“I know what I’ve seen of your kind.”
“And what have you seen?” he inquired. Paigeclamped her mouth shut; she’d already revealed far more than she’dever meant to. “The scars on your neck, they’re older. They’re froma vampire.”
Her eyes flickered toward him, but shedidn’t see any reason to respond to him. He already knew what theywere, which was far more than she would have ever told him. Aflutter of alarm went through her belly. She’d assumed she wasgoing to die the first time she’d learned about vampires, and she’dbeen certain of it again last night. Her fingers dug into her palmsas she tried to bury her apprehension; he couldn’t think it wasbecause of him.
“When can I leave?” she inquired.
“Soon.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets as thesmall woman from earlier stepped into the doorway again. Herhusband stayed behind her. Paige had no doubt he would be on her inan instant if she made a move toward Emma again, something she hadno intention of doing. She didn’t trust them as far as she couldthrow them, but in order to survive here, her head still had to beattached to her body. Attempting to attack Emma was a good way toensure her head didn’t stay on her neck for long.
She glanced between Ian and Ethan, theircoloring was opposite from each other, but she could see the familyresemblance in their sculpted cheekbones and slim bridged noses.Ian’s jaw was narrower than Ethan’s, his features somehow softerand more inviting; something that had worked well for him if hisparade of conquests out of the bar was any indication.
Emma moved to her side and held the plateout to her. Paige stared at it before taking it from her. Thedelicious scent of melted cheese and crispy toast drifting from theplate caused her mouth to water, but she couldn’t bring herself topick it up.
Her eyes were drawn to the door as the othertwo women appeared there. “Jill, Mandy, and I all went to collegetogether,” Emma said. “We’ve all been friends for five yearsnow.”
Paige glanced between the three of them asshe fiddled with the crust of her sandwich. “I’ll take a bite ofit, if you’d like,” Jill offered. “To show you it’s not drugged orsomething.”
Paige shook her head and lifted thesandwich. She didn’t see any reason why they would drug her food,she was already at their mercy, and they didn’t know she wasn’tsusceptible to their mind control powers. Biting into the sandwich,she was unable to suppress a low groan of delight as the warmcheese melted in her mouth.
“She can’t boil water, but I still eat hergrilled cheeses,” Emma said with a smile.
“Hey!” Jill protested.
“It’s true. Everything else she cooks tasteslike crap,” Mandy said. “But these are delicious.”
Paige finished the sandwich and licked herfingers. “Would you like another?” Jill inquired.
Shaking her head, Paige placed the plate onher lap. Emma took it from her and set it on the bedside table.“Can I go home now?” Paige inquired.
Ian looked her over. Her cheeks had taken ona rosy glow, her eyes shone with life and were more alert thanthey’d been when she’d first woken. She looked healthy, but hefound himself hesitant to say goodbye to her already. He wouldn’tkeep someone against their will; no matter how much he longed tospend just a few more minutes with her. He forced himself to take astep away from her.
Shaking his head, he tugged at his hair inan attempt to rid himself of the strange impulse he had to keep herwith him. Don’t get attached, he reminded himself, it would onlyend in her getting hurt, and this girl had experienced far too muchof that in her lifetime. He didn’t have to hear her story to knowthat.
For the first time ever, he found himselfcurious to know more about a woman. It was probably better if sheleft sooner rather than later, he decided.
“Is she stable enough to go back, Mandy?” heasked.
“I believe so,” Mandy replied.
“You can’t go back with your memories of usintact,” Ian told her.
Maybe he could tweak them a little so theirpaths could cross again. He quickly shut that impulse down. Inorder to keep himself and his family safe, he had to get far awayfrom this girl and everything she was mixed up in. This would bethe last time they ever saw each other.
“I understand,” she murmured and folded herhands demurely in her lap.
She was taking this far easier than he’dthought she would, but then she knew there was no other choice.Still, he couldn’t bring himself to step forward and do it. Hewouldn’t be the one who violated her mind and erased her memoriesof him from it. “Stefan, will you do it?”
Stefan shot him a questioning look, but heapproached the bed. Ian moved toward his brother in the doorway.Behind him, she spotted two other men in the hall. They both hadblond hair, it was different in hue than Ian’s, but she wondered ifthey were some of the other siblings he’d mentioned. However, shewouldn’t be surprised to learn that Ethan wasn’t really hisbrother, and Stefan wasn’t his brother-in-law.Nothing a vampiresays is true, she reminded herself.
Her attention was diverted to Stefan when hesettled onto the bed across from her. She had a whole newunderstanding of black ice as his eyes burned into hers. “Thiswon’t hurt,” he assured her.
“What are you going to do?” she asked,though she’d already heard what vampires could do.
She figured pretending to be in the dark,and frightened, would probably work better for her than admittingshe knew what was going to happen. She prayed her acting skills hadimproved considerably since her one venture into the theatre world.In seventh grade she’d been cast as Veruca Salt inCharlie andthe Chocolate Factory.She’d been so ready and excited for theplay, until she’d hit the stage.
The dazzling lights and the sea of faces hadcaused her to forget half of her lines and stutter through the onesshe could remember. Halfway through the play, she’d stumbled andtripped some of the Oompa Loompas. She could still clearly recalltheir stuffed, little, orange bodies bouncing over the side of thestage and onto the laps of their horrified parents. It had been themost embarrassing moment of her life, this would be one of the mostimportant.
