Destined (Vampire Awakenings) (46 page)

   “You’ll have to ask him.”

   “Did you?”

   “Yes.”

   She knew that her mother wasn’t going to tell her anymore than that. She opened her eyes and wiped the tears from them. “If you were satisfied with his answer, than why did you tell him that
h
e had to leave?”

   “I didn’t, and neither did your father, or the stooges.”

   “Then why does he want to leave?” she demanded.

   Her mother smiled softly as she shook her head. “I have two sets of twins Isabelle, but neither of them
is
as alike as you and Ethan. Both of you are very set in your ways, and your judgments of
people
.
B
oth of you will do anything to make sure that the other isn’t hurt. Your anger also gets the best of
both of
you on many occasions.”

   “Oh,” Isabelle said softly. “But he brought these people to our home!” she cried, unwilling to get rid of her anger, and convictions yet.
Unable to be so completely wrong.
“He has driven us out of our homes and placed all of us in danger!”

   “Brian did that.”

   “Brian is his friend!”

   “
Was
his friend Isabelle, they haven’t been friends in awhile, but you probably didn’t take the time to learn that either.”

   Isabelle hung her head
as
shame and despair rush
ed
through her. She recalled the things she had said, the things that she had done, and she truly hated herself. She was beginning to realize that she may have been completely wrong. That she had completely misjudged the entire situation. She had said that she would never forgive Stefan, now she was beginning to wonder if he would ever forgive
her
. But he had lied to her, he had deliberately kept his past from her, she clung to that fact as a last, desperate line
,
for her rapidly fading anger.

   “You trust him?” she asked in a choked voice.

   “I do.”

   Tears flowed down her face. If her mother trusted him, and Stefan had told her everything, th
e
n she
was
completely wrong. Oh God, he must hate her! She hated herself. “Why didn’t he tell me whatever it was that he told you?”

   “Did you give him a chance?”

   Isabelle shook her head as tears streaked down her face and she began to sob. “He must hate me!” she almost wailed.

   “He could never hate you Isabelle.”

   “I told him I hated him!”

   Her mother sighed loudly and came to sit beside h
er;
she
rest
ed
her hand gently on her shoulder. “You were angry at him, confused, and blindsided. He’ll understand.”

   “And if he doesn’t?”

   “He will. He loves you Isabelle, he knows all your faults, and all of your good points already. He knows that you anger quickly, and that you just as quickly get over it. He
will
understand Isabelle.”

   “I don’t
understand
,” she whispered. “I love him with everything that I have
.
Y
et I was so quick to throw that all aside when I thought that he had lied to me, and in a way he
did
lie to me. He kept a lot hidden from me.”

   “Isabelle, you need to talk to him. Sometimes the past is just something that people only want to forget. You need to put your judgments aside, and realize that everyone has faults, even you.”

   “I know I do,” she whispered miserably.

   “And you have many wonderful qualities too, don’t ever forget that. Stefan loves you for all of them. Just like you love him for all of his faults and qualities, and I’m sure that he has many too.”

   “He is bossy, and arrogant, and highhanded, and commanding,” she mumbled. “He didn’t even consider letting me stay at home.”

   “Of course not,” her mother replied laughingly. “Your father had my bag packed before I could count to ten. In this situation Isabelle, it’s not even worth putting up a fight. They’re main concern is our safety. You would hav
e better luck talking to a wall
than you would of changing their minds. You have to pick your battles, this is not one
you will win
, trust me on that fact.”

   “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. Eve
r
ything 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 tighten
ed
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 ot
hers 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 leavin
g 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
nodd
ed
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
f
ocused 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
wip
ed
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 be
en 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 o
ne of the guys from the club!” H
e point
ed
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 want
ed
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.”