She belonged here, with him, and as he fed from her, she realized he felt it as strongly as she did. Tears of happiness burned her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. The passion she'd been experiencing was dampened by the sensation of completion swelling within her. She couldn't stop crying as her fingers slid through his hair, and her head fell back against the door to offer him better access to her vein.
Ethan clung to her as the monster inside him retreated, and everything within him became centered on this woman in his arms and the gift she was giving him. The rest of the world faded away as her blissful emotions took possession of him. He'd grown up with his parents’ close relationship, witnessed what unraveled between Isabelle and Stefan, but nothing could have prepared him for the feelings unfurling within him now. It took everything he had to pull away from her before he took too much, not because he wanted more of her blood but because he never wanted the connection to end.
Disappointment filled her when he pulled away but then his fingers were gently wiping away her tears. His kiss was nowhere near as demanding this time as his mouth slanted over hers. She could taste her blood on his lips, but it wasn't as unpleasant, or repulsive, as she'd thought it would be. Her heart swelled with love as he pulled back to look at her.
There was such affection in his green eyes, she found herself unable to breathe as she searched a gaze she hadn't seen in days. "It will be us," he said in a hoarse voice.
She nodded her agreement as she rested her head on his chest and held him against her. "It will be," she vowed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"There you are!" Isabelle cried when they emerged from the mall. The rain had stopped, and the sky was cleared. The air seemed cleaner, though it was more humid. Emma blinked against the sunlight and spotted Isabelle across the street from them with Stefan at her side. "Where have you been?" she demanded as she stalked across the street toward them.
"Getting out of the rain," Ethan replied.
Isabelle's brow furrowed as her gaze slid back and forth between them. Ethan's glasses were back in place, but Emma could feel the more relaxed posture of his body as he stood beside her.
"We've been looking all over for you,” Isabelle said.
Though the only place Isabelle was looking right now was at her neck, but Emma knew her dampened hair covered Ethan's bite mark on her.
"You've found us," Ethan said.
"Are Jill and Mandy ok?" Emma asked anxiously.
"Mandy's fine; we were separated from Jill. Aiden and Ian are looking for her now."
Emma took an abrupt step forward. "Separated, how?"
"There were a lot of people on the beach," Isabelle said. "Everyone started running at once. Aiden lost her when she hopped on one of the buses."
"I'm sure she's fine," Ethan assured her. "It was a quick storm. Come on; let's get you back to the house."
"Not until we find Jill," she insisted.
Ethan's jaw clenched, he was about to start arguing with her when he spotted Aiden jogging toward them from the beach. His brother was barely breathing hard when he reached them. "We found her; she just got off the bus again. It took her a little while to get back to here on the bus. Ian's taking her to the house now."
"Good," Emma breathed.
"Come on, let's go," Ethan said and clasped her elbow.
Emma carefully studied the people walking so casually past them. She was half-afraid one of them might turn around and stab her at any second, though she doubted Tristan's plan was for her to be dead. No, she was certain he had something far more sinister in mind for her. She stayed close to Ethan's side, and by the time they returned to the house, she felt jittery and uncertain. The sound of the door closing behind her and the lock clicking into place was music to her ears.
Mandy and Jill poked their heads around the corner of the door from the pool area before they'd even stepped into the living room. "There you are!" Jill hurried across the room and threw her arms around Emma.
"There you are!" Emma said and embraced her friend.
"I got a short tour of the area," Jill said with a laugh. "But I stayed dry."
"You okay?" Emma asked Mandy.
"I'm fine," she said and squeezed her arm.
"Who knew rain could be so damn inconvenient," Jill said as she bounced out to the patio again. "But the sky is clear, there's a pool here, and I forgot to leave the volleyball on the beach so we can always play in the pool."
