Illusion

by Alexandra Anthony

  Simply nodding, I said nothing. I was hoping he’d continue talking and I didn’t want to interrupt him.

  “Before I tell you about our father, let me tell you about what we are. We’re hybrids, Josie. Once we hit our thirties we become immortal, unchanging anomalies. Our mother was tired of being Kian’s pawn and little science project. She disappeared 28 years ago, a few days after you were born. One day I woke up and you both were gone. I was only 10 and too young to ask questions. I just missed my mom and my baby sister.” He sat down on the couch and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. “When I started asking questions, the lies began.”

  “What kind of lies?”

  “Kian tried to convince me that she left us and took you with her. That he was the victim in my mother’s selfishness. I was naïve and believed it until I found out our mother was having an affair with Nigel. She was going to leave our father the day she disappeared. Convenient timing, right?”

  My mind flashed back to the day Nigel told me that my mother was almost as beautiful as me. I remembered his anguish as he sat in this very room, so strong that I felt tears fill my eyes now. “Nigel loves her. He keeps searching for her,” I said. My mind was racing as I considered his story. I knew Nikolaus was telling me the truth.

  “Yeah, Nigel doesn’t want to accept she’s dead. Fuck Josie, I don’t want to accept it.” He ran his fingers through his short hair again, leaning back on the couch. I noticed that it was his hair was streaked with strands of chestnut and gold as the sun from the windows gleamed across his face. “I know you’re trying to figure out my angle, right?”

  A sheepish smile tugged at my lips and my eyes narrowed. He was right. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “You’re a psychic and I’m a telepath. If I’m right, drop your shields and you’ll see.” He pressed his index finger against his temple and raised up his thumb, imitating a gun. “Our father doesn’t know I can read his mind. It’s quite humorous to know I can do something he doesn’t know about and he can’t block.”

  Lowering my shields, I startled when my mind connected with his. Nikolaus’ brain was like opening up an encyclopedia of memories. He gave me access to every bit of information he knew about my father, many of the recollections making me shudder. The one that I focused on featured our father gripping a beautiful, brown haired woman by the shoulders, shaking her violently. His face was twisted in rage as he sank his fangs into her neck, biting her so savagely that he nearly ripped her throat out.

  Pulling myself out of his memories, I sank down on the couch beside him. “That was our mother, wasn’t it? Kian killed her, didn’t he?”

  He reached over and took my hand. He turned to look at me and his eyes were so similar to mine that it was like gazing into a mirror, except that his burned with a bitterness that I felt compelled to make disappear. “Yes.”

  My mother… our mother. Dead at the hands of our father. It made sense why Kian didn’t want to speak her name. Guilt could do strange things, even to a megalomaniac. Tears burned my eyes and one escaped to run down my cheek. “What do we do?”

  He snorted drolly. “I’m sure you can guess what I want to do.”

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you want to kill him,” I answered, swallowing shakily.

  He raised both eyebrows and his mouth twitched. “Bingo.”

  My head turned as I heard a key turn in the lock. The apartment door swung open and Stefan’s large frame darkened the doorway, his pale blue dress shirt stretching across the broad expanse of his chest. He quietly strode in and closed the door behind him, glancing between Nikolaus and myself. Swaggering into the living room, he dropped into one of the armchairs across from the couch, the faded denim of his jeans clinging to his muscled thighs. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and his piercing gaze locked on me.

  “I see your visitor has arrived,” Stefan said coolly. He stated the obvious as his fingers tapped against the arms of the chair, what I’d finally come to associate as his tell when he was anxious or nervous. He looked huge, handsome and deadly, his blue eyes as cold as ice. He had no reservations in letting us know he was displeased to see me with another man, even if that man happened to be my brother. I dropped Nikolaus’ hand and moved to stand at the edge of his chair, sitting down on his lap and curling up against his chest. His strong arms wrapped around me, sighing heavily against my hair.

  “Have you enjoyed your visit with him, vackra?” Stefan’s mental voice was unsettled.

