Reclaimed

by Diane Alberts

  “Not…you. Elijah…please.” She stared over his head at his brother, and Isaac fought the anger and pain that swelled up inside him. He knew why she said it. She was trying to protect him, to save him even now. But still, it hurt. And she must have seen it in his eyes, the doubts plaguing him even now.

  “I…love…you. But no…please.” Once again she looked over his head at Elijah, and he heard his brother curse. Isaac watched as she turned her eyes back to him. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head in confusion, wondering why she apologized.

  “I’m sorry, too,” he heard Elijah murmur from behind him.

  As soon as he heard Elijah speak, he knew. She hadn’t been asking Elijah to change her. She had been asking Elijah to help her stop Isaac from doing so at all. She was going to let herself die.

  But he was too late in his discovery, and the last thing he saw was Sabrina’s stricken face, and the tears running down her cheek.

  The pain exploded in his head, and he collapsed to the ground.

  Sabrina focused on Isaac as the tears ran down her face. She was dying. She knew it. But at least she’d taken Louisa down as well. Okay, well she hadn’t, but the bitch was dead. That was all that mattered to her. Not whether she herself had killed her, but that she’d gotten the bitch down, one way or another.

  Still, she hated betraying Isaac in her last moments, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow him to ruin his life for her. Thankfully, Elijah had understood what she had wanted, even if Isaac himself had been oblivious.

  “Take him…away. Leave me here.” She breathed, closing her eyes, and waited for death to take her. She was growing weaker by the moment and knew her time was coming. Every breath was a struggle; every movement was harder than the last. When she heard Elijah move beside her, she opened her eyes for one last look at Isaac before Elijah removed him from her side.

  Instead of picking up Isaac, Elijah bent over her. She looked at him in confusion, and her eyes widened in realization of what he was going to do.

  “No, h-h-h-he’ll kill you.”

  Elijah looked at her in sorrow. “I don’t think so.”

  Sabrina felt fury and fear overcome her, but was left wallowing in helplessness as he leaned over her motionless body. Oh, how she longed to fight him off, to punch his nose and kick him, all while she screamed.

  But she couldn’t. The last of her strength had left her, and she could not even utter more than a paltry whimper of protest.

  Desperately searching for a way to stop him, she whispered one final word.

  “Amelia….”

  Elijah tensed. “I’d have done this for her, if I had the power. Now I have the means to save you, and by God I will use it. I won’t watch you die again.”

  Elijah bent over Sabrina and cringed. He hadn’t had human blood in a year, at least not fresh from a warm body. He’d raided blood banks on a regular basis, but it was like comparing a hot meal fresh from the oven to a meal that had sat out for two hours on the table.

  He was worried he wouldn’t be able to stop once he started feeding, but strictly reined in his doubts. He had to do this; he had to save her. Isaac would understand. He would see he had done what he felt needed to be done. Elijah couldn’t allow Isaac to do what was against his laws and get himself killed in the process. Not when he had it in his power to save her as well, minus dire consequences, any more than he could sit and watch Sabrina die.

  Not bloody likely.

  Elijah leaned over Sabrina and cleared her wet hair away from her throat. He could see her pulse beating, faint and slow. She was barely alive, so time was certainly of an essence. Elijah leaned into her neck to kiss her while taking one final, fortifying breath.

  He could do this.

  Elijah bared his teeth and bit into her tender skin. She jerked in response and gasped beneath him. He knew he hurt her, but still he couldn’t contain his moan of delight. He lapped up her blood greedily. He’d never tasted anything so sweet in his life, and he devoured every drop he could manage. It wasn’t until she went limp beneath him and fell silent that he remembered who she was, and why he was doing this.

  He gasped and jerked away, and in a panic searched her pale face for signs of life.

  Was she drained, and dead? If so, he’d wait here for Isaac to awaken, and let him kill him as well. He would not, could not, go on.

