Fated (25 page)

Releasing Stefan's hand for a moment to buckle my seat belt, I reached back to lace my fingers with his again to prepare for take off.  I gave him a shaky smile, sending him a heartfelt mental thought.
“I love you.”

A radiant smile broke over his face.  He was almost glowing as he leaned over to kiss me, his lips soft against mine. ”
As I love you.  Hearing you say those words makes all of this worthwhile.”

As the plane began to taxi down the runway, I hoped that he still felt the same way when we returned.

***

Twenty hours later, we were landing at JFK in New York.  The flight had been monotonous and tension filled.  When I wasn't sleeping or having mental conversations with Stefan, I spent my time watching him alternate between glowering at Adolfo and pacing the length of the plane.

We stepped off the plane at another private hangar where a black sedan with tinted windows was idling, waiting for our arrival.  Stefan led me to the car and opened the door for me, motioning for me to slide through so he could follow.  He closed the door behind him, my hand firmly encased in his.  I heard the trunk close and Adolfo got into the passenger seat.

“You must be Josephine.” A female voice greeted me in a crisp English accent.  I glanced up to see a pair of large brown eyes staring back at me from the rear view mirror.  Her hair was long and pale blond and her voice was pleasant and proper, reminding me of an English school marm.

Letting out a tired sigh, I nodded.  Was there a vampire out there that didn't know me?  I must be the top news in the vampire world.  “That's me. I guess everyone knows who I am.”

“I am Lenora.  I'm also on the Council with Adolfo,” she replied, her brown eyes shifting to look in Stefan's direction.  “Stefan, it's good to see you.”

“Lenora.” Stefan inclined his head slightly.  My grip on his hand tightened and I found myself sliding closer against him.

“Do not turn your back on any of these vampires, Josephine.  If you listen to nothing else I tell you, please remember to make sure I am with you and you are not alone with any of them.”

Squeezing his hand to acknowledge his mental words, I took in the skyline of the city.  It was all cement and noise, making me homesick for the green lushness of Bali.  I hadn't been in the US for two years and all of the buildings and traffic were sensory overload for me.

We rode along in silence, pulling in front of a five-story Carriage house on the Upper East side of Manhattan.  The heavy wooden garage doors opened, our car pulling inside of the building.  I heard the garage doors close behind us and I felt the suffocating feeling of dread tighten in my throat.

As soon as the car stopped, Adolfo and Lenora were out of the car in a blur.  Lenora opened the door on Stefan's side of the car and Stefan started to slide out, hesitating when he saw the look of panic on my face.
“Josephine, I will not let anything happen to you.  I promise you.”

My eyes darted to his, nodding slowly.  I slid across the seat to step out of the car next to Stefan in the garage.  He pulled me close to his side and we followed Lenora and Adolfo to an elevator where the doors were already open and waiting for us to enter.  We all filed in and Lenora reached over to press a button on the panel.  The doors closed and the elevator jerked and groaned as it began to ascend to a higher floor.  After a moment, the elevator doors slowly opened and we were led into a spacious room with four leather sofas, glass tables and elegant chairs.  Beautiful artwork lined the brick walls of the house and gorgeous floral arrangements sat in the middle of each table.

There were three vampires standing at the windows, their heads turning in perfect synchronization as we entered the room.  Lenora and Adolfo went to stand with them, leaving Stefan and I standing on the other side of the room with five sets of critical eyes taking in our every move.

A beautiful vampire swept across the room to stand before us.  Her waist length hair was a deep chestnut brown and her expressive black eyes swept over me curiously.  Her eyes moved to Stefan, lingering on him much longer than I would prefer.  She motioned with her hand for us to sit down on the sofa closest to us.  Smiling curtly, she turned and walked back to slowly lower herself on the couch facing us.  The other vampires took their seats, still silently observing us.  Stefan led us to the couch, pulling me down beside of him.  He was still holding my hand, his grip possessive and soothing.

