Stefan didn’t blame him in the least; he was a little wary of himself. There was something that wasn’t right with him still, but he didn’t know what it was. He was beginning to feel like he had when he’d left, unstable and angry. Isabelle had helped to ease it when he had seen her, but now that he wasn’t near her, it was starting to come back with a vengeance.
He became even more aggravated when he thought about the fact that this might be the way he felt every time that he left her. That wasn’t a possibility he wanted to think about. He had always been free to come and go as he pleased, and although he had come back for her, he had never thought about the possibility that he might not be able to leave her again. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave her; it was the last thing he wanted to do, but the idea that it might never be able to happen was more than a little overwhelming.
He also couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that something wasn’t right, wasn’t complete. That something was lacking, he just didn’t know what it could be. He thought that if he could figure it out than things would be better, but he couldn’t think through the aggravating clawing in his chest, and stomach.
He sighed wearily as David handed him another board. The bolt of panic that hit him froze him instantly. The board slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a clattering thud that caused David to turn to him, his eyes wide in surprise. Stefan’s heart seemed to stop beating as Isabelle’s fear rolled over him, through him, nearly swamping him with its intensity.
“Stefan are you ok?” David asked worriedly.
“Get back to the house,” he hissed.
“What?”
Stefan didn’t bother to answer him as he turned and disappeared. “Shit!” Jack gasped in surprise.
CHAPTER 18
Stefan froze as he looked into the hole, a riot of emotions crashed through him at once. Fear surged forward as his eyes landed on Isabelle. She was covered in blood; her face, chest, and throat were streaked with it. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t her blood, but Kyle’s. When he did, anger surged through him as he realized the danger she had placed herself in. “Stefan.”
All of his anger vanished as she looked at him with wide, pleading, tear filled eyes. The pain and hopelessness in her gaze tore at his heart. His eyes landed on Isabelle’s wrist pressed to Kyle’s mouth, narrowing as anger tore through him again. Suddenly, he knew what was missing, what was incomplete, what would get rid of the clawing sensation that he had been struggling with since he’d left her side. He made himself take a deep breath and shove the anger aside. Now was not the time for it.
“He won’t stop bleeding,” she whispered, tears streaking down her blood and dirt caked face.
Stefan snapped out of his frozen state, dropping to his knees he reached into the hole. She lifted Kyle gently from Cassidy’s lap and stood swiftly. Pain flashed through her face as she gasped softly and shifted her weight. He clenched his jaw against the anger, and fear that rocketed wildly through his body as he realized that she had hurt herself. Cassidy stood slowly beside her, tears streaming down her distraught face as she whimpered softly.
Isabelle lifted Kyle to him, her arms shaking as a soft sob tore from her. Stefan clenched his teeth against the pain that she radiated, both physical and emotional, as he wrapped his hands around Kyle’s arms and pulled him easily up. He laid him on the ground, his eyes quickly scanning the severe wounds in his chest and stomach before turning back around. He reached back down as Isabelle handed Cassidy to him. She was sobbing heavily, her tiny body shaking from the force of it. He seized hold of Isabelle, relief filling him the minute that her hands enclosed his, and he pulled her free.
She released him instantly as she fell to her brother’s side, a bloody shirt clutched tightly in her hands as she pressed it to his wounds again. Lifting his head to her lap, she pressed her wrist to his mouth again. She was covered in dirt, and blood, her white bra was filthy, and more red than white now. The creamy skin of her shoulders, and back, was filthy.
Anger pierced through him again at the sight of her undressed state. He knew that he was acting like an idiot, that he had no reason to be angry. But the others would be coming soon, and the idea of them seeing her like this sent a bolt of fury and jealousy through him that he was unable to stop. Yanking his shirt briskly off, he walked over to crouch by her side.
She lifted her head to look at him, the anguish in her eyes almost more than he could bear. “Put this on.” He handed her the shirt as he picked Kyle up, her own tank top falling limply to the ground. Blood instantly clung to his skin, matting against his stomach as it oozed through Kyle’s shirt to cling to his fingers. Isabelle stood beside him, trembling as she twisted his shirt nervously in her hands. “Put it on!” he ordered, more sharply than he had intended.