  Sabrina moaned, and he looked at her in renewed hope. He guiltily pushed down the animal instinct telling him to finish the rest of his meal. Instead, he bit his own wrist, drawing blood, and pressed his wrist to her mouth. The blood trickled in, and her eyes flew open in response. She arched her back in protest and tried to move her head away from his blood, but he held her firm. She whimpered, and tears rolled down her cheeks. When color came back to her cheeks, he allowed her to have her way, and he pulled his wrist back. His blood was smeared on her face, and he fought the surge of possessiveness that came over him.

  Mine.

  “It hurts.” She gasped. “So bad.”

  Elijah bent over her and smoothed her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. So sorry.”

  Isaac stirred next to him and Elijah tensed. He was going to get hell from his brother, and Isaac might well kill him.

  But he wouldn’t kill Sabrina, right?

  Elijah shuddered and pulled her into his arms. If he was going to have to run from Isaac, he was not leaving her behind. He knew Isaac loved her, had even been prepared to transform her himself, but things always changed in this world. He could have not gone through with his plan, could have remembered his duties and allowed Sabrina to die on this cliff. Elijah acknowledged he’d taken the choice away from Isaac and he feared the consequences. Not for himself, but for Sabrina.

  Elijah looked down into her pain-wracked face and love swelled over him. He couldn’t risk her life, and he couldn’t trust Isaac. He didn’t know how his brother would react to the “new” Sabrina, and she was too weak and vulnerable to withstand attack. Enforcers often hunted down new changelings avidly, for they were easy prey.

  Without further thought, Elijah lifted her and sprinted away from Isaac. He needed to keep Sabrina safe, at all costs.

  Even from the man she loved.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Isaac moaned, disoriented, as he sat up and cradled his head in his hands. Why was he lying outside in the cold night in the first place? In a horrifying sequence of pictures, he saw it all. Sabrina lying in the clearing, pinned down by the tree his storm had knocked down, Sabrina getting thrown into the water, Sabrina dying by the cliff’s edge. He’d wanted to save her, to bite her. But they hadn’t allowed him; they’d knocked him out instead.

  And let her die.

  He growled and jumped up, looking around madly. Had Sabrina died when he’d been unconscious? Or had she allowed Elijah to bite her, after having denied Isaac the chance to do so?

  No, the right to do so. She belonged to him, and he to her. Yet she refused the one course of action that had been open to him. He tried not to allow it to hurt him, but it was like trying to stop the rain from falling or the wind from blowing. It wasn’t possible. He heard the ground crunching beneath footsteps behind him, and he swung around in excitement. Were they still here? Had they not left him, after all?

  He saw a woman and man walking out of the darkness of the trees, and tensed in apprehension. It couldn’t be Sabrina. She wouldn’t be able to walk. He cursed when he was able to recognize the pair approaching him.

  “Sheila, Connor. What brings you here?”

  Sheila looked at her companion, and Connor nodded. Sheila spoke eagerly. “We could sense a new vampire was nearby, and so we followed the scent. It led to this spot, and we saw you. Are you okay?”

  He stiffened and felt rage come over him. So Elijah had changed her. Had she allowed him—nay, welcomed him? Thunder boomed overhead, and he cursed.

  “I’m fine. There was a fight, and Sabrina was badly injured. I was here, with her, and Elijah s
truck me. I just woke up. I suppose he changed her while I was unconscious, and ran from me. Louisa was the culprit, and she’s dead.” All the time he was explaining, his mind was on Sabrina and Elijah. Where were they? Did Elijah actually think Isaac would harm Sabrina? The woman he loved?

  Sheila chuckled, and he looked at her inquiringly. “You find something in my story amusing, Sheila?” He let his anger show.

  “No, in your thoughts!” she exclaimed as she gestured at his head.

  Shit, he’d forgotten to guard his thoughts, had completely forgotten her power was to read minds. Was he insane? He quickly remedied the problem and guarded his thoughts from nosy ears. Sheila would like nothing more than to get revenge against him for past wrongs. He knew it as well as she did. “Get out of your king’s head, Sheila. I didn’t give you permission to fish around in my thoughts.”