It sounded like fun, but Emma found herself leaning closer to Ethan as thoughts of retreating to his bedroom filled her. She'd never thought she'd be the type to stay in bed with a guy all day, but right now the prospect of spending all week with him there sounded like a little bit of heaven to her. She was about to give Jill some excuse to leave when the doorbell rang.
Despite her best efforts not to show her distress, not to let everyone know just how rattled Tristan and his band of psycho groupies had made her, she jumped at the sound and spun around. Ethan rested his hand reassuringly on the small of her back.
"I'll get it," Stefan said.
Ethan stepped in front of Emma as he braced himself to launch at whatever might come through the door. Stefan glanced back at Isabelle to make sure she was safe before pulling the door open. There was no death threat on the other side of that door, but Ethan felt his anger rise almost as much as if there had been when he saw who was standing there.
Brian leaned insolently against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. Ethan had almost forgotten how much he disliked the smug asshole until seeing him again.
"You rang," Brian drawled and flashed a smile. "Or I suppose I just did."
"Holy shit," Jill whispered behind him. "Is that guy real?"
Emma wondered the same thing as her gaze was riveted on the man in the doorway, exuding raw sexuality and an air of superiority the likes of which she'd never encountered before. Hair, so blond it was nearly white, was cut short to enhance his high cheekbones and pointed chin. Lips the color of blood were a stark contrast to the paleness of his flawless skin. His full upper lip curled into a smile that revealed his extended fangs.
"Brian," Stefan greeted.
"Stefan," he said with a bow of his head. "Are you going to invite me in, or am I going to hang out here all day working on my tan?"
Stefan looked as if he was tempted to drive his fist into Brian's face, but he still managed to step aside as he spoke. "Come in, Brian."
Brian uncrossed his legs as he rose away from the frame. "How nice of you, Stefan, considering the last time we were together you were threatening to rip my head off."
"It's still a very tempting idea," Stefan murmured.
Brian gave him a dazzling smile that caused Jill to start fanning herself. He grabbed a duffle bag from the ground beside him and walked into the house. "Well, if it isn't the purebreds," he said with a nod to Isabelle and Ethan. Emma glanced questioningly up at Ethan, but his gaze remained focused on Brian, and his posture was rigid. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the young pups back there. I didn't mean to exclude you, what's up boys?"
"Fuck you," Aiden shot back.
"Such hostility from one so young." Brian lifted his glasses to reveal eyes the color of arctic ice as they focused on Ian. "Someone's not a puppy anymore."
"Easy, Brian," Stefan warned.
Ethan frowned as he tried to figure out how Brian would know that when none of them had realized Ian had reached maturity. His attention was drawn away from Brian though by Ian's growled response, "We don't need this asshole's help."
"Apparently, you must, because I can guarantee it almost killed this one to call me," Brian said and slapped Stefan on the back. "Don't worry; I tend to grow on people."
"So do warts," Isabelle muttered.
Brian laughed as he dropped his bag on the floor. "Good to see you too, Isabelle."
Emma's head spun as she tried to get a grasp on Brian when his eyes locked on hers. His expression changed fro
m antagonistic, to one she swore might have been genuine concern, so fast Emma would have thought he had PMS if he wasn't so obviously male.
"Is this her?" Brian asked.
A growl rumbled from Ethan as he stepped in front of Emma and pushed her back a little. Emma rested her hands on his back and poked her head out to look around him. "Don't even think about coming near her."
Brian held his hands up and settled his large frame onto one of the stools by the bar. He folded his hands as he rested an elbow on the counter and studied them. "I know better. Now, what is going on here?"
Ethan kept Emma behind him as he moved her toward the couch. The subtle scent of garbage coming off Brian wasn't as potent as the last time they'd seen him; he could barely detect the odor anymore. His scent was probably stronger than Brian's now and more like Brian's was the first time they met.
The difference in smells didn't mean Brian wasn't still a killer, but he hadn't killed a human since they'd last seen him. Maybe he hadn't killed anyone recently. It eased some of the tension in him, but he still wasn't thrilled about having Brian in the house with Emma and her friends.
