Ethan didn't look back at the girl, but he could feel her steady approach. The mind control she'd been under broke when whoever had taken possession of her mind was killed. Just as the barrier preventing the others from entering the house fell.
"What happened?" Jill whispered.
"Stay back," Isabelle commanded.
"But what happened?" Jill whimpered.
"We'll explain later," Isabelle promised. "But you have to stay back."
Emma's eyes were only slits and dull as they came up to his. "I love you," she whispered.
"You're going to be fine," he told her, even if he wasn't so sure.
Panic tore through him as he tilted her head back and drew the knife deftly across his wrist. He didn't feel the pain of the blade as his blood poured forth. It was far more blood than his bite would provide, blood she desperately needed. Her eyes fell on his wrist as he held it up to her.
"Do it," she breathed before her eyes drifted closed.
"Drink, Emma," he pleaded as he pressed his wrist to her mouth. "Please." He could feel his blood seeping into her body, but there was no response from her. His lips dropped to her head; he cradled her closer as terror tore through him. "Drink, baby."
She remained unmoving in his arms, her head against his shoulder. The strange red filling his body faded away as his blood slipped into her. He hated to touch her while covered in the blood of the massacre he just unleashed, but he couldn't let her go. Tears burned his eyes as he kissed her forehead and pressed her closer against his chest.
"I can't lose you," he moaned.
A footstep on his right drew his attention to Isabelle as she knelt by his side. Her eyes were troubled as she stared at Emma. "Ethan—"
"She's going to be fine," he growled.
Stefan rested his hands on Isabelle's shoulders and pulled her away. "Don't," she started to protest.
"Stay away," Stefan warned. He pushed her behind him and placed his body in between them.
Ethan turned his attention away from them as he focused everything on willing Emma to live, willing her to stay with him. Emma's closed eyes suddenly flickered up to him, her body stiffened, her fingers jerked on the floor before going completely still as her heart stopped. He felt like a mirror dropped on the ground as everything within him fractured and fell apart. The only thing left of him was a black hole sucking out everything he was. There was no soul, no humanity, as he stared into her unseeing eyes.
And then her heart kicked violently against her ribs, she gasped in a breath as suffering twisted her face and a harsh cry escaped her. Her fingers clenched, her teeth clamped involuntarily down on his arm as her body jerked in his embrace. Though he hated her suffering, and would do anything to take it from her, he was also filled with ecstasy as her heart pounded out a far steadier beat than before. Alive, she was alive, and she was going to stay that way.
He rocked her as more spasms racked her body, and her fingernails tore into his skin. Her teeth finally unclamped from his wrist, and he pulled it away from her as the transformation continued within her body. Small mewls escaped her; tears spilled down her cheeks as her feet kicked spastically against the floor.
"I'm sorry, but it will be okay," he whispered in her ear. "This is the worst part."
Emma felt as if she were drowning in agony. Her skin was as raw as when she'd gotten a second-degree sunburn while visiting Florida when she was thirteen. She'd been blistered everywhere her bathing suit didn’t cover, but she'd give anything for that sunburn now. Then there had been aloe to relieve the pain, and she'd known her discomfort would eventually ease. Right now, it felt as if this would never stop.
She tried to keep her eyes on Ethan, tried to remind herself why she was doing this, but everything around her blurred. She swore someone was using a jackhammer against the inside of her skull as her head felt like it was going to explode. Her now beating heart felt like it was twisting and changing within her ribcage as if it were tearing free of her arteries and becoming something else. A scream built within her, but she was unable to unclench her teeth to release it.
Her body jerked with so much force a bone in her foot broke with a loud crack when it slammed against the floor. Ethan had never felt so helpless in his life, but he had no idea what to do to make it any better.
"It won't last much longer, and she will get through it," Stefan assured him as he knelt by Ethan's side.
Brian, Ian, and Aiden appeared in the doorway of the house. Blood streaked their faces and splattered their clothes, but they appeared unharmed as they stepped over two of the bodies lying on the floor. Jill had retreated to the couch; tears streamed down her face as she took in the carnage around her. He wanted to hate the girl, but he knew none of this was her fault, and she looked completely heartbroken as she gazed helplessly at Emma.
Brian bent down, seized Tristan's hair, and lifted his head from the floor. His eyebrow rose as he stared at the bulging eyes and twisted mouth. "We have to get this cleaned up."
Aiden looked around the house. "I don't think there is any way to clean this up."
Ethan glanced at the red-stained walls, furniture, and carpet; there was little of the original color to be found beneath the blood splattered everywhere. It looked like a macabre funhouse.
"Burn it," he said flatly and turned away when Emma whimpered and dug into his arm with her nails again.
"That will make this job a lot easier," Brian said and dropped Tristan's head dismissively back on the floor. It landed with a dull thud, but Ethan was the only one who heard as Brian was already walking away from it.
Emma's back arched off the ground; her teeth clenched together as the muscles in her throat and jaw stood out. Sweat beaded across her forehead and ran down her face; her face became florid as a scream tore from her throat. Ethan held her in a way that ensured she wouldn't injure herself when her body collapsed again. She went completely still, but her heart continued to beat a solid rhythm in her chest.
