The Last Vampyre Prophecy (23 page)

Her father drops his fist on the table and the dishes chatter in protest. “I said that’s enough.” He shouts, “Adonia has made it clear her feelings for this man and we are to respect that. He’s shown us nothing but respect since he arrived and that is to be repaid. Understood?”

Dean never takes his eyes off of me, “Yes sir,” he responds to his father. This is the normal human reaction I am accustomed to. I show no respect to the race whatsoever and male reactions are always the same. Testosterone fueled indignation.

However the mind of her other brother
, Ryan is greatly different. He’s pondering the connection between us. He knows there is something familiar about me and it has him in thought.

I place my ha
nd atop hers on my leg, “May I ask where you originate from in Greece?” I ask Polona.

Her
eyes roll slowly to my face, “Megara.” She answers evenly.

I nod, “I know that area well. My father had many relatives
in the west district.”

She narrows her eyes, “What surname? I do not recognize Garai as a local.”

“Apostolos. His mother’s side.” I know that bringing up this topic opens a line of questioning I should avoid but I can’t help the curiosity that is running away in my brain. She is a different being than most humans. I can’t get an accurate read on her thoughts and it’s bemusing.

She stares at me for several long beats then steeples her fingers under her chin. “I’ve been long removed from the area but I’m sure my mother could speak to her ties with any Apostolos’s.”

I smile, “I’m certain she could.”

Adonia’s eyes bounce between her mother and me and I can feel the tension in her shoulders. I turn and rest my hand on her neck and squeeze gently at the pressure point and feel the stress fall away.

“Ok?” I ask softly.

She blinks then nods and I can sense the sudden arousal begin to saturate her body. I bite my tongue to keep from reacting.

Her father clears his throat and I welcome the intrusion. I break our gaze and look at him. “So tell me, what was this work trip that Adonia needed to assist you with on her first day of work?”

I smile politely, “Once I interviewed Adonia and realized her major I knew she would be the perfect counterpoint. It just so happened that I had a business meeting already arranged and her arrival was perfect timing.”

He eyes me with interest, “And what was the business meeting?”

“I’m funding an archeology crew in southern Athens and Adonia’s knowledge in
Environmental studies provided quite a bit of insight to the preservation of the study.” I lie.

I feel Adonia’s shock at my
obvious bullshit answer and she’s nervous of questions that will be thrown her way.

I turn and grin at her, “Isn’t that right, baby?”

Silence falls all around and everyone collectively gasps at my endearment, including, Adonia. My smile widens; I can’t help it. This is pure entertainment for me and I’m loving it.

Her brother drops his fork onto his plate causing the metal to ring in my ear, “Oh please!” he shouts, “You two barely know each other. Stop with the charade.” He spits.

I give him a look that must be murderous because he leans back and fear shoots across his eyes. Some people are natural observers and he is one. He knows there is something to me and warning bells are blaring in his head.

I wipe my face clean, “True, but I knew she was it when I first laid eyes on her.” They would never know just how true that statement is.

Adonia wraps her hand around mine. “And the same goes for me. So stop with the rude comments and show him some fucking respect!” she shouts.

The warning in her tone has even me turning to her. She’s staking her claim on me and letting everyone know I’m hers. The thought is more pleasing and intoxicating than anything I’ve ever felt.

It makes me want to take her right here and show her how she’s mine. She reads my emotions and a blush works across her cheek as she looks down at her plate and takes a deep breath.

Her father stands. “I’ve had enough.” He says dropping his napkin on the table. He points to
Dean, “You. Outside, now.”

Wordlessly he shoves his chair back hard against the floor and stalks from the room.

Adonia squeezes my hand and I see her thoughts are concern for me. I squeeze back and give her a side glance, “Don’t worry, love, I’m a big boy, remember?” I murmur and watch the blush fan across her cheeks. She’s remembering this morning in the shower and I grin when she flashes the image of me walking from the shower and how her eyes remained focused on my bare retreating form.

Polona set her wine glass down. “So, exactly what will you be doing at this company?” she asks Adonia.

“She’s going to be heading the new green imitative that I have planned for Garai Industries and my subsidiaries.” I respond coolly.

Her arctic glare settles on me. “Do you make it a habit of answering for the ladies that accompany you?”

I get the insight to how Adonia became so headstrong. Her mother radiates independence.

I smile serenely, “No.” I say smoothly, “But I’m very impassioned by the work your daughter will accomplish at my company and I felt the need to impart that to you.”

She glares back at me irritated by my answer. She gets the undercurrent of sarcasm in my delivery and it feeds her anger. My eyes are dancing with entertainment. Her mother positively loathes me.

