Blackness filled my world. What was I supposed to be doing? Who am I? What's going on? The thoughts spun in my head. I couldn't remember anything. I was dead. I must be. It felt so cold. So empty.
"Ella?" a voice echoed in the blackness. They sounded close; they must be looking for someone. Someone called Ella. Maybe I should help. I tried to speak but all that came out of my mouth was a small groan.
"Ella?" The voice came again, but it was much closer this time. "Are you awake?" It said. I felt myself be shaken slightly. I realised my eyes were closed, and quickly opened them. All I saw was a blur at first. There was something leaning over me, a person perhaps. And there was some light close by, but it was distorted and flickering. Slowly but surely my vision began to focus and I saw that the person leaning over me was a boy, he was beautiful. But I didn't recognize him. His shoulder length blonde hair hung down as he leaned over me.
"Ella. Finally. You're awake." The boy smiled down at me. So I was Ella and I'd been asleep not dead. "Do you remember me?" he asked, still smiling. I shook my head, but I wanted to remember him, he was so beautiful. "Do you remember anything?" he asked again. I shook my head again. "Good" he smiled.
"What – What happened?" I stuttered, my voice a little croaky at first, "Where am I?…Who am I?" I looked at him hopefully, maybe he could clear up everything, he seemed to know me. He laughed at my confused expression.
"You're Helena Louise Graceland and I'm Shade James Spencer." He said, "You fell and hit your head pretty hard, you've been unconscious for days. You're in Crystal Waters Forest with me, you moved here to Crystal Waters to live with your father Adrian after your mother Clara died in a car crash." He explained it. I vaguely remembered the car crash and my father in crystal waters. But there was something I was forgetting. Something very important. But I just couldn't think of what it was.
"And who are you?" I asked, eyeing him curiously.
"I'm Shade." He was grinning now, showing his sparkling white teeth, "I'm your boyfriend." He kissed my forehead lightly.
"Oh." Was all I could say. Wow, I thought to myself, I must be pretty lucky to get a guy as good looking as this.
"But-" He added this in a bit more serious tone. "There is something you have to know about me, you knew this before you hit your head, I just don't want you to be scared ok?"
"Ok."
"I'm a vampire." He confessed. I stared at him for a moment. He was serious. I guess it wasn't so bad, I could live with that.
"Ok." I repeated. He looked startled that I'd taken it so well. But then he smiled and pressed him lips to mine. His lips cold and hard against mine. When he pulled back he looked serious again.
"There is more I have to tell you." He looked into my eyes, judging my reaction. But my only reaction was curiosity of this new world around me. "There are others after you. Who want to hurt you." He judged my reaction, but I was still curious to find our who, so he continued. "The first is a clan of rogue vampires like ourselves that have teamed up with a pack of werewolves to come and find you. The leader of the Clan of vampires is called Tyrone and the werewolf alpha-male is called Francis. The second is a pack of werewolves, their leader is called Connor. Don't let him trick you, he'll try to lure you close and then he will attack.
"And the third and most dangerous of all is a small clan of civilised vampires, who have learnt to live with humans. Their leader can read minds and can influence you to do anything he wants, but don't worry about that part, I gave you something to stop him from getting into your head. But don't be fooled, he is very persuasive. Him and his clan will try take you back to the humans – and away from me. Then they will come after our clan and kill us all, and they will go back for you later because you know too much about our kind." He looked at me, his expression was sad.
"What's his name? – the one who can read mind," I asked.
"Jethro." Shade almost hissed the name.
Was all this trouble over me? Shade looked strong but with all these creatures after me, I wasn't sure he could take them all. I made a promise to myself that I would do anything at all to help him. I suddenly saw the flickering light again, I looked around Shade. There was a huge bonfire. I looked around that we were in the middle of a small clearing in the forest and it was dark. The full moon shone in the cloudless sky. Around the bonfire sat five people. No, I realised, they were five vampires. Two girls and three boys. They were all as beautiful as the next. One girl had short blonde hair and green eyes like Shade. The other had bright fiery red hair with glowing lilac eyes. The boy sat next to the red haired girl looked very slim but had muscle, he had short black hair and green eyes. The one sat next to him had a lot of muscle, so much that it scared me to even think of his strength, he had short brown hair and green eyes. And then there was the last one, sat well away from any of the others. His eyes a shiny golden colour and his hair was long and jet black, it rested on his leather jacket just below his shoulders. He had his fair share of muscle, but looked very fragile compared to the others.
Shade noticed that I was staring past him. "Do you want to go meet them?" he asked, a slight smile touched his lips.
I stared at the five vampires around the bonfire, horrified. This could not end well.
"Come on." He prompted, standing up and pulling me up with him. "They don't bite…much." He smirked at the last bit. I gulped, just wishing I'd drop dead now before I embarrassed myself.
"Ella, this is Lola, Celeste, Thomas, Draco and Jasper." He introduced them all by waving toward each one as he said their name. They either waved of said "hi" after he'd said their name, all except Jasper, who just glanced at me, then looked back into the fire. Jasper was the odd one out, he was the one who sat alone. Lola was the blonde, Celeste the redhead, Thomas the one next to Celeste, Draco the muscly one and Jasper the silent and lonesome. Jasper was the only one who made me curious. He was different from the others, even his eyes showed that. Shade led me over to sit with Lola and the others. I desperately wanted to go sit with Jasper, find out what was wrong, why he was sat alone, why he didn't sit and talk with the others.
I sat and got to know Shade's clan, all except Jasper of course. Who still remained a mystery to me. Celeste and Thomas were very nice, they started up a few conversations with me and smiled at me a lot. Lola seemed to have something against me, but I didn't know exactly what I'd done wrong to upset her. Draco thought my human ranting were hilarious and used his size – that already scared me – to scare me even more. And Jasper ignored me and everyone ignored him, well, everyone except me, who couldn't stop staling glances at him when I was sure no one was looking.
"Where's Aiden?" Lola asked. "He should have been back by now." She looked around us, looking into the forest, but he expression was concerned, so she obviously hadn't seen him.
"He's nearly here." Shade assured her. Aiden, I thought. Something in the back of my mind stirred. I recognized the name, I just couldn't remember where from. Suddenly I realised someone by my side, I turned quickly. A boy with sandy coloured blonde long hair sat by my side; the reflection from the flames dancing in his light green eyes. His expression was a mix between horror and anger. It scared me and I snuggled myself into Shade's side, he wrapped a comforting arm around me and glared at Aiden. I recognized his face as well, but I couldn't remember at all.
"What is she doing here?" He said through his teeth. His eyes narrowed as he glared back at Shade.
"She's my girlfriend," He smirked at Aiden and I couldn't understand why this bothered Aiden so much, Aiden didn't even know me. "We're protecting her from Jethro and the others." Shade tightened his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. Aiden let out a snarl.
"I told you to leave her with Jethro!" Aiden snapped, "She's safer with him, than with you!"
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy there, Aiden?" There was smugness in Shade's tone now. Aiden glowered at him, a rasping growl escaping his lips now. It took him a minute to compose himself. He stopped the growling and took a few deep breaths.
"You know he'll come after us, he can read minds, or did you forget that? He'll be attuned to her mind by now. When they find us, he'll take her away and kill us all." Aiden stated.
"No I haven't forgotten that he can read minds. I gave her something to stop that." Shade replied calmly, smiling.
Aiden's eyes widened, "You didn't-?" He couldn't finish his sentence.
"Well of course." Shade smiled, I looked up at him and his cold lips pressed to mine for a few short seconds. It was strange every time he kissed me, it didn't feel right. Like he wasn't the one. I didn't feel at home around him, it felt alien to me, but I put it down to hitting my head.
"You're a monster!" Aiden hissed angrily, shaking his head in denial.
"Don't worry, Aiden. She's safe with us." Shade assured him, but there was humour in his tone.
