"You needed to see. You need to understand more of what you are," she advised cryptically. "Come with me."
Clasping hands, we followed behind Stefan. He stopped at a large rock and stared out to the sea. Finally, his eyes closed and he began speaking quickly in another language. It wasn't his normal modern Swedish, although it was similar. He spoke so quickly, so softly that I couldn't have understood his words even if I understood the language.
"He is praying in Old Norse. He is asking for guidance to the gods or goddesses that may be listening," Armes whispered. She’d sensed my confusion and was offering her help. She brushed my hair back delicately with two of her fingers. "Watch."
The volume of his voice raised, the familiar timbre tearing at my heart. The heart-wrenching supplications made my throat tighten with unshed tears.
“Skjarr kvikindi. Hitta minn hlið síða. Elska minn, dveljask innan minn fold. Fá minn lífdagar, fagr víf,” he cried, stretching his hands to the sky.
“What did he say? Please, I have to know.”
My mother laid her head on my shoulder, whispering softly in her melodic voice. “Shy creature, come to my side. Love me, stay within my world. Take my life, beautiful woman.”
In the cold mist, a transparent figure materialized at his side until she became as solid as him. Tall and willowy, her deep strawberry blond hair fell in waves over her shoulders. Her filmy dress was as blue as the sea, her green eyes as dark as evergreens. Looking away, I met my mother's gaze. She was...
She nodded in answer to my unasked question. "Yes, this was you in your other form. Quiet, love. You must watch."
Stefan opened his eyes and acknowledged the vision in front of him. His soft lips curled up into a familiar smile and he opened his arms to her.
I watched in fascination as the other version of myself sank into his arms. Her fingers combed through his long hair, her lips moving silently at his ear, whispering inaudibly. His lips curled up at the corners, his eyes crinkled in laughter.
He was beautifully perfect even as a mortal. And he loved this creature that was somehow me, but not. It made no sense.
"See, he loved you even then. He doesn't remember the love you shared then, Josephine. The key for you both to remember is in the journals."
"What was I?" I stuttered. “I obviously wasn’t human.” Captivated by the scene in front of me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from observing Stefan as he threaded his long fingers through her hair, just as he had my own so many times.
"It is still part of what you are. You simply took on a human form to be at his side when the time aligned properly, " Armes pointed out. "Look how you comforted him even then. You were with him until his human death, Josephine. Eudaemons can only remain along with the living. Once he became immortal, you had to leave him and he was forced to forget you until the time was right. He had many lessons to learn."
"An Eudaemon?" My voice sounded shaky as my mouth stumbled over the words. Garrett had a book with the entire section marked. "I'm a daemon?"
"Only a third. And it's not the negative thing you think it is. You were his good luck, a welcome spirit. Imagine yourself as a guardian angel of sorts. He wished to discover a way to keep you at his side or to be allowed to remain with you." Armes blue eyes almost seemed to see through me. "Solveig was the vessel to make him immortal. It took centuries for the preparations. Stefan had to be ready to accept you. You needed to be prepared to live as a human. Your planned arrival set off a flurry of events."
"What kind of events?"
"Find the journals. They will explain what I cannot, love," Armes sighed deeply. "We must leave. Our time here is over."
Grabbing my mother’s arm, I stopped her from turning away. "Is Stefan alive?
She beamed angelically. "Of course he is alive on this plane. You can see him as clearly as I can."
My hand tightened on her arm and I exhaled deeply. "Not here. Is he alive on the plane I’m currently existing in."
"Love, saying he is alive is subject to opinion. Technically he is dead." She towed me along with her. Shooting a quick glance over my shoulder, Stefan and the spirit version of myself had disappeared. My mother and I were alone on the sand, the biting wind from the ocean ruffling our hair. The salty smell of brine filled my nose, the salty spray dampening my hair.
My mother touched my cheek, her fingers as soft as silk on my skin. "If the fates allow, he will return to you. Trust destiny. It brought you together for a purpose."
Another obscure answer. "Mother..."
"Goodbye, love."
