UNTAMED
By: Brenda K. Davies
Copyright © 2014 Brenda K. Davies
Distributed by Smashwords
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Books By The Author
The Vampire Awakenings Series
Awakened (Book 1)
Destined (Book 2)
Untamed (Book 3)
Historical Romance
A Stolen Heart
Special Thanks
To all the fans, you are all amazing and without you, I couldn't do any of this. To my husband for always being there. To Leslie for her continued hard work and to ebook launch for their amazing cover work!
Table of Contents
Other books by the Author
Special Thanks
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Where to Find the Author
CHAPTER 1
Ethan felt like he was trying to squeeze himself into a space the size of a high school locker as he kept his arms close to his sides in an attempt to avoid bumping into anyone around him. It was bad enough hearing the human's heartbeats and smelling the blood that flowed through their veins, but the thought of actually touching one of them made his skin crawl. He'd been crazy to make this trip though he'd fed almost double what he normally did before leaving home in order to curb the ever-present hunger within him. Being so close to so many humans was straining his control and trying his patience. That nagging voice inside him, the one that wanted to taste every single one of these people, was begging to be obeyed. He was afraid of what might happen if he didn't get away from this crowd soon.
Sliding his sunglasses into place, he stepped out of the airport and into the bright light of the day. The heat was like a slap in the face after the cool air inside the airport and it caused him to inhale sharply. Adjusting the bag in his hand, he scanned the crowd of people swarming around him. Ants, he thought. Annoying ants he would prefer to stomp, but he gritted his teeth and concentrated on keeping his desire to become a blood sucking terminator under control. He'd never been a fan of people, however being enclosed within three different flying tin cans for almost a day, had frayed his nerves and shortened his already low tolerance for the creatures.
He couldn't believe he'd let Isabelle talk him into this, but getting away from his siblings for a month and vacationing in paradise, had seemed a lot more appealing before he'd stepped onto that first airplane. He glanced around the crowd again, searching for two familiar dark heads but he didn't see them amongst the crush of people.
Inhaling, he took in the familiar and pleasant aroma of the tangy ocean air. After a shower, a change of clothes, some blood, and a few drinks, he'd be back to looking forward to spending the next month with his sister and brother-in-law in Bermuda again.
He stepped away from a young girl that brushed his arm and smiled flirtatiously at him. Normally he would at least return the smile, now he stared relentlessly back at her until she began to blush and hurried away. The last thing he needed was some human thinking he had any interest in them. He may have embarrassed the girl but she didn't know just how close he was to the edge, how close she had come to being the one to finally ease the insistent call for blood that flowed through his system.
A small squeal alerted him to Isabelle before he spotted her. He turned just in time to catch her as she flung herself into his arms. A small grunt escaped him, but he dropped his bag and wrapped his arm around her waist as she laughed loudly. "I'm so glad you came!" she cried.
Relief filled him as he lifted her off the ground and hugged her back. It had been almost six months since she and Stefan had left home, a week after their bond had been completed. Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he'd missed her, even if she was a pain in his ass. "I'm glad I did too," he replied honestly as he placed her back on the ground.
Her violet eyes twinkled in the sunlight shining over her as she grinned up at him. The golden highlights in her deep brown hair were even more vibrant and blonder than the last time he'd seen her. She was tanner too and freckles now dotted the bridge of her slender nose. "Did you have a good flight?" she asked.
"A few of them." He wasn't about to tell her that he'd been tempted to eat the tourists more than a few times throughout the trip. He loved Issy, she was his best friend and the sibling he was closest to, but there were things he didn't share, not even with her.
She laughed as she took a step back from him. Her eyes focused on his right arm and she slapped her hand against the tattoo there. "What is this?"
"That, dear sis, is what most refer to as a tattoo," he teased.
She rolled her eyes at him. "I know that but when did you get it?"
"Three months ago."
"Why? You've never shown an interest in tattoos before."
Ethan glanced at the intricate black flames that curled up from his wrist to the middle of his bicep. A black phoenix, on his upper bicep, rose out of the top of the flames with its wings spread wide. He wasn't about to tell her the real reason he'd gotten the tattoo, so he just shrugged and retrieved his bag. "Boredom," he answered absently.
"Boredom?" she inquired in a disbelieving tone.
"What can I say? I've had no one to entertain me since you left home."
His words had the effect he'd been hoping for as she laughed and slipped her arm through his. "I'm sure you've had plenty of people keeping you entertained with the mob that lives there."
"Yes, but no one quite as fun as you."
"I do have to agree with that," she said and flashed a smile. "You should see the house that Stefan has rented for us, it's beautiful!"
