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Nikolaus shrugged and turned his head to glance at me. "Probably. I don't know for sure. I haven't seen Kian since you left for Bali."
So Kian had secluded himself for at least a week. As slithery and sneaky as a snake, I had vivid mental pictures of what he could be planning. I’m sure he was regrouping, finding another willing lackey to come after me next.
"Shit." The full extent of Kian's evilness was overwhelming. The truth of the matter is there wasn't much he wouldn't do.
My brother swiveled to face me. His stubble covered face was just similar enough to mine to still surprise me. "No, there's nothing he wouldn't do. But here are the positives. You know the facts and understand better what he's capable of doing. That’s better than going into this blind."
Smiling weakly, I hugged my arms around myself tightly. "That doesn't make me feel better."
"It's not supposed to make you feel better, Josie. It's supposed to give you the power to control who fucks with you and how you can obtain the upper hand."
I leaned forward and cradled my head in my hands. My head was swimming from all the information I'd gleaned from Nikolaus. I’d been hoping for a pleasant conversation. Instead it was all about planning, scheming and power struggles.
"It's probably a good thing I'm with a master at getting the upper hand." I looked up to see Nikolaus grin widely. He clapped his hands together, rubbing them together animatedly.
"I like the way you think. Stefan will do anything to protect you. If Kian comes after you, he’s a dead man." He snorted at his own play on words. "Well, he'll be really dead."
"Nikolaus, Kian will come after Stefan. If he follows his usual MO, he'll try to eliminate the biggest threat first," I said in a rush. "And that would be Stefan. I won't put him at risk."
"He's almost 1,000 years old, Josie. I doubt Kian scares him too badly." Nikolaus rolled his eyes and paced the length of the room.
Watching him wearily, my voice was nearly a whisper. "You've never been in love. If you had been, you wouldn't be so blasé about it."
My cutting words made his pacing come to an abrupt halt. His green eyes slid to mine. "Love? Love is a waste of time."
I stood and walked to face him, grasping his shoulders with my hands. Our eyes locked. "You sound like the old me from a few months ago. I'd given up, written the idea of love off because of what we can do. But you're here because of something you saw in a vision. Not only do you want love, you deserve it."
His face took on a look of panic and he didn't do as much as blink. Out of respect, I didn't try to intentionally read his thoughts, but they spilled out to me in a rush. He wanted to be desired, to love someone as desperately as I loved Stefan. He sounded defeated, caught off guard when he spoke. "Maybe. I don't want to, you know...love."
"Don't lie to me, Nikolaus. You can't bullshit mind-to-mind."
He roughly exhaled. "I came to see you. But your friend..."
"Anna," I supplied.
"Anna. I saw her. With me. Together." His words came out strangled and disjointed. I didn't loosen my grip on his shoulders. “Fuck, this is embarrassing. I saw Anna and myself together in a sexual way.”
"You saw Anna the same way Stefan saw me. I dreamed of him too," I reminded him, finally letting him go. "It's ok to hope for it."
"I'm fucking scared shitless,” Nikolaus divulged. His hands went to his hair, pulling frantically at the tousled stands.
"Join the club. We're accepting new members," I quipped. "You and me. We're so much alike that it's scary."
Nikolaus and I were both so scared of being hurt, of letting ourselves feel. Or least I had been in the past. Stefan had broken through the barrier that had kept my heart closed off.
"So I'm discovering." He rubbed his chin nervously. "Can I meet her?"
"I haven't spoken to Anna since she woke up. We'll have to ask Stefan to see if she can handle it.
Closing my eyes, I let my mind seek out his. I could feel his presence, pulsing gently in the back of my mind. I imagined myself tugging on him, pulling him to me.
"Aren't you going to call him?" Nikolaus asked curiously.
Placing my finger on his lips, I murmured softly. "Shhh. Wait a second and watch."
Within moments, Stefan was at the door. My eyes opened and I turned to greet him.
"It works!"
