Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (10 page)

We had been in Bali for approximately three weeks when the dreams began again.  Cautiously optimistic, I observed how the intensity of the dreams seemed to increase each time she was in close proximity to me.  If her influence was this strong now, I could not imagine the power she would have once I found her.

“Maybe I shouldn’t waste my time then.”  Lukas huffed and sat down on the edge of the lounge chair.  He feigned a sudden interest in his fingernails and refused to meet my burning stare.

Leaning forward, my voice lowered an octave. “If you value your life, you will tell me.  I will then decide if it is worth my effort and consideration.”

He cocked his head to the side and gave me an impish grin.  “I don’t know…”

I struggled to remain calm.  Drawing in a few deep breaths, I did my best to not snap when I addressed him again.  “Lukas.  As your maker…”

“You don’t have to pull the maker crap.  I’m joking, Stefan.  Remember what that is? Christ on a cracker.”  He drew his legs up and faced me on the chair.  “Remember the realtor I told you about?  The one that sold us this house?”

I could see this was not going to be a simple explanation.  Lukas was going to draw this out, making me wait purposelessly.

Patience, Stefan.
  Taking a deep breath, my muscles tensed regardless of the measures I took to relax. “Yes.  And this matters to me for what reason exactly?”

Lukas crossed his arms and smiled widely, showing off his gleaming white teeth.  “Today I was in town and happened to run into the realtor.  Her name is Anna.  Anyway, we starting chatting and we ended up in her office.  While I was there, she received a phone call from…”

“Enough!  Cut to the chase,” I snapped.  Lukas jumped at the brusque tone and the irritability in my words.  I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.  “Please, can you just explain without turning this into an epic novel?”

“Anna received a phone call from a friend of hers while we were chatting.  They were arranging a GNO.  It seems they are trying to fix up a perpetually single friend that refuses to date,” Lukas gushed, the speed of his speech increasing as he spoke.  “Want to know who the friend is?”

My eyebrows furrowed as I listened to him talk.  He spoke in circles, giving me too much information on certain things that were worthless to me and vague on what was necessary.  “A GNO?”

Lukas rolled his blue eyes towards the ceiling. ”Girl’s Night Out, grandpa.  You really need to get with the lingo.  Women get together for date nights.  But that’s not the point.  They’re meeting in about two hours.”

I chose to ignore his insult and gestured with my fingers for him to continue.  “Who is she, Lukas?”

If possible, Lukas’ smile increased in size.  “Anna, Georgia and their single friend, Josie.”

Speechless, I fell back into my chair.  It could not be her.  This was much too easy.  “Josie?”  The shortened version of her name felt strange on my tongue.  “As in my Josephine?”

Could it be this simple?  Had Lukas found her without even trying?  My mind raced as I attempted to process what he had told me.  I realized quickly it was not the time to ponder the probability of this being the woman I had narrowly missed too many times to count.

I stood up, pacing the length of the pool aimlessly.  “Where are they going?”

Lukas watched me pace and sat back in the chair I had vacated.  “Some dive called Echo Beach Club.  They have a live band…”

I could care less about a live band or if she was visiting a circus for that matter.  Lukas was still talking as I hurried up the steps into the house, stopping only long enough to grab my keys from the table.

“Stefan!  You can’t just go into this half-cocked.  You need a plan…at least some idea on how to approach this woman.  You can’t just waltz in and proclaim your undying love for a mortal.  Let me come and we’ll figure it out,” Lukas wheedled with a whine to his voice.  He had followed close behind me and now reminded me of a small child begging for a new toy.

Sadly, I shook my head and placed my hand on his shoulder.  “I have to do this alone.  We stand out, Lukas.  It would be overwhelming for her to encounter two immortal creatures.  Not to mention your realtor friend might be suspicious if you just happened to show up at the very place they were planning their…their GN…”

“
O,
” Lukas supplied sullenly.  His normally jovial face appeared as if I had struck him.  “You’re going to deny me this?  For all of these years, I’ve helped you.  Stefan…”

“Lukas, I want nothing more than for you to join me.  You have to understand.  It is too risky.”  My fingers combed through my thick hair again.  “If this is my Josephine, I assure you, you will have every opportunity to meet her.”

“And you’ll call me.  Or at least text me.”  Lukas bounced on the balls of his feet.  “You have to at least give me that.”

Shaking my head, I shoved my wallet and cell phone in my pocket.  “See?  I assure you.  If it is her, you will be the first to find out.”

I did not want to waste another moment.  I hurried through the house until Lukas’ voice stopped me again.  “Don’t do anything rash.”