She started in surprise as she glanced at the knotted shirt in her hands. She shook it out, her hands trembling as she slipped it over her head. His anxiety lessened instantly as the shirt fell over her, dropping down to mid thigh. She looked childish, and vulnerable in the oversized shirt, and he found himself liking the fact that she wore it.
He tore his attention away from her and back to Kyle. He was so pale and limp in his arms, his breath rattled slowly in and out. Stefan shifted his hold as he bit deep into his wrist, bringing a surge of blood forth. He held it to Kyle’s mouth, feeling a moment of relief as the boy swallowed it down. Isabelle followed anxiously beside him, limping badly, as he moved quickly down the path toward the house.
“Are you okay?” he demanded. Her eyes flew to his face, wide and anxious as she nodded. “Why are you limping?”
“A stake went through my shoe.”
Fury ripped through him, seizing his muscles, and causing his arm to convulse around Kyle. Isabelle’s eyes widened in surprise as her lower lip began to tremble. “You could have been killed!” he spat.
“I had too,” she whispered.
“Is he going to be all right?” Cassidy asked anxiously, breaking through the sudden tension that radiated between the two of them.
Stefan clenched his jaw as he turned to look at the small girl hovering at Isabelle’s side. Isabelle’s arm was wrapped around her tiny, trembling shoulders as she held her tight. Her big blue eyes were wide and bright with tears as she looked anxiously at her twin brother. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
He broke free of the woods, striding across the yard toward Liam’s house. Vicky and Abby were walking up from the lake; they broke instantly into a run as they spotted them. “What happened?” Vicky cried. “Oh no, Kyle!”
Tears streamed down their faces as they peered anxiously over Stefan’s shoulder at him. Stefan carried him swiftly up stairs as Isabelle hurried forward to slide the glass doors open. Willow rushed to the right, flinging open the closed wooden doors of the living room. Stefan walked briskly in and laid Kyle down on the couch, pulling his shirt over his head so that he could get a better look at the jagged wounds.
“Mom! Mom!” Vicky yelled as she took off up the stairs.
Isabelle hurried to the bathroom, ripping towels out of the cabinet and wetting them in the sink. She rushed back to the living room, ignoring the burning pain in her foot. Her mother raced down the stairs, her eyes widening in horror as she took in Isabelle. Then she turned, her mouth dropped as she looked at Stefan.
“Kyle!” She rushed into the living room, falling beside Stefan as she reached out to try and stop the blood flow with her hands. Isabelle hurried forward to hand her mother the towels that she had collected. Her mother took them quickly, her hands shaking as tears slid down her cheeks. “Come on baby,” she whispered as she used the wet towels to wipe the blood away. More blood welled up from the wounds, but it was slower than before.
Isabelle bit on her bottom lip, tears streaking down her face as her mother washed the rest of the blood away. The wounds appeared to be healing now, slowly. Isabelle’s hands trembled as she handed her mother another towel. Isabelle’s gaze went to Stefan, i
nstinctively searching him out for reassurance, or some sort of help. He met her gaze, his eyes dark and turbulent, his face, chest, and abdomen streaked with her brother’s blood as he reached for her. She clasped his hand tightly, immediately comforted by his touch as the heat of his hand burned into her. She choked back a sob as she slumped against the back of the couch.
He squeezed her hand tightly, and released her. The sob tore free of her at the loss of contact. An overwhelming feeling of despair washed through her as her gaze returned to Kyle. Stefan’s wrist was pressed tightly against his mouth, his other hand cradled beneath his head as he held him firmly against his arm. Another emotion began to come forth, an emotion that was just as strong, and just as overwhelming as her fear and despair as she watched how gentle and kind he was being with her brother.
