by W.J. May
Chapter Twenty-Five
They lived in a large old colonial that was very well furnished. I’m not sure why I was so surprised; if they were vampires and could live for centuries, they had time to save for such luxuries.
“Nikki!” hollered my brother from the front door. “Are you okay?”
I was walking down a long spiral staircase that faced the front door where Nathan and Duncan stood. They were being held back by two other guys from the diner, who I assumed were also vampires. Celeste was also with them.
“I’m fine,” I said.
Duncan looked pissed and was glaring at the vampires. “Get out of our way so we can make sure she’s not hurt!”
“Now, now,” said Celeste. “She’s doing fine. She came here on her own free will, and isn’t hurt in the least.”
“Who are you?” asked Duncan.
She smiled. “I’m a friend of Nikki’s and Anne’s. I’m Caleb’s daughter, Celeste.”
“She’s fine,” confirmed Caleb, trying to ease the tension in the room. “And she’s not pressing charges because she came on her own free will.”
I walked to the front door and Duncan put his arms around me. “Are you okay?” he asked, searching my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Duncan frowned and looked at Caleb. “I should press charges against that asshole, Ethan, wherever he is.”
“I’m right here,” said Ethan, coming down from the top of the stairs.
“Okay, do you want to press charges?” asked Caleb.
Duncan glared at Ethan, who was smiling malevolently. “I just want him to leave Nikki alone,” he said.
“Nikki and I are friends,” replied Ethan, his eyes undressing me again. Even now I wanted to be underneath him, his mouth and hands everywhere. Especially when he looked at me that way – like I was his possession and he knew it.
“Right,” snapped Duncan.
“I remember you now,” said Celeste to Nathan. “You’re the cute guy from the grocery store the other night.”
Nathan’s eyes appeared to dilate as he stared at the beautiful vampire. A lopsided grin spread across his face. “I was wondering what happened to you. It’s nice to see you again.”
“And it’s very nice to see you,” she replied, twirling a red curl around her finger.
Duncan frowned. “Nathan, she’s with them. Don’t fall for this shit.”
Nathan ignored him, staring at her as if she was a buffet of food and he was dying of starvation. “So, Celeste, what are you doing with these jackasses?”
“I rode over here with my dad,” she answered. “I’m friends with Ethan and wanted to find out what was happening.” She looked at Duncan and smiled. “You must be Duncan?”
Duncan sighed. “Yeah.”
“I’ve heard all about you,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Nikki’s quite fond of you.”
He looked at me and I smiled.
Celeste yawned. “Guys, I’m getting really tired and I think everyone should go home now, it’s very late. Isn’t that right, Duncan?”
Duncan’s eyes dilated as their eyes met. “Yes, it’s getting late. We should all go home.”
“Good thinking,” she said with an amused expression. She turned to Caleb who looked satisfied at the change of events. “Daddy, I’m starving. Can we stop somewhere for a late snack on the way home?”
From the look in her eyes, I knew her snack wasn’t the type I’d enjoy. I quickly grabbed Duncan’s and Nathan’s hands. “We have to leave. Now.”
“Goodbye, Nikki,” called Ethan. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you very soon.”
Duncan somehow snapped out of his trance. He stared at Ethan with hate. “Stay the fuck away from her!”
“Only if she wants me to,” he replied, his eyes still focused on me.
That had nothing to do with what I wanted from him. In fact, I knew that if we didn’t get out of the house soon, I’d never be able to leave. “Let’s go,” I said, pulling them through the door.
When we got into Nathan’s Mustang, his mind seemed to clear from whatever spell Celeste had put him under. “What in the hell just happened?”
“I don’t know,” said Duncan, who was sitting in the backseat, tapping his fingers nervously on the door. “What I do know is that I should have had Ethan arrested for trying to kill me earlier.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Nikki?” asked my brother. “You weren’t bitten or anything, were you?”
I shook my head.
“So, is Ethan a vampire or what?” asked Duncan. “He certainly has some kind of super strength. He almost killed me on beach. Then he took off with my girl. I feel like such a lame excuse for a boyfriend. ”
I turned around to look at him. “There’s no way you could have done anything more. And look, I’m here, now, and I’m totally fine.”
He sighed. “It’s my fault, you know. You warned me about walking on the beach. I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so worried that he might have killed you or something.”
“No, he wouldn’t kill me.”
“How can you be so sure? You can’t trust that maniac. Look what happened to Abigail.”
“We don’t know if he did that,” I said, not wanting to believe it. I couldn’t imagine Ethan as a murderer. Not when he made me feel so safe and alive.
“Did you actually ask him?” asked Nathan.
“Um, no. Are you kidding?”
He frowned. “What about those other girls. Did you ask him about those?”
