Reclaimed(10)
Author: Diane Alberts

This time, he would win.

Arriving at his destination, he shut off the engine and sighed in relief as he exited the sports car he called his. He set off toward the forest and forced himself to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Someone lurked in the woods.

***

“Sabrina, Sabrina, what should I do with you? How will I keep you safe, my love?” He caressed her chin in feather-light strokes, and her heartbeat quickened as she trembled at his soft touch.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m safe. I’m with you.”

“Yes, of course, Sabrina. But you have to trust me and come with me.” He smiled at her and held her gaze, and she caught her breath.

“Where?”

“Trust me,” he whispered. “Let me in.”

“Let you in? We’re in the middle of a forest.” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand.

“We’ll go to your house, and you can let me in. Let’s go.”

He held his hand out, and she studied it before putting her hand in his. He seemed to be in a good mood tonight, at least. Something that must have been triumph entered his eyes, and he swept her into his arms. Knowing what came next, she closed her eyes and grabbed his neck.

When he twisted her in his arms so she stood behind his back, instead of running as she’d expected, she looked around in confusion. She hadn’t even seen him move her. She yelped at the unexpected action and clutched his shirt in fear. Isaac shoved her to the forest ground to hunker down in front her.

A feral snarl broke the silence of the night, and she sought out the beast that made the terrifying sound. She blanched when she realized no beast made the noise—Isaac had.

Isaac? No, that couldn’t be right….

In front of them, a dark form landed in a crouch, causing Isaac to growl louder. She stumbled away when the shadow straightened, and she saw Isaac.

No, it couldn’t be Isaac. Isaac stood right in front of her. Yet he looked identical to the man she gripped in fear. What the hell was going on?

“Stay away from her,” growled the new Isaac.

“I will not.”

“She is mine. I will fight you for her.”

“Go ahead and try, baby brother.”

Brother? Well, at least it explained the resemblance—but it still freaked her out. Even for a dream. Hoping they were distracted arguing, she crept backward. Her legs shook as she stealthily separated herself from the scene in front of her. Though she knew she dreamed, the fear coursing through her felt very, very real. Every instinct in her screamed to get away.

Now.

“Sabrina!”

She groaned at the shout and broke into a full run. She didn’t need to worry about being quiet anymore—but she needed to run as fast as her little legs could manage.

Stinking short legs.

She glanced over her shoulder nervously and caught a glimpse of the fighting brothers. Not daring to watch, she turned back to her flight, only to tumble to the ground. Her foot had gotten stuck in a grasping root, and it twisted painfully from her fall. Her hands burned where rocks had scraped into the tender skin, and her ankle throbbed.

When her stubby legs weren’t slowing her down, her damn clumsiness did the trick.

Knowing she couldn’t waste time nursing her wounds, she yanked, pulled, and cursed at her foot, but could not get loose.

Come on…couldn’t she catch a break?

A thud sounded beside her, and Isaac reached for her foot. She screamed and pulled free, falling backward from the power. Isaac hovered over her, his face bathed in concern, and she shoved him away using all her force. His widening eyes and mouth falling open comically as he tumbled flat on his back were the last things she saw.

She jumped to her feet and ran away from him as fast as her short, annoyingly clumsy legs could take her, and didn’t look back.

***

Sabrina sat upright in her bed, panting for breath. A glance at the clock told her it was a few minutes past one. Her body still trembled from the adrenalin rush she’d experienced in her sleep, and her legs ached from her desperate escape earlier.

Wait, why did her legs hurt? It’s not like she’d actually been running. It had been a dream. She brushed her hair out of her face in confusion and flinched at the stinging pain in her palms.

Her hands shook as she reached for the light beside her bed. The first try, her hand slipped off the switch, the second she knocked over the cup next to her bed, the third she plain old missed, and the fourth, she finally succeeded in turning on the stupid light. She blinked rapidly as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the blinding light. Once she could see again, she raised her hands in front of her face with dawning dread. Blood and dirt streaked her palms. She bolted out of bed and screeched when she noticed the dirt and leaves scattered across the sheets.

She clutched the edge of the bed for support as dark spots swam before her vision. Dismayed, she realized that for the first time in her life, she was going to faint.

Chapter Four

Sabrina noticed three things upon awakening. First, she wasn’t on the floor. Second, morning had come. And last, she didn’t have dirt all over her any longer. Her hair seemed damp to the touch, yet she couldn’t remember having showered. She hopped out of bed and ripped the covers back.

Spotless.

A glance at her hands revealed they were a little red, though they no longer stung or had blood on them. She sank onto the edge of the bed and dangled her feet. What exactly had happened last night? Had she dreamed she had woken up, when in reality she had still been sleeping?

It had happened before, many times. She was a writer, for God’s sake. Overactive imagination kind of came with the trade.

But why were her hands sore? And why couldn’t she remember showering?

It sounded feasible she had been distracted yesterday by thoughts of Isaac and walked around in a daze, preparing for bed and not paying attention. It made much more sense than believing she dreamt about being in the forest while two Isaacs fought over her, only to awaken dirty and hurt.

Now that would be impractical.

***

Frustration coursed through Isaac’s tense muscles as he thought of Sabrina. He’d had his second-in-command, Connor, watching Sabrina, and discovered his fears had come true. His bloody brother came to her in her dreams. Isaac had been dream-stealing—so to speak—and he’d seen Elijah come to her. He’d managed to scare Elijah away while not being seen all the other dreams, until tonight. Tonight, he’d lost his cool. It only made sense when, upon first seeing her in the tavern, she’d look at him as if she’d seen a ghost. No one looked at someone in something akin to horror and excitement unless they had a damn good reason to do so.