Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (27 page)

My fingers gently stroked the curve of her thigh and broke the silence that surrounded us.  “I spoke with my contact with the Council via e-mail this morning.  He will let me know what he discovers.” 

“Stefan, he can be trusted, right?”  She asked uneasily. 

I understood her concern.  The last thing either of us needed was the Council to intervene, asking questions neither of us wanted answered.  They would demand her immediate change.  They would deem her knowledge of our existence a threat.

“Of course.  I have known him for 300 years, Josephine.”

She studied my face for the briefest of moments before she nodded and smiled weakly.  “It just makes me nervous, Stefan.  I trust you, I just don't trust him.”

Little did I know how true her words would turn out to be.

Chapter Ten-Friend Or Foe

“
Stefan!  I need you to get down here.  Now.”

Her frantic plea pulled me from my slumber and her panic became my own.  The moment my eyes opened, I felt another vampire’s presence in my home.  His plans flickered through my mind as I grabbed my jeans and slipped them on, blurring down the steps at top speed.  I was halfway down the steps when a deep, mocking laugh came from the man stretched out on my coach. “Boyfriend,” he snorted, his lips pursing slightly. “I suppose you're right.  I know everything about you, Josephine.  You are more beautiful than Stefan said you'd be.”

Pure rage at his tone and betrayal made me see everything though a pulsing red filter.  My fingers tensed and released… and I wanted to rip him limb from limb.  “Adolfo.”

Josephine’s sigh of relief calmed me and I wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, holding her tightly.

“Josephine, since he is not polite enough to introduce himself to you, allow me to do the honors.  This is my friend Adolfo Amaya.   He is on the Council, the one I contacted about our concerns,” I advised sharply.

My tone alerted Josephine that I was deeply disturbed.  She glanced up to look at me and her face sank as she recognized the look of resolve on my face.  Just like my own visits to rogue vampires, I knew this was not a social visit.  Adolfo was an expert tracker.  He had been sent here to retrieve us to appear before the Council.

I could only offer her a regretful smile and prayed to the gods she would forgive me once again.

“Nice to meet you,” she whispered, sidling closer to me.  She sent a mental thought to me, and the tone was cutting.  “
Now would be a great time to tell me what the hell is going on, Stefan.”

The expression on my face did not change, but I supplied her with information she requested. “
He is here on Council business.  We are going to need to go with him.  Josephine, I need you to remain calm so he doesn't know we're communicating.”

She remained silent, keeping with our cover.  Her thoughts were anything but calm.  She was furious that we were at his mercy.  She had no understanding of vampire hierarchy.  She had never needed to…but now, now she was in for a crash course.

“Stefan, you know why I'm here so let's cut the pleasantries.  I need you both to pack and come with me.  There's a private plane waiting for us,” Adolfo said in his heavily accented voice, clasping his hands across his lap.  His dark eyes roamed around the room before fixing his stare back at me.  He was testing me to see if I would resist him.

I wanted nothing more than to resist the Council.  I wanted to kill every one of them for what they had forced me to do for hundreds of years.  But it was Adolfo’s betrayal that angered me the most.  I released my grip on her and paced the room, blurring from side to side.

I felt her eyes watching me as she sat on the edge of a chair.  I thought through the various responses I could choose.  I could simply choose not to go with him.  The outcome of that choice ended in both of our deaths.  I could leave her here and go alone.  This selection led in my death.  The only viable choice that had the desired outcome was us both voluntarily leaving with Adolfo.

I did not meet her stare as I mentally spoke to her, issuing her a carefully worded warning.  “
Vackra, we have no choice in the matter.  We cannot refuse.  We have to go with him.  There is no other viable choice.”

I stopped pacing to stand at her side and my hand caressed the strands of her hair.  I had expected her to pull away in anger, yet instead when her eyes met mine, they were filled only with trust.

I addressed Adolfo without bothering to look at him, my eyes still focused on hers as I spoke.

“How long until we leave, Adolfo?”

Adolfo stood and walked to the far wall of windows.  He pulled back the arm of his suit jacket, glancing at his watch.  “We need to leave here within the hour.  I'll be your escort until the Council convenes.”

