Illusion

by Alexandra Anthony

  Anna sighed and her lips pressed into a disapproving frown. “That sounds like some cryptic bullshit line. This is me that you’re talking to, not Georgia. Are you coming back or not?”

  “No. Probably not,” I said in a rush of breath. I flipped my hair over my shoulder, mentally holding my breath as I watch Anna mull things over.

  Anna said nothing, tapping her fingers against the bench and not really looking at anything. She appeared to be lost in her own internal musings. The longer she was silent, the more I diligently sorted through her future. She was constantly changing her mind from one train of thought to another. It was enough to give me a headache.

  “If you are going to do this, there’s no more running away from him. Stefan doesn’t deserve that kind of bullshit again.” Anna finally spoke, turning her head to look at me. “What happened that made you take off that night, by the way?”

  “Let’s just say I uncovered interesting information about my birth family while we were in New York. I met my father, who I’d rather not discuss. The entire experience was overwhelming. When I took off that night, I didn’t think about it, I just reacted.” The side of my mouth turned up in the tiniest of smiles. “With one exception, I wish it was all still a mystery. Some things are better left unknown.”

  “What was the exception?”

  My smile increased as I thought of Nikolaus. “I have a brother. He lives in the city, so I’ll be closer to him too.”

  Anna sat back against the bench, her shoulders slouching under the weight of the information she’d just gathered from me.

  “No shit? A brother?”

  Snickering, I leaned back with her. “No shit. His name is Nikolaus.”

  “You have a brother,” Anna said. “That has to be bizarre to find out after of these years. What’s he like?”

  I pictured him in my head during our brief meeting, from his light brown hair with bits of red, his lean, muscular physique and motorcycle jacket and jeans. “Very handsome. He has a lot of tattoos. He’s a smooth talker, but I like him.”

  “Can he do what you can?” Anna asked, tapping her temple with her fingertip.

  Nodding slowly, I took another bite and chewed slowly. Anna’s eyes unfocused for a moment as if she was deep in thought.

  “It’s a family trait then,” Anna deduced. “That’s gotta make you rethink having kids, huh?”

  There was no way to tell Anna that there would never be children in my future. I was an immortal creature, an unchanging anomaly. I’d also chosen a vampire as a mate…both of those things meant no babies for me.

  “I don’t think it’s in the cards for us anyway. I never had plans to be a mom so it’s no loss.” I swatted her leg and tried to lighten the mood. “You’re off the hook for babysitting duties.”

  “Good try with the humor thing. No dice,” Anna rolled her eyes and then focused on my necklace again. “That’s new. Is it from Stefan?”

  Reaching up, I ran my fingers over the pendant, feeling the crude carvings under my fingertips. “Yes. It’s a family heirloom.”

  Anna scooted closer and leaned over to inspect the pendant, fixated on the carvings. She looked up at me through her eyelashes. “Exactly how old of an heirloom is this? I may not be a jeweler, but I know that is no reproduction.”

  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 arms 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?”

  “I just thought… Never mind.”

  “You just thought what, Georgia? You’d cut yourself and they’d be swayed to change you? They could have drained you dry,” I snapped. Peering up at Lukas, he simply shook his head, exasperated with the whole situation.

  “I saw Stefan with you. He didn’t drain you,” Georgia responded haughtily. My hold on her arm increased and she flinched slightly, gasping at my strength. I loosened my fingers but didn’t let her go. Closing my eyes, I dropped my shields to look into her future. It was fuzzy and hazy, filled with black swirls and blanks. When I saw her muddled plans, my heart sank. My jaw was set firmly when I reopened my eyes to look at her. I was so angry I wanted to shake her to get my point across, but I’d be wasting time and energy. Something had happened that had altered her in some inexplicable way.

  “Georgia, he loves me and he’s not going to drain me. Stefan could give two shits about you,” I pointed out. Instantly regretting the harshness of my words, I tried again with a gentler response. “What I meant to say is that Stefan doesn’t love you and neither does Lukas. We’re a food source to a vampire. You can’t go tempting fate.”

  I didn’t have to look at Stefan. The heaviness of his eyes on me said it all. I didn’t wait for him to tell me what I already knew: Georgia was never going to stop either trying to convince them to change her and she would resort to drastic measures if necessary. What had happened to my strong friend that had a sassy response for everything? She’d resorted to bloodletting to try to get vampires to change her. This was a different Georgia than I knew before.

  “You’re going to have to wipe her memory. That’s the only way now.”

  “I know. Once again, I am sorry.” Stefan’s voice was apologetic in my mind.

  Exhaling a deep breath of frustration, I met his gaze. “Are you serious? You’re sorry? This is her fault, Stefan. Her mess for you to fix and you’re sorry? Incredible.”

  Standing tall, Stefan glided across the room to squat in front of Georgia. I felt her pulse rate increase under my fingertips and her breathing sounded ragged. She tugged against me and I instinctively placed one of my hands up, pushing my shield around her, effectively ceasing her struggle. Her squirming stopped and fury burned in her dark blue eyes as she looked from Stefan to me.

  “What the hell are you gonna do to me?”

  “Release your hold on her, vackra.” Stefan mentally commanded me.

  Putting down my hand, I let my shield retreat back inside of me. Georgia instantly began to fidget.

  “Georgia, I am going to do what I should have done last night. I am going to erase your memories of what we are,” Stefan said calmly. He leaned closer and cupped Georgia’s chin in his hand, turning her eyes away from me. He smiled serenely and his eyes bored into hers. I knew the exact moment that she had fallen under his spell. Her blue eyes glazed over and her lips parted slightly. It was strangely erotic to watch him push his influence on her, to see her completely under his control.

