The Vampire Destiny 3: Awakening

by Alexandra Anthony

  Amir smiled a wide smile and they exchanged a long look. Their gazes didn’t waver until finally Amir was the first to look away. His tawny eyes drifted to me and he nodded. "You are correct, Stefan. Now is not the time to be hasty.” He regarded me with quiet respect. “She is truly your match, brother. Your vision did not lie when it foretold of a true fated pair. Extraordinary."

  "She is," Stefan agreed. “Josephine is truly remarkable.”

  He'd been reticent during the entire exchange with Amir. I’d grown so accustomed to the softer version of Stefan that seeing this side of him reminded me what he was and who he could be if he chose. And if I were completely honest, who I was becoming as well. We both had secrets to guard and people to protect. We couldn’t afford to let anyone we didn’t trust completely in on our plans.

  Amir stroked his tie a final time. "We will have time for pleasantries later. I will see you both after the Council appearance."

  Without another word, he strode purposely out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

  Extracting myself from Stefan's death grip, I looked at him expectantly. "Any other news you want to share with me? You could have warned me about Amir. I hate surprises. You know this. In fact, you remind me of it often."

  "Amir is unpredictable. I did not know he would be stopping by," Stefan replied matter-of-factly. He slid his hands in his pockets of his dark denim jeans and offered an offhanded shrug.

  "You didn't know? Sweetie, you're a psychic. And how are you going to keep all of this quiet? The telepath on the Council will find out your plan!" I responded anxiously, beginning to pace back and forth. "It's going to come out tonight. Shit, shit, shit!"

  "Ah, I forget how much you need to learn. You know many of us have talents. Many are latent, never reaching their true potential. You are still discovering your gifts. Nigel is much like you. He is a powerful empath. Sofia is an expert at assessing talents. Lenora is a remarkable telepath." He glanced at the ceiling. "Amir’s ability is difficult to explain. He has the ability to cloak himself, removing the memory of his presence from conversations he has with others. It will be as if he never spoke to us.”

  "So he's like Kian?" I stopped pacing to study his handsome face. It hardened as I mentioned my father's name. "If Sofia is so good at assessing talents, isn’t she able to figure out what his talent is?”

  "First things first. Amir is not like your father, vackra. Kian can deflect the abilities of others vampires. With the exception of Nikolaus, I have never known of another creature, vampire or otherwise to bypass Kian’s talent. What Amir can do is nothing short of remarkable. He can make you forget he was in a room if he chooses. It is almost as if he can make himself invisible. He is there but not. Sofia accepts and acknowledges he has a talent. She is unable to figure out what exactly he can do." Stefan’s eyes turned cloudy and his voice sounded strained. "Solveig was like Sofia in assessing talents. Solveig was dangerously talented. She could sense gifts in a human. She only chose to turn the most special of humans until her final years. Then she grew reckless as her insanity increased. She no longer cared about choosing only the talented. She only cared about blood and had grandiose ideas of vampires controlling the earth."

  "She changed you when you were dying,” I argued. The mere thought of Solveig made jealousy course through my veins. Whenever I heard her name, it was a constant reminder that not only was Solveig his maker, she'd been his lover. Common sense told me that Stefan had slept with hundreds of women in his long life. We’d never discussed it, with the lone exception of Solveig. Though she had been dead hundreds of years, she still remained a proverbial thorn in my side.

  "Dying or not, she knew of my ability. It was one life she took out of mercy, not of greed." His hands slipped from his pockets and his arms crossed under the expanse of his broad chest. “Knowing Solveig, she had followed me for days, waiting for the right moment to strike. She had not expected me to be fatally wounded in the final day of my human life. It forced her hand, I suppose.”

  Mirroring his pose, I crossed my arms defensively. “You make excuses for her, Stefan. Why?”

  “She was my maker, Josephine. If not for her intervention, we would have never met. You told me I was saved for you,” Stefan countered. “That was your statement, not mine. I may not have always agreed with her actions but she was kind to me. We were together for many years before her death. I will always feel a loyalty to her.”

