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A roaring laugh shook his chest as he rolled us to our sides. "No, not precisely," he said slowly. "Consider it a test to see the conditions it can withstand."
I raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch. "And?"
"You and your shield passed inspection.”
***
Standing in the open French doors leading out to the patio was my beautiful husband, completely nude. The setting sun made his satin skin glow, his tall frame casting a shadow on the floor around him. His muscled back sloped at an angle as he leaned casually against the door, his blond hair gleaming up in the red glow of the setting sun.
The words still sounded strange, even in my mind. My husband.
He turned slightly to face me, a smile on his lips. He extended a hand to me, jutting his chin in my direction. "I have been waiting to hear those words a thousand years, my beautiful wife. Mrs. Lifsten, come join me."
In a blur, I was across the room and wrapped in the comforting embrace of his arms. The moment our skin touched, I felt our connection pulse between us. It had been that way since I’d turned.
"How did you know I don't want to keep the last name of Anderson? Maybe I'll be one of those feminist types hell bent on keeping my last name," I teased, poking him in the ribs with my elbow.
"You forget I can read your mind." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and resumed staring into the distance. "It is beautiful here. Quiet."
"That's why Garrett chose to live here. It was calming for me. When I was young, my ability was out of control. And now...it's gone. I enjoy the silence, but I didn't realize how much I relied on seeing things, predicting behavior. I'm learning to live again."
A single finger brushed my hair away from my face. His blue eyes bored into mine as if he was trying to stare straight through me. "I have a theory about your abilities."
Turning my head to the side, I gave him a sideways glance. Of course Stefan would have a theory. His mind was constantly working through theories, situations...if I let myself sink into his mind, it was like sinking into a swirling pit of snakes. His thoughts were dark and reminded me of things that slithered in the night.
"Snakes? Interesting." He waggled his eyebrow and gestured for me to follow him onto the patio. He pulled me into a chaise lounge chair and wrapped us in a blanket.
Twisting to face him, I relaxed into his lap. "Your mind is scary. Even my vampire mind can't keep up. Tell me your theory."
He exhaled and his fingers curled over my hipbones. "Your abilities changed when we met. Your transformation began in Bali. You could not see Anna or Georgia. The more blood we exchanged, the more your abilities adjusted to your vampiric nature. You do not need the psychic ability nor do you need to feel emotions. You have your shield to protect you."
My eyes slipped shut as his hands drifted lower to grip my denim covered thighs. "I'm not just a vampire. Armes told me I'm some sort of daemon. To unlock that side I need to find the book. Nikolaus is the same..."
Stefan cut in. "He is still human and vampire."
"Unless Anna changes him. Then he'll be like me. Or some version of me. The journals..." I blew out a frustrated breath and shook my head.
The shrill ring of Stefan’s phone interrupted us. We knew it was important if someone called us on the disposable phones.
“I need to take this,” Stefan murmured apologetically. I untangled myself from his lap and watched him grab his phone. When he answered, I could hear the loud chatter of Anna’s voice over the phone. She sounded upset, and I wanted no part in that. Period.
I got up from the couch and stopped by my bedroom long enough to retrieve a small battered case and headed towards my uncle's study. I hovered in the doorway for a split second before I took a deep, calming breath and entered the room. I'd avoided this room on purpose because of the feelings I knew this room would unleash. Even now, it felt as if I was intruding on hallowed ground. If I closed my eyes, I could still smell the smell of old books and his citrus cologne. I was expecting to see him at his desk, his shoulders hunched over, lost in a book. Instead, the room was empty, the polished mahogany floors gleaming in the sunlight.
Walking from window to window, my fingers drifted over the wooden frames, dragging through the curtains. I kept waiting to hear the rustle of papers, the squeak of Garrett's desk chair...but the only sound was the echo of Stefan's voice and the chatter of birds outside.
"Garrett, I'm so sorry. If I'd known...I'd never left you and Meredith. You died because of me...for nothing except greed," I whispered into the emptiness of the room. I headed towards the mantle over the fireplace, leaving the leather glasses case on the lacquered wood. My hands gripped the mantle tightly. "These belong here. And I'll make him pay for the things he did to you and to Armes."
Anger churned beneath my skin and my hand clenched the wood. "I don't believe in a heaven or hell. But if there is a heaven, you'd be there. You sacrificed everything for me. I'm supposed to find your journal. I've turned this house upside down. I could use a little of your guidance."
Garrett always had advice for me. But I'd been too young and too spoiled to listen, thinking I knew it all and had all the answers. I'd do anything to hear one of his stories, listen to his sage words of advice right about now. If he was here, he'd pull a random quote from one of his beloved books that would perfectly fit the situation.
I was losing it, talking to the ghosts of my past; hoping they'd solve my problems. Smacking my hand against the mantle, I listened to the wood shift and felt it move under my fingers. Pushing against it, the top of the mantle opened, similar to the lid of a jewelry box. As I propped it open, I noticed another wooden box inside. Similar in size to a humidor, it had a tarnished brass lock on the front. It stared back at me and with shaking fingers, I sank to the floor. I dug the key from my pocket and sat cross-legged on the floor, simply taking turns staring at the key in my fingers and the wooden case.
"Josephine?" Stefan's voice jolted me from my stupor. My eyes met his, but I didn't answer him.
"What did you find?" Stefan questioned softly. He sat beside of me, his long legs folded awkwardly underneath him.
"I...I don't know." My teeth chattered together. "I'm afraid to look."
