Awakening (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #3) (2 page)

Not one of his thoughts or emotions were surprising to me.  This wasn’t what I was looking for.  I knew if I continued to search, I’d find the source of his strange feelings of remorse and guilt.  Tapping into his emotions, I closed my eyes to concentrate fully on him.  I probed deeper, driving further for the answers I desperately needed.

"Vackra, please ask me your questions.  Do not sort through my mind like you are rummaging through a filing cabinet.  Talk to me."

His deep voice broke the long stillness that had filled the plane.  He hadn't spoken since his ominous statement of ‘we are one now’ and brief explanation of how I'd mentally called to him when Derek had held me captive.

My eyes slid open at his words.  His remained closed, his expressive face calm.  "I'm sorry.  There’s something different with us now.  I can feel you in my mind, Stefan.  I can sense your emotions, your whole being in the back like it’s part of me.  Why is that?"

More guilt and regret flooded our strange new connection.  Finally opening his eyes, he swiveled in his seat to meet my probing gaze.  His lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles as one of his hands moved to slowly trace the curve of my face.  His fingers were like gentle feathers across my cheekbone and lips.  He sighed and let his hand drift down my neck, along the outline of my collarbone to drift down my arm.  He reached for my hand, engulfing it in his much larger grip, sighing in the relief that our contact brought him.

"I feel it as well.  It was as I said earlier, we are one now.  When you called for me, I heard you.  You were like a beacon, sending out a distress call for me across the miles.  The guilt I feel is because I should have explained the consequences of our blood exchanges.  I should have given you the opportunity to choose.  Yet I chose for you."

I sat frozen in my seat, just holding his hand.  Warily watching him, I simply waited for him to explain.  My unusual calmness seemed to unnerve him.  He'd grown accustomed to my overreactions and panic.  Maybe his influence had calmed me.  Or possibly my close call with death had forced me to grow up a little bit.

His blue eyes averted from mine as he organized his thoughts.  "After we exchange as much blood in love as you and I have, we become tied to one another.  It is a link that cannot be severed.  The tie would not form if the love was not there to bind us.  All I did was bond us together indefinitely."

Unblinking, I said nothing.  I was torn between wanting to embrace him and slap him.  Lukas was on the plane and my eyes shot to his seat to see if he was listening in on our conversation.  His head was bent over his laptop, earbuds stuck in his ears.  Leaning closer to Stefan, I lowered my voice to a harsh whisper.

"All you did was bond us
indefinitely
?" I hissed angrily.  He made it sound like he'd chosen my shoes for an innocuous dinner party instead of bonding us eternally.  "You thought it would be acceptable to make a decision like this for me? For
us
?  So let me get this straight.  You let me ingest your blood, knowing eventually that this would be the outcome.  And you also decided I was on a need to know basis about a life-altering experience such as bonding?  I don’t get it, Stefan.  You knew I'd eventually find out and be pissed off at your high-handed bullshit.  Since you clearly have everything figured out, tell me how I’m supposed to feel.”

Stefan stared at the back of the airplane seat in front of him as if it held the answer I’d want to hear.  He muttered something inaudible under his breath and I watched as he gave up and his shoulders drooped in defeat.

"You should be furious with me.  I deserve every bit of your anger.  I cannot explain it to you in a way that you will understand, Josephine.  I love you as I never loved another creature.  You are my other half, my soul, my life.  Exchanging my blood with you was instinctual.  It is how two true mates forge the bond we now have.  As I said, if there was no true love between us, it would not form,"  Stefan replied vehemently.  His thumb brushed absently over my wrist.  His blazing blue eyes were locked on mine again, imploring for my understanding.

My anger waned fractionally.  "That doesn’t let you off the hook because in a way, it makes it worse.  It’s not like you didn’t know we loved each other.  You knew the love was there between us.  You had a vision of me, foretelling our relationship 200 years ago!  Stefan, don't you think this should have been discussed before you became the sole decision maker in our relationship?  This whole thing is like a shotgun wedding in reverse."

"A shotgun wedding?"  Stefan questioned, his voice raising sarcastically.  A blond eyebrow quirked in undisguised humor.  “Explain what this ‘shotgun wedding’ term means?”

Beautiful bastard.

I heaved a loud sigh.  “It’s a marriage where the groom is forced to marry the bride because he's gotten her pregnant.  Her father holds a shotgun as security so the groom won't get cold feet and bolt," I explained, squeezing his hand.  "There may be no baby, but you offered me your blood in love to tie me to you forever, even if it was instinctual.  You knew that it was also your greatest weapon to make sure that I can't leave you.  Our blood connection is your proverbial shotgun.  We’re tied together, for better or for worse."

Stefan's face tightened, his eyes turning into icy shards of ice.  His mood shifted, his emotions becoming dark and broody.  "Why would I do such a thing?  I do not want you against your will.  You have told me many times that you love me.  You agreed to an eternity with me.  Now you suddenly do not want any of this?  Did my lack of communication change anything between us?"

Moving stealthily from my seat, I straddled his lap in the airplane seat.  I gripped his handsome face in my hands, leaning in until the tips of our noses were touching.  "Nothing has changed.  I love you.  I'll love you until there is no tomorrow, dummy."  I leaned to kiss him softly.  Pulling my lips back from his, I whispered against his mouth.  "I want everything.  I also want a little communication about things such as life-binding occurrences.  I don’t like surprises.  This qualifies as a big one for future reference."

