Illusion

by Alexandra Anthony

  “You need to eat. Shower and I will order food for you,” he murmured. He stood and lingered in the doorway for a moment. “The bathroom is fully stocked. Come and find me when you are finished.”

  He disappeared down the hallway. With a tired groan, I got to my feet and wandered into the master bathroom, removing my wrinkled blouse and letting my jeans pool around my feet. I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature before stepping in. I made short work of washing my hair and body, relieved to finally wash the grime of the last two days away. It was tempting to stand under the streams of hot water until it ran cold, but tension and fatigue were slowly creeping up on me, making my vision blurry and my eyelids heavy.

  Stepping out of the shower and quickly toweling off, I grabbed a comb off the vanity and ran in through my long hair. I glanced at my reflection in the large mirror and the realization that this face would be staring back at me in 20 years hit me like a ton of bricks. No more worry about laugh lines, crow’s feet and sagging skin. That revelation was quickly tempered by knowing that in a few years I’d have no more Anna or Georgia in my life as my friends. They’d never understand why Stefan and I didn’t age. Hell, I didn’t understand it and I was living it.

  Tearing my eyes away from the mirror, I walked into the bedroom and slumped down on the bed. Sighing, I fell back and closed my eyes against the hot tears that were stinging my eyes. I just wanted to lay here for a moment and get myself together. Just a few moments of peace to get the scramble of my mind back in order. The quietness and darkness of the room had other plans for me, and I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

  * * *

  “Pad Thai with Shrimp or Pad Sew with Chicken? I was unsure of which you would prefer so I ordered both.”

  Stefan didn’t look up from his laptop as I padded into the kitchen wearing one of his dress shirts as a nightgown. He was seated on a swivel bar stool at the counter, his fingers flying over the keyboard, making me wonder how the computer could keep up with the speed of his keystrokes. He glanced at me over the screen, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his handsome face broke into a wide smile.

  “Pad Thai.” I opened the takeout container and unwrapped the wooden chopsticks. Walking around the island, I sat down beside of him on a matching stool. “Thanks.”

  “Anything for you, vackra,” he said. He swiveled in his seat to face me. He was shirtless, only wearing black silk sleep pants. My eyes had a mind of their own as they traced across his broad chest, following the long expanse of his finely muscled arms. How was I lucky enough to wake up to this for the rest of my life?

  “What are you working on, my sexy man of intrigue?” I asked as I popped a shrimp into my mouth. As I chewed, I watched amusement flicker across his face. He raised an eyebrow at me and closed the laptop.

  “Business e-mails. How are you feeling, Josephine?”

  Turning my neck from side to side, I stretched. “Physically, I feel much better. I’m clean, rested and not hungry thanks to you.” I picked at my Pad Thai. “Mentally, I’m still trying to come to terms with feeling like my entire life has been a lie. I find out that my birth parents abandoned me, I’m some weird vampire hybrid and my father is one of the most powerful vampires in existence. The only bonus is that you’re still here.”

  “And you are here with me. As far as what happened with your father, I can only sympathize with you. If I am to be completely honest, I am happy you are some ‘weird, vampire hybrid’. That means I get to keep you for an eternity.”

  Placing my Thai food on the granite countertop, I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his cool shoulder. Forever with the love of your life? How many people get that opportunity? Pulling back and placing a kiss against his bicep, I sighed with contentment as I felt the weight of his head against mine.

  “Do you have any idea what Nigel knows about my mother?”

  “Nigel is an honest vampire. He is undecided on what he wants to tell you about her. I would believe in whatever he chooses to tell you.” Stefan’s cool breath tickled my scalp. “If you have no reservations, I would like to stay in New York for a few days. I have business matters to attend to and we can meet with Nigel.”

  “That’s fine with me. Do you have Council business?”

  Stefan released a deep sigh. “No.”

  “Is this some sort of top secret business you can’t tell me about? If we’re going to be together you need to tell me what’s going on. No secrets.”

