Ethan's gaze was drawn to the left as Tristan stepped into view.
"There you are," Tristan said in a taunting voice that set Ethan's teeth on edge and caused his upper lip to curl into a sneer.
Tristan's eyes ran over Ethan, and though he tried to hide it, Ethan sensed his steadily increasing fear.
"We've been waiting." Tristan continued as he walked over and rested his hands on the back of the chair. "Haven't we, Emma?"
A snarl escaped Ethan as Tristan's hands settled on her shoulders. The world seemed to lurch out from underneath him as Tristan shook her roughly. Emma's head lulled for a second before she slowly lifted it. Her eyes were dazed and unseeing for a second, but when she finally focused on him she jerked in the chair, and a strangled cry escaped her. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut and already a dark purple color. Her lips were split open, and a line of dried blood ran from her broken nose to her chin. The world around him lost its reddish hue as everything cleared once more. All his rage centered on one thing...murder, and Tristan was the target.
Emma had never seen anything like the man standing in the doorway. She wasn't even entirely certain he could be considered a man anymore. Everything about him reminded her of the pictures she'd seen of Satan in countless paintings and books over the years. A reddish black color covered Ethan’s entire body.
Looking at him, she understood where the legend of the devil originated from. Even the whites of his eyes had red veins connecting to the blood red irises. Terror trickled down her spine; a chill slid over her body as her heart seemed to stop beating for a second.
Would he come back from this? He had fought his entire life to keep himself under control, but he’d let it all go. She was certain his eyes remained on Tristan. He couldn't lose himself, not now, not because of her. If she was going to die today, she didn't want him to go with her.
"Yes, we have been waiting for you," Tristan continued as he ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. Emma shivered and tried to shrink away from his touch, but she couldn't escape his disgusting hands. "This is when the fun can begin. When you can stand there and watch helplessly as I get to enjoy what you stole from me."
"Don't!" Emma snapped when his hands circled her waist and dropped down toward her lap.
Ethan growled and leapt forward only to be thrown back again by the barrier. Tears of helplessness burned her eyes, but she refused to give Tristan the satisfaction of seeing her shed them.
"But then, I did get here first," Tristan taunted.
A shiver of revulsion shook her as Tristan's lips brushed against her ear and his hand slid between her legs. He chuckled as she clamped her legs together, and he squeezed her thigh so roughly the skin broke and blood seeped out.
"I haven't tasted something I want even more though," he whispered in her ear. "You smell delicious."
Emma tried to turn her head away as his hand wrapped around her head and seized her chin. Vomit surged up her throat as his lips pressed against her neck and he inhaled deeply.
"Scrumptious," he said in a tone that made her think he was going to have some fava beans and Chianti when he finished with her.
Brian and Stefan appeared in the doorway behind Ethan; their eyes settled briefly on her before shooting up to Tristan. Brian's breath exploded out of him as Stefan placed a hand against the barrier keeping them from entering the house. Emma tried not to think about the fact they would all be forced to stand by and watch as Tristan did whatever he planned to do to her. Behind them, Isabelle, Aiden, and Ian appeared and spread out across the porch.
"Imagine my surprise when I finally tracked you down, only to discover you were spreading those pretty little thighs," Tristan said.
Emma jerked when he squeezed her thigh again, drawing more blood from her. He ran his hands over her skin, rubbing the blood over her leg before his hand slid down the bottom of her shorts.
"For another vampire. I told you, Emma, you are mine, and you will always be mine,” Tristan murmured.
She stared into his reddened eyes as he lowered his face before her and licked the blood from his fingers.
"What happened to you?" Emma blurted to try and buy herself more time. She suspected her attempt at distraction was useless. "How did you become like this?"
Tristan laughed as his blood dampened fingers stroked over her face. She turned her head away, but he jerked it back and held her chin. He placed his cheek against hers and held her so she had to look at Ethan.
"I caught the fancy of a young girl who admired my unique ways," Tristan murmured.
She had admired his insanity, Ethan thought as Brian pressed closer against his side and rested his hand on the barrier. Tristan's twisted mind was incredibly enticing to some of their kind, they would have loved to see what perverted creation Tristan would become, and they were probably proud of this monster standing across from him.
"You're stronger than you think, pureblood," Brian whispered. "You're capable of more than all of us."
Ethan shot him a look, but he didn't respond as his attention was drawn back to Emma and Tristan. His fingers had left streaks of her blood across her face. Frustration filled him. He had no idea how he was going to get to her, how he was going to save her from
