Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) (18 page)

Mandy frowned at her before glancing at the
trashcan. "Then who are they from?"

"Your parents?" Jill asked as she finished
scraping the eggs into the trash.

Emma shook her head. "I called them this
morning, they didn't send them either."

"Then who would..." Mandy's voice trailed off
as her hand slipped away from Emma's mug. "No, that's not
possible."

Emma closed her eyes and placed her mug on
the counter. "I thought I saw him the other day."

"Are you serious?" Jill blurted and tossed
the frying pan into the sink.

Emma winced at the clattering sound and
glanced over her shoulder, she'd left Ethan in the shower but he
wouldn't be in there for much longer. She really didn't want to
retell this story in front of him. Though she knew he wouldn't, the
look in his eyes last night had made her think that he might very
well kill Tristan if he got his hands on him. Emma didn't want to
see that look again now.

Mandy and Jill pulled the stools around to
the other side of the breakfast bar and settled in across from her
as she told them what had happened. "Does Ethan know about this?"
Jill asked in a low whisper.

"I told him everything," Emma said.

"What does he think?"

Emma shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.
"Probably that he got messed up with a girl that has far too much
baggage for his liking."

"Emma," Mandy said in a disapproving
tone.

"He was really understanding," Emma admitted.
"But would you blame him if he did feel that way, especially if
Tristan is here? That is
beyond
insane."

"And it sounds like something Tristan would
do," Jill said.

Mandy rested her hand on Emma's arm. "And
we'll kick his psycho ass if he even thinks about coming anywhere
near you."

Emma couldn't help but smile at Mandy's
ferocious tone. "I know you will."

"Are you ok?" Jill asked.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "If he was on the
beach and he did send those flowers, that's a whole new level of
craziness. If he followed me here then how long has he been
following me without me knowing, and what else would he be willing
to do?"

Emma didn't even want to think about what he
might have seen her doing without her being aware that he was
there. When he'd been harassing her on a daily basis she'd been
extremely aware of her surroundings and what she was doing nearly
every second she was awake. A few months without him in her life
had loosened her vigilance of her surroundings and her actions. As
even more time passed, she'd returned to a nearly normal life. A
life he may have been hiding in the shadows and spying on for a
year. The thought almost made her throw up her eggs but she managed
to keep them down.

"You're not going to find out." The three of
them jumped in surprise. They'd had their heads bent so close
together, and were so intent on their conversation, that Emma
hadn't heard Ethan approach until he spoke and rested his hands on
her shoulders. He bent down and placed a kiss against her cheek
before straightening away from her.

"Want some eggs?" Jill asked and swung her
legs to the side of the stool.

"No, thank you," Ethan answered. "I've got to
run home for a bit; I forgot to pack a toothbrush."

"Then you must go," Emma teased him.

"Are you going to be ok here?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Jill knows
Karate."

"Hiya!" Jill said and chopped at the counter.
"Proud yellow belt right here."

"Isn't that the lowest one?" Ethan asked.

"What color is your belt?" Jill retorted.

Ethan released a low laugh. "You got me
there."

"Don't worry," Emma said and rested her hands
on his chest. "Flowers aren't really all that ominous or
threatening."

Ethan studied her doubtfully as she slid off
the stool and stood before him. The last thing he wanted to do was
leave, but he had to feed and he had to do it soon if he was going
to remain around her and her friends for the rest of the day. This
morning he'd awoken to the rhythmic pounding of her heart and the
almost cinnamon scent of her blood as it pulsed through her veins.
It was the first time that her blood had ensnared him in such a
way. He knew that was an indication that their relationship was
progressing far faster than he had anticipated but that would have
to wait. She had too much going on in her life right now; he
refused to put even more on her.

He would have to keep himself in control and
feed better from now on, but upon waking he'd been torn between
taking her again and sinking his fangs into her throat. The
decision had been made for him though when she'd rolled over and
cupped his balls within her small hand. He could feel himself
growing aroused again at the thought of her tiny hand running up
and down his shaft before her body had slid on top of his.

Ethan bent and kissed the top of her head
before he decided to pull her back into the bedroom and push the
limits of his restraint. "I'll be back in a little bit," he
promised.

"You don't have to be concerned about me,
really," Emma said as she walked with him to the door. She didn't
want him coming around because he felt he had to, or because he
felt bad for her, and she definitely couldn't handle him getting
injured because of her. She was hoping their relationship would
continue, but she wouldn't blame him if he walked away right now.
"If Tristan is here, you don't want to get wrapped up in the mess
that he creates."

He took hold of her hand and turned her
toward him when they made it to the door. "If I didn't want to be
here anymore, I wouldn't be."

She smiled at him and turned her cheek into
his hand. "Thank you."

He bent and kissed the tip of her pert nose.
"I'll see you guys soon!" he called to Jill and Mandy.

Jill leaned across the breakfast bar to look
at them. "We're going to hit the beach soon so we'll probably be by
the volleyball nets!" she called.

"Maybe you should stay here, until I get
back," he said quietly to Emma.

Emma shook her head. "Even if it is Tristan,
I didn't let him win before and I won't let him win now. I'm not
going to hide from him. We'll be fine."

He didn't look at all appeased but he kissed
her again and stepped out the door. Jill and Mandy had stopped
smiling as they entered the living room after she closed the door.
"You really think it's Tristan don't you?" Mandy inquired.

Emma was tempted to deny it, she didn't want
to come across as a drama queen in case she was completely wrong,
but she couldn't shake the knot of apprehension that had firmly
lodged itself in her gut. "I do."

"We'll be on the lookout for him then, and if
he comes anywhere near you again Emma I swear I'll cut his nuts
off," Jill vowed. Emma bit her inner cheek to keep from laughing at
the solemn look on Jill's face. "Now get your bathing suit on, it's
time to catch some rays."