Stefan must have felt the same way as he kept Isabelle by his side while he filled Brian in on what was happening.
* * *
Emma was exhausted by the time she finally retreated to Ethan's room. Ethan closed the door behind him and turned on the light. "He's so strange," Emma murmured as she sat on the bed to pull off her now dry but extremely wrinkled cover up.
"He's a dick," Ethan said as he pulled the curtains on the windows closed.
Emma chuckled and kicked off her flip-flops. "Then why is he here?"
"Because he's an incredibly powerful dick, and as much as I'd like to drive my fist into his face, he'll help us."
"Why?"
"He has a history with Stefan, and we all saved his ass last year."
"So he owes you."
Ethan frowned as he turned to face her. "He does, but I think it's more than that."
"What do you mean?"
He shook his head as he walked away from the windows. "I don't know. The last time we saw him there was a wildness to him; a savagery I thought would one day lead him down the same exact path as Tristan. He's still an arrogant prick, but he's not..." His forehead furrowed as his voice trailed off.
"Not what?" she prodded.
"Not a brutal killer, at least not of humans."
Well, that was not what she’d expected to hear, not even a little bit. "Was he once a killer of humans?"
"He was in the past. Though, it was a kill or be killed situation for him."
"That's good to know," she muttered.
He smiled as he walked over to sit beside her. "He's not a threat to you, or Mandy and Jill. He wasn't that kind of a killer. He has a deadly past, but so does Stefan. Brian's less of a threat than I'd expected him to be."
Emma rested her hand on his arm when he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "You look tired."
"I don't like being around people." He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. "Except for you, I love you."
Her heart warmed as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you too." Just moments ago she'd been ready to pass out from exhaustion, but she felt her pulse quickening as her skin reacted to his. "When will I become like you, Ethan?"
He dropped his head to brush his lips against her hair. "Are you sure about this?"
"Do I have a choice anymore?" she asked with a laugh.
"I'd like to give you one—"
"But you can't, I made a choice earlier, and I'm going to stand by it. I'd like to do it soon, tonight maybe; I don't think it will be good for me to think about my impending death for too long."
He stiffened against her, his hand stilled on her arm. "It's going to be excruciating for you, Emma."
"Something else I'd prefer not to dwell on."
He lifted her up and pulled her into his lap, holding her against his chest, and cradling her as he rocked. "I'll make it as easy on you as possible," he promised. "But first I have to feed, a lot."
Now that his secret was out, Emma was aware of the blood bags residing on the shelf below the yogurt, apples, and milk bought for them when they'd moved in. It had been more than a little disturbing to see them there in the beginning, but she'd gotten used to it now.
Emma frowned as a new thought occurred to her. "How do you get the blood bags?"
"Stefan has a nurse under his control who works the blood drives and gives him some of the blood after. He also has an orderly at the local hospital who supplies him with blood. We use both sources, so the missing blood isn't picked up on. I'll need fresh, human blood to get you through the transition though."
Fear trickled through her; she tilted her head back to look up at him. "Can you handle feeding from someone other than me?"
Ethan's hands tightened on her at the thought. "Yes, as long as I know it's for you, I'll be all right with it," he assured her. He hoped those words were true, but it didn't matter, it had to be done.
She rested her hand on his chest. "It won't hurt them, will it?"
"No more than it hurt you, and they won't even remember it afterward."
"Will I be able to change people's memories and control them after I'm changed?"
“It will take some time, but you'll eventually be able to do those things. You'll also be able to cloak your presence from others when your powers mature enough. The older we get, the more powerful we become and the better we can deal with our abilities. Your hearing, vision, and speed will also be greatly enhanced. That will take some time for you to get used to, but we'll do it together. You'll also be immortal, and you'll be safer."
