Fated (17 page)

“What about when I'm not around?  You were gone for almost five days.  You had to be hungry,” I retorted, immediately wondering if I
really
wanted to know the answer to that question.

“I forget that there are so many things you do not know.  Many of us choose to integrate ourselves into society.  We not only walk among you, we work with humans as well.  Some of us are lawyers, police officers and some are even elected officials.  Quite a few of us work in the medical field.  We have established networks that give us access to human blood, Josephine.  However, there are vampires that have no issue biting and draining a human to the point of death.  Their victims disappear, either being turned or dying and being disposed of.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I thought of all the missing person stories I'd read in the paper or had seen on  TV.  I was now wondering how many of those missing people were actually victims of vampires.

“Not all vampires are pleasant, Josephine.  Most are calculating and cruel.  You have only met two of my kind, myself and Lukas.  You need to remember that we are the exception, not the rule.” Stefan glanced over at me again.  His expression was serious and his lips were set in a thin line.

“Speaking of Lukas...how exactly do you know him?  Something was going on between you two the other night at dinner.  When you told him to stop, he did it like he had no choice.”

Stefan said nothing, his eyes staring out the windshield.  His thoughts were heavily guarded and he was obviously deciding how to proceed.

 Deciding not to push him, I chose to look out the window while I waited for his answer.  The smell of salt was thicker in the air as we got closer to Seminyak and the beach.  He still hadn't answered my question, his long fingers were tapping nervously on the steering wheel.

He finally slowed to turn into a driveway that led up to a large beach house that made my villa look like a tiny shack in comparison.  It was two stories, a mixture of white stucco and dark mahogany timber, the landscape littered with tall spikes of bamboo.  I was still gaping at the house when I heard the car door open.

“Will you join me, Josephine?  Or are you satisfied spending the day in the car?” Stefan chuckled deeply, offering his hand to help me out of the car.  Pensively taking his outstretched hand, I slid out of the car to look at Stefan with confusion.

“Where are we?”  I asked softly, my eyes drifting back to look at the impressive house.

“This is my house,” he replied quietly.  He led me forward, his hand pressing against my lower back.  We walked up the steps onto the front porch and Stefan opened the large door, motioning for me to go in.  I cautiously stepped inside, blinking as my eyes adjusted from the sunlight to the much dimmer light of the house.

The main room was large and the ceilings were high and vaulted.  A large, beige couch stretched the expanse of one wall, littered with pillows.  At one end, the wall was filled with ceiling to floor windows with an elegant dining room table dramatically placed to take advantage of the landscaping and view outside.

Wandering down the hall, I entered into the kitchen, which was large and modern with stainless steel counter tops and appliances.  The double doors were open and led out to the upper patio, which offered an impressive view of the Indian Ocean.  I took a step out on the patio, stopping to rest my hands on the dark wood of the railing and inhaled a deep breath of sea air.

Glancing down, the level below had another deck that was scattered with sun beds around a large gradual-depth pool.  There was a covered area with a large sofas and lounge chairs that surrounded a large fire pit.  I could picture myself straddling Stefan on the couch, the sound of the waves crashing and the breeze from the sea brushing over our naked skin.  I unconsciously shivered at the vivid image in my mind.

“I take it you like it here?” Stefan's voice startled me, bringing me out of my silent musings.  He had been following behind me, watching in silence as I walked from room to room.

“Like it?  It's unbelievable,”  I murmured in amazement.  Stefan walked to stand behind me, leaning over to wrap his long arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.  I leaned back against him, a tiny smile breaking over my lips as he lightly kissed my cheek.

“It is just a house. I like it much better now that you are here,” Stefan's lips murmured against my face.  I twisted in his arms to look at him, his arms still wrapped loosely around me.  His eyes were covered with sunglasses and the sea breeze lightly ruffled his blond hair.  I couldn't resist the urge to run my fingers through the thick golden strands, his silky hair gleaming and warm from the sunlight.

