Reclaimed

She rushed toward the pair and shrieked when Isaac flew through the air and slid across the ground before colliding against a huge rock. Elijah straddled him and lifted his head by the hair to punch him in the face.

Anger surged through her at the assault. “Elijah, no. Get off of him!” He ignored her, and his fist smashed into Isaac’s face once more. Isaac struggled to free himself, but Elijah’s grip proved too strong to break. They spun in mid-air, defying gravity as each fought to gain the upper hand. Sabrina chased them once more.

Damn it, why the heck can’t I fly?

“I’ll…kill…you….” Isaac vowed.

Sabrina noticed his teeth glistened in the moonlight, much like Elijah’s did. Oh, God, he’d turned into a vampire. She’d never seen him in another form, besides brief glimpses here and there as he left. Which left him vulnerable—and he could die. She had to make them stop this madness.

“Isaac, Elijah, this has to stop, now. Get off him, Elijah!” she shouted as she bolted toward them once more.

Oh, God, what if one of them got hurt—or worse yet, died? She had to do something besides shriek at them uselessly. They came to a halt by an enormous tree, and she wasted no time in reaching them. She was acting foolish, reckless even, to interfere in a battle between two immortals. But she could not—would not—stand by idly.

She leapt onto Elijah’s back and yanked his hair as hard as she could. He hissed in anger, but didn’t release Isaac. She tightened her grip even more, but he continued to ignore her. She cocked an arm back and punched him as hard as she could on the side of his head. He snarled in response, but continued to pull on Isaac’s head. Isaac’s eyes were not on his opponent, but instead they focused on her. And he appeared furious.

“Sabrina, get off him!” he shouted. “And leave now.”

She glared in response. Leave? Not a bloody chance in hell. She snubbed him as inspiration struck. Her puny strength did nothing to stop Elijah, so she threw her hands over his eyes to blind him. Brilliant.

He roared and arched his back, and reached behind his back to rip her off. Caught in the heat of battle, he tossed her aside. She cried out as her head slammed on the ground. She lay in a daze, staring up at the starless sky. Black spots swam before her vision, and she gasped for air.

Air agonizingly returned to her lungs, and over her desperate breathing, she heard a man cry out in pain before silence descended. A shadow crouched over her, and she recognized Elijah. And Isaac didn’t come to her side.

Oh, God. Is he…headless? Had he been a vampire still and therefore vulnerable?

“Sabrina, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you—”

“Isaac? Where’s Isaac?” she shrieked. He tensed and glared at her stubbornly.

“Where do you think?” he asked. “I won, as I always did. And always will.”

Pain flowed over her body, and she stopped breathing altogether.

He was dead. Elijah had killed him.

Fury encompassed her, and she clutched her hands into tight fists before launching herself at him.

“You son of a bitch. I’ll kill you,” she shrieked. She raked her nails across his face, feeling the skin tear under her fingers and blood dampen them. She pummeled his chest with her fists, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I hate you. I hope you rot in hell.”

He grabbed her arms and rolled her beneath him. She shrieked in fury at his grip, and struggled to be free.

“Too late. I’m already there,” he whispered brokenly.

Chapter Twelve

Sabrina gasped and sat upright. She raised her fingers to her cheeks, amazed they came back wet. What the heck?

Someone shook her, and she focused on her assailant, still in a daze.

“Oh my God, Sabrina. What’s wrong? You were having a nightmare. You kept screaming Isaac’s name and yelling at someone named Elijah. Who’s Elijah? What’s wrong? You were like a woman possessed.”

Then…oh God, she remembered.

In an excruciating barrage, the memories assaulted her relentlessly. She clutched her chest and gasped for air as tears welled in her eyes, and she moaned, “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no….”

“It’s okay, you just had a dream. Calm down.” Marie pulled her into her arms and patted her back in the age-old manner of someone trying to soothe a loved one.

Even though she existed in full panic mode, Sabrina took a deep breath and forced a mask of calm over her face.