“I am nearly a thousand years old.  I assure you, I have never been rash.”  I rolled the keys around my finger and clutched them in my fist.  “Are we finished?”

Lukas approached me and for one of the few times in the 150 years together, he was somber.  “You aren’t rational when it comes to her.  You’re in love with her, Stefan.  Or at least the image you have of her.  You don’t know how she’s going to react…it might take work to win her over.  Just go slow with her.  Maybe romance her a bit.  I’ve read that human women love that.”

Now I was receiving love advice from my gay child?  This situation was rapidly growing more surreal as our conversation continued.  “I have never had to ‘romance’ a woman, Lukas.  I doubt I will need to start now.”

“I’m sure that’s true.  But this isn’t any woman.  This is the woman you envisioned 200 years ago.  Not to mention that the last ten years of our lives have been spent tracking her.  You can’t blow this, Stefan.  She’s different.  You know it and I know it.  Just admit I’m right already.”

With his biting words resting heavy in my mind, I blurred from the room into the garage.  As I shut the door to the car, I gripped the steering wheel and prayed to any god that was listening that this was my woman from my vision and my search was over.

Chapter Four-Just Rewards

Pulling into the small parking lot of the restaurant, I parked a short distance from the entrance.  I sat behind the wheel, hiding behind the privacy of the tinted windows for a moment and drew in an unnecessary breath.  During the relatively short drive here, my mind was a whirlwind of both optimism and uneasiness.  Would this be the time that I found her, the enchantress that had graced my thoughts and dreams for two centuries?  Or was I setting myself up to fail yet again, only to be a step behind the woman that continued to elude me?

No.
  Now was not the time for second thoughts and worry.  I was astounded at the strength of my anxiety.  This was the opportunity I had been waiting for, yet I sat in my vehicle questioning myself.  I had never backed away from a challenge, and I was not going to begin tonight.  Gathering the remains of my frazzled nerves, I slid out of the car and quietly closed the door behind me.  Each footstep brought me closer to the door, and if I had a beating heart, it would have been racing with a foreign emotion.

It was hope.

Pushing through the entrance, I was assaulted with scents and sensations.  The unappealing odor of human food, heavy perfume, cleaning products and the scent of blood overwhelmed me and threatened to distract me from my task.  Holding my breath, it was easier to focus and my eyes quickly scanned the restaurant.  I needed to find a spot where I would have the best vantage point, yet would be easy for me to watch for her and her friends as they arrived.  Quickly evaluating my options, I came to the conclusion that the bar area would be a favorable place to observe the various humans that would come and go as the night progressed.  I chose a small table in the corner where I had an unobstructed view of the small restaurant, yet could remain relatively hidden from the scrutiny and attention of the other bar patrons.

Folding my large frame into one of the chairs, I rested my arms on the wooden table and placed an order for a beer when the waitress approached.  She lingered longer than necessary, her interest in me seemingly more than just platonic.  I barely gave her a second look.  She had nothing I wanted.  Even her blood, spiked with excitement, did not entice me.

With nothing more to do, I simply sat back and waited for her as I had for the last 200 years.  I had grown accustomed to the routine.  If the gods were willing, tonight would be different.  And if not, I would wait another 200 years if it brought her to me.

The time slowly passed, yet only my fingers betrayed my growing irritation as they absently picked at the label on the bottle of beer I had ordered in my charade to appear human.  I had all but given up hope when my attention was drawn to two women entering the bar, approaching a table and greeting another small woman with embraces.  The first woman was tall with long brown hair, dressed in a bright pink dress that screamed out for attention.  She was brassy and loud, her mannerisms flighty and exaggerated.  Feeling my lip curl in disgust, I let my eyes drift to the second woman and it was as if time stopped for me.  Seeing her standing there made everything in the room vanish around me: the inane chatter, the unpleasant smell of human food, the aroma of blood.  Nothing else mattered except this woman.

It was Josephine.  My fated, standing before me in the flesh and blood.  If it were necessary for me to breathe, I would say my breath was bated.  If I had a beating heart, I would say it skipped a beat.  If I were a human, I would have experienced both of those things.  But I am a vampire, and my body betrayed none of the turmoil I was experiencing in my head.  I simply waited and watched her from across the room.

She was even more stunning than my vision.  She was a bit shorter than the other women, small-boned and willowy.  Her dark, reddish-blond hair was a tumble of glossy waves over her bare, tanned shoulders.  Her small, oval face had high cheekbones and finely arched brows.  I knew without seeing them that her eyes would be a deep, luminous green.

Dressed in a sleeveless black dress that hugged the curves of her full breasts and shapely hips, it only accentuated her long and lean legs.