Destined (Vampire Awakenings)

by Davies, Brenda K.

  He wanted to get away from her as fast as he could, but he couldn’t bring himself to release her, couldn’t bring himself to step away. The music ended, and it was Isabelle that pulled away. Her eyes were dark and cloudy; tears brimmed in their vivid depths. The sight of those tears rocked him. He had never expected to see tears in her eyes; he had thought that she was too strong for that, to proud for that. He instantly wanted to get rid of them, to shield her from whatever was hurting her. Then, he realized that it was him that was causing her hurt, him that was tearing her apart.

  He released her instantly, too shaken up to do anything else. She stared at him for a moment longer before turning and bolting off the floor. He watched her go, his own fear keeping him rooted in place as she hurried through the crowd. A sense of loss began to enfold him, but he refused to go after her, refused to stop her.

  He needed to figure out his own emotions, needed to get rid of the horrible vulnerability that was filling him before he could be near her again. He needed to get the hell away from her before he began to care for her even more than he already did. He knew what happened when he cared about people, and he was not about to let it happen again.

  Isabelle pushed her way through the crowd, determined to put some distance between her and Stefan. It seemed useless. His scent clung to her; her skin still burned everywhere that he had touched. The door at the back of the club beckoned to her like a homing beacon. She slammed into the bar, shoving roughly against it, and nearly falling in her eagerness to be free.

  Fresh air assailed her and she inhaled gratefully. She was still shivering from the aftereffects of his touch, and the burning desire that coursed through her. She couldn’t do this anymore, she simply couldn’t do it. She wrapped her arms around herself and fell against the cement wall as she desperately fought back the tears that wanted to fall. She hated him for doing this to her, for making her feel like this, for disrupting her perfectly nice life. She hated him for the fact that, even now she wanted to feel his arms around her again. Wanted him to hold her. Wanted to know every inch of him.

  In his arms she had felt whole, complete. Now, without him, she felt vulnerable, and open, and wounded. She didn’t even like him, how the hell could he make her feel like this, when she didn’t even like him? And yet, she had to admit to herself, she did like him. She liked his lazy smile; the way that he looked at her, the fact that he had been willing to help out with the house, and to help her mother with Kathleen. She liked that he had made it possible for Aiden to have a large party, the way he had saved her and Julian, the way that he had protected her from Jess. And she was truly beginning to like the way that he made her feel like a desirable, precious woman. The way he made her feel like she was something that he couldn’t part with.

  She was even beginning to like the way that he made her body feel.

  A tear slid free as she began to realize that everything she had been fighting so hard against was happening anyway. That all her resolutions, and fierce determination to stay away, were coming to naught. He had managed to work his way through all of her defenses, and he had managed to work his way into her body. Into her soul. She wanted to hate him for it, but she found herself unable to summon up the strength for that emotion, or the desire for it. She couldn’t hate him, she could never hate him. She knew that now.

  Isabelle bent her head as she shuddered. It was time to concede defeat. There was no use fighting against the inevitable. She wanted him, and God help her, she was beginning to need him. She was beginning to feel empty, and alone, whenever he wasn’t near. Why fight something, if it was meant to be? Why keep putting herself, and him, through this torture?

  She sighed wearily as she straightened away from the wall. All she wanted to do now was go home. She was completely drained. She was reaching for the handle when a thick, large hand seized hold of her arm and spun her around. Isabelle cried out in surprise as she was shoved into the wall.

  “Look at this!” a man cried.

  Isabelle blinked in surprise at the four men in front of her; one was tall and blond, another short with red hair, and the other two of average height, with brown hair. All of their eyes narrowed as they slowly, leeringly, scanned her body. She stiffened angrily and stepped away from the wall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

  Then, the smell of them hit her. She instantly recognized what they were as their eyes came back to hers. “Well, I’ll be,” the redhead said, his eyes slowly surveying her again.

  Isabelle’s hands clenched, but she didn’t make a move. They were her kind, but unlike the feeling she had experienced on first meeting Stefan, fear was beginning to coil tightly within her belly. She forced herself not to show it, forced her face to remain impassive as they surveyed her. They smelled awful, they smelled wrong.

  They smelled like death, and she knew instantly that these were the ones of her kind that took pleasure in killing humans, thrived off the feeling of power that it gave them. She had never encountered anything like them before, but she had heard about them, and she knew that they existed. She had just never thought that she would meet them. Unfortunately, she had been wrong.

  “Excuse me,” Isabelle said coldly.

  “No need to get so haughty,” the blond said. “We’ve just never run across a female of our kind that was so lovely before. We’re just a little curious.”

  “Well, now that your curiosity has been satisfied, I need to get back inside.”

  She moved to go around them, but the blond grabbed hold of her arm and shoved her back. Isabelle’s eyes flashed with rage. “Oh, she’s a feisty one,” he leered.

  “I like it,” one of the brunette’s chimed in.

  “Let me by,” she hissed.

  “Just calm down gorgeous,” the redhead said. “We just want to talk to you.”

  “Let me by!”

  “I don’t like her attitude.”