  Staring at the floor, I made the decision to change the subject back to safer ground. Looking up at him, I peered into his eyes. "Have you long has Amir known about our situation here? He wants control and I won't risk losing you so he can have it, Stefan."

  A gentle smile broke over his chiseled face and the softness returned to his gaze. “Amir and I talk infrequently. There are rumblings amongst our kind. You would be shocked if you knew the way news travels amongst vampires. Amir has always wanted power. He has been waiting for an opportunity like this and will not let it pass. I promise you that I will not do anything to put myself at risk for Amir."

  "Amir is here only to visit and be appointed to the Council? There’s nothing else I need to know?" I questioned sharply. Delving into his mind, I probed his thoughts for anything that would contradict his story. His thoughts mirrored our conversation and I knew that even if Amir had erased his part in Stefan's mind, our strange link kept us honest. It was impossible to lie to one another.

  "Are you satisfied? My word was not good enough so you chose to rummage through my mind for reassurances?" Stefan questioned irritably. His face was impassive, his mouth barely moving as he spoke. “You can sense my honesty, yet you chose to second guess what I already explained?”

  Exhaling a deep sigh, I lowered my head in shame. He was right. I’d let my insecurities take over instead of trusting him and the telltale bond that hummed in my mind, reminding me of his sincerity.

  "I’m sorry, Stefan. I trust you with my life. I just remember how upset you were when I received the painting and note from Kian. You were ready to go to war." I cupped his cheek in my hand. The stubble from his face tickled my palm. "It scares me to think of losing you. It's almost a paralyzingly fear because I love you so much."

  His long fingers combed through his hair. Before I could blink, I was once again in his crushing embrace. His thoughts floated through my mind, soft and reassuring. "Let us go and take care of this business. I promise you, you will be safe."

  Just as quickly, he released me. His fingers traced over my cheeks and across my lips. "I love you. Know what I do, I do for you."

  A knock sounded on the apartment door. Reluctantly breaking away, I headed across the room to answer it. My brother stood on the other side, his hand poised mid-knock. Anxiety emanated from him, threatening to overpower me with its intensity. He shoved past me into the apartment, anxiously rubbing his hands together.

  "Nikolaus? What are you doing here? We're leaving for the Council meeting in a few minutes. I’ll call you when we’re finished. I promise." I rushed after him. Grabbing his arm, I spun him around to face me. When his green eyes met mine, he looked so much like our mother in that moment that my hand fell away from his arm and I took a clumsy step backwards.

  "He wants to come with us. For you. He has other concerns as well." Stefan’s deep voice rang out from behind me. The bond between us was filled with apprehension about Nikolaus joining us. I knew I needed to convince him he needed to go home and wait for the meeting to be over.

  “Is that why you’re here?” I demanded. “Nikolaus, I don’t want you to get involved.”

  He looked away from my imploring gaze, screwing his lips into a scowl. He glared past me at Stefan. "Dude, I can talk. I'm coming with you. You need me there."

  "No, what I need you to do is to stay away from the Council meeting. They don't need to know you've chosen a side," I insisted. Grasping his shoulders, I hugged him. I tightened my grip and whispered in his ear. "You're the only real family I have left. I won't risk your lif
e too."

  "I can read their thoughts. I'll know what they're thinking and I can tell you what to do next. You need me there," Nikolaus retorted. He planted his feet and refused to move, even to return my embrace.

  The apartment door opened again and my head turned to see Anna and Lukas frozen in the doorway, surprised to see Nikolaus in our apartment.

  "Nik?" Anna questioned softly. "Babe, what are you doing here?"

  Nikolaus tugged himself from my grasp and sped to her side. "I'm here for Josie. And you too. I can't let you go in there alone."

  "Your chivalry is cute. I'll have Stefan and Lukas there with me. It'll be fine,” Anna said flippantly. She pushed at his chest. “Go home, Nik.”

  Nikolaus stepped closer to her and took her face between his hands. "No. I know what they can do. I love you, Anna. I'm not letting you go there alone. Period."

