Through the glaring starkness, a woman’s voice trilled out. "Josephine, don't be afraid."
Spinning around in search of the melodic voice, a dark haired woman approached me through the light. As she came closer, I recognized her. It was the woman I’d seen so many times in Nikolaus’ thoughts. It was our mother. Armes was more beautiful than what his memories had shown me.
"Mother?" I took a cautious step towards her in the hazy whiteness. "Where are we?"
"We are in between. Neither here nor there," Armes replied. She looked ethereal, dressed in a gauzy white dress, her long brown hair billowing in wild waves around her stunning face. Her almond shaped blue eyes were bright like sapphires in the pale snow of her skin.
"Am I dead? Is that why I’m here with you? I don't understand what's happening," I whispered. I shifted closer to her, drawn to the glowing warmth emanating from her. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Armes turned her head to the side, viewing me curiously. Her lips bowed into a breathtaking smile. "There is little to explain that you do not already know, love. You willingly chose Stefan. Your human life is ending and your immortal life will now start. It began the moment you took on this form for Stefan."
My brow wrinkled in confusion at her odd choice of words that seemed as complex as a riddle. "Of course I chose to be with Stefan. I love him. And I chose this form? I don’t understand.”
Her musical laughter bubbled out, entrancing like wind chimes pealing in the breeze. She reached forward and smoothed my hair lovingly. "Darling, you may have chosen him, but in your world your choice is merely destiny in disguise. You were made to be with Stefan. It was always your destiny and now you have been reunited. You consented to the bond and offered yourself to him in love. He accepted your offering. And now you wear his ring and have agreed to be his."
Her soft words stunned me. As I regained my wits, I glanced down at the sparkling diamond on my finger, unconsciously rubbing over it with my thumb. "The memories of Stefan from his human life… they weren’t just memories. I was there, wasn’t I? How could that be?”
Armes shifted closer until she clasped my shoulders gently and kissed my forehead. “Then do not question what you already know to be true. The night on the rooftop, your consent and his acceptance changed everything. Along with the blood exchange, it lit you from within and you are now one. You are changing to be at his side, losing the last of your human limitations. It is time.”
"The the blood tie only formed because of our love,” I reminded her. My voice sounded shaky, and unsure. What she was saying made no sense. “Mother, what is it time for?”
"It is time for your awakening. The blood tie between you both is irrelevant, Josephine. As I said, your consent and his acceptance solidified your sacred bond. Stefan's vision foretold you being his mate long before even I was born. He is very powerful, your man. He will protect you and you will stand at his side as his equal in every way. You are the light to his dark. Our lineage carries goodness. Trust in him to protect you as you will protect him. You are becoming more powerful," Armes murmured. She clutched my hand tightly. "Do not be afraid. It is your fate, as my fate and destiny was to bring you into this world."
The frustration I was feeling crept into my voice. "I know he will protect me. There's so much that doesn’t make sense. You mentioned our lineage. Are you telling me that I’m something more than a human and a vampire? Please mother, you need to help me make sense of all of this.”
"Your powers are changing, love. You’ve already discovered that you have the ability to project your gifts. Learn to strengthen what you have been given. You will need to search out Garrett's journals. They will help you both understand."
What was it with my family and their journal keeping? Is seemed like such an antiquity to keep written journals, yet little about my family seemed normal. "Garrett kept journals? Will they explain how I was destined to be with Stefan and explain what I am?"
"There is more to this than fate and destiny. You need to remember that instead of focusing on such a trivial part of the bigger picture. We all have our path to travel. Yours just happens to be different than most." She smiled again. "My only regret is to never have known you, yet I do not regret a single thing. Garrett did a beautiful job raising you. You have almost reached your full potential, Josephine. He nurtured and helped you as you grew. Your instincts and gift kept you safe until you were ready to meet Stefan."