  “I know. I only worry about how you will react to this information.”

  I gave his shoulder an affectionate shove and rolled my eyes. “Is it worse than finding out you were a vampire? I think I took that information in stride.”

  It was his turn to roll his eyes. He leaned over to nip at my neck with his teeth. “No, it is not worse than the night you discovered I was an immortal creature that longed for your blood. It is about my business holdings and what that means for us.”

  Why would his business holdings have anything to do with me? They belong to him and should be no concern to me.

  Reading my thoughts, his blue eyes searched my face. “You are my mate, vackra. Everything I have is yours now.” He stood and walked down the hallway and disappeared into his office. He sauntered back into the kitchen, his silk sleep pants resting low on his hips, showcasing the deep V that disappeared into the drawstring waist. He placed a thick manila envelope in front of me and patted it with his large hand.

  “What’s this?” I looked up at him suspiciously.

  “Open it,” he commanded as he sat back down beside of me.

  Shooting him a look of irritation, I opened the envelope and pulled out another portfolio with LM Holdings Incorporated embossed across the front in bold script. As I opened the folder, I flipped through the stack of papers. Page after page listed his assets: the building in which I was currently residing and two other properties in SOHO and TriBeCa. Business properties in the Financial District. Assets in Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, London, Milan, Indonesia and Stockholm. Completely overwhelmed, I scanned them quickly, completely bypassing the bank statements. I’d finally reached the end of the stack when I noticed three credit cards with my name on them: a Black American Express, a Platinum Visa and what appeared to be a bank debit card.

  “What the hell, Stefan? I don’t need your money,” I huffed, slapping the cards down on the counter. Pushing my stool away from the island, I made my way to the windows, taking in the sunset as it dropped behind the New York skyline.

  “I know you do not need my money. You have already given me your love and commitment. The least I can do is share what I have with you. Is that not the way a relationship works?”

  Angrily spinning around to face him, I saw the questioning look on his face and the irritation and fight drained from me. How could I argue with his logic, no matter how old-fashioned it seemed to be? He loved me, we were together and he wanted to do this for me. It wasn’t worth the argument.

  “Then it works the same for me. Whatever I have is yours as well.” I didn’t have much to offer him. I owned my villa in Bali, had a sizeable trust fund and book advances. It couldn’t compare to his financial portfolio, but it was something.

  “Josephine, if it makes you happy, then I will agree on one condition.” Stefan had moved from his stool to stand behind me at the windows, wrapping his strong arms around my shoulders and pulling me against his chest.

  Uh oh. A condition. I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. “And what is your condition?”

  “Live with me.”

  Chapter 2 – Total Disclosure

  “That’s all you want? For me to live with you?” I stammered. I expected more from him, some complicated stipulation that would put me on the offense. Once again, he surprised me with how little he wanted from me. And I was once again stunned at how much more I would be willing to give him.

  “That would be a good beginning point. There are many benefits to us living together, Josephine.” I felt h
is quick fingers begin to unbutton my shirt. His voice was sensual and smooth as he leaned to whisper against my ear. “We can do this. Whenever we want… wherever we want.”

  His hands shoved the shirt over my shoulders and it dropped to the floor around my feet, leaving me naked against him. My overheated skin came in contact with his much cooler flesh, sending a crackle of energy between us. He wound my long hair in one of his hands, pulling my head slightly back to rest against his chest. His lips lowered to my neck and he ran his tongue slowly up the length of my neck, tasting me. He didn’t stop until he licked over the shell of my ear. I shivered against him and a low moan slipped past my lips, a husky helpless sound of want. His hard cock pressed against my back and I unconsciously pushed back against him.

  “De saker du gör för mig och vacker,” he murmured softly. He still had the presence of mind to translate for me. “The things you do to me, beautiful one.”