  I finally understood his consuming fear. He'd fallen in love with my friend. He'd let himself go to the place he said he'd never allow himself to go: love.

  "Nik, it won't be smart for you to go. Please," Anna begged. Her brown eyes turned watery as she stared up into my brother's face.

  "No one has ever accused me of being smart. Why start now?” Nikolaus smirked and hugged Anna to his chest, laying his cheek against the top of her brown curls.

  Stefan watched their display with amusement. Craning my neck, I looked up at him, tapping my foot impatiently.

  "You knew and didn’t tell me?" I asked him accusingly.

  "I suspected. After Anna awoke, I had a vision of your brother and Anna together. They were happy. More importantly, they were in love. It was not my story to tell, vackra. If you knew, you would have been pushing for them to be together and they would have resisted. Look."

  Our attention focused back on Anna and Nikolaus. He has his hands buried in Anna's hair, their mouths tangled in a passionate kiss. Anna clung to him, her hands gripping his back possessively.

  Stefan turned me to him.. "You see, we become careless when we love. Many consider this a weakness. I would sacrifice anything to keep you safe. Your brother feels the same.”

  He lowered his lips to mine, smothering me with his love and exasperation at the situation. Without any hesitation, I relaxed into his embrace. It was easy to get lost in the feeling of his powerful mouth against mine, the reassuring touch of his strong hands. Suddenly the Coucil meeting seemed far away…

  "Oh for fuck's sake. It's like a 70's Key Party in here. Break it up before I relearn the fine art of vomiting," Lukas exclaimed loudly. He clapped his hands together severely. “Let’s get this show on the road. I have things and people to do later.”

  ***

  Pulling up in front of the Carriage House caused a strange case of déjà vu to wash over me. I barely remembered Stefan taking me by the hand and leading me into the house. Nikolaus had a tight grip on Anna while Lukas walked behind us, typing away on his cell phone. I could only imagine how Anna must be feeling. This was her first real experience around other vampires and she knew how much was at stake.

  Stefan's hold on my hand tightened slightly. He was closely monitoring my thoughts, gauging where my emotions were and how I was handling this entire situation.

  “I’m fine. I swear.” I mentally sent to him, managing a weak smile.

  “You are a terrible liar, vackra. This will be over soon.” Stefan chided in response.

  He grew silent as during the elevator ride to the main floor of the house. Stefan directed us into a large conference room that was filled with a long, highly polished mahogany table with five empty leather chairs neatly placed behind it. A huge crystal chandelier in the middle of the room seemed highly extravagant and out of place such a sparsely furnished room.

  There were four chairs facing the table. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Sit. They will be here soon."

  I sat down on one of the chairs as Stefan slouched into the chair on my right. Anna took her place to my left while Lukas gingerly sat down on the end. Stefan and Lukas had intentionally placed Anna and I in between them, buffering us from anything unexpected. Nikolaus stood behind Anna’s chair, his arms folded across his chest.

  "Nothing is going to happen. I am simply being cautious." Stefan's mind voice answered my observation.

  Twisting my hands nervously in my lap, I sighed heavily. "I just want this to be over."

  His hand reached and stilled my nervous fingers. He took one of my hands in his, slowly tracing the veins with his fingertip. "As do I. Stay calm and say the very minimum to the questions they ask. Do not offer any information that they do not request."

  I looked up from watching the graceful movements of his fingers against my hand and wrist. His blue eyes were gazing intently at me, filled with concern. His worry for me made him look older than usual. The tiny lines around his eyes were more pronounced, his normally smiling mouth solemn. The lines of his face were almost severe in the bright lighting of the conference room.

  "How many times have you done this? Testified before the Council?"

  His eyelids slid closed over his eyes. He inhaled slowly and unnecessarily before reopening them to meet mine once again. "Hundreds of times. I lost count 50 years ago."

  "Hundreds?" My mouth gaped.

  "This is more serious for me. I killed a Council member," Stefan admitted. Realizing he'd said too much, he rushed to reassure me. "It was to defend my mate. It will be fine."

