Oh well.
The fact of the matter was that Lizzie truly believed that neither Nikolai nor Lewis was ready to inherit the throne from their father. Despite their longevity of life, they still acted selfish, immature, and entitled. How were they supposed to successfully rule the people when all they cared about were themselves? And they should know that they weren't ready. If they truly cared about the vampires, they would step up and get themselves together so that they were ready, or they should admit that they probably weren't the best choice, and Vladislaus should stick around for another couple hundred years until they were ready. Luckily, by that time, she would be gone and wouldn't have to worry about vampire politics, but now…
Well, now, it was her job to worry about it.
There were no suspects just yet – save for Lewis, and that was a slim lead at best – and when she returned to the castle, Lizzie planned to look at the case files both Jackson and Nikolai supplied her with. Until then, she just wanted to run.
By the time she returned back to her new lodgings, the sun was setting. It wasn't like her to get distracted from what she originally set out to do, but she couldn't help but explore the small, nearby community when she saw it. Somehow, she ended up staying there the entire day. Her infinite thirst of knowledge left her powerless in situations such as these, so it really wasn't her fault. The people were very friendly to her, despite the fact that she was a stranger, and they fed her, as well as showed her around. The food was absolutely delicious. There was a church, a bar, and various family-owned shops, plus a grand fountain located in the center of the town where people threw in coins, made a wish, and apparently, was awarded with receiving what they wished for. Every once in a while, the coins would be collected and donated to the orphanage located in the town.
As she walked through the doors of the castle, Carl arched a brow in her direction, as though he hadn’t expected to see Nikolai's guest and bodyguard attired quite like this, and Lizzie hoped that Nikolai wouldn't make another scene about her disappearance. She was sure he was up from his slumber and didn't want to get into an argument with him because her resolve at attempting politeness while in his presence didn't seem to really work when he was yelling at her or dropping sarcastic retorts.
It was then that she realized Nikolai and Lewis weren't alone, at least not this time. There, sitting around the dining table in the elaborate dining room, were two women Lizzie wasn't familiar with. One had short, chopped blonde hair and midnight blue eyes, similar to Nikolai's. Her face was slim, and she was wearing a dramatic dress that was too low, too tight, and too red. It was something Lizzie would never wear because she knew she couldn't pull it off because nobody could pull such a thing off. However, oddly enough, the dress did not take away from the woman's prettiness. Lizzie was sure this woman was a vampire from the complexion of her skin, but she wasn't sure just how she knew Nikolai and Lewis.
The other woman, sitting next to Lewis, had black hair and grey-green eyes. Lizzie could tell that this woman was much more conservative than the other, only because she was wearing a dark gown that suited her more, the cut being appropriate and classy. It was a deep purple that complimented her dark hair and pale skin tone. This woman was obviously more beautiful than the woman in red, but the woman in red was no doubt pretty.
Both of the women looked up when they saw Lizzie, and when they took in her appearance, their eyes narrowed. It wasn't as though Lizzie knew they were going to come by or else she would have gotten home and dressed for them. So she looked a little sweaty and her shirt was clinging to her curves and her shorts might be just a little short. It was Nikolai's fault for not warning her she would have to deal with company, and to do so with them in some form of formal attire.
For whatever reason, both women stood upon getting a better look at Lizzie, and she suddenly realized that it was because they could hear her heart beating. To them, Lizzie was food. She froze, unsure of what to do. She could probably take them one on one, but if they decided to team up against her – which they would no doubt do – she knew she was done for. Vampires were faster than anything on this planet, and while they weren’t as strong as werewolves, they certainly were physically capable, more so than humans.
However, before anything could happen, Nikolai stood and placed himself in front of Lizzie almost as though he was protecting her. His eyes flashed in the same way they had done when he was talking to her last night, except these two women seemed to heed the warning he was giving.
"Refrain yourselves," he commanded, his voice low and sharp.
