"Stefan! Josephine!"
We turned in unison to see Nigel approaching us. He wasn't as tall as Stefan, but was more solidly built than him. Nigel's long, tousled light brown hair was shining in the sunlight and his kind, hazel eyes were covered with sunglasses. He inclined his head as he stopped to stand in front of us.
"I have your car waiting for you with your luggage inside. Is there anything else I can do to be of assistance?" Nigel questioned.
"That should do, Nigel. Thank you," Stefan answered, extending his hand to him. Nigel shook Stefan's hand and his sunglass covered eyes focused on me.
"Josephine, it was a pleasure meeting you. We will see each other again under better circumstances, I hope."
I glanced up at Stefan, and he nodded in response. Nigel led us to the silver Mercedes sedan and opened the door for me. I sank into the leather seat and Nigel leaned down slightly as he reached to shut the door for me. He paused for a moment before he quietly spoke. "I loved your mother. She was nearly as beautiful as you, Josephine."
"My mother? You know who my mother is?" My voice came out like a strangled shriek as I grabbed at Nigel's arm.
"Later." Nigel gently pulled his arm away from my grasp and closed the door. My eyes were locked on his face as we pulled away from the carriage house.
"Stefan? You have to go back. I have to talk to him!" I was frantic to go back to find out the information Nigel had about my mother.
"Soon, Josephine. I promise that you will find out everything. You must be patient." Stefan drove quietly through the heavy traffic. He dodged and changed lanes frequently, heading down West 28th Street towards Chelsea. Stefan turned and we drove into underground parking, pulling into an assigned parking space. He gracefully unfolded his large frame from the car, stopping long enough to pull our bag from the trunk. He made his way around to my door, opening it gallantly for me.
"Where are we?" I asked as I pulled myself from the car, slamming the door behind me. Stefan pressed a button on the key fob and the car alarm chirped twice.
Stefan was silent as he turned, heading towards the elevator. He punched a code into the keypad by the elevator and the doors separated quietly. He stepped inside, jerking his head backwards for me to join him. Sighing heavily, I followed and moved to stand beside him. He reached a long arm over to press ‘8' on the panel and the doors closed and the elevator quietly began moving, a small ding chiming as it passed each floor. It rocked to a stop on the eighth floor, the doors opening to plush carpeting and beige walls.
He exited the elevator to the right and I trailed behind him as he sauntered down the short hallway to 8B, pulling a key out of his pocket, unlocking the door and opening it. He stood in the doorway, a smirk settling over his handsome face.
"Are you going to come inside our home or would you like to meet our neighbor?"
I jumped in surprise at his casual mention of referring to this apartment as ours. Faltering for a second, I finally was able to get my feet to cooperate and move. "Our neighbor? Whose apartment is this?"
Stepping inside the spacious living room, I took in my surroundings. The entire living room and kitchen was a wall of windows, offering a fantastic view of the nearby Gallery district and the Highline. The furniture was modern and sleek, the apartment decorated in neutral shades of cream and beige, accented with bright splashes of red and turquoise. A giant fireplace with built in bookshelves lined one wall.
"This is my apartment, which is now yours as well. It is something more for us to discuss later, yes? Stefan asked as he shut and locked the door behind him. He turned to face me with a smirk. "Would you like the grand tour now?"
Pursing my lips, I ran my fingers through my hair. "By all means. Lead the way."
Stefan walked through the living room and kitchen which led into a hallway. I should have been paying attention to the house, but I was more interested in staring at the muscles in his broad shoulders and his taut ass as I followed closely behind him.
"Eye fucking me already, Josephine?" He tossed a leer over his shoulder. "This is the office." He motioned to a room on my right. "Guest bathroom, laundry room. And finally, this is our bedroom."
He stalked into the spacious room, dropping our suitcase on the dresser. Plopping down on the king size bed, I braced my arms behind me and watched as Stefan crossed the room and flicked a switch on the wall. Chocolate brown motorized curtains closed across the wall of windows, darkening the bedroom. He blurred to my side and lounged on the bed beside me, propping his head on one of his large hands. I relaxed my arms and lay back on the bed, staring up at his handsome face. He stretched across to kiss me gently before reluctantly lifting himself from the bed.