"And what do you plan to do about the smell? Huh? One of us gets hungry and there goes her life. And she smells really good, I'm sure Jethro will be able to follow her scent. He will eventually find us." Aiden was just so negative about me, he must really hate me.
"I've covered up her scent, so there's nothing to follow. When he finds us, we'll be ready to stand and fight. And as for us getting hungry – well lets just say, she won't be on the menu much longer." He smirked at Aiden.
"You plan to change her!" Aiden was shouting now, "You plan to damn her for a life as a monster for eternity!" He was on his feet now and I realised, so were we. I hadn't even felt us get up, but I was standing; Aiden only inches away from me.
"No I won't let you!" He shouted.
"And why is that?" Shade smiled evilly now, "Come on tell us why."
Aiden froze, anger still in his shimmering eyes but stuck for something to say.
"Why the sudden feelings for the human? The human you supposedly hate?"
Aiden glared at Shade now, the anger intensifying. "I don't hate her." He said slowly, pronouncing each word carefully.
"But why the sudden interest in her life?"
Aiden froze again, he closed his eyes and shook his head.
"You still love her, don't you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Aiden nodded, his eyes still closed. "Then here," Shade pushed me forward towards Aiden, I tripped over my own feet, but Aiden caught me before I fell, "Take her, she's your responsibility now." Shade said and then sat back down. Celeste looked stunned, she opened her mouth to protest but decided not to. Lola smiled, obviously happy that Shade didn't want me anymore.
"No she can look after herself." Aiden protested, but his voice broke on the last word, like he was about to start crying and in a split second he was gone. I stood alone, staring into the forest where Aiden had disappeared. I felt cold arms wrap around me.
It was Celeste.
"It's ok, Ella." She said soothingly, "He's just in a bad mood, he'll come around. I'm here for you if you ever need anything."
"Thanks, Celeste." I replied shyly, she was a very sweet girl. She looked the same age as me, so did most of them here, except Draco and Thomas who looked a bit older.
The next day I spent the whole day sleeping. There was another roaring bonfire going when I woke up that night. Jasper sat alone again in his same spot by the fire. But the others were sat on the far side of the clearing, nowhere near the fire. I thought I'd take my chances and went to sit on the other side of the fire to Jasper. Ignoring the others who were calling me over and waving me over. They looked confused – or scared – when I sat by the fire, but none made a move to come and get me. I looked at Jasper, his eyes hadn't moved from the fire. I was determined not to be the first to talk. I looked into the fire as well and let my mind wander as I watched the flames dance and reach up for the sky. I tried to remember my past, but the last thing I remember was feeling dizzy and sick which must have been when I fell over and hit my head. I'd been informed on vampire abilities and everything like that. I imagined myself as a vampire, the supernatural beauty, the heightened sense, the speed, the strength – the fangs. I shuddered at the last thought. Having to drink blood, I just couldn't imagine myself doing it.
"Hey." An unfamiliar voice quietly said. I looked up from the fire, distracted from my thoughts. I looked around me and over at the others at the far side. They were busy talking. I looked over at Jasper. I was shocked, his golden eyes were focused on me now. But his face remained neutral, no glare yet no smile.
His voice was soothing and beautiful, I bet he was a very good singer. "Sorry, for ignoring you. It's just for the best." There was a hint of sadness in his golden eyes.
"Why is it for the best?" I could hardly make my voice louder than a whisper.
"I have the least self-control here. You smell – well – delicious. And I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I hurt you." His eyes strayed back to the fire and he stared at it for a long minute. "I'll see you later." He said, then disappeared. As soon as he was gone Celeste was by my side.
"Jasper spoke to you?" She said, shocked.
"Yeah." I was just as shocked as she was.
"Well? What did he say?" There was excitement in her eyes now.
"He just said sorry that he'd been ignoring me." I hate to bring down her mood, but I had to tell the truth.
"Oh," She looked disappointed for a moment and then brightened up again, "are you coming to dance tonight?" she asked. "It's the start of mating season for vampires, the dance of destiny, oh it'll be so much fun!" she looked so hopeful.
"What season? Dance of Destiny?" I was confused and scared all at the same time, had I heard correctly, mating season?
"Mating season. Like animals breed during their mating season, mating season is the only time a female vampire can get pregnant. And as for the Dance of Destiny, we all dance around a bonfire in masks and we continuously switch partners until eventually you end up dancing with your perfect mate for that season." She explained, "Oh please come, it'll be so much fun."
I thought about it for a minute. I didn't like the idea of mating season or dancing for that matter. But I didn't want to let Celeste down, she'd been so nice to me.
"Ok, I guess I can come." I replied slowly, not sure if I should agree, "But I don't know the dance and I can't dance."
"It's comes natural, Hunny. Just let the music guide you." She smiled and then disappeared.
I put on my white mask, which was the same as all the other girls, with the black patterns of eyelashes painted on. I put on my cloak, black satin with a red silk lining. I pulled up the hood over my head and walked out into the opening. The bonfire roared up, almost like it was alive and trying to escape. There was low African hand-drum music in the background, I looked around twice, but I saw no drums or drummers anywhere. All the others were there in their cloaks and masks, all seven, I couldn't tell who was who. I sprayed on the very strong perfume that everyone else was wearing to disguise their scent and walked forward. When they saw me coming they quickly got into partners facing each other. Each couple stood in a certain place around the bonfire, one person was left waiting for me. I realised with their only being three girls that two boys were going to get left out. I stood in front of my partner, they way the others were doing. The music became louder and suddenly we were moving. Swinging, swaying and twirling with the music. Celeste was right, as soon as we started moving I knew what i was doing. I knew all the right moves. My partner twirled me and I spun into the arms of a new partner, I saw the two boys who were left out, standing out of the way watching, they still had their cloaks and masks on so I didn't see who they were. But I had a feeling it was Jasper and Aiden. So the dance continued. I twirled on to a new partner when the music directed me to. I was having so much fun, I loved dancing. I moved on to my new partner and I heard the music slow. Was it over? Was I this vampire's perfect mate for mating season? It seemed so. We were slow dancing now, our feet moving perfectly in time. I stared at the white mask of the boy who I was now with. He was taller than me and looked down on me, but I couldn't see his eyes. His arms were wound tightly around my waist and mine around his neck. Soon the music lowered to just a background noise. The boy reached forward and pushed my hood back and then removed my mask slowly and gently. His fingertips traced the curves of my lip. I reached up slowly and pushed back his hood and removed his mask. Bright golden eyes stared down at me, but there was nothing neutral about him tonight. His eyes were bright, warm and friendly.
"Jasper?" I almost gasped, but managed to stop myself just in time. I didn't want him to think I didn't want this.
"Helena." He breathed my name, relief and happiness obvious in his tone. Then he smiled, a breath-taking smile. I stared in awe. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Jasper had a face meant to smile. I felt good to see him so happy. I realised the others were staring at us. Jasper didn't seem to care and pressed his cheek against my hair. I looked at the others. Aiden was fuming. Celeste was smiling. Lola, Thomas and Draco looked shocked and Shade's face was controlled but I saw a smile when he glanced over to see Aiden's expression.
"Jasper? What about your self-control?" I asked, remembering our earlier conversation. His self-control seemed pretty good now – well at least I wasn't dead yet – he looked down at me his golden eyes still warm.
"I think I can handle this." He smiled and pressed his face back against my hair and inhaled deeply. "You didn't spray any perfume on your hair." He commented, taking another deep breath, enjoying the smell. I started to panic slightly.
"Oh, sorry, I will do now." I said quickly, reaching for my pocket. His hand caught mine half way to my pocket.
"Don't be stupid." He said, "I said I could handle this, didn't I?"
I nodded once and placed my arm back around his neck.
The next morning I awoke to the pleasant smell of bacon and eggs. Which was weird because we were in the middle of a forest. I opened my eyes, only to see a plate with bacon, eggs and beans on it. It smelled delicious. I picked up the fork that was lying on the side of the plate and started eating.
