Authors: Maya DeLeina
It was a little before 6:00 a.m. when Steffan spotted a perfect area to watch the sunrise. They dismounted the bike and absorbed the splendors of the alpine wonderland.
Anya’s breathing was labored in the altitude.
“Are you feeling okay?” Steffan asked with concern.
“I was afraid of this. I thought living in Ambrose Heights, I would be more acclimated.”
“Altitude sickness?”
Anya nodded as she braced her hands on her knees and bent over slightly. “It will take me a few minutes to adjust.”
Anya tingled with ice-cold perspiration. Her flesh was tender. Her knees felt weak. The pins-and-needles sensation ran up and down her arms and legs.
Reaching into the saddlebag, Steffan unscrewed the lid from a silver thermos.
“Here, drink this slowly.”
Anya reached out for the thermos and sipped the liquid.
“Your wine!” she exclaimed as the exquisite taste rang familiar on her lips. “I thought alcohol wasn’t good for altitude sickness?”
“It’s my blood that you need. It’ll help you adapt.”
Anya took another sip. “I’m feeling better—not so queasy anymore.” Anya shook her free arm and lifted her legs, alternating on each side. “And my legs and arms don’t feel like dead weights either.”
Steffan carried the blankets as they made their way to a special outcropping of rocks that he could clearly distinguish in the darkness. Steffan held on to Anya, guiding her down the unlit path, sheer drop-offs within inches of her footsteps.
Anya clung to the thermos that held her special elixir. “Why would vampire blood help me adapt to the altitude?”
“My blood helped you because the drop in oxygen is actually at the perfect percentage for vampire blood cells. Even suspended in the wine, my blood shifted as we climbed in altitude, providing you with the same healing mechanisms as if it were running through your veins.”
Steffan laid out the small blanket on the flat rock and sat down. Anya took her usual place in between Steffan’s legs as he cocooned them in the large blanket.
“Since our bodies can no longer digest food, we don’t release toxins in the blood that come from food consumption. Oxygen isn’t needed for detoxification. And since we cannot get sick, we don’t need oxygen to support our immune system. The right percentage of oxygen intake strengthens our concentration and alertness and rejuvenates our inherited abilities. Too much oxygen does exactly the opposite. Our bloodstream and tissues simply cannot process the overload of oxygen energy. This is why we always choose to live in or near mountains as permanent residences.”
Anya was in lost in amazement. Her thoughts swirled with all of the possibilities her new life as a vampire was going to soon afford her. She was so engulfed in thought that she didn’t realize the show was about to start.
“It’s starting, Anya!” Steffan said in excitement as he pulled Anya closer into his body.
Above, the darkened sky slowly settled into a light shade of gray. In front of them, the horizon was on fire. Bursts of orange and gold shot through the depths and vibrated against the elongated clouds that hovered above. The horizon was immense and infinite. Anya turned to look up at Steffan. He sat quiet and wide eyed, the glow illuminating the silver in his eyes.
The fire in the sky grew deeper. The faint outline of a shimmering disc permeated the murkiness. Like a piece of coal on fire, it sat teetering on the edge of darkness, slowly revealing its mystery. Time seemed to suspend. Everything was in harmony. All was at perfect peace.
It was the hush in the birth of a new day.
The ascent continued, sending the heavens ablaze in red, gold, and orange as the cotton-like clouds below swam in an ocean of blue and purple. As the rise reached its pinnacle, long orange rays stretched down to the earth and a spark of purple shot across the horizon.
Suddenly, the newness of light revealed itself, affording the day with endless possibilities.
“It’s been some time since I’ve seen the sun rise. But none of the recollections I’ve held on to could ever compare to this,” said Steffan.
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan watched as they slept.
He crouched in front of Anya’s lying form, his eyes devouring her. Anya was on her side, her arm extended beneath her, allowing it to suspend in the air off of the mattress. The thin white sheets clung to the curve of her hip. Her bare breasts were left exposed. Her delicious smile left Ryan’s thoughts to wander on the subject of her dream. He longed to touch her. He couldn’t take it anymore. He gently pressed his flesh against Anya’s fingertips. He slid his bare chest up and down, delighting in the feel of her caress. He carefully extended his reach toward Anya’s exposed nipple when Steffan suddenly stirred in the bed.
Ryan quickly retreated to the corner of the room.
Steffan’s eyes remained closed as he rolled over and molded his nude body next to Anya. He extended his arm, placing his hand on her hip and motioned her to come closer into him. He kissed her bare shoulder. Anya adjusted her body to shape against his. With her eyes shut, she moved Steffan’s hand from her hip to rest around her waist.
“I love you, Steffan,” Anya whispered in her dream state.
“Love you, Anya,” Steffan responded.
Ryan exited slowly from the bedroom. He was consumed with anger and rage. Steffan had interrupted his quiet exchange with Anya.
He
needs to be out of the picture,
thought Ryan as he made his way through the tunnel system leading him back to his house. His breathing was labored and rough. If only Steffan would release his hold on her, he was sure he could make Anya fall in love with him. After all, he was handsome, rich, and successful.
But so was Steffan. And on top of that, Steffan had one up on him. He was the leader of the family.
