Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) (40 page)

She wasn't looking forward to separating from
her friends but at least they would all be flying into Atlanta
together. From there their journey together would end. She and
Ethan would continue to New York to spend a couple of weeks with
her family before going to meet his. Mandy was returning home to
Boston until it was time for her to leave for Stanford, and Jill
would return to San Francisco. Ethan's family planned to return to
Oregon and Brian had left the day after Tristan was killed. Even
though Brian had left without even saying goodbye, Emma had a
feeling that he would be popping into their lives again.

Emma followed Ethan to the front door and
paused to take in the home that she'd started this amazing journey
in. Her eyes lingered on the spot where she and Ethan had first
made love. There were some bad memories here, but most of them were
good and she wouldn't have changed one thing about this trip. What
had started as a simple, fun-filled vacation had brought so many
changes to her life, and given her the greatest gift ever in
Ethan's love. She didn't like leaving the place where it had all
started but she was looking forward to starting the next journey of
their lives together.

She didn't look back as Mandy closed and
locked the door.

Three months later,

Emma laughed as Ethan spun her in a circle
around the newly assembled dance floor. The flowing skirt of her
wedding dress billowed out around her before he pulled her back
against his chest. A radiant smile lit his face and caused his eyes
to twinkle in a way that warmed and melted her heart. She rested
her hand against his chest and leaned closer to him as the music
switched from upbeat to slow.

She inhaled his enticing scent as he slid his
arms around her waist. Emma turned her head to take in the small
crowd that had gathered around them. It had taken her a good week
to get the names of all of Ethan's siblings straight but they had
all welcomed her with open arms. Their exuberance had been a little
overwhelming at first but they'd also made her feel at home in a
world that was still a little strange to her.

She glanced over as Sera and Liam danced into
view. It was amazing how much Ethan looked like his father and just
how young his parents appeared. So young in fact that she'd told
her parents that Liam was Ethan's brother and that Sera was his
sister-in-law. She hated the lie but there was no other way to
explain them as parents when they both appeared to be in their
early twenties. She'd also had to tell her parents that Ethan's
parents had passed away in a car accident and left the property,
and money, to their children.

Even still, her parents had thought she was
marrying into some sort of a cult when they'd first seen all the
homes on the property. After meeting everyone though, they had
decided that Ethan's family weren't religious fanatics, doomsday
preppers, or trying to kidnap her.

"Can I step in?"

Emma broke into a radiant smile as Ethan
handed her over to her father and stepped away. She watched her
husband as he weaved his way through the small crowd to where Ian
and Mandy stood next to the dance floor. Mandy was wearing a
pretty, yellow bridesmaid dress that emphasized her dark coloring
and brought out her brown eyes. She was sipping on a drink as she
watched the dancing. It was the first time Mandy had been able to
visit them, but Emma spoke to her every day through skype or
texting. Plus she'd made it down to visit Mandy a couple of times
when she'd been too swamped with classes and studying.

She'd also been fortunate enough to find a
job at the historical society in town. The pay wasn't much but she
loved being able to dive into the old documents, homes, and events
that they worked on preserving. Even if she didn't like lying to
her family, and her job wouldn't last forever, she was the happiest
she'd ever been in her life.

Ethan sipped at his champagne and smiled as
he watched Emma and her father dance around the floor he'd built
with Ian and Aiden last week. "It really is beautiful up here,"
Mandy said.

"It is," Ethan agreed as he turned away to
look over the lake.

The setting sun shimmered across the surface
of the water and reflected the oranges and reds of the changing
leaves in the trees surrounding it. The gazebo he'd built was ten
feet away from the shore and they'd been married beneath it. This
place was his home, and by the middle of next month, the home they
were building for him and Emma would be completed and they could
move in. Stefan and Isabelle's new home was being built next to
theirs; Aiden and Ian were thrilled to finally have the house
they'd built last year to themselves, even if they weren't there
for most of the year.

"So are you planning on having the same kind
of brood as your parents?" Jack asked as he stopped before
them.

"Not right away," Ethan told him. "And I
think we'd both be ok with only two or three."

"Thank God, I'm tired of building houses,"
Jack told him.

Mandy laughed and turned back to her
conversation with Ian. His family had been a little hesitant about
the fact that they'd allowed Mandy and Jill to keep their memories
but as the months had slipped by, and nothing had gone horribly
wrong, they'd become more accepting of the decision. They also
liked Jill, a lot, especially The Stooges as she fit in well with
their carefree and party going demeanor. She'd been to visit
numerous times since they'd returned home.

His focus returned to Emma. She looked
stunning in her off the shoulder white dress, with that smile on
her face and a vibrant light shimmering in her eyes. Love warmed
his heart and he couldn't tear his gaze away from her as she moved
elegantly around the floor with her father.

Across the way, he spotted Jill in her
bridesmaid dress with Mike and Doug. They were gathered around the
bar that had been set up on the patio, talking with each other as
they waited for the bartender to refill their drinks. His younger
siblings squealed as they darted in and out of the dancing people.
David yelled at them to stop running but they'd already disappeared
around the side of the house toward the woods.

"It was a beautiful ceremony." Ethan turned
at the sound of his mother's voice and smiled at her. Tears
shimmered in her eyes when she hugged him. "You're so grown."

"We're still going to be here, mom. Your
birds keep returning to the nest," he told her.

She laughed and stepped away from him.
"That's just fine by me, but you're all starting to find your own
way and it's wonderful."

He smiled at her and turned away as his
father approached. "Congratulations son," he said as he shook
Ethan's hand. "She's a great addition to the family."

"She is," Ethan agreed as he turned back to
where Emma and her father were stepping away from each other. "Now
if you don't mind, I'm going to reclaim my bride."

"Ugh I give them three more months before
they're adding onto this already
extremely
extended family," Jack muttered.

Ethan laughed but he wasn't about to disagree
with Jack as he walked away to reclaim his bride. She grinned up at
him and returned eagerly to his arms. Tilting her chin up, he
kissed her tenderly as the comfort she always gave to him stole
through his soul. Her love had helped to tame the savage monster
that had resided within him his whole life and had brought him a
peace he'd never dreamed of being able to experience. She had given
him a gift that he'd never expected to receive and because of that
he was going to spend an eternity showing her just how loved and
cherished she was.

The End.

Look for book four in the series coming 2015!

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