“And apparently neither was my last one,” she whispered.
Her mother sighed as she brushed Isabelle’s hair off her forehead. “No, but we all make mistakes. Everything will be all right, you’ll see.”
“I have to go talk to him. I need to see him.” She suddenly needed him with an intensity that shook her.
“You can’t go tonight Isabelle, but you can go tomorrow, okay?” her mom said gently.
Isabelle glanced out at the dark sky. “What if they come tonight though?”
“Then we can all return home tomorrow.”
“What if something happens to him?” she whispered. “What if I lose him and one of the last things I ever told him was that I hated him?” she sobbed.
“Nothing will happen to him Isabelle, he’s stronger than most.”
“What about the others?”
Her mom sighed, her hand tightened on Isabelle’s shoulder. “They won’t interfere, not unless they have too. They know their limits, besides your father knows I’ll kill him if he gets himself hurt,” she added forcefully. Isabelle laughed softly as she dropped her head to her mother’s shoulder. “It will be all right,” she promised gently.
Isabelle prayed that she was right. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to reach out to Stefan. If she couldn’t see him, than she could at least connect with him, let him know that she was sorry. She felt the brush of his presence, but that was all. He still had her shut out. Tears streaked down her face as she tried to figure out why he wouldn’t let her back in. She feared that her mother was wrong, that he would never forgive her.
CHAPTER 22
Stefan stood silently on the porch, his arms crossed firmly over his chest as he rapidly scanned the horizon. They were coming, he could feel it, and they were near. He turned to the people gathered behind him. “They’re strong,” Liam said softly.
“Yes,” he replied. “Don’t forget that they can’t get in the house unless invited. If anything goes wrong, that is where you go.”
Liam nodded briskly, his eyes dark and turbulent as they met Stefan’s. “That goes for you too.” Stefan nodded sharply. “Don’t do anything stupid Stefan. I won’t lose my daughter because you do,” he growled.
“I won’t,” he assured him.
“They’re here,” Brian said softly.
Stefan turned as three men materialized in the middle of the yard. He could sense their power, but it wasn’t as strong as he had thought it would be. He glanced sharply at Brian. “You couldn’t have handled this?” he snarled.
“There’s more.”
Stefan turned back around. He shut out the presences of the men before him in order to search the night. He could sense them out there, waiting in the shadows. “Fools,” he muttered.
“How many more are there?” Mike asked.
“Four,” Brian answered.
“Two in the woods, two more behind the house,” Stefan supplied.
“How do you want to do this?” Brian asked.
Stefan was silent as he watched the three men on the lawn move slowly forward. He didn’t want the others getting off the porch. These vampires weren’t as strong as he had thought they would be, but they were stronger than them. If they got off the porch they would be putting themselves in danger. Isabelle truly would hate him forever if something happened to anyone in her family.
“Wait for them to get closer,” Stefan instructed. “I don’t want you guys leaving this porch unless you have to.”
“We can handle ourselves,” Ethan said coldly.
“You can, but we’re going to need you at our backs, and if you split up you’ll be shredded. Stay on the porch,” Stefan growled.
The men in the field stopped twenty feet away, and stood waiting. Stefan glanced back over at Brian. “After this...”
“I’m gone,” he assured him.
“If you find me again Brian, I’ll kill you myself.”
“So you’ve told me.”
“So I mean!” he snapped.
Brian turned to look at him and nodded briskly. “I know.”
“Let’s go.”
Stefan stepped off the porch, strolling out to the center of the field with Brian at his heels. The men were foolish enough to rush at them. The fight was swift, brutal, and vicious. Between the two of them, the three men never stood a chance. By the time that Stefan had dispatched the first one and turned toward the second, Brian was done with the other. The two from the woods came rushing out as the last of the first three went down.
“Idiots,” Brian muttered as they spun to face them. Stefan tore out the throat of one as Brian slammed a hole through the chest and ripped out the heart of the other.
Stefan stepped back, slightly breathless as he spun toward the porch. They were all still standing there, watching them in wide eyed amazement. Stefan focused his attention on the two that had been behind the house, but they were gone. “What the hell?” he muttered.
Brian took a step closer to him as he dropped the heart and stomped on it. He wiped the blood absently on his jeans as he quickly scanned the night. “I guess we scared them off,” he said.
Stefan frowned as he shook his head and looked at the five scattered behind them. “They should have attacked when we came out here.”
“Come on Stefan, you have the two of us, plus seven vampires standing on the porch. They realized it would have been suicide. Thanks for the help,” Brian said with a bright grin.
“You didn’t need it,” he growled.
“I would have if they had all attacked at once, and you know it.”
“I still don’t understand why they didn’t. They were stronger than the others.”
“They couldn’t defeat us.”
“No, but still...” Stefan’s voice trailed off as he nudged one of the dead ones over. “Where did you run into these guys?”
“Portland.”
“Well, that was quick,” Ian said awe evident in his voice as they all approached.
“Of course it was,” Brian said.
Stefan turned toward them, wiping the blood from his mouth and hands as they stopped a few feet away. “Where did the other two go?” David asked.
