Fated

by Alexandra Anthony

  “Stefan, put me down!” I squealed against the small of his back. I was only half-hearted in my attempt to escape, since I had the pleasure of admiring the view of his firm ass from this angle. I was just getting ready to playfully struggle against him again when I felt a smack on my ass. I should have been angry at his mischievous swat, instead I felt arousal tingling in my stomach. All it took was a simple look or touch from him to set my body on fire, the intensity painfully delicious.

  “Did you just spank me, Stefan?” I asked quietly, jumping when another playful smack from his hand made contact with my ass. He was silent as he carried me quickly through the house, walking up the stairs to the master bedroom. He tossed me on the bed and my body bounced from the impact.

  Stefan stalked across the room to lower himself in the chair in the corner of the room, his sharp eyes watching me. He still hadn't spoken and his thoughts were intentionally jumbled as I tried to take a mental peek to see what he was planning.

  Struggling to sit up on the bed, my heart was racing as my eyes searched his face. I ran a shaky hand through the tangled waves of my hair, slightly biting my lip.

  “Stand up, Josephine.” His voice was low and demanding. There was a slight huskiness lingering in his tone.

  I crawled to the edge of the bed, standing up unsteadily. His eyes traced the contours of my body slowly, lingering on the swell of my breasts, moving to admire the curve of my hips and finally stopping to rake over the length of my legs. A shrewd smile curved his lips as I nervously stood in front of him. The sound of his mental voice floated through my mind, his tone smooth and commanding.

  "Take off your dress and stay where you are. Do not move except to do as I tell you.”

  “Stefan,” I could hardly lift my voice above a whisper. His eyes were wild. I could barely make out any blue in the blackness of his eyes.

  “No more talking. I asked to you to remove your dress, Josephine.” Stefan's voice resonated powerfully in the quiet room. His body was tense as he leaned forward in the chair, ready to pounce on me at any time.

  Twisting my arms behind me, I shakily pulled the zipper down the back of the dress. The fabric slipped down the length of my body to pool around my feet. I gave the dress a nudge away with the toe of my shoe, standing before him in my strapless black bra and panties. My heart rate increased as I waited for him to continue.

  Stefan was motionless as he continued to stare at me, his gaze predatory. He slowly rose from the chair, walking across the room to slowly circle me. My hands longed to reach out and touch him, but he stayed just out of my grasp, making it impossible for me to do it and not move.

  "Remove your bra and panties.”

  Nervously licking my lips, I reached to unclasp my bra and let it drop from my fingers on the floor. My hands fumbled as I hooked my fingers around the sides of my panties, bending to push them down my legs. As I stood to face him again, his eyes were still silently appraising me and his hands were clenched at his sides.

  “Perfect. Keep on the shoes, vackra. I want you to wear them while I fuck you.” His voice was almost a growl as he continued to watch me standing before him.

  My heart was thumping against my chest and my entire being was vibrating with need. Wetness spread between my thighs and my knees began to weaken, my emotions whirling and spinning out of control. I wasn't sure if I should be turned on or appalled at being dominated like this. Or both.

  I opened my mouth to talk but his finger pressed softly against my lips, effectively stopping any words from escaping. He stepped closer, slowly moving the finger from my lips to move below my chin, tilting my face up to look at him. He circled me again, tracing a finger across my back from one shoulder to the other, the coolness of his skin causing me to shiver.

  When he finally stood to face me again, his mouth was arranged in a hard smile, lines of concentration deepening along his brows and under his eyes.

  “Undress me, Josephine.”

  Hesitating for a moment, I was powerless to resist him. My hands rushed to his chest, struggling against the buttons of his shirt. When the last one released, my fingers pushed the shirt over his broad shoulders and down the length of his long, muscular arms. I lowered my hands to fumble with the button and slowly lowered the straining zipper on his jeans. I couldn't stop my moan of desire as his cock sprang out, slapping against his stomach once it was freed from the confines of the denim. Swallowing thickly, I hastily shoved the fabric down his legs.

