Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him as he leaned against the frame of the door. His lips were pinched, lines etched the corners of his mouth, and his eyes had taken on a reddish hue that wasn't quite the red she'd seen the other night, but they most certainly weren't the pure emerald of his eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked nervously.
"Yes." He was anything but okay though. What felt like a panther clawing at his chest, and the tightening in his gut, had increased overnight. Now he was certain he could drain five more people and still not satisfy his thirst. Watching her now was the only thing making him feel even a little better. He had to feed, but needed to make sure she was settled in before he could retreat to the world of blood feverishly beckoning him.
"I can stay with Jill and Mandy. Maybe we can find a cot to put in their room or an air mattress, so you don't have to sleep on the couch," she offered.
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "I'd like for you to stay in here." He didn't add he hoped she would welcome him back into her arms or that it would be easier to protect her if her friends weren't in the way.
"Ethan," she said when he turned away from her. "Thank you."
His shoulders hunched up, but he didn't say anything as he left the room and made his way to the kitchen. They'd taken the body of the man out on the boat this morning and tossed his weighted remains into the ocean. Thankfully, the police never arrived. He and Stefan moved the body so quickly through the early morning hours, he doubted anyone had seen them. If they were spotted, the humans probably hadn't had the time to process what they had seen.
Isabelle took a step away from him when he walked over to the dented fridge. It creaked as he opened it, and for a second he thought the hinges might give out, but the door held.
"I'll have to buy another one of these before we leave," he said as he removed three bags from inside.
"That's not an issue right now. Are you going to be able to do this?" she asked.
"Of course."
She hovered near his elbow as she leaned against the counter. "Look at me." He grabbed a bag and tore the top from it with his teeth before looking at her. "Have you seen your eyes?"
"Haven't had the pleasure of a mirror lately."
"That much is obvious," she retorted. "You look like you've been up for a week straight."
He frowned at her before downing the contents of the bag. "I feel like I have. I take it my eyes are red."
"No, they're some weird combination of your green and red. I've never seen anything like it before Ethan."
"Well, isn't that interesting." He ripped the top off another bag and consumed the contents. "Don't you have to get to the airport?"
Isabelle sighed and shook her head. "You're a stubborn fool."
"It takes one to know one."
A footstep in the hall caused him to drop everything into the trash. The last thing he wanted was for Emma to see him feeding; she was freaked out enough as it was. When he saw it was only Stefan, he retrieved the bag of blood from the trash and nodded to him before retreating to the pool area. He settled in the shade of an umbrella as the sun now made his skin itch in a way it never had before. He listened as the two of them left the house, but his attention remained focused on the sun shining off the clear pool water. It was the last place he'd made love to her, the last place he'd been inside her and known complete calm.
There wasn't enough blood in the world, he decided as he tossed the empty bag into the trash and went to get more.
Isabelle eagerly searched the crowd of passengers getting off the plane as they walked around her. She spotted Ian easily amongst the crowd. At six-four he was the tallest of her siblings, and taller than most of the people around him. His golden hair was disheveled and curled at the corners of his sky blue eyes. Not only was he the tallest of her siblings, but he was also the most built with his broad shoulders and chest. His heavily muscled arms were emphasized by the black wife beater tank top he wore.
Aiden was at his side; at six two he was shorter than Ian but still tall. He also had a more lean, whipcord build than Ian and Ethan. His black hair was shorter than the last time she'd seen him, and his eyes were darker than Ethan and her father's; they were more of a leaf green than an emerald.
Ian reached out and pushed Aiden's shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance. Aiden lowered his shoulder and shoved into Ian's chest in response. They both laughed and smiled as they continued to jostle each other through the crowd. For a minute, her heart soared as she savored in the sight of them. It had been almost a year since she'd seen them, and she'd missed them so much. It had been an amazing experience to explore the world with Stefan, but she was ready to get home to her family. This was supposed to be a happy reunion, yet all she felt was stressed out.
Rising on her tiptoes, she waved above the crowd to get their attention. They stopped shoving each other long enough to look at her and Stefan.
"There she is!" Aiden broke into a
