Dragging the back of my hand over my mouth, I rinsed out the glass and set it in the sink. By the time I was heading towards the door, a rumpled Stefan had met me in the hallway.
His mental voice hit me; at the same time, his beautiful smile lightened his handsome face. "It's Liev. He wants to know our decision. And he has information for us."
“You know this for sure?” I asked, watching as he strode towards the door, bare chested in low-slung jeans.
“When someone is this definite in their decision, it is crystal clear.”
Stefan yanked open the door and I saw Liev standing on the front porch. His austere face was gloomy and melancholy.
"Good morning. I know the reason for your visit, Liev. We have not decided." Stefan blocked the doorway with his large, imposing frame. "We advised you we would contact you."
"I know. Give me ten minutes to explain why you need to know." Liev paced the porch nervously like a caged animal. “I’m only asking for ten minutes.”
I walked to stand behind Stefan. I placed my hand on his bicep, squeezing it lovingly. "He can't hurt us by talking. Let him in."
Stefan sighed heavily. "Against my better judgment, come in. You have five minutes."
He stepped aside and let Liev pass. Liev nodded to me in greeting and followed me to the living room. His eyes took in the barren room as Stefan protectively stepped between us.
"This...this is temporary. I thought you might stay after all," Liev murmured. His fingers combed through his black curls. "I have information that might help you make a decision."
"You knew we'd be leaving soon. And it couldn't wait until afternoon? What information do you have that can help? We have things under control," I replied tartly. I crossed my arms defensively and felt Stefan's apprehension in the bond.
He shook his head. His face was grim. "Not if you want to win."
"Win?" I repeated. I widened my stance and locked my knees, narrowing my eyes.
Stefan's shoulders tensed as he approached the much smaller vampire. "Enough with the cryptic banter. Explain what you are hiding."
I could feel Stefan's barely concealed fury. He was wary of outsiders by nature, and the fact that Liev was a witch made him even more of an untrustworthy adversary in his eyes.
"You both need to let me help you remember the past you shared. Josephine has already started to have memories and if you both remember, it will make you stronger. It will help Josephine handle her gifts better if she knows why she has them." Liev continued to pace the room. He was a blur, zipping from one side to the other in a blink of an eye.
He'd started to make yet another pass when Stefan moved to grab his arm. He held it tightly, his long fingers wrapping around it and squeezing it with increasing force. Those hands could be loving and sweet. They could also be deadly if necessary.
"No one spoke to you of any powers. Whom are you working with?" Stefan asked. A deep growl reverberated in his chest as he searched Liev's face. His eyes glazed over as he searched Liev's future. "Who are you protecting?"
If possible, his pale face blanched even more. His dark eyes stood out in sharp contrast to his pale skin. He swallowed tightly and his shoulders slumped. "Protecting is a strong word."
"You are wasting time. Your life means nothing to me. The runes have been translated. You have become a threat to me and my mate." Stefan's eyes darkened and he pulled Liev closer until he loomed over him menacingly.
"Let him go." I thought to Stefan. Stefan released his grip and I let my shield wrap around him in the place of his hands. Striding across the room, I smiled at my uncle's friend.
"I have no loyalty to you. I owe you no explanations. I appreciate that you helped me out with Garrett's journal, but I won't risk Stefan's life or my own. I have two questions. How much do you know about me and are you working with my father?" I asked. He thrashed against my hold, but his efforts were futile. "You can struggle all day long and I can crush you. Or you can answer our questions and we can move on. It's entirely up to you."
Liev exhaled loudly. "I know you're gifted. Garrett told me about your psychic abilities when you were younger. If you weren't extraordinary, you wouldn't be alive. Kian only kept the talented ones alive."
I loosened my hold on him slightly. He had my attention. "You know about the others? There are more?"
Liev nodded. He glanced between Stefan and myself. "Your brother Nikolaus. He's still a hybrid?"
"For now. He may make the change." Stefan leaned against the doorframe. Our eyes met and his blue eyes softened slightly. "Love makes you reevaluate everything."