The black of his pupils devoured the blue of his eyes as he absorbed my words.  He was remembering the last time I told him I wanted everything and his mood switched amorously.  His hands pulled me tighter against him as he shifted his hips upward.  The outline of his hard cock rubbed against the denim of my jeans in the most interesting of ways.

"I want to know every part of you like the back of my hand.  You are mine,"  Stefan muttered.  His fangs had come out to play, letting their desire be equally known.

"I am yours.  And it appears like you're all mine now too,"  I drawled in a hushed voice.  "We can't do this with Lukas here.  Drink, but nothing else."

His eyes slipped to the crook of my neck and slipped back up to meet mine.  "I love you.  För evigt."

Bypassing my neck completely, he captured my mouth in a kiss.  He sliced his tongue with his fang, letting his blood rush into my mouth.  Before I could react, I felt his sharp teeth pierce my tongue, our blood mixing as he continued to devour me with his talented mouth.

His blood was like liquid euphoria rushing through my veins, causing a reaction as potent as any orgasm I’d ever had.  Our commingled blood increased the intensity, causing my hips to grind against his at a feverish pace for relief.  I wanted to rip his clothes from him, fuck him, punish him for making me feel so much.  Instead, he answered my tumultuous emotions with uncharacteristic submission.  His lips became soft, his kiss becoming a willing surrender.

I broke away, panting.  We were both unsated and wanted more than a simple blood exchange on an airplane 39,000 feet in the sky.

"This," he gestured between us. "Is not finished.  When we get back to New York, I will show you what it is to let our bond to take over completely."

Overcome with another wave of desire at his words, I crushed my lips to his forcefully.  His lips parted and my tongue swept in and tangled with his.  He groaned and his hands went into my hair, knotting in the long curls.  His soft sounds of approval spurred me on as I kissed him, wet and deep.

Inches away from losing total control, I felt an annoyed tap on my shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt, lovebirds.  We're getting ready to land." Lukas stood over us, his nose wrinkled in distaste.  "It's time to get it together.  You two are like fucking animals.  Don't you ever stop?"

Blushing, I grudgingly attempted to free myself from Stefan’s iron-like grip.  He was inhaling heavily, his eyes still black with lust.  His hands still possessively gripped my ass as he buried his face in my neck.  He was scenting me, further marking me as his.  My loving, possessive, high-handed vampire.

"Don't you ever get tired of interrupting?" I shot back irritably.  "Mark my words, Lukas.  You're going to meet someone and I'm going to make it my mission in life to harass you.  I'm going to make you regret all of your little barbs and shit-stirring ways."

Lukas rolled his eyes and pursed his lips.  "Color me warned, Josie.  I think I’m safe since I don't do relationships.  I can't do the monogamy thing.  There are too many strings attached for my taste.  I prefer to keep my options open.  Anna told me once..."

His voice broke and I watched as Lukas looked away, glancing at Anna's unmoving body.  She looked peaceful, as if she was sleeping soundly.

My desire diminished and simmered to a low roar, my concern for Anna rushing to the surface and garnering my attention.

"Is there any change?"  I asked, crossing the plane to sit down on the edge of the couch next to her.  Smoothing her hair from her face, I looked for any noticeable difference.  There was none that I could see.

"No,"  Stefan answered before Lukas could speak.  Our eyes met across the plane.  "If she wakes, I will feel her presence.  I will be forever tied to Anna as her sire."

His thoughts were suddenly heavy again.  The simplicity of his words stabbed at my conscience sharply.  He'd only saved Anna for me.  He would have never willingly stepped in and offered Anna immortality without my impassioned pleas.

"There will be a SUV waiting for us at JFK.  We'll transport Anna back to the apartment and then we'll..." Lukas' voice dwindled off.  His worried gaze wandered to Anna again.

"And we'll what?"  I snapped bitterly.  Lukas’eyes widened at my outburst.  I swallowed and struggled to make my tone gentler.  "We’ll hope Stefan saved her, right?"

"We'll wait," Lukas said delicately.  He glanced at his hands nervously and shifted uncomfortably.

Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes.  I shouldn’t have snapped at Lukas or made him feel worse than I knew he already did.  I was tired, anxious and running on pure adrenaline.  “Lukas, I shouldn’t have snapped like that.  How much longer until Anna will wake up, Stefan?"

"Another 24 hours, give or take." Stefan murmured.  He pulled me to my feet and wrapped his long arms around me.  "Come.  We will be landing soon."

Nodding, I looked at Anna one final time before heading back to my seat.

Stefan sat quietly in the seat beside of me.  He offered me his outstretched hand, our fingers intertwining.  The enormous size of his hand dwarfed mine and he tenderly stroked the top of my hand with his thumb.

Exhaling softly, I turned my head to the side, watching him intently.  "It’s funny.  I keep waiting to have a normal day.  A day where we can sleep in, do normal things that has nothing to do with scheming and worrying."

"You already tire of the vampire bullshit?" Stefan asked humorlessly.  He stared blankly ahead.  "It will not always be this way.  Trust me."

"I was tired of it weeks ago."  I smiled and rested my head against his shoulder.  "Do you still think I'm worth it or are you ready to trade me in on a lower maintenance model?"

He chuckled and I felt his faint amusement fill the bond between us.  I was relieved to hear his light laughter after the overwhelming tension of the last 24 hours.

"Josephine, I have lived almost 1,000 years.  I have never felt more alive since I found you.  I relish the reprieve in the monotony," Stefan leaned his head against the back of the seat.  "You and Lukas are young.  In 300 years or so you will look forward to complications.  We will look back on this and wonder why we were ever concerned about these things.”