Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (12 page)

Her long, elegant fingernails tapped out a nervous rhythm against the bar top and I was overcome with the urge to soothe her.  I reached across and covered her hand with mine, weaving our fingers together.  I was still watching her when our eyes met with a strength that if I had been human, my heart would have been pounding and my breathing would have stopped.  Gazing at her beautiful face, I smiled and extended my free hand to push an errant curl away from her forehead, my fingers brushing down the side of her cheek in a gentle caress that left my skin tingling from the energy that flowed between us.

For two centuries, I had longed for this connection.  I had dreamt of it; prayed to the gods that I would be fortunate enough to find it.

And now she was sitting at my side.

“Josie!”

A brash, heavily-accented southern voice rang through the bar.  Josephine’s fingers tightened around mine and she broke away from my stare.  Her shoulders stiffened apprehensively as two women made their approach through the crowd, their eyes both widening in surprise as they took in my presence at her side.

The woman in the hot pink dress crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed until they were slits as she verbally scolded Josephine.  “We were just getting ready to look for you.  I can see you've been busy.”

The other much smaller female moved to her side with a drink in her hand, her eyes shamelessly sweeping over me with apparent appreciation.  She gave an exaggerated nod to Josephine, winking in what must be her approval.  She leaned towards her and attempted to whisper, however her rather loud voice carried so that it was clearly audible over the music.  “Good catch, Josie.”

Gauging both of their reactions, I was pleased to discover that Josephine with a male was a completely unexpected development.  Josephine was embarrassed by their behavior, and her eyes darted to mine apologetically.  She was concerned their combined presence and ogling had ruined the moment.

I could care less about either of these human females; they were dull in comparison to her.  Their blatant stares and comments meant nothing to me.   Smiling sympathetically, I raised an eyebrow slightly, jutting my chin towards the two women to remind her that we were no longer alone.

Josephine jerked and tucked her hair nervously behind one ear.  “Uh, yeah.  Georgia and Anna, this is Stefan…Stefan Lifsten.  Stefan, these are my friends Georgia and Anna.”

“It is my pleasure to meet you both.”  I stood and gallantly inclined my head in greeting.  I had still not removed my hand from hers; her warm palm was pressed tightly against my own.  The female named Georgia peered at our joined hands, her head swiveling to look at Anna with suspicion.  Anna shrugged and busied herself with her drink.

I liked her friend Anna better already.  She had enough intelligence and common sense to not ask questions.  On the other hand, the other human…Georgia was difficult to like.  I had been alive long enough to read her like a book.  No question would be off limits and this human would lack any sort of boundaries.

As if she had read my mind, Georgia's head spun back around and refocused her attention on Josephine, a strained smile plastered on her face.  She made a production of dramatically glancing at her watch and staring at her pointedly. “Are you ready to go Josie? It's getting late.”

Unconsciously, my grip tightened on her.  This was an unacceptable turn of events.  There was no way Josephine was going to slip from my grasp so soon.  I cleared my throat loudly, drawing Georgia's attention to me.  “If it is acceptable to Josephine, I would like to spend some time alone with her.  I will make sure she gets home safely."

Georgia’s blue eyes moved to me, and the look she delivered was filled with annoyance.  It was apparent she was accustomed to running the show when it came to Josephine.  I would wager that she attempted to play the overbearing Mother Hen to her.  Her exaggerated glower and attempt to intimidate me was entertaining.  Instead of saying a word, I simply smiled widely and cocked an eyebrow.  My answering gaze was one of challenge.  She had not an inkling of who or what she was dealing with.

Yes, this woman was going to be an issue.  My ability to read humans may have diminished, but it did not take a mind reader to see that Georgia was going to be a thorn in my side – and a potential threat to our relationship.

It didn't take long for her to recover
.  “Josephine?!?”
Georgia questioned, her tone laced with sarcasm.  She shook her head and rolled her eyes, cocking her hip angrily.  “
Josie
, it's up to you.  I can hang out...”

“Georgia Turner,” Anna interrupted her, slapping her on the arm in annoyance.  “Enough.  Leave them alone.”

The two women exchanged a look.  It was similar to the interactions Lukas and I shared throughout our time together.  It was look conspirators exchanged when they were willing to shelve the battle temporarily.  Once they had Josephine alone, they would both bombard her with questions and their unneeded concerns.

This was why I chose to keep humans at an arm’s length.  They were unpredictable and petty, filled with grandiose schemes laced with their immaturity.

I was prepared to intervene when she waved Georgia and Anna off, interrupting them both before they had the chance to say another word.  “No, it's fine.  Stefan can get me home or I can call a cab.”

A cab?!?  I was prepared to wisk this woman away to parts unknown.  She would not leave my sight if I had my way.

