Reclaimed(36)
Author: Diane Alberts

“Anger over losing you? Yes, I do. Anger over watching Amelia die? Yes, that too. It eats at me, consumes me. I breathe, feel, and live anger and pain. It is all I know. I can’t stand knowing I have lost you—again.”

“You never had me. I’m not Amelia. You have to understand the difference here. And I love him. Not you. I’m sorry.” She ended on a whisper.

“You thought you loved him before. I proved you wrong,” he pointed out. Desperation rang out in his tone, and he leaned toward her. His gaze bore into hers, beseeching her to give into his will.

“That isn’t me, Elijah. I’m not her. We are two different people,” she insisted. “Why can’t you accept I’m not your long-lost love, but only a woman who resembles her?”

“Damn it, Sabrina. You are her, and you belong with me, not him,” he urged.

“No, I don’t,” she whispered. She felt bad for being so blunt. His love shone clear in his eyes. But she loved Isaac, and the sooner Elijah accepted it, the better off they would all be. “Elijah, Isaac and I are close now. I know there are feelings you have…you’ve confused me for Amelia. I’m not her. I know you think you care for me, but—”

“I think I care for you? I’m sorry, but that’s an understatement.” He laughed harshly and grabbed her hand to place it on his chest before biting out, “Do you feel a heartbeat? No? Well, it used to beat for you, and only you. If I had a heart now, it would still beat only for you.

“Why does your heart beat faster when I’m near?” He placed his hand on her chest, and she flushed when her traitorous heart sped up. “I can hear your heart beating from a mile away. I hear it speed up as I come near. I hear your breathing get faster as well. Especially when I do this.”

Grabbing her chin firmly, he crushed his lips to her passionately. She cringed, afraid she’d feel the same surging emotions she always had in his arms. And to feel anything now would be the worst betrayal to her and Isaac. But she sagged against Elijah in relief when she realized she only had some slight desire toward him. But not love. Never love.

He wasn’t Isaac.

He seemed to sense she didn’t react as she had in the past, for he pulled back to look at her, shock and resignation in his eyes.

She, however, couldn’t help but be marvelously relieved. Elijah no longer had a pull over her. For her, Isaac—and only Isaac—would do. She smiled but flinched in guilt as she saw Elijah’s distraught face. She cupped his cheek, as she gave him one last tender peck on his lips.

“I’m sorry. You have to let me go,” she whispered.

“But, Sabrina—” His words were lost in the howling of the winds whipping in gale-like force around the two of them. Odd, it hadn’t seemed windy before….

An invisible force threw Elijah backward through the air. She heard a grunt of pain as he slammed into a tree. Unable to hold straight at the assault, it crashed to the ground. Elijah lay in a heap on the ground at the splintered base of the tree, unmoving for a split second. Leaping to his feet, he growled.

She turned to search the forest, but the furious wind whipped her hair in her face and the thunder crashing overhead told her with frightening clarity who lurked in the shadows.

Isaac.

Her heart lurched to a halt as she realized he had seen her kissing Elijah. He would be mad. No, furious. The dangerous storm attested to as much. They were going to fight over her, and one of them would die.

Oh, God.

“Isaac, no!” She screamed too late. He already soared through the air to crash on top of Elijah. He snarled and grabbed Elijah’s head. She gasped when she realized he tried to rip his head off. The next step to killing him, she knew, would be salt water.

He didn’t fight to teach a lesson to Elijah—he fought to kill.

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—”