Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4)

by Alexandra Anthony

  He followed me along as I searched room to room, peeking my head in the room next door he’d claimed as office space. It had the same dark, heavy furniture on one side of the room and the other was a more modern, airy desk space. “I thought it would be nice for you to have your space in the office as well. I can change it if you do not like it.”

  I looked up into his handsome face and couldn’t stop the cheek-splitting grin on my face. “I love it. Thank you.”

  Turning to face him, I cupped his face in my hands. My thumbs traced along his high cheekbones and down the curve of his jaw. His kissable lips were soft and moist, his sparkling eyes filled with happiness.

  “I have made you happy. Your joy and your happiness is all that matters to me.” Stefan gripped me by my shoulders and lowered his head to capture my lips with his. Stefan’s blue eyes flashed with a burning intensity as they swept over my face. His poor mind was a frenzy of long forgotten memories, his emotions so out of control he was shuddering as he held me. “I remember…I remember everything. I can recall the feel of my heart as it raced when I made love to you the first time. For nearly 700 years, I was robbed of my memories, a single recollection of what we shared. And I spent 200 years searching for you, incomplete until I found you.”

  “Stefan, I didn’t remember either.” My voice came out in rush. “I didn’t remember until my mother came to me…”

  “I wanted nothing more than to die on that pyre. I knew that if I were to perish, we would somehow be together. Solveig found me and deprived me of those years with you.” His fangs had dropped in his anger, digging into his lower lip. His exquisite control was slipping in his growing fury. His voice grew softer, became unsure as he spoke again. “You know everything?”

  “Not everything. I remember our past together,” I murmured. I pulled my arms from his firm grasp and stretched up to clasp his face in my hands. “You’ll just need to fill in the blanks for me.”

  “You want to know it all?” Stefan questioned cautiously. Every muscle in his body had tightened, his body coiled tightly…like a snake ready to strike.

  My eyebrow rose slightly and I nodded, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Yes. I want to know it all. But not tonight. You’ve been through enough the last two days. We have an eternity, right?”

  Some of the tension left his body and he grinned, his white teeth gleaming. “That we do. An eternity to remember.”

  Standing on tiptoe, I pressed my lips against his impossibly perfect mouth. "You remember me, Steafedn. That is enough for me now."

  I felt his soft, firm lips turn up into a smile against mine. "Yes, Iosiphina. I remember you."

  His hands twisted into my hair as his mouth devoured mine possessively. His tongue playfully tangled with mine as our kiss deepened. And once again, I gave into the passion of our kiss.

  And as I lost myself in him, the air shimmered around us. It was no longer the same man holding me in his arms. He had the same angelic face, but his heavy heartbeat thudded against my breasts. His hair was much longer, sweeping past his shoulders. My fingers tangled in the golden strands as my arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, pulling him closer. But his kiss...his kiss was still the same.

  He lowered me to the ground softly, his firm grasp never faltering. When his lips pulled away, my eyes met the familiar sparkle of his sea blue eyes. His face was soft, his face sun kissed from his time in the sun.

  "Iosiphina," he murmured, his fingers trailing over the bodice of my dress.

  My hungry lips covered his before he could utter another word. We fell back to the grass with his heavy body covering me. His human hands gripped my hips possessively and I responded to his fervent touch.

  " Steafedn," I moaned softly, opening my eyes.

  The moment my eyes opened, I was ripped from the memory and the strong hands holding me now meant so much more. He'd survived centuries, perfectly preserved for me...

  Stefan said nothing. He could feel every emotion coursing through me as if it were his own.

  I buried my face in his chest, fisting my hands in his shirt. "We were there together in that memory just now, weren't we?"

  I felt him nod in assent. "Yes, vackra. Even then, it was only you."

  He was simply holding me when Anna appeared in the doorway. She cleared her throat nervously.

  “Anna. Come back later.” Stefan ordered sharply. His arms tightened around me, holding me closer to his strong, muscled body.

  “Uh, this can’t wait. I’m sorry, but you have to come. Now.” Anna didn’t wait for us to follow; she simply spun on her heel and scurried from the apartment.

