Stefan swept her up into his arms, cradling her head against his chest as his hands wrapped into her silken hair. A wave of protection washed over him, pushing out some of his fury. Then, he thought about what could have happened to her, and the anger blazed forth again. He anxiously scanned the alley, searching for any sign they might still be around. He hoped they were so he could rip them to shreds. But they were all gone, including Jack and Ian.
Stefan pulled back her hair; the rage in him nearly exploded as he saw the jagged lacerations on her delicate skin. His hands were shaking as he lightly touched the marks. She whimpered but didn't awaken. He instantly dropped his hand; a snarl curled his lips as he cradled her. The constricting pain in his chest was almost unbearable as he realized he could have lost her.
He bit back a roar as he quickly scanned the alley again. He should have gone after them himself, but he couldn’t leave her side until he knew she was okay and they hadn't destroyed her.
Jack appeared beside him, panting slightly, as he gazed at Isabelle. "Is she all right?" he asked anxiously.
"No. Where are they?" he snarled.
Jack's eyes sharpened on Stefan. "They're gone," he said.
"They were old." Jack's brow furrowed, but he didn't question how Stefan knew that. "We need to get her out of here, now."
Jack nodded as Ian reappeared. "Get the car," Jack told him.
"Is she all right?" Ian demanded.
"Get the fucking car!" Stefan snapped.
Ian's eyes darkened with resentment, but he didn't argue. Instead, he nodded and took off around the building. Stefan shifted his hold on Isabelle as blood trickled onto his fingers. Anger ripped through him again as he fully realized someone else had touched her, hurt her. He trembled with his urge to kill, to savage, and destroy.
He mistakenly thought he’d managed to rid himself of such urges, managed to leave them in his past, but he was completely wrong. The killer in him was still very close to the surface, and it was Isabelle who brought it out in him.
He inhaled as the realization sank in and further rattled his thin thread of composure. When her panic had slammed into him inside the club, he was jolted by the fact she was able to communicate it to him at all. Only bonded vampires could communicate with their minds, and the bond was forged through blood or sex.
Then, all those thoughts had fled as he was gripped by the overwhelming drive to get to her, to kill whoever was hurting her and anyone who got in his way. He was overrun again by the bloodlust that drove him for centuries, a bloodlust he was determined to rid himself of forever. He now knew that he’d failed.
He also failed in his need to keep her safe. She was injured by a part of the world he had never wanted her to know existed, and all because he was too stubborn to go after her when she left. It was his fault she was hurt. If it hadn't been for him, she never would have come to the club tonight, she never would have been outside, and she wouldn't have been hurt. Right now, he hated himself completely.
"How much did they take from her?" Jack asked worriedly.
"I don't know," Stefan said coldly.
"We need to get her blood, now!"
Stefan searched her face. She was extremely pale, her lips nearly white, but her heartbeat soundly, and she was breathing regularly. He closed his eyes and used his power to push himself into her subconscious mind, to search out the damage they inflicted on her. It wasn't something he could do if she was awake and fought him. However, now that she was unconscious and vulnerable, he drifted into her. Relief filled him when he realized they hadn't taken much of her precious blood. He pulled out of her mind to gaze at her unconscious form.
"They didn't take much," he said quietly.
"They must have! Look at her!" Jack protested.
"No, they didn't," Stefan grated.
"Then why is she out like a light?" Jack shouted.
Stefan ground his teeth and closed his eyes against the concern and self-loathing tearing him to shreds. "Because of the pain."
"What?" Jack asked in confusion.
Stefan's eyes flew open. Jack took an abrupt step back.
"The pain!" Stefan answered. "When you're a human, and your blood is drained unwillingly, it hurts. Trust me, I know. When you're a vampire, and it happens, it feels as if the fires of Hell are searing through your body. It's why she couldn't fight them off."
"Oh," Jack’s eyes scanned Stefan before returning to Isabelle. "Will she be all right?"