  He released my hair and spun me around to face him. I looked up, marveling at the magnificence of the man in front of me. His blue eyes had darkened like the ocean at night and his lips were slightly parted. Stefan’s golden hair had fallen forward over his forehead as he captured my lips in a demanding kiss. His mouth opened against mine and his tongue boldly swept in, effectively igniting a fire that spread through my blood like wildfire, burning me alive from the inside out. Feeling wetness pool between my thighs, I pushed him back against the wall with strength I didn’t know I had, pulling my mouth from his.

  “You’re overdressed for the party, älskling.” I watched as his already dark eyes glazed over as I spoke to him in his native tongue. Gripping the drawstring to his sleep pants, I untied them and pushed them over his hips. My hands slid up his muscled stomach to lightly caress his chest. I licked one nipple and moved to the other, laving it with my tongue. I closed my mouth over it, lightly biting him.

  “Fuck! I want more of that. Harder,” he growled. His blond head dropped back against his shoulders, lost in a combination of agony and ecstasy.

  Feeling powerful and sexy, my mouth continued an assault on his chest, my tongue traveling over the sharp lines of his collarbones. I nibbled his skin with my teeth, making him cry out in pleasure. I ran my palm down his body and gripped his cock in my hand, lightly stroking the length of his shaft. His hips jutted towards me, encouraging me to continue.

  Stefan grabbed another handful of my hair and turned us around so I was pinned between himself and the wall, the predator inside of him resurfacing. My hand tightened around him as my teeth finally broke through the skin around his nipple, drawing blood.

  “Du kommer att vara död för mig,” he muttered, reaching between us and pulling my hand away from his cock. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me, my legs winding around his waist. He impaled me with one swift thrust, his hips pressing me against the wall as he pounded inside of me.

  “Don’t you fucking stop, Stefan. I need you,” I whimpered, tightening my arms around his neck, my fingernails digging into his shoulders. He increased his speed at my words, his cock completely filling me with every stroke. Our bodies moved together as one and Stefan plunged relentlessly inside of me. I answered each of them with wanton enthusiasm, my breathing coming in sharp gasps.

  “I will never stop. Aldrig!” Stefan warned, his handsome face intense as his hips battered into me. “I have you for an eternity. Tell me that you will be mine forever.”

  My back arched into him, shamelessly pressing my breasts deeper into his chest. I cried out in pleasure as he ruthlessly fucked me.

  “Tell me. I will not ask again.”

  “I’m yours, Stefan. Forever,” I sobbed, offering my neck to him in surrender. I felt him throb inside of me at my words and offering. I instinctively reacted by clamping around his cock.

  He released a guttural moan, burying his face into the crook of my neck. His fangs scraped against my skin before they sank into my willing flesh. My inner walls rhythmically tightened around him as I tumbled over the edge. My climax triggered his and he emptied inside of me, carefully withdrawing his fangs from my neck. His mouth was bloody as he crashed his lips into mine, collapsing to his knees, sliding us down the wall to the floor. I was wrapped around him and he was still buried inside of me, his breath uneven against my face.

  “Jag kommer att älska dig för evigt, Josephine. En evighet är inte tillräckligt lång för oss.” Stefan’s mind voice was reverent as it entered my thoughts. He lifted his mouth from mine and his eyes were liquid with emotion.

  One of my hands moved to caress the skin over his stubble cheek, my fingers trailing down the side of his face to follow the curve of his chiseled jaw. I leaned in slightly to press a kiss against the cleft in his chin. “Translation, please.”

  His face relaxed into a smile as he adjusted his body, moving me to sit on his lap. “I told you that I will love you forever, Josephine. An eternity is not long enough for us.”

  “I love you.” I nuzzled my face into his chest. When Stefan said something so incredibly sweet it always rendered me almost speechless, amazed that he was mine and we were together.

  Stefan stood, carrying me bridal style down the hallway to the master bedroom. He turned on a lamp by the bed and pulled the covers back. We fell to the bed and he rolled over me, caging me in his long arms and legs. His velvet skin rubbed against mine seductively as he peppered kisses over my face and neck. Things were just starting to get interesting when he released me and fell to my side.

