Destined (Vampire Awakenings) (41 page)

   “Ah, here they both are,” Kathleen said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “And where’s the rest of the clan?”

   As if on cue, Jack, David, Mike, and Doug appeared to say their goodbyes. Stefan walked into the kitchen and made his way over to Isabelle. She smiled sweetly at him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Some of his tension eased as she melded against him. Kathleen quickly said goodbye to the stooges, hugging each of them tightly before she moved onto the twins. When she was done hugging everyone, and saying her goodbyes, she walked back over to grab her suitcases.

   “You’d better treat her good Stefan. There’s a hell of a crew here that’ll kick your ass if you don’t!” she said laughingly.

   “I will,” he said softly.

   Kathleen lifted her suitcases and stood staring at them, a lost look on her pretty face. She sighed wearily and shook her head as she dropped her suitcases and spun toward Sera. Stefan stiffened slightly, it was glaringly obvious that Kathleen had more to say, and he was scared of what that might be. Instead of speaking, tears poured down her cheeks and she rushed back over to embrace Sera again. They hugged for a long time before Kathleen reluctantly pulled away, grabbed hold of her suitcases, and hurried from the room.

  
Liam
walked over to Sera and pulled her tightly against him. Everyone silently left the room to give them some privacy. They headed down the back steps to the group gathered in the backyard. Some of Ian’s old high
school friends, and some of his college friends, had come for the party. They were gathered by the volleyball net, leisurely batting the ball back and forth as they waited for more people to join.

   “Let
’
s play,” Isabelle said eagerly.

   Stefan raised a dark brow in amusement as she smiled up at him, her violet eyes bright with happiness. He couldn’t refuse her anything, and she knew it. She seized hold of his hand and pulled him to the volleyball net. He stiffened as he noticed the lustful stares directed her way, his eyes narrow
ed
warningly on the overeager men. They stared back at him for a moment before quickly lowering their gazes. She squeezed his hand reassuringly as she stopped next to Ian, and the stooges walked over to join them.

   “Do you have chosen teams for volleyball too?” Stefan asked.

   “Of course,” Jack replied. “Same as football, except I don’t think
Liam
will be back for awhile. You can take his place on David’s team, and Kyle can play again.”

   Isabelle scrunched her face as Stefan dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and moved to the other side of the net. Kyle came eagerly forward, happy to be included in the game again. She watched him for a moment, a soft smile playing over her mouth as he bounced eagerly on the balls of his feet. Looking at him now it was hard to believe that he had been at deaths door only days before, and she was extremely grateful that he was still with them now.

   Casting Stefan a soft, grateful smile, she moved to the end of the line, taking the ball from Ethan as she prepared to serve. The game moved quickly by in a blur of laughter, and pains. Kyle received a bloody nose, Ian sprained his finger, Ethan was mumbling about a groin muscle, and David and Mike got the wind knocked out of them when they both charged the net in an attempt to spike the ball.

   Stefan enjoyed watching Isabelle as she played. She was fluid and graceful, an easy smile on her face as she laughed and joked with everyone. He returned the secret, soft smiles she gave him, as his mind continuously brushed against hers, sending wicked, meaningful messages to her. He forced her to mess up more
than a few times while serving
and she had returned the favor in kind.

   However, it wasn’t just Isabelle that was causing him to enjoy the day so much, it was the whole atmosphere. He had felt welcomed by them before, but for the first time he felt truly accepted. As if they were actually his family too. Which, he realized, they were now. With Isabelle, came all of her siblings, her parents, and the stooges. With Isabelle came the family that he had lost long ago, and never expected to have again.

   He wiped the sweat from his brow as the game ended with David’s team,
his
team, winning the best two out of three. Mike’s team, including Isabelle, were all scowling unhappily as they moved over to join them on the other side of the net. “We’re going to have to redo the teams now that Stefan’s here,” Jack mumbled as he pulled his T-shirt back on.

   “Kyle’s old enough to become a permanent member.” Kyle’s chest puffed out as he straightened his shoulders. “And with Ian and Aiden gone most of the time, we can just put him on David’s team,” Ethan said.

   “
Liam
and Stefan are not staying on the same team!” Mike protested.

   Lighthearted banter broke out as they made their way back to the picnic tables. Stefan wrapped his arm around Isabelle’s waist
,
pull
ing
her tight against his side. She grinned up at him as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “What if I take Isabelle?” David asked.

   “No way!” she cried, her head jerking up. “I’ve been on Mike’s team since I was twelve years old!”

   “Don’t worry
Is
sy
, you’re not getting traded,” Mike assured her.
“
Why doesn’t Stefan join our team?”

   “Are you insane?” Doug cried. “He’s the only one that can catch her!”

   “And we all know that she can catch him,” Jack replied with a grin and a wink.

   Isabelle laughed as she rested her head against his shoulder again. His arm around her waist was warm and secure. She could no longer remember what it was that she had been so afraid of with him. “Why don’t we argue about this later?” Ian demanded. “It’s my party, and I say it’s time for a little fun.”

   Isabelle lifted her head from Stefan’s shoulder to grin at him. “Weren’t we already having fun?” she asked.

   “You know what I mean
Issy
,
”
he said with a grin.

   She knew exactly what he meant. “You’d better go get your friends,” Jack told him.

   “They’ll follow us. Ready for
one of
our family tradition
s,
Stefan?”

   “If someone would tell me what it is,” he replied.

   They flashed bright grins as they looked quickly at one another. “Who’s going first?” Mike asked.