  Despite her bravado, she paled in the face of his ire. “I know what you think, Isaac, and this has nothing to do with revenge. But I do know what I see, and I see you were going to change her yourself, and the only reason you didn’t do so is because Elijah stopped you.

  “I know also how much you love her, and so I wonder if the lines are still drawn strictly. You have always said if there was a newborn vampire, we must hunt it down and kill it before it gains strength. ‘A dead vampire is the only good vampire’, as you said.

  “So, Isaac, does this still hold true if the newborn is your girlfriend? Or are we simply to turn our heads and pretend these rules do not apply to you, our esteemed Ruler?”

  He’d never hit a woman before, but there was first time for everything, damn it. Isaac growled, and would have leapt on her in anger if Connor hadn’t stepped forward.

  He forced a calming breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He loved Sabrina, but he also knew if he left and ran off with Sabrina, the Enforcers would battle for control. There would be a dissension in the ranks as they all fought to take his place. He wasn’t a vain man by any means, but he knew he’d kept the men, and the few women, under his control over the years. They all looked to him for punishment, rules, and guidance. To fail them all now would mean to fail all mankind. His Enforcers would be too busy fighting each other to save mere mortals from death.

  But along the same vein, he’d be able to escape all the easier if that were the case. He and Sabrina could slip under the radar, lost within the battles that would be waged. Finding the treasonous Enforcer would take second place to finding a leader, by far. They’d be able to slip away unnoticed, find a secluded spot, and let the world go to hell. He cursed and punched a nearby tree. Choose love, and curse all mankind? Or choose duty, and curse himself?

  It wasn’t a choice any man wanted to make. It wasn’t a choice any man should have to make.

  Sheila’s gloating eyes followed his every movement and again he resisted the urge to punch her in her face. He instead forced his gaze to Connor’s admittedly more sympathetic scrutiny. Though he may feel empathy for Isaac’s plight, he was also one of the first who would hunt down Isaac and Sabrina if they were to run.

  Shit.

  “I’ll take care of this situation. Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know yet. But one way or another, it will be taken care of. I ask you to allow me some time to decide.”

  Connor nodded hesitantly and refused to meet his eyes. “How long do you need?”

  “Give me one day. One day, and if I don’t return, you may begin choosing a new leader. If I return, we will never speak of this again.” Isaac scowled at the pair.

  Sheila smiled, and Connor nodded.

  “How will we know you really took care of it?” Sheila had the audacity to question. He couldn’t believe she was so eager to bring him down. So excited at the prospect of him having to kill Sabrina. Or, perhaps, more excited at the idea of being able to kill her king.

  Yeah, it was probably that which prompted her sudden bravado.

  “Because I will have said so!” Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. He’d had enough of this shit. “Do not make the mistake of forgetting who I am, Sheila.”

  Thunder boomed as he took a step toward her. Sheila paled and backed away in the face of his anger. He studied her, not removing his eyes from hers. She looked terrified.

  Good.

  “I understand,” Connor said simply. “But if you don’t return—”

  “I also understand your position. I’m in agreement with your terms. Now I ask you—no, command you—to leave me alone.”

  Sheila and Connor left his sight, and Isaac allowed his tight shoulders to sag. Suddenly, the weight of the world seemed to rest on his right shoulder.

  It was excruciating.

  Isaac stood on the edge of the cliff and scowled into the turbulent ocean. The wind whipped through his hair, and for once it was not perfectly in place. The clouds thundered overhead, dark and dismal. The waves crashed on the shore far below, and it was clear that the very nature of the ocean, wind, and skies were all in tune to his foul mood. His teeth clenched, and his fists tightened.

  He threw his head back, his arms straight out to his side, and let out a yell of despair so loud it dominated the matching boom of thunder that crashed at the same moment. He dropped to his knees, momentarily spent.

  The winds died down, and a curious calm overtook his face. The waves slowed, and the clouds lightened. He stood and walked into the dark forest with a determined, steady gait.

  His decision was made.

