Awakening (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #3) (25 page)

"Come again," he demanded, purring in my ear.  “Igen!”

His fangs bit savagely into my neck and I screamed beneath him, climaxing harder than I had only moments ago.  He followed behind, shuddering violently against me.

Shaking and sobbing, I rode out the last of my orgasm.  He released my hands from his and scattered dozens of gentle kisses down my back, withdrawing carefully as he descended.  He was completely controlling one moment, desperately loving the next.

"Only more reason to believe you were made for me," Stefan murmured against my spine.  "You are completely frustrating and addictive.  I merely existed before you."

Even though he'd said those words to me before, I shivered against his the tenderness of his lips.  While the words were the same, they impacted me differently with the knowledge of my father’s behind the scenes machinations at keeping up apart.

Stefan felt my anger and grief.  He instantly flooded our link with love and comfort.

"I wish you'd found me years ago," I whispered against my arms.  "You’d have been my first.  I'd been missing my other half all these years."

Stefan wasted no time rolling me to him and swallowing me into his arms.  "I am happy being your last, vackra.  Destiny works in mysterious ways."

Tears streamed from my eyes and the sheer force of my embrace would have staggered a human man as I hugged him tightly to me, unwilling to let him go.

He pried my arms away and pressed kisses into the crown of my forehead.  The pads of his thumbs swiped at the tears that had escaped down my face.  He wore his soft, unassuming smile.  It was the smile I'd come to associate as my smile.  It lacked the normal smugness and arrogance that many of his expressions held.  No one else had seen this smile.  Only me.

"They never will, vackra."  Stefan murmured, burrowing his head against my breasts.  My hands went into his hair, stroking my fingers through the thick hair.  A deep purr of contentment rumbled in his chest at my loving attention.

"What happened after I was kicked out of the Council meeting?"

His voice sounded sleepy when he spoke.  "My testimony was a mere formality.  Anna was registered as my progeny.  It was fine until I felt your fear."

"We both knew my father would approach me.  I handled it the best I could."  My hands continued their gentle caress, lightly scratching his scalp with my nails.

"You push him.  If not for your shield you would be dead right now," Stefan sighed.  He rested his chin on my chest, looking up at me with his sea blue eyes.  They were filled with sorrow.  Even my imagined death caused him pain.  It completely filled our bond with grief.

"Things just got out of control.  He pisses me off with his slick demeanor and fake concern.  He had the balls to actually say he showed up to personally thank you for saving me.”  I barked out a soft laugh.  “I know his dirty secrets and he knows of my new abilities.  We're at an impasse."

He moved from my arms to lay back against the pillows, considering my words.  He rubbed his hand across his chin and his eyes slid closed.

"It is a tentative impasse at best.  He is planning his next move.  It is important now that we stay alert.  Warn your brother.  He may want to stay close by," Stefan’s eyes reopened and he simply watched me for a moment, before summoning me with his index finger.  "Come here."

I crawled across the bed, letting him reach to place me on his lap, my bent legs straddling his hips.  He smoothed my unruly hair away from my face, his fingers wandering down my neck to cup my breasts with his palms.  Arching into his hands, I pressed my them deeper into his grasp.  He smiled his quiet approval as his fingers rolled my nipples, tweaking them gently.

Tipping my head back under his expert touch, I sighed as his free hand ran a sensuous trail down my throat, between my breasts until he reached my abdomen.  I didn't attempt to stop the whimper that fell from my lips as he gently touched me.

"It won't take long to find Nikolaus.  I know he's next door with Anna.  It's no secret.  Lukas ‘who doesn't do monogamy' is off with Amir somewhere,"  I murmured.  I ran my hands over the angular planes of his face, over the prominent arch of his cheekbones, the stubble of his jaw.  He smiled under my caress, his deep set blue eyes closing in pleasure.

He craved my touch.  Our bond vibrated with contentment as we sat in our loving embrace.

"Amir and Lukas have had an ongoing relationship for 100 years.  Neither wants to give in to their feelings.  Lukas lived a very oppressed life while human.  Amir was a monk during his human life, a man of the cloth that faced religious opposition.  It is against their nature to admit they love each other."  His hands lowered to grip my hips, circling them with his long fingers.  "I have watched them dance around their love for a century.  Amir is focused on his political position.  And Lukas is focused on himself.  The circle continues..." Stefan's voice wandered off as his fingers continued to trace over my skin.

My fingers danced across the muscles of his shoulders.  I'd listened to him describe Amir and Lukas' relationship with interest.  "What about you?"

Stefan's eyes flickered up to meet mine.  The previously happy bond between us filled with quiet apprehension.  "What do you mean?"

I leaned forward until my breasts were pressed against his chest and my lips were at his throat.  "Surely you didn't just have a relationship with Solveig.  You were as guilty as dancing around love as Lukas and Amir."

"I was waiting for you when they were introduced.  No other woman mattered at that point."

"But before..."I began softly.

"Is this a subject you truly want to discuss?  Are you prepared to hear about how I viewed women prior to my vision of you?"  Stefan's voice held a warning tone to it.  "Are you positive you want to open a door that cannot be closed?"

Shaking my head, I rested my face against his chest.  "No.  There is a part of me that does, but then I'll be constantly comparing myself to every woman you've been with.  It's not healthy."