“Josephine, I am Sofia Mancini.  You have already met Adolfo and Lenora,” she addressed me, her voice soft with a thick Italian accent.  She inclined her head towards the two other vampires. “This is Derek Collier and Nigel Ryan.  We are all on the Council and are very interested in meeting you.  Let us sit and talk.”

At the mention of Derek's name, Stefan's body stiffened slightly. Surprised at his reaction, I wondered if this was this the same Derek he'd spoken of when he returned from his last assignment.

I didn't have to speculate for long since the look on Derek's face said it all.  The dark haired vampire might have been handsome if not for the arrogant sneer on his sullen face.  His gray eyes burned with resentment as he glanced first at Stefan and then to me.  He snickered when he observed our joined hands, releasing a bored sigh and crossing his arms under his chest.

My gaze turned to Nigel.  He was ruggedly handsome and his shoulder length light brown hair was tousled.  Expressive hazel eyes flickered over us, nodding slightly.  He was a large muscular man, appearing to be uncomfortable sitting on the small leather sofa.

“Hello?”  My greeting came out sounding like a question, my heart racing wildly.  The Council of vampires continued to visually observe me as if I were an anomaly, their faces a mixture of curiosity, aggravation and envy.

“Stefan, this is the woman from your visions?  The one you have been searching for?” Sofia questioned him, leaning towards him in interest.  Her lips turned up in a tight smile as she shifted her attention on me, her dark eyes were hard and filled with dislike as she scrutinized me.  I could feel a tingling sensation against my brain, as if she was making an attempt to push her way inside.  She was obviously unsuccessful as she sat back deeper into the couch, glancing at Derek and her brows pulling together into an affronted frown.  She glared at me, appearing to be furious that her ability didn't work on me.  She must be the telepath Stefan had spoken of.

“Yes,” Stefan answered simply, turning slightly to look down at me, his handsome face serene.  Our eyes met for a moment and a small smile touched his lips. “This is my fated.”

“Josephine, how do you feel about Stefan?  You know about what we are and you are not afraid?” Nigel spoke up, his voice inflected with an Australian accent.  His heavy hand rubbed his chin as he watched my reaction.

“Tell him the truth, vackra.”

Sitting up straight, I felt my jaw jut out in defiance.  “I know that you're vampires.  I'm in love with him, even considering to have him change me so we can always be together. As for being afraid, I've been more scared in the last 24 hours than I've ever been since I've met him.”

“We apologize for our abrupt invitation.  It was necessary to meet you.” Nigel leaned forward with his forearms against his thighs. “We need to assess if you are a risk and your abilities.”

“My risk? I
love
him,”  I snapped, looking around the room at each vampire. “I have no intention of telling anyone anything about your existence.”

Stefan squeezed my hand lightly. 
“Josephine.  I know you are angry.  Do not let them provoke you.”

Sighing, I squeezed his hand back.  They were intentionally trying to make me angry.  I needed to stay calm and answer their questions.

“And why should we believe you?” Derek asked coldly.  His voice had a southern drawl that reminded me of Georgia.  I didn't fail to miss the note of sarcasm in his voice.  “You
are
just a human after all.”

“You don't have to believe me.  Here's the thing, Derek.  I have no one to tell.  My adoptive parents died four years ago and I have no living family.  Prior to meeting Stefan, I lived a solitary life. I have my own issues, let alone causing problems for you.”  I was proud of how non-nonchalant I managed to sound, even though my stomach was twisting in knots with anxiety.

Derek eyed me for a moment, his gray eyes flat as stone.  He looked towards Stefan and his eyes turned harder.  A sinister smile broke across his face. “Stefan, you know the risks of choosing to play with your food.”

Derek's words caused a deep growl to resonate in Stefan's chest, his jaw clenching and the muscles in his neck were tense and corded.

“Stefan, remember what you just told me.  He's trying to piss you off.  Let's get this over with so we can leave.” 
I mentally implored him.  He relaxed slightly before he spoke.

