The Last Vampyre Prophecy (8 page)

Finally the doors open
on my floor and I step out to find Adonia sitting stick straight in the lobby chairs. I smile because she is exuding nervous energy and her thoughts are nothing but incoherent garble.

She st
ands and smiles at me as I approach. “Good morning Mr. Garai.” Her voice is small and tentative. I make her nervous yet excited. The combination is intoxicating coming from her. I find her so refreshing from the others that I surround myself with.

I begin to see how she i
s making me see the world in a different light. Things feel different when she’s around, more vibrant and full of possibilities.

I smile back and co
me to a stop just in front of her breathing in her delectable scent. She smells like sunshine and rainwater dripping from a fully bloomed rose after a storm. Again, she intoxicates me.

“Well it appears Amanda is indisposed for the next few days so I am afraid you’ll have to deal with me, Miss
Kostas.” I say then grin at the look of utter loss on her face.

“Oh. Uh, well I’m sure you will be much too busy to deal with me
, Mr. Garai. I could have HR appoint me to someone underneath you so I won’t be a bother to you, sir.” Her voice quivers as she speaks and I have another pang of remorse. I just want to tuck her under my wing and protect her from the vitriol of the world.

She i
s vastly becoming an integral part of my existence and that thought unnerves me. I’ve always been alone and I prefer it that way. But she calls to some ancient part of me. She is so familiar and when she’s around I feel a little less anger and a little more hope.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Miss
Kostas. Follow me.” I turn for my office and open the doors. She quietly falls into step behind me and I gesture for her to have a seat. She sits and looks at me expectantly and her innocent eyes burn.

I pick up the phone and call
HR. “Yes, this is Garai, my PA is absent for the coming days and I will need a replacement ASAP.”

Greta sputters
. “Uh…uh yes, sir Mr. Garai. I’ll have someone up there immediately.”

“Also, I have a new employee star
ting today and I will need the welcome packet along with any necessary paperwork brought directly to my office.”

“Yes sir, would you like for me to personally do the introduction and complete the packet sir?”

“No. That won’t be necessary. Thank you.”

I place
the phone back on the desk. “See how easy that was?” I smile.

I feel
the shift in her body weight in the chair as her breathing increases and her heart rate spikes.

I lean closer and smile
. “I’d say this will most likely be an adventurous first day, Miss Kostas.” I muse.

She blushes
furiously but it doesn’t have the normal effect on me, which would be a raging burn in my throat and tense muscles ready to coil. Instead it is oddly comforting and soothing.

“You can call me, Adonia
if you prefer, Mr. Garai.” Her voice barely audible.

“Is t
hat what you would prefer, Adonia?” I like how her name sounds in my voice. It feels like a possession, like she’s mine.

She nods
. “Yes, sir, if you don’t mind.”

“Well
then, Adonia it is. I rather recall giving you the same request last evening.” I say watching the green of her eyes burn bright as an emerald.

“Oh, I couldn’t do that here, Mr. Garai. It wouldn’t feel appropriate, sir.”

I smile. “As you wish, Adonia.” I fold my arms over the desk. “However, I would appreciate if you did call me Khai outside of the office, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Her eyes gro
w wide then the excitement of my words flushes her cheeks. “I would like that, Mr. Garai.”

“I would as well,
Adonia.” Just then a knock at the door pulls her eyes from mine and she stares at her feet dangling in front of my desk.

“Yes.” I snap
.

The door opens and a short young girl stan
ds in the doorway carrying notebooks and various supplies. “Excuse me sir, my name is Margaret and I am temping as your PA, Mr. Garai.”

“Very well, Margaret. I
assume you can assimilate yourself into the position without anything from me?”

“Oh ye
s, sir. I’ll just get started, call with anything you need, sir.” And she turns on her heel and pulls the door behind her.

I sigh
. In her hast to break the sexual spell her brain was under she neglected to deliver the welcome packet and materials.

I press
the intercom. “Margaret. I believe you have some paperwork I requested?”

“Oh my, yes Mr. Garai. I apologize, I’ll bring it right in.”

Seconds later she appears at my desk dropping the small mountain of paperwork.

Holy fuck.

This could take all damn day to complete. Perhaps I
will
assign this task to Greta.

I look up and ca
tch the amused look on Adonia’s face. “Second guessing that thought of helping me wade through that, huh?” She asks giggling.

I c
an’t help but laugh back. “Something like that.”

She smile
s wide. “Really, Mr. Garai I can take this down stairs, you shouldn’t be wasting your time doing this type of work, sir.” She stands from her chair and reaches for the packets.

I rest
my hand on her arm and feel a surge of something powerful shoot through my chest. In that contact I can see every thought, dream and memory she has ever had. But what makes me gasp are the memories buried deep beneath—ones that flash me in a much earlier time.

Picture after picture of me laughing and touc
hing her. The look in my eyes is pure happiness. There are thousands sifting through my brain. She looks equally astonished but doesn’t move to break the contact. I can see that it is just as soothing for her as I.

I look
into her emerald eyes. “I think perhaps that speaks for itself.” I say wrapping my hand around hers. “I’d prefer we did this paperwork someplace more private. There are many questions I have for you, Adonia. Would you come with me?” I suddenly feel anxious for the first time in my existence. I am giving her an opportunity to say no to me and if she does I know I will honor her wish but it will crush me.