"You need to eat. Shower and I will order food for you," he murmured. He stood and lingered in the doorway for a moment. "The bathroom is fully stocked. Come and find me when you are finished."
He disappeared down the hallway. With a tired groan, I got to my feet and wandered into the master bathroom, removing my wrinkled blouse and letting my jeans pool around my feet. I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature before stepping in. I made short work of washing my hair and body, relieved to finally wash the grime of the last two days away. It was tempting to stand under the streams of hot water until it ran cold, but tension and fatigue were slowly creeping up on me, making my vision blurry and my eyelids heavy.
Stepping out of the shower and quickly toweling off, I grabbed a comb off the vanity and ran in through my long hair. I glanced at my reflection in the large mirror and the realization that this face would be staring back at me in 20 years hit me like a ton of bricks. No more worry about laugh lines, crow's feet and sagging skin. That revelation was quickly tempered by knowing that in a few years I'd have no more Anna or Georgia in my life as my friends. They'd never understand why Stefan and I didn't age. Hell, I didn't understand it and I was living it.
Tearing my eyes away from the mirror, I walked into the bedroom and slumped down on the bed. Sighing, I fell back and closed my eyes against the hot tears that were stinging my eyes. I just wanted to lay here for a moment and get myself together. Just a few moments of peace to get the scramble of my mind back in order. The quietness and darkness of the room had other plans for me, and I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
"Pad Thai with Shrimp or Pad Sew with Chicken? I was unsure of which you would prefer so I ordered both."
Stefan didn't look up from his laptop as I padded into the kitchen wearing one of his dress shirts as a nightgown. He was seated on a swivel bar stool at the counter, his fingers flying over the keyboard, making me wonder how the computer could keep up with the speed of his keystrokes. He glanced at me over the screen, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his handsome face broke into a wide smile.
"Pad Thai." I opened the takeout container and unwrapped the wooden chopsticks. Walking around the island, I sat down beside of him on a matching stool. "Thanks."
"Anything for you, vackra," he said. He swiveled in his seat to face me. He was shirtless, only wearing black silk sleep pants. My eyes had a mind of their own as they traced across his broad chest, following the long expanse of his finely muscled arms. How was I lucky enough to wake up to this for the rest of my life?
"What are you working on, my sexy man of intrigue?" I asked as I popped a shrimp into my mouth. As I chewed, I watched amusement flicker across his face. He raised an eyebrow at me and closed the laptop.
"Business e-mails. How are you feeling, Josephine?"
Turning my neck from side to side, I stretched. "Physically, I feel much better. I'm clean, rested and not hungry thanks to you." I picked at my Pad Thai. "Mentally, I'm still trying to come to terms with feeling like my entire life has been a lie. I find out that my birth parents abandoned me, I'm some weird vampire hybrid and my father is one of the most powerful vampires in existence. The only bonus is that you're still here."
"And you are here with me. As far as what happened with your father, I can only sympathize with you. If I am to be completely honest, I am happy you are some ‘weird, vampire hybrid'. That means I get to keep you for an eternity."
Placing my Thai food on the granite countertop, I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his cool shoulder. Forever with the love of your life? How many people get that opportunity? Pulling back and placing a kiss against his bicep, I sighed with contentment as I felt the weight of his head against mine.
"Do you have any idea what Nigel knows about my mother?"
"Nigel is an honest vampire. He is undecided on what he wants to tell you about her. I would believe in whatever he chooses to tell you." Stefan's cool breath tickled my scalp. "If you have no reservations, I would like to stay in New York for a few days. I have business matters to attend to and we can meet with Nigel."
"That's fine with me. Do you have Council business?"
Stefan released a deep sigh. "No."
"Is this some sort of top secret business you can't tell me about? If we're going to be together you need to tell me what's going on. No secrets."
"I know. I only worry about how you will react to this information."
I gave his shoulder an affectionate shove and rolled my eyes. "Is it worse than finding out you were a vampire? I think I took that information in stride."