When I opened my eyes, Lukas sat watch over me from the end of the bed. His refined face sagged with worry as he rubbed his hands back and forth nervously.
"What time is it?" I mumbled, wiping my hand across my eyes. Attempting to get my bearings back, I felt more tired now than before I fell into my restless sleep.
Lukas pushed his sleeve back and glanced at the watch on his wrist. He heaved a defeated sigh and attempted to smile. "It’s a little after 10pm. Even though I’m happy to see you talking, you should go back to sleep."
"I can’t sleep. I had another dream, Lukas. I need to trust fate," I sat up on the bed cross legged and faced him.
"Fate," he snorted cynically. "You make your own fate, sweet cheeks."
"He'll come back to me. He didn't find me after 200 years for it end like this," I licked my dry lips. "He's a fighter."
Lukas rested his forearms on his legs. His head fell forward and his black hair obscured his eyes. "You’re right, he is a fighter. I'm just afraid."
I rested my hand gently on his shoulder. "You? What are you scared of, Lukas? If anyone can make it out of there, he can."
His blue eyes peeked through the inky darkness of his hair. "I’m scared of being alone. Or what will happen to you if he doesn't return. The bond...it's stronger than you. Without him, you won't survive it."
I gave his shoulder an affectionate shove. "Hey! He'll be back. There’s no need for you to worry your pretty little head about me going anywhere. Trust in him."
His head snapped up and the heaviness from his eyes lightened. His hand clasped mine and we sat in a companionable silence, listening to the muffled sounds of Anna and Nikolaus in the living room.
"Tell me about your dream. I want to hear it if you feel like telling me.”
His voice startled me. I scooted closer until I sat at his side, so close our legs were touching.
“I have a question for you first.”
Lukas twisted his mouth into a smirk. “Of course you do.”
“You were in here with me the entire time, right? I never left the room?” I asked quietly.
“Not only did not leave, you didn’t move. I could’ve sworn you were dead.”
Taking a deep breath, I plunged in. "In my dream, I saw Stefan as a human man. And I was with him. I was me, but not me. And my mother was with me. She told me to trust fate. It's all sort of confusing."
Lukas sat quietly, listening to me rattle on. He gave me an inquisitive stare. "What the hell are you? You're not just a human and vampire hodge podge mixture. What else are you?"
Closing my eyes, I swallowed roughly. "An Eudaemon."
A black eyebrow arched. He pursed his lips as he considered my words. "A guardian spirit or a bringer of good luck. His vision..."
"Was probably just a memory of me. We both need to remember the past. And I need my uncle's journals to help learn how to do it," I murmured. "Do not tell Anna or Nikolaus about any of this. I need to talk to Stefan first."
Lukas nodded and he finally released my hand. Standing, he gave me a weak smile. "You’re different now. Stronger. I envy you, Josephine. You’re not afraid to love, at least not anymore. Life had gotten boring until we found you. And it keeps getting more interesting with each passing day."
I was preparing an entertaining retort when the sudden reemergence of Stefan in the bond reignited, stopping all coherent thought. The pain that had hovered in my chest for hours
lessened, replaced by the renewed force of the tie between us. I felt alive again with his essence slowly pumping through my veins, his magical blood reigniting the part of me that was slowly fading without him.
"Josie? What’s happening?"
Pushing by Lukas, I hurried down the hallway and almost ripped the locks off of the front door. Flinging it wide open, I found myself face to face with the man I'd feared I'd lost.
It was Stefan.
His six-foot-four frame was covered from head to foot in soot, blood and grime. His golden blond hair was matted and dark smears of dirt marred his handsome face. Ignoring the filth, I launched myself into his arms, burying my face into his chest, grabbing handfuls of his ruined shirt into my fists.
I felt the odd feeling of my feet dangling. He'd lifted me off the floor until our faces were mere inches apart. His tortured blue eyes met mine, offering me his unspoken apology and begging me for acceptance.
“I love you,” I murmured softly. It was all I needed to say.