  "I won't lose you. I'll kill everyone of them if I have to, Stefan. I can't..." My eyes filled with hot tears, my throat tightening. One escaped and ran down my cheek, leaving a burning trail in its wake. Stefan lovingly wiped the tear away, his eyes widening as he stared at his fingertip.

  "What?"

  "Your tear. It is pink." He offered me his hand. The tip of his thumb was stained pink. My eyes skittered up to him fearfully. "You are changing. The few times I have cried, they are the same color."

  "Stefan..."

  Two heavy doors behind the table swung open dramatically, ceasing our non-verbal conversation. I watched as the five Council members filed into the room. The only one that looked our way was Sofia. Her dark eyes slid over Stefan greedily, staring at him like he was a tall glass of water after being parched from a trek through the desert. Her black eyes then moved to me, narrowing as they flickered over me critically. Her exotic features turned into granite as she took her seat along the other Council members and faced us.

  "Welcome. You have all been summoned regarding the death of Derek Collier. I also see we have a new vampire amongst us," Nigel said. His hazel eyes glanced at Anna before returning to Stefan.

  Stefan rose to his full impressive six-foot-four height. "Yes. This is Anna Wilson. She is my child and my responsibility. I changed her in result of Derek's attempt on my mate's life. Derek not only used her as a pawn in his scheme to kill my mate, he left Anna to die."

  "Why change her?" Adolfo asked bluntly. “She means nothing to you.”

  Anna stiffened beside me. My hand inched over and clasped hers tightly. Her fingers tightened around mine angrily.

  “That is untrue, Adolfo. I enjoyed her company as a human and she has proven to be an exemplary vampire. She is Josephine’s closest friend and I could not let her life end when I could save her,” Stefan answered smoothly. He remained as still as a statue on the outside, but I could feel his anger simmering through the bond. He was working diligently to keep his temper in check.

  "You saved the human for your mate? I would think you've gone soft of it wasn't for your thorough termination of Derek." Adolfo folded his hands on the polished wood of the conference table.

  The termination of Derek?! He made it sound like Derek missed a deadline for his job and was fired. I wanted to snicker at the absurdity of this, but knew better than to make a sound. This was almost like watching one of those late night B rated horror movies. Only this time, instead of sitting back and watching, I was an active participant.

  Stefan said nothing. He stoically s
tood in front of the Council, his hands at his side. His steady gaze never left Adolfo's face. This was the vampire bullshit he despised so much. And now, I finally understood why. He had to answer to a group of mostly corrupt vampires that were appointed to be the law of his kind. How many times had he gone through this same inane ritual?

  "You have no comment, Stefan? No clever reply? How very unusual. Why is..."

  Nigel cut in, ceasing Adolfo's speech. "Enough, Adolfo. We will get to the interview later. Nikolaus, why are you in attendance tonight? You were not summoned to appear."

  "I'm here to support my sister," Nikolaus shot back. "I have the right to be here. She is my family."

  "You need to leave, Nikolaus. Go home," Nigel admonished. He pointed to the door for emphasis. "Go and I do not want to hear any complaint from you. Are we clear?"

  "Nigel, this is bullshit but I'll go." Nikolaus’ fingers grazed first my shoulder and then Anna's. I noticed his hand lingered on Anna's shoulder longer than mine.

  Nigel waited until Nikolaus left the room before he began again. "We have appointed a new Council member. This is Amir Negasso." Nigel swept his hand in Amir's direction. Amir inclined his head at us in greeting. "He will be a valuable asset to the Council."

  I wasn't sure if Nigel was privy to the true relationship of Amir and Stefan. From our earlier conversation, it seemed to be a heavily guarded secret. I doubted few knew.

  "I hope to be. Let us continue," Amir replied. He opened a leather binder in front of him and scanned a paper, glancing up briefly from his notes to stare at me. "Josephine Anderson Ahearne. I am to assume that is you. Please stand."

  Standing shakily, I rose and stood at Stefan's side. Tossing my hair back, I tilted my chin indignantly. "Josephine Anderson will do. I spent 28 years as an Anderson. There is no need to add the Ahearne now."