Enraptured (30 page)

“It’s a very good thing. If I suspected you
were lying to me, I would get the answers from you one way or
another.” She didn’t quite know how to take that, but she was glad
she didn’t know anything that would have caused her to lie to the
man. “I suspect the combination they gave you is given to all
members of the human race they bring into their fold. It would also
help to make you a little stronger and faster. I doubt you were
given much of their blood, or you would have tasted it even over
the obvious abundance of apples they put in the drink, but it would
have enhanced you a little. How did they find you?”

“Through a mutual acquaintance,” Paige
answered.
Please don’t ask who
, she inwardly pleaded.

“I see. I’m sure the places you met them,
and this acquaintance, have already been moved far from where you
last saw them.”

“Do you think they’ll search for me?” she
asked nervously.

“No, I’m sure they consider you dead, but
they would move any locations you did know about as a just in case.
You’ve been written off in their world.”

Paige’s hand tightened around Ian’s arm.
She’d never thought of it, but she realized now if she had returned
to them, they most likely wouldn’t have been there to receive her.
She didn’t know how to feel about that. A part of her felt more
hollow at the realization of how little she’d meant; the other part
was relieved they wouldn’t be coming after her, wouldn’t think to
look for her. The last thing she needed was someone else hunting
her.

“So that brings us back to my three options.
It may be their blood has worked its way out of her system and you
can change her memories,” Ronan continued. “But since you don’t
want that, you’re down to two. Death or eternal life?”

Every eye in the room burned into her; she
found her gaze locked upon Ronan’s. Beside her, Ian’s body vibrated
with tension, he held his breath as they all waited for her answer.
“That’s not much of a choice,” she murmured.

“It’s more than many others have had,” Ronan
replied.

Ian stared at her bent head, willing her to
look at him. She remained focused on the man across from them. He
knew what he so badly wanted her answer to be, but he wouldn’t take
her choice away from her. “It doesn’t have to be today, Paige,” he
told her. “When you’re ready.”

“Sooner rather than later is preferable,”
Ronan replied. “I believe you don’t know much, I believe you won’t
return to them, but you know too many of our secrets now to be
allowed to continue to walk about this world freely. I won’t be
leaving here until the change is completed, or I’ll be taking you
somewhere until it’s done.” His gaze flickered to Ian. “I
know
he won’t allow anyone, besides him, to touch you in
such a way, so he will have to come with us. Neither of you will be
granted your freedom until the transformation is over.”

Paige’s fingers curled into Ian’s forearm.
The thought of being locked away until she was changed made her
feel like some strange form of breeding stock. “No,” she
whispered.

“You have three days to make the choice, or
I will make it for you,” Ronan said briskly.

Beside her, Ian bristled. “Back off,
Ronan.”

Ronan’s eyes burned into his. “Do what has
to be done, and soon. I’m being far more lenient than I should on
this.”

Before any of them could respond, Ronan
opened the door and left the room. He may be gone, but Paige had
the impression he could be fifty miles away and still know exactly
where they were. “Where did you meet him, Brian?” Ian demanded.

Brian ran a hand through his white blond
hair. “It’s a big world outside of your little family, Purebred.
There are plenty of us still out there fighting against the savages
amongst us. Some of us are more entrenched in it than others.”

“Who’s more entrenched, you or him?”

“Him more so than me, but even at my age
there are new things to learn. Stefan and I knew Ronan and his
group existed, but we had little to do with them. Their world
requires more responsibility and rules than either one of us were
willing to deal with. Vampire society, especially amongst ones like
these purebreds, is a lot more intricate than what we are
accustomed to.”

Brian’s gaze landed on Ethan. “I told you
before you were capable of more than you realized. You
all
are. I may live on the outskirts of Ronan’s world, shit I live on
the outskirts of
all
worlds and groups, but I’m aware of
that.” His gaze swept around the room before landing on Ian. “He’s
not playing around about this. Don’t make him force it. You can’t
beat him, and he’s not one to be messed with.”