"The worst is over," Stefan said. "We have to get her out of here, now."
Ethan was careful with Emma's broken foot, a foot that would most likely heal by the time she woke again as he gathered her into his arms and lifted her. Her head fell against his shoulder; her glazed eyes fluttered open to meet his before drifting closed again. He had to get her somewhere safe, somewhere not covered in blood and remains. Moving as swiftly as possible, he fled the house and left the others behind to deal with the cleanup.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Emma didn't move as she stared around the room, a room far brighter and clearer than she recalled it ever being. A room which held scents she never would have noticed before. The sweet smell of hibiscus was almost overwhelming as it drifted in through the open doors. There was a faint coppery scent she eventually identified as blood, and the enticing aroma of sex beneath it all.
It was all so amazing and overwhelming; she could barely breathe. There was so much to this world she'd never realized before, but she could see, hear, and smell it all now. It was the strangest gift she'd ever been given, and it was a gift that was hers, forever. Her gaze riveted on the colorful lamp by the bedside. She never imagined there were so many different shades of red, blue, and green in the world. She marveled at all of them.
"You're awake."
"I'm awake," she murmured in response to Ethan's words from behind her.
"How do you feel?"
She frowned as she contemplated the answer. "Different. Alive," she breathed. "If that makes any sense, considering I died."
His hand on her arm pulled her attention away from the lamp. She rolled over and smiled at him. He sat in the chair beside the bed, leaning toward her with his elbows on his knees. The awful, reddish black color had vanished from him; the blood covering him after the massacre was washed from his body.
There were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn't been there yesterday. Stubble lined his jaw; his bloodshot eyes made it seem like he hadn't slept in a week but they were back to their normal gree
n hue. She realized now that, though his eyes were mostly emerald in color, there were also flecks of forest green with a little bit of a lime color blended in.
Ethan rose from the chair and sat on the bed beside her when she pushed herself into a seated position. The swelling was already gone from her eyes and nose, her nose had realigned, and there was only a shadow of a bruise beneath her right eye. She still looked exhausted and a little battered, but she was moving, talking, breathing as she sat before him. He brushed her thick hair over her shoulder, but Tristan's bite marks had vanished during the change.
"Is Jill okay?" she asked anxiously.
"She's fine," he assured her as his thumb stroked over her cheek.
The love radiating from his eyes was almost more than she could stand as she leaned closer to him. He smelled of the ocean and allspice, or maybe it was cinnamon? She couldn't quite place the scent, but she now recognized it as power, even more power than either of them ever realized he possessed.
"What happened? How did it happen?" she asked.
"Jill must have been grabbed on the bus by Tristan or one of his helpers. When they died, whatever hold they had over her was broken. She doesn't remember anything that happened."
"Coming out of her daze, to that house, must have been a shock to her," she muttered.
"I imagine it was," he said as he took her hand.
The sensation of his skin sliding over hers caused her to blink in surprise. He'd always been able to warm her and give her a thrill before, but now it made her skin come alive in ways she'd never known possible. It felt like she had ten thousand more nerve endings in her body than before, and every one of them was begging for more from him.
"Amazing," she breathed. The smile he gave her eased some of the stress from his face. Finally seeing him relax a little was even better than the feel of his skin against hers. She leaned toward him, becoming more aroused as her breasts brushed against his chest. "This is something I don't think I'll ever get used to."
He smiled as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. "It's one of many new things you'll experience."
"And I'm looking forward to every one of them," she murmured. "Ethan, what happened at the house, what you looked like, has it ever happened before? Does that happen to vampires?"
He shook his head as his hand stilled on her hair. "It's never happened to me before, but I know it would happen again if you’re threatened. It won't happen to you though."
"Because I wasn't born into this?"
"Yes."
She couldn't get enough of the feel of him as she ran her hands over his arms. "I'm worried about you."
"Don't be," he said as he leaned forward to kiss her. "I was in control of myself in there, I'm okay with everything that happened in the house, and I would do it all over again. None of us have ever seen anything like it before though. Stefan has always said no one knows what a pureblood might be capable of doing."
"Like walking into a house you weren't first invited into."
"Like that," he said with a smile. "But there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."
She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. "I know," she whispered. "What is going to happen with the house? With all of those bodies?"
"Brian, Aiden, and Ian disposed of the bodies and set the house on fire. There was no hiding what happened in there."
"No kidding," she muttered. "How is your side?"
He pulled away from her and lifted his shirt to reveal the smooth, unblemished skin beneath. "All healed."
Emma stared at him in disbelief as he lowered his shirt back into place. "And I'll be able to do something like that now?"
"Not as quickly, but yes. Your eye is already better; your nose is healed, the bite marks Tristan left on you are gone, and I bet the broken bone in your foot has set, or it will as soon as you feed."
"Feed," she whispered and poked at the tips of her canines with her tongue. Her hand flew to her mouth when they lengthened at her prodding. "Oh."
