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Weakling.
Though even she had to admit she had been impressed by the strength Sabrina had shown thus far. She’d refused to give in to Louisa, and she knew Amelia wouldn’t have been so strong. She would have been screaming and crying like a baby long ago.
Sabrina had hardly uttered a cry the whole time, and she’d been much rougher on her than she had been Amelia. Louisa felt a reluctant respect for this woman, this mere human. She didn’t want to feel any kind feelings toward her, but found she did.
Louisa almost wished she didn’t have to kill her. She reminded Louisa of how she, herself, had been, so long ago. Stubborn, strong, beautiful. Even with broken bones throughout her body, Sabrina’s strength and beauty shone through into the night.
She ignored any and all feelings of pity or sympathy for Sabrina, and increased her speed. She almost made it to the cliffs when something hit her from behind. She fell on top of Sabrina and heard another bone break from the force of her fall.
Maybe I killed her.
She jumped to her feet, but before she could reach a standing position, she got hit from behind and thrown back on the ground.
Elijah launched off the tree at his side and landed on Louisa, snarling. She twisted within his grasp, her hair whipping around them, and they rolled around the ground in a battle for control. Their breathing came out in harsh pants as each fought to get a grip upon the other, a grip that could give an advantage. They slammed into an old tree near Sabrina, and it shuddered from the strength of the impact.
Louisa fought against his hold desperately and kicked him in the stomach. He soared through the air and bounced off an enormous boulder. She leapt to her feet and sprinted for Sabrina.
Isaac only spared a cursory glance at Sabrina before he joined in the fray. Her biggest threat wasn’t lying alone in the forest; it was Louisa. And Louisa ran straight for her. He growled and launched himself at her.
The tree shook under the force of the blow, but she whirled around the trunk and climbed the tree. He followed suit, gaining speed as he got higher and higher. As Louisa reached the top of the towering tree, she froze. Her eyes looked from where Elijah perched on the outside of the thick branch to where Isaac stood on the inside. She’d gotten trapped between them, and judging from the panicked darting of her eyes back and forth between the brothers, she knew it.
Isaac took a step closer to her in unison with Elijah. She growled as they took another step. Isaac looked at Elijah, and Elijah nodded imperceptibly. He would lunge for Louisa, and Elijah would rip her head off while he held her captive in his arms. Isaac roared and jumped at her. His arms groped thin air, and he plummeted to the ground below.
He heard Elijah cry his name as he bounced off of branch after branch. He tried to grab the branches as he hit them, but still got beaten in the face, back, and side by the unyielding bark as he flailed for a stronghold.
Blackness threatened to overcome him, and he cursed when he realized he’d changed back to human form. He needed to start controlling his emotions better so he could in turn control his changes. He spent the rest of the short fall trying to concentrate on changing back into a vampire, or a wolf, or anything.
He failed.
He crashed to the ground below.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Wake up, Isaac.”
He heard Elijah’s voice as if it came through a train tunnel, as though he yelled from the other side. He moaned and opened his eyes to stare at his brother for a moment, then his eyes widened.
He jumped up and under obvious effort, and Elijah followed.
“Where’s Louisa?” Isaac grunted.
“I think she’s left. Let’s get Sabrina out of here. She needs to be examined by a doctor.”
Isaac blanched as he remembered his brief glimpse of her lying broken on the ground. He whirled and sprinted back to where Sabrina had been.
He stopped, spinning wildly in a circle as his heart raced. She wasn’t there. She couldn’t possibly move on her own, so it left one person.
Louisa.
He cursed. “Louisa!”
“Over here,” she called sweetly.
They turned at the sound of her voice. And both froze in horror. She perched at the cliff’s edge, holding Sabrina over the edge by her neck. Her feet hung useless, like a rag doll’s. The cliffs towered above the ocean at intimidating heights—the same cliffs that had killed many a person foolish enough to approach too close to the edge. Louisa practically glowed in triumph.
Isaac looked at Louisa’s face, and at Sabrina’s lifeless body, and knew what she would do. It showed in the evil smile that lurked on her face, the excitement shining in her eyes. He yelled out in fury and ran. He sprinted faster than he ever had before. But he still arrived too late.
Louisa hurled Sabrina over the side of the cliff. She plunged toward the water at an alarming speed, soon to sink into the dark, cold, turbulent seas below. Isaac dove over without breaking stride, and after impossibly long, breathless seconds, knifed into the water.
