"Amazing," he muttered.
"How old were you when you became a vampire?" Isabelle asked. She hadn't meant to ask the question, she didn't want to know any more about him, but she found herself oddly curious about him.
He looked over at her, pleased she was showing an interest in him and his life. A little too pleased, he realized with an inward grimace. The girl asked one question about his life, and he instantly began to wonder if he could get her into his bed tonight. Then, with an inward groan, he remembered Jess, and his hope evaporated. Maybe he could get into her bed.
The direction of his thoughts startled him, as well as aroused him to a very uncomfortable state. For crying out loud, she only asked one stupid question, and he immediately leapt to the thought he could take her to bed. He was acting like an idiot.
It was then he realized they were both looking at him expectantly. He pulled himself out of his lustful thoughts and forced his attention back to the conversation. "Twenty-eight," he answered.
She nodded as she slid back in her chair; her gaze went to the clock in the corner. She was tired and hungry, and she needed to get away from Stefan before she found herself more curious and attracted to him.
"I'm going to bed." She stood suddenly; her chair skidded back with the force of her sudden movement.
"You don't want to wait for them?" Ethan inquired.
"No, I'm tired."
"Good night," Stefan said his voice deep and husky.
Isabelle couldn't suppress the shiver racing down her spine as his voice seemed to caress and envelop her. "Good night," she replied as she made her way out the door.
When she left, Stefan was astounded by the odd sense of loss filling him. If Ethan wasn’t sitting beside him, he knew he would go after and stop her. However, he didn't think Ethan would take kindly to the idea of Stefan hauling his sister downstairs to ravish her. There would be other nights, and better times, to ease his lust.
Chapter Eight
Stefan was still sitting in the unlit dining room two hours later. He couldn't seem to find the energy, or the drive, to go back upstairs and crawl into bed next to Jess. The thought alone caused a cold knot of revulsion to form in his stomach.
It was past time to end it with her. He'd grown tired of the relationship a couple of weeks ago, but today was the final straw. Especially now there was another option set firmly in his head and he was determined to pursue it.
Besides being tired of her, he could sense the fanciful thoughts of marriage and children beginning to run through Jess's head. He thought he might like to have that kind of life one day, but not with Jess. She was fun and easy when they'd first met, but she long since became a bore.
He found it better to have a woman around constantly and started adopting girlfriends for short periods of time instead of one-night stands. He kept Jess around a little longer than most of the others, but it was time to cut the strings. The only reason he came up here was to drop her off with her mom and leave. He'd considered heading up to Canada to explore the wilderness. It was only running into his kind, and Isabelle, that made him stay. He could stay now and get rid of Jess.
He was not looking forward to the scene sure to follow, or the hostile environment it would cause. Maybe it would be better if he waited until Jess went back to school, then he thought better of it. He couldn't stand being around her now, let alone another two weeks. It was better to get it over and done with as soon as possible.
He leaned back in his chair as he stared into the dark room. To him, it was as well lit as it was when all the lights were on, and he easily made out every detail. He liked this home, and to his surprise, he liked the whole atmosphere of the warm, family environment.
He never stayed with his kind for extended periods of time, except for Brian, but Brian was his past, and he had no intention of seeing him again. The thought brought back memories he preferred to forget, memories of what he’d been, and would never be again.
It was easier to forget about it when he was here. He had never settled down anywhere before, but when he saw how close and secure everyone was, he almost longed to have a place like it for himself. He enjoyed the laughter, the warm familiarity, and the stories. The bonds of love woven throughout the entire place would never break —bonds he found himself a little jealous of.
He understood why David, Doug, Jack, and Mike stayed here, even though they were freer than the others to leave. He didn't know why Ethan and Isabelle seemed determined to stay so far away from the outside world though. They would always have a place to come home to, even if they did go out and see the world.
Then again, he’d seen everything there was to see and been everywhere there was to go. He'd never felt the peace and comfort he did here. He was glad he'd found it. One day, he might even set up a home of his own somewhere and settle down for a little while. Although, it would probably be lonely with just him, and he'd probably be bored within a month, but at least he would have a home base to go back to when his wanderlust dimmed again.
On second thought, his wanderlust had dimmed for the last fifty years or so. Ever since he killed Brenda, he'd felt oddly detached, without a purpose, and
