Awakening (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #3)

by Anthony, Alexandra

  "I didn't think about how you would feel. I didn't want Anna to die like that. She would have wanted to live," I responded sheepishly. I had only thought of saving Anna in any way possible way during those hectic, frantic moments at my villa. Stefan could offer her an eternal life. I had no idea of his reservations or his own personal code as a vampire.

  "How could you have known? I do not blame you, Josephine." Stefan had read my mind. He monitored me closely, especially when the subject matter was tense. Part of him was always going to be afraid I’d run again. "Let me continue with my story. When I awoke, I was overwhelmed. I could hear the wind rustling through the leaves, able to discern the different type of tree by the sound the leaf made in the wind. I could scent human blood miles away. I could see colors that my human eyes could not. My strength had increased to amazing proportions. I could uproot a tree with one hand."

  My fingers kept tracing invisible patterns over his skin. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you. Even my small changes have been difficult to handle. Why are you telling all of this to me this now?”

  His large hand cupped my chin and tilted my head upwards to stare into my eyes. His sea blue eyes were thoughtful, his Nordic face wise. "Seeing Anna like this has brought back many different memories. When I changed Lukas, I was alone and had been searching for you. I found you and have you at my side and I want you to know everything I can tell you about this life. I also tell you these things because you are changing as well. You need to understand what to expect with each change as it happens."

  Turning on his lap to face him, my eyes searched his curiously. I brushed his blond hair back from his face as he stared off into space, thinking and searching for my future. He momentarily envisioned me as a true immortal at his side. The picture faded away as quickly as it came.

  "You’re seeing me as a vampire? Changing from what I am now?” I burst out impatiently. The image had been fleeting but it was the first time he’d seen me as an immortal. I was both excited and nervous as I deduced the possibilities of his vision.

  Stefan smoothed his fingers over my back, causing a shiver to run down my spine. "Do not read too much into it. Many things we already know. Your skin temperature has cooled. Your flesh heals quickly. Your vision has improved and your strength and speed has increased. I have noticed the cadence of your heart. Each day its rhythm slows. There are so many unknowns. Since you are already partially a vampire and our bond, you may make the transition on your own. I want you to be..."

  Two sharp knocks sounded on the door before Lukas entered the apartment, interrupting our conversation.

  "Is it time?" Lukas wondered as he buzzed to Anna's side, staring at her critically. He turned his head from side to side, his attractive face unreadable.

  When Stefan didn't answer, Lukas turned to face him. Stefan and Lukas exchanged a long look, the kind where nothing needed to be said aloud. Their years together and sire/child relationship linked them, enabling them to exchange information with a single look.

  Stefan spoke slowly, deliberately. "I am inclined to say yes."

  Exhilaration raced through me. I threw my arms around Stefan's neck, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around me loosely.

  "I stated I was inclined to say yes. Her future is still unclear."

  "You said it was that way when I changed, Stefan," Lukas chimed in. I could hear the hope in his voice. Lukas’ guilt still haunted him. Anna was his friend and he'd been unable to save her, a prisoner to the fear of his own nature.

  Wiggling out of his arms, I looked into Stefan's face. He was once again staring closely at Anna. His brow was furrowed, his blond eyebrows heavy over the concerned blue of his eyes. His chiseled jaw tightened and released a few times. His entire being became still underneath me as he concentrated on her.

  I was torn between wanting to give him space and the urge to dip into his mind. Instead, I focused on his emotions in our bond. He was scanning her future repeatedly, watching for minute changes. I sensed his surge of excitement when he must have noticed a change.

  "What's happening?" I questioned. Unable to sit any longer, I stood and began to slowly pace the room.

  His brow smoothed out, the lines disappearing. "It is time. She is waking."

  Hot tears pooled in my eyes and I let out a loud sigh of relief. Stefan hadn’t relaxed. He was still testing his connection to Anna.

  "I can feel her too. What can you see, Stefan?" Lukas asked excitedly. He joined me in my slow, nervous wandering of the room.