I placed the last fork-full of beans into my mouth and placed my fork on the empty plate.
"Did you like that?" a beautiful voice asked. Jasper stood smiling at me. The only problem was he was stood quite a distance away from me. He flitted over – his movements so fast it was a blur – picked up the plate and went back to where he was stood. "See you in a minute." He smiled at me again and then flitted away. I was confused. Why had he stood so far away? Did I smell? I sniffed at my t-shirt self-consciously. Nope. I didn't smell. Did I have something on my face? I ran my hand over my lips and looked at it. No there was no food on it or anything. So what was the problem? Jasper was back a short while later. He sat down, the same distance away from me as he just had been. I got up and started to walk toward him, he moved back with every step I took. It started to annoy me. I clenched my fists in annoyance.
"What are you doing?" I asked through my teeth.
"Protecting your innocence. And also saving your life." He said calmly. Protecting my innocence? I didn't understand. I continued to stare at him, waiting for him to explain but by his expression it didn't seem like he was going to say anything else.
"My innocence?" I repeated, still a little annoyed. What the hell was he on about? He gave me a long look, then he looked away embarrassed.
"It's mating season, Ella." He explained quietly, "We tend to…lose it a bit." It suddenly hit me what he was saying.
"Oh," I was still in shock. That explained where the others were, but I didn't want to think about what they were doing. I shuddered at the thought. "So aren't I allowed near you until it's over then?" I asked, predicting the answer.
"Well –" He thought for a moment, "I guess I could now and again when I felt in control of myself. Like now." He was by my side in a few seconds. Suddenly the clouds moved aside and the sun beamed down on us. I gasped. Vampires and sunlight-equalled death, didn't it? I looked quickly at Jasper who was sat in a white T-shirt and blue jeans today. The sun reflected off his incredibly pale skin, making it look like it was glowing.
"Doesn't it hurt you?" I asked, desperately wanting to reach out and touch his glowing skin, but too afraid in case he turned to ash at my touch. Jasper laughed at my horrified expression.
"No. That's just a myth, Helena. So is the garlic and holy water." He explained, still smiling.
"What about the stakes?" I asked.
He flinched slightly, "That's true."
"And the coffins are a myth, because you don't sleep, right?"
"Right."
I yawned against my own will. Jasper chuckled. "Get some rest, I'll wake you up at nightfall." He promised. I wasn't in the mood for arguing, so I lay back down on the ground and tried to fall asleep, it came quickly.
Jasper shook me gently and I awoke quickly. The bonfire was already going and the sky was dark. Despite all the sleep I'd just had, I was still tired. Jasper took his usual spot by the fire; I could tell by his expression that I wasn't allowed to sit with him. I sat with Celeste and Lola. Jasper stared into the fire again, he seemed so alone but there was something about his eyes I hadn't noticed before. He way he looked into the fire, it wasn't as if he was just watching it, or if his mind was wandering. It was like he was concentrating, concentrating very hard on something we could not see.
A conversation started up on our side. I was watching Jasper too much to pat attention. What was he looking at? What could he see that I couldn't?
I realised suddenly that my side had gone very quiet; I glanced around to see they were all looking at me expectantly.
"Sorry, I was miles away, what did you say?" I smiled apologetically
"I asked what happened with you and Jasper last night?" Celeste repeated, not the slightest bit annoyed with me. Celeste was such a good friend, loyal, patient and caring.
Shade and Aiden sat quietly. Shade smirking and watching Aiden's expression. Aiden looked angry but curious. Thomas and Draco looked interested but Lola couldn't care less.
"Nothing really. We danced and we talked a bit." I said shyly, I wasn't sure if Jasper was listening.
"It looked like serious chemistry brewing there to me." Celeste said, nudging me playfully. I couldn't help but smile at her positive attitude toward everything.
"Sure." I said as sarcastically as possible. But Celeste just laughed.
"There was, honestly. Jasper is usually the one left out during mating season. We were surprised when we saw him dancing with you." Celeste sighed happily, "And then he smiled, he hardly ever smiles. You must have some super powers that you're not telling us about." She laughed and we all laughed with her (well all except Jasper of course, who was still absorbed in staring at the fire.)
The next five nights were the same, we all sat around the bonfire, talking, laughing and enjoying ourselves. Jasper didn't talk at all at night, but him and me bonded through the day and we were inseparable in just a few days. Every morning I woke up to his beautiful face, smiling at me, he'd have my breakfast in front of me and after I'd eaten we'd talk.
But on the sixth day, everything changed.
I woke up in the morning by myself. The clearing was deserted. I started to panic. Not even the ashes from the bonfire were left. Was I in the right place? Or had they moved on without me? Where was Jasper? Where was I? I was really started to panic, Jasper wouldn't leave me alone, would he? I got up quickly. Looking around quickly. I saw nothing that indicated that anyone had been here. No bonfire ashes, no clothes left on the log… no log for that matter. I was definitely lost. Had I sleepwalked out here alone while they were hunting? Probably. Well I was going to have to find them myself. There seemed to be a path at one side of the clearing it led through the dense forest. I ran toward it, heart racing. I had to find them. I had to find them before something got me. Before I got myself. I suddenly felt weak and helpless. I remember what Shade had told me about the people who were after me. There were so many and here I was, running through the forest alone. An easy target. The path disappeared half way through the forest but I didn't care, I kept running, hoping, praying I would find Jasper or the others.
"Help!" I shouted, hoping their sensitive ears could pick it up. Or maybe a forest ranger would hear me, but he'd take me back to the humans. I'd try to avoid that, but I was scared and alone now. "Please someone help me!" There were tears in my eyes as I ran. Someone had to be out there. Someone. Anyone. Just someone help me. I ran, as fast as I could through the thick dark forest. Some low braches reached out menacingly, some scraped and but my arms as I ran past them. "Help me!" I shouted again.
"Ella?" I familiar but distant voice shouted. I ran toward it, I saw a clearing up ahead. That must be it. If not at least someone was there. The trees became more spaced out and I burst into the clearing. It was only a small one, but it wasn't the right one. I saw a boy and ran toward him, he turned when I'd closed half the distance between us. As soon as I saw his face, I froze in place. I recognized the face, but I couldn't remember where from.
"Helena." He sighed with relief, "Thank god you're ok. I was so worried, I couldn't find you mind amongst the others and I still can't seem to get through. I was so worried, you've been gone for days." A mind reader, someone who was coming after me. The worst one, the most dangerous. Don't listen to him, he's persuasive, I told myself harshly. He wants to take me away from Shade – away from Jasper! I won't let it happen.
The boy started walking towards me, his light blue eyes glowing with relief and happiness. I backed away quickly. He paused for a moment, confused. "Ella?" he said again. There was a strange force, drawing me into him. Something telling me to go to him. Going to him would be the right thing to do. But I remembered Shade had said he can influence my mind, but he'd also said that he'd stopped this boy – this creature – getting into my head. So was it my own mind doing this? Telling me to go to the very thing that was going to destroy me later, as well as my friend. Telling me it was ok, he's the one. I ignored my mind and concentrated on Jasper. I didn't want to leave Jasper, or Shade, or Celeste or any of them for that matter. They were my family now and I loved them all, but something in the back of my mind was screaming for this boy. The one who wanted to kill me.
"Ella – it's me – Jethro – Don't you remember me?" His eyes were still confused, he took another step towards me and I shuffled back instinctively, my hands flying up to my throat and hiding it from his sight. He winced as if it had hurt him.
I nodded slowly, eyes wide with terror, "You're – You're the one trying to take me – back to the humans! Away from my family!" I accused. The pain drained from his eyes and the confusion returned.
"Family? What family?" The curiosity in his voice sounded genuine, but I wasn't taking any chances.
