Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4)

by Alexandra Anthony

  "You miss the human part of me don't you?" My voice wavered. I frantically searched his mind for his answer before he spoke. Rage built inside of him, his face contorting in his fury.

  His flashing eyes met mine. His powerful fingers gripped my chin, trapping my face so I couldn't look away. "Why would I miss something that made you fragile? I have you for an eternity. Why would I regret having the other part of my soul forever? Foolish woman. You are the love of my life. I merely existed prior to meeting you. When will you understand?"

  His angry lips devoured mine, as if his kiss alone could prove the depth of his conviction. His fingers slid into my hair and he wound them into the thick waves. His tongue was relentless as it swirled inside, entangling with mine.

  One of his hands traveled the length of my leg, placing it in the crook of his arm. Silently and effortlessly, he slid inside of me. We'd made love more times than I could count, but the sheer size of him never ceased to take my breath away.

  "Let your shield go. Now." His mental voice commanded me.

  I released the barrier that held the energy back. It blasted him, his arms shaking from the sheer power as it coursed between us. We were wrapped in a bubble of energy, entirely encasing us from the real world. The speed of his thrusts increased, his lust and need overtaking any lucid thought he had left. His blue eyes were now onyx, his handsome face one of an animal intent on claiming his mate.

  I was no better. I welcomed each of his thrusts with impatient rolls of my hips, answering them with wild abandon, spurring him on with my loud moans and raking fingernails. The only sounds were the crackle of the fireplace, our wanton cries of pleasure and the sound of our immortal skin meeting in our haste to satisfy our hunger for one another.

  I flipped Stefan to his back with the strength of my shield. It wrapped around him like invisible tethers, holding his wrists and ankles immobile. His inky eyes furiously met mine, his teeth snapping at me angrily.

  "See, you're not the only one that doesn't play fair. I'm going to fuck you now," I whispered in his ear. My tongue snaked out and traced a path along his ear, down the sharp line of his jaw until finally, I reached his mouth. Ghosting tiny kisses along his tense lips, I felt them relax under my touch until they were soft again and I could see some of the blue eclipsing the black.

  It didn't stop his arms and legs from tugging at his invisible bonds. He didn't like to be helpless. It went against his very nature.

  He was equally furious and ecstatic that he'd met his match. My mental power was stronger than his physical strength and it equally thrilled and frustrated him.

  My index finger traced over his sculpted muscles of his chest, letting the rest of my fingers fan across his skin. Leaning over him, my lips took one of his nipples into my mouth, alternating between kisses and bites. A low growl rumbled in his chest as his head arched against the floor. "You want more? Tell me."

  His mental voice boomed in my mind. "I want to feel your pussy. Do not make me beg."

  "This is what you want?" I rubbed the wetness of my folds over his cock. I felt it throb and stiffen under the wet heat that coated it.

  He didn't answer. He jutted his hips and easily slid inside. Even though I was supposed to be the one in control, my shield slipped and my hold on him slipped.

  Moving in a blur, his hands grasped my hips with his punishing strength. He moved me over him in a blinding speed, until my head fell back and the intensity of my release gripped me. I tightened around him, shaking and vibrating with the power of my climax.

  Stefan's satisfaction was palpable in the bond. He'd broken me again intentionally. And I'd willingly surrender to him a million times to feel this blinding completion, this all-consuming pleasure.

  My inner thoughts crushed him and he exploded inside of me, his yell of gratification echoing through the house.

  Sated and boneless, I slumped against him. His massive arms crushed me against the solid wall of his chest. We said nothing, our minds filled with only thoughts of love and pleasure.

  "You know they will be furious with us," Stefan murmured. His fingers traced along the curve of my spine, his breath warm against my hair and scalp. His mind was filled with visions of Lukas stomping around the room and Anna's loud voice rattling off a list of her complaints due to being left out of the ceremony.

  I shifted slightly and rested my chin over his silent heart. Raising an eyebrow, I pursed my lips. "This was for us. They'll get over it, Stefan."