   All of their gazes landed on Isabelle. “No way!” she retorted. “I went last year,
its
Ian’s turn.”

   “It
is
Ian’s turn,” Jack said thoughtfully.

   Ian took a step back as they all turned toward him. “Hey! Come on, this was my idea!”

   “Which is even more reason why you should go first,” David retorted.

   Ian grinned at them as they took another step forward. “Fine!” he cried throwing his hands up.

   He took off running, and they all turned to watch as he darted past his friends, kicking off his shoes as he ran. He dove into the lake, and came up sputtering. “Cold!”

   They all began to laugh as he turned onto his back and kicked himself out toward the middle of the lake. With a war like cry Mike, Doug, Jack, David, and Ethan darted past them, shedding their shoes as they ran toward the lake. “Oh great!” Vicky cried as she appeared at their side with Abby beside her. “Who started it?” she demanded.

   “Ian,” Isabelle answered over the loud splashes and yells.

   They both sighed wearily as they shook their heads. “Well, we knew it was coming. Let
’
s go Abby.”

   Stefan watched in amazement as the twins also ran forward
, they usually avoided the group activities
. “What is going on?” he asked.

   Isabelle grinned up at him. “The end of summer swim,” she answered. “We do it every year, although we usually do it a little earlier than this. The lake is fed by a natural stream that comes out of the
mountains;
it has to be really cold now.”

   To confirm her statement, Vicky and Abby squealed as they jumped back out of the lake. Doug and Mike instantly came after them, grabbing them, and tossing them back in. Their loud, shrill screams pierced the air as they came back to the surface. “Come on
Issy
!” Willow cried as she raced by them with Julian, Kyle, and Cassidy on her heels.

   Isabelle laughed as she shook her head. “Don’t want to go?” he asked.

   “Nope,” she replied happily, moving closer to him.

   Stefan grinned down at her as he
grabbed
her waist and lifted her up. She smiled up at him as she wrapped her hands around his neck and leisurely kicked her feet. “I’d take your shoes off,” he whispered.

   “What?” She frowned up at him, obviously not realizing his intent until he started walking to
ward
the lake. “Stefan no!”

   Her hands tightened around his neck as she struggled to get free. He held tightly to her as she became as squiggly as an eel. “Isabelle, yes.”

   She glared up at him as her shoes hit the ground. “If you toss me into that lake I’ll...”
   “You’ll what?”

   There really wasn’t anything that she could say to that, and judging by the smug grin on his face, he damn well knew it. Stefan kicked his shoes off before wading into the cold water. “Stefan...”

   He was smiling as he released her. Isabelle cried out in shock as the chilly water enclosed her whole body, turning it numb almost instantly. She came back up, spitting and sputtering as she wiped strands of straggly hair off her face. She glowered up at him as he stood over her, a bright grin on his handsome face, and his hands planted firmly on his hips.

   “Aren’t you coming in?” she demanded.

   “It’s a little too cold for me.”

   The fierce shove knocked him off balance. Isabelle grabbed hold of his arms at the same time, tugging him sharply into the water. He came back up, sputtering in shock from the cold, and the fact that he had been
shoved i
nto it. Her laughter rang loudly in his ears as he turned to look at Ethan and David. They proudly slapped each other
’
s hands, as they grinned smugly down at him. “Everyone goes in!” David announced.

   Stefan snorted as he shook his wet hair off his forehead. He launched to his feet after them. They met him head on as they all toppled into the water. Isabelle laughed happily as she watched them splash and tumble with each other. He was part of her family now, a part of
her
, and it was quit
e
obvious that they fully accepted him. Ian, Jack, Doug, Willow, Kyle, Cassidy, and Mike joined in the foray as Vicky and Abby swam over to join her.

   “We really didn’t need another brother,” Vicky said happily.

   Isabelle laughed as she turned to face them. The moonlight shimmered over their sleek, golden heads, and lit their bright green eyes. “Trust me, I know.”

   Vicky smiled at her before she turned onto her back and kicked leisurely at the water. Isabelle turned herself over to float beside her. The water wasn’t so cold now that she had grown used to it. In fact, it was rather pleasant. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift, taking comfort in the light slapping of the water against her skin. Shouts echoed through the night, she smiled happily as Willow screamed and a loud splash filled the air.

   “Where do you think you’re going?”

   Stefan wrapped
his arms
around her
,
pull
ing
her against him
and holding her tight
. She didn’t bother to open her eyes as she rested her head in the curve of his shoulder. His skin was cool to the touch, but his inner heat served to warm her. “Nowhere,” she mumbled happily.

   “That’s right.”

   She laughed as she pulled back to look at him. His
eyes
w
ere
intense as he met her gaze, his dark hair slicked back to reveal every hard angle of his face. She stroked his cheek gently, brushing against the soft bristles that lined his solid jaw. The shiver that racked her had nothing to do with the cold, and everything to do with him. “I love you Stefan,” she whispered as she dropped a soft kiss on the hard line of his full mouth.

   His arms tightened around her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing herself more firmly against him. He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd gathered in the water, splashing and playing loudly. The humans had joined in the foray, and even
Liam
and Sera had appeared. “Let
’
s go somewhere a little quieter.”

   “What?” she asked in surprise.

   He grinned as he turned over, leisurely kicking through the water with her wrapped securely in his arms. He swam swiftly to the dock, and
p
u
lled
her behind it. “Stefan,” she whispered.