She lifted her head to quickly scan the edge of the pit. It was a good ten feetup;there was no way that she could get them out on her own. Fighting back tears of hopelessness and agony, she turned her attention back to her brother. Her blood wasn’t even making a dent in the amount that he had lost, but she hoped that it would be enough to keep him alive until help arrived.
***
Stefan threw the board into the back of the truck and turned to accept the next one from David. “This should be the last load,” Mike said.
“Good,” Jack replied, wiping his arm across his sweaty forehead. “I can’t wait to get this damn house finished.”
“Wish I could have gone back to school sooner,” Ian mumbled.
“Just think about how nice it will be when you come back,” Ethan replied.
Ian grinned as he tossed a board into the back of the other truck. Stefan grabbed another board from David and threw it in. He was beginning to wish that he hadn’t agreed to come with them. There was a clawing sensation in his chest that was growing more intense, and more uncomfortable with every passing minute.
He couldn’t keep his mindon the conversation around him;he was becoming increasingly agitated, and irritable. All he wanted to do was go back to the house, curl up in bed with Isabelle, and forget about the rest of the world. However, he had needed to feed. It had been over three days since he last had, and when he awoke again this morning, the hunger burning through his body had been almost unbearable. Now, sated on two of the employees from the lumberyard, a new sensation had sprung forth to take the place of the fierce hunger.
He ground his teeth as he tossed another board into the truck. He just wanted to get this wood loaded as quickly as possible and get back to the house. He would see Isabellebefore he returnedto helping with the new house, which he wanted finished as soon as possible. It would be much nicer to stay there with Isabelle, quieter, and more peaceful. Of course, Ethan would be there too, but at least it wasn’t a house load of people.
Tossing another board onto the load he quickly wiped the sweat from his brow. He glanced over at Ethan as he bent to pick up another board. He had apologized to him about the other night, and Ethan seemed to have acceptedit, but he could still sense wariness in him.
Stefan didn’t blame him in theleast;he was a little wary of himself. There was something that wasn’t right with him still, but he didn’t know what it was. He was beginning to feel like he had when he’d left, unstable and angry. Isabelle had helped to ease it when he had seen her, but now that he wasn’t near her, it was starting to come back with a vengeance.
He became even more aggravated when he thought about the fact that this might be the way he felt every time that he left her. That wasn’t a possibility he wanted to think about. He had always been free to come and go as he pleased, and although he had come back for her, he had never thought about the possibility that he might not be able to leave her again. It wasn’t that he wanted to leaveher;it was the last thing he wanted to do, but the idea that it might never be able to happen was more than a little overwhelming.
He also couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that something wasn’t right, wasn’t complete. That something was lacking, he just didn’t know what it could be. He thought that if he could figure it out than things would be better, but he couldn’t think through the aggravating clawing in his chest, and stomach.
He sighed wearily as David handed him another board. The bolt of panic that hit him froze him instantly. The board slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a clattering thud that caused David to turn to him, his eyes wide in surprise. Stefan’s heart seemed to stop beating as Isabelle’s fear rolled over him, through him, nearly swamping him with its intensity.
“Stefanare you ok?” David askedworriedly.
“Get back to the house,” he hissed.
“What?”
Stefan didn’t bother to answer him as he turned and disappeared. “Shit!” Jack gasped in surprise.
CHAPTER 18
Stefan froze as he looked into the hole, a riot of emotions crashedthrough himat once. Fear surged forward as his eyes landed on Isabelle. She was covered in blood;her face, chest, and throatwerestreaked with it. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t her blood, but Kyle’s. When he did, anger surged through him as he realized the danger she had placed herself in. “Stefan.”
All of his anger vanished as she looked at him with wide, pleading, tear filled eyes. The pain and hopelessness in her gaze tore at his heart. His eyes landed on Isabelle’s wrist pressed to Kyle’s mouth, narrowing as anger tore through him again. Suddenly, he knew what was missing, what was incomplete, what would get rid of the clawing sensation that he had been struggling with since he’d left her side. He made himself take a deep breath and shove the anger aside. Now was not the time for it.
“He won’t stop bleeding,” she whispered, tears streaking down her blood and dirt caked face.
Stefan snapped out of his frozen state, dropping to his knees he reached into the hole. She lifted Kyle gently from Cassidy’s lap and stood swiftly. Pain flashed through her face as she gasped softlyand shifted her weight. He clenchedhisjawagainst the anger, and fear that rocketedwildly through his body as he realized that she had hurt herself. Cassidy stood slowly beside her, tears streaming down her distraught face as she whimpered softly.
Isabelle lifted Kyle to him, her arms shaking as a soft sob tore from her. Stefanclenchedhis teeth against the pain that she radiated, both physical and emotional, as he wrapped his hands around Kyle’s arms and pulled him easily up. He laid him on the ground, his eyes quickly scanning the severe wounds in his chest and stomach before turning back around. He reached back down as Isabelle handed Cassidy to him. Shewas sobbing heavily,her tiny bodyshaking from the force of it. He seized hold of Isabelle, relief filling him the minute that her hands enclosed his, and he pulled her free.
She released him instantly as she fell to her brother’s side, a bloody shirt clutched tightly in her hands as she pressed it to his wounds again. Lifting his head to her lap, she pressed her wrist to his mouth again. She was covered in dirt, and blood, her white bra was filthy, and more red than white now. The creamy skin of her shoulders, and back, was filthy.
Anger pierced through him again at the sight of her undressed state. He knew that he was acting like an idiot, that he had no reason to be angry.But the others would be coming soon, and the idea of them seeing her like this sent a bolt of fury and jealousy through him that he was unable to stop. Yanking his shirt briskly off, he walked over to crouch by her side.
She lifted her head to look at him, the anguish in her eyes almost more than he couldbear.“Put this on.” He handed her the shirt as he picked Kyle up, her own tanktop falling limply to the ground. Blood instantly clung to his skin, matting against his stomach as it oozed through Kyle’s shirt to cling to his fingers. Isabelle stood beside him, trembling as she twisted his shirt nervously in her hands. “Put it on!” he ordered, more sharply than he had intended.
She started in surprise as she glanced at the knotted shirt in her hands. She shook it out, her hands trembling as she slipped it over her head. His anxiety lessened instantly as the shirt fell over her, dropping down to mid thigh. She looked childish, and vulnerable in the oversized shirt, and he found himself liking the fact that she wore it.
He tore his attention away from her and back to Kyle. He was so pale and limp in his arms, his breath rattled slowly in and out. Stefan shifted his hold as he bit deep into his wrist, bringing a surge of blood forth. He held it to Kyle’s mouth, feeling a moment of relief astheboyswallowed it down. Isabelle followed anxiously beside him, limping badly, as he moved quickly down the path toward the house.
“Are you okay?” he demanded. Her eyes flew to his face, wide and anxious as she nodded. “Why are you limping?”