A mangled sob choked him as he captured my lips with his. His force of his guttural moans of happiness shook my entire body, leaving me to cry out in relief to feel his powerful body against mine once again. The tattered tendrils of our bond slowly knitted themselves back together every moment we were together.
His mouth became more insistent on mine, the strength of his kiss growing more powerful. The kisses were wet, filled with unbridled want.
Reluctantly I pulled away and studied his dirty face. "You need to come with me."
Wordlessly, my feet once again met the floor and he followed obediently along behind me. Leading him into the bedroom, I dragged him to the bathroom. I adjusted the water in the bathtub and stripped him of his dingy clothes, checking every part of his body that was revealed for any injury. Satisfied that he was unharmed, I moved quickly to turn off the taps.
“You need to get in so I can give you a bath. You’re a mess,” I wrinkled my nose and motioned at the tub. Still silent, he climbed into the steaming water, sighing loudly as he sank into the hot water.
I hadn't been planning on joining him. My plan had been to bathe him only, but once he settled his body inside the tub he looked up at me with his persuasive blue eyes. Unable to resist him, I shed my clothes. Lowering myself into the water along with him, I sat astride his legs in the large tub. Releasing a ragged breath, I ran my fingers over his cheekbones, across the chiseled line of his jaw. Biting my lip and blinking back tears, I relished the feel of his skin under my fingertips.
Methodically, I began to wash him, lathering his hair with shampoo and gently wiping the soot away from his face with a washcloth. I soaped his shoulders and chest, leaning in to place kisses over the exposed skin I lovingly cleaned. Our bond was strumming in contentment that he was safe, alive and we’d reconnected. I'd been concentrating so hard on taking care of him that it wasn't until Stefan raised both hands to my face that I realized I was crying. He gently wiped away the tears from my cheeks with his wet hands, is thumbs stroking over the outline of my lips.
"I thought you were dead. I couldn't feel you at all. My heart felt like it was being ripped in two pieces," I sobbed. “I dreamed of you as a human. I heard you talk. Skjarr kvikindi. Hitta minn hlið síða. Elska minn, dveljask innan minn fold. Fá minn lífdagar, fagr víf. Stefan, do you remember?”
His hands hadn't moved from my face. He continued to cup my face lovingly, cradling it as if I was the finest china that was going to break into a million pieces. His blue eyes bored into mine, intense and shaken by my words.
"I was with Amir and the others on the Council when the explosion happened. I think Adolfo and Lenora are dead.” Stefan whispered, finally speaking. He stroked my cheekbone, a wistful smile on his face. "Whatever you are is more than either of us can imagine. You spoke to me in Old Norse, a language I have not spoken in many years. You smell of the sea. Your memories of my human life mystify me. When I factor in the way we feel when we are together and our bond, it is as if we are picking up where we left off."
I didn't need to mull over his words. He was speaking the truth. In some way, our lives became intertwined almost a millennia ago by some spiritual, mystical occurrence.
Bone tired and relieved, I resumed washing his body, just as his hands never left my body. Sometimes he held onto my waist, occasionally drifting to caress my face with his wet hands. More than once he simply pressed his soft lips against my forehead. It had been a day of fear and terror and each time we touched, it was if a part of our bond mysteriously repaired itself.
"I love you, Josephine," he murmured. He gripped my arms tightly, as if I would disappear at any moment.
“And I love you.” I kissed him softly, craving the closeness as much as he was. His mouth was hungry against mine, insatiable and powerful. Our teeth clicked in his haste to consume me and I let him take what he needed from me. Fisting his hair, I felt his cock stir between us. Reaching down, I guided him inside of me. I let out a low moan of pleasure, never taking my eyes off him for a second as I impaled myself on him until we were completely joined.
His hands started their roaming anew, beginning with my ass, slowly kneading it at the same time that he moved me over him. My whole body trembled with ecstasy as he started moving his hands forward, holding on to the tops of my thighs, one lone thumb finding my clit and rubbing circles lightly around it. Throwing my head back, I ran my hands from his shoulders down to his chest. My fingertips skimmed over his muscles, taking his nipples between my fingers, twisting and pulling until he growled out with want. My head flew forward to seek out his mouth, enjoying every rumble he uttered afterwards.
