Fated(50)

Stefan froze as my words sank in. He was a blur as he sat up, grabbing my head and turning it to the left to look for the marks from his fangs. He dropped his hand slowly, his face confused and his eyes blank.

I tried to focus on his thoughts. Unless he was directing them to me or he was distracted, they were similar to watching a movie on fast-forward. They tumbled over each other as he considered a new idea, discarding it to move to the next.

Quickly sitting up beside of him, a shiver of panic coursed through me. “Stefan. What's wrong? You need to start talking.”

He sat motionless, the air between us growing tight as his mind continued to race.

"Stefan, please talk to me." I pled with him mentally. A cold knot began to grow in the pit of my stomach. If he was quiet this long, it couldn't be good. I didn't know what was going on but he needed to explain before I really started to panic.

His cool fingers reached up again to stroke the skin on my neck. His jaw was clenched and his eyes slightly narrowed.

“There are no bite marks, Josephine. They are gone.” Stefan's voice was tense with anxiety, the muscles in his broad shoulders tight.

“What do you mean they're gone? You bit me. Believe me, I felt it in a good way,” I said, my fingers absently moving to run over my own neck. I felt nothing but my smooth skin under my fingertips. It was if he had never bitten me.

“Where did they go? Bite marks just don't disappear, right?”

Stefan was quiet for a moment, the tense lines on his face deepening. “No. Bites do not just disappear. I do not have an explanation, only an opinion.”

I swallowed roughly. "What's your opinion?"

“I am going to make the assumption that you healed from the blood you have taken from me. You have bitten me twice. My blood possesses healing properties, Josephine. It could be as simple as that.”

Taking a quick inventory of my body, I looked for his fang marks. He had bitten me many times on my breasts and once or twice on my inner thigh. My eyes roamed to both places, looking for any lingering bite marks.

All of them had disappeared. Every single one was gone.

My voice didn't sound like my own when I spoke again. “They're all gone, Stefan. Is this bad?”

“That I do not know. I have only shared my blood with one other human and he is now a vampire,” Stefan answered thoughtfully, his voice quiet. “I can call one of my friends on the Council. He may have answers for us.”

“I'm not turning into a vampire am I?” I questioned softly. I felt my hands twisting nervously in my lap, my eyes wide as they searched his face.

A brilliant smile broke over his face. He lowered his head to lightly kiss my forehead, my nose and then brushed his lips against mine. “No. You do not have fangs and you do not want blood. We just require answers. Perhaps contacting my friend would be a good thing. If nothing else it will put both of our minds at ease, yes?”

I nodded and my shoulders relaxed in obvious relief.

“Let us go inside. I have a bathtub I want to explore with you.” Stefan winked, standing up and offering me his hand. I took it and he led us up the steps into the house. We walked through the spacious living area, climbing up another staircase that led to the master suite. The bedroom was huge, decorated in neutral colors and faced another wall of windows that overlooked the ocean.

Pausing to take in the enormous bed that faced the windows, my thoughts were moving at a frantic pace. My shields were changing and bite marks were disappearing from my body within minutes. I felt like I was on the cusp of a major change, I just had no idea what that change was going to be or if I was ready for it. I gave up trying to be normal when I chose to be in a relationship with a vampire, a creature of legends.

Leave it to me to push the proverbial envelope.

Hearing water start to run in the adjoining bathroom, I padded across the plush carpet to lean against the doorway of the bathroom, watching him adjust the temperature of the water that was filling a large bathtub. The smell of sandalwood drifted from the steaming water, filling the room with the delicious scent. I unconsciously exhaled a deep sigh of contentment as I breathed in the fragrant air.

It smelled like Stefan and home.

“Ah, there you are, vackra. Come.” Stefan said, turning to face me. His large hand beckoned for me to join him.

I quickly moved across the cool, white tile to stand beside of him. He leaned to effortlessly lift me in his arms, stepping into the bathtub and lowering us both into the fragrant water to face each other. The water brushed lightly against the tops of my breasts.

He twisted slightly to turn off the taps and then turned back around to face me again. His eyes swept over my face intently, a play of emotions running across his handsome face.