She stood and put her hands on her hips. "That's a piss poor thing to say to me. I love you like a sister and you tell me I can visit? I'm going home."
Stefan blurred to block the doorway, his large frame ominous as he stood looking down at her, his muscular chest bare and long arms folded across his chest. Thankfully at some point during our conversation he'd managed to pull jeans on.
"You must give me your word that you will keep your silence," Stefan warned. "If you talk to anyone about this, it means your death."
She barked out a sardonic laugh. "I said I wouldn't tell anyone. Unless you want me to pinkie promise, that's all you're gonna get, Stefan. Who would believe me anyway?"
Stefan stepped aside and let her pass. She almost ran down the hallway in her haste to leave, slamming the front door so hard it shook the windows.
Stefan let out a deep sigh and sat down beside of me. He reached for my hand, turning it over and tracing patterns on my palm with his fingers. He said nothing, keeping his thoughts protected.
"I should have changed the locks," I mused, more to myself than to him.
"You never cease to amaze me," he murmured. He brought my hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips over my fingers. "Look at it this way, vackra. She knows our secret. You can keep her in your life."
"Yeah, she's thrilled with me. She wants to kick my ass."
"Time will pass and her anger will fade," he replied. "I am sorry. I wish I could save you from this part. This is where you lose every human friend you have or choose if it is safe to reveal your secret."
He pulled me back on the bed until we were propped on the pillows. His fingers absently rubbed through the fabric of my shirt, up and down my back. I rested my face against his chest, running my hands over his muscles and through the fine hair that covered it.
"I get to keep you. It seems like a fair trade."
"Now who is the smooth talker?" He pinched my side. "You have a new gift. We must practice to see how it works."
"I don't know how it happened. I was scared she was going to run off and I had to stop her. I just didn't expect that I'd actually be able to do it without moving." I looked up at him, pressing my chin on his chest. "This must be another change."
"I would assume it is. Try it on me."
"What?" I looked at him with wide eyes. "Stefan, I don't think I can do it again."
"Try it on me," he repeated. "Keep me in place."
He leaped from the bed. His face became predatory, his fangs clicking into place. "Stop me."
Giggling, I sat up on my knees, my hands on my legs. "Stefan, I don't know how I did it earlier. You're not scaring me with your fangs, Romeo. They turn me on."
He stood up straight and retracted his fangs. "Let us try something different. Close your eyes."
Sighing heavily, I obediently closed my eyes, waiting for what he was going to do next.
"Your father has killed me. Kian is coming for you," his voice was barely audible. A mixture of grief and anger filled me at the thought of his death at Kian's hands. "Pretend that I am him. You must stop me."
Without thinking, my hands flew up as I sensed him approaching me. I pushed my emotions outward, focusing on keeping him away from me. I felt the shield push out, wrapping around Stefan, securing itself around him like a vice.
Through barely opened eyes, I watched in amazement as Stefan struggled against my hold on him. He was trapped in mid-stride, incapable of moving. His mind was wide open to me while under my shield. He was furious, his mind filled with rage at his own vulnerability, incensed at his helplessness.
"It worked!" I exclaimed excitedly. "You can't move at all?"
"Not at all." He pushed against me, unable to free himself. "Release me."
"I don't know if I should. You're a scary vampire." I teased. "Did you ever think I'd be able to hold you back? Maybe I should call Lukas. I could use FaceTime and he could see this live."
His eyes darkened and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Vackra..."
"Fine." I lowered my hands and he stumbled forward as my shield retracted.
He darted to my side and had my back against the bed, hovering over me. He kissed me, his mouth hard against mine. "Tell no one of this ability, not even Lukas. What you just did can protect you if I cannot."
He was always pragmatic, thinking three steps beyond everyone else, planning and scheming. Stefan would protect me with his life. Knowing that I could stand beside him with my own ability made me feel like the scales were even.
"You should not be worried about such things." Stefan rolled to my side, staring into my eyes. "I never wished for things to be so difficult. It is my only regret."
"Stop." I placed my palm against his face. "It doesn't matter, Stefan. With or without you, Kian would have found me."
