Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book #4) Read Online Free Page A

intertwine my fingers with his.  “I know you wouldn’t.  You have more trust in me than I deserve.”
    He chuckled; a strained smile graced his lips.  “There is one final thing we need to discuss before we leave this room.”
    That sounded ominous.  I simply stood and waited for him to continue.
    “Your shield.  I am sure it is stronger now that you have made the change.  You must promise me if I need to restrain you for any reason…you cannot use it on me.  If you hurt an innocent it would destroy you.”
    A makerless vampire .  Lukas’ earlier words resonated in my mind.  I could be uncontrollable.  If I was unable to control myself and acclimate to being around humans, we’d be forced to go into hiding.  I couldn’t let that happen…not with so much at stake.
    “I promise.”  I sighed and squeezed his hand tightly.  “I won’t use my shield on you if we are among humans.”
    “Or vampires as well.  You cannot reveal this gift you have to anyone else.  Your father knows, as does the three in the other room.  The more people that know, the more of a threat you will be seen to be.  We have enough enemies that would like nothing more than to see us eliminated.  We need no more than what we have already.”  Stefan advised.  A familiar image of a man floated to the forefront of Stefan’s thoughts as he spoke.
    “Amir?” Saying his name made the hazy face of the strange, amber eyed man that I’d met only days earlier come into sharper focus.  He was Stefan’s vampire brother…and Lukas’ lover.
    “He knows nothing.  He will remain in the dark about this ability,” Stefan retorted sharply.  I could tell by his tone and sense of resolve that our conversation regarding Amir was over.  And for now, I’d give him that.  However, this topic was far from closed.
    Narrowing my eyes, I peered closer at him.  Amir was supposedly on our side, an ally for the greater good.  Had something happened to make Stefan distrust Amir?
    Stefan glanced up at the ceiling and he heaved a heavy sigh.  “You will never let anything rest.  He has done nothing per se, vackra.  Amir is my brother.  You must remember I have not seen him in many years.  I cannot read him to know of his true intentions and for many years, he harbored much resentment about his existence as an immortal.  He is a concern and he will continue to be a loose cannon until he fully earns my trust. His cloaking ability makes him as blank to me as Kian and that will always worry me.”
    Fucking Kian .  Just thinking about my birth father made the hair on the back of my neck stand up in attention and my blood boil.  Evil, cunning and deadly, he would kill either Stefan or myself if given the chance.  If I had anything to do about it, he wouldn’t come close to touching Stefan or me.  The next time, I’d let my shield crush him.  I’d feel no remorse at seeing him die.
    “You have my word.  I won’t use my shield in front of humans or vampires and I’ll let you restrain me if I lose it.  Please, I want to see them.  I want to see them so we can have some time to ourselves.”  I pleaded softly.  I hated to beg, but my body and my mind were at war, each wanting the same thing and both equally annoyed because they were being denied of what they wanted: Stefan…and Stefan naked in our bed.
    “Go.”
    His soft mental command made me reach for the doorknob once again.  My free hand tightened on his out of reflex as I pulled the door open and I stuck my head out the door into the hallway, surprised to see weak sunlight spilling through the large windows.  I’d totally lost track of time and had no idea what time it was, let alone the day.  I held my breath, not trusting myself to breathe in the one thing that I knew I’d want more than anything.
    Blood.
    Stefan followed closely behind me as I crept down the hallway.  All conversation from the other room had quickly ground to a halt as they heard my hesitant