He tipped my chin up with his index finger and smiled me, exposing his even teeth in a wicked grin. He tapped the side of his temple with the tip of his index finger lightly.
"You need to stop underestimating me. I have not lived centuries by being wrong. It will be fine."
Scowling, I could only stare at his cocky grin with a mixture of aggravation and amazement.
"I don't underestimate you. My father..." I began.
"Is unreadable. I know," he admitted. His lip curled back in a sneer at the mention of my father. "Trust me. This is not the first time nor will it be the last time I will face the Council to testify to report a death."
His normally expressive blue eyes glazed over, his mind flickering quickly through his memories of numerous faces like a photo album, assessing each image. They were all vampires that met their end at his hands. I lost track of how many as his mind became a fast-moving blur. The images took on a much different meaning with the knowledge that many were innocent, a sacrifice for my father's agenda.
"You have to face them each time?"
He released a loud exhale. "More or less."
He was being extremely vague. I crossed my arms and watched him intently. When I spoke, my voice was tense. "More or less? Stefan, this is me you're talking to, not a stranger. What does that mean?"
"There are times I do have to testify. Other times I do not. This time is different. Derek not only attempted to kill Anna, vackra. He was sent to kill you. As my mate, you are my property. Therefore his life was mine to dispose of. I need to explain my actions," Stefan paused. "Anna has been required to tell her side of the story since his course of action caused her change."
My mind drifted back to the night she'd died her human death, an icy chill causing me to shiver. I'd watched her life slip away as she lay in my arms, my pleas to Stefan still too fresh in my mind. Anna had been beautiful as a human with her riot of brown curls and chocolate eyes. As a vampire she was flawless, her olive skin slightly darker than Lukas or Stefan. From the moment she awoken, she'd accepted her new life with a quiet acceptance.
As she said, she didn't have a choice. I snapped back to the present.
"You know I hate the whole 'I'm your property' thing. As far as Anna is concerned, I think she’ll be ready. She doesn’t regret this life.”
"Josephine, I do not consider you my property. Vampire law does." He looked at me pointedly. "Anna will always remember the night if her death. As I told you, other human memories fade, yet that memory remains."
"Speaking of Anna, is something going on with Anna and Nikolaus?"
"It is not my story to tell. They will tell us if and when they are ready," Stefan replied as his fingertips crept over the lace inserts in my gown. "Not everyone has a happily ever after. Anna and Nikolaus both have never settled down and they may choose not to. You need to understand that what we have is a rarity."
“I know. I know something is going on between them. I just want them to be happy.” I snuggled closer to him and my body aligned perfectly with his, my head resting on his chest. His arm wrapped around my waist while his other hand rested on my hip. We were silent, watching the city lights twinkle and listening to the steady hum of traffic. For a moment, there was no Council appearance hanging over us, no Lukas, no Anna, no Kian. It was just Stefan and me.
We were alone, our minds melding together into a tapestry of contentment and love. The force of the emotions in his thoughts was indescribable. It was all-consuming, almost threatening to drown me. How I'd survived so long without him was a mystery to me. Overcome with the sudden fear of losing him, I leaned my head back, exposing my neck to him.
"Drink from me," I whispered. My voice had cracked by the time I had gotten to the end of my sentence.
His long fingers clasped my face and his blue eyes drilled into mine. "Why?"
"I don't want to think about anything but you and me right now." I blinked back tears. “When you drink from me, all I can think of is you and me.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. "You do not trust me when I tell you it will be fine?"
I swallowed, the lump in my throat threatening to strangle me. "I trust you. I don't trust them."
His handsome face softened, his impossibly pretty mouth relaxing into the gentlest of smiles. He lowered his lips to my neck, his nose nuzzling against my skin.
"I love you." His lips tickled as they whispered across my throat. He pressed a kiss over the spot he chose, the soft click of his fangs unleashing a warmth in the pit of my stomach.
"You are everything." He bit down so gently that I was surprised when I felt his reaction to the taste of my blood. He'd been so precise that I hadn't felt his bite. He took a long draw, drinking only enough to keep the wound open.
