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Still speechless, my mouth snapped closed as I struggled to form a coherent thought or a witty comeback. I failed horribly on both counts.
"He is only here to visit, vackra." Stefan leaned closer to whisper in my ear. Speaking louder, he raised a blond eyebrow as he gave Amir a sideways glance. "While Amir is my trusted brother, I must tell you he has one fault. Over the years, he has developed a soft spot for Lukas."
"Shall we tell all of my secrets so soon, Stefan?" Amir chuckled. He took a step closer and lowered his voice. "While I am here to visit, I am here for business and to offer my support. There is talk amongst our kind, Josephine. Changes are brewing. Alliances are being formed and sides have been chosen. It is a time of change. Unrest is upon us."
My brow furrowed as I digested his grim declaration. I knew whatever unrest Amir was referencing likely had to do with my father and the Board. "I see. I'm assuming your visit means you are here to support Stefan."
"Not only Stefan, Josephine. I am here to support you as well." Amir rocked forward on the balls of his feet, clutching his hands behind his back. "I side with those I feel are right. I have spoken extensively with both Nigel and Stefan. I am aware of the numerous misdeeds of both the current Council and Board."
He traveled across the room effortlessly, his wiry frame rigid. He adjusted the gold silk of his tie, perusing the bookshelf for a few moments before he continued speaking. "My business here is simple, Josephine. I am to be appointed to the Council tonight. It is not common knowledge that we share a maker. You understand this knowledge it is to remain unknown to all other parties. Perhaps it is a devious move on my part and perhaps my deception makes me as corrupt as the others. There is a bigger goal and I will do everything possible to achieve it."
I shifted nervously from foot to foot, the leather of my boots squeaking. Stefan's hand on my waist tightened and pulled me closer. Choosing my words carefully, I did the best to steady my voice as I spoke. "Eliminating my birth father is part of this goal of yours?"
Amir turned his flinty amber eyes my way. He was devoid of all emotion as he studied my face intently. "Are you opposed?"
"No. He means nothing to me," I answered simply. As blunt and brutal as my words were, I had no loyalty to Kian. After sending a henchman to kill me, he had severed any lingering ties we shared. He was now simply a threat; not only to me, but to everyone that I loved.
"I agree that ending him would be most enjoyable, Amir. We cannot be whimsical when we choose to make our move," Stefan added coldly. My eyes shot to his handsome face at the tenor of his words. Gone was the usual softness of his blue eyes, the gentleness of his voice. His expression was hard and aloof, his accent more prominent as he addressed Amir.
Amir smiled a wide smile and they exchanged a long look. Their gazes didn’t waver until finally Amir was the first to look away. His tawny eyes drifted to me and he nodded. "You are correct, Stefan. Now is not the time to be hasty.” He regarded me with quiet respect. “She is truly your match, brother. Your vision did not lie when it foretold of a true fated pair. Extraordinary."
"She is," Stefan agreed. “Josephine is truly remarkable.”
He'd been reticent during the entire exchange with Amir. I’d grown so accustomed to the softer version of Stefan that seeing this side of him reminded me what he was and who he could be if he chose. And if I were completely honest, who I was becoming as well. We both had secrets to guard and people to protect. We couldn’t afford to let anyone we didn’t trust completely in on our plans.
Amir stroked his tie a final time. "We will have time for pleasantries later. I will see you both after the Council appearance."
Without another word, he strode purposely out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.
Extracting myself from Stefan's death grip, I looked at him expectantly. "Any other news you want to share with me? You could have warned me about Amir. I hate surprises. You know this. In fact, you remind me of it often."
"Amir is unpredictable. I did not know he would be stopping by," Stefan replied matter-of-factly. He slid his hands in his pockets of his dark denim jeans and offered an offhanded shrug.
"You didn't know? Sweetie, you're a psychic. And how are you going to keep all of this quiet? The telepath on the Council will find out your plan!" I responded anxiously, beginning to pace back and forth. "It's going to come out tonight. Shit, shit, shit!"
"Ah, I forget how much you need to learn. You know many of us have talents. Many are latent, never reaching their true potential. You are still discovering your gifts. Nigel is much like you. He is a powerful empath. Sofia is an expert at assessing talents. Lenora is a remarkable telepath." He glanced at the ceiling. "Amir’s ability is difficult to explain. He has the ability to cloak himself, removing the memory of his presence from conversations he has with others. It will be as if he never spoke to us.”
"So he's like Kian?" I stopped pacing to study his handsome face. It hardened as I mentioned my father's name. "If Sofia is so good at assessing talents, isn’t she able to figure out what his talent is?”
"First things first. Amir is not like your father, vackra. Kian can deflect the abilities of others vampires. With the exception of Nikolaus, I have never known of another creature, vampire or otherwise to bypass Kian’s talent. What Amir can do is nothing short of remarkable. He can make you forget he was in a room if he chooses. It is almost as if he can make himself invisible. He is there but not. Sofia accepts and acknowledges he has a talent. She is unable to figure out what exactly he can do." Stefan’s eyes turned cloudy and his voice sounded strained. "Solveig was like Sofia in assessing talents. Solveig was dangerously talented. She could sense gifts in a human. She only chose to turn the most special of humans until her final years. Then she grew reckless as her insanity increased. She no longer cared about choosing only the talented. She only cared about blood and had grandiose ideas of vampires controlling the earth."
"She changed you when you were dying,” I argued. The mere thought of Solveig made jealousy course through my veins. Whenever I heard her name, it was a constant reminder that not only was Solveig his maker, she'd been his lover. Common sense told me that Stefan had slept with hundreds of women in his long life. We’d never discussed it, with the lone exception of Solveig. Though she had been dead hundreds of years, she still remained a proverbial thorn in my side.
"Dying or not, she knew of my ability. It was one life she took out of mercy, not of greed." His hands slipped from his pockets and his arms crossed under the expanse of his broad chest. “Knowing Solveig, she had followed me for days, waiting for the right moment to strike. She had not expected me to be fatally wounded in the final day of my human life. It forced her hand, I suppose.”
Mirroring his pose, I crossed my arms defensively. “You make excuses for her, Stefan. Why?”
“She was my maker, Josephine. If not for her intervention, we would have never met. You told me I was saved for you,” Stefan countered. “That was your statement, not mine. I may not have always agreed with her actions but she was kind to me. We were together for many years before her death. I will always feel a loyalty to her.”
Staring at the floor, I made the decision to change the subject back to safer ground. Looking up at him, I peered into his eyes. "Have you long has Amir known about our situation here? He wants control and I won't risk losing you so he can have it, Stefan."
A gentle smile broke over his chiseled face and the softness returned to his gaze. “Amir and I talk infrequently. There are rumblings amongst our kind. You would be shocked if you knew the way news travels amongst vampires. Amir has always wanted power. He has been waiting for an opportunity like this and will not let it pass. I promise you that I will not do anything to put myself at risk for Amir."
"Amir is here only to visit and be appointed to the Council? There’s nothing else I need to know?" I questioned sharply. Delving into his mind, I probed his thoughts for anything that would contradict his story. His thoughts mirrored our conversation and I knew that even if Amir had erased his part in Stefan's mind, our strange link kept us honest. It was impossible to lie to one another.
"Are you satisfied? My word was not good enough so you chose to rummage through my mind for reassurances?" Stefan questioned irritably. His face was impassive, his mouth barely moving as he spoke. “You can sense my honesty, yet you chose to second guess what I already explained?”
Exhaling a deep sigh, I lowered my head in shame. He was right. I’d let my insecurities take over instead of trusting him and the telltale bond that hummed in my mind, reminding me of his sincerity.