  Stefan absently kicked his jeans away from him. His tongue darted out to lick along his lower lip in anticipation, his hand wrapping around my arm to pull me back to stand in front of him. His fingers began a path along my jaw, dragging along the side of my neck to slowly trace the circle of my nipple, the skin pebbling from the electric touch of his skin against mine.

  "Lay down on the bed.”

  Obeying his mental command, I stretched my body across the bed. He leaned over me and his smooth hands pushed my thighs apart. His long fingers drifted lightly over my clit and wet folds, slipping them slowly inside of me. My hips lifted off the bed, moaning softly. His eyebrow raised slightly, his lilting mental voice seductively entering my mind.

  “Always so wet for me. Are you ready for me to fuck you now?”

  Arching my head into the bed, I thrust my breasts higher and my wet pussy into his hand. He settled between my legs and his tongue licked along my inner thigh to flick against my swollen clit. His thumb replaced his tongue, slowly rubbing a tight circle around my clit. He leaned over my body to wrap his mouth around my nipple, rolling it gently with his tongue. He raised his head to look at me, his blue eyes hooded and glazed. I could tell by the expression on his face he was waiting for an answer.

  “Stefan. Please fuck me....”

  One of his hands took my wrist, stretching my arm above my head. His other hand reached for my other wrist, repeating the motion. He clasped both of my wrists in one of his large hands and his chest pressed against me. His hard cock slid inside of me with one swift roll of his hips, a growl rumbling in his chest as he fully entered me. He began slowly thrusting with deep strokes, his breath ragged against my face. His mouth found its way instinctively to mine and my lips parted to meet his. There was nothing gentle about this kiss, his lips were hard and rough against mine, his tongue mimicking the thrusts of his cock inside of me. Pulling my knees back farther, I cried out as he slipped completely inside, completely filling me with his large cock.

  “Oh god, Stefan. Fuck!”

  His mouth continued his sensual assault on mine as his speed increased. Our bodies slid against each other, my hips rocking to meet each surge of his cock. My body was consumed with heat, my passion for him was overwhelming and all-consuming. He could have me a million different ways and it would never be enough.

  He pulled his lips from mine, his mouth descending to the crook of my neck. His hand continued to hold my wrists above my head and I arched against him as I felt his fangs sink into the skin on my neck. My orgasm was explosive, the feel of his fangs and lips on my neck caused me to clasp around him tightly. I violently shuddered against him and triggered his own climax. He pulsed inside of me as he pulled his fangs from my neck. My blood was trickling down his chin as his head fell back, a roar exploding from his mouth in ecstasy.

  “Jag kan inte få nog av dig!”

  Stefan's body trembled against mine and his hands released the grip on my wrists. My fingers reached up to wipe my blood from his chin and his tongue swiftly darted out to lick at them greedily.

  He fell to his side, pulling me along with him so we were lying face to face on the bed, his long leg draping across my thigh. His eyes were closed and his large hand ran down the length of my back in a gentle caress. For a brief unguarded minute, his thoughts tumbled out freely and his mind was completely open to me. He was blissful, the happiness he felt bordered on euphoria. His thoughts were consumed with the unwavering love he felt for me, the sheer emotion he was feeling was almost too much for
me to understand.

  My heart twisted when I felt his fear of my limited human life span creep into the boundaries of his mind, his thoughts darkening as he worried about me leaving him, either on my own volition or by his greatest fear: in my death. He was uncertain that I would choose to change to stay with him and this terrified him.

  As quickly as his thoughts flooded my mind, he closed them off to me like a door slamming shut to an unwanted visitor. He sighed deeply in regret and his eyes closed to avoid my anxious stare. I couldn't force him to look at me, although I'd try my best to reassure him.

  Curling myself around him, I opened my thoughts to him, hiding nothing from him. I showed him the strength of my feelings, the curiosity I felt at how he was able to unlock a side of me I kept hidden away. I focused on the ferocity of my love for him and how meeting him was the one thing in my life that made me the happiest, how I'd finally found a sense of home with him. My throat ached with unshed tears when I realized that I was in so deep now, I couldn't imagine my life without him beside of me. I needed him as much as he needed me.