***

Emma wasn't much for sitting in the sun and
catching rays. Maybe it was because of her Irish heritage or
perhaps it was the fact that she found it extremely boring, but
today, for some reason she found herself quite content to lay in a
lounge chair, under an umbrella, and simply just exist. It was
probably due to the fact that she'd been up with Ethan talking and
making love until almost four in the morning.

Mandy was beside her with a book propped up
on her chest and her sunglasses in place as she read. Even with the
shade of the umbrella, Emma felt herself being lulled by the warmth
of the day and the thuds and groans of the volleyball game going on
nearby. She didn't recall falling asleep but the sun was higher in
the sky when she woke later. Rolling over, she turned to find Mandy
with her head tipped sideways and the book she'd been reading
laying by her side, an inelegant snore escaped her. Emma stifled a
laugh as she pulled herself up in the chair. Jill was still on the
volleyball court, high fiving her teammates. She didn't think she'd
been asleep for long as they were the same teammates that had been
playing with Jill before she'd fallen asleep.

Emma turned, grabbed for her bottle of water
and froze. Sitting beside the water bottle was a single black rose
with a note resting on top of it. Emma pulled her hand back as
swiftly as if it had been a scorpion sitting beside her. She
continued to eye the rose, certain that somehow it was going to
sprout legs and come after her.

She almost shrieked when a shadow fell across
her, but though she was able to suppress the scream, she couldn't
stop herself from recoiling so much that she nearly fell out of the
chair. "What's wrong?" Ethan demanded as he knelt by her side.

She blinked at him as she tried to calm the
erratic beat of her heart and get herself back under control.
Taking a deep breath, she was able to compose herself a little more
but her hand still shook as she pointed at the rose lying beside
her chair. A line creased his forehead; he took a step back to look
at the rose. Something sinister slid through his eyes, something
that unnerved her almost as much as the rose did.

He grabbed hold of the flower and rose to his
feet to survey the area. A lethal air seemed to vibrate from him as
he turned in a circle.
He could kill
someone
, she didn't know where the thought came from but
it blazed across her mind seconds before he knelt beside her again.
The threatening air surrounding him eased as he met her eyes and
touched her arm tenderly.

"Are you alright?" She managed a nod in
response to his question. "When was this left?"

"I don't know, I just woke up and it was
lying there."

He glanced over at Mandy who was still
sleeping soundly before focusing on Jill. Pulling the note from the
rose, he dropped the flower beneath his foot and stepped on it. "Do
you mind?" he asked as he held the note up.

Emma shook her head; he ripped the envelope
open and pulled out the note. His frown intensified as he read over
the words before scanning the beach again. He held the note out to
her. Emma almost waved his hand away, but if it was from Tristan
she suspected he was somewhere nearby, watching them. There was no
way she was going to give him the satisfaction of thinking he had
frightened her.

She took the note from him and unfolded it.
You still belong to me, you always will,
T.
Emma crumpled it in her fist as volatile anger
swelled up within her to replace the fright. She climbed swiftly to
her feet beside Ethan and turned to survey the crowd.

"Do you see him?" he asked.

"No, but he's out there, I know he is."

Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist and
pulled her against his side. "Maybe we should get you out of
here."

She completely agreed but she found her feet
frozen in the sand. "No." Standing on tiptoe, she placed her hands
on either side of his face and turned his head toward her. His eyes
searched hers for a moment before his mouth descended upon hers.
Relief coursed through her as the feel of him burned away the dread
from the realization that Tristan had been so close to her again,
that he
was
here, that she hadn't
escaped his persistent torment.

The world completely faded away as her mouth
opened to the gentle probing of his tongue. Tristan didn't matter,
nothing mattered as his powerful arms enveloped her and he lifted
her off of her feet. Her body was pressed flush against his as he
held her firmly against him. There was nothing she wanted more than
this man and the way that he could make her feel as if she were
falling apart and coming together all at once.

She was breathless when he pulled away to
look at her. There was something almost loving in his eyes as he
searched her face before bowing his head to rest his forehead
against hers. He was the most amazing man she'd ever met and she
was putting him at risk. Tristan was a ticking time bomb, one that
was about to go off.

"I might be putting you in danger," she
whispered.

Ethan simply chuckled in response. "Believe
me, I can take care of myself."

"I'm not sure what he's going to do, or what
he's
willing
to do."

"No matter what he does, I'm going to stay by
you. Seriously Emma, don't worry about me, I'm a lot stronger than
I look."

"You must be as strong as a horse then."

"Stronger," he said and kissed her
temple.

Though his words were supposed to be
reassuring, she couldn't help but fear for him as her hands curled
into his shirt and she dropped her head against his chest. Why did
Tristan have to come back into her life at a time when she was
really beginning to move on from his memory?

"I think I'm ready to go home," she said.

"I can help with that."

She gathered her things before kneeling at
Mandy's side. Shaking her friend's shoulder, she woke her to
explain what was going on before they left.

"That dress is beautiful," Jill said as she
leaned against the doorway of Emma's room.

"Isn't it?" Emma gushed as she smoothed the
front of it.

"That man is hooked," Mandy said as she
pushed past Jill and walked over to sit on Emma's bed.

"I'm not so sure about that," Emma said with
a laugh.

"Oh yes, he is. Men don't buy clothes for
women they don't care about."

Emma frowned as she turned to face her
friends. She'd never really thought about it that way, and if she
really
thought about it (something
she'd tried not to do over the past year), Tristan hadn't bought
her anything until after she'd left him. In fact, they'd rarely
gone to dinner and she could only recall one movie they'd ever seen
together.