Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (24 page)

Foolish woman. I had barely existed until she stumbled into my life. I exhaled and smiled tiredly. 
“I cannot be without you, Josephine.  You are my reason to exist.”

We held on to each other, unwilling to let the other go.  She was afraid I would disappear into the night and I feared she would have second thoughts and order me to leave.  If she were to be with me, her life would be anything but simple.  It was dark and dangerous…no place for a fragile human.  We were quite the pair, both needy and desperate for reassurance.

“I won’t have second thoughts, Stefan.  Not about you or us.  I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Smart girl.  She had read my inner thoughts.  The bond between us was increasing, growing stronger.  I would have to remember that it was becoming as easy for her to rummage through my brain as it was for me.

“Can I stay with you tonight?”  I asked, changing the subject instead of confronting her.  When I felt her quick nod, we reluctantly separated.  I pulled on my jeans to collect my bag from my car, leaving her to pick up the remnants of ripped clothing strewn across her living room.

She was pulling my discarded t-shirt over her head when I reentered the living room.  I stood in the doorway and watched her wiggle into the oversize shirt.  Her hair was sexy and messy, tumbling over her shoulders in disarray.

“It looks much better on you than me,” I noted with amusement as my eyes roamed over her figure. “Of course, I would prefer if you chose to wear nothing at all.”

“I'm sure you would.”  She rolled her eyes and shook her ass at me playfully. “Are you forgetting that I have a nosy neighbor that has a key to my house?  A neighbor that loves to barge in without knocking?”  Josephine asked, her eyebrows rising slightly.

How could I forget?  The infuriating woman was always popping up at the most inopportune times.  “Ah, your friend Georgia.  It would be hard to forget her, Josephine.  She has a way of getting under one’s skin. You should consider calling a locksmith,” I replied, shrugging indifferently.  If it were up to me, she could easily be disposed of without a second thought.

But that was not how I operated anymore.  Georgia’s disappearance would devastate Josephine, which in turn would affect me.  This was the downfall of being involved with a mortal.

“She means well.  She just tends to get carried away,” she assured me.  Her brow wrinkled as her mind began worrying about the ongoing issues between Georgia and myself.  Her eyes narrowed nervously as she thought about futures and her ability.  Her mind was too muddled to read.

Leaning casually against the doorframe and dropping the duffel bag at my feet, I smiled crookedly at her.  "She is your friend.  I do not have to like or dislike her, Josephine.  Let us stop talking and go to bed.  You have on too many clothes.”

Feigning seriousness, she grabbed me by one of my belt loops, pulling me tightly against her.  I could feel her nipples through the thin fabric of my shirt she so proudly wore.  “Come on, let's go to bed.  No more funny business tonight.  I'm tired and it's getting late.”

“I can assure you that none of my plans for you involve humor,” I retorted with a trace of laughter in my voice.

“I'm worried about your memory problems.  First you forget about my inquisitive friend and now you're forgetting about my delicate human body?”  She huffed impishly and smiled wickedly.  “You
are
old.  Is this something I should be concerned about?”

Ah, she thought she was cute.  She turned on her heel to walk slowly down the hallway, swaying her hips seductively. She glanced over her shoulder, pursing her lips and giving me a sultry look.  She finished by blowing me a kiss.

Her earlier melancholy mood was gone and I let out a deep laugh, blurring quickly to swat her on the ass.  She jumped in surprise and turned to face me with wide eyes, smacking my chest lightly with her hand.

“It's a good thing I have a soft spot for vampires that are tall, blond, and old.”  She stood on tiptoe to playfully kiss the cleft in my chin.  “You're a cradle robber, Romeo.”

“Ah Josephine, you are in rare form.  Obviously I have not fucked you enough tonight.”

Scooping her up with one arm, I threw her over my shoulder.  It would be late morning before we left her bed if I had my way.

Chapter Nine- Everything Changes

“Are you going to join me, Josephine? Or are you planning to eye fuck me from your deck chair all evening?”

It had been late morning when we left her villa.  I was bringing her to stay with me for the next few days.  If we had to, I would gladly leave this spacious home behind to live with her in her much smaller house.  I simply wanted to be with her.

The day had been filled with conversation about the things she needed to understand.  I explained my relationship with Lukas and had told her a bit about Solveig.  I did not go into detail, simply because I did not want to relive something I tried so desperately to bury.  Not a day passed that I did not feel a bit of remorse for my actions.

