127

Isabella

Frank was what I would call an old hero, at least he looked the part. He also held a pivotal place in Damon's heart, earning my respect for the man. After all, he had been kidnapped and beaten up on a regular basis. My heart went out to him, and I wished I could bring him some comfort.

"You shouldn't think too much about this, Isabella. I've been through worse," Frank said with a smile, but I could see pain in his gray eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you have. I wasn't there. What matters now is that I'm here, and I can see this, and I'm not happy about it. I wish I could do something to burn down the estate," I responded. Perhaps I found what he did to be quite sweet, and luckily he hadn't killed anyone.

Damon's eyes looked glazed over, as though he wasn't in the room with us. Was he angry that he didn't end lives, or perhaps he would rather be elsewhere? "Damon?" I called him, bringing his attention back.

"Thank you. I'm grateful that you didn't do what you wanted to do, wh