“So, Isaac, does this still hold true if the newborn is your girlfriend? Or are we simply to turn our heads and pretend these rules do not apply to you, our esteemed Ruler?”
He’d never hit a woman before, but there was first time for everything, damn it. Isaac growled, and would have leapt on her in anger if Connor hadn’t stepped forward.
He forced a calming breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He loved Sabrina, but he also knew if he left and ran off with Sabrina, the Enforcers would battle for control. There would be a dissension in the ranks as they all fought to take his place. He wasn’t a vain man by any means, but he knew he’d kept the men, and the few women, under his control over the years. They all looked to him for punishment, rules, and guidance. To fail them all now would mean to fail all mankind. His Enforcers would be too busy fighting each other to save mere mortals from death.
But along the same vein, he’d be able to escape all the easier if that were the case. He and Sabrina could slip under the radar, lost within the battles that would be waged. Finding the treasonous Enforcer would take second place to finding a leader, by far. They’d be able to slip away unnoticed, find a secluded spot, and let the world go to hell. He cursed and punched a nearby tree. Choose love, and curse all mankind? Or choose duty, and curse himself?
It wasn’t a choice any man wanted to make. It wasn’t a choice any man should have to make.
Sheila’s gloating eyes followed his every movement and again he resisted the urge to punch her in her face. He instead forced his gaze to Connor’s admittedly more sympathetic scrutiny. Though he may feel empathy for Isaac’s plight, he was also one of the first who would hunt down Isaac and Sabrina if they were to run.
Shit.
“I’ll take care of this situation. Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know yet. But one way or another, it will be taken care of. I ask you to allow me some time to decide.”
Connor nodded hesitantly and refused to meet his eyes. “How long do you need?”
“Give me one day. One day, and if I don’t return, you may begin choosing a new leader. If I return, we will never speak of this again.” Isaac scowled at the pair.
Sheila smiled, and Connor nodded.
“How will we know you really took care of it?” Sheila had the audacity to question. He couldn’t believe she was so eager to bring him down. So excited at the prospect of him having to kill Sabrina. Or, perhaps, more excited at the idea of being able to kill her king.
Yeah, it was probably that which prompted her sudden bravado.
“Because I will have said so!” Isaac shouted at the top of his lungs. He’d had enough of this shit. “Do not make the mistake of forgetting who I am, Sheila.”
Thunder boomed as he took a step toward her. Sheila paled and backed away in the face of his anger. He studied her, not removing his eyes from hers. She looked terrified.
Good.
“I understand,” Connor said simply. “But if you don’t return—”
“I also understand your position. I’m in agreement with your terms. Now I ask you—no, command you—to leave me alone.”
Sheila and Connor left his sight, and Isaac allowed his tight shoulders to sag. Suddenly, the weight of the world seemed to rest on his right shoulder.
It was excruciating.
Isaac stood on the edge of the cliff and scowled into the turbulent ocean. The wind whipped through his hair, and for once it was not perfectly in place. The clouds thundered overhead, dark and dismal. The waves crashed on the shore far below, and it was clear that the very nature of the ocean, wind, and skies were all in tune to his foul mood. His teeth clenched, and his fists tightened.
He threw his head back, his arms straight out to his side, and let out a yell of despair so loud it dominated the matching boom of thunder that crashed at the same moment. He dropped to his knees, momentarily spent.
The winds died down, and a curious calm overtook his face. The waves slowed, and the clouds lightened. He stood and walked into the dark forest with a determined, steady gait.
His decision was made.
***
Elijah didn’t cease his mad sprint until he reached his small hut nestled deep in the forest. Sabrina moaned louder now, and he cradled her closer to him. He’d done this to her; it was his fault. But she would feel better eventually. She wasn’t dead.
She moaned as he laid her on the bed and opened her eyes. She looked around in panic, not recognizing her surroundings. She gasped and tried to speak.
“Isaac?”
Elijah flinched. “Not here.” Panic filled her eyes, and he squeezed her hand. “I’m here, Sabrina. I’ll take care of you. You’ll be okay. Soon, you’ll pass out, and when you wake up all the pain will be gone. But I’ll be here through it all. I promise.”
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she whispered one word.
“Isaac….”
Her eyes closed against his pleading gaze, and rejection coursed over his body. He’d bitten her, made her his, and still she cried out for Isaac. Part of him had thought—no, hoped—she’d be drawn to him. As she should but apparently she was immune to him even in this new world.
Why did he have to love her so much?
And how did you tell the woman you loved, the woman who you could not live without, that she couldn’t see the man she loved because he might very well kill her?
He lowered his head to the bed beside her and groaned.
Life sucks.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sabrina lay upon the bed. Her whole body felt like it was frozen in ice. She longed to writhe, scream, and shout. But yet, the worst she could manage was a pitiful whimper. She didn’t bother to open her eyes any longer. She’d only see Elijah hovering over her, worry and pain in his eyes. He hadn’t left her side yet, seemed scared to leave her—as if she would vanish into thin air if he weren’t standing guard over her.
When she’d written her books, she’d always described the changing from a human to a vampire as fire. Fire burning its way through the body as it killed all living pieces inside a human. Oh, how she longed for fire. She shook from the cold enveloping her, and her teeth chattered, breaking the silence of the hut.
She knew she was supposed to be unconscious by now, had heard Elijah muttering it to himself. Apparently her hearing was already affected by the change. Everything was becoming so much clearer. Squirrels ran on the roof above, and deer grazed outside. She wondered how far away they were from her and Elijah, before deciding she didn’t care. Elijah pulled her out of her reverie when he leaned over her, and placed his hand over her heart. He frowned in concentration and his eyes darkened. He clearly wasn’t happy to feel that her heart still beat. It didn’t even seem to be weakening, or slowing. If anything, it seemed stronger than ever before.