Paige’s fingers dug into Ian’s arm; she
turned her cheek into his bicep. She’d known she would have to make
a decision about her future soon, but she’d planned to have more
time to get accustomed to the idea of becoming a vampire. Not a
couple of days, and not under the promise of being locked away
until she was ready to die. It made her want to go out there and
punch Ronan in the face, but she far preferred her head right where
it was.

“Now, what happened to my cabin?” Brian
inquired.

“It has a new doorway in the living room,
but it’s still standing,” Ian informed him through his gritted
teeth.

“Good. What about the assholes who put that
doorway in?”

“Buried.”

Brian cracked his knuckles and looked them
over. “Too bad, I would have liked to help kill those
bastards.”

“You’re going to get staked one of these
days,” David murmured.

“Maybe,” Brian replied with an absent shrug.
“Why did they show up there?”

“My father sent them.”

Paige’s words were more of a breath against
his arm, but Ian still heard them. The others exchanged startled
glances before focusing on her again. Ian pressed a kiss against
the top of her head before expanding on her words. “He sent scouts
to see what he would be dealing with, our brief encounter in the
alley was far too short of a time for him to get a good idea, and I
bested him. I think he wanted to see what I would be capable
of.”

“Why hasn’t he come looking for her here?”
Aiden asked.

“Because he doesn’t have a death wish,” Ian
growled. “I guarantee if he didn’t flee after what happened at that
cabin, if he was still in the area, he took off when you all
arrived here.”

“Would you have known if he was in this
town?” Paige asked.

Her troubled eyes were wide as they searched
his face. “Not if he stayed far enough away. I never sensed him at
the cabin either. I have a feeling he’s keeping his distance,
trying to figure things out, and searching for weaknesses. He may
not have witnessed what went down at the cabin, but when his three
friends didn’t return he got even more information about what he’s
dealing with.”

“He’s not completely stupid,” Ethan
murmured.

“No, he’s not,” Ian agreed. “We’ll figure it
out and take care of it Paige. I promise.”

“You have something else to take care of
first.” Brian shot a pointed look at Paige.

Turning on his heel, he opened the door and
walked out of the room. Paige stared at the group surrounding her,
uncertain of what to say or do. She didn’t think she had many
options on that front.

“You were human?” Paige inquired.

Emma put the menu she’d been flipping
through back in between the condiments. “I was,” Emma confirmed.
“And in the beginning I planned to stay that way.”

“But then?”

“But then, as I’m sure you’ve realized, the
men in the Byrne family have a way of digging their way into your
heart to the point where they’re all you think about. Being a
vampire isn’t bad, I know the idea of it is a little frightening
and overwhelming, but you adapt. I only feed from Ethan, I still
have my family, and with the recent move I’ll be closer to them.
I’m still not sure what will happen with my family in the future. I
try not to think about it right now. Before the move, I had a job I
really enjoyed in Oregon. I’m hoping to find another one soon. I’m
going to miss being so close to Mandy and Jill, but I know our
friendship isn’t going anywhere, and I’ll see them as often as I
can.”

“You were working?”

Emma smiled at her. “What else was I going
to do with myself?”

“What else indeed?” Paige murmured.

She’d spent four years of her life hunting
for her father, he was still out there somewhere, but was she going
to spend an eternity with her life revolving around revenge? The
thought had never crossed her mind before, mainly because she’d
expected to die young, but an eternity of hatred and fighting
didn’t feel like a pleasing proposition to her. It made the years
seem endless and lonely, even if Ian stood by her side through it
all.

What would she do without her constant need
for vengeance? The endless possibilities felt not only refreshing
but also extremely daunting. The only thing she’d ever loved was
drawing, maybe she could return to that or painting. Maybe she
could… She could do anything, she realized. The possibilities were
endless, there was so much to see and do in this world that she’d
never considered before. And she would be with Ian.

