Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (52 page)

***

She had been gone much too long.  She was only supposed to be with Anna long enough to sign the necessary papers and then was supposed to be en route back to me.

Glancing at the clock, I paced the floor.  I had been unable to sense her presence for some time.  Perhaps the distance was too far and that explained the loss.

As I kept up my frantic pacing, I dialed her phone repeatedly.  Each time, the call went straight to voice mail.

Lukas walked into the living room and watched me pace curiously.   I waited for his barb, but he wisely held his tongue.

He pursed his lips and looked at his watch.  “Where is she? She’s been gone way too long.”

Fuck!  If Lukas noticed, I was not blowing things out of proportion.

“That is what I was wondering.  I have tried to call…” My voice trailed off as I was hit with a wave of panic and fear so powerful I fell to my knees.

“Stefan?  What the fuck?” Lukas rushed to my side and stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

It is Josephine.  I can feel her fear,” I muttered between clenched teeth.  “I have to find her.  She needs me.”

Lukas helped me to my feet and helped me to his car.  He slid behind the driver’s seat and shot me a fearful stare.  “Is she still alive?”

“Yes.  Drive,” I barked angrily.  “We will start at her house.”

Lukas peeled out of the driveway and pressed the accelerator to the floor of the car.  Each mile that brought us closer to her villa, the intensity of her emotions became stronger.  I could feel her pain…her overwhelming terror.

My hands were in tight fists, my nails digging into my palms.  We were nearly at her house when I heard her call for me.  I heard her scream my name in my mind as clearly as if she were sitting next to me.  It was maddening; yet I was so relieved to have this link to her.  As long as I felt her fear and heard her through our bond, I knew she was still alive.

“Stop here.”  I commanded.  We were a mile from her when Lukas screeched to a stop alongside the road. 

Lukas turned to me, his icy blue eyes confused. “Here?”

“We will head the rest of the way on foot.  If she is in trouble, a car will alert whoever has her.”

We took off, running at top speed through the tall grass.  “What do you mean whoever has her?”

I had caught enough of her thoughts through the bond.  “Derek has her.  And I think he has killed Anna.”

As we neared the villa, I heard the nauseating drawl of Derek’s voice.  “Look Josephine, your friend is almost dead.  Soon you’ll get to join her.”

Rushing at full speed, I shoved through the door, startling Derek. I did not slow down and my body collided with him. The momentum crushed him against the wall and knocked Josephine from his grasp.

I had him by the neck, my hand wrapped around the smaller vampire’s throat.  I glanced away from Derek to focus on her.  “Josephine, did he harm you?”

Tears filled her eyes as she struggled to find her voice.  “I’m fine.  Stefan...”

“Lukas, take care of her while I finish this.”  I focused back on Derek, my deep voice missing its normal inflection.  The Enforcer had surfaced, burying the Stefan Josephine knew.

“I thought we had been through this before.  You know she is my mate.  You know what you did would bring your death.  Who sent you?”

Derek refused to speak.  His future was completely blank to me, and I could see nothing.  My blindness infuriated me and I imposed my anger on Derek.  My fists pummeled him, beating him brutally.  I was slowly and systematically torturing him, inflicting blow after brutal blow to Derek’s face and torso.  He was unrecognizable, his eyes almost swollen shut and his lips split and bloody.  I stopped my punishing attack and gripped Derek’s right arm.  I leaned down so that my face loomed in front of him, my expression deadly and calm.

“I had hoped that when I had my opportunity to kill you I would have more time to torture you.  However, we have a plane to catch.  This is for touching what is mine,” I growled as I ripped his arm from the socket, the sound making a wet, snapping noise.  I let the limb fall from my hand to roll across the kitchen floor, the fingers of Derek’s hand still twitching.

Derek’s face contorted in pain, letting out an anguished scream as he dropped to his knees in front of me.  “Please, no more.  I’ll give you anything you want.”

My face remained stony but my voice dripped with contempt as I spoke.  “Look at you.  You beg and cry like a child.  You had no issue torturing my mate and her friend.  Neither begged as you do now.  The only thing you can offer me in return for their pain is your agony.  This is for hurting what is mine.”

I slammed my fist repeatedly into Derek’s sternum in a series of powerful blows.  Derek fell backwards to the floor, making a futile attempt to pull himself away with his one remaining arm. 

