Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) Read online

  ODYSSEY

  The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book One

  By Alexandra Anthony

  Copyright 2013 Alexandra Anthony

  Discover other titles by Alexandra Anthony at alexandra-anthony.com

  Editing by B&R Publishing

  Cover Art by Cora Graphics

  SMASHWORDS Edition

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use any material from the book, prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the author at [email protected]. Thank you for your support and respect of the author’s rights.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  ADULT CONTENT

  Alexandra Anthony’s books are for adults only. They contain sexy vampires, graphic language, graphic romantic/erotic content and situations that aren't for the faint of heart. Consider yourself warned.

  Table of Contents

  Note from the Author

  Introduction

  Chapter One-Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

  Chapter Two-Betrayal And Rebirth

  Chapter Three-Lost And Found

  Chapter Four-Just Rewards

  Chapter Five-Revelations And Expectations

  Chapter Six-Reality Check

  Chapter Seven-Love And Other Complications

  Chapter Eight- Where Do We Go From Here?

  Chapter Nine-Everything Changes

  Chapter Ten-Friend Or Foe

  Chapter Eleven-Secrets, Lies And Acceptance

  Chapter Twelve-Light And Dark

  Chapter Thirteen-Suitably Wooed

  Chapter Fourteen-Run

  Chapter Fifteen-Mind Games

  Chapter Sixteen-Reunion

  Chapter Seventeen-You’ve Lost Your Mind

  Chapter Eighteen-A Bond is Forged

  Character Biographies

  Excerpt From Tempted: The Dark Hart Chronicles Book One

  About The Author

  Other Books from the Author

  Dedication

  To the lovers and the hopeless romantics. May you never stop searching and dreaming.

  Acknowledgments

  To My Family – You are my rock and foundation. Without you, I’d never accomplish my goals and this…this would be an empty page.

  To My Readers and Fans – Your enthusiasm and support is amazing. Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin.

  To Sue – Thank you for listening to me, making me laugh on the days I want to cry, your beta reading skills and most importantly, your wonderful friendship. You are my sister from another mother.

  To Ally- You helped steer me along the path and then watched as I spread my wings. Thank you for your friendship and support.

  “We have still not reached the end of our trials. One more labor lies in store - boundless, laden with danger, great and long, and I must brave it out from start to finish.” Homer

  Note from the Author

  This book is a Companion to The Vampire Destiny Series Book 1 and 2 (Fated and Illusion). While not imperative you read both books, it will explain many of the missing parts not covered in the book since this Companion Piece is from Stefan Lifsten’s point of view.

  Introduction

  1070 AD

  Face to face with my foe, the blade buried itself deep within my abdomen. It was not until the sword had been pulled from my stomach, feeling the hot warmth of my blood seep through my tunic that I realized everything had changed in the blink of an eye. As I staggered backwards in a stupor, my eyes connected with those of my adversary. I glimpsed the thrill of victory flash across his face. My quaking hand grabbed at the gaping wound, the sticky wetness spilling through my fingers and staining my skin crimson.

  My life on this earth was over.

  I never concerned myself with thoughts about my mortality until I lay dying on a pyre on that bitterly cold spring night. Angered at my inabilities and failures, I begged out to Freya or Hel; whichever would bring mercy and relieve me of my agony. Careless, now I would die a hero’s death; little consolation to my recklessness and arrogance. I thought myself invincible. Now in silent retrospect, on this pyre I was forced to bare my soul; expose my sins. I would die with the blood of others on my hands and soul.

  With every labored breath that escaped from between my lips, I felt death approach like a dark shadow, taking my life away inch by inch. I knew the end was imminent; my fellow comrades had left to begin the journey home to give the news of my death to my sister and my brothers. Only a small group lingered until my final passing. Upon my death, I would be burned and buried in a thrall to insure I would join the afterlife and not linger to haunt those who remained. My family would likely mourn for me, however my death to protect their safety and the security of my village would be celebrated. Foolishly, I had thought myself to be safe. My ability to see the future had been worthless. One miscalculated move had put me here, my blood spilling into the earth beneath me.

  At the age of 33, I had lived to be much older than others in my village. Life was difficult, the winters long and brutal. Even though my family was considered wealthy at the time, my father a Jarl in the settlement, life was never easy. Constant battles and power struggles by neighboring tribes kept us on constant alert.

