He looked away. “She was someone I knew… a long time ago.”
“Do you remember calling me Miranda?”
He smiled bitterly. “Yes, I do. It was a mistake, a slip of tongue. I’m sorry.”
“Ethan, did you kill those girls last summer?” I whispered hoarsely.
His clenched his jaw. “I already told you I didn’t. Why are you asking me these questions?”
“I…”
Before I could answer, Ethan’s door swung open and he was ripped out of the car.
Duncan!
“Get the fuck away from her!” roared Duncan. He pulled his fist back and hit Ethan so hard, he flew backwards and landed several yards away on his back.
Oh crap!
“Duncan!” I yelled, scrambling out of the car. I didn’t want him hurt by Ethan.
In a flash, Ethan jumped up and retaliated with his own fists, sending Duncan flying across the field, hitting his head against a large oak tree.
“Stop it!” I yelled.
Ethan turned to me and shrugged. “Well, he started it.”
Before I could answer, Duncan was back, body-slamming Ethan to the ground. From there, everything became a blur; all I could see were glimpses of fists flying, feet kicking, and flashes of blood in their frenzied rumble. I stood frozen in horror as the two vampires violently attacked each other, not certain of who was getting the upper hand or who I even wanted to have it.
“Idiots,” snorted Celeste, who’d appeared out of nowhere.
I turned to find her sitting on the hood of my car. “Jesus, where did you come from?”
She pushed her sunglasses up and smiled. “I’d been giving Duncan a few lessons on survival when we noticed you and Ethan through the woods. Oh,” she cringed, “that’s got to hurt.”
I turned to see them fighting still, but their movements were so swift, I couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Kick his ass, Duncan!” hollered Celeste. “No, not like that!”
Suddenly, I could see both of them and it wasn’t pretty. “Stop it!” I screamed, moving towards Ethan, who, although his face was a smear of blood, was now standing and had Duncan by the throat. He was squeezing it so hard, that Duncan’s eyes were bulging out of his red face. I tried grabbing Ethan’s arm, but he was too powerful. “Please,” I cried. “Ethan! Stop this!”
Ethan’s face was a mask of red rage.
“Ethan!” I repeated.
He looked at me and swore. Then, he released Duncan, who toppled to the ground. “You’re lucky,” he growled. “If it wasn’t for Nikki…”
“What?” rasped Duncan. “You’d try to kill me again?”
“Kill you? I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” hollered Ethan, his nostrils flaring.
“You’re nothing but a coldblooded killer, a pariah,” spat Duncan. “But you know what? Someday I’m going to kill you.”
Ethan laughed sardonically. “You don’t have a chance in hell with someone like me. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
“Keep talking,” growled Duncan, his eyes full of hate. “Because soon you’ll be silenced forever.”
Soon they were both neck to neck, glaring at each other, like two boxers in a ring, ready to pounce on each other.
“Would you both just stop!” I pleaded. “You’re both acting like idiots!”
Duncan was the first to back down this time. He turned to me and held out his hand. “Come on, Nikki. I’ll drive you home.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” growled Ethan, moving to my side before I could answer. He put his arm around me possessively. “She’s mine.”
“Get your hands off of her,” snapped Duncan. “Nikki’s afraid of you. You’re a murdering psychopath!”
Ethan laughed. “I don’t have time for this nonsense. You’re Celeste’s little pet now, anyway. You’re hers just as much as Nikki is mine!”
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, now moving away from Ethan. I didn’t like the way he was treating me.
Ethan turned to me. “It’s obvious that Celeste changed him into a vampire.”
“Well, that doesn’t make him hers, does it?” I asked, glancing at her.
Celeste smiled, but didn’t say anything.
Ethan smirked. “They bonded. The only way to change someone into a vampire is by having intercourse and sharing each other’s blood.”
I looked at Duncan, whose face was filled with anguish. “Duncan?”
“I don’t even remember it,” he said, shaking his head. “I swear, I don’t.”
Celeste frowned. “That’s absurd, of course you do.”
“I don’t,” he repeated. “I was injured and I barely remember anything that’s happened the last few days.”
“Well, you must have remembered the other times,” chuckled Ethan.
“The other times?” I asked, more than a little confused.
Celeste walked over to Duncan and put her hand on his arm. “Yes,” she smiled. “It takes three ‘bondings’ to become a vampire. The third time was right after I found him injured near your cabin.”
I stared at him in horror. “You had sex with Celeste three separate times?”