Reclaimed(43)
Author: Diane Alberts

“Fine. Make it soon. And yelling seems to be something I bring out in people,” she drawled.

“I’m sorry, okay?” he snapped. “Is Elijah here, hiding?”

She stared at him in surprise, caught off guard by the change of subject. Not to mention the loud clash of thunder shaking her house. “Elijah? No, why would he be hiding here?”

“Seeing as you seem to have fallen in love with him, I figured he’d be here to gloat. Well, he can come out, and I’ll tell him right here and now I—”

“Stop it right there, buddy. First off, calm yourself down. Second, where did you possibly get the ridiculous notion I love Elijah? Did you think I’d somehow mistaken the two of you last night when I told you I loved you? When you ran away from me?

“Because, call me crazy, but a man who runs when a woman declares her love for him really has no right at all to even attempt to be angry over what he thinks is her love for another.” Her voice shook at the force of the emotions inside her, and by the time she finished her tirade, she’d poked him in the chest to emphasize her words.

Isaac stared at her in a mixture of admiration, anger, and shock.

“I don’t know. I’ll tell you what I do know, though. I know I found you kissing Elijah. I know we fought. I know he pushed you and took advantage of my distraction to knock me out. I know when I awoke, you were in his arms, again. I know after I left last night, he came here. That’s what I know.”

When he mentioned Elijah being inside her house last night, her mouth dropped open, and her face must have betrayed her shock. “How did you—?”

“How did I know? Oh, what a cute story. You see, your sister told me all about the nightmare you had, and how you were yelling my name, and some stranger’s name. Whose could it possibly be?”

“Oh, knock it off,” she grumbled. She gripped her knees in an attempt to stop the shaking of her hands.

“I remember…Elijah. How ironic. And after you sent her to bed, you left. She tried to wait up for you, but alas, she fell asleep in the kitchen. Imagine her relief when I, being the loving man I am, carried you inside and snuggled you until you fell asleep. Isn’t it abso-fucking-lutely heartwarming?

“But wait just a minute…. I went home last night. I went to sleep worrying about whether you were okay. So that means I couldn’t have been here, holding you in my arms. Which leaves only one other person who could have been. I don’t think I need to say his name. Nor will I,” he snarled.

She cringed, but glared. “Maybe if my loving man hadn’t left me alone on the lawn, he wouldn’t have left room for another to sweep in and comfort me.”

Isaac paled and whispered, “What?”

“Did you really think I would just shrug and walk away after you left me? I told you I loved you, and you ran away.”

“You didn’t even mean it!” he yelled. His clenched fists rose to his chest before he lowered them. “It was nothing but a lie, a guilty gesture at best.”

“Oh really? You’re a fool.”

“I won’t argue that. Just look where I’ve ended up with you—twice now. Jilted.”

She sucked in a deep breath at the way he couldn’t separate her from Amelia. For the love of God, what would it take to make these men see she was not her? Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to allow them free rein. She turned her back to Isaac, swiped an errant tear away, and faced him once more.

“Now it’s my turn to tell you what I know, and you’ll sit and listen. Got it?”

He sat down, glared, and with an imperious motion for her to begin, crossed his arms over his chest.

Gee, thanks.

“I had a nice night with my boyfriend. We went to dinner and came home. I went to bed, smiling when I thought of him. In case you’re confused, that’s you.”

He glowered, and she smiled bitterly. “I fell asleep, and for the first time in weeks, I dreamt. I dreamt about my boyfriend’s brother, who thinks he loves me. I can’t help but care for him, as well, though I’m not sure why. Maybe because he looks like you.” She shrugged. When a distant rumble of thunder accompanied his scowl, she snapped, “Oh, calm down.”

“Calm as can be. I promise.”

“Let me continue. I feel a pull toward Elijah, but it is minuscule in comparison to the pull I feel to you. I tried to explain this to him, but he got angry when I mentioned you.” Her pointed look in his direction, she knew, spoke louder than simple words could. “When I tried to explain to him how much you mean to me, he decided to kiss me to prove me wrong.

“Yes, I should have slapped him. Yes, I should have said no. But I’ll admit part of me felt curious. Would his kiss still pull me toward him as much as it once had? Would his kiss make me forget you? I decided to let him kiss me, and I’d find out the answers.”

She watched him hesitate before he asked, “And did it? Make you forget?”

She knew it had to be one of the hardest things he’d ever asked. She put a hand over his clenched fist and squeezed. “No, it didn’t. His kiss felt good. Breathtaking, even. But it wasn’t you. He must have sensed the change, because he pulled away. He opened his mouth to talk…then he’d disappeared, and you were there.

“Watching you two try to kill each other has got to be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. It hurt so badly. And I knew I could do nothing to stop it.”

“Nothing but straddle Elijah’s back and get thrown across the forest for your efforts,” he grumbled.

“I wanted to get him off of you!” Sabrina shouted.

“Next time, stay back. I appreciate the sentiment, but your human powers are comparable to a fly landing on his arm. You feel it, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Gee, thanks.” She frowned at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Anyway, I’ll shut up again.” He mimed himself zipping his lips shut before he leaned back on the couch. She glared at his show of drama.

“So after I get thrown off Elijah, I open my eyes to see him leaning over me. I knew you would be there too, if you could, so I assumed you might be headless. Or worse—dead. At this lovely moment, my sister wakes me up. Suddenly, I’m back in my house, knowing you were lying out there somewhere and I didn’t know where I’d find you.”

“Oh, Sabrina. I’m—”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear a word. So after I manage to get my sister off my back, I somehow realize why I always thought the clearing in my dreams seemed familiar. It’s the place in the forest by my house. It appears different in my dreams, but I thought the similarities were close enough to make it a feasible location. I was desperate to do something to find you.