  Bitter tears of defeat fell from my eyes and streaked down my temples, dampening my filthy, bloody hair. I was losing more than my life tonight; I was leaving behind the love of my existence. She was more than human, that much I knew. She had been a part of my life as long as I could recall, my first memory of her as a young man of 16. As of late, I had grown restless. I no longer wanted to walk this earth without her at my side. She had invaded my every waking thought, bewitching me with her presence. Was this my penance for my impatience? For my insolence?

  My warm exhale blew out into plumes, spreading into the dark night. The haze from my breath was testament to the bitter chill of the night. Slipping in and out of consciousness, I did not have much time left.

  It was time for me to let go of this life and everything I cherished.

  “Steafedn.”

  Her voice pulled me from the abyss and surrounded me like a lover’s embrace. It took a moment for her face to come into focus, my vision clouded and blurry. Brilliant eyes like emeralds stared back at me. Even in my weakened state I could see the sadness and desolation that had taken residence there. She reached for my hand, her skin warm against my cold, dying flesh.

  "I cannot lose you." My words sounded empty and weak. I refused to beg for my life; even it was possible for her to grant me a second chance at living. Attempting to reach for her, I found that I no longer had the strength to move. She stared down at my failing, mortal body and tears rimmed her vibrant irises.

  "Steafedn," she sobbed desperately. Her free hand rose to stroke my dirty, blood soaked hair with trembling fingers. "There is nothing I can do, my love. Not now. It is too late. I failed you."

  My breath rattled in my chest
as I stared into her eyes. She was flawlessly beautiful, ethereal with her pale skin and long hair that framed her face in wild, copper waves. Her hand clutched mine tightly, her skin like the finest silk.

  I inhaled in a deep breath, the frigid air filling my lungs. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open and focus on her. "There was nothing you could have done to prevent this end for me. Shoulder no blame for my recklessness. If this is to be our farewell…our final goodbye, I offer thanks to Freya that she granted me this final reward. Know that I will love you for an eternity, min gudinna."

  She lowered her lips against mine, offering me a gentle kiss of farewell. She did not move and spoke to me softy. "There will always be a part of me with you, though you may not remember. I will be the wind in your hair, the whisper in your ear, the love you will bury deep in your soul. And one day when our fates align, we will be together again. You will lose your way; however when the moment is right you will see me. You will find me, Steafedn."

  Her cryptic words confused me. Did she not comprehend what was happening? I was dying a mortal death, yet she was speaking as if I would live. She was speaking in circles, her words perplexing. "Isophina?"

  “You will not understand now. There is no time to explain.” She sighed and glanced up at the moon that hung high in the night sky. Her fingers drifted over my grime-covered face, her eyes tracing the contours of my skin as if committing it to memory. “I wanted this to happen another way, yet I was given no choice. This was the only way to save you, my love. Please forgive me.”

  She paused for a moment. Her mouth pressed to mine with surprising force and her hands gripped both sides of my face. Our eyes met and she lowered her chin to her chest. Her voice was a whisper as she spoke again, “Remember me, Steafedn. I ask for nothing more than that.”

  She disappeared into the darkness, leaving me alone in my final moments. My eyes closed and I cried out a final request, surprised at the hoarseness and desperation in my voice. "Let me die. Release me from this suffering."

  When I reopened my eyes, another woman sat at my side. Statuesque with dark blond hair and blue eyes, she scrutinized me with great interest.

  Her pale skin gleamed like alabaster in the moonlight and her eyes glittered like sapphires. “We do not have much time. I have been watching you for some time, lover.”

  “I am dying…” My words faded as she placed a cold fingertip to my lips.

  She smiled, her beautiful face appearing gentle as she stared into my eyes. “You are going to be reborn. You and I will have everything.”

  My brow furrowed and a deep cough racked my body. Pain coursed through me like lightning as I struggled to breathe. “I do not understand.”

  “You do not have to understand anything now. I was given a gift by a daemon; a gift I will not lose.”

  In a blur she sprang at me, her teeth burying themselves into my throat. Seizing in agony, they were like knives, tearing my flesh. I watched as the night faded into nothing, pinpricks of light filling my vision.

  She pulled away and cradled my head to her wrist. Thick liquid filled my mouth as she crooned softly into my ear. "I will see you soon, my lover."