"You know what I'm talking about!" I shouted, "I won't let you hurt them!"
"Ella, what are you talking about? What family? Me and Connor have been looking for you for days."
Connor, a werewolf who was after me with his pack. So Jethro and Connor had teamed up to get me, to kill my family together.
If I escaped Jethro alive I'd have to warn my family.
"I won't let you hurt me or my family!" I repeated.
Jethro looked appalled at what I'd just said. "Helena, I love you. I love you so much, you know I would never hurt you. Never!"
"If you love me so much, why are you trying to kill me? Huh?"
"I'm not!" He was angry now, "I love you! Why would I want to kill you? I've already told you I can't live without you!"
"Well if you love me so much, why don't you just leave me and my family alone!"
The words hurt him, he winced. He looked at me, his eyes pained. "Helena, please listen. Something's happened to you. You've been lost in the forest for days, we've been looking for you. I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to save you. Francis and Tyrone are still out there and there has been a lot of Rogue activity around these parts. I love you, why won't you believe me? I can't live without you, please –" He stopped mid-sentence and sniffed the air. He moved back into the shadows of the trees, "Helena, hide!" He whispered urgently, "Something's coming!"
I didn't move, I wanted something to find me, to save me from Jethro. Before he managed to convince me that he was telling the truth. Shade was right, he was very persuasive. Everything that he'd said, it all sounded so real, so true. But I couldn't be caught up in this boy's lies, I might end up losing my family. Jasper came into view at the side of the clearing, I saw Jethro's eyes widen with fear. I looked away from him and over to Jasper, who flitted to me side instantly. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me against his chest.
"Oh, Helena." He sighed with relief, "What were you thinking? You don't go into the forest alone! Not unless me or one of the others is with you. Why? Why did you do it?" He demanded, his voice serious now as he pushed me back slightly to look into my eyes, his arms still around me. His golden eyes intense.
"I was scared." I admitted, dropping my gaze to the floor. "There was nothing in the clearing and I thought you'd moved on without me."
Jasper sighed and hugged me back against his chest, "You know I wouldn't leave you behind," I felt him suddenly tense, he'd smelt Jethro. I looked over to where Jethro was, he was out of the shadows now, no longer hiding. Jasper snarled and pushed me behind him defensively. Jasper crouched down into a striking position and snarled even more. Jethro did the same. This was going to end up in a fight.
"No!" I screamed, "No stop!" I ran forward, in between both of them. It was a stupid move if Jethro was trying to kill me. I couldn't bare to see Jasper get hurt, it would kill me to see it, but at the same time I didn't want Jethro to be hurt either. Despite what Shade had said, Jethro seemed serious about loving me. Even if it was a lie and he was actually trying to kill me, what he'd said had got to me.
"Helena, get back here!" Jasper shouted, leaping forward. Jethro moved toward me too, faster than Jasper but didn't touch me.
"Don't you touch her!" Jethro snarled back at Jasper. I looked at them, one after the other, again and again. Both their irises were blood red and their razor sharp fangs bared. Their canines had grown, incredibly long and sharp. I felt like a little mouse trapped in a cage with two lions that could rip me to shreds at any time, but also could rip each other to shreds. I felt trapped.
"Jasper! Please! Don't fight!" I pleaded. Jasper looked at me for a moment and then at Jethro. He sighed in defeat and relaxed his position and stood up. Jethro did the same.
"Helena?" Jethro pleaded. Jasper snarled at him.
"Jasper please, let him talk." I said. Jasper stopped snarling but continued to glare at Jethro. Shade suddenly appeared at our side, followed closely by the others. Jethro stepped back slightly. Celeste stood next to me and wrapped a comforting arm around me.
Shade stepped forward, toward Jethro. Jethro met his gaze and his fear turned to blind fury. "You!" He snarled, walking forward, his position ready to strike at any time. Shade held up a hand to signal his to stop, but he didn't.
"Ah, Jethro. Don't forget who I've got over there." Shade warned, smugness in his tone. Jethro stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at me, fear and anxiety on his face now. He looked at Shade, his fear turning to fury again.
"You did this to her!" He shouted. Stepping forward again. Shade smiled and clicked his fingers. It all happened so fast then. Thomas got hold of my arms and held them behind my back, and Lola grabbed and hand-full of my hair and wrenched my head to the side. She took too much pleasure in doing so, I'd always know she'd hated me.
"Hey what's going on!" Jasper demanded as Draco shoved him and Celeste away from me.
"Draco! What's going on!" Celeste demanded, trying to push past him to me. But he wouldn't let them. Draco was way too strong. Jasper tried to take on Draco to get to me, but Draco grabbed him and slammed him to the ground, bringing Celeste down with him. He held both of them there.
"Shade! What are you doing? Let her go!" Jasper demanded, he looked hurt. Draco had hurt him when he'd thrown him to the ground. I struggled against Thomas, but I was no match for his supernatural strength.
"Shh, sweetie." Lola teased, "You wouldn't want anything to happen to Jasper would, you?" She was enjoying this way too much.
"The other's should be here in a moment." Shade said and looked towards the trees on his left.
"The others?" Celeste repeated, confused and scared. There was a sudden gust of wind and suddenly we weren't alone anymore. I followed Shade's gaze. There were two people I noticed first. Obvious leaders. One stood tall, about six feet, he had long black hair, stray strands hanging over his face, and he wore a pair of jeans but no shoes or shirt. His eyes glowing amber. And his muscles bulging. The one next to him was small, about average size for a human nineteen year old. His eyes were a solid silvery colour, he was slim and only had a bit of muscle. He looked nothing compared to the werewolf stood next to him. There were two stood behind the vampire, two females. Both beautiful, but both very deadly. One had a gush of bright purple hair and the other had the same fiery red hair as Celeste. Both had the same silver coloured eyes as their leader. There were three behind the werewolf. Each had amber eyes, was very tall and had a lot of muscle. Each had short black hair, cut to the same length but styled differently. They nearly looked the same except for their facial features and different coloured jeans. I looked at Jethro. He'd frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at our new visitors.
The vampire came forward first and stood, looking down on me a smile on his face. "May I taste first?" the question was directed at the werewolf but he looked at Shade.
"No!" Jethro shouted, running forward. The vampire's two girls, flitted forward and pushed him down on to his knees and each one held a should, keeping him there.
"Be my guest." The werewolf said, "Just don't kill her." I looked at the vampire and watched his irises turn blood red, he opened his mouth and I saw the razor sharp daggers that were about to pierce my skin. His head moved closer to my neck and I stood frozen, Thomas's grip still as strong as ever on my wrists. Jethro was pleading for him to stop. I could feel the vampire's cold breath on my neck as he moved in for the kill. I closed my eyes and braced myself. I was suddenly aware of the absence of the breath on my neck, maybe he'd already bitten. But there was no pain. There was nothing but the wind brushing against me. I heard the sound of snapping and growling and ripping. My eyes flew open. I saw the vampire on the floor, looking up into the furious eyes of Aiden. Aiden towered over him, a low growl escaping his chest.
"Aiden. I told you not to get in the way. It'll be such a shame to lose you" Shade sighed sadly and clicked his fingers again, Lola got a hold of him digging her incredibly sharp nails into his shoulder, he cried out in pain and fell to his knees. I saw blood on his shirt. Shade made his way over to Aiden and knelt on one knee in front of him and put one curled finger under Aiden's chin to lift his head so he could see his eyes. "Tell me Aiden, did you do I for your brother's sake? Or did you do it for the girl?" Shade asked, gesturing towards Jethro first and then toward me. Aiden and Jethro were brothers? Now I looked at them closely, they did have a certain resemblance. Aiden just snarled viciously at Shade and snapped his teeth together. Shade sighed and clicked his fingers twice. Lola bent down toward his neck, I couldn't see her face but I saw Aiden wince and then his face was contorted with pain. I couldn't bare to see him like this. No matter how bad he'd been to me.
