“What exactly do you want, Derek?” I rasped. My throat was parched and dry from the gag that had been shoved in my mouth.
“What do I want? I’d enjoy this more if Stefan was here beside you. Unfortunately for your friend, she happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.”
He laughed again, his head falling backwards against the chair, his grating cackle echoing throughout the villa. He was still snickering as reached over and grabbed Anna by her hair and pulled her between his legs, his fangs at her neck. Her eyes went wide with fear and her entire body trembled as he let his fangs drag across her skin.
Derek wanted me, not Anna. She was a pawn in this sick game he was playing. A desperate mixture of dread and terror settled over me as I fully realized the seriousness of the situation we were in. “Anna, I’m so sorry.”
“Save your sorries. I’ve been sent to do a job. I was supposed to bring you back. I’ve decided that I’m going to say I had no choice but to kill you both.” He released Anna’s hair and she dropped back to the floor. I repeatedly pulled at my restraints, wincing as the cord dug deeper into my wrists.
“Who sent you, Derek? And where is Lukas?” I asked, trying to keep him talking. The longer I could keep him occupied with conversation, the more time it kept us breathing.
Derek picked up an old magazine from the table and flipped through the pages, not really focusing on any of the articles. Without looking up, he snorted. “Like I’m going to tell you anything. You don’t know what my ability is, do you? Lukas was never here, I simply took on his form. I can shift into any vampire I choose. It’s a handy talent to have since you both bought it.”
He puffed up his chest and smiled smugly. Prick. He hadn’t totally fooled me. I thought back to how strange Lukas’ behavior was earlier. It didn’t make sense then, although now it made my earlier suspicions seem justified.
“Derek, you know who my father is. If he finds out what you’ve done you’ll meet your final death. And if Kian doesn’t kill you, Stefan will finish you. Let us go now and it’s over,” I whispered, hoping he’d buy my lie.
Stefan would never let this go. He’d follow Derek into the depths of hell to have his revenge and Derek was smart enough to know it. I was simply stalling, trying to keep him talking and his brain, regardless of how little, occupied. I wondered how much time I could buy Anna and myself before Stefan realized I missing? Would we still be alive? Derek had been able to sneak around Stefan’s ability somehow too. But how?
He closed the magazine, slapping his hand on the table with so much force that the wood splintered under the pressure. Anna and I both jumped and she cowered against me, letting out another terrified sob.
“You. You are nothing! You use Kian’s name and your heritage when it suits you and you turn your back on your father any other time.” His voice faded, raising an eyebrow as a thought occurred to him. A cruel smile broke over his face. “Stefan will be too preoccupied mourning your unfortunate demise to worry about killing me. If I’m lucky, he’ll seek out his own death. Pussy,” Derek jeered, his words laced with hatred and resentment.
A new emotion surged through me. Anger. I struggled to remain calm, trying to concentrate on strategies to keep him talking, aware that it would be the only chance we stood to make it out of here alive. Derek was hell bent on killing us, regardless of the consequence.
“Derek, let Anna go,” I begged. “She has nothing to do with this.”
A terrifying, reptilian smile broke over his face, his grin so wide it nearly split his face. “Why would I do that? I don’t want her precious blood go to waste, silly girl.” He clicked his tongue against his fangs. “I’m going to make you watch me slowly drain your friend until she dies. You can see her life fade away while you sit there, helpless. I’m going to take my time with you, Josephine. It’s a pity Stefan won’t be here to watch you die.”
I swallowed roughly and the room went out of focus as his words washed over me. It wasn’t a matter of how I was going to die, it was when. It was a waste of time trying to talk him into sparing Anna’s life, or my own. He had no humanity left inside of him. He was simply a cold blooded, sadistic killer.
Even though I knew it was pointless, I started to chant Stefan’s name over and over like a mantra in my mind, praying that somehow it would get him to me faster. It helped me focus on staying present instead of letting panic totally overtake me when I needed to keep my mind focused.
