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"Stefan?" I mentally called to him.
He turned to face me with one hand on the door, his face filled with curiosity as he stared back at me.
"Thank you. For keeping me safe. For loving me. For risking your life. "
A grin broke over his devastingly handsome face. "Ah, I would do anything for you, vackra. I will be back in a bit. "
He waggled his eyebrows and shut the door behind him. I fell back against the couch, covering my face with my hands as my mind tried to absorb all of the information I'd learned.
Things just became extremely serious and potentially dangerous.
Chapter 4 Theres a Time to Run
With our time ticking down in New York before we started our journey back to Bali, I found myself in a melancholy sort of mood. As much as I loved the green lushness of Indonesia, I'd seen another side of Stefan here in New York. He seemed more alive and relaxed since we'd been here. Maybe it was the anonymity of the city, the ability to fade into the obscurity of a crowd of people. As I pictured him swaggering through my thoughts, I inwardly laughed. Stefan always stood out; his inhuman beauty and grace always drew attention to him wherever we went. It was hard to ignore the longing stares and feel the lust that followed him, as normal and natural as breathing.
Stefan had left early in the morning to attend to errands and business issues. With my mind still reeling from Nigel's confession and his information from my mother, I'd wandered out to peruse the numerous art galleries within walking distance of our apartment.
I was standing in front of a painting, admiring the abstract shapes and bright splashes of color. Shades of red and blue tangled together and it was fascinating. Lost in the patterns, I jumped as a voice pulled me out of my musings.
"It is a beautiful painting. "
I froze in place and my throat went dry. Kian. My father stood beside me and Stefan's words rang out in my head like an alarm bell. Do not meet him alone. Ever.
Keeping my eyes locked on the painting, I shoved my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. "Yes it is. "
Walking to the next painting, I did my best to hide my growing discomfort. Kian strolled behind me and stopped at my side again. He brushed the arms of his expensive, Italian suit and adjusted his tie before slightly rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.
I was quickly losing my patience at the way he was following along behind me, like we were a happy little family and this was a fun little outing. "Is there something you want from me, Kian?
"I'm just a father that is attempting to get to know his only daughter, my dear. "
Right. Grimacing, I clenched my teeth together. "I think you gave up that right a long time ago. "
"As I said before, I had no choice. I could not raise an infant in a house filled with vampires. I was abandoned and devastated when your mother left," Kian said. He attempted to arrange his features into a look of sorrow, yet it was obvious there was no real emotion behind his expression. It made his words sound even more hollow to me.
Internally rolling my eyes, I had to bite my tongue. This little story he spun sounded rehearsed and contrived. I think he enjoyed the romanticism of being the martyr in his warped version of the truth. Turning to face him, I crinkled my nose in disgust. "I know you mean well but I can't do this with you. I can't pretend to care about you when I don't have it in me to do it. If you knew anything about me at all you'd understand. "
He reached out to stroke my arm. "Give it time, Josephine. You will come to love me. "
Laughing bitterly, I shook my head. "You just don't get it, do you? There is no gray area with me. I either like you or I don't. I may have to tolerate you because of who and what you are, but that's all it will ever be. You'll never be my father, Kian. The only father I knew died four years ago. "
I watched as anger crept across his face, only to morph into a more tranquil expression. "You wound me with your words. You have not given me the opportunity to prove to you that I care. "
"Kian, I don't want you to prove anything to me. I want to be happy, to know that someone puts me ahead of an agenda. I need someone to love me, not for who I am and not for what I can do," I said passionately, realizing I had just described how Stefan felt about me. Despite standing in the gallery with my father, a warm feeling of love settled over my chest, enveloping me like a blanket.
Kian only clasped his hands behind his back. He seemed to notice my change in moods and he studied my face intently. "You are thinking about Stefan. He treats you this way?"
Smiling softly, I reached to absently rub the necklace he had given me. "I don't tell him enough, but yes. He loves me more that I can ever explain to you. And I love him more than I ever thought possible. If I had to, I'd kill to protect him. "
I meant every word I said. If it came down to keeping Stefan safe or losing him, there wasn't much I wouldn't do.
His vivid green eyes widened. "Those are strong words. "
Shrugging, I tossed my reddish-blond waves over my shoulder. "I guess they are. But if you've ever truly loved someone, that's how you feel. "
Zipping my leather jacket, I crossed my arms under my chest. "Goodbye, Kian. I'm going to ask you nicely to not follow me again. "
I turned on my heel and started to walk away from him when I felt his hand on my elbow, pulling me back to him. My eyes dropped to his hand before looking up to meet his unyielding stare.
