"You're not as far gone as you think or as you like to pretend you are. You can come back," she told him.
His mouth quirked in wry amusement as he studied her. "And how would you know?"
Stefan's arms tightened around her, but she ignored the subtle hint as she held Brian's gaze. "I just know," she answered.
The smile slipped from his mouth as he turned toward Stefan. "Never thought I'd see you like this, guess that soul mate thing is true after all," he said. "Take care of her."
"I intend to," Stefan replied. "Take care of yourself."
The amusement was instantly back in Brian's eyes. "Of course."
Stefan tried to lead her away, but she remained where she was. She wanted to help Brian, to assure him he wasn't the villain he thought himself to be. "Remember what I said," she whispered.
Brian glanced back at her, his face remorseless, and his eyes cold again. Isabelle turned away from him. There was nothing more she could say or do. He would make his own decisions; she could only hope they would be the right ones. Mike suddenly appeared in the doorway with Kyle slumped over his shoulder.
"There's a crowd gathering, Doug's taking care of the ones who came outside, but we have to go."
"I'll take care of everything," Brian assured them. "They'll never know what happened."
"Does he have the power to do that?" Isabelle asked Stefan as he led her out to the idling cars.
"Yes," he answered as he opened the back door of Jack's car for her.
She waited for him to slide in beside her and close the door. "Do you?"
"Yes."
She leaned against his side. "Will you tell me everything?"
"Yes."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isabelle didn't remember being placed in bed or losing her clothes, but both occurred at some point, she realized as she awoke. She almost purred as Stefan ran a hand down her back, causing shivers of delight to course through her. She moved closer to him, savoring the warmth of his body as his hand dipped between her legs.
She gasped and jerked as pleasure coursed through her. His mouth seared into her neck and back as he left a trail of kisses across her skin. Trembling with need, Isabelle was swept away by his touch as he continued to make love to her with his hand. Isabelle moaned her displeasure when his hand slid away from her. She was about to roll over when he slid on top of her and his body pressed against her back.
"Stefan," she breathed as his muscular thigh parted her legs.
"Shh," he soothed as he nibbled on her ear.
Isabelle forgot all about her trepidation as he slid slowly into her, enfolding her in his arms as he moved over her. Isabelle was whimpering with pleasure when he grabbed her waist and pulled her to her knees. She was swept away by the feel of him and the delicious sensations flooding her body when his movements grew more demanding. His hands encircled her, fondling and caressing her breasts as he teased her nipples.
Isabelle cried out from the force of her orgasm as it shook her legs. His arms held her up as he fiercely drove into her, groaning as he spilled into her.
She collapsed onto the bed, panting for air, and trembling from the shivers of delight still racking her. Stefan fell beside her, pulling her on top of his chest and entrapping her against him. She nuzzled his chest and relished the feel of him against her. Her hands curled around his neck and lightly played with the silky hair curling at the base of it.
He smoothed back her hair as he stroked her back. Isabelle didn't want to move, didn't want to think about anything, but she knew she had to. She had to know the truth, and she couldn't put it off forever, no matter how much she wished to.
"Stefan—"
"When I was eleven my family and I were coming back from the theater; we were attacked." He knew what she was going to say before she even spoke. The time for the truth had arrived, and he wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible. He held her close as he opened himself up to memories he’d been trying to forget for a long time.
"There were three of them, two men, and one woman. Vampires. They trapped us in an alley and killed my mother and father instantly. My brother was sixteen at the time, and my sister had just turned fifteen. My brother tried to stop them, he went after them, but he was useless against them. My sister grabbed me and started running toward the street. I tried to go back, but she wouldn't let go of me. My brother's dying screams followed us out of that alley."
Isabelle shuddered against him; tears welled in her eyes as she continued to rub the back of his neck. His voice revealed no emotion as he spoke. If it weren't for his hands digging into her waist, and the increase of his heartbeat, she would have thought the death of his family didn’t affect him.
"We were sent to live with my aunt and uncle in Wales. My sister and I never spoke of what happened again, not even to each other. I think we were both scared we’d end up in Bedlam; at least I knew I was. She married three years later and moved back to London. I didn't see her again until I was eighteen, and by then, she had a son. That was the only time I tried to talk to her about what happened. She screamed at me and told me they were thieves, and I was crazy. When I pressed the issue, she ordered me out of