"You're right. It does. The love of my life was burned at the stake in 1692. I'd been turned already and it wasn't enough to save her," Liev whispered. He lowered his head and I felt the struggle leave him. "Nearly 200 years ago I was approached by a young man. He was neither a human nor a vampire. He begged me for safe harbor. He was being hunted, you see. He had escaped his prison and had been sent my way by a mutual acquaintance."
His words hung between us, ceasing all conversation. Stefan pushed off the wall and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and resting his chin against the top of my head. "This hybrid you speak of...it is the one you are protecting, yes? Do you know where he is at this moment?"
"Yes. I know where he is," Liev answered brusquely. He fixed his dark eyes on my face. "If I let you meet him, how do I know I can trust you? Are you still the same Josie that visited Garrett at the library, or has he changed you completely? He is your maker and he can command you to kill me. I can't leave him unprotected. I've kept him under a cloaking spell for nearly 200 years. I can't hand him over only to watch him die too. He's like my son."
Releasing my hold on him, Liev dropped to the floor. Pulling reluctantly away from Stefan, I crouched down beside of him. "My father tried to murder me when I was still partly mortal. If not for Stefan, I'd be dead...." My words wandered off. I licked my lips and shook my head. "He then tried to kill Stefan less than a week ago. He killed two vampires and injured another. I want him dead, but I'm not stupid enough to put anyone's life at risk. Who is the hybrid’s father?"
He considered my words for a while before he stood. He walked to the door and tipped his head backwards, staring at the ceiling. "I will reveal that information later. It’s on a need to know basis. Call me tonight at 7 o’clock. We'll set up a meeting point." He yanked open the door and turned to face me a final time. "Don't make me regret this, Josie."
His feet crunched across the gravel. By the time I'd followed him outside, he was in his car, a black older model sedan. He noticed me standing at on the porch and rolled down his window.
I did my best to appear non-threatening. "You won't regret this, Liev. If it makes you feel better, I have no maker. No one controls me...not even Stefan. He is my mate but he doesn't control me. Your friend is safe, I promise."
He pounded his fist against the steering wheel and stared blankly out the window. He jutted his chin and put the car into gear without looking at me. "7 o'clock."
I watched his car reverse out of the driveway and disappear down the road. I sighed and started to turn, stopped by Stefan's arms. Falling against his chest, I let him envelope me in the security of his arms.
"It seems we have much to discuss, you and I. Come," Stefan murmured. He tugged me along behind him, leading me back into the house. Once we'd stepped inside, his lust hit me like a ton of bricks. The sheer intensity almost made me swagger backwards. "You were magnificent. And you are mine."
"Stefan," I said, my emotions catching in my throat. "I…"
“We will talk later. Come back to bed.” Stefan ordered. He hoisted me over his shoulder and I dangled upside down until we made it to the bedroom. With a gentle toss, I bounced on the bed. Stefan was already unzipping his jeans, pushing the worn denim over his narrow hips.
Not this time. I wasn’t going to let him placate me with mind-blowing sex. Smoothly, I made a dash for the door before he could convince
me otherwise.
“Josephine. You want this as much as I do. Come back to bed and we will talk.”
When I glanced back, I immediately regretted it. He was deadly, flawless naked skin and muscles, lying there on the bed without a care in the world. His head rested on his hand, his long, beautiful body looked like a work of art against the backdrop of deep blue sheets. He arched a blond eyebrow and curled a finger, beckoning me to him. "Come.”
Desire coursed through me as my eyes scanned over his body. Feeling myself give in, I leaned against the door, arching my back slightly and bending one leg at the knee. I tossed my tousled hair over one shoulder and felt my lips curl up into the smallest of smiles. "We should talk first."
His blue eyes darkened as they swept over me and his want became my own. It burned through my veins like scathing flames, my arousal tightening in the pit of my stomach.
He rose up in the bed, watching me with a tilted head and a sexy smirk. "We could. But it would clear both of our minds if we just made love first.”