  He smiled and his chiseled face beamed as if lit from within. "They will, Mrs. Lifsten."

  Closing my eyes, I savored the sound of those words in his lilting, deep voice. "Say it again."

  “Mrs. Lifsten?” Stefan asked happily. “I never thought I would utter those words. Only for you.”

  I studied his face for a moment in the fading light from the fire. "Nothing will separate us. When Kian decides to scurry out from whatever hole he's hiding in, he'll have to deal with me. He almost killed you in the explosion and…"

  His finger pressed over my lips, effectively cutting off my tirade. "Vackra, let us not talk about this now. I want to enjoy this night. I have waited almost 1,000 years to marry you. Now you are my mate in every way possible: body, blood, love, and in the eyes of the human world."

  His words stopped my building anger, replacing it with the depth of his love for me. His fingertip traced over my lips. "It is not everyday one meets the other half of their soul."

  "Den andra halvan av sin själ." I murmured, repeating the last of his words in Swedish. How often in life were you lucky enough to meet someone that you loved more than your own life, that completed your heart with their essence? He was the other half of my soul, so intertwined I didn't know where he began and I ended.

  "Yes." He nodded in agreement. His blue eyes were liquid, rimmed in pink. "Let us go to bed. I am no where close to being finished with you."

  In a dizzying blur, he leapt from the floor with me wrapped securely in his arms. It seems he wasn't willing to let me go for a second.

  “I am not willing to risk it. I have waited too long for you…for this moment.”

  Those were the last words that were spoken the rest of the night.

  Chapter 6 - Keeping Secrets on My Pillow

  We sat in a comfortable silence as the sun set slowly beyond the horizon. Wrapped in Stefan's embrace, we barely left any space between us. Each moment, my frustration at spending another day fruitlessly searching for journals grew, as did the growing unpredictability of my shield. In a fit of anger, my mind alone had shattered a window and broken a table.

  And Stefan has been stoically supportive. He had kissed me lovingly and without a complaint had arranged for the window to be replaced. I envied his 1,000 year old patience.

  Even though I'd never admit it, I was going stir crazy. We'd been secluded in my childhood home for three days, only venturing into the surrounding woods to explore when the walls felt like they were closing in on me.

  His lilting voice was quiet, content with reading my thoughts. "You are doing beautifully. You are a newborn, yet you exhibit the control of an immortal much older. Remember that when you grow frustrated, vackra."

  I snorted humorlessly, but placed a kiss on his neck at his supportive words. "Tell that to the table and the window."

  "Each time I saw your frustration building. I helped you direct it towards those things instead of the house. A window and table can be replaced without curiosity being raised. If you had destroyed this house...that would have been troublesome." He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead.

  Sighing, l pressed myself against his broad chest and snuggled into the familiar strong arms that held me. Even though our minds were basically open books to one another, Stefan had the advantage over me. His age and strength aided him to shield portions of his mind, withholding the things he didn't want me to know. He'd still not fully explained what had happened the day of the explosion.

  Gripping his t-shirt in my fingers, I plunged
in. "Tell me what happened at the Carriage House."

  His entire body tensed against me. The bond between us grew strained and his mind became even more guarded. "There was an explosion. You know this."

  Pursing my lips, I tried another tactic. "You keep stalling and putting me off. You told me that there shouldn’t be secrets between us. Please tell me what happened with you that day. Stefan, I almost lost you."

  I could almost picture wall after wall in his mind sliding into place, shutting me off from his memories. He was struggling to keep his emotions balanced for me. Guilt flooded me; I knew the strain my instability was placing on him.

  "I will admit a new vampire with no true ability is easy to manage. Anna has been effortless. Lukas felt free upon his change and claims to have no ability, yet he has what I consider to be a mental talent. Call it a sixth sense; he has what he calls "hunches"." His fingers traced soothing trails up and down my arms. "But you...you are amazing. It is taxing at times, yet I love the challenge of not predicting your next move. It's equally frustrating and fascinating."

