Enraptured by Brenda K. Davies

his
brother.
    Ethan hesitated before finally leaving the
room. Ian settled into the chair as Paige’s eyes returned to
him.

CHAPTER 5
    Paige stared at the vampire sitting across from her.
The casual air surrounding him set her teeth on edge. How could he
be so relaxed when she felt like she was sitting on a bed of nails?
She longed to punch him in his too handsome face, to throw him off
in some small way, but he’d only heal back into the sexy man he
was, and he’d probably just laugh at her. A small smile, more of a
smirk, curved the corner of his full mouth. Eyes the color of the
sky danced with merriment, as he seemed to guess at her thoughts.
She may only be a human, but she was still deadly, something she
would prove to this man if given the chance.
    She had no idea what was going on here with
this bizarre as hell vampire family, but she did know they were all
monsters no matter what any of them said. She’d heard other male
voices too, drifting from the main part of whatever house she was
in, and assumed there were more than the three men she’d met so
far. Maybe this was some kind of sick, twisted game they all played
with their prey before torturing them, and finally putting them out
of their misery. Maybe they lured their prey into a false sense of
security and then laughed as they drained them dry. They may kill
her, but they wouldn’t fool her into thinking they were decent;
she’d make sure of that.
    Thick muscles rippled as the man across from
her leaned forward again. The three men she’d seen were all large,
but he was the biggest of them all. She guessed him to be around
six-four and easily two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle,
if not more. He also knew he was good looking. He ran a hand
through his hair and gave her a smile she had to admit was
endearing. And then she hated herself for thinking it. She’d seen
that charming smile work its magic on multiple women over the past
few days. Refusing to be swayed by it, she icily stared back at
him, but the smile didn’t leave his face.
    Ian tilted his head to the side to watch
her. Her eyes had shifted back to the door; her brow furrowed as
she listened to the voices from down the hall. Trying to figure out
how many of them are here, he deduced when her mouth pursed. Her
eyes shot back to him when he shifted; her upper lip curled
slightly before becoming a flat line again. She was the first
female he’d come across who truly disliked him, also the first who
fascinated him in such a strange way.
    He enjoyed the subtle nuances fluttering
across her features. She tried so hard to be brave, to remain as
impassive as possible, but the beads of sweat on her upper lip, and
the increased beat of her heart belied her stony exterior. He had
to give her credit, she believed she was surrounded by monsters who
would kill her, yet she didn’t back down.
    “I’ve seen you around the past few nights,”
she muttered.
    He folded his hands together and rested his
elbows on his knees. “I don’t recall seeing you, before
tonight.”
    Paige snorted, “That’s not surprising with
the revolving door of women you maintain.”
    He quirked an eyebrow at her statement but
the smile didn’t leave his face. “You’ve been watching me closely
then.”
    “No,” she said far more briskly than she’d
intended to.
    “Do you go to the college?”
    “No.”
    “So you’ve been hanging around the bar?”
    She shrugged and brushed back a strand of
her messy, oily hair. A shower would be amazing for her aching
muscles and to get rid of the sweaty, back alley odor she currently
sported. People participating in triathlons smelled better than she
did right now; it would be nice not to reek of death before her
actual death.
    Rubbing at her temples, she wondered if the
loss of blood had caused her brain to short circuit. What did it
matter what she smelled like, or how she felt before she died? She
hoped she smelled so bad the taste of her would still be stuck in
their