Her second mention of my uncle caused a wave of melancholia to wash over me. "Garrett was a good man and a better father. He was always there with advice and support. I just wish I would have told him how much I loved him before…"
"Kian interfered. He knows, sweet girl," Armes cut in and sighed heavily. "My time here grows short. I must go."
"Wait! You can't leave. You didn't tell me where to find the journals. I've looked through all of Garrett’s books and I never found any journals." I became almost frantic as I sensed her approaching departure. "Mother, will I see you again?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I'll always be with you. Trust Stefan and your heart. I should have trusted mine. I should have listened to Nigel." Armes spun to leave when she suddenly turned to face me again. "One more thing, Josephine. Tell Nikolaus to forgive himself. He couldn't have stopped or prevented what happened that day. Give him my love and know that I am with you both in light and love.”
The brightness around her began to fade and I could feel myself slipping away from her.
"When you begin to search for your past, the key to find the truth will be under your nose, Josephine. Be safe, beautiful girl. Show these to Stefan. He will understand." Armes kissed my cheek, pressing two small items in my hand before she disappeared into the increasing darkness.
***
My eyes flew open and I sat straight up in bed. My chest was heaving, my breath coming in ragged pants as I struggled to make sense of what had happened. Was I alive? Was seeing my mother a figment of my imagination, some sort of bizarre dream?
This experience was similar to my visions I’d had before I’d met Stefan. Had those been real as well? Had we shared some sort of strange reality in our dreams, preparing me to meet what was to be my destiny?
The only glaring difference was that my mother was dead. I'd watched her die in Nikolaus' memory, her lifeless eyes staring into nothing as she lay at my father's feet. There would be no happy reunion for my mother and me. I only had this dream, one single fleeting moment in time where I had the chance to meet her.
I was unsure how I should be feeling. Of course there was a part of me that was happy to have had the chance to see my mother, if only in a dream. The other part was irritated that I was left with more questions than answers. Nothing she said had made sense. Mentally, I’d prepared myself to chalk the entire experience up to an over-active imagination and too much to drink when I glanced down at my hand that was clenched into a tight fist. Opening my fingers one by one, I was amazed to see two acorns in my palm. My mother had pressed them into my hand before she disappeared. She said Stefan would understand… Gasping loudly, I dropped the nuts on the bed as if they had burned me. Scooting closer to the headboard, I nestled closer to Stefan. Deep in sleep, he was laying on his back, the sheets draped enticingly around his waist. Placing a shaking hand on his chest, the solidness of his body made everything seem real again. I needed to know everything wasn’t an altered state of reality.
Either my touch or panic woke him. His blue eyes opened and met mine, instantly rising on one arm to my side. I didn’t give him a chance to talk. I pitched forward, throwing myself against his chest and burying my face into his neck.
"Josephine? Tell me what has happened." I could hear the confusion and controlled alarm in his deep voice. His arms surrounded me, tightening and securing me to him.
"My mother. It was a dream," I mumbled against him. It was amazing how his embrace calmed me, “She said you’d understand.”
A few seconds of hesitation hung in the air betwe
en us. "Josephine?"
"Let me show you." I insisted. Placing my hands on his face, I pushed my vivid recollections of the dream with my mother to him. I could sense his presence in my mind, silently watching my exchange with Armes. He inhaled sharply when he watched her press the acorns in my hand.
"She was correct about the acorns. I understand what she was attempting to communicate to me. Acorns are the Nordic symbol of life and immortality. What I do not fully understand is her comment about the blood bond. She said you chose me and I accepted. We were already linked by blood. It makes no sense." Stefan ran a hand through his blond hair before picking the acorns up between his fingers, staring at them intently. "Choice, fate, destiny all entwined. You are more."
"You said that to me that the night we met," I reminded him. He rolled the acorns between his fingers thoughtfully. He was methodically thinking through the entire event I had shown him. He was as puzzled as me.