  Stefan was still unable to predict my future. He could see muddled images but it wasn’t enough and the lack of foresight to keep him on his toes. The only advantage he had was my mind and the bond. It kept him alert to my moods and hunger.

  "You're still avoiding my question. We all thought you were dead. And if you die, I wouldn't make it. My chest felt empty, like my..."

  "Soul had been ripped from within you?" He finished. Nodding, I looked up into his mysterious sea blue eyes. They churned with emotion as they searched mine. His long fingers pressed between us, rubbing where my silent heart lay. "I felt the same. Tell me, why do you want to know so badly?"

  Swallowing hard, I turned to straddle his lap. Turning my face up to the sky, my new eyes could see things they'd never seen before. The stars lit up the dark sky, the hazy shape of each cloud pronounced. And even the crescent moon seemed brighter. As I refocused on Stefan, it turned our pale skin silver in its white luminance. His immortal beauty almost made me lose my train of thought. As a mostly human anomaly, I'd been shattered by his perfection. His striking Nordic good looks could cause an entire room to focus on him, his formidable presence awe-inspiring. It wasn't until after my change that I realized I hadn't been able to see his true beauty. Even his tiny flaws made him more handsome; the almost imperceptible crookedness of his nose added to his looks.

  I couldn't stop my fingers from exploring the sharp curves and planes of his face in the moonlight. They traced over his high cheekbones, down his jaw and followed the curve of his lips. The lower was slightly fuller than the top, another flaw that added to his attractiveness.

  His pale eyes watched me curiously as my hands explored his face. When my thumb lingered on his lip too long he caught it between his teeth, his warm tongue wrapping around it sensuously. I watched as his eyes darkened in the moonlight, his amorous mood barreled through the bond like a freight train. My own need was simmering and the addition from his nearly sent me over the edge.

  Breathing unsteadily, I pulled my thumb away. I shook my head. "Not until you tell me what happened. And not the sanitized, 'safe for Josie's temper' version either."

  Stefan grinned at my serious tone, dragging his tongue across his bottom lip. "Why is it so important that you know? Explain it to me."

  Shrugging, I ruffled his silky hair with my fingers. "Because I know there's more to it. And you know who's behind it. You aren't telling me because you either fear I’ll shut down or you don't want me to think about it because I'll be angry and want revenge."

  He glanced down at the gold pendant around my neck, his first gift to me. He stared lovingly at it, his brow puckering slightly, putting a tiny crease between his eyebrows. "Perhaps it is both. For all intents and purpose, I am not your maker even though we now share the same blood. I cannot use my influence to command you to stay calm. Your shield at best is...volatile." He rubbed his calloused hands over my arms. "You must promise to not use it to restrain me."

  Unblinkingly, I stared at him as he spoke. He was building the reveal up, staging the scene so I was prepared. I'd been right. I wasn't going to like what he was going to tell me. "I promise, Stefan. Please tell me."

  Our eyes met and we exchanged a long look. He was gauging my control. Reluctance flooded the bond between us; he really didn't want to tell me but our link kept him honest.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted him, my voice barely audible. "It was Kian, wasn't it? My father did this, didn’t he? He almost...he almost killed you. But why?"

  He breathed in sharply through his nose, closing his eyes. "Yes, it was your father. And as for his reasoning, I would assume he thought he could destroy evidence against him. Amir received a message that all Council members were to convene at the Carriage House. I was requested to join them as well due to my appointed position."

  He opened his mind to me, so I could vividly see the scene unfold as he spoke. It was similar to watching a movie with Stefan's deep, lightly accented voice narrating the story.

  "We were all waiting. The longer we waited, the higher the tensions between us grew. Accusations were made. You see, each Council member was deceived; they each thought a different member had called the meeting. Amir had been told Nigel had requested our appearance. Lenora had been told Amir had called and so on. It was chaos. A group of irate vampires is dangerous, even in the most controlled of situations."

  Fascinated, I let my eyes close and watched the angry recollection. Flashes of angry faces flickered through his thoughts.