  ***

  Elijah didn’t cease his mad sprint until he reached his small hut nestled deep in the forest. Sabrina moaned louder now, and he cradled her closer to him. He’d done this to her; it was his fault. But she would feel better eventually. She wasn’t dead.

  She moaned as he laid her on the bed and opened her eyes. She looked around in panic, not recognizing her surroundings. She gasped and tried to speak.

  “Isaac?”

  Elijah flinched. “Not here.” Panic filled her eyes, and he squeezed her hand. “I’m here, Sabrina. I’ll take care of you. You’ll be okay. Soon, you’ll pass out, and when you wake up all the pain will be gone. But I’ll be here through it all. I promise.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek, and she whispered one word.

  “Isaac….”

  Her eyes closed against his pleading gaze, and rejection coursed over his body. He’d bitten her, made her his, and still she cried out for Isaac. Part of him had thought—no, hoped—she’d be drawn to him. As she should but apparently she was immune to him even in this new world.

  Why did he have to love her so much?

  And how did you tell the woman you loved, the woman who you could not live without, that she couldn’t see the man she loved because he might very well kill her?

  He lowered his head to the bed beside her and groaned.

  Life sucks.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sabrina lay upon the bed. Her whole body felt like it was frozen in ice. She longed to writhe, scream, and shout. But yet, the worst she could manage was a pitiful whimper. She didn’t bother to open her eyes any longer. She’d only see Elijah hovering over her, worry and pain in his eyes. He hadn’t left her side yet, seemed scared to leave her—as if she would vanish into thin air if he weren’t standing guard over her.

  When she’d written her books, she’d always described the changing from a human to a vampire as fire. Fire burning its way through the body as it killed all living pieces inside a human. Oh, how she longed for fire. She shook from the cold enveloping her, and her teeth chattered, breaking the silence of the hut.

  She knew she was supposed to be unconscious by now, had heard Elijah muttering it to himself. Apparently her hearing was already affected by the change. Everything was becoming so much clearer. Squirrels ran on the roof above, and deer grazed outside. She wondered how far away they were from her and Elijah, before deciding she didn’t care. Elijah pulled her out of her reverie when he leaned over her, and placed his hand over her heart. He frowned in concentrati
on and his eyes darkened. He clearly wasn’t happy to feel that her heart still beat. It didn’t even seem to be weakening, or slowing. If anything, it seemed stronger than ever before.

  Which, apparently, wasn’t a good thing.

  Elijah jumped up and stalked to the other side of the room to pace. Even if she hadn’t known he was worried from his earlier muttering, she would have known by the telltale pacing. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. She smiled, and then grimaced at the pain the small movement caused. Sign number two: running his fingers through his hair. Both he and Isaac did that when they were upset.

  Isaac.

  Where was he? Had he let her go, knowing they could not be together any longer since Elijah had bitten her? Did he despise her now, knowing she was his enemy?

  A hated vampire.

  Her heart lurched, though not from the venom coursing through her veins. It was caused by the thought of an eternity of endless days without him by her side. She wished she’d died instead. It would have been a quicker, more merciful death.

  Instead she’d be forced to live forever, knowing somewhere out in the world, he lived, too. Every time she looked into Elijah’s eyes, or saw his beautiful face, another part of her would wither away to nothingness. Unless Isaac hunted her down and put her out of her misery.

  Was it sick she was excited that she’d at least get to see him one last time?

  ***

  Isaac had been wandering through the forest for hours. Elijah had been extremely cautious in covering up his tracks. He didn’t want to be followed, that much was obvious. He cursed and kicked a boulder. It groaned in protest before rolling across the forest floor. He’d passed this damn spot at least three times.

  Had Elijah run in circles throughout the forest, trying to confuse anyone who would attempt to follow him? It certainly wouldn’t surprise him. Elijah was extremely talented when it came to disappearing. He’d known he’d be unable to follow Elijah, and so had tried to concentrate on a newborn vampire’s scent. He would know it anywhere, but yet he failed.