His blue eyes shifted from his fingers to meet mine and he nodded. "Then I was correct from that very moment. It has always been you, vackra. Even though I do not remember, we have always been together."
"What more could I be?" I asked. Kicking back the covers, I sprang out of the bed and hastily pulled open drawers to grab at the first articles of clothing I could find. I yanked on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt.
I could feel his eyes following my restless movements as I moved around the bedroom. “Where are you going?”
Glancing over my shoulder at him, I hesitated in the doorway. “I have to find my uncles’s journals.”
Hurrying down the hall, I headed into the guest bedroom. One wall was stacked with boxes that had arrived two days ago from Bali. I hadn't had the chance to unpack anything. There had been no chance with Anna's change and the upcoming Council meeting hanging over us.
Grabbing the first box marked ‘books’, I was preparing to rip into it when I felt Stefan's hand on my shoulder. Staring up into his handsome face, a sense of calm flooded our bond. He smoothed the hair away from my face, sweeping his thumb over my lower lip.
“You want answers, as do I. Let me help you."
He was true to his word. He was by my side hour after hour as we sorted through boxes of the same books we’d packed together. It was at best a wild goose chase; I had no idea what I was looking for. I knew that I didn’t have any journals from Garrett in my physical possession. There had to be a clue hidden somewhere. But where?
Stefan ripped open the tape on the final box. We exchanged a tense look as he began pulling book after book, flipping through them at lightning fast speed. He barked out a loud laugh and shook his head in admiration.
“Your uncle and mother share an interesting sense of humor. I would have liked to have met them.” Stefan flipped the book around so I could see the cover.
“Cyrano de Bergerac?” I took the book from his hand. Paging through the book, I choked back a gasp when I came to the back cover of the book. Taped inside was a small skeleton key with the words ‘William J. Prior Virtue & Knowledge’ written underneath in Garrett’s handwriting. Gently pulling the tape away, I palmed the key and closed the volume to glance at the cover. My mother’s words floated through my mind. ‘When you begin to search for your past, the key to find the truth will be under your nose, Josephine.’
I’d underestimated Garrett when I was a teenager, sometimes growing exasperated with his obsessive bookworm behavior. Like Stefan, I now appreciated his activities in an entirely new light. His twisted sense of humor and eclectic choice of books was beginning to make sense to me. From The Picture of Dorian Gray, his impassioned letter to me in a hardcover biography of Napoleon and finally, the key to finding his journals had been tucked away in a book about Cyrano de Bergerac. Everything had a meaning behind it.
“Do you know what this key belongs to, vackra?” Stefan asked. His voice broke through my reverie, drawing me back to the issue at hand.
“No, but I think he gave me another clue. We need to find a book by William J. Prior. Possibly it’s called Virtue & Knowledge.” I said. Stefan quickly scanned the piles until he found what I requested. Smiling crookedly, he brandished a paperback with the title Virtue and Knowledge: An introduction to Ancient Greek Ethics. He tossed it to me and I slowly poured over each page for a hint or a clue. Stefan moved to sit behind me, reading over my shoulder as I slowly turned page after page.
His deep voice sounded thoughtful as he pointed to a section of the book that was marked with bright yellow marker. “The section on Eudaemons is highlighted. Does that mean anything to you?”
Engrossed in my reading, I barely responded to his question. “No. But Garrett studied many things.” I was halfway through the book when I noticed my uncle’s scrawl again at the top of the page with a highlighted section. It was a series of numbers: 39°192453N 82°52463W.
Coordinates.
“I think this is it. He’s sending me a message. His journals are there.” I pointed at the numbers, tracing the slight indent with my finger. I knew them all too well. “It’s my hometown in Ohio. My uncle knew the issues I had from an early age. In retrospect more than likely it was because he knew my mother had the same or similar ability. He chose to move us to a smaller town for me. We lived in a rural area in Southeastern Ohio. He was the librarian at the local university. It was difficult, but it could have been worse. He taught me how to shield my mind, how to cope with reading the future of every person I came into contact with on a much smaller scale than living in a big city.”