  "It did not take long for us to see that we had been deceived. Once the confusion cleared and I could focus, it was then I saw a glimpse of Lenora's future: a flash of fire, the agony of searing pain and then...then there was nothing but darkness. I knew our lives were moments from being over. I attempted to warn everyone but with only seconds worth of warning, everything happened in an instant. Amir, Nigel, Sofia and I were able to avoid the worst of the explosion. Lenora and Adolfo...as you know they did not survive the blast."

  His shaky fingers stroked my face. My hand instinctively reached to grip it protectively. He had spoken of chaos, and right now his mind was a riotous storm of emotion and memories. His recollections led me through mazes of underground tunnels, climbing through decrepit passages, digging through dirt to reach a viable exit to the city. Once they emerged, they'd been forced to stick to alleys and less traveled streets so as to not draw human attention. Four filthy, bloody people would have drawn unwanted attention. Sofia had been badly injured and had been in grave danger.

  His lilting voice continued. "As I dug my way through filth and through partially sealed passageways, I only thought of returning to you. Amir's presence had severed the bond and I could not sense you. I have grown so accustomed to feeling your presence that once it was gone, I almost went mad. The pain I felt...I would gladly endure years of torture other than face that kind of suffering again. My chest felt as if my heart had been ripped from inside, leaving an emptiness that could have brought me to my knees if it was not for the knowledge you were likely in comparable pain. I had to find you to make us both whole."

  My eyes burned with unshed tears. I vividly remembered the pain of our severed bond, the terrifying worry of his fate as if it was yesterday. It was impossible for us to be separated. The tie between us was that strong, tethering our hearts together.

  "One complete being," I mused bitterly.

  "Yes. What is it you say? It is a blessing and a curse?" Stefan caught my chin in his hand, tilting my head back to look into my eyes. The conviction shining in his eyes was powerful. "To have this connection, this feeling is a blessing. Du är mitt liv, min anledning att leva."

  Before, I would have needed a translation. Since my change, I could easily tap into his mind to translate or if needed, talk to him in his native tongue. A weak smile broke over my face. "You are my life and reason to live too, Stefan. It's just difficult to accept if something ha
ppened to me, your life would be over. It doesn't seem fair."

  His precious life could be wiped away with something as simple as my final death. The very thought clenched my silent heart. And if Stefan perished, I would wither away until there was nothing left.

  There would be no reason to survive without him.

  "Ah, Josephine. I would rather live a final one day of utter bliss with you than face another thousand years without you. Do you understand? My life was empty without you." His mouth lowered to mine, his lips capturing mine in the lightest of kisses.

  Miles away from the closest house, our clothes were carefully removed. Our hands worshiped one another reverently and kisses were placed on lips, shoulders and necks. Our foreheads touched as we lay naked on the blanket we'd spread on the grass. The spicy smell of Stefan was almost overwhelming. All I could feel, see and taste was him in the air around us. As he hovered over me, the feel of his arousal pressing against me was tantalizing and heady.

  As he pressed me down among our discarded clothes, the kiss never broke. Heavy exhales pushed out against cheeks, tongues tangled and lips glided wetly against each other. The knowledge that he was mine and the sensation of his need filling the bond was strangely satisfying. I wasn't alone. Pulling him closer, I needed to feel every inch of skin against mine. My fervent hands branded his flesh from his firm ass over his muscled back, finally gripping his wide shoulders desperately.

  I could hear every thought in his beautiful mind. His love for me was breathtaking, but his need to touch, to memorize, to lose himself in us if only for a moment made my chest ache. I'd made him remember too much tonight.

  "We'll stay together, Stefan," I vowed in a whisper against his lips in order to soothe his unspoken fears. "No one can separate us now. Forget it all for now, lover. Be with me."

  A strangled whimper escaped him as he pressed further into me, turning his head to kiss me. There was no preamble for this kiss; it was desperate, loving, and full of the things that words couldn’t say because what we shared...it was deeper than spoken feelings. Skimming my hands down his back, I wrapped my legs around his hips and wound myself around him. A low growl rumbled out of me when his hard cock slid erotically over my wet, swollen folds.