She glowered at him. "I think you should leave, and take him with you!"
He fought the urge to drag her from the house now. "They're coming here no matter what, and when they find everyone here, they won't leave until you're all destroyed. You cannot be here for that."
Isabelle's jaw clenched as she folded her arms over her chest. David, Ethan, and Jack remained mute, but their bodies were tense and anxious. "I am not leaving my home!" Isabelle spat.
"None of us are," Ethan confirmed.
"If you want to stay, that's fine. Isabelle is leaving," Stefan said firmly.
"The hell I am!" she snarled as her eyes blazed red.
Stefan stepped closer to her. "I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if that's what it takes.”
Isabelle glowered at him. "If you drag me out of here, I will hate you for the rest of my life, Stefan."
He refused to acknowledge the pain her words aroused. It didn't matter if she hated him or not, as long as she was safe. He could live with her hatred; he couldn't live with her death. "Then you will hate me."
"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 as his command whipped over her. She looked at David, Jack, and Ethan for help but their gazes were wary as they met hers. "Go, Isabelle," Ethan said.
"You're taking his side?" she nearly shrieked.
"If it means keeping you safe, 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."
Ethan met her defiant gaze. "Go pack, Isabelle."
She fought the urge to scream with rage and frustration. It took all she had not to fly off the handle and turn into a raving lunatic. She couldn't believe they were taking his side and he was going to force her to leave. She couldn't believe Stefan had kept so much of his past from her. She pushed down the hurt that realization caused and held on desperately to her resentment. It was the only thing that would 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 towered imposingly over her as she continued to glare at him, refusing to back down, refusing to concede defeat. "You'll go willingly, or you'll go forcefully, but you are going."
"Let's get two things straight, Stefan, no matter what, I am not going willingly. I make my own decisions about my life, whether you like it or not!"
He grasped her elbows; his fingers dug into her flesh as his face twisted into a brutal snarl. Isabelle stifled a cry in the face of his wrath as she continued to glare at him defiantly.
"I do have a say when your life directly affects mine!" he barked. "Just as mine directly affects yours!"
"Let go of me," she responded icily.
His hands were firm 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 resist, it would be useless anyway, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of overwhelming her. "I hate you."
His eyes flickered, and sadness blazed through them before the fury quickly returned. Isabelle wanted to find satisfaction that she’d upset him as much as he had her, but she found none. Spitefulness wasn’t something she took joy in, nor was the anguish flickering 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 stepped back. His face was as cold as granite, and just as hard. His eyes were shards of black ice revealing no emotion at all. She took a deep breath to fight back the tears threatening 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.
Stefan fought back the turmoil of emotions clawing to break free as he turned back to them. Anger was evident in every inch of their taut bodies as they met his gaze. "Now, I'm going to talk to Liam and Sera. I would suggest you rethink staying here, and leave with Isabelle."
"We're not going," Jack replied coldly.
He nodded as he turned away from them. Brian moved quickly away from the door.
"Stefan." He turned back to meet Ethan's steady stare. "When this is over, you're leaving."
He showed no sign of the hurt those words caused as he kept his face completely impassive. "Isabelle will have to come with me."
Ethan's eyes flashed as his jaw clenched. "You son of a bitch," he spat. "Why didn't you stay away from her?"
Stefan flung the door open; it slammed so forcefully against the wall the glass shattered from the window, and the plaster cracked and broke. He didn't bother to close it as he strode down the steps and into the field.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The door swung open, but Isabelle didn't bother to look at him as she threw the last of her clothes into a backpack. He hadn't come back to the room last night, a fact she was incredibly grateful for. She didn't want to talk to or see him now. Most of her anger had faded, and all she had left was a sense of loss and betrayal. If he’d told her about his past maybe she could understand. All she knew now was he’d been a