It took her a moment to pinpoint it, a moment to understand what it was, and when she did, it slammed into her gut with the force of a fist. She gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth as she fought back the extreme wave of panic that tore through her. Stefan’s eyes were dark and stormy as they shot back to her. Isabelle stared back at him, her gaze rapidly searching his blood streaked face.
She loved him, she truly did love him. Isabelle forced herself to take a deep breath before she fainted, or threw up. She didn’t know how or when it had happened, but it had. It scared the hell out of her. She started to tremble with fear, and the overwhelming emotion of love that was tearing through her. She hadn’t wanted this, had never wanted to be this vulnerable to anyone, but she did love him. She knew in that moment that she would die for him, and that she would surely die without him. She needed him as much as she needed blood, as much as she needed her family. The need was stunning in its ferocity.
“Isabelle,” he said gently.
She forced herself to push the emotion aside as she focused on her brother again. The wounds seemed to be getting better by the second as her mother took away a towel that was only splotched with blood, not saturated. She could see sinew starting to rebuild, closing the wound that had gone straight through before. Relief flowed through her, leaving her weak and trembling as she placed a hand against the back of the couch, leaning against it for support.
“What happened?”
Isabelle turned as Kathleen, Delia, and Jess appeared in the doorway. Jess’s eyes locked on Isabelle, hatred blazed through them as they quickly took in the fact that she was wearing Stefan’s shirt. A small tremor rocked Isabelle as the force of that hatred slammed into her. A low growl sounded from behind her and Jess’s eyes instantly darted to Stefan and widened in surprise. Isabelle turned to him; his jaw was locked with fury, his eyes blazing with anger as he glowered at Jess. For a moment, the room was filled with a tense fury that shook her, and Isabelle found herself frightened that he would snap.
“We need to call an ambulance!” Kathleen cried, breaking the tension as she spun toward the kitchen.
“No!” Stefan snapped, halting Kathleen in mid stride. She turned back to him, her eyes wide in disbelief. “There will be no ambulance. There is absolutely nothing wrong here. You have seen nothing, you know nothing. All of you need to go back upstairs and stay there for the rest of the day. Now!”
Isabelle jumped as he lashed out the last word. Fury radiated from every inch of him as he glared at Jess, a muscle twitched in his cheek, and a vein throbbed in his forehead. Isabelle reached instinctively to squeeze his hand in an attempt to soothe some of the anger from him. He turned slowly toward her, his eyes blazing. For a moment he remained rigid, but then his jaw relaxed, and his eyes slowly returned to black. Her hand tightened on his before she released him and turned her attention back to the doorway. Jess, Kathleen, and Delia were already gone.
She turned back around as her mother lifted the towel from Kyle’s chest to inspect the wounds. They were healing even faster now. Relief started to claim her, but she was scared that it was too soon to hope that he would be okay. A loud pounding on the back steps jerked her head around as everyone came rushing through the glass doors. Her father’s face went white as his eyes landed on Kyle. “No!”
Isabelle stood silently as he rushed toward her mother’s side. “What happened?” Ethan demanded.
“The bear trap,” Isabelle whispered.
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Damn it! We should have taken care of that thing! Why would they go near it?” he demanded fiercely.
Everyone turned to look at Cassidy as she stood huddled behind Stefan; tears streaked her face as she trembled fiercely. “We just wanted to take a look,” she sobbed.
Vicky walked over and wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders, pulling her tight against her side. “Is he going to be okay?” David demanded.
“I think so,” Stefan said slowly.
Isabelle couldn’t stop herself from reaching down to him again. She needed to touch him, needed to feel him, and be reassured by his presence. His shoulders stiffened as he seized hold of her hand, clasping it tightly, and refusing to release her. “Do you want me to do that?” her mother asked anxiously, waving toward Stefan’s wrist.
Stefan looked at her and shook his head. “My blood is stronger, it will help more.”
Her mother nodded weakly as her father wrapped his arm tightly around her and pulled her close to him. Stefan stiffened, his hand tightening upon Isabelle’s as Kyle bit into his wrist. Relief flowed through him as he drank deeply, and with relish. He relaxed his grip on Isabelle’s trembling hand, but she refused to release him. He squeezed her hand slightly, taking comfort in her reassuring touch, and presence.