  “This can’t be good,” I muttered. Stefan took my hand and we headed down the hall and out of the apartment. As we approached, I heard Nikolaus’ slow, sluggish heartbeat and two human heartbeats. One was as fast as the wings of a hummingbird, while the other was the normal, human sound of a heart beating.

  “How is your thirst?” Stefan asked quickly. He gripped my hand tightly as we approached the door.

  “F..Fine. I can put down my shield, just in case.” I assured him. Adrenaline spiked through by body. I had to remain in control.

  “Put down your shield. We go in…but do not leave my side. Do you understand?” Stefan questioned. His eyes searched mine, concern flashing across his face.

  I nodded and he dropped a kiss to the end of my nose. He pushed open the door to Lukas and Anna’s apartment, and I staggered back against Stefan when I saw Georgia sitting on the couch. Her dark hair looked longer, her blue eyes looked foggy, so unlike the crystal clear eyes I remembered.

  But that wasn’t what shocked me the most. It was the man standing behind her. My eyes took in the bright red hair and emerald eyes of my father. He had a protective hand on Georgia’s shoulder.

  “Josephine! How wonderful to see you! It appears congratulations are in order for you as well. Lukas mentioned that you and Stefan are married. And I see you have made the change.”

  My father’s false levity made my hand clench harder around Stefan’s, so tight I heard his light gasp and I felt his bones grind together from the force of my grasp.

  “Kian. What are you doing here?” I choked out, my eyes darting between Georgia and my father.

  “I wanted to see my children. I presumed that there was no time like the present for them to meet their new stepmother. We also have more exciting news…” Kian smiled widely, his white teeth gleaming. “You and Nikolaus are going to have a sibling soon. Georgia is with child.”

  The End

  Coming Soon from Alexandra Anthony:

  The Vampire Destiny Series: Stefan’s Companion to Books 1 & 2 - Late Summer of 2013

  Book 2 of The Dark Hart Chronicles - Winter 2013

  Book 5 of The Vampire Destiny Series – Release Date Unknown

  Translations

  Translations for Chapter One

  "Stefan, ze zal perfect zijn. Je maakt je teveel zorgen," his voice assured him, sighing loudly. Je moet niet om haar heen blijven hangen als een of ander lulletje rozenwater.” = "She's going to be perfect, Stefan. You worry too much, " his voice assured him, sighing loudly. "You need to stop hovering over her like a pussy whipped fool."

  “Ze is mijn levensgezel en mijn leven. Het is mijn taak om me zorgen te maken over haar veiligheid," Stefan argued, the words booming through the room. "Ik voel haar pijn alsof het de mijne is. Wij hebben nooit deze onverdraagelijke pijn gevoeld tijdens onze transformatie. Wat als er iets mis is? Ik weiger het om haar te verliezen.” = "She is my mate and she is my life. It is my job to worry about her safety," Stefan argued, the words booming through the room. "I can feel her pain as if it is my own. We never felt agony like this during our change. What is there is something wrong? I refuse to lose her."

  “Oh Stefan, verdomme. Luister dan naar haar hart. Ze is aan het veranderen en er is niets mis. "I heard Lukas' deep exaggerated exhale. “Het zijn dagen als deze dat ik me afvraag wie de meester is in deze relatie, en wie het kind." = "Oh for fuc
k's sake, Stefan. Just listen to her heart. She's changing and nothing is wrong." I heard Lukas' deep exaggerated exhale. "There are days like these I wonder who's the master and who is the child in our relationship."

  "Dat is genoeg Lukas." Stefan commanded icily. "Jij maakte je ook zorgen om Anna tijdens haar verandering. Waarom maak je je niet evenveel zorgen om Josephine?" = "Enough, Lukas." Stefan commanded icily. "You worried about Anna during her change. Why are you not giving Josephine the same concern?"

  “Jag förlorade utan dig här.” = “I am lost without you here.”

  "Odin, far-wanderer, ge mig vishet, Mod och seger. Vän Thor, ge mig din styrka. Och båda vara med mig." = “Odin, far-wanderer, grant me wisdom, courage, and victory. Friend Thor, grant me your strength. And both be with me.”