  "Anna is trying to sort through her memories of that night. She remembers who took her life and wants vengeance on him. She knows she is alive, yet dead. She is trying to make sense of how it happened."

  Lukas and I came to a halt. Not one of us moved. The only sound in the room was my breathing and the muffled sounds of the city outside. We were all transfixed on watching Anna awake from her long, two day slumber.

  Anna's eyes opened first. Her deep brown eyes took in the room, her brow wrinkling in confusion. Her fingers blurred to her face, tracing the curves of her skin with a new quickness she hadn’t had before. She turned her head to the side, meeting my anxious gaze first.

  "Anna?" I whispered. My voice sounded shaky even to my own ears.

  She blinked at me a few times. Her bewildered brown eyes moved from mine to focus on Stefan, who sat motionless in the chair. His long fingers were tented under his chin as he gazed at his newest child with quiet anticipation.

  Anna had been an attractive woman before her change. She was now stunningly beautiful, her lustrous brown hair laying in deep, full curls against her shoulders. Her flesh, while pale, still hinted at her olive complexion. Her skin glowed with an iridescence that only added to her mysterious beauty.

  A tiny smile of recognition broke over her face as she gazed at Stefan. She rose to sit on the couch, slipping to fall on her knees at Stefan's feet in one smooth motion.

  "Master," Anna murmured reverently. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, completely at his command. He leaned forward and held her face in his hands tenderly. He beamed, his glorious face lighting up in a strange, loving smile as they shared a long stare.

  "Anna. My child." He pressed a kiss to one side of her cheek, then moved to the other. "You are outstanding."

  Anna beamed, her brown eyes glowing with pride. She said nothing as Stefan turned her face from side to side, admiring her changes with quiet, cool approval.

  Fear crept up inside of me, closing around my throat like a vice. Was it always this way with makers and their children?

  Stefan’s cool voice disrupted my worried thoughts. "Go with Lukas for now. He has blood waiting for you. We will have much to discuss soon."

  She nodded, elegantly rising to join Lukas. She glanced back at Stefan briefly before letting Lukas lead her from the apartment.

  A surge of jealously surged through me as I watched Anna leave the apartment with Lukas. Stefan was mine. Mine! I didn't want to share his love with anyone, even if it happened to be my friend. I knew there was no need for my possessiveness, yet I couldn’t stop it from boiling through me.

  They had barely left the room when he spun to face me. Immediately he lunged at me, surrounding my face in his calloused palms. He leaned down and pulled me to him abruptly, his mouth devouring mine. His kiss was urgent, as if was trying to reassure me of his devotion. I gasped at the swiftness of his embrace, but quickly returned the kiss with the same tenacity. His lips scorched my mouth with his searing assault. His thoughts spilled into mine, sending me reassurance that there was no one for him but me, nor would there ever be. He was reminding me that I was the beginning and the end for him, flooding my mind with his own brand of possessiveness.

  I tried to control my emotions, but they blasted out with a savage greediness. He belonged to me! I further forced my claim on him as I lightly bit at his lips until I tasted his blood on my tongue. It spiked our lust, spiraling it out of control. Unwillingly, he pulled back, re
sting his forehead against mine.

  "For you," he vowed. "I claimed her for you."

  "I know," I said breathlessly. "But you love her. I didn't expect for you to love her. It was a surprise."

  "She is my child, vackra. I love her only as my progeny. You are my lover, my mate. I desire no one else in my bed but you. Do you understand the difference?"

  Nodding weakly, I tucked my hair behind my ear and shifted my weight nervously. What if Anna felt differently for Stefan? What if her devotion changed and she was in love with him? There were so many things I hadn’t thought about when I’d asked for Stefan’s intervention in saving Anna’s life.