  “You will forget what we are, Georgia. We are humans, just as you are. We are moving to New York for business,” he murmured to her softly. “Georgia, what are we?”

  “Humans. Just like me.” She sounded robotic with no inflection in her voice.

  “What did you see last night?” Stefan asked in the same soft tenor.

  She paused, her eyes staring blankly into his piercing blue ones. “I don’t know.”

  “You watched a movie and then you went to bed.”

  “I watched a movie and went to bed,” she repeated woodenly.

  “Why are we moving back to the US, Georgia?”

  “For business.”

  Stefan’s gaze never left Georgia’s as he reached for her arm, gently pulling the towel away, revealing the small gash on the inside of her arm. He bent and licked her skin, his nose wrinkling in distaste at her blood. The wound stopped bleeding and he placed her arm back at her side.

  “You received that injury while doing housework. You will not remember harming yourself.” Stefan smile faded and he sat back on his heels. He was releasing her from his will and I could see the life come back into her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked at the three of us in confusion.

  “What am I doing here?” Georgia asked. “I don’t remember coming over here.”

  “We were planning a going away get together, Georgia. Don’t you remember?” Lukas reminded her, lightly poking her side with his finger.

  I had to give Lukas credit. For being as irritated as he was with her, he was pulling this off superbly. There were award winning actors that couldn’t have done a better job.

  “A party!” Georgia bounced excitedly. “I’ll call Anna and we’ll plan everything!”

  She jumped to her feet, hurrying to the door. She gripped the doorknob and looked confused.. “Wait a second. You’re going to Stefan’s house now, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, we’re getting ready to leave now,” I said cautiously. I was waiting for Georgia to remember something, anything that would trigger an outburst from her.

  “Then I’ll call your cell phone when I have details,” she decided. “See ya later!”

  The door slammed behind her, leaving me to gawk at the door, still waiting for the bottom to fall out.

  “Well, that worked better than I thought. I figured she’d find a way to trump you wiping her memory,” Lukas mused, standing up and brushing his hands together, as if wiping the events from the day away. “Let’s get out of here before she comes back.”

  For once, neither Stefan and I could argue with him. Grabbing the bloody towel, I threw it in the trash can and followed Stefan to the front door. I let my eyes sweep over my villa for a final time.

  “Are you ready?” Stefan asked, moving to stand at my side as I glanced over the house I’d called home for over a year.

  The situation with Georgia had driven home the fact it was time for us to move on. Stefan’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and as I glanced up at him, I knew I had no regrets and nothing to lose.

  Nudging him with my shoulder, I pressed closer against his him. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 9 – Method Acting

  The house was strangely quiet. It was rare for things to be so subdued, I’d become accustomed to the flurry of activity and conversation that always seemed to surround me and the difference was glaring. The silence left me plenty of time to think, and I had enough on my mind to sort through.

  After folding yet another blouse and tucking it away in the suitcase, my thoughts focused on Georgia and the incident at my villa. I was extremely concerned about her state of mind and confused at her strange behavior. I still couldn’t figure out what had possessed her t
o seek out Stefan and Lukas alone. Had she always been off kilter and I hadn’t seen it? Was it the knowledge of mythical creatures existing that had pushed her over the edge? Every time I tried to focus on her future, it was it was scrambled with gaping holes in it. It was comparable to staring through Swiss cheese.

  And then there was Stefan… he had been exceptionally careful with his thoughts, almost as if he was afraid for me to know how he was truly feeling. I glanced up to see Stefan staring out the windows, and I studied his profile from across the room. His chiseled face was contemplative, stress deepening the feathery lines around his eyes. He had his hands shoved in the front pockets of his dark wash blue jeans, the muscles in his arms tight.

  “You’re awfully quiet over there. What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked, reaching for the next item to pack away. “You’ve closed your mind to me or I wouldn’t have to ask.”

  He turned to face me and his eyebrows furrowed over his blue eyes. “Do you need to ask?” Stefan snorted. “I had no choice but to erase a huge portion of your friend’s memory and we are heading back to New York tomorrow. I am worried about Georgia’s state of mind and your safety once we return to the US.”

  Exhaling a deep breath, I nodded in agreement. If I were to be completely honest, I was worried about not only my safety, but his as well. My father was a big unknown to us since he had the capability to deflect Stefan’s psychic ability. Stefan was a meticulous schemer, careful and precise. He didn’t like to be caught off guard by a rogue vampire that was older and considerably more powerful.

  “Georgia seemed fine when she left. We’ll be able to watch her tonight. As for Kian… maybe my shield will work on him. Nikolaus can work around his power, maybe I can too.” I resumed folding clothes and sighed. “I can’t let him control my life, Stefan. I refuse to do it.”

  “That we are in agreement with, vackra. I refuse to let him control you and what we have. I am also unwilling to let you be a guinea pig and test your shield. We cannot assume your mind works the same simply because he can thwart Kian’s ability.” His voice had a sharp, cutting edge to it, like the blade of a newly sharpened knife. Glancing up at his expression, his beautiful face momentarily had an inhuman quality to it, cold and unfeeling. By the time I blinked again, it had rapidly been replaced to reflect the Stefan I loved, his handsome face was unworried and lips quirked slightly at the corners. His other expression had been so fleeting that I almost thought I imagined it. Almost.