His gaze traveled past her to the large and powerful vampire standing just beyond her shoulder. Stefan's onyx eyes were focused upon Isabelle, before he turned to look at Ethan. His black hair curled around his face, easing the austerity of his high cheekbones and the narrow bridge of his nose. Ethan had never been quite sure what to make of the guy; he'd always been a bit arrogant, and more than a little overprotective when it came to Isabelle, but he made Isabelle happy and in the end that was the most important thing.
"Stefan," he greeted.
"Ethan." Stefan smiled at him as he extended his hand. "It's good to see you."
"You also." Ethan realized that those words were true as they shook hands. Stefan had become easier going and more approachable after his bond with Isabelle had been completed, but Ethan had never really considered him a friend. He was family though.
"Is this all you have for luggage?" Isabelle inquired.
Ethan turned his attention back to his sister. "I travel light."
"Apparently. Too bad mom and dad couldn't come with you." He was used to her abrupt changes in conversation so he wasn't thrown off by it now.
"They've got enough going on with that devious horde their raising."
Isabelle laughed as she began to tug him into the crowd. "I can't wait to see them again. I've missed them and everyone else so much."
"They've missed you too," he told her as Stefan parted the crowd before them. "I know they're looking forward to you returning home next month."
"Me too, but we've had an amazing trip. I loved Rome; I think it was my favorite. You have to see it one day. Maybe the next time we go you can come with us. Australia too, you would love it there. Aiden would probably get himself killed swimming with the sharks, but I'm pretty sure that's where he belongs."
"You think he belongs in Australia or inside a shark?" Ethan was unable to keep the humor from his voice as he asked the question.
"Australia," she said with a laugh. "But there were a few times I would have liked to have fed him to a shark."
"Me too," Ethan agreed.
Ethan couldn't help but smile as she started to ramble on again about all the places she and Stefan had visited over the last six months. It amazed him how much she had changed from the girl that had once been determined to never leave home because she was determined not to find her mate. That girl had been happy and content with her life, but the woman on his arm radiated joy and actually seemed to glow as she bounced along beside him.
Stefan stopped beside a blue Jeep and opened the passenger side door. Isabelle released his arm, kissed Stefan on the cheek and jumped into the passenger seat. Stefan smiled at her as he closed her door and walked around to open the hatch door. They stepped aside as the door swung out toward them.
"She's really missed you guys," Stefan told him as Ethan placed his bag inside.
"We've missed her too," Ethan said as he closed the door. "She seems really happy though."
"She is, but she became a lot happier after you agreed to join us here. She can't wait for Ian and Aiden to arrive in two weeks."
"You're in for some trouble then," Ethan told him with a grin.
"Looking forward to it."
Ethan realized that Stefan actually seemed to mean that. He'd never been entirely sure what Stefan thought about all of them, it was obvious how he felt about Isabelle, but he'd always thought that Stefan found them to be the annoying family unit he would have to put up with in order to be with Issy. He was beginning to think that maybe he'd misjudged him.
Ethan walked around the side of the SUV and opened the backdoor. Isabelle turned in the front seat, propped her hands on the shoulder of the chair, and continued talking about their travels without missing a beat. Stefan pulled onto the road and drove cautiously down the clustered streets that wound through the island.
Ethan sat back in his seat to watch all of the yellow, blue, orange, and green colored houses passing by. People walked the streets and rode their bikes down the sidewalks as they explored the sites or went about their day. The aqua colored ocean shimmered in and out between the buildings that lined the waterfront as they drove onward. Boats of all makes and sizes dipped and swayed on the calm sea. The people strolling the beach, splashing in the water, or fishing reminded him of a postcard of paradise.
He'd never been more than a couple hundred miles away from home, being here now seemed almost unreal as he took in the pink sandy beaches and the numerous bikini-clad bodies. He may not enjoy being near the humans in those suits, but he wasn't above admiring the bodies wearing them.
The further they drove the more into vacation mode he got, and once he was done with a shower, he might actually check out one of these beaches. He wasn't like Ian and Aiden, he didn't chase after girls or go to the clubs often, but he was going to be here for a few weeks and the idea of a vacation hook-up was appealing. This trip was already out of character for him, he might as well completely enjoy himself while he was here. He just hoped there was another sane, female vampire on the island, but then again, if she wasn't a killer then he didn't really care if she was entirely sane.