Could she move past her hatred and thirst
for revenge in order to do so? The notion caused her blood to turn
to ice. She wanted happiness in this life, or non-life, or
whatever. However, she knew she could never truly move on with the
threat of her father constantly looming over her. She’d always be
looking over her shoulder, always feel as if she’d let her mother
down. Moving on was a step she had to take; she just couldn’t take
it without making sure her past could never come back to haunt
her.

“You’ll be with him forever and Ian is a
good man,” Emma continued. “They all are. A little overprotective
and overbearing sometimes, but they mean well. If you’re worried
about your family…”

“I have no family,” Paige told her.

Emma leaned forward and rested her hand on
Paige’s. “I’m sorry, but you will now. A
very
large and
extremely loving family.”

Paige’s fork clattered against her plate
when she put it down. “But will they accept me? I disrupted their
lives. Because of me they were forced out of their home.”

Emma’s gold-flecked hazel eyes sparkled in
the light. “They’re not one to hold grudges. From what I’ve been
told, Stefan didn’t exactly enter the family under the best of
terms either. He and Ethan had some problems in the beginning, but
they’ve moved past them. The whole family has. I can assure you, no
one holds you at fault for what happened. You’ll see, and
understand, when you finally get to meet the rest of them.”

“And it sounds like there are plenty of them
to get to know.”

“And they’re growing!” Emma said with a
laugh. “It took me a good month to get everyone straight, and I
still confuse Vicky and Abby once in a while. They’re
identical.”

Paige shook her head. “Even more fun.”

“They really are, all of them. The Stooges
are like uncles to everyone and a blast.”

Paige glanced out the window at the group
gathered in the parking lot by Ian’s pickup. “I haven’t seen Jack
or Doug yet.”

“You will.” Emma assured her. “It’s all so
fascinating and strange, isn’t it? I mean I’m a vampire now, and
I’m still amazed that such a world exists alongside of ours. Who
would have thought it was all true?”

“Not me, at least not until I was
eighteen.”

Emma gave her hand a compassionate pat. “I’m
sorry about whatever you went through. If you ever want to talk
about it, I’m here. We are going to be sisters after all.”

Paige couldn’t help but smile at her as she
lifted her fork back up. “I never had a sister. I’ve barely had any
friends in the past four years.”

“Well you won’t be able to say that anymore.
You have me, and Isabelle is looking forward to meeting you too.
They all are. I’m going to give you fair warning they’re all very
curious about you.” Emma released her hand and sat back in her
seat.

Paige’s heart fluttered in panic. “Why?”

Emma tapped her fingers on the table. “It’s
not as overwhelming as it sounds; they were all the same way with
me. Be prepared for a barrage of questions from Issy though.”

“Why were they so curious about you?”

Emma’s eyes became distant, a smile curving
her mouth. Her gaze drifted out the windows to the men gathered
together outside. Love radiated from her as she stared at Ethan.
“Because, I was the first girl Ethan ever brought home. He wasn’t
much for people, still isn’t, but he’s definitely gotten
better.”

No, Ethan definitely wasn’t one for people,
Paige agreed. “And Ian is all about the people,” she murmured. “So
strange how different they are.”

Emma tore her attention away from Ethan to
focus on her again. “Some of the siblings do better around humans
than others. I don’t know why, I don’t think they do either.”

Paige looked toward Ian again. The sight of
him robbed her of her breath. He stood over top of the men gathered
around him, but he could be shorter than them and he’d still stand
out to her. His smile could light up a room, and often made her
smile in return, but she knew there was something sinister within
him, within all of them. Would that live within her too?

“Do you have to fight the urge to kill?” she
asked Emma.

“No, that urge isn’t in me, not like it is
in them. Though I would tear the head off of anyone who laid a hand
on Ethan, or anyone I love. I would have said the same as a human,
but like this, I actually could,” Emma said with a laugh.

Paige gulped before picking up her water and
taking a drink. “Is it terrifying to die?”

“It’s really painful at first, and scary,
but it’s worth it when it’s all over.”