Ryan’s anger intensified.
What kind of spell did he cast on her
?
After all, the destiny of fated mates was all talk as far as he was concerned. He felt no bond with anyone in the family, no connection. He thought differently from everyone, he reacted differently than everyone. He was truly an outsider. They could tell him anything and he would be gullible enough to believe it.
But not this time.
He darted for his master bath and removed his pants with a sense of urgency. He reached into the shower stall and turned the setting on full blast. The rain shower suspended from the ceiling cast a simulation of a torrential downpour. Ryan slipped under the cascade of water, letting massaging droplets envelope him. He closed his eyes, and there she was. Anya was lying in front of him. The white silk sheets casually covered her bronzed body, offering him brief views of her exposed flesh. He reached for the sheet and slowly slipped it from her body. Every curve, every dip of her voluptuous body was deliciously revealed. His hand hovered over her, tracing her outline. He was shaking with anticipation for their flesh-on-flesh contact. He lowered his hand to her ankle, soaking in the feel of her warm, smooth skin. Methodically, he glided his hand upward to her thighs, over her hips and rounded her plump bottom.
Ryan moved one of his hands from the shower wall and reached down to grab a hold of his hardness. His exchange with Anya played out in his imagination in vivid detail. He stroked himself rhythmically as he parted his lips and released a deep breath. The force of the water plastered his hair along the outline of his face, creating rivers that streamed down the curve of his jaw and chin, dropping to the pool that collected at his feet. He stood with his legs spread out in the shower. He stroked himself faster. His palm flattened against the tile, his arm taking the brunt of his body weight, steadying himself as his legs shook uncontrollably. He cried out in a thunderous moan as he shot his release.
* * * *
It was 2:00 p.m. when Ryan made his first appearance at his company’s newly located office in Denver.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Evans, welcome,” greeted Rita, the receptionist who manned the front desk of RPE Investment Advisors. “It’s a pleasure having you back. I’ll let Mr. Adams know you’re here.” The receptionist flashed Ryan a wide smile as her eyes fluttered about.
“Ryan, good to have you back, buddy. We were all worried sick about you.” Dale put his arm around Ryan and patted his back.
“Thanks, Dale. It’s good to be back.”
“We’re sorry about Anise. She was a beauty, Ryan. She was so sophisticated, exquisite, a real gem. How you holding up?” Dale shot a look of concern as he spoke.
Ryan shook his head, not quite knowing how to respond.
Why can’t I remember her
?
From the look on Dale’s face, she’d obviously been an object of lust. He had probably once been envied by all men with Anise at his side. Now, their eyes would cast on him, full of pity and sympathy.
The rage inside him churned.
These last few months, Ryan had been reduced to a shell of vulnerability and weakness as a newborn vampire. He wanted to regain all that was taken when Steffan turned him. He wanted his status and power back.
But most of all, he wanted to feel envious eyes on him once again.
Anya and Anise, they were identical twins
.
Anya could be the key, a way to afford him the envy he longed for, and maybe with her by his side, he could regain all that he’d lost.
There was no mistake. Ryan was going to make Steffan suffer through the loss of Anya, just as he suffered the loss of Anise. After all, he hadn’t chosen this existence for his life, Steffan had made the choice for him.
It was all Steffan’s doing.
The men walked down the hall. Ryan effortlessly greeted each staff by name. After the mass enthrallment yesterday, Eilian had provided Ryan with pictures and names of his staff to study, and he delighted that his memory recall was playing out so seamlessly. “How is everything going here? Bring me up to speed. Where’s my office?” Ryan asked impatiently.
“It’s right this way.” Dale motioned as they walked down to the end of the hall. “Well, we retained our client base and all of our partners, but that didn’t come without challenges. Also, we couldn’t take on anymore clients. They all wanted to see you for the initial consultation. We had bills to pay, and without new client revenue coming in and not knowing what happened to you, we had no choice but to close the Springs office and work with existing clients by phone and internet.”
Ryan entered his office as Dale hung back, allowing Ryan to absorb the opulence of his private space. Steffan had spared no expense with outfitting the room. It was twice the size of his old office. The floor-to-ceiling, glass windows boasted unobstructed views of the cityscape and the mountain range in the distance. A flat-screen TV hovered on the wall above an electric fireplace clad in granite. A fifty-gallon saltwater fish tank served as a separator between the conversation area and his work area. The distinctive scent of new leather permeated the air. Ryan took a seat and sank deep into his leather wingbacked chair. “You did what you had to do, Dale, and we stayed afloat. So, how was everything explained? My absence, the office closing?”
Dale took a seat on the leather sofa. “We lied. We had to buy time. You just disappeared. We didn’t know what to do. We said we were working on a newly renovated location and that you were traveling overseas, evaluating emerging investment opportunities. That was just weeks before you resurfaced, and now here we are. As you saw, we lost some of our old staff. They just couldn’t handle the commute. But I think the new staff will fare quite nicely for us. In fact, the managers and I set up a team-building outing yesterday. Too bad you couldn’t have joined us a day earlier.”
Ryan smiled. “Don’t worry. I was there…in spirit.”