Illusion Read Free Page A

before sitting down in one of the chairs that was in front of the massive desk.  “I would like to speak to you alone.  I understand your fear, Josephine.  I am your father and I assure you no harm will come to you.  Stefan, please leave us.”
    Stefan’s sparkling blue eyes turned into icy glaciers as he inclined his head to my father.  He leaned and pressed a kiss to my forehead while his mental voice entered my thoughts.  “I can hear you from the other floors.  If you need me, call for me.”
    He left the room and I stood alone, facing the man that was my birth father.  His vivid red hair stood out in stark contrast to the paleness of his alabaster skin.  His attentive, green eyes seemed to take in my every movement.
    “Josephine, please sit,” Kian said, gesturing to the chair opposite him.  Gingerly easing down on the edge of the seat, I swallowed nervously.  I’d waited for this moment my entire life, yet I couldn’t find it in myself to be happy.  Something about Kian made me uneasy.  He seemed too smooth and polished.
    “You wanted to see me?” I asked as I tapped my fingers against the arms of the chair.  Raising an eyebrow in contempt, I struggled to keep my voice level.  “Now that you have and I know who you are, there’s really nothing else to say.  I’d like to leave with Stefan unless I’m a prisoner here.”
    He crossed his legs and attempted to arrange his face into a gentle smile.  I noticed that the sentiment never reached his eyes.  “I can understand why you are angry with me.  All I ask is to speak to you for a moment.”
    Sighing loudly, I stared down at the ornate rug for a moment before focusing back on my father.  Part of me wanted to just refuse and get up and leave.  Another part of me was interested as to what he had to say.  My curiosity won out over my stubbornness and I scooted back in the chair in surrender.  “Fine, Kian.  What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
    My father leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his thighs.
    “You are happy with Stefan.  I can feel the love between the two of you.  He had searched many years to find you, Josephine.  His fated mate.  It was interesting to watch him on his journey to find you,” Kian mused as he threaded his fingers together and a grin pulled at the corner of his lips.  “He never gave up on finding you.  Others would have grown tired of the constant searching, yet he never did.  It speaks of his character.”
    Fuming, I felt my cheeks flush with anger as my mind absorbed his words.  If possible, I was more livid than before.  Not only did my father sit back and watch me struggle with my abilities, he let Stefan continue his search for me when he knew exactly where I was all along.  I could add these things to my growing list of reasons to be suspicious of my father.
    “You knew all along that Stefan would be my mate?” I seethed.  The word “mate” felt odd saying it aloud for the first time.  “Why didn't you tell him where I was 10 years ago, Kian?  He spent so many years looking for me.  We wasted so much time.  It was time that we could have been together.”
    He smiled softly, his green eyes gleaming.  “Josephine, you were not ready to meet him.  You would have barely been 18.”  Kian sat back in his chair.  “I understand your frustration.  It must seem unfair that you spent so many unhappy years alone, my dear.  I am sorry that you suffered.
    He was sorry that I suffered ?!  That's the only apology he was willing to offer after abandoning me as an infant to strangers?  “I can't discuss all of that with you right now, Kian.  It's too much to take in.  I'm tired and I just want to find Stefan so we can leave.  We can talk about this some other time.”
    “Josephine, you have 28 years worth of questions.  When you are ready, we will talk.” He nodded in agreement and hesitated as if considering what to say next.  “I am pleased he found