  “It’s been informative.” My stomach turned when I replayed some of the visions through my mind, knowing Stefan was methodically reading my thoughts. His entire body went rigid underneath me as he mentally sorted through each of them.

  Tilting my head back, I pressed a kiss to his throat. “Stefan, this is my brother Nikolaus. Nikolaus, this is Stefan. My mate.” I made sure to put the emphasis on mate to appease Stefan’s more possessive side. His body relaxed slightly underneath me, pleased at my choice of words.

  Men. They were so easy to please.

  Nikolaus focused on Stefan for a moment and an impish smile spread across his face, two dimples appearing on both sides of his cheeks. He clapped his hands together once and then rubbed them together, his deep laughter resounding throughout the living room. “Josie, you’re with Stefan Lifsten? Hell, yes! This is better than I expected. I know what you can do, Stefan. I just need to know if you’re willing to do it.”

  Stefan’s hand slowly stroked small circles on the small of my back. He chuckled and kissed my forehead affectionately. “And what is it that you know I can do, Nikolaus?”

  Nikolaus leaned back against the couch, spreading his arms across the top of the cushions, the colorful sleeve of tattoos on display. “Kill our father of course.”

  Stefan didn’t react to Nikolaus’s statement. He continued to stoke my skin as he sat silently in the chair. “Why do you think I would want to kill your father? He is a Board member and such actions would be considered treason.”

  Nikolaus tilted his head back against the cushions of the couch, rolling his green eyes up to the ceiling. “Yeah, yeah. Treason and all that fucking vampire protocol bullshit that’s been shoved down my throat for years. Don’t you think it’s time for things to change?”

  Stefan’s hand stilled on my back. “Josephine, I need to talk to your brother alone.”

  “Stefan,” I began, my voice rising in protest.

  “Josephine.” His blue eyes were hard as he stared at me. This was obviously not open for discussion.

  Huffing, I stomped out of the room. I went back to the bedroom and made a production of slamming the door. I pressed my ear against it so I could still hear what was going on. Their voices were muffled, but I could make out their conversation.

  “Listen, Stefan. You don’t know me and I get that you’re trying to act like you’re going to toe the line. Maybe you are and I’m wrong about who you are and what you stand for. But that’s my sister in there and I know what Kian is capable of. She’s next. He’ll either willingly convince her to come or he’ll kill you to get to her. If she tries to defy him, he’ll kill her.”

  An icy chill washed over me at Nikolaus’ last statement. He was right. If Kian would kill my mother, he would have no qualms in killing me.

  Stefan’s voice was level when he spoke. “Explain how you know what he is capable of doing.”

  “Kian has the ability to block most vampire’s abilities, Stefan. Did you notice you can’t see anything when he’s involved? It’s ironic that the smug bastard doesn’t know that I can read him like a fucking book. His little experiment turned on him, never expecting that his genetics and my mother’s abilities could be used against him. I know all of his dirty little secrets, the things he thought he had hidden away. He fucking killed my mother, Stefan.” Nikolaus’s voice broke. “The only reason I maintain any contact with him is so I can try to keep my eye on what he’s doing. I’d rather kill the asshole than look
at him. But I can’t so I’m asking you. No, I’m fucking begging for you to help me. And if you don’t want to help me, at least do it to save my sister.”

  I gasped as I listened to Nikolaus’ hatred as it colored each of his words. It was slowly eating him alive.

  “I will take your proposal under consideration, Nikolaus. I cannot promise you anything else.”

  “I won’t ask for anything more. It burns my ass to even have to consider someone else doing my dirty work.” He was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

  “You may ask. I may not answer.”

  I heard Nikolaus laugh and I shook my head at Stefan’s cockiness. “I like you, Stefan. But back to my question. Do you love her?”

  My heart thumped in my chest so loudly that I’m sure Stefan could hear it as I waited to hear his response.

  “More than my own existence.”