The two women listened, slowly sitting down, but they never took their suspicious eyes off of Lizzie, especially the woman in red. Something about her caused Lizzie intuition to prickle, but she couldn’t say why. Instead, she let her shoulders sag in relief that Nikolai had saved her from being the main course.
7
“Your Highness?" Lizzie asked, though her eyes were trained on the two women who had stood upon hearing her heart beat. "May I talk to you in the hallway?" She turned her head and looked into his blue eyes.
Nikolai read them for a long moment before nodding his head. "Of course," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her out of the dining room and down the hall to ensure that the others couldn't overhear their conversation. She was glad he seemed to know she wanted their conversation to be as private as possible. "What may I help you with, Miss Grant?" he asked once he was sure they were alone, arching a brow.
"I didn't know you were having guests over," Lizzie told him, crossing her arms over her chest. She would never admit this out loud, but Lizzie was somewhat embarrassed by her current attire, especially when everyone else seemed to be dressed in formal clothing. "Why couldn't you have possibly told me you were having guests over? Not only could they be a threat to you, but I look horrible! I look…"
"Well, I was going to when I woke up but I couldn't find you anywhere," Nikolai retorted, narrowing his eyes in her direction. "Where were you, anyway? Obviously, you look like you just came home from a run or something along those lines –" Nikolai gave her a blatant once over, and though he was annoyed for not being able to find her for a portion of time, she could tell his eyes lingered on her legs for more than what was necessary – "but when I talked to Carl, he said that you left in the morning and now it's sunset. You couldn't possibly have run for that amount of time."
"It's none of your business where I've been!" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing her arms out.
"Actually," Nikolai said, interrupting her before she could continue. He had a finger raised, as though he was about to explain something. "Actually, yes it is my business, and I'll tell you why. I hired you to protect me. What am I supposed to do when my hired assassin decides that she's going to go running for twelve hours? What if something had happened to me while you were gone? So." He cocked his head to the side. "Where'd you go?"
"Don't even get me started on how you want to protect yourself, buddy," she said, her face contorting into a scowl. "You invite these people over that I don't even know without telling me, though you clearly know you’re in danger. I don't care who these people are, they could be behind it, but you wouldn't even think of something like that, would you, because you're so arrogant!" She stopped herself when she realized she was yelling and felt her cheeks flush. She took a deep breath and then slowly released it, forcing herself to look Nikolai in the eyes. "Now… I'm going to take a shower and change, and I'll be down relatively soon."
"You didn't answer my question," Nikolai pointed out, perking his brow only slightly. However, his voice dropped into a low murmur, and his eyes were cool but not cold. Lizzie felt her pulse quicken at the mere look on his face, but forced it to somehow calm – she knew he could detect things like that, and she didn't want to give the prince anything more to be cocky about. "Where were you?"
She opened her mouth to argue, but slowly shut it when she realized it would do no good to argue anymore. She nodded once, a sign of
her conceding. "I got sidetracked," she admitted. "I happened to run into the town adjacent to the castle, a few miles away from the mountains. I'm not sure what it's called."
"Apusul Soarelui," Nikolai said; his Russian accent beautifully highlighted by his soft voice. It was beautiful no matter what, really.
Lizzie paused at the way Nikolai’s voice sounded when he spoke Romanian. It was exquisite and beautiful. It would seem that the prince had more than a few tricks currently up his sleeve. She wondered what else he was hiding. She wondered how his voice might sound whispering sweet nothings in an eastern-European language in an intimate setting. A shiver slid down her back and she felt a pulsating between her thighs. She would have to be more wary from now on.
"Apusul Soarelui," she said, knowing it sounded broken and awkward coming out of her mouth. "Yes." She nodded once before turning around and heading up the stairs.
Though she didn't know it, Nikolai's eyes followed her all the way up.
It was a half an hour before Lizzie made her appearance, but it didn't really matter. The appetizers had just been taken off the table, and everyone was preparing for the main course. She idly wondered just why they were eating food when they normally fed off of human beings, but felt that the question wasn't exactly appropriate in her current environment. She had taken a shower, which was nice and refreshing, and she had decided to dress somewhat nicely, with fitted black slacks and a maroon shirt. On her feet with black ankle boots, and her hair was swept up into a somewhat messy bun.
