Fated(17)

“I don't either, Stefan. So it's time for you to tell me everything. Even the things I don't want to know.” I leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes and brought his hands behind my head to bury them in my hair. I hadn't meant for the kiss to deepen, but I was powerless against him as he hungrily explored my mouth with his tongue. He slowly broke away from me, a satisfied smile on his lips. He knew the power he had over me already.

Sneaky bastard.

“I will tell you everything I know and answer any question you have, Josephine. But first you need to tell me why you are here in Bali. And then, you need to tell me what you are,” Stefan murmured, tightening his grip against my arms. He already knew me well enough to know that my first instinct would be to run.

My eyes widened, my panicked mind a jumble of questions and emotions. How much did he know? And more importantly, how had he figured it out?





Chapter 3


“Why do you need to know why I'm in Bali? Why are you in Bali?” I asked nervously, hoping that diversion would work with Stefan. His eyes narrowed and he raised a single eyebrow in amused disapproval at my attempt to deflect his questions. I should have known I'd be wasting my time. Obviously he had planned on how this conversation was going to work and I just needed to get with the program.

“That is an easy question for me to answer. To get away from vampire bullshit. Along with other reasons,” Stefan answered, his jaw tensing with annoyance. “I find it unfair that I am answering your questions, yet I asked you first. Let me ask you again, Josephine. Why are you here?”

Shifting anxiously, I tried for nonchalance as I blurted out my standard bullshit line. “I'm a writer and I needed to get away. Why does it matter to you why I'm here?”

Stefan released his grip on my arms and moved his large frame to sit against the headboard of my bed, crossing his arms and silently appraising me. I shifted under the weight of his stare and hoped that if I didn't answer, his questions would stop. I wasn't accustomed to answering to anyone, let alone a 975 year old vampire.

I had a sinking feeling those days were over.

“That sounds like the rehearsed version of why you're here. Let us try another avenue. Tell me what you are and I will tell you why it is important that I know,” Stefan paused, his face unreadable. “I had no problem telling you what I am and answering your questions. Can you not do the same for me?”

Pulling my legs up on the bed so my chin was resting on my knees, I let my hair fall around my face, shielding me from the scrutiny of his eyes. Logically, I knew he was right but fear gripped my chest like a vice. A tear escaped from my eye and ran down my cheek.

Stefan leaned forward, gently wiping the tear away with the pad of his thumb. “Tell me, Josephine. You can trust me.”

I pulled in a shaky breath. He'd answered every question I'd thrown at him without any hesitation. My closely guarded secret about my abilities paled in comparison to his own confession about being a mythical creature.

I could already tell I was going to hate it when he was right.

“I am a writer. And I did need to get away. From people,” I said quietly. My eyes drifted to the bamboo floor before looking at him again. “I'm a psychic empath, Stefan. Being around a lot of people drain me. You're the only other person that knows about this in Bali besides Anna and I'd like to keep it that way.”

“Can you read me?” He asked, motioning with his hand for me to continue. His face was still a stony mask.

“No, you're a blank,” I replied, pulling my legs closer to my body. “Georgia doesn't even know. Usually when people find out, I'm either treated like a Magic 8-Ball or looked at like a freak. I know how someone feels and I know things about people I don't want to know. I have visions that play out in my mind like a movie. You were different though. You came to me in my dreams.”

Stefan's eyebrow raised again and he leaned forward in interest. “You had dreams about me? Explain.”

Sighing heavily, I lifted my head up from my knees to meet his curious stare. I could thank my verbal diarrhea for this slip since I hadn't wanted to mention my dreams to him. “I had a few dreams about a man that looked like you. They seemed real and in them you spoke to me. Don't be mad...I can't help what pops into my head.”

His face relaxed into a dazzling smile. “Josephine, I am anything but angry. Let me tell you my story, the best I can remember it,” Stefan paused, running his tongue over his bottom lip and patting the bed beside of him with his large hand. I scooted to sit next to him, putting my head on his shoulder and laying my legs across his lap so I could look at him while he spoke.