  Translations for Chapter Two

  Älskare = Lover

  Min gudinna = My goddess

  Det sätt du knulla mig är som inget annat. Min kärlek, mitt liv. Knolla mig! = The way you fuck me is like nothing else I know. My love, my life. Fuck me!

  Min gudinna. Min vän. Min älskare. = My goddess. My friend. My lover.

  En själ = One soul

  Ett hjärta = One heart

  Evinnerligen = Forever

  Translations for Chapter Four

  Vår familj = Our family

  Translations for Chapter Five

  Knulla! Du är för jävla perfekt. = Fuck! You are fucking perfect.

  Vilja muna orr elska. = You will remember our love

  Minn sal, minn if. Minn muna hjarta ykkarr. =

  Min mystiska gudinna. Du är verkligen fantastiskt ... du är mer = My mysterious goddess. You are truly amazing ... you are more

  Du spelar inte rättvist = You do not play fair

  Den andra halvan av sin själ = The other half of his soul

  Translations for Chapter Six

  Vänligen älska med mig = Please make love to me

  Translations for Chapter Seven

  Min krigare = My warrior

  Translations for Chapter Eight

  Nådig Gud Balder. Gracious Goddess Arianrhod. Jag ber att ni visar oss vägen. Visa honom vem vi var och vad vi hade. Välsigna våra ögon så att vi kan se. Må det ske att ingen skada sker. Så ska det bli." = Gracious God Balder. Gracious Goddess Arianrhod. I pray that you will show us the way. Show him who we were and what we had. Bless our eyes so we can see. May it happen that no harm is done. So mote it be.

  Du har kommit tillbaka till mig? Eller har min önskan går i uppfyllelse? Har du tagit mig till din värld? = You have come back to me? Or has my wish come true? Have you taken me to your realm?

  Sample from Tempted: -The Dark Hart Chronicles Book 1

  Nine Years Earlier…

  No matter how many times I do it, being jammed in an airplane was comparable to being stuffed in a sardine can. Albeit an expensive sardine can layered with the strong smells of perfume and cologne, sweat, and last but most important...the alluring aroma of sweet blood. It overpowered everything.

  Closing my eyes, I held my breath and struggled to keep my mind focused on anything except the dueling odors engulfing me. And if it wasn't the scent assaulting me, it was the sound of whispered conversations that were as clear as if they were next to me. Add in the sound of wet heartbeats, the steady rush of blood flowing through veins…it was difficult to contain over 140 years of pure instinct.

  "I’ve told you this before, Nick. It makes it easier if you would read something. You need to keep your mind focused on something other than the humans."

  Malcolm's voice broke into my musings. I opened my eyes and glanced down at his lap. I grabbed his ‘distraction’ from his hand and glanced at the cover. "Rolling Stone? This is keeping your mind focused? I suppose small minds are easily occupied."

  Snorting, he grabbed it back and opened the magazine back up. "Would you rather read American Way?"

  Enjoying the banter but keeping with the façade of hating it, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the leather seat. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a flaming asshole?"

  Malcolm chuckled under his breath and adjusted the dark lensed glasses he insisted on wearing, partly out of necessity. "You do every day without fail."

  Breathing in a shallow breath of recycled air, I fought the burning in my throat. I shifted in my seat, willing the plane to go faster.

  "This...this is a shame." Malcolm clicked his tongue against his teeth.

  "Being stuck on this overcrowded airplane with an asshole?" I shot back sarcastically. His tone had caught my attention. Very rarely did Malcolm express any sort of sympathy for humans.

  "Ha. You missed your calling as a fucking comedian." Malcolm flicked a finger over the slick magazine pages. "No. It's this girl."

  I let out a heavy exhale. "You have my attention and I’ll bite. What girl?"

  "Humor me. First look at this." Malcolm flipped back a few pages and turned the magazine towards me. The advertisement was provocative and had the intentional grainy look of being shot in someone’s basement. I’d seen many unmentionable things in my many years but this…this made me feel slimy for even looking at it. It featured a much too young girl naked from the waist up, her breasts barely covered with her arms. Clad only in skimpy panties, she was the focal point with a much older man posing as the photographer taking her photo. Who in their right mind would let someone so young be exploited like this?