Upon seeing Lizzie and hearing her heart beat, the women that occupied the table snapped their eyes up in her direction, their bodies immediately tensing.
Nikolai stood up, hoping to alleviate the tension before things escalated. "Everyone," he said, gesturing to Lizzie who was standing at the table rather awkwardly, unsure of where to sit. "This is Elizabeth Grant, and I invited her to stay with me until the assassination attempt has been thwarted. She excels at her field and I figured she would be the best person to protect me."
"And the militia?" the blonde said, her voice tainted with a slight eastern-European accent. "Can the militia not protect you? What does the girl provide that the militia can’t?” She glanced over at Lizzie with cold blue eyes, completely dismissing the human's presence as nothing important.
"Miss Grant is the top assassin at the NDS," Nikolai explained. "She was highly recommended."
"Plus, you never know who is behind the assassination attempt," Lizzie said, trying not to offend the woman but wanting her to realize just how serious the threat was. "It could have come from anyone, and until we figure out whom, it's essential that I stay here in case I’m needed in any way."
"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" the woman asked, furrowing her brow as she regarded the petite assassin. For a woman so beautiful, an ugly look distorted her features, obviously taking offense at what Lizzie had said. "Do you really think that I," she glanced over at the other woman, "that we have something to do with such a thing? Do you even know who we are?"
"Marie," Nikolai snapped, narrowing his blue eyes at the woman in the red dress. Lizzie glanced up at him, surprised to see such a firm look on his face. However, this Marie woman was right; Lizzie had no idea who these vampires were, but that didn't take away from the fact that what she had said was still true. Nikolai glanced over at Lizzie and seemed to agree with her, though she had no idea what he was thinking. "Miss Grant, I've introduced you to them, but I haven't introduced them to you." He gestured over to the raven haired beauty first. "This is Lewis's betrothed, Karina Albusel." Next, he looked over at Marie. "And this is mine, Marie Cozma."
Lizzie felt her brow push as high as it possibly could, nearly hiding underneath her long golden strands of hair. She knew that Nikolai was most probably engaged to someone, especially with the announcement that he was indeed taking over the throne, but she didn't know it would be to someone like Marie. From what she could tell of Nikolai, he was brooding, mysterious, and arrogant. Marie, on the other hand, seemed a little more high-strung. And loud. To Lizzie, she looked like a screecher.
"Nice to meet you," Lizzie murmured, taking a seat on Nikolai's right, directly across from Marie. She hoped her voice sounded genuine. "Pardon me for saying, Ms. Cozma, but with all due respect, I have no idea who might be making threats against your fiancé, and I feel that it would be hard to trust anyone, really, until I," - she glanced over at Nikolai who had taken his seat at the head of the table - "we are absolutely certain of their innocence."
"I do not like that," Marie said in a cold, dismissive tone, glancing down at the table in front of her.
"I'm just surprised you are actually eating with us tonight," Nikolai said dryly, glancing over at Lizzie with a look on his face that matched his tone. "You must be starving. Are you starving?"
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes, forcing them to lock with Nikolai's. "Yes, well," she said, the corners of her lips quirking up into a slight smirk, "I decided that I should probably give your fists a break from pounding so thoroughly on my bedroom door. I wouldn't want you to actually injure yourself."
Nikolai found himself smiling at the easy rapport he had developed with Lizzie. Marie, on the other hand, was frowning, her brow furrowed. Lizzie could tell she was growing increasingly upset with the agent’s presence in Nikolai's home, whether or not she was protecting him.
She didn't seem to like it at all. Not one bit.
