Illusion(32)

Stefan’s hand slowly stroked small circles on the small of my back. He chuckled and kissed my forehead affectionately. “And what is it that you know I can do, Nikolaus?”

Nikolaus leaned back against the couch, spreading his arms across the top of the cushions, the colorful sleeve of tattoos on display. “Kill our father of course.”

Stefan didn’t react to Nikolaus’s statement. He continued to stoke my skin as he sat silently in the chair. “Why do you think I would want to kill your father? He is a Board member and such actions would be considered treason.”

Nikolaus tilted his head back against the cushions of the couch, rolling his green eyes up to the ceiling. “Yeah, yeah. Treason and all that fucking vampire protocol bullshit that’s been shoved down my throat for years. Don’t you think it’s time for things to change?”

Stefan’s hand stilled on my back. “Josephine, I need to talk to your brother alone.”

“Stefan,” I began, my voice rising in protest.

“Josephine.” His blue eyes were hard as he stared at me. This was obviously not open for discussion.

Huffing, I stomped out of the room. I went back to the bedroom and made a production of slamming the door. I pressed my ear against it so I could still hear what was going on. Their voices were muffled, but I could make out their conversation.

“Listen, Stefan. You don’t know me and I get that you’re trying to act like you’re going to toe the line. Maybe you are and I’m wrong about who you are and what you stand for. But that’s my sister in there and I know what Kian is capable of. She’s next. He’ll either willingly convince her to come or he’ll kill you to get to her. If she tries to defy him, he’ll kill her.”

An icy chill washed over me at Nikolaus’ last statement. He was right. If Kian would kill my mother, he would have no qualms in killing me.

Stefan’s voice was level when he spoke. “Explain how you know what he is capable of doing.”

“Kian has the ability to block most vampire’s abilities, Stefan. Did you notice you can’t see anything when he’s involved? It’s ironic that the smug bastard doesn’t know that I can read him like a fucking book. His little experiment turned on him, never expecting that his genetics and my mother’s abilities could be used against him. I know all of his dirty little secrets, the things he thought he had hidden away. He fucking killed my mother, Stefan.” Nikolaus’s voice broke. “The only reason I maintain any contact with him is so I can try to keep my eye on what he’s doing. I’d rather kill the asshole than look at him. But I can’t so I’m asking you. No, I’m fucking begging for you to help me. And if you don’t want to help me, at least do it to save my sister.”

I gasped as I listened to Nikolaus’ hatred as it colored each of his words. It was slowly eating him alive.

“I will take your proposal under consideration, Nikolaus. I cannot promise you anything else.”

“I won’t ask for anything more. It burns my ass to even have to consider someone else doing my dirty work.” He was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

“You may ask. I may not answer.”

I heard Nikolaus laugh and I shook my head at Stefan’s cockiness. “I like you, Stefan. But back to my question. Do you love her?”

My heart thumped in my chest so loudly that I’m sure Stefan could hear it as I waited to hear his response.

“More than my own existence.”

“That’s the difference between you and my father. He doesn’t love anyone except himself and his fucking insane need for power. You can sit there in that chair in this fancy apartment and pretend that you care about fucking protocol. I know you love my sister. You know you love my sister. And we both know she loves you. Fuck, even if I had doubts I saw her face when you walked in the room. It’s a matter of survival now. It’s either kill or be killed at this point. You are standing between what he wants and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.”

No one spoke for a moment. “Nothing will happen to her, Nikolaus. You have my word.”

“Yeah, Nigel thought the same thing about my mother,” my brother said emphatically.

“I am not Nigel, Nikolaus,” Stefan’s voice was cold. You could almost feel the shards of ice in his words. “Nigel is a decent man and a respectable vampire. He is tied into the Council too deeply and has not acknowledged that Armes is dead. Once he finally accepts that she was murdered, another ally bent on revenge will be created. An ally that seeks vengeance craves retribution more than he wants to live. It can become an all-consuming thing, Nikolaus. That combination can be deadly and the person will not be thinking of the big picture, only how to achieve it.”