The last woman he'd been seeing definitely hadn't been the type that he would bring home to his mom, or anywhere near his family for that matter. In fact, she had treaded the fine line between becoming a brutal killer and maintaining her control as a vampire. He'd been ashamed by the fact that he completely understood how she felt, that he'd found that line exciting too, and he'd enjoyed walking it with her. Hell, he'd been walking it his entire life and he'd finally found someone that understood him and the madness lurking just beneath the surface. Not to mention the wildness within her had been something irresistible and fascinating to him in bed.
Until the day she'd stepped over that line. His murderous urges were something he was growing tired of struggling with, and though he'd been tempted to go over the edge with her, and finally give into the clamoring demands of his body for blood and death, he knew that he couldn't. He had his family to think of, his siblings would know immediately if he killed someone, and he couldn't bring himself to let them down in such a way. He was the one they all looked up to even though he was the one that deserved their admiration the least.
If they knew what he truly was, there would be no admiration from them, there would only be revulsion and horror.
But then they would never know the depravity that lurked within him, not if he had anything to say about it. However, there were some days when he found the lure of blood and death almost impossible to resist. Some days it took all he had not to walk out of his home, slaughter the first human he came across and finally ease the constant driving pressure within him to feed. He'd been dealing with it for as long as he could remember, high school had been an endless battle for him, but he had managed to get himself through it. The intensity of the urge to kill had been increasing steadily since he'd reached maturity though. If it continued, he didn't know how he would be able to maintain his control for an eternity. He was beginning to think he would welcome death over that bleak prospect.
So he stayed away from the temptation of humans as often as possible. The five women he'd been with since he'd lost his virginity at sixteen had all been vampires, and women he knew he couldn't accidentally injure. Women that he knew were just as indifferent to him as he was to them.
The last woman was the first time that he'd stayed with someone for any significant amount of time. It hadn't been because he cared for her, but because of the enticing immorality that had thrived within her. There had been nights that he had relished in the agony and devastation she had unleashed upon him with her claws, chains, and often with a whip that had flayed his skin open more times than he could count. He had deserved everything she'd done to him, but it still hadn't been enough to drown the depravity within him.
The only things they didn't use to hurt each other with were their fangs. He'd never exchanged blood with another vampire and he never would unless that vampire was his mate. With the way he was heading he highly doubted he'd ever find his mate though, and God help her if she turned out to be a human. He may just maul her to death before he ever had a chance to establish any kind of bond with her.
Part of the reason he had agreed to come here was because he was hoping that a change of scenery would help him deal with what was inside of him. That maybe if he were somewhere else, it would all ease a little. It didn't seem very likely but right now he was willing to try anything, so when Isabelle had suggested this trip he hadn't immediately shot her down. Surprisingly, he'd found himself accepting her offer, even though he knew it was going to suck to be around people for such an extended period of time during the flights.
Stefan made a turn and drove up a hill that wound through some of the most colorful homes he'd ever seen. At the top of the hill they pulled into the driveway of a large, sunshine yellow house that overlooked the harbor below it. "You can see
the ocean from every room," Isabelle said as she jumped out of the front seat before Stefan even had the Jeep in park. Stefan shook his head and scowled after her before shifting into park and turning the vehicle off.
Isabelle took hold of Ethan's arm when he climbed out and pulled him toward the house. She unlocked the front door and flung it open to reveal an open floor plan that made his eyebrows shoot into his hairline. White tile floors gleamed in the sunlight spilling through the wall of windows across the way. The three sofas within the massive, sunken living room were also white and centered around a circular glass coffee table with golden legs. Above the couch that was pushed against the wall was a painting of the ocean at sunset. The oil paints were mostly blues, greens, oranges and yellows and were the only vibrant color within the room.
To his left was a kitchen that was about half the size of the living room, and filled with new, stainless steel appliances. Blue marble countertops ran beneath the numerous white cabinets and an island was in the center of the kitchen. Dividing the two rooms was a breakfast bar with four stools lined up along its counter that faced into the kitchen.
He descended the two steps to the massive living room and placed his bag down on the floor. Isabelle's sandals tapped on the floor as she strode across the room and opened the French doors. Ethan walked over to join her and stared out at the clear, shimmering water of the pool. An outdoor kitchen and an elaborate bar made out of gray stone sat at the far end of the patio. A table and a dozen lounge chairs were spread out around the rectangle shaped pool.
Ethan crossed the patio to peer over the edge of the three-foot high rock wall surrounding the pool area. A hundred feet down the small hill beneath them was about thirty feet of sand. Beyond that, the ocean rolled in and out in a steady rhythm. At the bottom of the hill, a hundred foot wooden dock stretched into the sea. A white, Sea Ray Sundancer boat gleamed in the sun as it bobbed in the water at the end of the dock. He didn't know much about boats, but he did know that one looked like a good time.
Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) Page 1