"No! Don't! Stop it Shade! Lola get away from him!" I screamed as loud as I could, my sudden high-pitched scream was too loud for Thomas's sensitive ears and he let go of me to cover them. I ran at Lola, I didn't care that she was ten times stronger than me, I just wanted to protect Aiden. I grabbed a hand-full of her hair and wrenched it backwards. Her fangs came free from Aiden's throat and she spun to stare at me. Aiden's blood still all over her fangs and lips and her eyes now gleaming red. She bared her teeth and hissed at me. I fell to my knees beside Aiden, he was leant over, clutching his neck.
"Aiden, are you ok?" I asked urgently.
"I think I'll live – for now." He tried to smile at me, but he was in so much pain. Lola suddenly grabbed my hair again, dragging me up from the ground next to Aiden and throwing me backwards.
Then everything happened simultaneously. Lola was on the ground, screaming. Everyone was covering their ears as a huge howl rang through the night. I saw the werewolves move back quite a bit. The vampire female ran toward the werewolves for protection. Draco let go of Celeste and Jasper and tried to find Shade. The whole earth was shaking, or maybe it was just me, I couldn't tell. All I knew was that everyone was panicking. Everyone was scrambling about, their eyes shut and eyes covered. I saw a few blurs as I blacked out. When I awoke I was moving. I was in someone's arms and they were running at an incredible speed. I looked up to see Jethro holding me. It confirmed my worst fear, he was taking me back to the humans. I'm glad I was away from Shade but I'd left Jasper behind. The wind rushing past me made me feel sleepy again. And I drifted away into a nightmare where I was pulled away from Jasper and I was watching Jethro kill him.
I awoke in a strange room. The light was so bright that I was almost blinded. I sat up and looked around. I was in a white room. A bedroom. I was laying on a huge king-size bed. It had a black satin bedspread on it. I looked around, there was a huge plasma screen TV mounted on the wall. And a rack of DVDs, CDs and games. There was a open door next to the window, it led to a huge closet. A walk in closet. There was a pile of clothes on the end of the bed. There was a pink T-shirt and jeans. I didn't like pink. But it'd have to do. I suddenly realised I was naked. I felt very self-conscious. I picked up the pile and saw some underwear underneath it. And a small card with small and incredibly neat writing, it read:
Only spare clothes I had. Sorry.
Trixie
Trixie? Who was Trixie? And where was I? I picked up the underwear. Hot pink lingerie. Yeah, she better start apologizing when I see her. Pink. Ugh. I hated pink so much. I put on the clothes and the black converse that were on the floor by the bed and headed for the door. But before I could reach it, it flew open. In the doorway stood a girl, she looked about sixteen. She had lovely short blonde hair and the most peculiar lilac eyes. She was a vampire for sure; her pale skin, beauty and eyes gave that away straight away. I was the same height as her, but for a vampire she looked so fragile, so cute and feminine. I recognized the family resemblance straight away; she was related to Jethro and Aiden.
"Hi!" She squeaked with joy dancing over and hugging me. I was stunned; no vampire had ever had that reaction with me before. "I'm Trixie! I'm Jethro's sister, I've heard so much about you!" She let go of me and had a look at what I was wearing. She smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I know pink it's exactly your colour, but I didn't have anything else I could let you borrow. Me and you will go shopping and buy you loads of new clothes and makeup and stuff this weekend, sound good?"
She was bouncing up and down with excitement. She was such a happy person; it was hard not to smile around her.
"Um…Yeah, sure." I agreed, I wasn't really sure what was happening, but she seemed nice enough and she seemed to want to be my friend. But I couldn't help noticing the boy stood in the doorway. He was just as beautiful as every other vampire. But it still shocked me to see the contrast of black against their incredibly pale skin. A gothic vampire. How original I thought. He had the same colour eyes as Trixie, the same light purple glowing colour and long brown hair that almost touched his shoulders. He was leaning against the doorframe, shaking his head in disapproval but with a slight smirk on his face. Trixie followed my gaze.
"Oh and this is Marcus! My boyfriend." She introduced us. I gave a little wave and he nodded once. "Jethro's coming up, we'll leave you two alone." She winked and skipped to Marcus's side, she took his hand and led him out of sight. Jethro was by the bedroom door in seconds.
"May I come in?" he asked. I nodded trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He sat down next to me on the bed. "So you still believe I want to kill you?" he asked, looking sadly out of the window. I nodded again. He sighed and then took my face in his hands, I felt my eyes widen in fear, he stroked my cheek gently with his thumb, it was supposed to be soothing, but my heart was racing. I didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing. "Don't be afraid of me." He said soothingly, "I love you. And as soon as I kiss you those memories will come back. Just you wait."
His head moved closer to mine, his sweet breath confusing me, making me dizzy. But his breath, cold against my lips. And then he closed the gap keeping our lips apart and the memories flooded back to me. The car crash. My mum. Connor. Moving over here with my dad. School. Courtney and her friends. Seeing Jethro for the first time. Meeting Aiden. Loving Aiden. The night Jethro confessed he loved me. All my days with Jethro. Loving him. Camping. Our First kiss. Connor and Jethro meeting for the first time. Being lured by Shade into the forest. The small bottle. The pink liquid. The dizziness. It was all there. Everything I'd forgotten I'd just got back. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. The way I'd acted in the forest when he'd found me was inexcusable. The hurt I saw in his eyes. I would never do that to him again. I sighed and stared into his aquamarine eyes, "I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Shh. It wasn't your fault. Shh." He said comfortingly, hugging me tightly against him.
"Is she ok?" The familiar voice drifted over from the doorway. I glanced over quickly, wanting to see his face. Jasper stood in the doorway. Worry plain on his face.
"She's fine." Jethro replied. It was strange how calm they were around each other now. I remembered in the forest when I'd ran between them to stop them fighting. The bloodcurdling snarl that had ripped out of Jasper still made me shiver. The sound of an angry rogue. How could the rogues have stood to be around me when I smelt so delicious? How could they have been around me and let me live? I saw a something bright red behind Jasper, realising it was Celeste's hair. Celeste was here too? They shouldn't be. They should be back with the other rogues, where they belonged. But I didn't want them to leave; it would be like a part of me left. Celeste and I were such good friends now. And Jasper? Yes that was a good question. What was I going to do about Jasper? I loved Jethro. I loved Jasper, but only as a friend.
"It's ok, Ella." He said, seeing the worry plain on my face, "me and Celeste are together. Jethro has no competition with me anymore." He smiled.
"Like I had any competition anyway," Jethro muttered under his breath. Jasper chuckled and then was gone with Celeste. Then I met Jethro's gaze again. His aquamarine burning with such intensity and I nearly fainted. I saw longing there. But I couldn't quite figure out what for. I would help in anyway possible. Fulfil any need. No matter what. There was no hunger so he wasn't longing for my blood. I stopped myself shuddering at the last thought. He pulled me closer again, his arms wrapped tighter around my waist. I placed my hands gently on his shoulders, gazing into his eyes, searching. Searching for what he wanted, what he needed. But I found nothing. He was disguising it well. "I've missed you so much. I thought I'd lost you when I couldn't sense your mind anymore." There was a touch of pain behind the longing now. I watched him carefully. I brushed my hand gently against his cheek, trying to will the pain away. He sighed and closed his eyes at my touch.
"Why were you still looking for me?" I whispered, realizing that if he'd thought I was dead, he should've just left me. His eyes flashed up to mine again, the pain more vivid now.
"I refused to give up. I refused to leave you missing." He answered, closing his eyes again as I stroked his cheek. His muscles relaxed slightly as my fingertips traced the line of his jaw.