Derek leaned forward with a sneer on his face. “I know all about your meeting with Nigel and your brother about your whore of a mother,” Derek spat, crossing his legs at his ankles. “Did Nigel tell you how he fucked her while she was still married to your father? If Nigel wasn’t so important to the Council, he’d have met his final death as well. Your mother was easy to dispose of. Humans always are.”
Shrugging off his words, I struggled to keep my face neutral. “Nigel told me everything. And what Nigel didn’t tell me, Nikolaus showed me.”
This seemed to intrigue him and his eyes flashed to me. “What do you mean he ‘showed you’?”
I let out a hoarse laugh. “Kian doesn’t know what Nikolaus can do, Derek. He can read Kian’s tiny mind like a book. I know everything…and I mean everything. So does Stefan…and Lukas. And you know how Lukas is. He likes to talk. A lot.”
Derek’s smug expression faded. A look of disbelief took its place. “What are you talking about?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you? Nikolaus can read human and vampire minds, Derek. He can also transfer the thoughts, at least to me. He showed me everything my father has done. Even the things I didn’t ever want to see.” I leaned forward as far as I could, waggling my eyebrows and lowering my already hoarse voice to a whisper. “You know, private things.”
“You know nothing!” His eyes narrowed and he glanced between Anna and myself, as if he was engaging some sort of internal battle. Derek blurred to Anna and sunk his fangs into her neck, swallowing deep mouthfuls of her blood. Anna tried futilely to get away, straining against him.
“No! She’s innocent!” I cried out, pulling against my restraints. The chair wobbled in my futile effort to try to free myself and get to Anna.
She sagged against him as her strength started to wane and Derek let her fall from his arms. He ripped his teeth from her neck, leaving gaping holes in her throat, her blood running down her neck to drip slowly on the floor by my shoes.
Watching her blood drip from her neck, I did the only thing I could do for her. I needed to distract Derek, keep him occupied in talking. If he chose to drink from Anna again, he’d kill her. Playing my final card, I revealed the secret I knew would bother Derek the most.
“I know my mother may have cheated on Kian, but he was no better. He flaunted women in front of her and…oh, never mind.” My voice faltered and I looked away.
Derek was at my side before I could blink. He yanked my head backwards so I was forced to look at him. “Start talking. What do you know?”
“I just didn’t realize you swung that way, Derek. I have to admit, it was a shock to find out you were Kian’s little play thing until I saw it all play out in my brother’s mind. Nikolaus has a vivid memory and pays attention to details. Like the juicy little tidbit about you and my father. You slept with Kian while my mother was still alive. Numerous times.” I smiled brazenly, bracing myself for his wrath, aware that it would more than likely involve pain. “Was it just about the power, or do you love actually love him? Kian doesn’t give a shit about you. You know that, right? You’re a piece of ass to him. So tell me Derek, who’s the whore now?”
He backhanded me, the force tipping the chair backwards. My head slammed against the side of the table, my cheek stinging from the impact of his hand. I saw double, the room spinning as I struggled to stay conscious. Stefan’s face flashed in my mind and I focused on his image, willing myself to keep fighting. I promised Stefan I wouldn’t let anyone separate us. I was going to do everything in my power to keep myself
alive as long as I could.
Derek grabbed my hair and pulled me upright by the hair. Biting the inside of my lip to stifle my cry, I refused to let him know the amount of pain I was in. He leaned close to whisper in my ear, his voice a condescending song. “Look Josephine, your friend is almost dead. Soon you’ll get to join her.”
Cringing under the weight of his body and fangs against my neck, the door to the villa flew open, startling Derek. Stefan momentarily darkened the doorway, becoming a streak of blond as he blurred through the room, his powerful body colliding with Derek’s as he was yanked from me, the momentum of Stefan’s speed crushing him against the wall.
Stefan had him by the neck, his large hand wrapped around the smaller vampire’s throat. His blue eyes were dark as he glanced away from Derek to focus on me. “Josephine, did he harm you?”
Tears filled my eyes as I struggled to find my voice. “I’m fine. Stefan...”