Eventually Kyle’s bite began to lessen as his thirst for blood became less. Stefan pulled the towel back to reveal the wounds. They were still dark, and vicious looking, but they had stopped bleeding, and bone, muscle, and skin had now knitted neatly back together. He pulled his wrist gently away from Kyle’s mouth as the boy released him.
“He’ll be all right,” he said softly. “He’ll need more blood, and he probably won’t awaken for awhile, but he’ll be all right.”
He stood slowly, moving away so that Liam and Sera could get closer to their son. “Are you okay?” Isabelle asked worriedly.
He glanced up at her, smiling softly as he nodded. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ease the trembling that remained from her fear for Kyle, and the shock of her realization about Stefan. He moved toward her, his chest and hard stomach coated with blood. Isabelle rushed forward, flinging her arms around his waist as she buried her head against his chest. Tears of relief slid down her cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him.
***
Isabelle sat silently at the kitchen table feeling drained, and completely exhausted. She shifted slightly and leaned back against Stefan. His arms tightened around her waist as she dropped her head to his hard shoulder and nuzzled against his neck. His familiar scent of crisp air, woods, soap, and pure male filled her nostrils. She sighed contentedly as she moved even closer to him. Beneath his familiar scent she could suddenly smell the copper tint of his blood.
She stiffened slightly as the fierce urge to taste his blood surged into her. She had never experienced such an intense urge before, hadn’t thought it was possible, but she suddenly wanted it to fill, and warm her. She closed her eyes tightly against the yearning, but the smell of it, and the power that radiated from it, caused her mouth to water. She wanted to whimper from the hunger blazing through her, but she forced herself to remain silent, and not let on to the sudden discomfort that consumed her.
She turned her head away from the throbbing pulse in his throat and rested her head against his chest. She forced her attention away from him, and to the people that surrounded them. Ethan, Ian, Mike, Doug, Jack, and David sat silently around the table, their faces as tired and strained looking as she felt. Vicky, Abby, and Julian sat on the island, leaning tiredly against each other. Willow walked in from the living room; her shoulders slumped as she glanced at them through shadowed eyes.
“Is he awake?” Doug asked.
“No.” Isabelle sighed softly and closed her eyes as she snuggled closer to Stefan’s warmth, allowing herself to be comforted by the gentle beat of his heart. She stifled a yawn as a wave of exhaustion swept her.
Stefan dropped his head down to rest on hers and inhaled her gentle, reassuring scent. She had taken a shower, her hair was still damp, the smell of it clean and refreshing. Beneath the lose T-shirt, and baggy pants she wore, he knew that she was completely naked. The knowledge of that had caused him to grow hard long ago, and he was desperately fighting against his baser instincts as she snuggled closer to him. The movement caused his erection to jump and throb.
He clenched his teeth against the growing ache in his loins as he shifted the obvious swell away from the gentle curve of her buttocks. She was completely exhausted, both emotionally and physically, the last thing she needed right now was to know what he was thinking about.
He glanced down at her bandaged foot, knowing that the wound was heeled by now. But the sight of the blood dampened bandage caused anger, and fear, to course through him. He was going to have a talk with her later about putting herself in danger. He knew that she wouldn’t like it, but that was too bad, he’d be damned if she got hurt, or something worse. She was too impatient for his liking, too willing to risk her own life. She had to start thinking about herself, about him, if something happened to her...
The thought alone unleashed something wild and primitive in him. It made him want to destroy the world, and everyone in it. His hands instinctively tightened around her, pulling her more firmly against him as he fought back the panic, and fury, that the thought aroused. As long as he was alive, nothing was ever going to happen to her, and if she didn’t start taking better care of herself, he was going to lock her up somewhere safe. He didn’t care if she hated him for it, but he would do it if it meant keeping her protected, and alive. He didn’t think he could survive without her.
Destined (Vampire Awakenings) Page 22