Moments later Dean and her father return to the table. Everyone has abandoned their plates and the awkward silence is affecting everyone but me. I stare impassively at each set of eyes inviting them to ask more questions—bring it on.

Adonia softly pushes her chair from the table and wipes her mouth. I notice she hardly touched her food and that irritates me.

She glances at her mother, “Thanks so much for lunch, mom. It was delicious.” She says standing. “We need to head back to the city
. I’ve a lot to do to prepare for work tomorrow and we really need to get home.” As the words leave her mouth she drops her jaw in shock. A warm feeling courses through me at the thought of her calling it, “home”.

But the other reactions are less than stellar. Her father hisses an expletive through his teeth and her mother shrieks in protest as both her brothers shoot from their chairs and round the table in my direction.

I rise from the chair bored and wrap my arm around her waist pulling her to me. I look down at her and smile, “Yes, home.” I murmur then look back to her father. “And I am very much hoping that she will consent to be my wife and share everything I have.”

Adonia gasps and slaps her hand across her mouth in shock. Her eyes are flooded with awe and love. She can’t believe what I just asked her and the only word she repeats over and over in her head is YES!

I lean down and place a soft kiss to her lips. “Mrs. Garai.” I say smiling, “It has a nice ring to it.”

She claps both hand on the sides of my face, “Yes!” she screeches and her mother nearly faints at the table.

Her father’s eyes bounce between Adonia and me for several minutes before he’s able to utter a single word. Finally he says, “Adonia, you have no idea what you are saying. You don’t even know this man.”

Adonia turns to him and walks over clutching his hand, “I know the only thing that matters and that is that I love him unconditionally and I never want to
walk hand in hand with anyone else as long as I shall live.” She leans in and whispers, “He’s it for me—the one, daddy.”

He inhales sharply and stares down at her. The lines on his face etched deeply as he tries to shake the pain. Finally he cups her face, “I just want you to be happy, baby.” He looks to me but I can see the mistrust, “She is our baby and if you ever hurt her there will be a line of Kostas men ready to take your last breath.”

I nod, “Fair enough, sir. I would expect nothing less, and know that I will protect her from others and should they harm her or hurt her in anyway they will suffer the same fate.”

He tests my answer then nods and extends his hand. I walk over and grip it firmly. “Well then, welcome to our family.”

I smile and reach for Adonia. Strangely, being accepted by this man has put an ease inside me. I glance at her mother and she is now standing crying softly as she stares at Adonia.

Adonia walks around the table and wraps her arms around her neck. “Shhh, don’t cry momma. Just trust me. Nothing has ever been more right. He truly is the one of my lifetime.”

I smile at her words and follow behind her. She smiles back at me before she walks to her brothers, each of them eyeing me. She embraces them both together and pulls their rigid bodies side by side.

She kisses them both on the cheek then quickly
follows it with a slap to their face. They both stare at her in shock and rub the red stinging flesh of their face, “What the fuck was that for?” Dean asks.

Adonia giggles, “Because I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re thinking of
tackling him in the yard and beating the shit out of him.”

I chuckle loudly and he narrows his eyes at me. But turns back to Adonia, “I could take him.” He mutters and just like that the tension dissolves and they stand grinning at each other. She punches Ryan in the arm and he winces then returns the blow. But that action makes me boil with rage especially when I feel her ringing pain.

I step closer and she senses me and turns smiling. “It’s ok.” She says ginning and winks, “I hit harder.”

She turns back and walks to my side. I grip her hand and with one final nod in her
parent’s direction she leads me out the door.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

ADONIA

I can’t stop the stupid grin that is spreading across my face. Adonia Garai. Holy fucking shit!

Khai laughs beside me, “Really.” He says dryly, “In a matter of days you’ve reduced me to a domesticated house husband.” He shakes his head in mock horror.

I giggle, “As long as you both shall live has a whole new meaning, huh?”

He turns to me all humor gone, “Those are the most cherished words in my world
.”

The reverence in his voice melts me to my seat. He is impassioned by this notion and the thought has me doing summersaults inside. It’s evident, he loves me and he wants me.

He nods, “Yes on both accounts but you’ll never know how much, my love.”

I reach over and take his hand, “Me too.”

He smiles, “I know,” he taps his temple.

I shake my head. “Intruder,” I mumble and sit back trying to process everything that has happened.

It’s been a whirlwind for a lack of better words. Khai is a lot to take in and mix that with my newfound life lineage and you’ve got one hell of a story. Except this isn’t a story it’s my life now.