Crooning his name, I let pleasure wash over me every time he suckled. My head fell into the cradle of his arm, my body losing all tension. Everything disappeared except us and the feeling of being consumed. Lust spiked between us and I knew we'd both want more than a simple blood exchange.
His hand had started to rub slow, deliberate circles on my hip. My gown rode up slowly with each pass. His body was returning my warmth in equal measure. I felt his cock, rock hard and seeking, pressed against me, begging for attention. I cupped his hip, languidly pulling him forward just as I pushed closer to him.
"Steafedn," I hummed. The feeling of being in his arms while he drank from me was erotic, almost hypnotic.
He jolted at hearing me speak his given name, breaking suction and hissing out a warning. "You risk my control, vackra. Do not tempt me."
I let out a soft laugh and rubbed into his cock harder. "Are you incapable of making love gently when I talk like that?"
"Very few of the emotions I have for you are gentle. I struggle to not let them destroy me."
Shocked at his statement, I turned my head, my blood trickling down my neck as I did. I focused on his darkened eyes as my fingers worked nimbly on the button of his jeans. "Show me how gentle you can be. Here, under the stars."
Without another word, I had his pants open and his thick shaft spilled into my hand. I moaned and pumped him as our gazes locked, his jaw tightening as he considered my proposal while I languidly stroked his cock.
His eyes slammed shut and he growled his rough animal growl, bucking into my fist. "I cannot promise that I can be gentle. Not like this. Not now..."
Giggling, I tightened my grip. "I want you to try, Stefan. For me?"
The satin of my nightgown was climbing up my hip into his fist. His long fingers slipped through my wet heat. He fingered me carefully, scissoring deep inside of me, listening to my gasps as he touched me so intimately.
"Only for you. I want no other."
I nodded, my eyes closed in ecstasy as I rode his fingertips. "Forever. I'll love you forever."
He withdrew his fingers and I sobbed as his cock filled their place, sliding slowly, deeply, until I had all of him. Moving his hips at an agonizingly slow tempo, he lowered to my neck once again. "You will kill me with your pretty words."
He resumed feeding. His hips moved slightly faster than his mouth. He’d take a gentle pull on my throat, thrusting gently into my pussy. Another pull, more tender pushes. Over and over he repeated his rhythm, nearly causing me to lose my mind as he made love to me, determined to prove he could be gentle.
In bliss, I was moaning non-stop now. I called out his name, that I loved him, that I never wanted him to stop.
We could have an eternity of this.
He'd systematically destroyed me. He’d torn down every wall, shattered every barrier with his love, his affection, his ability to make me whole again.
He raised his mouth to lean forward, slashing his forearm that had been holding my shoulders. Blood ran freely down his bare arm. "Drink from me again. This time, with your full knowledge and consent. With that, will be complete."
I rolled my hips in time to his torturous thrusts. "Now you want my consent?"
He caught my teasing tone
and smiled beautifully. Still mostly clothed, he pulled us even tighter together. "In vampire society we are mates. In blood we are unified as one. No one can touch you without my permission. The same now applies to you. We are bound for an eternity."
Eagerly, I leaned into his arm and without any hesitation, I sealed my lips to his wound as he took a few final sips at my neck. He threw his head back and roared with pleasure and victory. Our bodies glowed brightly as if we were lit from within, like paper lanterns gleaming in the dark night. Every nerve ending short-circuited. Our bond exploded in our heads, tensing, intensifying, boiling over into utter chaos. My body clenched him savagely as I came screaming against his bloody flesh. Howling in completion, he slammed into me, pumping vigorously until he was completely spent.
Delirious, we called each other's name, clutching other as we rode out our powerful orgasm. To any accidental observer, we were just two young people making love on a rooftop in New York. Nothing unusual. They certainly wouldn’t understand the supernatural occurrence that had just further fused us together for an eternity.