"But why?" My voice still a whisper. I rested my head against his chest, I couldn't hear a heartbeat then I remember why as I pressed harder into his cold chest. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"Despite all the evidence, I refused to believe you were dead. If someone told me you were dead I would have to see it to believe it. But in my mind – no – in my heart I knew you had to be alive. You just had to be. And so I came looking for you." He pushed me back to look at me again, "And this time, my heart was right. Even if it doesn't beat, it will always be yours to treasure." And then his lips met mine again, more urgent and powerful than ever before. His lips moved down to my neck, I froze. Maybe he was thirsty after all. He'd felt my muscles tense. "Trust me." He breathed against my neck and then continued to kiss. I felt cold, gentle hands pushing me back to lay down on the bed, I didn't resist them and just obediently followed what they wanted me to do. When I opened my eyes to see where they'd led me I found myself laying on the bed, Jethro on top of me. He balanced himself evenly on his arms so I couldn't feel any of his weight. This was definitely past the physical relationship limitations; I started to wonder if this was a dream. Jethro wouldn't risk anything like this. Or was I dead and in heaven? Yes, this had to be heaven, it felt too good to be anything that could be on earth. Jethro definitely wouldn't have done this if I was alive, he'd make up some excuse that it was too much of a risk to be this close. Why was I wasting time thinking about it when I could be enjoying it? With the last thought I closed my eyes and enjoyed the rest of heaven.
My eyes fluttered open. I looked at the clock on the bedside table. 7:18pm it read. I suddenly felt very exposed and very cold. I looked down at the satin quilt of the bed draped over my naked body. I twisted slightly to see Jethro lying on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. His face a calm mask, hiding all expressions. I realised that he was naked too, suddenly this was all too real. But for some strange reason, I didn't care. I was in such a good mood, nothing could bring me down. The silk cover only on the lower half of his body. I twisted my body around and leant my head against his cold, hard chest and traced my fingers along his perfect stomach.
"Am I in trouble?" I whispered. I tilted my head up, carefully watching his expression.
"Yes." Was all he said, in a toneless voice that was somehow like it was detached from his body. His calm mask still there, hiding everything that he felt from me. I was still smiling, my mood hadn't dropped one bit.
"Why?" I whispered, looking back to my fingers that were still running over his smooth perfect stomach.
"You could've stopped me."
"I didn't want to."
"I could've hurt you."
"I was willing to take the risk," I shrugged, looking up at his face again. His mask slipped, but only for a second then he managed to compose his features again. I could've sworn I saw a hint of pain in his eyes, but I couldn't be sure.
"I could've killed you." This time it was only a whisper that escaped from his lips.
"But you didn't."
"I'm not as in control as you think."
"But you apparently are."
"Well we aren't taking that risk again. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." It fell into silence after that. Jethro removed his arm from behind his head and placed his hand gently on my shoulder.
"I suppose we better get up." Jethro said, after a long moment of enjoying each other's company. I nodded. I threw the covers back and got up. I searched the floor for my clothes, but didn't find them. I turned back around, only to see Jethro already dressed and sat on the bed watching me with a slight smile.
"What have you done with my clothes?" I demanded, feeling very exposed. Without thinking my arm flew up to cover my chest.
"Don't you remember?" His smile widening slightly. I tried to think back, but all I could think of was Jethro and me together. I shut my eyes and concentrated. I saw my shirt hung on the end of the bed along with my pants, but where the hell was my underwear? They were supposed to be with my other clothes. Jethro pointed to the corner of the room, just left of the bed and there they were. I collected my clothes quickly and got dressed. I walked over to the dressing table, picked up the hairbrush and went through my hair a few times. I looked ok when I looked in the mirror, but still nothing much to look at. I looked up at Jethro, beauty radiating from him. How could he like someone like me? With all the beautiful vampire girls and even some beautiful human girls he was constantly around, why had he gone for me?
"Are we ready to go downstairs?" He asked, breaking my chain of thought. When there was no response he added, "The others are waiting."
My eyes widened slightly, "There's more people here?"
"Yes, now come on, you'll be fine. You look great by the way"
I rolled my eyes, no I didn't. Not with this god-like creature stood next to me. He'd led me out the door before I even realised we were moving. I paused at the bottom of the stairs. There were a lot of people here. Not as many as I'd thought. There were nine all together. Jasper and Celeste sat on the couch, Jasper had his arm around Celeste and they were both watching the huge plasma screen TV on the wall with little interest. In the arm chair opposite the couch sat a boy, another vampire. With longish blonde hair and there was a girl sat on his lap she had long chocolate brown hair and wore a very short skirt and a revealing top. Then there was a girl, sat on her own in the corner, listening to her MP3 player with her eyes closed. I knew she was a vampire by the paleness of her skin. She had short black hair with a fringe that hid half of her face. She wore black jeans and a black 'My Chemical Romance' top with red and black striped arm warmers and black converse. She had black eye liner on and a spiked choker. I liked her style. I remembered when I used to dress like that, when I lived with my mom. But my dad refused to let me wear clothes like that anymore. I had to wear normal or girly clothes. I hated wearing them. I saw the last two people in the room, they had been waiting for us and now stepped forward. The man was average height and very beautiful, he looked only about twenty years old. He had short black hair and wore a very light grey suit. His arm was linked with the woman at his side. She was a little shorter than him but just as beautiful. She had long, flowing brown hair and wore a long black gown; it was so long that it trailed along the ground behind her; she had a heart–shaped face. Her vivid violet eyes friendly – almost motherly. Her smile was also friendly. They looked at Jethro expectantly.
"Oh." He looked at me, "Ella, these are my parents. My father Sebastian and my mother Felicia." They smiled at me.
I'd been stunned by the word parents. These people were too young to be his parents. But Jethro continued, ignoring my disbelief. "And these are my siblings, Stefan, my older brother." He pointed to the boy in the armchair, "Ivy, my soon-to-be sister-in-law" He pointed to the girl on Stefan's knee. "Then there's Tabitha." He pointed to the girl in the corner, "She's taken to the recent style of 'Emo'" I looked at him in anger this time, the way he'd said it, like it was something bad. I am Emo! I thought angrily. I decided that this was not the right time to bring it up; I'd wait until later. "And you already know Trixie, my little sister, with her boyfriend Marcus. And my twin brother Aiden." Twin! I hadn't seen the resemblance before I'd heard they were brothers. But now I thought about it, it made sense.
"We are obviously a lot older than we look." Sebastian said. His voice almost musical in its beauty. This was going to take some getting used to. Being the only human in the house.
"A lot older." I heard another boy say. I looked over to see Stefan grinning at me. His smile so brilliant but so mischievous that didn't know what to think. "Tell her how old you are dad."
Sebastian sighed and looked at his son, "Now isn't the best time, son." He said calmly.
"What could it hurt? Come on, amaze her." Stefan smiled again.
"Two-thousand seven-hundred and sixty-four" Sebastian sighed.
I just stared, unable to grasp this simple fact that I already saw coming. Stefan continued after his father was finished, "Felicia's one-thousand nine-hundred and eighty-six. I'm nine three four. Tabitha's nine two three. Ivy's nine ten. Aiden and Jethro are eight nine three. Trixie is six two nine and Marcus is seventy-three."
I tried to memorise this as he went through in order of age. Sebastian: 2764, Felicia: 1986, Stefan: 934, Tabitha 923, Ivy: 910, Jethro and Aiden: 893, Trixie: 629 and Marcus: 73. I could never remember all that. I looked at Jethro, my eight hundred and ninety three year old boyfriend. Not that I bothered about the age gap, but I wish he'd have told me.
"I know it's a lot to take in, sweetheart." Felicia said, "We'll try and make it as easy as possible for you." She stepped forward and hugged me gently. He cold arms soothing, Jethro smiled at me.
"Thank you, Felicia." I said, letting go of Jethro's hand, so I could hug her back.
"Just call her mom if you want." Jethro whispered. "You'll be part of the family soon anyway."
"Jethro don't force her." Felicia warned.