The biggest revelation of the day was when she had asked me if I wanted to turn her.  It was the first time she had brought up the subject of becoming a vampire, and it had left me speechless.  My mind replayed our conversation as we walked along the beach, the salty water swirling around our ankles.  The sun had washed over her, accentuating the soft lines of her body and her skin shimmered in the brilliant light.

She had been mesmerizing, like a sea nymph, almost magical in her radiance.

“Stefan, do you want to turn me?”

“What do you want me to say, Josephine?” My voice was deceptively calm and my body had tensed as we continued walking.  This was not a conversation I looked forward to having.  Mainly it was because I dreaded the answer I would receive.

She swallowed and her tone was level when she spoke. “The truth would be nice.”

“Then I will answer you honestly.  I want an eternity with you, Josephine.  For two centuries I waited to find you.  It took me so long to find you and I do not want to let you go.” My voice cracked with emotion.  “Vackra, it is your decision.  I will never force you to change for me.  You will tell me when and what you decide, yes?”

She nodded slowly and grasped my hand tightly.  She squinted up at me, her face softening as she smiled softly.  “I know that I want to be with you, Stefan.  I just can't make that kind of decision right now.  My brain is on overload right now.”

“You have time to decide.  I am happy just being here with you, Josephine.  I love you.  The rest is minor details.” I waved her off with a dismissive flick of my wrist.  “We need to turn around and head back.”

Josephine’s movements pulled me back to the present.  At some point during my recollection, she had stood up and crossed the patio to sit on the edge of the pool beside of me, sliding into the water in one swift move.  When she surfaced I was next to her instantly, wrapping her in the embrace of my arms.

My fingers worked quickly to unclasp her bikini top, throwing the wet material on the patio with a noisy splatting sound.  “Once again you have on too many clothes.  This seems to be an ongoing issue, vackra.”

She paled and her hands went to quickly cover her breasts.  “Stefan!  What about Lukas?”

“He is gone for the night.  You also have the wrong equipment for Lukas' taste.”

I disappeared below the surface of the water.  Without the necessity of breathing, I moved slowly, my hands moving down her stomach to tug at the bottom of her bikini bottoms, pulling it down her flawless legs.  My body slid against hers as I came up to the surface again, twirling the bottoms around my index finger smugly and tossing it to join the rest of her suit beside of the pool.

“Now, vackra.  Where were we?” I lowered my voice until it was smooth as silk, seductive and deep.  My arms wrapped around her again, pressing my wet body to hers.  “Ah yes, I think we were right here.”

My lips moved softly down her silky cheek, my tongue flicking out to lick the outline of her tempting lips.  She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, her mouth parting slightly to encourage me to continue.  Spearing my fingers through her long, wet hair, I dragged her head back slightly to expose her neck to my mouth.  Inhaling deeply, I welcomed the burn that her scent caused.  As if she sensed my need, her warm skin grew hotter and my mouth stopped to hover lightly against hers, one corner of my lip curled up in a smirk.

Her eyes snapped open and they glowed a deep jade.  Her mental voice was laced with frustration.
“Why are you stopping?”

“You are always so impatient.  I am trying to seduce you.”

“I think we're past the point that you need to seduce me, Romeo,” she whispered.  Her sweet breath tickled across my lips, sending darts of desire racing through my veins.

“I will always think of new ways to seduce you, Josephine, as I will always think of new ways and places to fuck you.”

“Stefan....” she groaned, her raspy voice breaking.  “I didn't want to be seduced.”

Her fingers danced across the nape of my neck and shoulders.  Everywhere she touched me left behind a trail of fire.  “Patience, vackra.  I have plans for you.”

“What if I have plans for you instead?” She shot back quickly, raising an arched eyebrow at me. 

Even though we were submerged in the cool water of the pool, it did little to dampen the inferno of desire that coursed through me.  And as I held her, I felt the wonder of her in every pore, every nerve.  I could feel her presence in my very blood – the same blood that flowed through her veins.  It taunted me from within her, drawing me to her and clouding my common sense.

“Then I would tell you to show me your plans, vackra,”
It was easy to see when my mental thoughts registered in her mind.  She smiled slyly and her mind closed to me, shutting me off from her innermost thoughts.