"Come on, Lizzie," she murmured underneath her breath. "Focus. Just focus."
A heavy groan caught Lizzie by surprise, and her eyes shot to the heavy stone door being pushed open. What surprised her even more was who actually walked in. It wasn't Nikolai, as she had expected, nor was it Lewis, or even their respective betrotheds. It was William, and a small smile was chiseled onto his face, one dimple popping in his cheek.
Lizzie felt herself sigh in frustration. Yes, he was definitely nice to look at over dinner, but right now, she had a job that needed to be done and she could most certainly live without the distraction. Not that she would be distracted in the good way, but she was a very private person and worked best when she worked alone.
"Hello Miss Grant," William greeted before sitting in the arm chair that was directly located across from the couch. "I hope you do not mind the intrusion. The conversation upstairs got rather mindless and I felt you would be the perfect companion to include wit in your repertoire." He perked his brows, hoping that she would allow him to stay, but Lizzie was unmoved.
She had managed to build immunity against pleading looks and big blue eyes ever since her breakup with Brick. "Actually," she said, locking eyes with the man sitting in front of her. "I have a lot of work I need to do and I really can't be distracted, not when the threat against the prince is serious."
"Surely," William began, pushing his lean figure into a standing position as a charming smile touched his lips. He slowly started to walk towards her. "Surely you can spare me one moment, Elizabeth. May I call you that? I would love nothing more than to discuss the human world with you. Maybe my curiosity for it is insatiable, almost like the way I feel for you." By now he had walked behind her and leaned his head down so she could feel the hot breath scattered across her throat. His eyes traveled up and down the graceful column of her neck, and before he realized what was happening, he felt his sharp teeth elongate even more, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into her neck.
"You cannot possibly feel anything for me except some kind of lust," she pointed out, standing up so she could put a distance between herself and the vampire. "And I'm sorry, but I'm not that kind of girl, a girl who just hooks up with random strangers, especially one that has a fetish for biting flesh and sucking blood."
William's smile deepened, but darkness tainted it rather than genuine happiness. "I take it, then, that you do not approve of vampires?" he asked. "My kind?"
"I don't like them, no," she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Though it is none of my business, I can only garner from your tone that a vampire must have broken your heart," William continued, an enigmatic sparkle resting in his blue eyes. "That is always the case when it is a woman who hates us. If it is a man, it is usually because one of our kind stole his dear one."
"It is none of your business," Lizzie agreed in a curt manner, fingering the binder currently in her hand. "Now, I really would like to get back to work."
"Would you like any help?" William asked, perking his brow. "I can assure you that I am very knowledgeable concerning the royals. My father was part of the royal court, you know, centuries ago. I was raised around them." Lizzie could swear his eyes darkened as he continued to speak to her. "I could tell you everything you want to know."
She was sure his tone implied more than just the history of the royal line.
"Thank you," Lizzie said, keeping her voice firm but polite. She couldn't offend anyone lest her behavior got back to Nikolai, or worse, his father. She didn't want to upset anyone, but she would certainly stand up for herself if the occasion called for it. "But I really can do everything by myself. If you would leave now," She forced herself to add, "Please."
William thought about it for a long moment, offense tainting his features for a mere fraction of a second before he slipped on his usual charming smile, and nodded. "Of course," he agreed. "Please excuse the interruption."
It was only when Lizzie heard the library door shut after William had left did she finally release a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Though he was gone, the goose bumps on her skin were not.
9
The first thing Lizzie did once William had left was to ensure the library door was fully closed, hoping that people would take the hint and leave her alone. She didn't want to deal with vampires at that particular point; rather, she needed to concentrate on her task at hand. She walked back over to the couch to collect her files, and headed to the desk. She started sifting through them, frowning as she did so. A vertical indent etched its way between her brows. She wasn't sure how often she had read these things in the past forty-eight hours. What more could she possibly do? She propped her elbow on the surface of the table and pinched the bridge of her nose, letting a sigh slip out of her lips.
What had she got herself into? Actually, more accurately, what had Jackson gotten her into?
Marie hated her; there was no doubt about that. And in some way, Lizzie couldn't blame her for it. Some random woman suddenly walked into their life due to her fiancé's suggestion because this woman had to protect, live, and stay around him for an indefinite amount of time. If she were in Marie's position, she'd be more than a little suspicious. That didn't mean Marie had a right to be downright rude to her, especially after Nikolai explained everything, however. She should know that her fiancé was in danger on an everyday basis simply because he was the son of Vladislaus Dragulia and the prince of the vampire race. Geography didn't matter – Nikolai was prince of them whether they lived there in Somerset or all the way in Romania. Many people adored the Dragulias as their rightful royal rulers, but there were some people that didn't agree with their choices, just like with every kingdom. And Marie should be thankful that Nikolai had enough common sense to hire the best damn assassin to protect him.
Lizzie chuckled at the thought and rolled her eyes. Now she was thinking to herself, amusing herself with silly nothings. She must be really bored. Placing her chin in her hand, she started to twirl her hair around her long index finger, trying to imagine what she would be doing if she wasn't here, babysitting some leech. Probably at a club with Rachel, losing herself in the music and dancing.
If she loved anything, Lizzie loved to dance. The music would surround her and she would let her hair down, tilt her head up, close her eyes, and simply lose herself in it. She would rock her hips back and forth sensually, not for anyone in particular, but for herself, because she loved to do it. Rachel would continuously tell her how guys kept looking at her, but Lizzie wouldn't actually indulge any interests. She wasn't looking for a relationship; she did things because she wanted to, not because she was trying to impress anyone. When guys came up and asked her to dance, she allowed them to grip her hips and rock her body, but if his hands wandered farther than that, she would immediately find Rachel and move somewhere else. Dancing was cathartic for her.
