Ethan leaned back in his chair as he dropped his cards to the table. The game was officially over, and Isabelle was more than a little grateful. She couldn't concentrate, and she just wanted out of the suddenly small, stuffy room. "Isabelle doesn't feed from humans."
"Ethan!"
Her intent to leave flew out the window in the face of her brother's casual statement. If she could reach him, she would kick him under the table. Some things she didn't want everyone to know, especially not the frustrating stranger sitting across from her.
"What?" Stefan asked in surprise.
Isabelle scowled at her brother as he folded his arms over his chest, a brow cocked questioningly as he grinned at her. "It's true!" he protested.
She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her growing resentment. "So how do you feed?" Stefan asked.
Isabelle dropped her cards and defiantly met his gaze. "There is such a thing as blood banks. It's what our parents did for us when we were little. I choose to keep doing it."
"Don't want to injure the humans?"
Isabelle ground her teeth. "That's right," she said coldly, although it was a lie.
She didn't like being around them, but she was more worried she would accidentally stumble across one who would turn out to be her mate. Other than high school, she’d kept herself away from as many humans as she could. Now, she was afraid that what she’d been avoiding her whole life had stumbled into her sanctuary.
"Isabelle and I are the outsiders, the outcasts," Ethan said with an amused grin. "We're not social, especially not with humans. Although, I will at least feed from them and go out once in a while. Isabelle stays close to home."
"And why is that?" Stefan couldn’t believe what they were telling him.
Ethan shrugged as Isabelle shifted uncomfortably. She knew Ethan feared the same thing, but she wasn't sure he would tell Stefan. She sure wasn't going to.
"We're content here," Ethan replied nonchalantly. "What about you, how old are you exactly?"
Stefan lifted a brow as he looked questioningly at the two of them. Isabelle was sitting silently; her head bent as she refused to meet his gaze. There was something more to the story than Ethan's simple explanation, but it was obvious neither of them would elaborate further.
"Two hundred and sixty-seven," he answered as he leaned back and folded his hands behind his head.
When Isabelle's head lifted, and her eyes met his, a bolt of lust shot straight through him.
"What exactly can you do?" Ethan asked.
“Lots of things,” he replied absently.
Stefan’s gaze remained locked on Isabelle's. Biting nervously on her bottom lip, she turned away from him. Her long lashes fluttered down to cast shadows over her delicate cheeks. He fought against the overwhelming urge to touch her cheek, to see if it was as supple as it looked. He scowled as he tore his attention away from her and back to Ethan's curious gaze. He realized he was beginning to act like a boy in the throes of his first love, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Such as?" Ethan prompted.
"Such as, I can move faster than you ever dreamed, my strength is ten times stronger than yours, my hearing, eyesight, and other senses are ten times what yours are. My powers of persuasion, memory erasing, and cloaking my presence could make you look like a newborn baby." He knew he sounded arrogant and hostile, but the growing tension in his jeans was becoming almost unbearable and making him edgy. "I can make humans, and you, see something that isn't there," he continued in a lighter tone. "That's what I've done to Kathleen, Delia, and Jess."
"Why didn't you cloak your presence from us the first day?" Ethan asked.
"I didn't expect to step out of the car into a nest of vampires."
"If your powers are so strong, then how come you didn't sense us before you got here?" Ethan demanded, obviously a little annoyed by Stefan's arrogance. Stefan tried to lighten his tone, and stance, even more. He liked Ethan, and he didn't want Ethan angry because he sounded like a condescending ass.
"Because I wasn't searching for it, and I was busy arguing with Jess over the fucking radio. I knew you were a few miles down the road; I didn't expect it was the place we were heading to. Even if we hadn't come here, I would have come on my own."
They both looked at him in disbelief. "Why?"
Stefan folded his hands before him. "Because I was curious about the amount of vampire presences I sensed here. I would have come here simply to investigate."
Isabelle frowned at him; her eyes darkened as she hesitantly met his gaze. He smiled back at her as he unfolded his hands and leaned forward. "We're happy here," she whispered. "It's why we all stay."
"I can see that. I'm surprised everyone has stayed for so long."
"Where else would they go?" Isabelle asked, her face reflecting her innocence and confusion. "David, Jack, Mike, Doug, and my dad have been friends since childhood. They were all changed around the same time, and by the same vampire. They've always been together, helping each other out. They helped to raise us; they're like our uncles. They're our family."
"What about your other siblings, are they all going to stay?"
"Aiden and Ian are going to college, and Abby and Vicky practically have their bags packed, even though they still have three years to go."
Stefan's brow furrowed. "Do they go to school now?"
"We all went to high school," Ethan answered. "Willow will start school in the fall. By the time we're thirteen, we're able to control our ability to change. Before that age, it can be a little iffy and difficult to restrain, especially when we get mad, or upset. Most of our wars were conducted as full-on vampire if we were angry enough."
Stefan studied the amused
