Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (43 page)

“Cool.  Give me your phone.”  She went to her purse and pulled it out, handing it over to her brother.  He typed away quickly before placing it back in her palm.  “My number is in there.  Don’t be a stranger.  Call me when you’re on your way back.”

“I will.  Bye, Nikolaus.”

He snatched his leather jacket and nodded a goodbye to me, pecking a kiss on her cheek before breezing out of the apartment.  His abrupt departure left us staring at each other, both of us at a loss for words.

***

“Was that really necessary?  I thought he was going to shit his pants,” she scolded me on the trip back to our apartment.

I observed her for a moment as I glanced away from the road briefly.  A satisfied smile pulled at the right side of my mouth.  “Was it necessary?  No.  Did I want to do it?  Absolutely.  He was disrespectful of you, and in turn to me.”

She shook her head and was silent as we made the short drive home.  She still had so much to learn.  Vampires viewed their mates as their possessions.  Even though that went against everything she believed, it was imperative that she learned to accept it or it would be a fight at every turn.

And the valet had been disrespectful, after all.  He was undressing her with his eyes, attempting to claim what was rightfully mine

I parked the car in the assigned space and turned to face her. I took her hand and gently rubbed circles over the top with my thumbs.  “All of this is new to you and I do consider you to be mine.  However, I am yours as well.  We are equals.  Do you understand?”

“I get it.  Women look at you all the time and I don’t go all scary psychotic on them.  You’re gorgeous and women are going to ogle you.  But I know I get to take you home.  I get to touch you.  Only me,” she said, as her free hand snaked in my hair.  “Only me.”

“No one else stands a chance, vackra.  Come.  Let us go in before I take advantage of you in the car.”  I winked and exited the vehicle, heading for the elevator.  I punched in the code and waited for the doors to open, my hand splayed over the small of her back.  The doors smoothly opened and I whisked us inside and soon we were rising to our floor, neither of us speaking during the ride.

As the elevator opened at our floor, we both noticed a large package sitting by the door.  It was nearly four feet in width and height, wrapped in brown paper.  We exchanged a glance and I unlocked the door, letting her in to turn on the lights as I returned to the hallway to retrieve the package.  Squatting down, I struggled to control my anger when I noticed the label.  Fighting the urge to toss it through the wall, I rose and carried it inside, my eyebrows furrowed.

“It is addressed to you.”  I sat the parcel on the couch.

“To me?” she asked, her voice raising an octave.  Curiosity had gotten the better of her and she walked to my side.  She glanced at the package and noticed the label.  It was addressed to one Josephine Ahearne.

Fucking Kian and his overbearing bullshit!
  Her thoughts were blaring out as she viciously ripped at the paper, letting out a gasp when she saw the swirls of red and blue.  It must hold some significance to her by her reaction.  She simply rocked back on her heels, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“The painting,” she breathed out in disbelief.  There was a card attached to the back of the canvas and she opened the heavy card stock with shaky hands, silently reading the exaggerated cursive writing.

“Josephine?”

My words and hand on her arm seemed to pull her from her thoughts.  She glanced up at me with troubled eyes.

“Read this.”  She handed me the card and our gazes held for a moment before they dropped down, quickly scanning over the card.

My dearest Josephine,

I watched you admire this painting and couldn’t bear to see something so beautiful belong to another.

There will be a day we will see eye to eye, either by choice or by circumstance.  Until then, know that I will be waiting...and watching.

Your loving father,

Kian Ahearne

The meaning behind his carefully crafted words was obvious.  He abhorred that his daughter was with me, seething at the fact we were mates.  Kian wanted Josephine for what she could do.  He valued people and vampires as collections.  He was also reminding her that he was privy to exactly what she was doing and where she was at all times.

I could not recall the last time I had been this livid, filled with so much rage.   I turned and grabbed a vase from the table, throwing it at the wall with such force and speed that it damaged the drywall and the vase exploded.  Josephine jumped back as tiny slivers of glass splintered, her eyes widening as she watched the dust and shards settle over the wood floor.  She shifted her attention back to me and watched me rise to my full height, my wide shoulders rigid and radiating fury.

“I have had enough of his insinuations and threats, Josephine.  He is giving you a warning.  Can you see that?”