“I do not consider loving someone ‘playing with my food,’ Derek.  In case anyone in attendance has forgotten Derek's indiscretion, let me remind everyone why it was necessary for me to have a discussion with him a week ago,” Stefan said, his voice devoid of any inflection as his eyes bored into him.  Derek shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his severe stare. “You threatened to expose our kind when humans started going missing after being seen in your presence. Your ignorance and arrogance could have exposed our existence.  Yet you sit before me and have the audacity to warn me of 'playing with my food'? 
Inkompetent rövhål!”

The room was silent for a moment and Stefan's words hung in the air.  Derek rose and walked to the windows, turning his back to the room.  To say there was no love lost between Stefan and Derek was an understatement.

“She's a psychic like you, yet she also has a talent for reading emotions.  Is she able to read you?  Or any vampires?”  Lenora questioned, flipping her pale blond hair over her shoulder.  She turned her head to the side slightly, as if evaluating my talent.

“No, I can't read Stefan's future or emotions.  Or any vampire,” I jumped in to answer before Stefan could speak. The four vampires exchanged looks amongst each other.

“I have one more question.  Stefan, you contacted Adolfo with concerns about changes in Josephine's body and the power of her abilities.  Is this still something you are concerned about?” Nigel inquired.  Out of this group of vampires, he had to be the most likeable and trustworthy.

Stefan nodded, running his free hand through his blond hair. “Yes, it is still a concern.  Her punctures heal within minutes of me biting her.  I deduced that it may be a side-effect of our blood exchanges.”

A hushed silence fell over the room.  Disbelieving and curious looks were exchanged between the group.

“You willingly offered your blood to her and she accepted?  Most vampires would never willingly exchange blood with a human, unless if you were choosing to turn them,” Sofia murmured in a mild, fascinated tone.  She glanced between me and Stefan, then turned to look at Nigel.

“I did.  It sort of happened in the heat of the moment,” I muttered hastily, averting my eyes to observe the pattern on the rug.  I had no desire to explain the circumstance to anyone, let alone this group of vampires.

“Stefan, Josephine.  Please leave us for a few minutes so we can discuss the matter.  We'll send for you when we're ready.” Nigel waved his hand in dismissal.

Stefan inclined his head, leading me out of the large room.  We walked down the hallway and entered a much smaller sitting room.

“Come.  We need to sit and wait.” Stefan crossed the room and sat down on the couch, opening his arms for me to join him.  There was nothing I needed more at that moment than to be close to him.  I curled against him, my head tucked into the crook of his neck.

“I needed this,” I mumbled against his chest, snuggling closer to him.

“It is going to be fine, Josephine.  Please do not worry,” Stefan whispered against my hair.  I felt him place feather-light kisses where his lips had been.

“I know.  I just feel like this isn't over, Stefan,” I murmured, leaning my head back to look at his face.  He smiled down at me briefly before lowering his lips to mine.  His kiss was gentle, slow and consuming.  I could feel myself responding despite the situation we were in, my mouth hungry against his.  He reluctantly lifted his lips from mine, chuckling lightly.

“I want you as well, Josephine.  Let us take care of this business here and we can spend some time alone.”

"We can stay here in New York for a day or two.  Just the two of us." 
His mental words caused desire to burn deep in my stomach when I thought of the things we could do in a day or two.  I hoped that our time in New York didn't include sightseeing.

I nodded, placing my head back on his shoulder.  My body was close to exhaustion due to the stress of the situation, the 20 hour flight and the time change.  I needed a bath, a nap and I just wanted to wrap myself around Stefan and forget about judgmental councils of vampires.

A knock on the door caused me to jump and Sofia peeked her dark head in the door.  “Please come back in.”

She led us back into the main room, my eyes sweeping over the vampires again as I waited for their decision.

Nigel spoke, his voice level and filled with authority.  “We see no risk as to you being together.  However, Josephine, we would like to ask for your assistance from time to time.  You have the gift of seeing the futures of humans, which we cannot.  From time to time we are faced with the problem of worrying about being exposed by humans.  Your gift would be helpful on how to handle the human aspect of the issue.”