  “Neither do I,” the blond agreed.

  “And I don’t like yours!” she snapped.

  “I think she needs a lesson in manners.”

  “So do I,” the other brunette said.

  Fury and fear were waging a fierce war inside of her as she tilted her chin defiantly. “Trust me, you won’t be the one to give it to me,” she snarled.

  They all exchanged quick, smug looks. “I always wondered what our kind tastes like. She smells sweet.”

  Fear caused the demon inside of her to burst free. She lashed out instinctively, her claws tearing across the blonde’s chest, spilling his tainted blood. He jumped back in surprise as his face twisted in a grimace of pain. She darted quickly to the side, determined to get back inside while he was off guard. A hand seized hold of her hair, ripping her back, and slamming her into a massive, solid chest. The blond quickly recovered, his eyes blazed red with fury as he came at her again. The other two came forward, their teeth gleaming brightly in the dim lights of the alley, their eyes a vivid, malevolent red.

  Full fledged panic tore through her as she lashed violently out at the hands holding her hair. A moment of satisfaction spurted through her as she tore into his skin, spilling his blood onto her hands. A fierce hiss echoed in her ear, but the grip didn’t lessen as her head was jerked back with a sharp crack that sent pain blazing down her neck. The redhead, and one of the brunette’s, seized hold of her arms, ripping them down they were pinned to her sides as the blond stopped before her. She kicked out at him, but he deftly avoided her as he came to her side.

  Panting heavily, and trembling with fury and fear, Isabelle’s panic was starting to become all consuming. For some reason, a picture of Stefan formed in her mind. She silently screamed his name as the blondes teeth sank into her neck. She lost all thought as agonizing pain tore through her body, blurred her vision, and knocked all of the fight out of her.

  Never had she felt anything so hurtful, never had she imagined such pain could exist. Fire burned through her, searing her veins, and burning her skin. Her entire body felt as if i
t were engulfed in flames licking over every inch of her skin, searing the marrow from her bones. She wanted to struggle, wanted to break free, but she found herself unable to move through the agonizing torture that was tearing her body to shreds.

  A loud roar echoed in her ears, moments before the teeth were ripped from her neck, tearing across her skin. She stumbled back, slamming into the wall, her hand reaching up to cling to the jagged wounds in her neck. “Isabelle! Isabelle!” She blinked dazedly at Stefan as he grabbed hold of her shoulders. “Isabelle are you all right?”

  She focused on him for a moment, saw the worry, and the fury that twisted his face as his eyes blazed a violent blood red. She opened her mouth to tell him that she was all right, but a wave of blackness washed over her, and all thought was lost as it pulled her under.

  Stefan swept her quickly into his arms before she hit the ground. He swung her easily up, cradling her head against his chest as his hands wrapped into her silken hair. A fierce wave of protection washed over him, pushing out some of his fury. Then, he thought about what could have happened to her and the fury blazed forth again. He anxiously scanned the alley, searching for any sign that they might still be around. Hoping they were so he could rip them to shreds. But they were all gone, including Jack and Ian.

  Stefan pulled back her hair, the fury in him nearly exploded as he saw the jagged lacerations that ripped through her delicate skin. His hands were shaking with fury, and fear, as he lightly touched the marks. She whimpered softly, but didn’t awaken. He instantly dropped his hand back to his side; a snarl curled his lips as he cradled her tighter. The constricting pain in his chest was almost unbearable as he realized that he could have lost her, that they could have taken her from him.

  He bit back a roar of fury, and anguish, as he quickly scanned the alley again. He should have gone after them, should have destroyed them himself, but he had been unable to leave her side. He had been unable to go anywhere until he knew that she was okay, and that they had not destroyed her. Unable to be anywhere, but at her side.

  Jack appeared beside him, panting slightly, his eyes wide with worry 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 slowly.

  “They were old,” Stefan said softly. 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 damn car!” Stefan snapped.

  Ian’s eyes darkened with anger, but he didn’t argue with him. Instead, he nodded sharply and took off around the building. Stefan shifted his hold on Isabelle as blood began to trickle onto his fingers. Fierce anger ripped through him again as he fully realized that someone else had touched her, that they had hurt her. He was trembling with his urge to kill, with the fierce need to destroy. He should have gone after them, should have destroyed them. He had mistakenly thought that he had managed to rid himself of such urges, managed to leave them in his past, but he knew now that he had been completely wrong. The killer in him was still very close to the surface, and it was Isabelle that brought it out in him.

  He inhaled sharply as that realization sank in, rattling his thin thread of composure even more.

  When her fear had slammed into him inside the club, he had been jolted by the amazing fact that she had been able to communicate it to him at all. Only vampires who had a bond with someone were able to communicate with them. That bond was usually forged through blood or sex. Since he had shared neither with Isabelle, it completely astonished him that she had managed to reach through to him, and that he had been able to receive it.

  Then, all of those thoughts had fled as he was seized by the overwhelming drive to get to her. Her pain had slammed into him, hammered into his skull until all he wanted was to kill whoever was hurting her, and anyone that got in his way. He had been seized again by the bloodlust that had driven him for centuries, a bloodlust that he had been determined to rid himself of. He now knew that he had failed miserably in his attempt to do so.