"No, it's ok, mom." I said shyly. Felicia looked at me, her eyes sparkling just at the fact I'd called her mum.
"Welcome to the family, Ella." She whispered in my ear as she pulled me back in for another hug. It felt good to hear that, but I was just scared of what that meant. "Are you hungry, dear?" She asked, letting go of me. I suddenly was aware of the emptiness in my stomach, it growled for attention. Felicia just smiled and disappeared quickly into the kitchen. Jethro led me into the living room. He sat in the spare armchair and pulled me onto his lap. Trixie and Marcus joined us, Marcus sat on the spare seat on the couch and Trixie sat on the floor in front of him, resting her head on his knees. Their attention also focused on the Tv.
"Could you two have been any louder up there?" Stefan smirked at Jethro. Jethro glared at him. Stefan ignored him, "Have fun?" this question was directed at me, I nodded slightly and pressed harder against Jethro's chest for reassurance. Jethro continued to glare. "About time you lost it, Jethro. Forget forty-year-old virgin. You were the eight hundred and ninety three-year-old virgin." Stefan lips twitched as he restrained laughter. I heard Marcus chuckle and Trixie was giggling to herself. Jethro took a deep breath and composed himself.
"Better late than never." He said calmly.
The conversation ended when Felicia brought in a plate of spaghetti for me. I started eating it as soon as it was put in front of me.
"Is that ok for you, Hun? Not too spicy?" Felicia asked.
"Yeah, I think you've had enough spice for one day." Stefan smirked. I glared at him and then turned to Felicia.
"No – It's great, thank you." I replied, shoving another forkful into my mouth. I wasn't lying; it was the best tasting spaghetti I'd ever had – and I'd had some good tasting spaghetti in my time.
As soon as I was finished the plate was out of my hand in a flash. After a good meal I felt tired again. But I refused to go to bed. I wanted to know more about my new family.
There was a faint knock at the door, barely audible over the blare of the TV. Trixie was on her feet and to the door instantly. Jethro didn't move, or even look. He could see the minds of who it was. His fists clenched and I saw everyone in the room look at him with panicked expression, except Sebastian, Felicia and Marcus who were still very calm. Trixie opened the door.
"Hi Connor!" She chimed, in her musical voice. She stepped aside to let him pass. Trixie walked back over to us at human pace. "We have a full house tonight." She whispered to Marcus as she sat down at his feet again. Marcus didn't seem the slightest bit worried. His expression calm, but resigned. He wanted nothing to do with this. Jethro started to get up; I slid quickly off his lap to let him up. We walked toward the entrance hall where the stairs were. As soon as I entered I saw that Connor was not alone. He was followed closely by a terrified Emily, and another girl with long curly blonde hair, light blue eyes and a dusting of freckles who had a confused look on her face as she stood in the huge entrance hall, it was Chrissie, an excited looking Courtney who was smiling openly at finally getting into Jethro's house she was closely followed by Jane, Jessica, Kimberly and Elizabeth. And last of all was Zoey. Zoey was Connor's little sister, she had the same shade of hair as Connor and she had the same glowing amber eyes like all werewolves.
"Ella!" Chrissie almost screamed, running over to give me a hug, ignoring Jethro completely. I hugged her back more tightly than ever. Tears were in both our eyes now. "I've missed you so much." She sobbed.
"I missed you too!"
Connor was glaring at Jethro by my side and holding Emily close. Courtney was whispering to Elizabeth and the other three were listening in too. Jane, Jessica and Kimberly giggled but Elizabeth's expression didn't change. Emily was staring at me; she was shaking and her arms were locked tight around Connor for protection. She knew what new my family were, she knew the danger and yet she was scared for me? The most comfortable human here, and she were scared for me? I smiled politely but she just cuddled closer to Connor with fear. Then I thought of something. Was she scared for me? Or was she scared for Chrissie? I saw her eyes darting back and forth from me and Chrissie hugging to Jethro and back again. She was scared for both of us. She was watching for a sign that Jethro was going to attack. I felt a flood of anger run through me. Jethro was the most controlled vampire I'd seen so far, how dare she jump to conclusions before she's even met him. I saw Jethro meet her gaze, her eyes widened slightly. He just laughed silently.
Chrissie let go and looked at Jethro like she hadn't noticed his presence until just now.
"Um…Chrissie, this is my boyfriend, Jethro." I said nervously. To my surprise Chrissie smiled up at him.
"Hi Jethro." She said, throwing her arms around him also. I smiled, same old Chrissie. Jethro chuckled slightly.
"Hello Chrissie."
I glanced over at Emily who was just as frightened as ever. She really didn't like Chrissie so close to Jethro. I glared at her; she seemed startled by my expression. But her eyes darted back to Jethro.
We all were gathered in the huge living room. Courtney sat next to Marcus on the couch and next to her was Connor with Emily sat on his knee leaning against his chest. Celeste sat on the arm of the couch on Marcus' side. Trixie still sat at his feet. Jethro and me sat in the armchair we had done before, Jasper stood next to our chair. Chrissie sat at Jethro's feet, like Trixie was with Marcus. She leant her head back and rested then on Jethro's knees, totally at ease. I was glad she was so comfortable here, if only she knew what these creatures around her were. Sebastian and Felicia stood in the centre of the living room, with everyone was facing them. Stefan and Ivy sat in the same chair they had been in before. Stefan looked completely calm but Ivy seemed anxious. Courtney's friends stood behind the couch, behind Connor. Aiden stood behind our chair. Zoey stood away from us all, standing propped again the wall. The closest to her was Tabitha who was still sat in her corner, she hadn't moved an inch, it looked like she was unaware of her surrounding, and she was just sat listening to her music as usual.
Courtney was mumbling to her friends, Connor was reassuring Emily that everything was ok. Stefan was exchanging glances with Marcus; they were both smirking. Jethro sighed, holding back anger. Stefan and Marcus must be thinking something bad to make him react like that. Aiden tapped Jasper's shoulder and whispered something in his ear; Jasper just shook his head.
"Quiet please." Sebastian said, I was surprised when everyone silenced suddenly and turned to him. "What brings you here Connor?" he turned to Connor.
"I hate to say this, Sebastian." He said, "But we need your help." Connor glanced at me and then looked back at Sebastian. Jethro's arms tightened around me.
"With what?"
"Francis has teamed up with two vampire covens, Shade's and Tyrone's. We can't take them all on alone. We need your help to defeat them."
"But why are they a threat?" Sebastian looked puzzled.
"They're after Helena. And there is more reason behind it than just revenge. Francis plans to wipe out the entire vampire race and become the lycans ruler."
"But what has Helena got to do with any of this?" Just as Sebastian said it, Jethro hugged me tighter. Something bad had to be coming.
"I thought at first it was just revenge for her escaping him. But I never thought of the reasoning behind him going after her in the first place. It turns out that he thinks Helena is a descendant of Tereza, a very powerful vampire. It has been told that anyone to drink the blood of a descendant gains the power and immortality of Tereza. Combine that with lycan strength and he'll be unstoppable." The room was silent a few minutes after Connor had explained and they all stared at him, then all eyes turned on me. I felt uncomfortable as the centre of attention. Not even Stefan was smiling now.
"She does look a lot like Tereza." Trixie said, turning her eyes on Sebastian. "What if she is a descendant?"
Sebastian thought for a second. Then he glanced, from me, to Jethro to Connor and then looked back to Trixie. "Well then we must protect her. Descendant or not, she's family now." He announced. Connor flinched slightly at the last part. "So who have we got on our side?" Sebastian asked, turning back to Connor now.
"My pack, the shapeshifters behind me and your family."
Shapeshifter? I looked at Courtney and the others. I should've realised then was something wrong it when they all had the same shade amber eyes as each other, it was a couple of shades darker than werewolves amber eyes.
"Shapeshifters?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, "So you can turn into anything?"
