Ethan sat back in his seat to watch all the yellow, blue, orange, and green colored houses they passed. People walked the streets and rode their bikes down the sidewalks as they explored the sites or went about their day. The aqua-colored ocean shimmered in and out between the buildings lining the waterfront as they drove onward. Boats of all makes and sizes dipped and swayed on the calm sea. The people strolling the beach, splashing in the water or fishing, reminded him of a postcard of paradise.
He'd never been more than a couple of hundred miles away from home; being here now seemed almost unreal as he took in the pink sandy beaches and the numerous bikini-clad bodies. He may not enjoy being near the humans in those suits, but he wasn't above admiring the bodies wearing them.
The further they drove, the more into vacation mode he became. After a shower, he might check out one of these beaches. He wasn't like Ian and Aiden, he didn't chase after girls or go to clubs often, but he was going to be here for a few weeks, and the idea of a vacation hook-up was appealing. This trip was already out of character for him; he might as well completely enjoy himself while here. He just hoped there was another sane, female vampire on the island, but then again, if she wasn't a killer then he didn't care if she was entirely sane.
The last woman he was seeing hadn't been the type he would bring home to his mom, or anywhere near his family for that matter. In fact, she’d treaded the fine line between becoming a brutal killer and maintaining her control as a vampire. He was ashamed by the fact he completely understood how she felt, that he found the line exciting too, and enjoyed walking it with her. Hell, he'd walked it his entire life, and finally found someone who understood him and the madness lurking just beneath the surface. Not to mention the wildness within her was something irresistible and fascinating to him in bed.
Until the day she'd crossed the line. His murderous urges were something he was growing tired of struggling with, and though he was tempted to go over the edge with her, and finally give into the clamoring demands of his body for blood and death, he knew he couldn't. He had his family to think of, his siblings would know if he killed someone, and he couldn't bring himself to let them down in such a way. He was the one they all looked up to even though he was the one who deserved their admiration the least.
If they knew what he truly was, there would be no admiration from them; there would only be revulsion and horror.
But then they would never know the depravity lurking within him, not if he had anything to say about it. However, there were some days when he found the lure of blood and death almost impossible to resist. Some days it took all he had not to walk out of his home, slaughter the first human he came across, and finally ease the constant driving pressure within him to feed.
He'd been dealing with it for as long as he could remember. High school was an endless battle for him, but he managed to get himself through it. The intensity of the urge to kill had increased steadily since he'd reached maturity though. If it continued, he didn't know how he could maintain his control for eternity. He was beginning to think he would welcome death over that bleak prospect.
So, he stayed away from the temptation of humans as often as possible. The five women he'd been with since he'd lost his virginity at sixteen were all vampires, and women he knew he couldn't accidentally injure. Women who were as indifferent to him as he was to them.
The last woman was the first time he'd stayed with someone for any significant amount of time. It wasn’t because he cared for her but because of the enticing immorality thriving within her. There were nights he relished in the agony and devastation she unleashed on him with her claws, chains, and even a whip that had flayed his skin open more times than he could count. He’d deserved everything she did to him, but it still wasn’t enough to drown the depravity within him.
The only things they didn't use to hurt each other were their fangs. He'd never exchanged blood with another vampire, and he never would unless that vampire was his mate. With the way he was heading, he highly doubted he'd ever find his mate though, and God help her if she turned out to be a human. He may maul her to death before he ever had a chance to establish any bond with her.
Part of the reason he’d agreed to come here was because he hoped a change of scenery would help him deal with what was inside him. That maybe if he were somewhere else, it would all ease a little. It didn't seem very likely, but he was willing to try anything. So, when Isabelle suggested this trip he didn’t immediately shoot her down. Surprisingly, he'd found himself accepting her offer, even though he knew it was going to suck to be around people for such an extended period during the flights.
Stefan made a turn and drove up a hill winding through some of the most colorful homes he'd ever seen. At the top of the hill, they pulled into the driveway of a large, sunshine yellow house overlooking the harbor below it.
"You can see the ocean from every room," Isabelle said as she jumped out of the front seat before Stefan had the Jeep in park. Stefan shook his head and scowled at her as he shifted into park and turned the vehicle off.
Isabelle took Ethan's arm when he climbed out and pulled him toward the house. She unlocked the