Jack took a step toward her; his hand extended to touch her. Stefan immediately stepped back as a hiss escaped. Amazement over his reaction coursed through him, but his body remained tense and rigid with animosity. He didn't know why he’d done it; Jack would never mistreat Isabelle, but the idea of him touching her instantly brought the demon out of him.
He knew he would lose control if Jack insisted on touching her. Jack's eyes came back to his, but to Stefan's amazement, he didn't argue with him, and he didn't try to get near her again. His eyes filled with a sad acceptance as he stepped warily back and his hand dropped limply to his side.
Stefan's eyes narrowed on Jack as he held onto her. She was so vulnerable, so frail and fragile it tore at his insides. He eyed Jack warily, unable to understand why Jack, a man who helped raise Isabelle, backed away from him without a protest. Stefan's emotions were becoming more tumultuous and disordered by the second. He was losing complete control of himself because of her.
"Will she be okay?" Jack asked again.
"Yes. She just needs some rest and some blood."
Headlights swung into the alley as Ian drove toward them. He pulled up with a screech of brakes, hopped out of the car, and raced toward them. "Jack, you drive!” Ian said. “Give her to me!"
He stopped before Stefan and held his arms out to take Isabelle. Stefan's nostrils flared as his jaw clenched and his temper built again. "No," he spat.
"Give my sister to me!" he demanded.
He reached out to grab her, but Stefan turned, so his body was between Ian and Isabelle. Ian's eyes flashed red, but Jack grabbed Ian's arm and pulled him roughly back. "Get in the car, Ian!" he ordered.
Ian rounded on him angrily, his hands clenched at his sides. "I will not! Not without—"
"Now! Get in the car, now!" Jack bellowed at him.
Jack shoved Ian toward the passenger side of the car. "Jack—"
"Ian, if you want to live, you will get in this car!" Jack shouted.
Ian stared at him in disbelief as Jack flung the door open and shoved him inside. Stefan’s anger ebbed as astonishment began to replace it. What the hell was going on with him and with Jack?
"Let's go!" Jack yelled.
Stefan shook off his confusion, now was not the time for it. He slid into the backseat and closed the door. He cradled Isabelle on his lap, unable to let her go as Jack tore out of the alleyway.
Chapter Fourteen
Stefan carried Isabelle into the house behind Jack. David, Doug, Mike, and Ethan looked up from the baseball game they were watching, shock registering on their faces seconds before they leapt to their feet. "What happened?" Mike demanded.
"She was attacked," Jack answered. "Put her on the couch, Stefan; I'll get some blood."
They came rushing around the couches toward him. Stefan glowered at them and pulled her against his chest. If he had to, he would kill everyone in this room to keep them from touching her. David, Doug, and Mike skidded to a halt behind the couch, while Ethan kept on coming. "Get away from her!" Stefan spat as Ethan stopped before him.
"I don't know who you think you are, but that is my sister!" Ethan shouted.
"I'm telling you right now to get away from her!" he nearly roared.
Mike jumped forward to grab hold of Ethan's arm and rip him back. "Get your hands off me!" Ethan yelled at him.
"Go get your parents, now!" Mike ordered.
"But—"
"Now!"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Ethan yelled. "Until I know what happened, and he gets
his hands off my sister!"
Ethan's eyes flashed red as he stepped toward her. Stefan hissed and lunged forward. Seizing Ethan's throat, he effortlessly lifted him off the ground. Ethan thrashed in his grasp; his hands clutching wildly at Stefan as he dug into Ethan's throat.
"Stefan, no!" David moved swiftly forward to stand in front of him but made no move to stop him. "Isabelle will hate you if you hurt him!"
Stefan struggled against losing complete control as bloodlust ruled him. David's words gradually managed to penetrate his growing frenzy. Isabelle would hate him if he hurt Ethan. He shoved the killing frenzy aside and released his hold on Ethan's neck. Ethan stumbled back, his eyes flashed with ire as his hand flew to his bruised throat. David grabbed Ethan's arm, forcefully shoving him to the side as Mike grabbed the other one.
"Get your parents," David commanded.
"Neither of us are going anywhere," Ian said forcefully.