Stefan pulled my gown back to cover me. He seemed tired as he fell back into the chair, slowly zipping up his jeans.
"What the hell was that?" I managed weakly.
"The glowing?" Stefan asked. He pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around my back. "I do not know. I have never tied myself in blood in love to another for an eternity. Perhaps your knowledge and my agreement caused it."
An eternity. This was more than a marriage. We'd agreed to belong to one another, in body and blood forever.
Holy shit.
"I would marry you in a human ceremony. I want to tie myself to you in every way," Stefan’s voice was muddled. I didn’t just hear his words. I could feel the sentiment pulsing within him.
"Marry me?" I parroted. "You'd marry me, just like that?"
"Vackra, we are committed to each for an eternity. If we are married in human customs, I can better protect you."
Mulling over his offer, I sat up and smoothed my fingers over his satin skin of his neck and over his shoulder, following the path back up. He rubbed his stubbled face against my hand like a contented cat, his blue eyes sliding shut in pleasure.
We were meeting with the Council in two days...
"No. Not like this. I love you more than a piece of paper can show. I don't want to marry you for your protection."
He was silent. My rejection had stung him. He took an unsteady breath, his sea blue eyes shining in the darkness. "No shotgun wedding for you?"
"Stefan. I'm not saying I wouldn't. I'm just saying no for the reasons I mentioned. I want to marry you without fear hanging over either of our heads. We both deserve more than that."
"You compared what we have to a marriage," Stefan spoke as he ran his fingers over my back. He glanced up, his soft golden hair falling over his blue eyes. "Yet you tell me no?"
Damn telepathic link. He now had access to every fleeting thought, every tiny crevice of my mind. It was easy for me to forget and let my shields down, which gave him an all access pass to every thought and emotion I was feeling.
"I did. Stefan, I'm saying no to a marriage out of protection. You're already more than that to me."
Lukas burst onto the roof, his neatly combed short black hair in a disarray. His pale blue eyes were wide with unconcealed excitement.
"I knew it! Let me see it." He grabbed my left hand. His lips pursed as he searched for a ring that wasn't there.
"Stefan! Where's the ring?" Lukas huffed. He snapped his fingers impatiently.
"She said no, Lukas," Stefan admitted softly. His blue eyes traced the gravel of the rooftop. His defeat and rejection radiated off of him. I started to reach for him when Lukas' sharp voice cut in.
"Stefan, let me talk to Josie alone."
For once, Stefan offered no resistance. He rose to his feet, the slump of his shoulders as he stalked off the rooftop said more than any words could.
I'd hurt him. Confused him. He deserved so much better than me.
Lukas released my hand and looked at me incredulously. "You told him no? Why in the hell would you do that?"
"I love him more than a piece of paper, Lukas. We'd be doing it for the wrong reasons. He wants to protect me. I want him to ask me because he wants to, because he loves me. Not out of fear and obligation."
Lukas sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "You think he'd marry you just because he's obligated? Sweetheart, are you insane or just thick-headed?"
"Lukas..."
"He loves you more than his own life. The night Derek had you, he was almost immobilized with panic. I'd never seen him like that. Only his deeper fear of losing you kept him focused," Lukas advised. His ice blue eyes slid to the sky. "Stefan is like my brother and he's a good maker. Did you know he never loved another person until his vision of you and the night he finally met you? Not a single woman has ever held his heart. And now you do. You can crush him with your words."
"I know. He's told me he's never loved anyone else," I agreed. My hands twisted in the satin of my nightgown.
Lukas finally met my gaze. In this moment, his eyes reminded me of Stefan, old and wise. "You bonded in love. I felt it in my link with Stefan. It was amazing. Josie, I hate to tell you, but technically you're already married. It's just not legal."
Rubbing my neck nervously, I stood and walked to the edge of the rooftop. I peeked over the edge at the street below. "Technically, what we are isn’t legal. We use forgeries and assumed identities.
Lukas tried again. "All I hear are your excuses. What are you so scared of? You think he's going to leave you? Cheat on you? Mistreat you? None of the above is going to happen and you know it. I don't think your bond will permit him. He's bound to you."