He smiled as he took her hand. "It's okay; it's something you'll learn to control, given time. I'll teach you, and I'll help you get through it all. You must feed though, Emma, you don't ever have to feed on a human or a blood bag, but you must feed from me on a regular basis if you're going to stay in control. We also have to complete the bond between us."
Involuntarily, she felt her gaze slide to his neck. Her teeth tingled; saliva filled her mouth as she saw the pulse of blood through his veins. "I can hear your heartbeat," she whispered.
"I'm told you will get used to that too, over time. I imagine it will all be overwhelming at first, but my parents adapted, Stefan and Brian adapted, and somehow so did The Stooges." Emma nodded, but she found it disconcerting that with every beat of his heart, her hunger rose. She was growing increasingly consumed by the craving to feed from him. "Come here."
He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close. His breath was warm against her lips as his mouth moved over hers and his tongue entwined with hers. She became so lost in him she almost forgot the thirst growing within her until he moved her head to his neck.
The potent scent of his blood hit her, causing her fangs to elongate instantly. She could feel his excitement in the quickening of his breath and the hands pressing against her back. Fear at the thought of hurting him slithered through her and caused her to hesitate.
"You have to do this if we're going to complete the bond," he urged. "And we have to do that, Emma. We have to."
She knew the words were true; she could feel the necessity of them in her soul. Her entire being was begging her to join with him. Instinct took over, and Emma found she knew what to do. She took a deep breath before sinking her newfound fangs into his vein. Happiness slid through her as his warm blood filled her mouth and immediately eased the ache growing within her.
It was more than her hunger his blood fulfilled; it was also completing the bond she hadn't realized she was missing while human. She could almost feel the steel bands of their growing bond wrapping around them to join them for life. No, it was joining them for eternity, she realized as her fingers dug into his back.
Thoughts filled her mind, his thoughts. She was swept up in the love radiating from him as his thoughts urged her to bite deeper, and she obeyed. Emma felt his breath on her shoulder seconds before his fangs sank into her flesh. A groan of contentment escaped her as he took her blood. A sense of coming home encompassed her, and she knew joining with this man was the best decision of her life.
Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap as another desire surged to life within him. Shoving his boxers down, he freed his swollen cock. The nightgown she wore had bunched around her thighs; he hastily pushed it upward and settled her onto him. He was pleased to find her already wet with wanting for him as he rubbed his cock teasingly against her opening. She let him know her disapproval of his teasing by biting deeper and blasting her need into his mind.
He chuckled at her impatience and slid himself into her. He was whole now; it was the only thought he had as he buried himself within her. Her bliss slammed into him when she wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him as she rode up and down.
Ethan withdrew from her shoulder and licked away the last drops of blood on her flesh. Her fangs retracted from his neck; her eyes were smoky and dazed as they met his. Needing to see and feel all of her, he tugged the nightgown the rest of the way up her body and tossed it aside.
A seductive smile curled her lips as she tugged his shirt over his head. Her fingers slid over his chest as she marveled over his chiseled masculine beauty. Bending her head, she nipped at his skin, drawing blood as she moved over his body. She relished in the sweet and salty taste of his skin mixed with the alluring taste of his blood.
Ethan's hands curled into her hair. Her mouth continued its trail of pleasure and pain across his chest. His head fell back as her body continued to move smoothly up and down his throbbing dick. He kept his hands firml
y in her back when she retracted her fangs and lifted her head to kiss him. The taste of his blood on her lips only pushed him to higher and higher levels as the bond between them swelled and solidified. The monster within him, the one struggling for years to break free, wasn’t completely caged, but it was tamed and subdued by the woman within his arms. He'd never thought such a thing could happen in his life, but she was the greatest gift he'd ever been given, and she was his.
Ethan gave himself over to the pleasure engulfing him as she rode them both to completion.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"I'm so sorry, Emma," Jill said for about the hundredth time over the past couple of weeks.
"Jill, stop apologizing, it's not your fault. I'm sorry I got you into this whole mess."
"But I nearly got both of my best friends killed."
"And yourself in the process, don't forget that," Mandy said as she sat on the bed. "It wasn't your fault; let it go before I kill you. I think both of you have apologized enough."
Emma laughed as she dropped her last pair of shorts into the suitcase and pulled the zipper shut.
"Do you think you'll get married?" Jill inquired.
"I'm sure it would make my parents happy if we did," Emma said. "But we're already more linked than any marriage license could make us."
"It would be a fun party though."
"Yeah it would," Emma agreed.
"What are you going to tell your parents?" Mandy inquired.
"For now, only that I met the man of my dreams while on vacation. I'm sure that will go over about as well as a lead balloon, and they'll probably think I'm crazy, but they have to meet Ethan. It will still be a few years before they become curious about anything. I'll have to decide then if I'm going to tell them the truth or if it would be best to change their memories. I don't think I could play with my parents’ minds in such a way, but I can't inadvertently place them in danger either. It's bad enough you two were almost killed because of this, and you still could be one day."
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