I picked up the pace of our lovemaking and pulled away from our kiss. Stefan moved his hands to my sensitive breasts, pressing them together so he could run the tip of his tongue back and forth over my nipples. Groaning loudly at the new sensation, my hips ground against him at the same time he raised his hips, plunging deeper.
"It's never going to be enough, is it?" I moaned, moving my hands to his shoulders for leverage, enjoying the feel of his powerful muscles under my fingers.
"Never." Stefan smiled seductively. I increased my pace and he raised his hips to meet my frenzied speed. We repeated the motion over and over. Every time we met, my cries of pleasure filled the room until the rhythm of sound and motion pushed me over the edge into one long howl of completion. As I fell over the edge, he sank his fangs into my breast, coming at the same time my blood hit his tongue. He held me tightly, bucking the last few times, punctuating each thrust with a grunt at my chest.
Collapsing against him, I hugged his shoulders and brushed my lips across neck, feeling the uncontrollable urge to bite him. His skin ripped open under my teeth, his thick blood rushing into my mouth. He stiffened and pulsed again inside me again, bellowing out my name as I swallowed greedy mouthfuls of his blood. The wound began to heal and I kissed his neck with bloody kisses. Stefan's hands wound in my hair, pulling my head back slightly. A drop of his blood fell from my lips into the water, sinking to the bottom of the tub in a lazy ribbon of red.
"You are exquisite." He released my hair and ran his hands soothingly over my back. " Min gudinna. Min vän. Min älskare."
With those words, he crashed his mouth to my lips, wrapping his arms around my waist. I didn't hold anything back from him, returning his kiss like it was the sustenance I had been missing for months instead of hours.
As our frantic kiss continued, his blood pushed itself through my veins, forcing itself into every crevice of my body. I could feel it like it was its own being, melding with my own blood, changing me. My sluggish heart thumped frantically and my body stiffened against him.
“Josephine!” Stefan bellowed. He had us both out of the bathtub and had me wrapped in a towel in a blur of motion. He cradled me to him on the bed. “Talk to me. What is happening?”
My hands clutched at his forearms, my nails sinking into his flesh. My heart continued to beat out its frantic pace, my body seizi
ng and pushing against him.
“I- I’m changing,” I stuttered. “I’m changing to be with you. You wanted me to take your life when you were human. Now you’ve given me yours.”
“Vackra, I did not want it to happen this way. Not like this, not now.” Stefan’s head fell against my breasts. His tears soaked my naked skin as he held me and sobbed.
“Wait for me. We will truly be equal soon,” I uttered, shaking against him. It was if my heart was fighting the last of the battle for me. It pounded out an impossibly fast rhythm until finally it pulsed a few final erratic beats until it sputtered and my heart ceased to beat.
My exhausted body could take no more. I went slack in his arms with the knowledge that when I awoke, nothing could tear us apart.
The End
Excerpt from Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4)
We had to face the reality that the Council had been dismantled. Adolfo and Lenora had more than likely met their final deaths since their futures were black to me. The darkness could only mean one thing. There was no other option. Sofia had been badly injured in what was being labeled as an unfortunate gas explosion by the media at the Carriage House on the Upper East Side.
Truth be known, I had almost met my final death that day as well. If not for my last minute vision of the building exploding into a fireball, Nigel, Amir and I would have perished, disintegrating into a pile of ash. We had all been lured there under the guise of an emergency meeting. There was no meeting for us to attend.
Only death had been there to greet us.
There was only one person that could have responsible for the destruction of the Council. It was the vampire that had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Who would want their secrets to burn along with the building, the written logs of their experiments and lies being consumed by the fiery inferno? The mastermind behind this would be facing their biggest surprise when they would learn of our survival. He would have not expected any of us to walk away alive. This is what happened when greed and need for power overtook common sense. I watched my own maker succumb to the same sort of madness hundreds of years ago.
The Vampire Destiny 3: Awakening Page 18