Stefan closed his long arms around me, holding me against his broad chest.  "Ah, Josephine.  There is no one that could ever compare to you.  No one has ever or will ever be capable of captivating my heart like you.  It has always been you for me, even when I did not know it."

We lay together in silence.  My heart had slowed to a slow cadence, barely beating.

“Your heart continues to beat slower and slower.  Soon, it will cease to pulse,” Stefan whispered.  His hands combed through the waves of my hair.  “It will be bittersweet to not hear it.  It is the first thing I hear when I awake and has lulled me to sleep every night since we met.”

My eyes grew heavy and the last thing I remembered was the comforting feel of his lips against my temple.

***

It must have been late morning when I awoke.  Stefan’s presence in our bond was gone, the reassuring hum of his life force was gone from our tie.  Letting out a strangled gasp, I struggled to sit up.  The pain in my chest felt as if part of my heart had been ripped from my chest.  Clutching my the covers to me, I groaned out in pain.

Anna’s voice startled me.  “Stefan asked me to stay with you until you woke up.  He had to attend to business with Amir.”

Struggling to raise myself into a sitting position, I looked at Anna.  She stood at the windows, peeking out the heavy curtains into the street below.  “I watch people rushing to get to work, to live out their boring little lives totally unaware that there’s more out there.  I never thought to question the possibility that there are things that go bump in the night.  Vampires, werewolves… I know I should miss my human life, but I don’t.  I have an endless life ahead of me.  I can do whatever I want.  In a way I should thank Derek.  I’d never met Nikolaus if I hadn’t been changed.”

“Anna.  Where is he?”  I could barely speak.  I had barely paid any attention to her words.  All I could think about was Stefan and the crushing pain in my chest that took my breath away.

“I told you.  He’s with Amir.  I have no idea what they’re doing.  Stefan didn’t tell me.  He just asked me to at least stay with you until you woke up.  I can leave if you want,” Anna answered softly.  She glided to the edge of the bed and sat down.  She held out a folded piece of paper.  “Stefan left this for you.  Read it and I’ll make you some coffee.  If you feel like talking, I’ll be in the living room with Lukas.”

Anna got to her feet and quietly left the room in a dizzying blur.  Opening the paper with shaking hands, I ran my fingers over his impressive cursive handwriting.

Josephine,

As Anna has explained to you already, I am with Amir.  His presence will more than likely temporarily cut the tie that links us together.  The pain of the separation will be temporary and uncomfortable.

We are attending to Council business that could not be discussed last night during the testimony hearing.  Be safe and do not leave the apartment unattended by Lukas or Anna.  It is imperative that if you never listen to anything else I say, you follow this request.  I cannot worry about your safety while I attend to these matters.

I will be home to you soon.

Eternally yours,

Stefan

Refolding the letter, I placed it on the bedside table.  With a throbbing chest, I forced myself out of bed, sluggishly going through the routine of getting dressed and preparing myself for a day which obviously was going to be very long.

Why hadn’t Stefan told me he was leaving with Amir this morning?  He’d mentioned nothing last night, not that we’d focused on much conversation after arriving home.  Stefan had been furious with me for using my shield to restrain him with Kian, and he’d taken his brand of delicious frustration out on me.  It was clear something had transpired after I fell asleep last night.

Selecting a faded pair of jeans and a worn t-shirt, I padded barefoot into the living room.  Lukas and Anna were deep in a conversation, talking so fast that their voices came out as a low and steady buzz.  When they sensed me watching them, their conversation came to an abrupt halt and they both faced me.

“Sit down and I’ll get your coffee,”  Anna pushed me into the chair and hurried off into the kitchen.  I listened as she opened and closed cabinet doors, the clinking noise of the mug hitting the granite countertop.  It was all a temporary distraction and my mind refocused on Stefan.

“Where is he, Lukas?  I can’t feel him,” I pleaded.  My voice quavered.  “Please.  If he swore you to secrecy for my benefit, you have to tell me.  This is killing me.”

Lukas’ ice blue eyes peered at me guiltily.  They shifted to Anna as she leaned over and pushed a steaming cup of coffee into my hands.  Glancing up at her, I saw her concern for me reflecting in the chocolate brown of her eyes.  Her obvious worry only added to my own distress and fueled the growing need for information.

Lukas pursed his lips and ran his fingers over the throw pillow next to him.  “All I can tell you is that Amir received a text message around 4am.  He said nothing to me about the content of the text, only hurried over to collect Stefan and they left for the Carriage House shortly thereafter.  Stefan commanded me to not say anything to upset you.  He said there were matters to be taken care of and he’d be home soon.”

Sipping the coffee, I gripped the mug with both hands to attempt steady the shakiness that was rattling my very soul.

“Aren’t you worried about Amir?” I finally asked, breaking the uneasy stillness that had fallen over the room.

Lukas crossed his legs and offered me a strained smile.  “Amir and I have a complicated relationship.  If I spent my time worrying what he was up to, that’s all I would be doing.  He has a complex way of looking at this life.  He’s lived the last 100 years attempting to break into the Council.  In his mind, he’s going to fix what’s broken.  He says that things need to change.”