"You need to get your parents, now!" Mike shoved them both toward the door.
"Mike—"
"Go!" David bellowed.
Stefan shot a warning look at Doug as he moved past him. Doug took a quick step back, his gaze focused worriedly on Isabelle as Stefan carefully laid her on the couch. Jack rushed back into the room with a bag of blood in his hand. He skidded to a halt next to Doug, his gaze flickered to Isabelle then apprehensively back to Stefan. Jack made no move toward her as he held the bag out to Stefan.
Stefan stared at him before snatching the bag out of his hand and ripping it open with his teeth. Stefan lifted her head cautiously and opened her lips to place the bag on them. Her eyelids twitched as she opened her mouth to receive it.
Relief flooded through him as he stroked her hair and continued to feed her. "Is she going to be ok?" Mike asked.
"Yes," he answered.
He was a little suspicious they would attack him for what he’d done to Ethan, but he could destroy them if they attempted it. He wasn’t going to leave Isabelle alone with them. It didn't matter to him they were like her brothers, or that he attacked first, he wasn't going to allow any of them near her until he knew she was safe.
However, as they made no move to take her away from him, his wariness quickly turned to confusion. Why weren't they attacking him? Surely they would if they thought he would harm Isabelle or them. Instead, they seemed to accept he’d assumed control over her, and he’d attacked one of them.
From everything he'd seen over the past week, any of them would willingly die for one of the others. He didn't understand their acceptance of him coming close to killing Ethan. It made absolutely no sense to him. What was the matter with them? Why were they taking this so well? And what did they know that he didn't? His jaw clenched as a million questions raced through his head, but then Isabelle moaned, and all thought fled as he focused his attention solely on her.
"What happened?" David demanded.
They all stared at Stefan, but he didn’t speak.
"I'll tell you later," Jack said.
Stefan searched their faces, but he didn't much care what they thought. His attention returned to Isabelle as the last of the blood slid down her throat. He tossed the bag aside, lifted her head gently, and slid onto the couch. He laid her head in his lap and caressed her pale face. She rolled over, and her delicate hand curled into his thigh.
A rush of protectiveness flowed through him as his hand curled into her hair. He wanted to get as close to her as possible; he needed to keep her safe from the world. From himself. He was more dangerous than the men who attacked her. He was especially dangerous now when his emotions were in a rioting turmoil.
The screen door banged open as Sera and Liam came rushing inside. "What happened?" Sera raced toward him; terror etched onto her delicate face.
She cast David and Doug a scathing look when they moved to intercept her and dashed around them. She fell on her knees before Isabelle. Tears spilled freely down her face as she brushed Isabelle's hair back.
"Is she okay?" she sobbed.
"She will be," Stefan assured her.
Liam appeared behind her and grasped hold of Isabelle's hand. A snarl instinctively curved Stefan’s mouth. Liam's eyes flashed with fire; a growl escaped him as he ripped Sera backward.
"What are you doing?" Sera demanded as Liam shoved her behind him.
"Whoa!" Doug jumped in between them both with his hands held out. "Calm down! Both of you!"
Sera poked her head around Liam and began to laugh. "Liam, move," she said as she pushed at his back.
"No!" he said furiously.
Sera drew glaring looks from both Stefan and Liam as she laughed louder. Suddenly, Doug began to chuckle, and from behind him, Stefan could hear more muffled laughter.
"I think we should all go into the dining room," Sera managed to say. "Stefan will take care of Isabelle."
"I am not leaving my daughter alone with him," Liam grated.
"Yes, you are," Sera said firmly. Liam's eyes slowly changed back to green; he turned to look down at her as they wordlessly communicated with each other. She nodded as she took hold of his arm and led him away.
"What about Isabelle?" Ethan demanded.
"She'll be fine," Doug said.
"But—"
"Ethan, trust me, she'll be fine," Sera insisted. "Come on."
Stefan found himself alone with only his nefarious mass of twisting emotions for company. For a split second, he’d been willing to kill Isabelle's father simply because he'd wanted to touch his daughter. He’d almost killed her brother for the same reason. Something was seriously wrong with him; Isabelle was causing him to lose his control. He was going insane.