Suddenly I have so many questions about my new gift and what I am to do with my abilities. Also, will I age like Fatima? How will I explain this to my family? All of these questions suddenly make me feel like a heavy rock in my seat. I’m overwhelmed.

He reaches for my hand, “From the moment she touched you your human process froze. I read Fatima while we were there and got the story behind everything. She wanted me to know so that I could tell you. She wanted you to embrace this and use it for good.” He squeezes my hand as we pull into his garage. “Come inside, let me finish.”

I nod and he walks around to open my door then takes my hand again. I can feel his spark at my touch. I wonder if it will always be like this—every contact sending electricity through me heating me up from within.

He grins, “I sincerely hope so.”

I smirk back, “My own person space heater.”

He barks out a laugh, “Your very own. I come in a thousand different temperatures.”

I bat my lashes at him, “I’ll take the hot one right now.”

He nods very slowly, “And that you shall get beautiful.”

He leads us straight to the bedroom where he continues to thoroughly bake my mind for the next hour.

“Tell me about her. What did she do with her long life?” I ask as I trace my finger over his perfectly toned chest. His skin feels like fine silk and the muscles underneath ripple as I glide my finger over his chest and down his abdomen.

“If you want an answer to that question then slow you finger and don’t go any further because I will take you again and fuck you until you beg me to stop.”

My hand stills and I smile wide, “As you wish husband to be.”

“And as my wife you will be bedded by me everyday and as many times as your human body will allow.”

I shudder at the threat and clench my stomach in anticipation. He can screw me ragged and I’ll always ask for more.

He laughs, “Careful, love. You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

I sigh, “Trust me, I know exactly what I’m asking for, but sadly it will have to wait for now because I need answers.” I pout as I pull my head up and look into his eyes.

He smiles, “We have many, many, many more lifetimes to carry on, love.”

I nod and sit up facing him. He tucks my just fucked hair behind my ear, “Fatima was a non-practicing witch when you were murdered but that day changed everything. She chanted over your dead body for hours not even knowing what she was saying it just flowed from her naturally. That was the day she stopped aging and she has been waiting for you ever since. Over the years she stayed with the house knowing that one day you would come look for her—need answers.”

“Her long life has been spent in search of you. It was the only thing keeping her going. Along the way opportunities presented themselves where she could make good of her magic. Your gift is very powerful and one of a kind. There are very few of you left and you are the only one that can pass the lineage on. Fatima was the last born natural and she passed that to you.” He smiles.

“
I don’t understand. What makes me so special?” I ask truly confused and overwhelmed.

“You have the ability stop a tragic event and will it in a new direction. Not every one, though, only the things that destiny allows. Otherwise you would alter the entire universe. Just as Fatima said, along the way opportunities will arise for you to choose whether you want to intervene and will a different course of action.”

I scowl, “Of course I would!” I hiss, “Who would allow something tragic to happen if you could prevent it?”

He shrugs and I feel his indifference. It’s jolting. Sometimes he has the heart of a saint for me and others I feel like there’s just nothing there.

He shakes his head, “Adonia I don’t have a heart—literally—and this is how I’ve lived my entire existence up to this point. You have changed parts of me,yes. I never knew love and never wanted it until you. I never wanted to share anything, ever, until you. But it’s jus
t
yo
u
that I feel for. But I will make an effort to be more accepting of others for your sake.”

He sounds sincere and I know that this is just something that I will have to accept. He is very different from me but that doesn’t make me love him any less. More perhaps because he willing to change for me.

“For you, Adonia, I will move the earth.”

“And for you, Khai I will make it better.” I vow and his eyes widen then a small smile spread across his beautiful face.

I lay my head back on his chest and feel the slow pulls of air. Suddenly my head snaps up, “What will I tell my family about my aging, Khai?” I ask terrified.

H
e soothes the place between my brows with his long finger, “That will be the easiest thing to explain, love. I have a way with altering people’s perceptions. They’ll never even notice.”

I scoff, “They’ll not notice that when I’m eighty I’ll still look twenty two? Come on!”

He grins, “You are going to have to trust me beautiful otherwise this will be a long and tedious existence together.”

I stare at him completely shocked, “Forgive me if that sounds just a tad bit ridiculous.” I say sarcastically.

His face hardens, “Are you saying that you don’t trust my words to you? My intention?”

My face falls, “No,” I whisper, “No. I trust you implicitly it’s just all too much. It’s hard to wrap my head around.”

He finally relaxes against the pillow. Jeez he’s temperamental and quickly, too. He grips my chin and tilts my head to his face, “Yes. I am, Adonia. You have no idea just how much, too. Just remember that.”

