"Four," Brian answered.
"Two in the woods, two more behind the house," Stefan supplied.
"How do you want to do this?" Brian asked.
Stefan was silent as he watched the three men on the lawn move forward. He didn't want the others getting off the porch. These vampires weren't as strong as he had thought they would be, but they were stronger than they were. If they got off the porch, they would be putting themselves in danger. Isabelle would hate him forever if something happened to anyone in her family.
"Wait for them to get closer," Stefan instructed. "I don't want you guys leaving this porch unless you have to."
"We can handle ourselves," Ethan said coldly.
"You can, but we're going to need you at our backs, and if you split up you'll be shredded. Stay on the porch," Stefan commanded.
The men in the field stopped twenty feet away and stood waiting. Stefan glanced back over at Brian. "After this—"
"I'm gone," he assured him.
"If you find me again Brian, I'll kill you myself."
"So you've told me."
"So I mean!" he retorted.
Brian turned to look at him and nodded briskly. "I know."
"Let's go."
Stefan stepped off the porch and strolled out to the center of the field with Brian at his heels. The men were foolish enough to rush at them. The fight was swift, brutal, and vicious. Between the two of them, the trio never stood a chance. By the time Stefan dispatched the first one and turned toward the second, Brian was finished with the other. The two from the woods came rushing out as the last of the first three went down.
"Idiots," Brian muttered as they spun to face the new threat. Stefan tore out the throat of one as Brian slammed a hole through the chest and ripped out the heart of the other.
Stefan was breathless as he spun toward the porch. They were all still standing there, watching them in amazement. Stefan focused his attention on the two who had been behind the house, but they were gone.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
Brian took a step closer to him as he dropped the heart and stomped on it. He wiped the blood absently on his jeans as he quickly scanned the night. "I guess we scared them off," he said.
Stefan frowned as he shook his head and looked at the five scattered behind them. "They should have attacked when we came out here."
"Come on, Stefan; you have the two of us, plus seven vampires standing on the porch. They realized it would be suicide. Thanks for the help," Brian said with a grin.
"You didn't need it," he retorted.
"I would have if they all attacked at once, and you know it."
"I still don't understand why they didn't. They were stronger than the others."
"They couldn't defeat us."
"No, but still..." Stefan's voice trailed off as he nudged one of the dead ones over. "Where did you run into these guys?"
"Portland."
"Well, that was quick." Awe was evident in Ian's voice as they all approached.
"Of course it was," Brian said.
Stefan turned toward them, wiping the blood from his mouth and hands as they stopped a few feet away. "Where did the other two go?" David asked.
"Ran for the hills like the cowards they were," Brian replied.
Stefan was amazed at the amusement on all their faces, even Ethan's. "Well, guess we know not to piss you off," Jack said.
"Hey!" Ian cried as he moved forward. "That's one of the guys from the club!" He pointed toward the brunette Stefan dispatched of first.
Stefan turned back around, his frown deepening as he stared down at the unseeing man. He felt a moment of triumph as he realized he’d taken care of one of Isabelle's attackers, something he’d wanted to do since that night.
"So is that one," Jack said as he pointed to the last man, another brunette.
A growing feeling of unease began to settle in his stomach. He kicked the other men over, but none of them had light blond or bright red hair.
"Way to go!" Ian cried as he slapped him on the back.
"Was there a redhead and a blond with these men?" he asked Brian.
Brian frowned thoughtfully and nodded. "Yeah, come to think of it, there was. The one I killed had brown hair though."
Stefan searched the night for a hint of their presence. "The blond is the one who bit Isabelle," Jack said.
The bottom of Stefan's stomach plummeted as he suddenly realized why they left. They may have come here on a mission to kill Brian, but once here, they’d scented something else, something better that had been denied them.
"Brian, let’s go!" he barked.
"What?" he asked in surprise.
"Now!"
Stefan's terror increased by the second. They had a head start. He blurred into the night as he raced across the field.
"I hate it when he does that," Jack mumbled. "We're going to have to put a bell on him."
"Where is he going?" Mike demanded.
"They attacked this girl, Isabelle?" Brian inquired.
"Yeah," David replied.
Brian's eyes narrowed. "That's where they're going."
"What?" they all yelled.
Brian didn't wait to answer them, he took off, following Stefan's scent as he blurred into the night.
"Let's go!" Liam said in a lethal tone. "Now!"
Isabelle rolled over and punched her pillow again. It didn't matter what she did; she was never going to get comfortable, never going to go to sleep without Stefan beside her. She contemplated going over to the next room to see her mom, she was certain her mom wasn't asleep either, but if she woke up Willow and Cassidy, she would never hear the end of it. She sighed as she flipped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. It didn't help Vicky was snoring, and Abby had just finished mumbling something about cookies.
She tried to reach out for Stefan again, but he was still shut out from her. She rolled back over and curled into a ball as she tried not to think about what that meant. He hated her now, she was sure of it. She didn't
