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"It'll be ok, Stefan. I promise you," I murmured. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it to reassure myself or to comfort Stefan. I placed a kiss against his soft lips and was standing up to leave when his large hand wrapped around my forearm, pulling me back to the bed.
"Iosiphina?" Stefan’s question came out as a mumble and his weary blue eyes struggled to focus. "Du har kommit tillbaka till mig? Eller har min önskan går i uppfyllelse? Har du tagit mig till din värld?"
My mind struggled to translate his words. My Swedish was still shaky, even with the luxury of tapping into his mind to do quick translations. Long sentences were still difficult for me.
"Stefan? It's Josephine. Can you talk to me in English?" I smiled gently, continuing to smooth his hair with my fingers. “Do you know what and where you are?”
"I am confused, but I know what and who I am. I am a vampire. You were Iosiphina. Now you are Josephine." He gradually pushed himself up on one elbow. "A different time and a different life."
"Yes." I whispered breathlessly. He was remembering! My stomach leaped with excitement. My hands stroked his face, running the backs of my fingers over his cheek. He reached up and grabbed my hand, pulling it away to study my fingers intently.
“You touched me many times like this. When I was a human. Where did you go?”
My eyes welled up with tears. “I had to go away when you…changed. I’m back…we’re together again. Nothing can take me away from you.”
“You are like me now…a vampire.” Stefan’s voice sounded weak and hoarse. He looked tired, his handsome face drawn. Dark shadows smudged the skin under his eyes. He was still staring at my hand and I took it between both of mine, squeezing it tightly. “It took centuries to find you.”
“I never make anything easy, remember?” I joked lightly. My expression turned much more stern. “You need to rest. Fletcher is downstairs waiting to talk me. He helped me tonight.”
His brow furrowed. His blue eyes searched mine as he struggled to remember the night’s events.
“We glowed again. Only this time, you lost consciousness. Fletcher stumbled upon us and he assisted me in getting you back here safely.” I supplied. I saw recognition flicker on his face as my words jogged his memory.
He attempted to rise up again, his massive body collapsing against the bed. “I should go with you. Make sure you are safe.”
“Stefan! You barely have the strength to move. I think I can hold my own against a hybrid. I am stronger than him.” One of my eyebrows arched smugly. I didn’t need Stefan to fight my battles. I was fully capable of handling myself against a half human.
He relaxed into the pillow, his blond hair rumpled and messy. “Do nothing foolish. Promise me.”
“I promise.” Dropping a parting kiss on his lips, I stood and grabbed Fletcher’s jacket.
Hurrying down the steps, I found my brother by the French doors. He was a handsome man. He had rugged, angular features with a stubbly goatee and dark brown hair framed his tanned face. However, his deep emerald eyes were his most striking feature. They were clear and bright. They were the kind of eyes that could see right through you. I found that it was difficult not to stare at them. Of course, it was even harder to believe I had a brother that had not only survived Kian's torturous experiments, but also managed to escape. Thinking of those journals Kian kept made me nauseous. I shook my head and rubbed my forehead as if that action alone would clear my thoughts.
I tossed Fletcher his jacket and he caught it swiftly with little effort. He gestured up the stairs with his thumb. "Is he gonna be ok?"
I glanced up at Fletcher. His words were barely a grunt. His eyes shot around the inside of the house nervously, as if he was frightened something was going to jump out and grab him. Imagining what he’d been through, I couldn’t blame him.
Sighing deeply, I pulled my t-shirt tighter around me. "Yes...I hope. He's...confused and exhausted."
He scratched his chin and his clear green eyes narrowed to slits. "You hope? You better do more than hope. The man couldn't fucking walk. What did you do to him anyway?"
Looking away from his penetrating stare, if I was capable of blushing, my face would have been on fire. The last thing I wanted to do was confide about my sex life with my half-brother I barely knew.
"Fletcher, I don't think I'm ready to confide those kind of things to you." I shot back. "We'll save that for once we know each other better." Like never, I silently added.
"Like never, huh?" Fletcher smirked. He leaned against the doorframe and picked at his bitten down fingernails. "Can you read my mind too?"
Staring down at the floor, I smiled apologetically. "I haven't tried."
He stepped closer and squatted down in front of me. Those emerald eyes of his were impenetrable. "What're you waiting on? Anyone else would have tried already."
I huffed and closed my eyes, concentrating on Fletcher. My mind was instantly bombarded with a flurry of images I never wanted to see. Pools of blood as dark as motor oil, rusty chains, dank cells. Agonized faces and piles of discarded bodies...and finally, Kian's gleeful, maniacal face loomed. It was the stuff nightmares were made of.
The harder I struggled to pull myself out if his memories, the deeper I was sucked in. I was helpless to watch the horror and cruelty unfold, like a twisted string of paper clips unfolding unmercifully before my eyes.
And just as suddenly as the memories began, his mind closed off to me. Shaken and panting, I could only stare wide-eyed and slack jawed at my brother.
"I see you can. This is what I didn’t want. I don’t want to be looked at and pitied," he muttered, brushing his shaggy hair from his face. "I stayed hidden for more reasons than just our father, even though he killed my sister, brother and mother in front of me. I knew that once my past was revealed what the reaction would be. Even when Liev looks at me…I’m not sure if he pities me. Or maybe it’s contempt? Remorse? Love?” Fletcher paused reflectively. “My mother was simply a vessel, a means to an end. My siblings had no talent. I was valued and kept alive because I did. In fact, it’s similar to what you can do on a smaller scale. My shield shoots out in short bursts. It was a…"