  Stefan was silent as he pulled me closer to him. I felt him draw in an unnecessary breath and his shaky exhale against my hair. His mental voice was soft as it brushed against my mind. “I love you, Josephine. No matter what you choose to do, I am eternally yours. Jag är din och du är min. För evigt.”

  With a whimper from me, I reclaimed his mouth with mine, turning my head to drink him in. Our mouths met with wet need, desperate to prove to each other the depth of our love.

  I knew beyond a doubt that I loved him and didn't want to live without him. It was up to me to figure out if one lifetime was enough.

  Chapter 10

  Pulling on a pair of capri yoga pants and a tank top the next morning, I yanked a brush through my tangled hair as my eyes swept over Stefan's sleeping form on the bed. He was gloriously naked and his arms were clutching a pillow against his broad chest, his face smooth in sleep. His long, muscled legs were stretched across the bed and the faint glow from the morning sun made his pale skin appear almost luminous. It was still hard for me to believe that this beautiful creature was mine for eternity if I wanted it. Did I want it?

  Walking across the room to the large windows, my eyes took in the swell of the waves in the distance. I had avoided relationships for 28 years and presently I was considering spending an eternity of lifetimes with the vampire behind me. The thought intrigued and terrified me at the same time. I considered the odd changes to my body, the almost instant healing of his bite marks, the changes to my mental shields, our ability to read each other’s thoughts....it was making my head swim and causing a familiar fear to rise inside of me. I squashed the fear down, knowing that I loved him and being with him was right.

  I quietly left the room, my bare feet padding down the staircase to head for the kitchen. I'd just stepped into the living room when I noticed a strange man sitting on Stefan's couch. I froze in my tracks, unable to move.

  His strange, heavily accented voice stopped me in my tracks. “You must be infamous Josephine I've heard so much about.”

  He was tall and thin and his long arm stretched across the back of the couch. His hair was wavy, salt and pepper in color. His skin had the familiar iridescent pale quality of a vampire, however his had an almost tawny tinge and his features reflected his Spanish heritage. His brown eyes were sharp and piercing, his mouth thin with a slight cynical twist to it.

  Slowly inching backwards towards the staircase to the master bedroom, my heart was racing against my chest. I wasn't sure if my mental thoughts could wake up Stefan but I figured now was a perfect time to try since I was alone with a potentially unfriendly vampire. I'm sure my mental voice was loud and probably sounded frantic it screamed out to him. “Stefan! I need you to get down here. Now.”

  “Yes, I'm Josie. I'm at a disadvantage here since you obviously know me and I'm at a loss as to who you are. I wake up to find a stranger sitting on my boyfriend's couch. You have to understand why I'm confused.” My voice sounded level, even as my heart continued its frantic rhythm in my chest. I continued slowly backing towards the stairs as I kept sending mental pleas to Stefan.

  A deep, mocking laugh came from him, his legs stretching to cross at his ankles. “Boyfriend,” he snorted, his eyebrow raising slightly. “I suppose you're right. I know everything about you, Josephine. You are more beautiful than Stefan said you'd be.”

  “Adolfo.”

  I let out a sigh of relief as I heard Stefan's voice at the top of the stairs. He was a blur as he came to stand beside of me, a possessive arm wrapping tightly around my waist.

  “Josephine, since he is not polite enough to introduce himself, allow me to do the honors. This is my friend Adolfo Amaya. He is on the Council, the one I contacted about our concerns,” Stefan said, his voice sharp as he made the introductions. Glancing up to look at his face, my stomach sank as I observed the displeased expression on his face. When he looked down at me, his eyes were filled with regret. I knew this wasn't a social visit since it was apparent Stefan knew exactly why this vampire was here and it wasn't to catch up on gossip.

  “Nice to meet you,” I whispered, pressing myself closer to Stefan. I sent a mental thought to him, the tone cutting. “Now would be a great time to tell me what the hell is going on, Stefan.”