  “That’s the difference between you and my father. He doesn’t love anyone except himself and his fucking insane need for power. You can sit there in that chair in this fancy apartment and pretend that you care about fucking protocol. I know you love my sister. You know you love my sister. And we both know she loves you. Fuck, even if I had doubts I saw her face when you walked in the room. It’s a matter of survival now. It’s either kill or be killed at this point. You are standing between what he wants and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.”

  No one spoke for a moment. “Nothing will happen to her, Nikolaus. You have my word.”

  “Yeah, Nigel thought the same thing about my mother,” my brother said emphatically.

  “I am not Nigel, Nikolaus,” Stefan’s voice was cold. You could almost feel the shards of ice in his words. “Nigel is a decent man and a respectable vampire. He is tied into the Council too deeply and has not acknowledged that Armes is dead. Once he finally accepts that she was murdered, another ally bent on revenge will be created. An ally that seeks vengeance craves retribution more than he wants to live. It can become an all-consuming thing, Nikolaus. That combination can be deadly and the person will not be thinking of the big picture, only how to achieve it.”

  “Touché. I’m going to assume you’re not just talking about Nigel.”

  There was a pause in the conversation. I pushed myself into Stefan’s mind, sorting through the jumbles of his rapid moving thoughts. He was weighing the pros and cons of what the death of my father would mean to him, to me, to vampire society. He wasn’t against the idea but he wanted to be careful and methodically plan.

  “You are correct. I am not just talking about Nigel. I am very old, Nikolaus. I have not remained on this earth for almost 1,000 years by being impatient and impetuous.”

  “That’s why I’m asking for your help. The Council trusts you.”

  The room went silent and I struggled to listen for any movement that would alert me to Stefan’s approach so he wouldn’t catch me snooping.

  “If you are finished picking through my mind, please pull yourself away from the door and join us, Josephine.” Stefan’s mind voice was slightly irritated with my intrusion into his thoughts.

  Blushing profusely, I cracked open the door and slowly walked down the hallway to rejoin Stefan and my brother. Stefan was still seated in the chair and he glanced at me with amusement. Nikolaus walked to my side and pulled me into a tight embrace.

  He pulled back and his green eyes met mine. “I’m glad I finally met you, Josie. I can see our mom in you.” He smiled in a sad sort of way, his eyes shining brightly with unshed tears. “Are you staying in New York?”

  “We’re heading back to Indonesia for a while to wrap things up. We’ll be back though.”

  “Cool. Give me your phone.” I went to my purse and pulled it out, handing it over to him. He typed away quickly before placing it back in my palm. “My number is in there. Don’t be a stranger. Call me when you’re on your way back.”

  “I will. Bye, Nikolaus.”

  He grabbed his leather jacket and nodded a goodbye to Stefan, pecking a kiss on my cheek before breezing out the apartment. His abrupt departure left Stefan and I staring at each other, both of us at a loss for words.

  * * *

  Stefan had insisted on taking me out to dinner for our final night in New York. He chose to drive us himself in the silver Mercedes, smoothly maneuvering through the New York traffic, darting from lane to lane. We pulled to a stop at Central Park West in front of Jean-Georges. My door was opened by the valet, but it was Stefan’s hand that was gallantly offered to me. Placing my hand in his and threading our fingers together, he tossed the keys to the valet and took the ticket from the man’s fingertips. His blue eyes swept over me and he leaned in to whisper in my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

  “You look beautiful, vackra.”

  I felt beautiful. Dressed in a simple black sheath dress, I had my hair up in a messy bun, tendrils of hair framing my face. The necklace he had given me gleamed brightly against my chest and I could see the happiness on his face whenever his eyes fell on the pendant, which was quite often.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” I retorted playfully. He was in another Armani suit, this time in a deep charcoal gray. His crisp white dress shirt stood out in contrast against the black silk of his tie, and once again, this suit appeared to be tailored to emphasize all of his many assets: his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and his pants accentuated his long legs and firm ass.