  "Josephine, I only changed her for you. You begged me to not let her die. She carries my blood, just as Lukas and you do. We are all a family, however unusual." He rubbed a finger across his lower lip as if searching for the right words to reassure me. His blue eyes bored into mine, desperate for me to understand. "You are my lover. We share a bond different from what I share with Lukas and now Anna. You...you are my soul mate. My other half. My fated love. To compare that to Lukas or Anna is like comparing a speck of sand to all of the sand in an entire desert. Do you understand?"

  The strength of his words surged through me. He loved me. He'd searched 200 years for me. I was his fate. As I was his beginning and end, he was also my own. I'd love this man for an eternity and I'd still long for more time with him.

  “Yes, Stefan. I was just so afraid…” My voice broke and I caught my bottom lip between my teeth.

  He opened his arms to me and I fell into the comfort of his familiar embrace. While content, the sensation of our bodies pressed together caused electricity to crackle between us. It was palpable and grew stronger with each passing day.

  "Go to Anna, Stefan." Even as I spoke the words, I fisted my hands tighter into his t-shirt. I didn't really want to let him go. But for Anna’s sake, I had to.

  "Your brother will be stopping by soon."

  Drawing back suddenly, I stared into his handsome face. One blond eyebrow raised slightly and the corners of his lips pulled upwards.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but his lips silenced me. His mind was sexy and sarcastic in my mind. "Still you underestimate me. I can see his future. He is close by."

  Extricating my lips from his, I pouted. "I don't underestimate you. You just manage to shock the hell out of me. Why can you see his future and not mine?”

  He pressed soft kisses onto my lips, my cheeks and then my eyelids. "Perhaps it is the difference in your ages. He is more vampire than you for now. Speak to your brother. I need to explain things to Anna and we will meet back here soon. I have plans for you that involve us and our bed."

  The mere mention of Stefan and a bed made my pulse rate accelerate. I couldn't help but be aggravated at my body's predictable reaction to the thought of our naked bodies, skin to skin, lost in one another and our indescribable passion.

  His amused laughter brought me out of silent daydreams. He'd been shamelessly reading my thoughts, an avid spectator to the inner workings of my mind.

  He leaned forward, the stubble from his cheek sexily scratching my cheek as his lips found my ear. "If my heart could beat, it would race every time I saw you."

  How did he do it? How could he always manage to say something so incredibly sweet that it totally disarmed me and silenced my sarcastic barbs.

  Stefan curtly looked up and twisted his head to the side. “Your brother is here.”

  With that, a loud knock sounded on our front door.

  "Hold that thought." Stefan spanned the room, a slow saunter that made the muscles in his back roll with his fluid movements. He opened the door and arranged his chiseled face into a polite smile.

  "Nikolaus. Please, come in." He stepped aside to let my brother pass.

  Nikolaus nodded absently, shrugging out of his leather jacket. He dropped it on a stool, leaning across to lightly peck me on the cheek. He affectionately squeezed my elbow on his way to the couch.

  Stefan cleared his throat and crooked a finger at me, beckoning me to come to him. Smiling softly, I went to his side. He smirked as his eyes visually caressed the contours of my face. His hands traveled up and down over the length of my arms. We both craved each others love covetously. Our bond wanted us to be together, aggravating and comforting me at the same time.

  "I will see you soon. Call if you need me." Stefan wrapped a possessive arm around my waist and pulled me to him, his mouth covering mine in a toe-curling kiss. He reluctantly lifted his lips and when he spoke again, his mental voice was teasing. "I can disarm you because you love me as I love you. We will crave each other and want no one else."

  He turned to walk out and I stuck out my tongue, reaching to smack his ass. He jumped, spinning to face me in surprise. "So you're saying we're each others personal drug? That you're my personal addiction?"

  "Absolutely. And you are mine, vackra." His mental voice was resolute. He stole a final kiss from my mouth before disappearing from the room, the door quietly slamming shut.

  I groaned deeply, crossing my arms under my chest. I wasn't sure if I wanted to fuck him or smack him. Maybe both...

  Men.

  "So Josie…where's the new vampire?" Nikolaus’ voice pulled me from my dirty thoughts.