There i
s no hesitation in her thoughts or her reply, “Yes.” She whispers and I feel every tendon and muscle in my body coil then relax.

I smile
genuinely happy for the first time in a long time and scoop the papers from the desk and reach for her hand. She folds her tiny palm into mine and the touch is exquisite. It calms every cell in my body.

“Have my calls forwarded to my home office, Margaret and clear my calen
dar for the remainder of the day.” I call over my shoulder as we make our way to the elevator.

Adonia
is smiling up at me with a look of fondness. “I guess I can call you, Khai now.” She whispers.

I surprise
myself by laughing. “Yes, I’d much prefer it actually.”

Her hold tightens
in my hand and I am conscious of the tension I keep in our grip. I could easily break every bone in her delicate hand and not realize it.

I pull
out my phone and dial Peter.

“I’ll be returning home immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

I slid
e it back into my pocket and reach for her hand again. The feeling of that bond is already emblazoned in my mind and I know I will never want or let it break.

I zone
every other thought from my mind and just concentrate on the flow of emotions coming from her touch. Every pure thought she’s ever had is rushing before my eyes.

Her innocence is proven to me and it gi
ves me a strange sense of possession over her again. She’s mine in every way she could be.

When the doors open I ignore
the looks of shock on each face as we walk hand-in-hand. Peter is waiting; I open the door and escort her inside.

Insid
e the cabin the electricity becomes vibrant. She looks over at me through her long lashes. “Do you feel that too?” She asks apprehensively.

I smile
again. “It’s kind of hard to miss.”

She smiles back and
nods relieved that I feel the same. We ride in silence each soaking in the extraordinary bond already in place between us.

I c
an read that she has never had any type of bond with a man before and that makes me relax all over, because I, too, have never had any type of connection with anyone previous to her.

It’
s new to the both of us.

We stop outside the house and I pull
her to the curb. Her mouth forms an O when she takes in the enormous row house and the massive red door. Its no surprise that red is my preferred color.

I open
the door and let her precede me. She stutters to a halt when she eyes my grand foyer. To some it can be over the top opulence but it reminds me of the grand palaces in Greece when I was a child.

I feel
her apprehension at being around such wealth. I want to sooth her. “It’s just marble and tile, nothing important.”

She looks
at me shocked. “This is like a palace, Khai. I had no idea.” She runs her hands through her hair then over her face cupping her mouth. “I just…wow, I mean I’ve never been around anything like this before.”

She’
s clearly overwhelmed. I squeeze her hand “Really, Adonia, it’s nothing important, trust me.”

She sh
akes her head and trains her eyes down her frame and over her clothes. A feeling of shame flows through her mind and I am instantly angry.

I pull
her hand closer to me. “Don’t ever think like that again. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and had the honor of knowing.”

Her eyes wid
en and I realize my mistake—I’ve read her thoughts and responded to them aloud.

Fuck.

The grip in her hand loosens and I feel the hold breaking. Pure panic erupts inside and I feel desperate.

I fe
el her body shift slightly and begin to pull away. I step closer and use my other hand to cup her face. “No, don’t. Please don’t be frightened of me, Adonia. I can swear to you that it will never be my intent to ever harm you.”

I c
an’t lie to her. I can’t say that I will never harm her because I know what I am and I lose control easily. But I know that honestly I would die before I hurt her. And that thought coming from the selfish creature that I am solidifies what she means to me.

She i
s everything.

A hundred emotions swirl
through her mind but the one that dominates her thoughts and feelings is trust. She trusts me and that makes the dead heart I carry feel alive again.

“Come. I’d like to just sit and talk with you, if its what you wish.”

She grips my hand tighter and I smile as I lead her to the living room. I am used to the grandeur I surround myself with. There was a time that it filled voids I had and relieved some of the tedium but having her here and standing within it I feel a strange wave of shame. These things aren’t really important to me yet I bathe my life with them.

Money and prestige.

Her reaction is expected—shock, awe, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. I pull her to the decadent sofa perched in front of the floor to ceiling glass wall. We have an unobstructed view of all of Manhattan.

She whistles
. “I certainly don’t see this out my window everyday.”

I grin at her. “Y
eah, it’s not too bad.” I turn to face her. “There is something about you Adonia that has captured me. You’ve utterly beguiled me and I can honestly say that no one has ever heard those words come from my mouth. I am a solitary person and have enjoyed that existence up until now.”

I si
t against the sofa and concentrate on her thoughts. They are filled with confusion and indecision but also hope that my words are sincere. She runs the images of me through her head and I get the longing and happiness each time she recalls them.

I beguile
her, too. I smile.

For t
he next several hours we just sit and talk. She wants to know of all the places I’ve been and the places that are my favorites. I don’t like the feelings I have when I realize she’s never really had much in the way of possessions growing up and her life has been hard. She’s never been outside the states of NY and NJ.

There is so much of the world I want
her to see. “Take a trip with me. Let me show you the world, Adonia.” I blurt while she is telling me about her first experience coming to Garai Enterprises.

She blinks
several times and her jaw drops. “You can’t be serious, Khai. You barely know me. Why on earth would you want to spend money on me like that?”