I turned to study him. He sat primly on the chair, his eyes watching me with undisguised interest. "How do you know about what a bond is? You don't do relationships, remember?" Lukas crossed his legs. "I may not do relationships but I know enough vampires to understand the process. Stefan and I have been together for a long time. He's in love with you, he's loyal and he's swooning over you like the moon rises out of your pussy."
Normally I would have blushed at Lukas' statement. My technicolor blush never appeared on my cheeks. Yet another change to ponder over and discuss.
Lukas smoothly got to his feet and stood in front of me. He pulled me to him long enough for him to press a kiss to my forehead. "Let him ask you. Tell him yes. Wear his ring. You don't have to marry him tomorrow. Just say yes for god’s sake. Go back to the start."
He blurred to the door on the roof. A solitary tear slipped down my cheek and my voice sounded as weak as my body felt when I spoke. "Would he?
Lukas halted, his hand on the door. "Would he what?
"Let me start over? Let me take back the words that hurt him?” I asked, grasping my head with my hands.
Lukas was back at my side, gently taking my hand. "He'd relive the entire 975 years of his life to be with you. Your flaws make you who you are. Sure, you're insecure and you've made mistakes. Haven't we all?"
"I seem to have a special talent for fucking up. Like earlier today with you. Sorry about that," I said sheepishly. My head swiveled to glance at him. "Lukas, I like this version of you. It suits you."
His thin lips eased into a smile. "You have a way of disarming people, Josephine. Underneath everything, you have a lot of love in you. It pulls me to you, even though you are scaring the shit out of me."
We stood quietly on the roof top. With a final pat, he let go of my hand and walked to the rooftop door again. I heard the it click closed behind him, leaving me alone to my thoughts.
I threw my head back and looked into the stars, as if they'd have a solution to my problems.
Wrong.
I slumped back down onto the lounge chair and rested my chin in my palms. I'd inadvertently hurt Stefan again with my callousness. He'd offered to marry me, to tie himself to me every way humanly possible. And like an
idiot, I'd told him no.
My face slid into my hands. I'd seen the set of his shoulders when he walked away. I'd felt his pain at the result of my careless words.
"Vackra?"
My eyes raised to meet his eager blue eyes. I hadn't heard his approach and I was too busy chastising myself to pay attention. He was on his knees at my feet. I attempted to embrace him, yet his hands ceased my movement as they encased my wrists. He held them at arms length, his eyes searching mine.
"Lukas said you wanted to start over?" His statement was a question. "So I will start over for you. Consider my question differently. Wear my ring and be with me because you love me, because you cannot live without me. Be with me because I make you happy, because I drive you crazy. Be with me because you cannot imagine a day without me. Josephine, be with me because I only existed until I found you after centuries of searching. Only you. För evigt."
Stefan pulled a ring out of his pocket. His mouth parted, his tongue nervously swiping across his lower lip. He took my left hand in his much larger one, stroking the skin tenderly.
"If this were during my human life, our union would have been arranged between our fathers to strengthen the village. It is not those times, yet I still want to ask you properly. So I ask you again. Ska det finnas en ände för oss båda, en obligation efter våra löften, inte heller skall vårt första kärlek planlöst förgås. Jag ber om din hand är min kompis, min älskare för evigheten. Vara med mig."
Choking back tears, I could only whimper. I knew in that instant that this was right and I'd been crazy to reject him because of my silly ideas about his obligation. "Translation, please?"
He smiled, his chiseled face had that unarmed, child-like expression again. I imagined this is what he'd look like if he was still human, kneeling before me. "Josephine, there shall be one end for us both; one bond after our vows; nor shall our first love aimlessly perish. I ask for your hand to be my mate, my lover for eternity. Be with me."
He offered the ring to me. A beautiful emerald cut diamond ring sat nestled in his large palm. It was set in platinum, the delicate band surrounded with rubies.
Awakening (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #3) Page 9