He said the word safer with such reverence it made her heart ache as his fingers stroked her hair. She had no words for him as she cuddled closer. The steady beat of his heart, and the heat of his skin, warmed her and lulled her into sleep. Her eyes drifted open when he lifted her and carried her around the bed. She didn't know when it happened, but he’d stripped her bathing suit.
Pulling the sheets back, he laid her on the bed and climbed in beside her. A blissful sigh of contentment escaped when his arms encircled her, and he molded his body around hers.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"I'll be back in a couple of hours," Ethan said and kissed her on the forehead. The clean aroma of cucumber-scented shampoo adhered to the curling tendrils of her damp hair, but beneath the shampoo he detected her honeysuckle scent.
Emma clutched his forearms as she stared up at his strained face. "What's wrong?" she demanded.
He shook his head and dropped his forehead to hers. She remembered his words from before about how tough it was for him to be around people, and she suddenly understood the pinched look on his face.
"I can go with you if it will help you," Emma offered.
"I don't want you to see anything that will happen," he said in a strained voice.
"But you said I make it easier for you to be around people."
"You do, and I won't hurt anyone, but I can't have you around this. I'll be fine, Brian and Ian will be with me. Nothing will go wrong."
He was trying to reassure her, but he had no idea how all this would go down. He was counting on the knowledge of her being here, waiting so she could join him, to keep him sane and rational, and to keep him from killing anyone. If something went wrong, he didn't want her there to see it.
She held onto his arms when he went to pull away from her. "Ethan, there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind about any of this or you."
He cupped her cheeks and pressed a tender kiss on her lips. "I know, but there are some things I'd prefer you not to have to deal with, and this is one of those things. I'll only be gone for a few hours."
Releasing his arms, she hastily brushed the hair back from her neck. "Drink from me before you go, it will help to take the edge off."
"It's too soon for you."
A small chuckle escaped her
. "You'll be taking it all tonight, Ethan; I don't think this will make much of a difference. Even if you only take a little it will help, and don't deny it."
There was no way he could deny that. Not when she was right. His gaze latched onto the bite marks still marring her skin, he could have made them fade with the healing agent in his saliva, but he liked seeing them there and having the knowledge they were his. Seeing them now caused his fangs to tingle as the driving urge to taste her washed over him. Her breasts pressed against his chest as she stepped into him. They'd made love upon waking this morning, but he could feel more than his fangs lengthening right now.
He kissed her as she slid her arms around his neck; lifting her, he pressed her flush against his body. A gasp escaped her, her fingers threaded through his hair as he ran his teeth over the tender flesh of her neck. Her bathrobe fell open to expose her breasts as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Feeling her body moving over his, he knew there was no way he would only be satisfied with taking her blood right now.
Adjusting his hold on her, he grabbed the tie on her robe and tugged it open. The rest of the material fell open to reveal her small, curvy body. Her dusky nipples were already hard as he took one in his mouth and sucked on it. A low moan escaped her; she arched her back as he leaned her against the wall and grabbed her ass with both his hands. Without thinking, he nipped at her breast, drawing blood from it. Certain he’d hurt her, he pulled away almost immediately, but he saw no discomfort in her eyes when they met his. Instead, he saw only desire.
"It felt good," she whispered in response to the concern in his eyes.
She wasn't lying either, though there had been pain, she found she enjoyed it, and it excited her more. A small smile curved his mouth before he bent his head to her breast again. Emma braced herself as his teeth scraped over her; she bit back a scream of delight as his fangs sank in again just above her nipple.
"Ethan!" she cried.
The sensation of her blood being drawn from her in deep waves caused her to tremble as his tongue continued to caress her nipple. He wasn't even inside her, and she was going to lose control. And then he pressed her closer against the wall and released her ass. His hand ran over her thigh and dipped to her already wet center. He slid two of his fingers into her body, filling and stretching her as he began to move his fingers steadily back and forth. His palm rubbed against her clit as he stroked her deeper and more forcefully.
The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5 Page 80