“You cannot leave now, Derek.  We are just beginning to have fun.” I took a step and placed my enormous boot against Derek’s chest, stopping his failed escape.  I reached down to yank Derek’s other arm off with one swift pull, ignoring his tortured wail as I carelessly tossed it over my shoulder to join the other appendage.

My rage only increased.  I grasped him by his torn and bloody shirt, jerking him to his feet.  I held Derek’s head in my hands.  A menacing smile was on my lips as I brought Derek’s face within inches of mine.  Derek tried to instinctively recoil from me, making me snicker with enjoyment as resignation flashed across Derek’s face.

“Here we are again, Derek.  How many centuries have we danced around your death? You have been lucky.  Each time your life was spared by the Board because of your
talent
,” I taunted coldly.  “This time there is no one to save you.  You attacked my mate and now your life is mine to dispose of.  The fate of your life…your depraved, vile existence is in my willing hands.”

My voice lowered to a murmur.  “May the gods send you straight to hell.” With a flick of my wrists, Derek’s head detached from his neck with a sickening crunch.  His body began disintegrating as it fell to the floor, slowly turning into a pile of ash.  I did not give a second glance at the head in my hands.  I let it slip from my fingers and Derek’s head wobbled and twirled across the wooden floor until it came to rest against the refrigerator.

I turned to face Josephine, approaching her cautiously.  I knelt beside of her, my eyes sweeping over her, visually examining her.  I was covered in Derek’s blood, matting my hair and staining my skin.  I glanced down at Anna in her arms, exhaling a deep breath.

“You have to save her, Stefan.  Anna…she doesn’t deserve to die like this,” she blurted out.  I could hear the anguish in her voice.

“Josephine, please do not ask me to turn her.”  I reached to touch her cheek and she pulled away, refusing to let me lay a hand on her.  A rare look of hurt flashed across my face before I promptly buried it.  In its place, my face arranged back into a stony mask.

“Please.  I can’t let her die like this.  Please,” she pleaded with me, rocking Anna gently.  “I’d do it if I could but I can’t.  Please, Stefan.  Please.”

“Vackra, you do not understand what you are asking me to do.  Is this a life she would want for herself?  She knows nothing of our existence,” I reasoned.  “It may be much too late to save her.”

Still holding Anna, she reached out to grab my hand with hers.  “I don’t know if she would want this, Stefan.  This should be me here on this floor dying.  Not her.  Please, Stefan.  I’m begging you to save her.”

I squeezed her hand and my shoulders sagged.  “I can deny you nothing.”

Sighing in defeat, I took Anna from her.  I held her in my arms, my fangs sinking into Anna’s neck.  I drank from her, but her blood did nothing for me.  It was easy for me to stop, slicing open my wrist with my teeth.  I placed my bloody wrist against her lips and watched as my blood trickled into her mouth.

My wound healed and I carried her into the living room, gently placing her limp body on the couch.  I stood over her, simply staring at her prone form.  My new child would rise soon.

“It is done.”

Scrambling to her feet, Josephine rushed into the living room and launched herself at my chest.  She did not seem to care about the blood or the gore…she simply held me.

“Is she going to make it?  Did it work?” she mumbled against me.

“We will find out in two days.  She may have been too far gone for me to save her,” I reminded her. Anna’s pulse had been weak, barely discernable to me.  I wrapped my arms around her, my fingers stroking over her hair.

“Thank you, Stefan.  I was so scared.  I thought I’d never see you…”

“Never say those words,” I interrupted her.  “You made me a promise.”

“I know.  I love you.”

I placed my head against her as she gave into her tears.  I let her cry against me, simply stroking her hair and letting the wetness soak my ruined shirt.

Without moving, I started barking out commands to Lukas, my voice clipped and sharp.  “Lukas, go to Anna’s home.  Pack as much of her personal belongings as possible and grab her passport.  Go to her place of employment and force your will on all of her coworkers there.  Tell them Anna decided to return to the US.  Call Nigel.  Make sure to tell him that my favorite bird stopped singing today.  He will send someone to take care of this mess for me.”

For once, Lukas had no smart remark or witty response.  He inclined his head and dashed from the house, his phone already at his ear.

I reluctantly released her from my arms as I blurred into action.  Zipping down the hallway, I started the shower.  I also began making phone calls, pacing the floor.  My words and steps were too fast for Josephine to follow.  She crossed the room to sit at Anna’s side, holding her limp hand and speaking quietly to her.