AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I have known you for three centuries, Stefan. The last thing I wanted to do is jeopardize our friendship," Adolfo replied, adjusting his suit jacket nervously and flashing me an apologetic smile.
Shaking my head, I snorted in response. It was a little too late to try to make friends with me, considering we were sitting on a plane because of his little slip-up and he was the cause of Stefan's highly agitated state. I was hoping we'd make it to appear before the Council without Stefan ripping Adolfo apa
rt.
"Consider it jeopardized, Adolfo. We will have plenty of time for you to atone for your mistake. Our friendship has met its end. " Stefan's responding voice was severe and had an ominous quality to it. I instinctively knew that Adolfo's days were numbered from the double meaning of his words.
Their terse conversation was interrupted by the pilot's voice coming through the overhead speakers, advising us that we were cleared for take-off and to expect a brief stop in Tokyo to refuel.
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.