Courtney nodded smiling.
"Prove it." Stefan smiled. Courtney's smile widened, ripples went down her arms and then through her whole body and her face and body morphed. Stefan was stood where Courtney had been. I looked back over at the armchair, Stefan was sat there, jaw hanging open in shock. Courtney had morphed into Stefan.
"Happy now?" She said in his voice. And she morphed back to herself.
"You're good." Was all Stefan said and smiled. Courtney smiled back, she loved having admirers. Ivy shot an angry glance at Courtney, Courtney smirked. I saw her chest expand slightly. I shook my head.
"I think it's best that we train and get to know one another's abilities." Sebastian cut in. All attention focused back on him.
"Yes, tomorrow night." Connor agreed. "I'll bring the whole pack."
"Ok, tomorrow night, outside here." Sebastian shook hands with Connor. "You are welcome to stay here for tonight if you like." He offered.
"No thanks." Connor replied quickly. "I have to get back to the pack. They're waiting outside. We have some hunting to do."
"Very well." Sebastian nodded. Connor got up, pulling Emily up with him and setting her on her feet. Zoey pushed away from the wall and walked towards them, she looked at me, her expression hard and then took Connor's free hand.
"May we stay?" Courtney asked Sebastian, but her gaze wandering back to Stefan.
"Of course."
"Thank you."
"The spare room is up the stairs, last door on the left."
With that Courtney made her way up stairs, closely followed by Jane, Jessica and Kimberly. Courtney smiled and waved slightly at Stefan as she climbed the stairs. Elizabeth gave Jasper a long hard look and then disappeared with the rest of them. Once Courtney was out of sight, Stefan sat back in his chair and relaxed.
"I wouldn't, Stefan. Ivy would be very upset." Jethro smirked. Ivy looked at Stefan in disbelief and was suddenly gone from his lap, I heard a door slam upstairs.
"I wasn't even thinking that!" Stefan protested, Jethro just smiled, "Oh, I hate you little brother!" Stefan was up and gone before I'd had chance to work out what just happened. It hit me as Jethro stroked my cheek.
"Jethro!"
"What?" he said with sarcasm in his voice and an innocent smile on his face.
"That was horrible!" I protested, "You shouldn't do things like that to your brother!"
"He's just as nasty to me."
"Two wrongs don't make a right."
"But revenge is sweet."
"Treat people the way you want to be treated."
"Ah, but he treats me like that so that's how he must want to be treated." He smiled when he saw me struggle. He'd just countered the phrases my mom had told me. I wish I'd have thought of them when she was lecturing me. Jethro suddenly took me in his arms and stood up, he was moving very fast for what I was used to.
"Where are we going?" I gasped. But we'd stopped before I'd finished the question; we were stood in the bedroom again. He set me down gently on the bed and threw me a nightgown that was on the desk. I held it up in front of me and examined it; it was frilly, lacy and too revealing for my liking. And to top it all off, it was hot pink. Jethro took in my expression.
"Its all Trixie had." He said, sitting next to me on the bed. I shrugged and quickly changed into it. I looked down, it was mostly see through. I sighed.
"Nice." Jethro smiled.
"You would think so." I rolled my eyes. He chuckled and put his arm around me. I turned around and pushed gently against his shoulders, even though he was stronger than me he didn't resist and laid down, I crawled on top of him. He looked stunned. I'd never done anything like this before. I bent me head down and touched my lips to his. Our lips were moving together now. He was allowing this much, I might as well see how far I can push him, I thought with a smile. I kissed him harder and knotted my fingers in his silky hair. He didn't push me away, I felt the icy coolness of his hands on my waist. I opened my eyes slightly, his eyes were closed. Yes, this was my chance. I pressed myself closer to him. His arms wrapped all the way around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck. We rolled over. He was on top of me now; he was perfectly balanced on top of me so I felt none of his weight. I released my grip around his neck as we kissed and let my hands slowly slide over his shoulders to his neck. He was really getting into it now. I felt dizzy with pleasure as his lips left mine and travelled down my neck. I slid my hands down more, searching frantically for the top button of his shirt before I let the dizziness overwhelm me. I found it and undid it quickly, moving down the buttons as fast as possible. He didn't seem to care, I pushed his shirt back and he helped by shrugging out of it. I threw it on the floor. He continued kissing my neck. I ran my hands over his perfect chest and stomach once. My fingers started tingling as my hands moved slowly downwards to the button of his jeans. I started to grip hold of him like I never wanted to lose him. I started unbuttoning them quickly. My heart started racing and suddenly all the coldness of his body was gone. I had to check that he was still there; I reached out and gently caressed his face. His skin became ice cold again against my touch. His kisses started to move down my neck and down my chest, I was suddenly aware my breathing was coming up faster now. He stopped just above my waist. His lips moved back up to mine, then he pulled back for a brief second. His aquamarine eyes looked cloudy and distant, like he was in a trance. His cold lips pressed back to mine and I felt his cold hands reach for the lace bow holding my nightgown together. Part of me was scared, the trance-like state he was in was wrong. I'd never seen him like this before. But the other part of me was shouting, don't bother, this is what I want, don't push him away! I couldn't decide which would be the best option. On one hand I could push him away, find out what was wrong with him, save myself from his lectures about safety when I woke up. But on the other hand, it was very rare he let me get this close to him and it surprised me that he wanted to go further, surely I could risk this once. His safety over my selfishness or the other way around? I didn't know, I was starting to feel dizzy now as his tongue traced along my bottom lip. I opened my eyes slightly, his eyes were shut again and he seemed to be enjoying this. He was still moving in a trance-like state. This definitely wasn't like him. I felt him untie the bow and slide my nightgown open. He laid back down on top of my and continued kissing me. The sudden impact of skin-to-skin contact was amazing. The coldness of his body against my warm body. I had to suppress a gasp. Then I felt something strange, something in the way he was kissing me. More fierce and urgent than usual, but there was something else, something in the way it felt. I winced as something sharp caught my bottom lip, I felt the warm liquid well up. Uh oh, I thought. My eyes flew open and I looked at Jethro. His eyes were open, his eyes blood red and his fangs showing. But a soft smile on his lips, his eyes warm and tender. He bent his head down again and ran his tongue along where the cut was, tasting the blood. I looked at him again, what I saw should have scared me but it just excited me more. "I love you." I whispered.
"I love you too." He whispered back, his eyes intense. Our lips touched again, but only for a second. A sudden bright light startled us both. Jethro's eyes suddenly focused and realisation hit. I glanced over at the source of the light. Aiden stood in the doorway, the door wide open and light from the hallway streaming into the room. My hands flew to my nightgown and pulled it together to cover my bare chest. I felt my warmth rush to my cheeks. Jethro's eyes flickered to Aiden and then back to me.
Jethro nodded. Aiden glanced at me once and then left the room. Closing the door and cutting off the blindingly bright light. Jethro looked at me for a long moment, then sighed and collapsed on the bed next to me.
"Why do you do this to me?"
What did I do? I thought. Did I do something wrong? "Why do I do what?" I asked, only just managing a whisper.
"Continually tempt me." He sighed again, rolling over to face me. "As I've said before I'm not as in control as you think."
"But last time…" I started to protest but he raised a hand to silence me.
"Look, Ella, we might not be as lucky as we were last time. I barely managed to keep my self control."
I wasn't in the mood for arguing now; I was tired after all the excitement. I yawned and lay back down and curled up into a ball to keep myself warm. Before I knew it my head was resting on the soft pillow and I was wrapped up nice and snug in the thick silky quilt. Jethro's arms already around me; cradling me against him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He whispered and kissed my neck gently.
"It's ok." I mumbled sleepily pressing me back against his cold body. It was such a warm night his cold skin helped a lot. I sighed happily. Jethro chuckled and tightened his grip slightly. I relaxed and was soon asleep.