"Perhaps." Stefan replied quietly. "So you have no reservations, Josephine?"
"Not a single one." I let my fingers caress the curve of his cheek. "It's worth it, you know?"
"Hmm?"
"To be with you forever. It's worth all of the worries and fears. I have you."
I glanced up at him, meeting his gaze. His blue eyes were soft, filled with love and devotion. His hand rested against my chest, his fingers stroking the pendant around my neck.
"Att ha din k?rlek ?r en v?lsignelse. Du ?r min ?lskare, min v?n och min k?ra kompis. Jag ?lskar dig."
"I've only been using the CD's for a few days, sweetheart. I understood that you love me. What else did you say?"
"I said to have your love is a blessing. You are my lover, my friend and my cherished mate." He lowered his mouth gently to mine. "I love you."
"Jag ?lskar dig, min man." The words sounded strange and felt peculiar on my tongue. It was worth the discomfort to watch his eyes sparkle as he heard me speak in his native language.
"Until the stars stop shining?" He used my words from a few days ago.
"And then some."
"You need to sleep. You need to wrap up your affairs tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah." I snuggled against him.
He nuzzled his nose against my hair, breathing in my scent. He groaned softly in response, his hands rubbing over my back and ass possessively. I pulled back, letting my eyes travel over his face. Unable to resist his lips, I pressed a kiss to the top and then the bottom before devouring his mouth, the taste of him addictive and sweet.
The pads of his fingers cupped the back of my neck as he answered my kiss. His mouth became more insistent, our legs tangling together as we moved closer to each other, languidly kissing each other with wet, open mouthed caresses. When he lifted his mouth from mine, his lips went to my neck, scattering kisses and tiny bites across my skin. His hand slipped between us and he gently stroked my clit with his thumb while his fingers filled me.
"You begged me to come for you earlier. I want you to come all over my hand," he said huskily against my neck.
His fingers and thumb stroked and thrust inside of me, teasing and insistent. His blue eyes stared intently at me, watching every expression that crossed my face. When they curled up and plunged harder I gave in, falling apart over his hand, sighing breathlessly when I felt him release against my stomach.
Stefan captured my mouth in another kiss. "That was beautiful, watching you come for me."
He was a blur as he moved from the bed to the bathroom. He returned with a towel, quickly cleaning up the mess we'd made.
He sank back into the bed and pulled me back on his arms. My eyes were heavy and for the moment, the confrontation with Georgia was in the back of my thoughts.
His arms around me were the last thing I remembered until drifting off into sleep.
* * *
Pulling in front of Anna's real estate office, I put the car into park and gripped the steering wheel for a moment. The day had been filled with errands, putting in a forwarding address request in to the tiny postal office in Canggu, transferring money from accounts here in Indonesia to the much bigger joint bank account I now shared with Stefan in the US. I'd reached my final and most difficult errand of the day: not only was I putting my villa on the market, I was also going to tell Anna that I was leaving. I'd scanned her future and knew the outcome would be fine, but she was going to ask questions. Questions could be dangerous … I would need to stay on guard and not reveal too much to her.
Unable to put off the inevitable chore, I shoved open the door to my jeep and headed for her office. I was greeted with a chiming bell and Anna's head popped up with her ‘I'm all about selling you a property' business smile. When she saw it was me, the smile changed to her more snarky grin. She pushed herself away from her desk to meet me.
"Josie Anderson decides to grace me with her presence!" Anna's eyes scanned over me, lingering over my necklace before they went to her watch. "You have perfect timing. Let's go to lunch."
Anna crossed back to her desk and grabbed her purse from one of the drawers. She rejoined me, motioning for me to follow her outside. We walked in the bright sunlight for a few moments before she spoke.
"So, you're back. Is this a good thing?" Anna asked curiously. "Since you're not in tears, I'm assuming you and Stefan are together.
"It depends on what you consider a good thing. I've already had one big negative reaction, so I'm anxious to see what yours will be."
We walked up to one of the street vendors and ordered satay before heading in silence to a bench under a tree. Anna sat first and pointed to the seat for me to join her.