He sighed impatiently, wanting nothing more than to drag her from the house right then.“They’re coming here no matter what Isabelle, and when they find everyone here, they won’t leave until you’re all destroyed. Youcannotbe here for that.”
Isabelle’sjaw clenched furiously as she folded her arms over her chest.David, Ethan, and Jack stood silently, their bodies tense and anxious. “I am not leaving my home!” Isabelle spat.
“None of us are,” Ethan growled.
“If you want to stay, that’s fine. Isabelleisleaving,”Stefan said firmly.
“The hell I am!” shesnarled, her nostrils flared, and her eyes blazedred as she glared at him.
Stefan’s eyes flashed with fury as he took a step closer to her. “I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if that’s what it takes,” he hissed.
Isabelleglowered at him. “If you drag me out of here, I will hate you for the rest of my life Stefan.”
Fury snapped through him, stiffening his muscles and locking his jaw as ragefilled him. He refused to acknowledge the pain that her words aroused. It didn’t matter if she hated him or not, as long as she was safe. He could live with herhatred;he couldn’t live with her death. “Then you will hate me.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened in surprise as pain and anger filled their violet depths. “How could you do this?” she whispered.
“Go pack.” Her jaw clenched as her hands fisted at her sides, but she made no move to leave. “Now!” he roared.
Isabelle jumped in surprise as his command whipped over her. She looked at David, Jack, and Ethan for help but theyremained silent, their gazes wary as they met hers. “Go Isabelle,” Ethan said softly.
“You’re takinghisside?” she nearly shrieked.
“If it means keeping you safe, than yes,” Jack answered.
Tears of frustration filled her eyes, but she refused to shed them. “And what about you?” she asked more calmly.
“We’re staying,” Ethan said.
“Tying the lambs up for the lions?” she taunted. “You’re not much stronger than me Ethan.”
Anger flashed through Ethan’s eyes as he met her defiant gaze. “Go pack Isabelle.”
She stared at them in disbelief, wanting to scream with rage and frustration, but unable to do so. It took all she had not to fly off the handle and turn into a raving lunatic. She couldn’t believe that they were taking hisside;she couldn’t believe that he was going to force her to leave. She couldn’t believe that Stefan had kept so much of his past from her, that he had never told her aboutthis. She pushed down the hurt that realization caused, and clung desperately to her anger. It was the only thing that was going to get her through this.
“Go Isabelle,” Stefan ordered.
“Go to hell!” she snapped. “You don’t have a say in this, and neither do you guys! I am not leaving!”
“I have a big say in this,” Stefan spat taking another step toward her. He towered imposingly over her as she continued to glare up at him, refusing to back down, refusing to concede defeat. “You’ll either go willingly, or you’ll go forcefully, but youaregoing.”
“Let’s get two things straight Stefan, no matter what I am not going willingly. And you do not have a say in this. I make my own decisions about my life, whether you like itor not!”
He grasped hold of her elbows, his fingers dug painfully into her flesh as his face twisted into a brutal snarl. Isabelle stifled a cry of fear in the face of his fury as she continued to glare at him defiantly. “I do havea say, when your life directly affects mine!” hehissed. “Just as mine directly affects yours!”
“Let go of me,” sheresponded icily.
His hands tightened on her elbows as his eyes blazed a furious shade of red. “You will go pack, and you will do it now!”
Isabelle refused to struggle, it would be useless anyway, and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of overwhelming her. “I hate you.”
His eyes flickered for a moment, hurt blazedthrough them before the fury quickly returned. Isabelle wanted to find satisfaction in the fact that she had hurt him, as much as he was hurting her. But she found none. Spitefulness was not something that she took joy in, nor was the obvious pain that had flared through his eyes. Besides, she didn’t hate him, she could never hate him. She wanted to take the words back, but she couldn’t. It was too late now.
“That’s fine,” he replied coldly. “You can hate me for the rest of our days Isabelle, but you are leaving.”
He released her and took a step back, his face as cold as granite, and just as hard. His eyes blazed shards of black ice that revealed no emotion at all. She took a deep breath in order to fight back the tears that threatened to overflow. They were no longer tears of frustration, but of hurt, and regret. “Go,” he ordered hoarsely.
She didn’t even bother to look at Jack, David, and Ethan as she lifted her chin and left the room. “Now what?” David asked.