“Lukas, take care of her while I finish this.” Stefan focused back on Derek, his deep voice missing its normal inflection. The Enforcer had surfaced and Stefan had taken a backseat to his other side, the dark part of himself I’d never seen. I felt his mind close off from mine, severing the link between us.
Lukas sped to my side and ripped the thick cords away with his fingers, freeing my hands and legs. Rubbing my already healing wrists, I collapsed to the floor to cradle Anna in my arms, pulling the gag from her mouth. She stirred weakly and coughed, her eyelids fluttering and blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.
I looked at Lukas anxiously. “Lukas, she’s dying.”
Lukas was motionless as he stared down at Anna in horror. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked at me with his frightened, arctic blue eyes.
“Lukas, you have to help me!” I shrieked at him frantically. “Look at her!”
He shuddered and shook his head. “I’ll kill her, Josie. I won’t be able to stop. I can’t do it.”
Gasping back a sob, I held Anna closer to me. I smoothed her hair back from her pale, clammy face as I spoke to her and put my hand against her neck, applying pressure to try to stop the flow of blood. “Don’t you die on me, Anna. Hold on, please hold on.”
Derek’s sudden scream of pain brought my attention back to the one-sided battle playing out in front of me. Stefan was slowly and systematically torturing Derek, inflicting blow after brutal blow to Derek’s face and torso. He was unrecognizable, his eyes almost swollen shut and his lips split and bloody. Stefan stopped his punishing attack and gripped Derek’s right arm. He leaned down so his face loomed in front of him, his expression deadly and calm.
“I had hoped that when I had my opportunity to kill you I would have more time to torture you. However, we have a plane to catch. This is for touching what is mine,” Stefan growled as he ripped the arm from the socket, the sound making a wet, snapping noise. He let the limb fall from his hand to roll across the kitchen floor, the fingers of Derek’s hand still twitching.
Derek’s face contorted in pain, letting out an anguished scream as he dropped to his knees in front of Stefan. “Please, no more. I’ll give you anything you want.”
Stefan’s expression never changed but his voice dripped with contempt as he spoke. “Look at you. You beg and cry like a child. You had no issue torturing my mate and her friend. Neither begged as you do now. The only thing you can offer me in return for their pain is your agony. This is for hurting what is mine.”
Stefan slammed his fist repeatedly into Derek’s sternum in a series of powerful blows. Derek fell backwards to the floor, making a futile attempt to pull himself away with his one remaining arm.
“You cannot leave now, Derek. We are just beginning to have fun.” Stefan took a step and placed his enormous boot against Derek’s chest, stopping his failed escape. Stefan reached down to yank Derek’s other arm off with one swift pull, ignoring his tortured wail as he carelessly tossed it over his shoulder to join the other appendage.
There was a part of me that knew I should be disgusted and should look away. Instead, I stared transfixed as Stefan grasped him by his torn and bloody shirt, jerking him to his feet. He held Derek’s head in his large hands. A menacing smile was on Stefan’s lips as he brought Derek’s face within inches of his. Derek tried to instinctively recoil from him, making Stefan snicker with enjoyment as resignation flashed across Derek’s face.
“Here we are again, Derek. How many centuries have we danced around your death? You have been lucky. Each time your life was spared by the Board because of your talent.” Stefan taunted coldly. “This time there is no one to save you. You attacked my mate and now your life is mine to dispose of. The fate of your life…your depraved, vile existence is in my willing hands.”
Stefan’s voice lowered to a murmur. “Må gudarna skicka dig direkt till helvetet.” With a flick of his wrists, Derek’s head detached from his neck with a sickening crunch. His body began disintegrating as it fell to the floor, slowly turning into a pile of ash. Stefan didn’t give a second glance at the head in his hands. He let it slip from his fingers and Derek’s head wobbled and twirled across the wood floor until it came to rest against the refrigerator.
Stefan turned to face me, approaching me cautiously. He knelt beside of me, his eyes sweeping over me, visually examining me. He was covered in Derek’s blood, matting his blond hair and staining his handsome face. He glanced down at Anna in my arms, exhaling a deep breath.