“No.”
The truth was, I was terrified of his answer.
“So, what were you doing all this time?” asked Duncan.
I lied. “Just talked about other things.” I certainly couldn’t tell him the truth. It did neither of us any good, and until I figured out what had actually happened and whether or not I’d had any control, I’d keep it to myself. Besides, hurting Duncan was the last thing I wanted to do. “To tell you the truth, I talked to Celeste more than anyone.”
“She is so freakin hot,” said Nathan, grinning. “I’m going to have to get her number from Caleb.”
“No, Nathan. Just stay away from her,” I said.
“Why?” asked Nathan. “Because you don’t like Caleb?”
I sighed. “No, because she’s a vampire. So is he, by the way.”
Nathan slammed on the brakes. “What?”
Before I could continue, something landed on the top of Nathan’s car with a loud thud.
“Shit!” hollered Duncan as Ethan jumped to the ground. “He’s come back for Nikki.”
The doors were locked but it didn’t stop him. He ripped mine open and tossed it into the ditch.
“Shit, no… he didn’t just do that to my Mustang!” hollered Nathan, getting out of the car.
“Hi,” smiled Ethan, as he bent down on one knee. He held out his hand to me. “I just couldn’t stay away. Do you have a few minutes to talk in private?”
“No,” I said, backing away. “I can’t go anywhere with you.”
He actually looked hurt. He stood up. “Why?”
“Leave her alone, you bastard!” snarled Duncan, getting out of the car. He walked around and stood next to Nathan, his fists clenched, ready to fight.
“I think we can take him together, bro,” said Nathan, taking a step towards Ethan.
Ethan smiled with a hint of fang. “I won’t hurt you because Nikki wants it that way. But if either of you touch me, your future holds no promises.”
“Okay, fine, what do you want with me?” I asked, getting out of the car. I didn’t want anyone hurt but from the look on everyone’s faces, something was about to go down. Unfortunately, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be Duncan and Nathan.
Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his black hair, which was still messy from rolling around in bed with me. “I’m leaving. Caleb has banished me and I’m going to New York.”
“Good,” replied Duncan. “Then you’d better
move quickly, daylight’s coming.”
He smiled coldly. “Daylight doesn’t affect me. It’s just a little… uncomfortable.”
“My sister isn’t going anywhere with you,” said Nathan. “And guess what? You’re going to pay for my door before you leave.”
Ethan took out his wallet and threw several hundred dollar bills at his feet. “There you go, bro. Get it fixed.”
“Asshole,” mumbled Nathan, picking up the bills.
Ethan turned back to me. “Can we just have a little time alone, Nikki? There are some things I need to tell you.”
Duncan moved in front of me. “You stay the fuck away from her.”
“This doesn’t concern you,” replied Ethan, glaring at Duncan. “Move aside.”
“You’re going to have to make me,” he growled.
I groaned and stepped around him. “Fine, I’ll talk to you, Ethan.” If he actually was leaving, I wanted to find out what he had to say.
“Bullshit,” said Nathan. “No way is that going to happen.”
I turned to my brother and grabbed his arm, pulling him away. “Nathan,” I whispered. “Just, let me talk to him. He hasn’t hurt me. Not ever. Give us a few minutes alone, within eyesight of you two. Maybe he’ll give us information on those murders. I seriously don’t think he did it but maybe he knows who did.”
“No! He might sweep you away like he did last time,” said Nathan. “Besides, what do you have to say to this… monster?”
I stared into his eyes. “Nathan, nothing is going to happen, okay? Just, trust me. We won’t go far, and if I need your help, I’ll call you guys. Please?”
“What’s going on?” asked Duncan, moving closer to us.
He rubbed his forehead. “She really wants to talk to Ethan.”
Duncan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Why?”
“To see if he knows anything about those murders. Trust me, he won’t hurt me.”
“It’s him I don’t trust,” grunted Duncan.
“I could have taken her already,” volunteered Ethan loudly. Obviously, his ears were picking up on our conversation. “But I haven’t and won’t, if that’s her decision.”
“What about the mind control thing? He might talk you into it,” said Nathan.
I turned towards Ethan. “You won’t use that. Right, Ethan?” I asked, raising my voice, although I didn’t know what the point was.
“Of course not.”
“I still don’t like it,” said Duncan, advancing towards Ethan. “She’s my girl, asshole. Why can’t you leave her alone?”
Ethan ignored him. He held his hand out to me as I chased after Duncan, to stop him. “Nikki? Can we just have a few moments alone? Seriously, I don’t have much time.”
“Yes,” I replied, ignoring his hand. I knew my brother and Duncan were still angry, but I wanted to hear what Ethan had to say.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her,” said Ethan right before he grabbed my and flew away.