“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 apart.
“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.