A Forbidden Love

Ch 18: Isolde

 Isolde spent the next few days locked in her room, battling her thoughts and thinking over the things Zoey said to her. A plan began to formulate in her mind. She loved Logan, and she was going to be with him, but she couldn’t take him getting hurt on her account. Her mouth set in a grim line, she pulled on her battle gear: her trademark black leather pants and vest, combat boots, and assorted weaponry.  It was time to go hunting. As she made her way to her door, she could hear the other three talking outside her room, and she knew her time was running out. Abandoning plans of waltzing out through the front door, she quietly made her way to window and opened it. She quickly removed the screen, crawled out the window, replaced the screen, and took off. She knew they would think she was asleep when she didn’t answer, but it was a respite that wouldn’t last long; she had, at most, an hour or two to find the rogue and eliminate him. It took ten minutes to make it to the wooded area, and as she walked through the trees, she gave up the pretense of stealth. She needed to get his attention, and if that meant exposing herself, so be it. Vibrant hues of purple and pink painted the sky, and she was beginning to think Daniel wasn’t going to show up. Instead of aimlessly wandering around the forest, she made her way to the clearing and sat beside the cold stream. Faint traces of blood still covered the ground; a dull reddish brown that taunted her, and a coldness began to spread inside her chest, her heart beating out of time and her breathing ragged. A slight shift in the wind carried a sound to her ears, and she turned to watch as Daniel stepped into the clearing. She stood to face him, weight on the balls of her feet and hands at her side. His coarse voice broke the silence, “The little angel’s come to play again, but no cop to play hero now.” She looked at him with a fire in her eyes but made no response. The two stood facing off, no signs of movement, and it seemed as if the forest was holding its breath. In a blur of movement, he threw himself at her, shifting as he did so. She twirled in a graceful pattern, avoiding him and drawing her weapons at the same time. The moon glinted off silver as she scored a mark upon his back. He turned, swinging at her, but was blocked as skin split on his side. He looked at her with hatred, and he noticed a change in her. She moved with precision, and she struck with hatred. She wasn’t afraid of him. She listened as the voices of his victims’ pleas filled her mind, and with each terrified voice, her resolve continued to grow. He would pay for his crimes against those he was supposed to protect. He would pay for hurting the man she loved, a man who was once his friend, and she was going to make sure he felt every ounce of pain his victims felt. If anyone would have witnessed the fight, it would have seemed a dark dance of sorts. Isolde twirled around the werewolf, marking him time and time again, until blood coated his arms and his breathing was ragged. He had managed to score harsh marks against her skin, and she would be sore come the morning light, but she was far from ready to end this fight. As she advanced, he took a step back and stumbled into the cold stream. His hand scrambled in the water, flinging rocks and water at her, but she laughed as one of her knives found its way into his shoulder. He howled out his rage and stood up. In the distance, heads shot up at the house. Alex and Zoey exchanged looks of horror, and Logan was busting through Isolde’s bedroom door to find her gone. The fear in his voice was evident as he whispered her name, and he took off running. His heart pounding in his chest, he cursed himself. Zoey and Alex followed behind at a safe distance; they would wait until they were needed, but they couldn’t interfere in the battle. Isolde cursed as blood and sweat dripped down her face, and while the rogue was slowing down, his body pushed past the point of endurance as the silver burned its way through his veins, he took his chance; his sadistic laugh filled the air as blood dripped down her stomach. She noticed something in his hand, and as her vision started blurring, she looked closer at the wound on her stomach. Slowly removing glass shards, she understood what had happened. She spoke up for the first time, her voice deadly calm as she stated, “Guess I’ll just have to stop playing around and finish you off now.” The rogue’s eyes widened in shock as she moved, her knife a silver blur as cut after cut opened on his body, and he fought back, thrashing his clawed hands out at her. They both stumbled back, staring at each other with hatred and trying to calm their breathing, when Logan broke through the trees. His eyes took in the scene, and he lunged at Daniel. Unwilling to give up her battle, Isolde stepped in the middle just as Daniel launched himself at Logan. Claws pierced her body, and when the rogue looked at her with victory in his eyes, she plunged her knife into his chest, shredding his heart as the light left his eyes. His clawed hands reverting back to normal, along with the rest of his body, as he sunk to the ground. The claws in her back slowly pulled out, and without them to keep her upright, she sunk to her knees as the pain set in. Hands grabbed her, picking her up and carrying her away from the rogue and out of the woods. Zoey gasped in shock as she looked at Isolde, and she laid a comforting hand on Logan’s shoulder as tears started to fall. “What happened?” Alex asked, noting the look on Logan’s face. “I stabbed her. She jumped between us when I went after Daniel,” he replied in a broken voice. “Is he finally dead?’ Alex asked. Logan nodded, and Alex left to deal with the remains. He found the broken vial as he was moving the body, and with a horrified look, he quickly burned the remains and called Zoey. Logan watched as Zoey’s face turned a pale shade of white before she quickly hung up and made a call. A few minutes later, Alex returned with someone else by his side. The newest angel smiled at Logan and made her way to the room Isolde was in.