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Shifting uncomfortably, this conversation had officially gone where I didn't want to go. I needed to move things along before I slipped up and said more than I wanted to say.
"I'm not sure. I didn't ask. " I stood up and stretched. "It's probably time you got back to work and I still have errands to run. "
Anna watched me and clicked her tongue a few times. She stood as well, crossing her ar
ms under her chest. "I don't know what's going on with you. I do know you well enough to know when you divert like that, it's something major. I need to know two things. "
Inhaling a deep breath, I briefly closed my eyes. I was wincing when I reopened them, bracing myself for her questions. "Go ahead. "
"Are you safe and are you ok with all of this?"
I could answer these questions either way. When I was with Stefan, I was safe. He'd protect me with his life. But was I really safe? Absolutely not. Not as long as Kian was lurking in the shadows of my life. I could offer the same sort of response for her second part. I had Stefan, so I'd accepted my changes. But if I had to face them alone, I might not be as happy being immortal in a world where I would watch people that I loved die, yet I would never age.
I went with the easy answer. "Yes to both. Honestly Anna, I had a minor freak out. I'm fine now. I promise. "
Anna observed me for a moment, scrutinizing my face to see if I was lying. I must have passed the test because her shoulders relaxed and she grabbed my arm, linking us together.
"I think we have a villa to list. Let's gossip while we walk. You call tell me all about Stefan's magic dick. "
* * *
Pulling into my driveway and parking in front of my villa, the first thing I noticed were our suitcases on the sidewalk, lined up neatly in a row. Tilting my head, I looked up at the sky, the late afternoon Indonesian sun warming my face. I was a different person now than I was when I moved here a year ago.
Smiling to myself, I headed past the suitcases, committing every step into my villa to memory with the knowledge that I'd never walk alone again. This place, this house was the beginning and the end. No more lonely days, no more putting on my false face to the world, the face that pretended I was happy. I'd come to Bali to run away, and I was walking away with the confidence I'd never had before.
Grasping the door knob with a smile, I pushed the door open, dropping my purse and keys on the now empty table. When I turned, my mouth fell open in surprise.
Stefan's large frame was sitting in the chair facing me. He portrayed outward calm, yet his inward thoughts were a blur of conversations, visions, anger and strategy. His glacial eyes were fixed on Georgia. She was perched on the edge of the couch, her feet twitching anxiously as she clutched her arms. Lukas sat to her right, quiet and unmoving. No one was saying a word. It was apparent I'd walked into a situation that made me want to press fast forward to bypass this situation completely.
Yet here I stood, neck deep in tension that was so thick it was tangible. I pressed my back against the doorframe and my eyes flickered over each one of them. Lukas, well. . . Lukas was Lukas. His hands were crossed in his lap and his thin lips were pursed in either amusement or aggravation. I couldn't differentiate simply because he used the same look for either sentiment. Georgia's stance was agitated and condescending, and I didn't need to lower my shields to feel her emotions. Her nervous feet gave her away.
I'd come full circle and Stefan's eyes moved a fraction to meet mine, and his blond eyebrow raising slightly. His mental voice pushed into my thoughts, loud and frustrated.
"Josephine, your friend Georgia decided to join us. This has been an amusing hour. She is even testing Lukas' patience. It is quite an accomplishment since he defines aggravation. "
Still keeping my gaze on Stefan, I pushed off the door and walked across the room to sit on the arm of Stefan's chair. When his hands pulled me into his lap, I didn't fight him. He relaxed and his fragmented thoughts seemed to calm. I settled back against his chest and rested my head against his neck, inhaling his woodsy scent. I also noticed another smell hanging in the room. Coppery like a penny.
Blood.
"So, who's going to tell me what's going on?"
My voice rang out loudly in the room, and both Georgia and Lukas's eyes focused on me. Stefan's hand rubbed against the part of my thigh that was left exposed by my shorts, his fingertips tracing patterns against my skin.
Lukas let out a puff of breath and crossed his arms. "Since no one is going to tell you, I will. Your friend wants us to change her. She thinks it would be the best thing for her since she already knows what we are. "
The pressure of Stefan's fingers increased against my leg and I could only stare open mouthed at Georgia. Had she lost her mind? What had possessed her to seek out Stefan and Lukas alone and ask for them to change her?
"Georgia? Why?"
Stefan's voice rumbled behind me. "She presented a convincing argument. That I will admit. I will leave it to her to explain what happened. Tell her, Georgia. "
Georgia's whole body collapsed against the couch. It was if she had deflated in front of my very eyes, even her voice sounding defeated. "I just thought that since I knew, it made sense to just have them change me. Not to mention the idea of not aging seems nice and I'd be like you. "
I was torn between wanting to spring off of Stefan's lap to alternately slap her and hug her. "Be like me? Not aging seems nice? Are you serious, Georgia? Do you think this is some kind of joke?"
She tightened her grip on the towel on her arm and I noticed the red stain of her blood, glaring against the whiteness of the cloth. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper. "No, I know now it's not a joke. I didn't really think it through. "
I shot off of Stefan's lap and was beside her, clutching her wrist before she had a chance to react. She blinked at the suddenness of my movements. "You cut yourself in front of two vampires? You have lost your mind?"