  We walked in through the glass doors and into the restaurant, taken aback by the beautiful simplicity of the restaurant. Decorated in pale cream and oyster gray, Stefan led us to the maître de. He gave his name and we were swiftly led to an intimate booth in the corner. We were seated and a menu presented to Stefan. I couldn’t help but smile at the irony of the situation. The non-eating vampire would be doing the ordering for us tonight.

  He looked over the menu and glanced at me over the top of the menu, winking at my apparent amusement at seeing him decide what food to order.

  “You may smile now, however you need to keep in mind you must eat what I order,” he said, with a hint of arrogance in his voice.

  My amusement fading, I took a sip of water and smiled nervously. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

  Our waiter appeared at our table and Stefan ordered the Spring tasting menu, along with a bottle of white wine. He nodded in approval and disappeared, leaving us alone again.

  Stefan extended his hands across the table with both of his palms up, asking for my mine silently. I lightly traced the lines on them with my fingertips before closing my much smaller hands around his, making me think about all of the things those powerful, large hands had touched in the last 975 years. He squeezed my hands gently, his lips tensing slightly as he read my thoughts. Noticing his mood change, I gripped them a little tighter.

  “Stefan, I’m sorry. It just boggles my mind sometimes when I think about all you’ve seen and experienced,” I said softly, my eyes dropping to the white linen tablecloth. When I looked up at him, his face was thoughtful and his blue eyes looked ancient, the normal sparkle gone.

  “Life. Death. War. Famine. Loss,” he said darkly. “Yet never love until the moment I met you.”

  Feeling a blush creep over my face, I looked away shyly. My sweet, sentimental vampire. “Sweet talker,” I admonished weakly, meeting the intense stare of his gaze. “I love you too.”

  “You will see the same things I see now. Centuries of evolution without seeing real change. It is both frustrating and amazing to watch.” He cleared his throat and the sparkle came back into his eyes. “Enough of this conversation. It is depressing and inevitable.”

  My mind drifted to consider what it would be like to outlive everyone I knew. To never age, look forever 28. To watch the world change around you while I remained frozen in time. My thoughts then shifted to my week in New York and all I’d learned in the last week: finding out that I now had a father I detested, a mother that I would never meet and a smooth talking brother that wanted our father dead.


  “No running, vackra,” Stefan warned, his voice barely audible over the low din of the restaurant. He was obviously monitoring my thoughts frequently. He was still cautious and nervous about my inability to handle stress.

  “No running. I might as well stop fighting what I am and start accepting it. I have a good teacher.” I tried to make my voice light and teasing, although there was an undertone of remorse that I couldn’t hide.

  Our conversation was interrupted by our waiter and the constant changing of plates, the delicious food arranged artistically. Wine was poured and refilled without asking and there wasn’t much time for conversation. Stefan moved the food around on his plate and watched me eat with a soft smile on his lips.

  Feeling pleasantly full, the check was paid and we were waiting for the valet to bring our car around for us. As our car pulled up, the valet seemed much more interested in admiring my legs and ass than giving Stefan the keys. The man’s lust slammed into me before I managed to slam my shields in place.

  Stefan moved a little too quickly to his side, snatching the keys from the surprised valet’s fingers roughly, a wide menacing smile on his handsome face, exposing his even, white teeth. “See something you like…” His eyes dropped to the man’s name badge. “Seth?”

  Poor Seth. You could see the sweat bead on his forehead as he shifted from foot to foot anxiously. “Uh...”

  “Keep your eyes to yourself and we will not have problems. Understand, Seth?” Stefan asked, the smile on his face never fading. He patted Seth on the shoulder a little too hard and he staggered backwards from the impact. Seth’s eyes widened and his face went so pale that I was afraid he’d pass out.

  “Stefan, sweetheart. Let’s go.” I moved closer to Stefan and pulled on his arm lightly. He looked at me and his eyes went from threatening to tender instantly. He opened my door and helped me into the car and jogged around the car to the slide into the driver's seat.