My heart sprints in my chest at the threat in his words. What’s he saying? That I should be frightened?

He shakes his head and I watch as his eyes turn from bright lavender to cold black, “Never be frightened of me, Adonia. Ever. I can’t tell you what that thought does to me. It’s like acid inside my chest eating away at me. I never want you to think that I would ever have any intent on harm to you.”

I nod but say nothing. I just need some time to rest and absorb all of this. I’m just so fucking confused.

He kisses my forehead, “Sleep, my love.”

I roll over and he cages me in his arms from behind of
fering me his love and protection. I take both willingly as my eyes close and I drift into dream.

When my body makes me aware I’m alone and he’s gone my eyes flash open. I look to his side and the covers are drawn back. I sit up a little panicked and I can’t figure out why I feel so anxious without him.

He walks in from the bathroom and greets me with a slow sexy smile. He’s wearing a navy blue three-piece suit and a dark red color block tie. The contrasts are striking and his olive skin highlights the masculine contour of his face. His violet eyes are burning bright this morning and that jet-black hair is freshly fingered back. My mouth goes dry at his sight.

He’s truly criminal.

I let my eyes rove his frame from top to bottom then slowly I meet his gaze again, “Where are you going?” I ask and notice my voice is all husky and wanton.

He grins as he adjust his cufflink then slides his hand into his trouser pocket, “Work, of course.” He pulls his wrist up and checks his watch then smirks at me, “Just because you’ll be my wife doesn’t mean that I won’t fire your ass for not showing up.”

My face reddens. He’s right! I am being extremely irresponsible. I jump from the bed and as I am moving past him he pulls me into his arms, “I’m teasing you, love. Lie back and rest. You need it. I want you taken care of.”

I shake my head, “No. You’re right. I have responsibilities and I always need to remember that.”

He grows serious, “You’re only responsibility for the rest of our existence is to care for yourself and stick by my side. I will provide for you anything you need.”

I smile and touch his cheek, “I know you beautiful creature, but I’m doing this for me, not you.” I lean in and kiss his lips, “Now, give me twenty minutes.” I turn and walk to the bathroom and I hear his heavy sigh as I shut the door.

Exactly twenty-two minutes later I walk to the kitchen in my new Armani suit and ankle strap Mary Jane’s. He stills when he sees me and I feel oddly shy the way his eyes eat me where I stand.

He strides over to me in a way that let’s me know my predator has found his prey. He
shoves his hands into my hair and pulls my head back, “Fuck work.” He says tracing his tongue across my lower lip, “Come with me,” he says pulling me toward the bedroom, “And leave those delicious fucking shoes on.”

Its nearly noon when we finally park in front of his building. I’m grinning like a fool as we walk hand in hand across the lobby floor. Heads crane around and follow us every step we take. The shock registered on every face makes me giggle.

Khai sighs but chuckles, too. “This is going to be a long day.” He mutters.

I nod seriously, “This is just the beginning.”

When we step onto the elevator I feel the stares boring into my head. Suddenly I’m hyper aware of all the emotions floating around me. But it’s the two women in the corner eyeing Khai with X-rated longing. I feel my temperature rise and I level a glare in their direction that tells them back the fuck off—he’s mine.

He g
rins wide and squeezes my hand, “Easy tiger.” He murmurs and I grin back.

“If this is how it always is then we’ll need to see my doctor and get a prescription for my blood pressure.”

He laughs and the sound reverberates around the elevator walls. Two men in suits look up and stare at him in some sort of shock.

He shrugs, “Good morning gentlemen.”

They each blink rapidly, “Good morning Mr. Garai, sir.” They both stutter in unison.

I giggle and fold into his side. It’s like we
’re magnets—it just fits. Perfectly. He hums in ascent and I take a moment to thank God for my good fortune.

When we arrive on the floor of his office the pinging of fingers over keyboards stills and the silence is de
afening. Every eye is trained in our direction.

It reminds me of those movies where time is suspended and people
freeze in place. People actually stop mid stride and stare, some open mouthed.

I roll my eyes. It’s not that fucking big
of a deal and walk forward irritated. Khai seems to match my mood because I can feel it rolling off his skin.

Suddenly he stops and I jolt a little as he pulls my arm against his side. “This is Miss Adonia Kostas
, my soon to be wife and she will be accompanying me each morning. Get used to it.” He snaps and with that everyone simultaneously returns to their duties and the noises of a busy office fill the air.

We reach his office and he looks over his shoulder to Amanda, “Hold my calls.” He snaps and opens the door gesturing me in.

I swing around on him when he closes the door, “You could be a little less assholeish with the rest of the world, ya know.”