  “Why are you stopping?” I groaned in frustration. He rolled to face me, propping his head up in one of his hands, the muscles in his arms and shoulders rolling with the movement. He grinned and the light from the lamp cast interesting shadows across his handsome face. I traced the contours of his handsome face with my eyes, across the lines of his high cheekbones and slightly crooked nose. Unable to resist the call of his lips, I raised my head up slightly to kiss him. His free arm pulled me closer to him and he eased me back down on the bed, deepening the pressure with his strong, firm lips. One of my legs snaked around the curve of his taut ass and my hands went to his hair, my fingers tangling in the silky, blond strands. A growl vibrated soft and low in his throat as he reluctantly dragged his lips away from mine.

  “Seductress,” he teased. He didn’t move, he kept me pinned underneath him.

  “I’m obviously not doing a very good job if we’re still talking, Stefan,” I pouted. He reached over me to turn out the light and I panicked, grasping his arm tightly as tears filled my eyes. “No! Leave on the light!”

  He froze and stared down at me, confusion flashing across his face. “You are afraid?” His eyes searched mine and I swallowed back a sob, trying to look away. His hand grasped my chin and forced me to look at him. “Josephine?”

  My mind drifted back to the carriage house and the darkness in my mind where I’d retreated. At the time, I was afraid he’d be an illusion. His presence and voice were the only thing that kept me anchored to reality. It would have been so easy…

  Shaking my head slightly, I pulled myself from the memory. He was still watching me, reading my thoughts as the memory had played back through my mind. His bewildered expression changed to one of anger. “I will not let anything happen to you, vackra. I will never leave you. Never.”

  “I’m just being silly, Stefan. I’m fine.”

  “You are not fine. A person that is ‘fine’ does not react the way you just did to something as simple as turning off a lamp. Why are you frightened?” Stefan asked pointedly. “Tell me what you are not letting me see.”

  “No. I don’t want to talk about it.” I feebly tried to wiggle away from him. He applied more of his weight to me, effectively holding me in place. “Stefan, move.”

  “I am not moving. Start talking,” he ordered, his voice terse. “If I remember correctly, you said that if things were going to work between us we needed to communicate. You are not communicating with me.”

  Damn Stefan and his vampire memory! I hated to a
dmit that he was right. I had told him when we were still in Bali that we had to be honest with each other.

  “Alright, I’ll tell you. When I blacked out, I was afraid everything was a dream or a fragment of my imagination. I couldn’t move or communicate and I would have flashes of memories. You were by my side the whole time and your presence in my mind is what kept me here. I was scared I’d wake up and you’d be gone.” I sighed in defeat. “Are you happy now, Mr. Total Disclosure?”

  He frowned and shook his head. “No, I am not happy to know that you are frightened.” He rolled back on his side and paused for a moment, running his fingertips across my lips. “Would you like to know what I was thinking as I watched you lay on that fucking couch? For the first time in my existence, I felt helpless… I wanted nothing more than to see your green eyes staring back at me. I searched for centuries for you and you were lost to me. I can protect your body. How can I fight off the demons in your mind?”

  He was off the bed and darted to the window, pushing the motorized curtains open. The lights of New York twinkled in the background and he stood with his back to me, frozen in front of the window, as beautiful as a finely-sculpted statue.

  I rolled over on my stomach and rested my chin in my hands. “You can’t protect me from everything, silly. And you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.”

  He whirled around to face me, his face was terrifyingly stunning in his anger. “As your mate it is my job to protect you. Everyone else is meaningless to me, Josephine. If I were to lose you now my life is forfeit.”

  “Don’t talk that way. If something would happen to me, I want you to be happy,” I whispered, shivering at the thought of Stefan just giving up and asking to be killed if something were to happen to me.

  He darted back to the bed, his chest heaving with emotion. “You do not get it, do you? I only existed on this earth prior to meeting you. You have made me feel more than I did even during my human life.”