Every nerve in my body was suddenly vibrating in need. I felt more, needed more. I thought I'd loved Stefan before, but my mostly human body couldn't have contained the love I felt for him now. And my desire for him had increased tenfold. We could make love for days and never tire, our bond feeding one another’s almost desperate need. I needed release from the worry plaguing me, the implications of the journal…the meeting with Liev…
Letting my hands slide over my jeans, I flicked open the button and lowered the zipper. They fell around my feet and I stepped out of them. I dragged my t-shirt over my head and let my fingers linger over my breasts and slide down my stomach. My back was bowed, my head thrown back. I was inciting him and I knew it. His primal need for me was a pulsing throb, his mind a snarling pit of pure lust.
"What if I don’t want my mind to be clear?” I purred. Closing my eyes, my fingertips dipped between my thighs.
His mental moan was pure sex. He still hadn't moved, but I could feel his eyes marking my skin like his hands, caressing and visualizing everything he wanted me to do to make him scream.
"I would say you are lying to me.” His voice was like silk. "Vackra, you look sinful. The things we can do...there are no limits."
"No limits?" My eyes were narrow slits as I considered the implications of having no limitations. He could keep me aroused for hours, days with no relief.
Reading my thoughts, he used my preoccupation to his advantage. He sprang from the bed and had me pinned to the wall, my legs around his hips. He entered me with agonizing slowness, letting me feel every inch of his glorious cock completely fill me.
"I could do that. There would be no joy in that, Josephine. Seeing you come apart at the seams is what I live for." He increased his speed as I dug my fingernails into his shoulders.
Using my shield, I pushed him back onto the bed. Still connected, I moved over him and threw my head back. My hips rose and fell over him at a speed I'd never been able to achieve before my turning, our movements a blur of perfect rhythm.
"Min gudinna," he muttered, his rough hands gripping my ass possessively. "Fuck me like you mean it."
Pressing my palms against his chest for leverage, I ground down hard against him. His hips bucked sharply, meeting my frenzied pace. With every frantic movement, I felt the unease of being out of control lessen.
Our bodies moved as one. He rose up and pushed me back onto the bed. Clamoring to his knees, he yanked my hips higher and shoved pillows underneath me. My hips were elevated and when he withdrew and plunged back inside, I couldn’t contain my cries of pleasure. He was so deep this way, and I knew I wouldn’t last long. He withdrew again and hovered over me, his muscles tight and flexing with the effort.
“Stefan…”
He palmed my cheek, ensuring me he wouldn't break eye contact. He finally rocked his hips forward, burying himself deep in my satiny wetness. Pausing for a moment, he held his breath as he got lost in the depths of my warmth.
"Stefan…" I whispered as I tried to encourage him to start moving. "It's always been you…" I reached up and wrapped my hands around the nape of his neck, pulling him down to meet my lips. More than anything, I wanted Stefan to not feel obligated to hold back. We were truly equals. "Take me, Stefan…like only you can," I breathed into his ear. His entire body shook, shivers coursing through his body.
"Josephine…" he began moving slowly, pulling out then pushing in, deliberately and methodically. "Min hjarta…" He supported his weight by leaning on his elbows, caging me in his imposing embrace. He wrapped his forearms around the crown of my head, holding me tenderly as he quickened his pace, tucking my face into the crook where his neck met his shoulder. "Mine…No other man can touch you…”
I lowered my fingers from his neck, raking them gently across the backs of his shoulders, dragging my fingernails across his pale, silky skin. "There isn’t another I want. Don't hold back, Stefan…Let’s lose ourselves together."
Our bodies gave into my plea. My inner walls clenched around him and he pulsed inside of me as we rode out waved after wave of our climax. I was lost in pleasure until I felt his chest move against mine.
He laughed shakily, tracing his fingers over the curve of my cheek and down the soft skin of my neck. "Now that I have had you, we need to talk. We need to decide...the ritual and meeting the hybrid. It is your call."