“Fine,” I answered.  Grabbing her elbow, I led her up the steps into the bedroom.  I closed the door behind us, and the muscles in my face finally relaxed.

As she started to open her mouth to speak, I placed my index finger over my own lips and shook my head.  I tapped my temple, reminding her to use our ability to talk telepathically.  She closed her eyes and sighed, more aggravated that I was right than the fact Adolfo was waiting for us downstairs.

“Can you see what's going to happen? You know I can't see our futures, Stefan.”

Centuries of demands from the Council made it easy for me to react.  I pulled out suitcases, zipping back and forth from the bed to the closet and placing jeans, shirts and shoes in the bag.

“
They are curious about you.  It is not typical of a vampire to choose to be in a romantic
relationship with a human and they want to evaluate the strength of it.  Of course, they knew of you from my own mind as we discussed and I'm assuming Adolfo's questions piqued their interest.  Start packing, vackra.”

Pointing to the closet, I motioned for her to start moving.  She huffed and stood, moving to the closet slowly.  Her hands were clenched so tight her knuckles were white.

“How long are we going to be there?  And what the hell do they want to know, Stefan?”

I closed my eyes and focused on each of the Council members’ futures.  If we played our cards correctly, we would be free of them within a day or two.
“Two days at the most, Josephine.  They want to assess your ability and make sure you are not a threat.  If it puts your mind at ease, I see us returning back to Bali.  There are things that are variables.  However, I see us returning together.”

“
Variables?  What kind of variables?”

I shrugged my shoulders as I tugged a t-shirt over my head.  “
That I do not know.  Our gifts are not exact sciences.”

She had had enough.  She threw up her hands in exasperation and angrily pulled clothes from the closet and added it to the suitcase.  She disappeared into the bathroom, returning with her black cosmetic bag.  She stomped back into the closet and selected clothing, dressing quickly and dragging a brush through her hair to attempt to smooth the wild waves.  It was when she walked to the edge of the bed to stand beside of me that I noticed her hands trembling as she reached for the zipper of the suitcase to close it.

I blamed myself for this.  How could I do this to her?  I hated myself for dragging her into this life, but the thought of being without her was a reality I could not bear to even consider.

“You look beautiful.”
My compliment was honest, but sounded weak and did not begin to make up for this stress on her.  I opened my arms to her, hoping she would fall into my embrace.  She did not disappoint.  She crashed into me, her nails digging into my back as she held me close.  Leaning down, I lowered my head to brush my lips against hers gently and for a moment, she relaxed into my embrace.  Her mind was focused on my assurance that we would be returning together.

“
Remember that I love you and I promise to keep you safe.  For now, you need to follow my lead.  If I tell you to answer in a certain way, it is imperative you do so.”

Squaring her shoulders, she pulled away. Her mouth was set in a grim line. “
I'm so going to kick your ass when we get home, Stefan.  This is the vampire bullshit you were referring to I assume?”

Despite myself and this situation, I chuckled aloud, breaking the silence of the room.  I nodded and picked the suitcase off the bed with one hand.  Hesitantly, I offered her my free hand, waiting for her to join me.  She reluctantly put her tiny hand in mine and squeezed it affectionately.

“Are you ready for this, vackra?”

Releasing a resigned sigh, her shoulders drooped slightly.  Of course she was not ready to face a Council of vampires.  Only weeks ago, she thought we were no more than myths.

“I'm as ready as I'll ever be.  Let's go so we can come home.”

***

The drive to Denpasar International Airport was silent and filled with tension.  She clung to my arm during most of the car ride and Adolfo made no attempt to make any conversation as we drove along.  I wanted to pay attention to her thoughts, however, I found myself lost in my own.  I stared straight ahead, sitting rigidly in the seat.  One of my hands rested on her jean-clad thigh and the other absently tapped on the seat.

There was something not right about this meeting.  I was expecting demands of her change, yet when I saw us in front of the Council, they did not ask for it.  What was I missing?  I repeatedly scanned every vision, looking for the missing piece that would explain it to me.

“Stefan? Will you talk to me?”

I did not acknowledge her mental questions.  My sunglass-covered eyes were fixed on the back of Adolfo's head.  I imagined my fist pummeling through the back of his skull, ending his miserable existence.

She tried again. “
Stefan.”