Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4) by Alexandra Anthony Read Free Book Online

personal gain.  She could move undetected with Amir at her side; no one knew of her true plans.  It was not until Amir learned to control his gift that her deeds were discovered.  She was shown no mercy in the end and Amir…Amir watched her die with a smile of satisfaction on his lips.  Solveig was many things and made many horrible choices.  Yet her own child watched with glee as she met her final death.”
    His blue eyes traveled over my face as he spoke.  His pain was like a dagger in my chest and I selected my words cautiously.  “Amir only saw that her death meant his freedom.  You were free too.  She used you as well, Stefan.”
    Stefan nodded.  “Yes, we were both released.  For the first time in his life, he was free.  Yet he hated his immortal cravings and loathed his desires.  He had wanted nothing more than to be a man of his God.”  He chuckled wryly.  “He was a man of God that preyed upon the people he had once wanted to save.  He found himself to be the worst kind of hypocrite.”
    I thought back to the amber-eyed man that I barely knew.  “It must have been torture for him.  He either killed or injured those that he’d wanted to save.  He must have thought himself to be evil.  And what about you, Stefan?  How did you feel?”
    Those baby blues never left mine.  Ancient and steely, they seemed to burrow into my very soul.  “I felt nothing.  Not happiness or sadness...not even relief.  I carried on as I had for centuries and he watched me flourish, vackra.  I cared little then.  I had lost everything: my family, my life, my heritage… I accepted this immortal life over death.  I had no choice.  Yet Amir clung to his humanity, fighting his true nature.  It is a futile struggle.  We are all vampires.  We feed off of another to survive.  Animals are killed to provide food for humans, plants are grown and then harvested for ones survival.  What we are is not much different than humans.  We simply watch the world change and adapt to loss.”
    There was a bitterness to Stefan’s tone when he spoke.  My eyes swept over his face, taking in the tense set of his mouth and clenched jaw as I considered his statement.  I’d never thought of comparing human life to that of a vampire.  And now I knew better as to his struggle with loss.  “You lost me when you died.”
    His blond eyebrow rose.  “There is that.  It saddens me that I do not fully remember.  I only have flashes of memories…it has been too many years.”
    “I saw us together in a memory with my mother.  You begged me to take you before I appeared.  It was while you were missing...after the explosion.”  I whispered.  I leaned closer until our lips barely touched.  “I lost you too.  A thousand years is a long time, Stefan.  I want to remember.  I want to remember it all.”
    “You will.”  His impatient hand wove into my hair and pulled my mouth to his.  Our lips met and time stood still.  It was as effortless as when I was still human.  My fingers tugged at his hair, our hips grinding against each other eagerly. My lips parted against the demanding crush of his mouth, his kiss raw and seductive. Our tongues slipped languidly together as we fell into one another, losing ourselves into our kiss.  I savored the taste of him and the feel of his body against my own.  The familiar touch of his flesh against my own ignited the sweet pull of desire, leaving me restless and impatient for more.
    Stefan raised his mouth from mine, his lips moist and kiss swollen.  He pulled back and rested his head on his hand, hovering over me.  His fingertips traced along the side of my cheek and down the curve of my jaw as he studied my face carefully.  When his blue eyes finally met my gaze, his hand cupped my chin.  His gentle touch made my breath catch and my bottom lip caught between my teeth.  His thumb tugged at my lower lip, pulling it loose.  “I fear things, Josephine.  I do not know how it is