She buried her head deeper into his lap as his hands convulsed on her. A fierce surge of guardianship seared through him again, but he quickly shoved it aside. He needed to remain calm. He needed to think. He had to get away from her before he killed someone. Before he brought the monster he’d once been down on them all.
He could easily destroy everyone in this house, and for some reason, Isabelle made the demon in him even more turbulent than ever before. If he didn't get away from her, he would become the one thing he'd loathed over the years, the one thing he’d fought so savagely against becoming. She deserved much better than anything he could ever give her, much better than the world of torment he lived in, and he meant to see it never touched her again. He’d been selfish in his lust for her, but he was wrong, and he would fix it.
"I cannot believe you're leaving her alone with him!" Ethan exploded. "He's obviously unstable! He was going to kill me! He could kill her!"
"No, he couldn't," Sera said.
"How do you know that?" Ian yelled.
"Calm down," Liam said. "He won't hurt her; he loves her."
"What?" Ethan and Ian demanded.
Liam and Sera exchanged an amused look as they turned back to them. "They're meant to be together," she informed them. "They're soul mates."
Mike, David, Doug, and Jack grinned with amusement as Ethan and Ian started to sputter.
"Trust me, we know the signs," Doug said with a small chuckle.
"What? Total insanity?" Ethan asked.
"Yep," they all said.
They exchanged confused glances.
"I don't understand," Ethan said wearily.
"You wouldn't; you didn't see your father when he first met your mother. When soul mates meet each other, they are unstable, especially the male, until they bound with their mate. Your mom was still human; a vampire cannot allow that. They sense the mortality in their mate, and they need to change it. Your father was so volatile if we even touched her, he wanted to rip out our throats. If your mother hadn't changed willingly, he would have forced it on her, no matter what," David explained.
"Until they solidify their relationship, Stefan is going to be very unstable," Mike stated.
Ethan and Ian's eyes were questioning as they turned to Liam and Sera. "My guess is neither one of them knows what's going on yet," Sera said. "And they'r
e both fighting their feelings."
"Stefan is the one who told me about you two, he should know." David's brow furrowed in confusion as he studied them.
"Sometimes it's easier to see something when it isn't right in front of you. Plus, I know Isabelle, if this isn't something she wants she is going to fight it every step of the way. For now, just stay away from Isabelle, and don't touch her when he's around," Sera said.
"But—"
"I know you don't like it, Ethan," Liam said. "But you have to. Until they figure out what is going on, and everything stabilizes, you need to stay away from her. He will be volatile, and he won't mean to be. I know I would snap for no reason. I thought I was going insane, had no idea what was wrong, what was going on, and I would have killed anyone."
"Threw me across a room," Doug mumbled.
Ethan and Ian gaped at him in astonishment before turning to look at their father. Liam shrugged before he pulled Sera against him. "If it ever happens to you, trust me, you'll understand; something inside you changes. All rational thought and control vanish until you know she is yours. Although, I'm not sure how it works between two vampires, I suppose it's similar."
"They'll probably need to exchange blood, and..." Mike broke off; a dull flush stained his cheeks as his face twisted in chagrin.
"I don't want to think about that!" Liam yelled.
Sera bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Neither do I," Mike muttered.
"Well, I hope they do whatever it is they have to do soon," Jack said. "It was tough enough dealing with Liam, but if that guy breaks it’s not going to be pretty. His powers are stronger than ours. He lifted Ethan like he weighed no more than a twig."
Ethan smiled as he rubbed his bruised neck. "Yeah, he did."
"Should we tell him what's happening?" Ian asked.
"I'll talk to him," Sera told them.
"You will not!" Liam commanded.
"He's not going to harm me, Liam; I was the only one he let near Isabelle. I don't think he knows what's going on. Once I tell him, things will make more sense, and he’ll probably be a lot calmer. Right now, he's as confused as you were."
Boxed Set Page 44