“Why would he send you back there?” Stefan questioned. His mind spun into action, his fast-moving thoughts challenging to monitor. “You have his possessions with you, yes?”
Turning my head to nuzzle my nose against his cheek, I let out a small breath. “I do have some of his things. But their house is still there. When they died, I packed up the things I wanted to keep. I couldn’t bear to sell the house, so I pay a neighbor to act as a caretaker for the property. It’s possible Garrett’s journals could be there. Somewhere.”
Stefan sat up straight and ran his long fingers over my thigh. “This will have to wait until after the meeting. We cannot leave until after the situation with the Council is resolved.”
“I know, sweetheart.” I nodded in agreement. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling my back against his chest. “What do you think my mother meant when she said it all began when I took on this human form?”
I detected his hesitation in the bond. “I think we both know what it means. Your recollections of my memories means you are more than simply this hybrid creature we think you are. We just do not know what the more happens to be.”
He continued to hold me in his arms as we surveyed the destruction of the room. We’d haphazardly ransacked the boxes, leaving books and papers tossed in messy piles as we searched.
Stefan’s lips tickled against my ear. “Your brother is on his way up to talk to you. Would you like me to leave or to stay?”
“Stay. But let me tell him about our mother. It’s better that he hears it from me, don’t you think?” I asked quietly. I turned in his arms and looked up into his incredibly handsome face. His blond hair was messy, his face smeared with dirt and ink from the books.
“Then I will stay and let you talk to your brother.” Stefan lowered his mouth to mine, catching my lips in the softest of kisses. “No matter what we find out, we will do it together. We were separated for much too long to do this alone, vackra.”
***
Nikolaus had arrived as Stefan predicted and was now sitting in his usual seat on the couch, his heavily tattooed arms stretched across the back of the couch. He was edgier than usual, glancing from Stefan to myself before nervously gnawing on his lower lip.
“I know you have things to tell me. I woke up this morning with this weird feeling in my gut. For a while, it was like you weren’t even here anymore. So just spill it already.”
Just as Nikolaus had his usual seat sprawled on the couch, I occupied my
normal spot curled on Stefan’s lap. He cradled me in his arms and gently traced patterns on my back with his fingers. I glanced up at Stefan in question and he nodded.
“Where do you want me to start?”
Nikolaus let out a loud exhalation of aggravation. “You could start telling me why you’re wearing a gigantic diamond on your finger and we’ll go from there. That might be a nice beginning point.”
Glancing down at the ring that adorned my left hand, my eyes traced the diamonds and rubies lovingly. “Stefan and I are now bonded. He asked me to marry him and I accepted. We won’t be doing anything soon, but we want to be committed in every way possible. The more ways we are connected, the harder it will be to separate us.”
“You’re expecting my father to attempt to separate you again? Sounds about right.” Nikolaus’ green eyes turned to slits as he sized up Stefan. “You could have asked me first. I am her brother after all.”
“Nikolaus, it was a spur of the moment thing. We bonded and my thoughts switched to thinking that the ritual was more than a simply a marriage. He offered to marry me and at first I turned him down. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to marry me out of protection. Lukas was quick to point out the error of my ways.” Reaching up, I absently stroked Stefan’s cheek. His much bigger hand quickly grabbed it and brought it to his lips, slowly and painstakingly kissing each finger with his soft lips. With his simple touch, my barely checked longing unleashed inside of me. Renewed desire coursed through my veins, leaping to life under the sensation of his lips on my skin. I could feel his need simmering in his thoughts as he kissed each fingertip sensuously.
Nikolaus cleared his throat, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Let’s move along. What else happened? You were off the radar for a while this morning.”
Taking a deep breath, I glanced up at Stefan. “He needs to know. I have to tell him, Stefan.”
The Vampire Destiny 3: Awakening Page 12
