Even as she screamed at him, he collided against her and they went flying backward. There was no chance to grab onto the side of the cliff, no chance to stop their deadly fall. They catapulted over the side.

  He’d found a way to conquer the barrier from death. He had to attack another without intending to go over the side. Life finally felt good. When he hit the water, it would make him die as it ate his skin and body away until nothing existed.

  He’d be free. Finally free.

  He saw Louisa reach for him, and he attempted to jerk back. He didn’t want to die while touching her, but she had always been older and stronger than Elijah and managed to grab his arm anyway. She swirled in the air and threw him toward the cliff wall using all her strength.

  He smashed into the cliff and grabbed on the rocky sides, hanging in mid-air. Elijah clung to the side and threw his head back as he let out an agonized yell. She’d saved him from dying. He turned his head and watched with horror as his maker hit the water and dissolved. The last to go was her head, and she kept her eyes on him the whole time. He watched, mesmerized, as she finally melted away to nothing.

  Why? Why had she saved him, and not let him die? Had she had done it out of some misguided devotion toward him? Or had she simply done it to deny him what he had wanted most in that moment, which was his death and hers?

  He studied his hands on the rocky wall, commanding them to release the wall and allow him to drop to his acidic grave, but instead they climbed the cliff of their own accord until he could leap nimbly over the side, and onto safe ground.

  The one chance he’d stood of plunging into the water was gone; she’d ruined it. Like she’d ruined everything else in his life, including him.

  ***

  Isaac was losing hope when he saw something float in front of him. He reached a hand out, and latched on. It was hair. Curly hair.

  He clutched it and pulled. He hoped it was Sabrina and not an old corpse. When he reached the top, he dragged the unresponsive body to the surface and looked at the face.

  Relief came over him, followed quickly by fear. It was Sabrina. But not the one he knew. This Sabrina was lifeless and pale. He had her in his arms again, but she didn’t appear to be breathing. He felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel a very faint one, but faint was better than none, right?

  Please, please let her be okay, God.

  “Sabrina. Oh, don’t die on me. Come on.”

  He swam to the cliff and slung her over his shoulder. He knew he must be hurting her immensely, but he didn’t have time to be gentle now. He scaled the cliff, feeling the rocks rip open his palms as he went higher and higher.

  When he finally reached the top, he laid her on the ground to examine her. Again he put a finger on her throat to feel for a pulse. The faint thrum he’d heard seemed to have disappeared. He let out a roar of anguish, and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Maybe she just needed help breathing. Please let it be that. He could handle anything else, just not losing her.

  After what seemed like forever, her body shuddered and she spewed out an obscene amount of water. He rolled her to her side to allow it all to exit and rubbed her back. When she finished coughing, he returned her to lying on her back. She stared up at him as her whole body shook from the cold. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to risk moving her and injuring her even worse.

  She took a shuddering breath and seemed to stop breathing.

  “Sabrina, breathe,” he commanded.

  “It…hurts…too…much,” she managed to whisper. “Is she dead?”

  “W-What should I do? Can I move you? Bring you to the hospital?”

  “No…too late. Don’t move me. Please, is she dead?”

  It seemed important to her to hear the words, to know he was safe. With blurred vision, he nodded and lied. “Yes, she’s dead. Sabrina,” he whispered. Tears rolled down his cheeks unheeded, and he tightened his grip on her shoulders. “I can’t…I can’t just let you die. I love you.”

  Her lips moved as she tried to smile.

  “I…love you, too. Just…stay with me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Running footsteps approached behind them, and Isaac spun, presumably ready to defend Sabrina at all costs. When he saw it was Elijah and not Louisa, he turned back to his love. His brother knelt by their side and checked for a pulse as Isaac stared at Sabrina like a man lost.

  “She’s alive, but barely,” Elijah murmured. “Louisa’s dead. I watched her die.”

  Isaac gave a quick nod and focused on his brother for a moment. “She can’t live. She’s been through too much. She wants me to let her—let her die.”

  Elijah hesitated. “We should carry her to a hospital. We can at least try.”

  Isaac nodded and wiped the tears off his face. He pulled her into his arms, but stopped when she cried out in pain.

  “No…it…hurts.”

  Isaac put her back down, looking at Elijah with panic on his face. They stared at each other wordlessly. Isaac turned to Sabrina. “I’m s-s-so sorry, love,” he whispered brokenly. Returning his gaze to Elijah’s, he spoke in hushed tones. “We can’t move her. I don’t know what to do.”

  “You’ve got to let her go. She’s not going to make it, Is
aac.” Pain was evident in Elijah’s voice, but his eyes did not waver from Isaac’s even as he blinked back the tears. He couldn’t break down when his brother needed him most. He’d been a horrible brother over the years, but now he’d be strong.

  No matter how much it hurt.

  Isaac yelled with raw anger and thunder boomed around them. Even Elijah cringed at the sheer volume of the bang.

  “I have to do something,” he swore.

  As he spoke, Elijah saw his face light up. He instantly tensed. He knew the look in Isaac’s eyes. As children, he’d always seen it appear right before Isaac told him a plan sure to get their small butts paddled.

  “Isaac, what?”

  “I’ll bite her, Elijah. It’ll change her, and we can run away.”

  “No, absolutely not,” he objected. “She wouldn’t want you to risk yourself to save her. She wouldn’t allow it.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not in the condition to allow anything.” Isaac gestured angrily to her motionless body.

  Elijah glared and shook his head. “No,” he repeated. Isaac growled at him, and Elijah smiled bitterly. “I won’t allow you to do this.”

  “I’d like to see you try to stop me, brother.”

  Isaac knelt by Sabrina’s side. He looked over his shoulder to ensure Elijah hadn’t stepped closer. Elijah remained still, studying Isaac from under hooded eyes. He could continue to gawk all he bloody wanted, as long as he didn’t interfere.

  Once he was confident Elijah meant no harm to him, or Sabrina, he stroked Sabrina’s face. Her eyes opened, and she stared at him vacantly. She was barely even here—he needed to move fast. Or he’d lose her.

  “Sabrina, honey. I’m going to have to bite you. It’ll hurt. A lot. I’m sorry, but this is the only way,” Isaac said, as soothingly as he knew how.

  Her eyes widened in horror as she licked her parched lips, attempting to speak. He leaned closer to hear her words, which were barely a whisper.