8
During dinner, two more men joined the dining table, proclaiming traffic as the reason they were late. It wasn’t completely unheard of; the streets turned into one-way roads upon exiting the city, and depending on when someone left, vehicles could get backed up for a while. Both men were introduced as Karina's older brothers, and when they laid their eyes upon Lizzie, both of them immediately thought Nikolai had gotten her for desert. Nikolai made it very clear that she was not to be touched in any way, and as a result, both boys decided to flirt mindlessly with her for the duration of the dinner, despite her either ignoring them or flirting back only slightly. She didn't exactly feel uncomfortable with their aggressiveness, but she wouldn't trust herself alone with one of them. Though she knew she was a damn good agent, she also knew that while vampires weren't exactly known for their brute force like werewolves were, they were incredibly strong. No matter what Lizzie could do – she thought she could hold her own for a portion of time – a vampire would eventually wear her out and then either kill or turn her, and she wasn't fond of dealing with either change.
"William, Henry," Nikolai said once the men had been seated. "This is Elizabeth Grant. Miss Grant, this is William and Henry, Karina's two older brothers."
To say Lizzie wasn't flattered would also be a lie. Both men were incredibly attractive, mirroring their sister's look with sharper features and clearer eyes. They had black hair, short and coiffed, both dressed in black as well. They were both tall, well-built, and when they smiled, their elongated canines glinted sparkles at whoever they were looking at. When they spoke, they had Romanian accents much like their sister's, which, Lizzie had to admit, just increased their attractiveness. They weren’t twins, but it was difficult to decipher between the two. In fact, she believed that both men had an easy charm about them, and they didn't appear to be too arrogant –
But all vampires were arrogant. It was a fact. They believed that they were the superior species. Ask any one of them and they would tell you exactly the same.
The five-course dinner took another two hours which included dessert and much socializing. Lizzie preferred to listen rather than to engage with them, hoping to study their personalities, and maybe hear a name mentioned that could possibly turn into a lead. She felt like she was wasting time, sitting around here doing nothing, when someone was out there - in here, perhaps - trying to plot something against the eldest prince.
In all honesty, she watched Nikolai much more than anyone else. It was hard to look away from him sometimes because he was so inter
esting to watch. A woman might not find Nikolai to be the most attractive out of the men here – if, of course, no one knew he was about to be a king – but Lizzie found herself chuckling at stuff he said and finding warmth in his contagious smile – when he chose to smile, which was rather rare and was nothing more than pressed lips tilted upward. This obviously didn't mean that she liked him beyond her professional realm, but it would be silly to try and say she didn't find him somewhat attractive.
Marie might have tapped into her betrothed's effect on the assassin because as the dinner continued, she would be more forward with her advances towards him, whether it was placing her hand over his, leaning over to kiss his cheek, or rubbing her stocking-clad foot against his leg.
Lizzie had to hide a smirk; for Marie to be jealous of the two, she would actually have to like Nikolai, which Lizzie most certainly did not. At least Marie’s antics kept her amused for the long dinner.
When dinner was over, Lizzie excused herself, politely rejecting an offer to have coffee or tea with the vampires. Instead, she headed back to her room and grabbed a binder full of files and descended down the stairs and into the library. She needed to do some extensive research on the Dragulia family and the known associates of the Dragulia family. Jackson had faxed over as many files on them as he could, and Lizzie was planning to go through them in moments. But she knew the NDS's files weren't up to date; vampires were good about keeping what they wanted private. She hoped the library Nikolai had showed her the previous night housed thorough records of the family and their history. Hell, maybe such an assassination attempt was threatened against Vladislaus, himself. Maybe it was the same people.
It was just a thought, something Lizzie would no doubt explore.
She headed into the library and instead of over to the table where Nikolai had informed her of everything, she chose to take a seat on the couch. Surprisingly enough, the couch was more comfortable than it looked, and as she began to flip through the pages in the binder, she felt her eyes get heavy. Maybe sitting on this couch wasn't such a good idea, especially when she needed to try and imitate Nikolai's sleeping pattern. She ran her fingers through her hair, wondering if she should go back up the stairs and grab a cup of coffee. The caffeine might be able to do a better job at keeping her awake…
An Education in Royalty: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 1) Page 4