Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 127

"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 freaken 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.

"s.h.i.+t!" 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.

"s.h.i.+t, 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 b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" 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."

"a.s.shole," 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 f.u.c.k 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.

"Bulls.h.i.+t," 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, a.s.shole. 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 hand and flew away.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

"Ethan!" I shouted as soon as we landed. I stepped away and pointed at him angrily. "What the h.e.l.l? You weren't supposed to actually fly off with me like that!"

"I wanted to be alone with you. It might be our last time," he pouted.

I sighed. "That wasn't supposed to be part of the deal."

"Sorry."

"So, what is this about?"

He smiled. "I wanted you to come with me. To New York."

My eyes widened. "I'm still in school and you're a... vampire. I can't just go away with you."

He got down on his knees and stared up at me. "Would it help if I confessed my undead love for you?"

This time I laughed out loud. "You're crazy."

He stood up and pulled me back into his arms. "Hey, the only thing I'm crazy about, is you."

"I'm not so sure about that. I mean, you keep calling me Miranda. I'm not this person and I'll never be her."

He tipped my chin up and stared into my eyes. "I know that. Look, Nikki, I'm drawn to you, and as far as I'm concerned, nothing else matters."

"Drawn to me?"

"Yes. There's this magnetic pull between us, can't you feel it? It's like, we were meant to be together."

"I don't know about a magnetic pull... I mean, I like you. I like you, a lot. But..."

"But what? Just throw caution to the wind. I'll take care of you, Nikki. I swear I'll keep you safe."

"I just can't do what you're asking. My mother needs me so much right now, and I can't leave my brother. You have to understand that? You and I... we don't even really know each other."

"I won't force you to come with me, but I want you to understand that I can't come back to this place."

I stared at his face, which was so incredibly handsome. I knew I'd miss him. Whether it was real or not, I felt something for Ethan and wished things were different.

He bent forward and pressed his lips to mine.

"Your skin, it's so cool," I whispered, touching his cheek.

"I haven't had time to... feed. I had other things on my mind."

I touched his forehead. "When your skin is cooler, does it mean you're weaker?"

"Yes, In fact, I'll lose most of my strength if I don't eat soon. That's another reason I wanted to move quickly."

"So, what exactly do you need to... survive?"

He smiled bitterly. "Do you really want to know?"

"Not really, but I need to know one thing; do you kill innocent people?"

He shook his head vehemently. "No. I feed off of willing victims. I only take what I need and they live to see another day. Swear to G.o.d."

I stared at him. I wasn't sure where he found 'willing victims' and wasn't about to ask.

I sighed. "Where are you going to find a willing victim now?"

"I don't know yet," he smiled grimly. "I guess I hadn't thought about that when I was chasing after you. I just really wanted to see you before I left."

"How about me?"

His eyes widened. "You?"

I pulled my hair away from my neck. "Yes, use my blood. Do it before I change my mind, though."

He stared at my neck and licked his lips. "I... there is some danger involved. If anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"Then you'd better do it quickly, before I chicken out. I hate needles enough as it is."

He lips curled up. "It's not quite the same thing."

I swallowed. "Okay, does it hurt?"

He caressed my neck with his fingertip and I s.h.i.+vered. "I can make it enjoyable for you," he whispered, huskily.

I looked up into his blue eyes and the naked desire reflected there made me breathless. "Okay," I whispered. "Just do it, quickly."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Take my blood."

His eyes dilated. With a low growl in the back of his throat, his lips crushed mine and his tongue made its way into my mouth, stroking and demanding a response.