I flipped him to his back and stretched my body over his, every inch of our flesh touching. "I want to know everything...and then there is the matter of this hybrid. He might have insight we don't have that might be key in defeating Kian. I'll take any risk to assure your safety. I can't be without you."
He interrupted my words with a kiss, his lips soft and supple against mine. "Nor can I be without you. We will meet with Liev. We will figure this out."
My eyes searched his baby blues. His love and confidence spilled through our bond, filling me and pestering me. "We will."
Chapter 8 - Welcome to the Family
We were meeting in a clearing not far from Garrett's home. We'd traveled on foot, running through the woods at a blurring speed. As we approached the clearing, Stefan's voice floated through my mind. "He is close. And he is not alone."
"A vampire?" I questioned. I had a feeling Liev was going to bring his hybrid ward with him tonight.
Stefan shook his head as we ran. "No. It is the hybrid. I cannot read him."
We slowed to a walk and Liev stepped out of the edge of the woods into the field. "Josie. Stefan." He inclined his head in greeting. "I'm putting us all out on a limb by doing this."
"I know you are. It is appreciated and will not be forgotten." Stefan agreed. He took my hand as we stopped in front of him. "We would like to meet him."
Liev nodded in assent. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out into the night towards a thick grove of trees. "Come out. It's safe. You can trust them."
We heard leaves and underbrush rustle as a lanky, lean man stepped out of the tree line into the clearing. Gasping softly as I watched him approach, I could hear the slow, steady rush of his heart as he warily came closer to us. I eyed him critically as he purposefully crossed the field. His short, shaggy dark brown hair framed his angular face, sweeping across his forehead. Dressed in faded jeans and a tight, long sleeve t-shirt topped with a worn leather vest, he trudged through the deep grass with his heavy motorcycle boots. He stopped ten feet away before he looked up to meet my inquiring gaze. Narrow, piercing deep-set green eyes met mine. They were a distinctive, yet familiar shade of jade, wary and filled with distrust.
I'd had those very same cynical eyes only months ago. My heart ached for him because I knew the pain he was harboring behind those guarded eyes.
He was dangerously handsome, rugged and wild. The side of his mouth quirked up in a smile as recognition washed over his face. He knew exactly who I was, just as I knew him without either of us uttering a single word.
It was true. Everything Liev had said...it was all t
rue. What did this mean for me and for Nikolaus?
But the million-dollar question was even more of a concern. What would this discovery mean to Kian?
I couldn't think of that right now. I had to stay focused.
"Liev? Is this..." I mumbled. I staggered backwards until my back met the safety of Stefan's chest.
He sank down in the tall grass and looked off into the distance. "He is your half-brother. Kian is his father."
"Good god, I can speak for myself, Liev." The man snapped gruffly. His voice was gravelly and raspy. He stepped closer and eyed me from head to toe. He rubbed his heavily stubbled cheek and let out a sigh. "She's my sister all right. If I had any doubts, they were gone once I saw her eyes. It's a marker."
I inched closer and extended my hand. "I'm Josie. I'm your sister."
He raised both eyebrows in agreement and ignored my outstretched hand. I dropped it and clenched it at my side. I didn't expect him to shower me with love, but I hadn't expected this level of detachment.
His narrow, heavy lidded eyes watched me as he dug in his pocket of his leather vest. He fished out a pack of cigarettes and tapped one out, sticking it between his lips. A flash of silver and a butane flame illuminated his face as he lit his cigarette, taking a deep draw. As he exhaled a stream of smoke into the night air, he glanced to Stefan behind me. "After all these years, I find I have a living sister that is mated to a member of the fucking Council I want dead. He kills our kind. He's a vampire executioner."
Stefan stiffened and I felt his anger and pain at his sharp words. They were cold and cut him like a knife. Stefan had been a pawn in my father's twisted game. He was a victim to my father's machinations and was much as a victim as the innocents he slaughtered.
"Only because he was ordered to do it. He only kills those found guilty by the Council that no longer really exists." I shot back sharply. It was true. The Council was broken. Stefan's hand on my shoulder instantly calmed me. "Who are you?"
Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4) Page 13