“Why is it that we've been staying at my house when we could have been here?  This place makes my villa look like a shed,”  I asked curiously.  Stefan drew in a deep breath, tilting his head back.  His lips parted to speak when a piercing voice cut into the peacefulness of our conversation.

“My, my.  Look what the cat dragged in.  Stefan and Josie!  What a wonderful surprise.”

Lukas.  I suddenly understood why Stefan had chosen to stay at my house.

“Does that answer your question, vackra?”
Stefan's mental voice had an exasperated edge to it.
“He is my immortal version of your Georgia.”

Swallowing back a giggle at Stefan's internal aggravation, I turned my head to glance at Lukas.  He was shirtless with his hands on his hips and was dressed in a pair of ridiculously small red speedos.  I quickly buried my head in Stefan's chest, letting out a groan.  I could add that to my list of things I never needed to see again.

“Lukas, do you not have something else to do?” Stefan's question sounded more like a command.  His voice was intense and his body shifted to stretch to his full height.

“Actually, I don't.  I thought I'd join you on the beach today.  Josie and I can get to know each other.  We can people watch and gossip.  We'll have so much fun!”  Lukas chirped as he glided down the steps to the pool, smoothly diving in the water.  He was like a torpedo, barely rippling the surface of the pool.

“Are you going to tell me why Lucas is here?” I asked, turning my head to look up at Stefan.  He still hadn't answered my question about how Lukas fit into his life.

Stefan let out a long sigh.  “Give me a moment.  I need to check on a few things, change, then we will talk.”  He was a blur as he disappeared inside of the house.  Plopping down into one of the deck chairs, I closed my eyes and mentally willed Lukas to keep swimming.  The last thing I wanted to do was to be subjected to his exaggerated chatter.

“I'm so glad you and Stefan made up.  He was a pissy little bitch for days.  I was ready to kick his ass or stake him to stop his moaning.”  Lukas' voice lisped from the chair beside of me. Surprised from his silent approach, I jumped and drew in a deep breath to try to slow my racing heart.

“Damn it Lukas, you scared the crap out of me!  Warn a person that you're coming.”

Lukas was dripping wet, his ice blue eyes covered with sunglasses.  Pursing his lips, he raised his eyebrow in amusement.  “I keep forgetting you startle so easily. Maybe I should clap when I approach.  Now hurry up and tell me what happened before he comes back outside and ruins our gossip time.”

“It was a misunderstanding.  It happens.”  I tried to keep my voice noncommittal, shrugging my shoulders slightly.  I closed my eyes again, hoping he would catch on that I didn't want to talk.

Relaxing my head against the deck chair, I sent out a mental plea to Stefan.
“What are you doing in there? Hurry up, he has me cornered.”

Lukas pursed his lip again and rolled his eyes.  “I couldn't deal with his obsessive worrying and whining.  I called up Anna because I had a feeling you'd hide out there.  When she told me you were staying at her house, I told him where you were.  I thought Mr. Romance would sweep you off your feet and you'd forgive him.  I should have known he'd be all over dramatic and blow it.”

I couldn't help but laugh at his 'Mr. Romance' comment.  Where the hell was Stefan?  “I didn't even let him get a full sentence out, Lukas.  I pretty much told him to fuck off.  I'm not always reasonable.  Or rational.”

“Oh, you two are perfect for each other.”  His face turned soft and dreamy, his eyes glowing behind his sunglasses, clasping his hands together over his heart.  “He's swooning over you like an infatuated teen and you're going to bust his ass at every turn.  This will be better than my telenovelas.”

I simply stared at him for a moment, thinking to myself that he truly was the gay, male version of Georgia, minus the southern accent.

“It looks like fun time is over.  Here he comes now,” Lukas leaned over to whisper conspiratively in my ear, his posture slumping in defeat.