“Ran for the hills like the cowards they were,” Brian replied.
Stefan was amazed at the amusement that crossed all of their faces, even Ethan’s. “Well, guess we know not to piss you off,” Jack said.
“Hey!” Ian cried, moving forward. “That’s one of the guys from the club!” He pointed toward the brunette that Stefan had dispatched of first.
Stefan turned back around, his frown deepening as he stared down at the unseeing man. He felt a moment of triumph as he realized that he had taken care of one of Isabelle’s attackers, something he had wanted to do since that night. “So is that one,” Jack said, pointing to the last man, another brunette.
Stefan turned slowly, a growing feeling of unease settling into his stomach. He kicked the other men over, but none of them had light blond or bright red hair. “Way to go!” Ian cried, slapping him on the back.
“Was there a redhead and a blond with these men?” he asked Brian.
Brian frowned thoughtfully and nodded. “Yeah, come to think of it, there was. The one I killed had brown hair though.”
Stefan turned, his eyes narrowing as he searched the night for a hint of their presence. “The blond is the one that bit Isabelle,” Jack said.
The bottom of Stefan’s stomach plummeted as he suddenly realized why they had left. They may have come here with every intention of killing Brian, but once here, they had scented something else, something even better that had been denied to them. “Brian lets go!” he hissed.
“What?” he asked in surprise.
“Now!”
Stefan’s panic was growing by the second. They had a head start, a fairly good head start. He turned, racing across the field, and blurring into the night. “I hate it when he does that,” Jack mumbled. “We’re going to have to put a bell on him.”
Brian stood silently for a moment more. “They attacked this girl Isabelle?” he asked softly.
“Yeah,” David replied.
Brian’s eyes narrowed. “That’s where they’re going.”
“What!?” they all yelled.
Brian didn’t wait to answer them, he took off, following Stefan’s scent as he blurred into the night.
“Let’s go!” Liam hissed. “Now!”
***
Isabelle rolled over and punched her pillow again. It didn’t matter what she did, she was never going to get comfortable, never going to go to sleep without Stefan beside her. She contemplated going over to the next room to see her mom, she was certain that she wasn’t asleep either, but she knew that if she woke up Willow, and Cassidy, she would never hear the end of it. She sighed as she flipped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. It didn’t help that Vicky was snoring softly, and Abby had just finished mumbling something about cookies.
She tried to reach out for Stefan again, but he was still shut out from her. She rolled back over, curling into a ball as she tried not to think about what that meant. He hated her now, she was sure of it. She didn’t know why he hadn’t told her of his past, why he had deliberately lied to her, but she was now certain that there was a good reason. Her mother wouldn’t trust him if there wasn’t, the others wouldn’t trust him either. Ethan had told him to leave, not the others. They didn’t hate him. She was certain that Ethan didn’t either, but he had done the same thing that she would have if their roles had been reversed. They were too much alike, arrogant, judgmental, and quick to anger. Also highly protective of each other. She didn’t blame Ethan, and she was certain that once she got everything straightened out, Ethan would come around.
She just had to get everything straightened out first, and she truly hoped that Stefan would give her a chance. That he would be able to forgive her, and that he hadn’t believed her when she had said that she hated him. She wished that she could take those words back, but she couldn’t, and he wouldn’t let her into his mind to tell him that she loved him, that she had lied when she said she hated him. If something happened to him, she would never forgive herself. She wasn’t even sure that she could forgive herself now. She had been so cruel to him, so hurtful.
She shut the thoughts out; they did her no good now. She would talk to him tomorrow; she would straighten it all out then. He would be all right. He would be fine. She would beg for his forgiveness if she had too. The idea of doing that didn’t exactly sit well with her, but for the first time in her life, she was willing to put her pride aside and humble herself to someone, if that was what it came to. She hoped that it wouldn’t, but she would do it if she had too. She owed him that much, and more, much more.
She sighed and flopped back over again. “Would you stop doing that,” Abby muttered irritably.
“You were the one talking about cookies just a minute ago,” Isabelle whispered back.
“Cookies?”
“Yeah.”
“I could go for some cookies,” Vicky mumbled. “At least I’d have something good to eat while I’m listening to Isabelle sigh and moan.”
“How could you hear me over your snoring?” Isabelle retorted.
“I don’t snore!”
“You snore louder than a chainsaw!”
“Yeah you do,” Abby agreed.
“Whatever,” Vicky mumbled.
Isabelle rolled over to look at them. Abby had propped her head up on her hand and was staring at her from over Vicky’s back. Vicky was scowling at her from half lowered lids. Isabelle managed a tremulous smile as she lifted herself onto her elbow. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she apologized.
“This bed sucks anyway,” Vicky mumbled.
‘Isabelle!’
Stefan’s voice slammed into her mind so fiercely that she almost fell out of bed from the shock of it. ‘Stefan?’
‘They’re coming Isabelle, get to safety now!’
‘What?’
‘Now! It’s the men from the club, they’ll find you! Go now!’