Not waiting for her reply, my phone was in my hand, my fingers flying across the keypad.  Bringing the phone to my ear, I spoke so fast to Lukas that my voice sounded like a series of hisses and growls, and I blurred down the hallway, my mind focused on her safety and revenge.

After a few minutes passed, I heard her heels heading towards the bedroom.  She found me sitting on the edge of the bed, slouched over with my arms resting on my thighs as I gripped my cell phone in my hands.  I did not look up to meet her gaze as she silently observed me.

Walking to the edge of the bed, she took the phone away and placed it on the dresser, putting my now empty hands on her waist.  Cupping my face in her hands, she raised it so she could stroke the worry away from every line on my face.  I closed my eyes when she kissed the tops of my cheeks, brushing my mouth with her thumbs.  I sighed wearily as I parted them for her, letting her caress the curve of my lips.

Crouching down, she knelt between my legs.  “Kian isn’t worth it, Stefan.  What did you say to my brother about revenge?”

“Someone that seeks vengeance craves retribution more than he wants to live,” I muttered under my breath, almost repeating my earlier words verbatim.  “I hate it when you are right.  I only spoke with Lukas.  I promise that I will not act rashly.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, she draped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly to her. It was still odd after so many years without comfort to have it bestowed upon me so freely and with so much love.   It only took a moment until I returned the sentiment, a shudder shaking my chest.  While she had reassured me, I was still worried and upset.  No amount of love or reassurance would change that.

“I’m sending the painting back,” she whispered assurances against my neck.  “He can’t touch me.”

“You are mine, vackra.  He cannot have you.  I just found you and I refuse to let him take you away from me.”

“I know.  I’m yours.”  She drew back to smooth my hair away from my face.  “We had such a beautiful time tonight.  Let’s not let Kian or Seth the valet spoil our last night in New York.  I just wanted to come back here and have you make love to me, not turn this into a moment to map out revenge.”

My eyes instantly hooded at her words, my anger temporarily shelved.

“You had something planned?” I asked, leaning forward slightly.  “I hate to spoil what you had in mind for the evening, vackra.  However, I have my own itinerary for you.”

“Oh really?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow.  She still continued to brush her fingers through my hair.  “What if my plans are better?”

“Ah, Josephine.  I do enjoy your defiant side,” I chuckled and then became serious again.  “I plan on making you scream my name until your voice is hoarse and your legs are weak.  Does that fit into your plans?”

It was then her fingers ceased to move.  I was waiting for her answer and we both sat unmoving, with me on the edge of the bed and Josephine on her knees in front of me. Her desire filled her and flooded over me in a rush, and I could only hear the strum of her heartbeat in her chest.

Offering me a smile as her only response, her hands drifted from my hair, over the sides of my face and ran across my broad shoulders.  She pushed my charcoal gray suit jacket over my shoulders and loosened my black silk tie, wrapping it around her hand and yanking it from the collar of my shirt.

“No.”  I stood, my massive body looming over her.  I raised a single blond eyebrow as I reached for the bottom of my shirt, simply ripping it up the middle, causing the buttons to scatter across the room, pinging against the wood floors.  I tossed the scraps of the shirt, and started on my pants.  They met the same fate and I stood naked before her.

A gasp escaped from her mouth as her eyes traveled over me.  She paid particular attention to my cock.  It was hard and ready for her, and she leaned forward, anxiously licking her lips.

“No,” I said again, my voice taking on a much sterner tone.  I gripped her arms softly and brought her to her feet, unzipping the back of her dress in a single, swift movement.  I tugged the fabric down her arms and watched as it fell around her feet.  Stepping closer, my lips quirked and I made my fingers gentle and tender as they brushed over the satin cups of her bra, my eyes meeting hers as they traced her hard nipples. I bent to nestle my face between the valley of her breasts.  Her scent was stronger there and my tongue snaked out to lick at her delectable skin.

Unable and unwilling to wait any longer for what I wanted, I impatiently snapped apart her bra and flicked it away.  I spun her until her back was against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her waist.  My lips feathered adoring kisses down the side of her neck, and everywhere I touched her, it felt as if an electrical current pulsed beneath her skin.  She captivated me, leaving me enchanted and bewitched by her.

She was unlike any other woman I had ever been with.  When I was not with her, I craved her until my entire body ached from the separation.  When I had her at my will, I could not get enough and thought only of possessing her.