Stefan stalked back onto the deck in a pair of navy blue board shorts, dipping low to show the harsh V of his lower stomach that disappeared into the waist of his shorts.  He was shirtless, the sun making the golden hair on his sculpted chest shine. “Lukas.  I think you have had enough fun for one day.  I know you have matters to attend to, yes?”

“You're no fun.” Lukas pouted as he stood up and pranced into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Stefan let out a long sigh and flashed me a strained smile.  He lowered to crouch in front of me, his hand tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear and his finger moving to caress my face delicately.

“I am sorry I was gone so long.  I had an e-mail to respond to from the Council,”  Stefan explained as he rose to stand to his full height.

I was shameless, letting my eyes roam over the lines of his powerful body.  The muscles in his chest and arms looked like they were carved from marble, his abdomen toned and his legs were long and lean.  My eyes made the trip back up to his face and his words finally registered with me.  A flicker of apprehension swept through me.  “You aren't leaving again are you?”

“No.  Nothing like that,” Stefan reassured me, his voice smooth.  “Come.  I want to walk on the beach with you.  First we need to take off your dress.”

Before I could react, he quickly pulled the sundress over my head.  His eyes raked over my bikini in approval.
 "Much better."

We both heard a tap on the window by the deck.  We both looked up to see Lukas staring out the window, giving us the 'thumbs up' sign.

Georgia and Lukas could be twins if not for their age difference.  They were both a pain in the ass.

“Can we go?  Lukas is driving me crazy.”
 
My mental voice begged.

He tugged on my hand, giving me an understanding smile.  He led us down the steps onto the main patio area, walking through a gated door that opened onto the beach.  The sound of the waves was loud as they crashed against the black sand.  We walked to the edge of the water in silence.

Stefan intertwined our fingers together and he let out a contemplative sigh.  His eyes closed for a moment and he drew in an unnecessary breath.

Glancing at him curiously, I mentally questioned him. “
What's going on? Are you okay?”

“Right now I realize how devastating it would have been to have lost you, Josephine,”  Stefan's voice was thick with emotion.  “The thought of you not being here with me is excruciating.”  He gently squeezed my hand, then pulled on it slightly to urge me to follow as he started walking again.

“I don't want to think about that anymore, Stefan.  I love you and we're together.”

“I do not want to think about it either.  Bringing you here to my house made me realize all of my foolish mistakes,” Stefan murmured, his face was pensive and distant as if lost in a memory.

We walked along in silence for a few minutes, the warm water rushing up to cover our feet occasionally.  As I watched the waves swell, my mind began to wander.  Why was he refusing to answer any questions about Lukas?

“You never answered me when I asked about Lukas earlier.  What's going on with you two?  And why is he here today?”

“Lukas is my child,” Stefan answered simply.  He glanced down at me briefly, squeezing my hand again.

I stopped walking as I took in his words.  He stopped and turned slightly to face me.  “He's your child?  You need to explain.”

He sighed heavily, his face contemplative as he began to talk. “Approximately 175 years ago, I was living in the Netherlands.  When he was still human, Lukas became a friend to me.  He owned a small bookstore that I would visit frequently.  He fell ill and was close to death.  I chose to turn him instead of letting him die,” Stefan hesitated, looking down at the sand for a moment. “You lead a lonely life as a vampire, vackra.  He was the only human friend I had and I could not bear to see him die.  He accepted this new life with zest.  He was amusing and frustrating as a human, now even more so as a vampire.  He is like a brother to me.”

“Is that why he listens to you?” I questioned as we resumed our walk again.

“He has no choice in the matter, Josephine.  I am his sire.  He is compelled to listen.”

“So as his sire he has to listen to you? He has no choice?  And what about your sire?”  I asked, my words coming out in a jumbled rush. This was one of those moments where I wished my internal dialogue had to go through some sort of filter before it actually verbalized.

“I never know what is going to come out of your beautiful mouth, vackra.”  He laughed dryly.  “Lukas thrives being a vampire and I do not force him to do anything unpleasant.  He is a trusted friend, Josephine.  As for my sire, she is dead.”