Isabelle jumped up, tossing the blankets aside as his panic surged into her and flared her own to near epic levels. Her eyes instantly fell on Vicky and Abby. “Get up!” she yelled.
“What?” they demanded, bolting up in the bed.
“Get up! Now! Hurry!”
“Isabelle...”
“They’re coming here. The men from the club, they’re coming here!”
“Oh no!” They bounded out of the bed simultaneously.
“Get in the bathroom,” she commanded.
“What?”
“Isabelle...”
She grabbed hold of Abby’s arm and started propelling her toward the bathroom. “Vicky move,” she urged frantically.
Vicky rushed over to the bathroom, flicking on the bright, florescent light. It flashed for a moment before blazing to life. Isabelle blinked against its bright flare as she shoved Abby into the ugly little green room. Her fear was rapidly mounting. “Stay in here!” she hissed.
“Isabelle, wait! What about you?”
Isabelle ignored her as she raced across the room; she grabbed the tiny wooden chair in the corner. She ran back to the bathroom and thrust it inside. “Use this to block the door, and don’t you dare come out, no matter what!” she ordered.
“Isabelle...”
“Do it!” she snapped, grabbing the handle and slamming the door shut. “Lock it tight!”
She waited until she heard the chair being placed against the door before she ran over to the other door. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled to get the chain into place. ‘My mother!’ she screamed to Stefan.
‘It’s you they want Isabelle! You they’re tracking. Your mother has been warned.’
Isabelle bit back a sob as she turned back around. Vicky and Abby were stuck in here with her. ‘I have to get out of this room!’
‘No!’
‘Vicky and Abby are in here!’
‘Don’t you dare leave that room!’
Isabelle glanced wildly around. They could come in here, she knew that. People stayed in this room, but they didn’t live here. It was no one’s home. She either left the room, and took them away from her sisters, or she stayed and led them right to them. It was not a hard decision to make. She spun back around, trembling as she reached to slip the chain free of its lock. Her hand froze midway there.
‘Stefan...’
‘Stay in that room!’ he commanded.
‘Stefan, they’re here.’
His roar of fury was so loud that for a moment she swore it echoed through the room. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t his bellow that filled the room, but the shattering of the large plate glass window behind her. Isabelle screamed as air rushed into the room, and a darkness that had nothing to do with the night, rushed in to meet her. She recognized the putrid smell instantly as it swamped into her mind, nearly drowning her with its memories of pain and fear.
She ripped the chain free, and unlocked the dead bolt as hands seized hold of her. Isabelle swung wildly, lashing out with claws. She caught him across the face, slicing his skin open and spraying his blond hair with blood. She lashed out again, fear for her sisters serving to make her wild, and savage, as she caught him in his chest. She would do everything in her power to make sure that this monstrosity didn’t get anywhere near them.
The door burst open behind her; it slammed into her back, and knocked her to the floor. She cried out as her shoulder slammed into the wall and pain pierced down her side. Splintered wood, and shattered plaster rained down around her as the ruined door crashed to the floor. She scrambled back up as the other one came at her. “Kill her!” the blond hissed.
The redhead came eagerly toward her, his eyes gleamed with bloodlust. Isabelle jumped to her feet as the blond turned toward the bathroom door. “No!” she screamed.
She launched herself at the redhead at the s
ame moment that her mother raced through the door and flung herself at his back. He hissed in fury as he stumbled backward, her mother’s claws tearing down his back. Isabelle slashed at him, ripping his chest open with her nails. The blond, distracted by her mother’s presence, came back toward them as Willow and Cassidy flew into the room.
“Get out of here!” Isabelle screamed at them.
They skidded to a halt, their eyes wide as the blond turned toward them. Fear tore through her as they turned to run back out of the room. He disappeared before her eyes, coming to a halt in front of them. “Veal!” he hissed.
“Mom!” Willow screamed.
The door to the bathroom burst open as Abby and Vicky raced out. Isabelle felt as if her heart stopped beating for a full moment. She was so focused on everyone else that she had completely forgotten about the man before her. He flung her mother off, knocking her to the floor as he reached out and seized hold of Isabelle’s arm. She swung out instantly, but he grabbed hold of her other arm, twisting it painfully to the side and forcing her to her knees. She bit back a whimper of pain as she lifted her chin to glare defiantly back at him.
“I’ve been dying to see you on your knees,” he said with a cruel smile.
“Screw you!” she spat.
“Isabelle!” Vicky screamed.
Isabelle swung up, ignoring the tortuous pain in her arm, as she caught him across his stomach. Blood spurted over both of them as he twisted her arm all the way over, knocking her to the floor. Agony tore through her and she almost screamed, but managed to stop herself in time. Fear flowed through her as he knelt over her, pinning her shoulder against the wall. He was so strong, so much stronger than she was. There was no way that she could fight him. Thoughts of her family rushed over her as the sounds of a battle filled the room, but there was nothing that she could do to help them, she was completely trapped, and he was going to kill her.
The roar that filled the room was so loud that it drowned out every other sound instantly.
Destined (Vampire Awakenings) Page 30