“Are you sure?” Georgia questioned doubtfully, shooting me yet another murderous glare.  If a look were capable of delivering my final death, I would be a pile of ash at her feet.

Josephine let out a loud snort at Georgia’s words.  I could make out enough of her thoughts to ascertain that she considered Georgia to be a hypocrite.  The exact reason...I could not determine.  However, I had encountered hundreds of women like Georgia in my lifetime.  Eager and willing to any male that bestowed any attention their way, they became insecure and manipulative once they realized they had competition.  A century ago, I would have drained a woman like Georgia without a second thought.  She would have been a fulfilling meal and I would have justified my actions with the knowledge I had ridded the world of such a shallow creature.  Things were very different now…and the mere thought of her vile blood coursing thorough my veins was enough to sicken me.

Possessively, I shifted closer to Josephine.  My chest pressed into her back, her soft curves molding against me.  “Georgia, she will be fine with me.  You are welcome to come check on her tomorrow,” I said smoothly, inserting more force in my words than I had intended.  This infuriating woman had no idea how easily I could snap her neck if I chose to do so.  She would be dead before anyone could register what had happened and I would be minus this exasperating human.

Georgia appraised us both, her lips set in a thin line.  She was clearly unhappy with the events of the night and was happy to let us know.  “Fine.  I'll call you tomorrow.”  She jabbed her finger into the side of my chest, her tone filled with hostility and bravado.  “Touch a hair on her head without her permission and you’ll have me to deal with.  Got it, pretty boy?”

My eyes drifted from her finger into her insipid blue eyes.  It was only Josephine that kept me centered.  Inwardly, I seethed at the sheer gall of this human.  Unlike most humans, she was completely unaware that I was a threat.  Perhaps her devotion to Josephine was the reason.

Or perhaps she was a blathering idiot.  Nevertheless, it was obvious she cared for Josephine…by my calculations it would likely be her only redeeming quality.  Covering my irritation with a wide grin that went no further than my lips, I channeled my frustration into appearing amused by Georgia's grandiose threats.  If this woman ever crossed Josephine, she would be dead without a second thought or any remorse.  “Point taken.  Good evening, Anna.  And to you as well, Georgia Turner.”

Giving Josephine a final glance, Georgia let Anna lead her off.  They gathered up their purses and disappeared into the crowd.  It was only then I looked down at the woman standing beside of me.  Once again, she appeared to be lost and out of her element.  For someone so beautiful, she seemed to be uncomfortable in her own skin when it came to social situations.

“Josephine, you owe me a dance, yes?”

Without waiting for her answer, I tugged her smoothly off the stool and onto the dance floor just as a slow song began to flood the room.  Smiling at my good luck, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me.  The top of her head barely touched the edge of my shoulder as we moved slowly together, her slender body pressed tightly against me.  She wound her arms around my shoulders, her fingertips ghosting across the muscles of my back.  As I held her, I could not shake this odd familiarity of this moment.  Her touch, her skin…the comfortable calm that surrounded me…

Adrift in the sheer pleasure of having her in my arms, I found it increasingly difficult to stay focused as the heat of her body enveloped me in a contentment I had never known.  One of my hands gently traced lazy patterns along her spine while the other splayed around her waist.  Her soft sigh of approval and the soft nuzzle of her nose against my chest stunned me.  It was not until I heard her sharp intake of breath that I realized she had buried her face against my shirt and was breathing in my scent.

This woman was truly my match.  She was unlike any human I had ever encountered.

She shifted closer until every inch of our bodies was flush.  I had been in a state of arousal since I first saw her, and our time on the dance floor had only increased my need of her.  Once she discovered my evident excitement, her resounding moan of desire shook me to my very core.  The longer I held her, a wealth of emotions coursed through me, many of them unfamiliar to me.  Relief, satisfaction, love, lust and worry all battled for control.  I stared down at her and she was gazing up at me through her eyelashes.  Her thoughts were hazy; yet it was clear she felt relief at being in my embrace.  My touch made everything silent for her, just as her presence seemed to close off my other senses.  It was an equally disturbing and comforting development.

The song faded out and I reluctantly pulled away, letting the back of my fingers caress the satin skin of her cheek.  I lost myself in the beauty of her face and passion that had robbed me of coherent thought.  My voice came out as a soft murmur when I finally regained the ability to speak. “I think it is time I took you home, yes?”

Her face fell and she nodded, abruptly turning to walk towards her table and reached out to retrieve her purse.  She clutched the bag in her hands until her knuckles turned white.  It was then I realized she had misunderstood my intention.  “Oh, right. I'm sure you have other things to do and it's getting late. If it's too...”

She spun to face me, her words fading out as she collided with the solid wall of my chest.  Her arms twitched as looked up at me, her emerald eyes stormy.  I could not let her think I was ready to walk away from the one thing that had given my life purpose for the last two centuries.