  And yes, the girl was pretty. In any other setting, she would be stunningly beautiful with her long blond hair, wide innocent sapphire blue eyes and high cheekbones. But this…this was wrong. Dirty. She was much too young to be photographed like this. I may be immortal, but I still have standards. I pushed the magazine away in disgust.

  Malcolm nodded in agreement. "Now look at this." He flipped back to an article with the same girl. Her lovely face looked haunted in the photo, her image caught by a random paparazzi photographer in Los Angeles. "This girl is being made the poster child for every anti-child pornography group. It's sad, really. Humans. They never...learn do they?"

  "They never do. Fucking idiots." I eyed the photo a final time. Her long blond hair spilled over her narrow shoulders and her tiny frame looked as fragile as porcelain. And her face...there was something behind those baby blues that intrigued me. It had been years since anything or anyone caught my attention.

  The chime of the overhead seat belt sign pulled my eyes away from the magazine and I strapped it on for the sake of appearing human. It was tiring on my best days but today it was mind-numbingly monotonous.

  Malcolm closed up the magazine and rolled it up tightly. He tapped it against his knee nervously, a human trait he’d never been able to lose. "So what's the plan this time?"

  I grinned widely at my old friend. "We need to learn how to fit in with the masses. It's time to change how we operate. It’s time to hide in plain sight."

  He ran his fingers through his wavy hair. His eyes were filled with curiosity. "Do tell."

  "All in good time, Malcolm." I reassured him and stretched my legs out in front of me. "What was her name?"

  "Who? The girl from the…uh, ad?” He opened the magazine and paged through the article. “Savannah Wood. You're not going soft on me are you, Nick?"

  "You wish. I just hope her parents have a shrink on retainer. She's going to need it." The plane began its descent. Sucking back another deep breath, I welcomed the relentless burn. "Welcome to Los Angeles, my friend."

  Chapter 1-One Look Was All It Took

  Nine years later….

  Siobhan had dragged me to yet another Hollywood party. They were typically boring, filled with egotistical actors, spoiled actresses and the occasional arrogant music industry type that had been lucky enough to mingle with the so-called Hollywood elite. Personally, I think these events border on the ridiculous. But I might be a tad biased since I grew up attending these parties, plastering on fake smiles and going through the motions of acting as if it all mattered. Really, in the gran
d scheme of things it really didn’t.

  I'm not an actress or a singer. My name is Savannah Wood. I've lived a relatively privileged life as the daughter of a high-profile divorce attorney to the stars, Carlton Wood. Between my father and Siobhan, I know more dirt about celebrities than I really ever wanted to know. And trust me when I tell you this: the celebrities that are marketed to be ‘America's Sweetheart’ or The ‘Boy Next Door’ usually have more secrets to hide than the train-wrecks you see in the tabloids. And sadly those splashy rags in the checkout lanes at grocery stores are usually right on.

  If I chose to, I could likely spend my time star fucking my way through Hollywood, cashing in on the sizable allowance my father sent me each month. That wasn't who I was. I didn't want to be famous for being a STD-riddled, D-list slut famous for nothing except how many celebrities I could bed. I suppose I was the exception, not the rule.

  It was bad enough that my mother had forced me into a brief modeling stint after my father divorced her when I was 16. She thought it would be fun to live vicariously through me. I'm probably best known for a series of controversial underwear ads for a famous designer known for his blue jeans. They were only scandalous because I was 16 at the time and photographed in semi-compromising positions with a much older male model.

  Draining the last of my lukewarm champagne, I placed it on a passing server's tray, smoothly grabbing another. With a bored sigh I glanced around the room, barely paying attention to the conversations going on around me.

  "You could at least pretend to look like you're having fun," Siobhan muttered under her breath. She popped some sort of puff pastry in her mouth and nudged my arm with her elbow.

  "Why would I want to do that? Bored is the new black," I grumbled back grouchily. "You know I hate this ass kissing crap."

  Siobhan Winters had been my best friend since we were both in diapers. Our fathers were college frat buddies, both ending up in the entertainment industry. It was ironic that Siobhan and I had followed in their footsteps in the business. She ran a successful gossip blog, Private Eye. I'd chosen to be a Personal Assistant, working my way to becoming an agent.