  I'd forgotten he was here. I turned on my heel and sat down across from him, slipping into the chair. I tucked my legs underneath me and fiddled with my ponytail.

  "The new vampire’s name is Anna. She's next door, learning the ropes," I explained. Nikolaus nodded, running a hand through his short disarray of wavy brown hair.

  "You and Stefan. You were speaking telepathically, weren’t you?" Nikolaus questioned. My expression must have taken on a look of panic because he was quick to lean forward, his face contrite. "Fuck, Josie, I was just guessing. I won't tell a soul."

  "No one can know." I hissed loudly. My hands balled into fists. "No one. Especially Kian."

  "Relax. Your secret is safe with me, I promise. Can we move our conversation back to Anna?" He stretched his arms out across the back of the couch, a small smile turning up the corner of his mouth.

  "Why the sudden interest in Anna?" I arched an eyebrow suspiciously. Tiptoeing into his mind, I was surprised to see a perfect rendition of Anna's face in his thoughts. He'd had a vision of her. When I pressed in deeper, a barrier fell into place, like a steel door slamming closed on my intrusion.

  "Hey! Don't poke around my brain. It feels...weird," Nikolaus barked angrily. He shivered and dropped his eyes to the floor. He stared at the dark wood for a brief moment before meeting my curious stare. "Look, I didn't mean to get pissy with you. I’m still wrapping my brain around finding my sister after 28 years. I forget what it is we can do. It’s just been a long time since anyone has had the ability to get inside my head. Mom always knew what I was going to do…”

  A-ha! Our mother. She'd been the last person to have the ability to mentally communicate with him. No wonder he’d had such a visceral reaction to my mental invasion.

  "I'm sorry, Nikolaus. I shouldn't have even tried. I'm just used to doing it with Stefan." I unfolded myself from the chair and moved to sit beside him on the couch. He wrapped his heavily tattooed arm around my shoulder and drew me to him.

  "S'ok, Josie. We have a lot to learn about each other."

  That was the understatement of the year. I had a laundry list of things I needed to mentally sort through. I could easily add getting to know my brother to the list.

  "That we do. " I rested my head against his arm. "She was the last one that was able to..."

  "Read my mind? Yeah. I could never lie to Mom. Not that I had reason to then, but Mom always knew." Nikolaus smiled softly as he finished my thought. It quickly faded into a scowl.

  "Our Mom was the best liar of us all. She kept all of Kian's secrets, Josie. Even the ones that hurt her the most."

  "Nik.." I began.

  He raised his hand to stop me. "Josie, it doesn't hurt to talk about her so
much anymore. I've had 28 years to come to terms with it. You need to know what she was like. She was your mother too."

  His voice was harsh and strained. He was bitter and it showed, from the tension in his shoulders to the razor-sharp bite of his words. He rubbed his free hand against the worn denim of his jeans, his long elegant fingers sliding over the material. I studied the sleeve of tattoos on his arm. A bright, orange dragon was coiled around vibrant flowers that varied from blues to yellows. In sharp contrast, a deep purplish-red bird rose from the claw of the dragon. Its glaring difference stood out in the sea of colors. I reached out to trace the bird on his arm with my fingers.

  "I still have to come to terms with it. I find out my father abandoned me to our uncle after killing our mother. That's going to take a while to wrap my mind around," I muttered sarcastically, not looking up from his arm.

  "Go back for a minute. Our uncle?" Nikolaus questioned. He pulled his arm away from my curious fingers. "You lost me."

  "Hold on. I have something for you to read." His tattoos forgotten, I jumped up from the couch and hurried down the hallway to our bedroom. Garrett's book on Napoleon was still on the dresser with the note still inside. Grabbing it, I rushed back into the living room, plopping back down next to my brother. I carefully extracted the note from the middle of the book and held it out to him.

  He eyed the folded letter suspiciously, his gaze flickering between my hand and the note. He didn’t make any attempt to move.