  Stefan's mental voice laughed sardonically. “He is here on Council business. We are going to need to go with him. Josephine, I need you to remain calm so he doesn't know we're communicating.”

  He needed me to remain calm?! This strange vampire was here to take us to parts unknown and I'm supposed to stand here and act like he's here for a cup of coffee? I took a deep breath and made the decision to let Stefan do the talking. He could easily pick through Adolfo's future to gauge his intentions.

  “Stefan, you know why I'm here so let's cut the pleasantries. I need you both to pack and come with me. There's a private plane waiting for us,” Adolfo said in his heavily accented voice, clasping his hands across his lap. His dark eyes roamed around the room before fixing his stare back at Stefan.

  Watching as Stefan began to anxiously pace the room at a much faster pace than human speed, I uneasily sat down on the edge on a chair and chewed on my bottom lip. Lukas had warned us both this was going to happen. Even Stefan said they knew of me prior to us meeting. I wasn't expecting it to happen like this, especially from someone that Stefan said he could trust.

  His mental voice was a warning in my head. “Vackra, we have no choice in the matter. We cannot refuse. We have to go with him.”

  He stopped pacing to stand beside of me, his large hand caressing the strands of my hair. I glanced up at him, our eyes meeting again. His sea blue eyes were resigned and his mouth was tight and grim. He addressed Adolfo without bothering to look at him, his eyes still focused on mine as he spoke.

  “How long until we leave, Adolfo?”

  Adolfo stood and walked to the far wall of windows. He pulled back the arm of his suit jacket, glancing at his watch. “We need to leave here within the hour. I'll be your escort until the Council convenes.”

  “Fine,” Stefan answered. He grabbed my elbow and led me up the steps into the bedroom. He closed the door behind us and his face finally relaxed.

  As I started to open my mouth to speak, Stefan placed his index finger over his own lips and shook his head. He moved to tap his temple, reminding me to use mental speak. I rolled my eyes, remembering him telling me this would come in handy.

  Damn it if he wasn't right again!

  “Can you see what's going to happen? You know I can't see our futures, Stefan.”

  He was a blur as he moved back and forth from the bed to the closet, opening a large suitcase and placing jeans, shirts and shoes in the bag.

  “They are curious about you. It is not typical of a vampire to choose to be in a romantic relationship with a human and they want to evaluate the strength of it. Of course, they knew of you from my own mind as we discussed and
I'm assuming Adolfo's questions piqued their interest. Start packing, vackra.”

  His hand pointed to the closet and motioned for me to start moving. My feet felt as if they were encased in cement as I walked towards the closet, my hands clenching until I felt my fingernails cut into my palms.

  “How long are we going to be there? And what they hell do they want to know, Stefan?”

  Turning away and not waiting for an answer, I focused on the closet and searched through the clothes Lukas had picked out for me. I mentally gave Lukas a thank you for his obsessive shopping behavior.

  “Two days at the most, Josephine. They want to assess your ability and make sure you are not a threat. If it puts your mind at ease, I see us returning back to Bali. There are things that are variables. However, I see us returning together.”

  “Variables? What kind of variables?”

  Stefan shrugged his shoulders as he began getting dressed. “That I do not know. Our gifts are not exact sciences.”

  Throwing up my hands in exasperation, I angrily pulled clothes from the closet and added it to Stefan's suitcase. I hurried into the bathroom and grabbed my cosmetic bag and toiletries from the sink, rushing back into the bedroom. Stepping back into the closet, I grabbed jeans and yanked a white smocked henley blouse from the hanger. Dressing quickly, I shoved my feet into a pair of ballet flats and ran my fingers through my hair to attempt to smooth the wild waves. I walked to the edge of the bed to stand beside Stefan, my hands trembling as I reached for the zipper of the suitcase to close the suitcase.

  “You look beautiful.” His thought was a whisper as he turned to encircle me in his arms, pulling me against the hardness of his body. His blond head lowered to brush his lips against mine gently and I let myself relax into the comfort of his embrace. I reminded myself that he said we'd be returning together. The thought of losing him or coming home without him tore apart my insides.