  He had also failed in his need to keep her safe. She had been hurt by a part of the world that he had never wanted her to know existed, and all because he had been too stubborn to go after her when she’d left. To afraid to go after her. It was his fault that 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 sure as hell wouldn’t have been hurt. At that moment, he hated himself completely.

  “How much did they take from her?” Jack asked worriedly.

  “I don’t know,” Stefan said coldly, the anger constricting his chest.

  “We need to get her blood, now!”

  Stefan searched her face. She was extremely pale, her lips nearly white, but her heart was beating soundly, and she was breathing regularly. He closed his eyes and used his power to push himself into her body, to feel out the amount of damage that they had inflicted upon her. It wasn’t something he would be able to do if she was awake, and fought him. But now that she was unconscious, and vulnerable, he was able to drift into her, and sense how much they had taken. He sighed in relief as he realized that it hadn’t been much, that they hadn’t even gotten the same amount of blood as one of her bags. He pulled slowly out of her, lightly stroking her velvety cheek as he gazed at her unconscious form.

  “They didn’t take much,” he said quietly.

  “They must have! Look at her!”

  “No, they didn’t,” Stefan grated.

  “Then why is she out like a light!?” Jack shouted his fear evident in his slightly shrill voice.

  Stefan grit his teeth and closed his eyes against the raging anger, fear for her, and self loathing that was tearing him to shreds. “Because of the pain.”

  “What?” Jack asked in confusion.

  Stefan’s eyes flew open. Jack’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouth parted slightly, and he took a quick step back. “The pain!” he hissed. “When you’re a human, and your blood is drained unwillingly, it hurts like hell. 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 said softly, his eyes slowly scanning Stefan before returning to Isabelle. “Will she be all right?” he asked worriedly.

  Jack took a step toward her, his hand reached out to touch her. Stefan immediately stepped back, anger flaring through him as a soft hiss escaped. Shock over his reaction coursed through him, but his body remained tense, and rigid, with animosity. He didn’t know why he had done it, he knew that Jack would never hurt Isabelle, but the idea of him touching her had instantly brought the demon out of him.

  He knew he would lose control if Jack insisted upon touching her, the thought alone made him shake with fury. Jack’s eyes came back to his, but to Stefan’s surprise, he didn’t argue with him, and he didn’t try to get near her again. His eyes were filled with a sad acceptance as he took a wary step back and his hand dropped limply to his side.

  Stefan’s eyes narrowed on Jack as he clung tighter to her. She was so vulnerable, so frail and fragile that it was tearing at his insides. He eyed Jack warily, unable to understand why Jack, a man that had helped raise Isabelle, had just backed away from him without a protest. Stefan didn’t understand why Jack did not insist upon taking over the care of her, or to have Stefan release her. 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,” he grated. “She just needs some rest, and some blood.”

  Headlights swung into the alley as Ian came racing toward them. He pulled up with a screech of brakes and hopped out of the car and raced toward them. “Ja
ck, you drive! Give her to me!”

  He stopped before Stefan, his arms out to take Isabelle. Stefan’s nostrils flared as his jaw clenched, and his rage began to build again. “No,” he spat.

  Ian blinked in surprise, and then anger flooded his face. “Give my sister to me!” he demanded.

  He reached out to grab her. Stefan hissed angrily, turning so that his body was between Ian and Isabelle. Ian’s eyes flashed fiercely as his nostrils flared and his jaw locked. Jack jumped forward, grabbing hold of Ian’s arm and pulling him roughly back. “Get in the car Ian!” he ordered.

  Ian rounded angrily on him, his hands clenched at his sides. “I will not! Not without...”

  “Now! Get in the car now!” Jack bellowed at him.

  Ian’s eyes widened in surprise as Jack shoved him toward the passenger side of the car. “Jack...”

  “Ian, if you want to live, you will get in this car!” Jack hissed.

  Ian stared at him in shock as Jack flung the door open and shoved him inside. Stefan stood silently, his anger slowly ebbing as astonishment began to replace it. What the hell was going on with him, with Jack? Stefan stood, unable to move as confusion rolled through him. “Let’s go!” Jack yelled.

  Stefan shook off his confusion, now was not the time for it. He moved swiftly forward, sliding into the back seat, and closing the door. He cradled Isabelle on his lap, unable to let her go as Jack tore out of the alleyway.

  CHAPTER 13

  Stefan carried Isabelle swiftly into the house behind Jack. David, Doug, Mike, and Ethan looked up from the baseball game they were watching, shock registered on all of their faces seconds before they leapt to their feet. “What the hell happened?” Mike demanded.

  “She was attacked,” Jack answered. “Put her on the couch Stefan, I’ll get some blood.”

  “Shit!”

  They came rushing around the couches toward him. Stefan glowered at them, pulling her tighter against his chest as his eyes flashed dangerously. 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, their mouth’s gaping open, while Ethan kept on coming. “Get away from her!” Stefan spat as Ethan stopped before him.