“You have to save her, Stefan. Anna…she doesn’t deserve to die like this.” I blurted out. I could hear the anguish in my voice.
“Josephine, please do not ask me to turn her,” Stefan reached to touch my cheek and I pulled away, refusing to let him lay a hand on me. A rare look of hurt flashed across his face before he promptly buried it. In its place, his handsome features arranged into a stony mask.
“Please. I can’t let her die like this. Please,” I pleaded with him, rocking Anna gently. “I’d do it if I could but I can’t. Please, Stefan. Please.”
“Vackra, you do not understand what you are asking me to do. Is this a life she would want for herself? She knows nothing of our existence,” Stefan reasoned. “It may be much too late to save her.”
Still holding Anna, I reached out to grab his hand with mine. His blue eyes were piercing as I met his stare. “I don’t know if she would want this, Stefan. This should be me here on this floor dying. Not her. Please, Stefan. I’m begging you to save her.”
He squeezed my hand and his broad shoulders sagged. “I can deny you nothing.”
Stefan sighed in defeat and took Anna from me. He held her in his arms, his fangs sinking into her neck. He drank from her, stopping to slice open his wrist with his teeth. He placed his bloody wrist against her lips and watched as his blood trickled into her mouth.
His wound healed and he carried her into the living room, gently placing her limp body on the couch. He stood over her, simply staring at her prone form.
“It is done.”
Scrambling to my feet, I rushed into the living room where I launched myself at his chest. I didn’t care about the blood or the gore. I just wanted to feel him against me, to know that he was here with me.
“Is she going to make it? Did it work?” I mumbled against him.
“We will find out in two days. She may have been too far gone for me to save her.” Stefan reminded me. He wrapped his arms around me, his fingers stroking over my hair.
“Thank you, Stefan. I was so scared. I thought I’d never see you…”
“Never say those words,” Stefan interrupted me. “You made me a promise.”
“I know. I love you.”
Stefan placed his head against mine as I gave into my tears. I cried for Anna, for my mother and for the happiness I felt to be at Stefan’s side and to be able to tell him I loved him.
Without moving, Stefan stared barking out commands to Lukas, his voice clipped and sharp. “Lukas, go to Anna’s home. Pack as much of her personal belongings as possible and grab her p
assport. Got to her place of employment and force your will on all of her co-workers there. Tell them Anna decided to return to the US. Call Nigel. Make sure to tell him that my favorite bird stopped singing today. He will send someone to take care of this mess for me.”
For once, Lukas had no smart remark or witty response. He inclined his head and dashed from the house, his phone already at his ear.
Stefan reluctantly released me from his arms as he blurred into action. He also began making phone calls, pacing the floor. His words and steps were too fast to follow. My eyes moved from watching Stefan’s dizzying pace to drift over the pile of ash scattered across the floor, raising to take in the blood that was splattered against the ivory walls of the kitchen. Not knowing what else to do, I sat down beside Anna, taking her cold, lifeless hand in mine.
I knew she couldn’t hear me, and I could only hope the magic of Stefan’s blood would save her now. “I did what I thought was best, Anna. I hope you don’t hate me for this. I couldn’t let you die. Not like that.”
Stefan stopped to rest his hand on my shoulder, rubbing my shoulder in comfort. He was still on the phone but his voice had slowed to a normal pace. “We need to delay our take off time by two hours. Something unexpected happened and you need to make the necessary changes to the itinerary.” He ended the call without saying a goodbye and closed his eyes, attempting to run his fingers through the dried blood in his hair.
“Stefan, I’m sorry. I…”
He shook his head and held up his hand to stop my words. “Vackra, I only wanted to turn one other person in my life. You.” He let out a resigned sigh. “Plans change. Anna will have to adjust to this life and she may not be happy if and when she awakes. You must prepare yourself for that.”
Rubbing my forehead with my palm, I rested my pounding head against my hand. “So she’ll hate me for begging you to change her. And then she’ll hate you for doing it.”
Illusion Page 18