  Chapter One – Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

  1245 AD

  The lifelessness in her demeanor stilled me. I moved into her line of sight and tapped at her chin until she looked up at me with an impassive stare. No spark remained, only emptiness. In a human, it is an unnerving sight to witness. It is the look of someone who has already given up on the act of living.

  Even after over 175 years of tutelage with Solveig, seeing that blankness reflect in their eyes was disheartening. Humans now served two purposes for me: to fuck and to feed. Very few women captured my attention; they were simply a warm body to lose myself in for a few hours, to sate not only my carnal urges, but to also satisfy my hunger. Blood and sex. They were the only things that held meaning for me.

  This woman would be no different. She was one of the nameless, faceless human easily tallied as forgettable. She was considered a dreg of society, a person that would not be missed. She was the perfect choice for a vampire’s meal.

  That was one of the first rules I was taught when I awoke to this life. No longer human, I was a newborn immortal. My ability had carried over, yet all I could see was the future of vampires. Humans were unreadable voids to me. Still, my gift came in handy. Solveig had me watching the decisions of the Council that governed our kind. She had committed crimes that would call for her death and lived as an outlaw, constantly on the run from justice.

  "Take what you need from her, Steafedn. You are thinking about them as humans again," Solveig scolded. She had finished with her meal and had returned from disposing evidence of her kill.

  Glancing back at my maker, my hold increased on the woman in front of me. She made no effort to escape; she meekly waited for death.

  I said nothing. Resentment surged through me at Solveig’s cavalier words and the meek acceptance of this human. I had not asked for this existence. Truth be told, I should be buried and gone. Instead, I was given immortality, becoming a never aging, never changing creature with more than a century of killing under my belt to survive.

  And that was the crux of my problem. To survive, I had to kill. I recall taking no joy in killing during my human life. Now…now it was a necessity.

  My eyes snapped back to the woman, my fangs elongating behind my lips. Before she could realize what I had done, they were embedded in her throat, taking ravenous pulls of her blood that would sustain me until I chose my next meal.

  Drinking from her until she went limp in my arms, I dropped the woman to the ground. Her glassy eyes stared vacantly into the distance. There was truly no difference now than there was when she stood before me. Her soul was already dead, her body only existed. I simply took care of the latter.

  In a matter of seconds I could extinguish a life...her sacrifice would extend my own for another three days, possibly four if I was lucky and remained uninjured.

  "Do not question what you need to do to survive, Steafedn. We all give and we all take. She is no different than livestock the villagers slaughter for meat." Solveig draped her arms around my waist, resting her chin against my chest. "We must thrive. We are the superior race. We are faster, stronger and smarter than humans...and we always will be."

  “That is what you believe. I was given no choice in the matter. If I do not manage my thirst, I could expose us.” I shoved my maker away in disgust, focusing my attention on the task of scanning the woods for a place to bury the woman slumped at my feet.

  Hoisting the body over my shoulder, I took off and headed deep into the forest. I ran until I found the perfect tree, pushing against the bark with one hand. The tree groaned as the roots displaced, leaving a void behind. Tossing her body into the small opening, I let it fall back into place. Studying it critically, it would appear undisturbed to the human eye. Only I knew of the secret buried under its depths.

  I remained by the tree for some time, silently offering my thanks and apologies to the woman I had killed. It was the least I could do for her sacrifice.

  "You are my greatest creation. You still cling to shreds of your humanity, unwilling to give over to your true nature. I anticipate the day you realize that they are not your equal."

  Solveig's voice resonated from behind me. She had obviously followed closely behind. She was growing increasingly more paranoid, petrified that I would abandon her. It was a rare occasion she was not at my side.

  For the first 50 years or so, we were lovers and we easily passed ourselves off as husband and wife as we traveled from country to country, settling into villages and assimilating into daily life. Yet as my dependence on her waned, so did my desire for her. Fucking her had fulfilled a need but did nothing to quench my desire. There was emptiness inside of me that she could not begin to touch. No one could, human or vampire.

  It was ironic. I had an eternity to live and I would spend it unfulfilled and alone. br />
  My rejection had offended my maker and we now traveled as siblings instead. We were similar in age when we had both been turned and few, if any would question our familial claims.

  Glancing at her over my shoulder, my voice was emotionless when I spoke. "Why should I abandon the bit of empathy I hold? It is the only part of my human self I have left. You took everything away from me when you made me into this unchanging creature. My acceptance of my fate does not mean I choose to grow callous."