But she couldn't exactly dance here, could she? Not if she wanted some vampire-filled audience and that was the furthest thing she could want right now, especially after her whole ordeal with Brick.
Which begged the question: what was she to do now that she couldn't dance in order to relieve her stress – and being the only human in a house full of arrogant vampires would definitely cause some sort of stress. She could jog, of course, but after what happened today where she came back to find sudden company; she wasn't looking forward to that again. Of course, she could always plug in her iPod and dance around her room, but it wasn't exactly the same… She wished there was a pool; when she couldn't dance, she liked to swim, but after surveillance of the grounds, she found out there was none.
Another sigh slipped out of her lips.
Hopefully she would find something to do. If she had had a boyfriend, she would take out her frustrations with sex. Lizzie’s lips curled up into a smirk. That had been fun, but she wasn't exactly the type of girl to sleep around with random guys just to relieve tension.
For whatever reason, her mind wandered
from sex to Nikolai. She subconsciously glanced over at the door, as though Nikolai could suddenly read her mind and might be called over at the mere thought of him on her brain. But of all her years of studies, she had never encountered something described in the texts of a telepathic link between paranormals, unless one was a werewolf and said werewolf physically bit their potential mate, which would create a physical, emotional, and mental bond between the pair. In conclusion, vampires couldn't read minds.
Nikolai Dragulia was… Oh, what was the right word? Handsome? Definitely. Lizzie wouldn't lie. There was something incredibly sexual about him – she could feel her body respond to his. That didn't mean anything except for the fact that she was physically attracted to him. So what? She was attracted to a lot of guys.
He was also smart. Yes, this one she hated to admit, but knew it was true nonetheless. To inherit the throne, a potential king had to be incredibly articulate and intelligent, and even though Nikolai was brooding, he spoke rather eloquently. She was sure that if they ever had a serious conversation together, it would be interesting to say the very least.
Beyond that, Lizzie really didn't know – personally – too much about the vampire. She glanced at the thousands of books piling the library. Research, she decided. She should probably do more research.
In fact, she wanted to learn more about Lewis. She didn't think Nikolai's younger brother was actually behind the assassination attempt or anything, but she wanted to know about the relationship between the two brothers. They appeared to be rather competitive, but then what two siblings weren't? Lizzie frowned at that thought; though she considered Rachel to be her sister, she technically didn't have a sibling, and wouldn't know what it was like to grow up with someone besides her mother.
No time to dwell on that now, she thought to herself; shaking her head to get rid of such thoughts.
Lizzie pushed herself into a standing position, trying to shake out the ache that currently resided in her legs from sitting for such a long portion of time. She walked on shaky legs over to the nearest bookcase and ran her fingers over the ancient spines on some of them. She knew it would take her a while to go through all of these books when there were thousands upon thousands occupying the library, but she loved books. Right now, she figured she would see if anything interesting came up, but if nothing did, she was completely content with exploring the contents of the library.
The works that the library housed were different, but filled with the classics. First editions of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Shakespeare's Sonnets and every single collection of his plays, Dante, Milton's Paradise Lost, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, every novel Charles Dickens' ever wrote, Chaucer, Jane Austin, and Lord Byron. Lizzie smiled at the irony of having Lord Byron in a vampire's book collection. Legend had it that Lord Byron was the first English vampire to appear in literature – and the Dragulias had the book, Lord Ruthven by Byron's ex-physician John Polidori.
Lizzie let a content sigh hum past her lips. She loved all sorts of history, and loved mindless trivia that other people didn't know about such as Lord Byron being a vampire – at least in so many words. Her preference was American history, but there were certain things she was passionate about, such as the love affairs of King Henry the Fifth, the Golden Age of Piracy, John Dillinger and cowboys – outlaws in general, really – and yes, even vampires. Not only was it because of her job, but she had always been fascinated by the mysterious brooders, despite her disdain for them.
Oh well. She was getting off-topic and needed to focus.
After thorough searching of the first bookcase she encountered, Lizzie felt her eyes get heavy and decided she should take a break and take a seat on the couch. Her body, completely disconnected from her mind, sunk into the comfortable plush of the couch, and she rested her head on one of the oversized pillows.
Now don't fall asleep, she instructed herself as she gently closed her eyes. This is simply a power nap. Just twenty minutes, and then it's time to wake up. You need to get your body on his schedule, and falling asleep would definitely not help.
However, despite her mind's insistency, when her eyelids met their counterparts, it felt as though they were going to be kept together a while by glue. It didn't help that her body was completely relaxed, the library wasn't cold but slightly warm, and that she had been tired out by her excursion to the small town she had encountered earlier that day.
What had Nikolai called the place?
Lizzie couldn't remember, but knew that the way he said it was beauty vocalized. And slowly, she felt herself drift to sleep, but she didn't stop it.
10
The next night, Nikolai Dragulia walked into the library, only to find Elizabeth fast asleep on the couch. A tiny smile touched his lips, and for a moment, he simply watched her, reveling in the sound her heart beat made. It had been a while since he had been around a human, and he forgot how beautiful they could be. Her hair resembled the color of wheat; it was long, wavy, and untamable, much like the woman who wore it that way, he found. Her body was long and lean, though she wasn't as tall as he had originally anticipated. In fact, if he was being honest, Nikolai wasn't sure if she could do the job he hired her to do only because of her stature. How was she supposed to be intimidating if she was barely five foot six on a good day?
But then Nikolai read the case files, and his opinion of her changed. The fact of the matter was that Elizabeth Grant exceeded even his expectations.
Nikolai Dragulia had never been a sexist when it came to the dangerous web assassins spun. In fact, if anything, women had more power over men simply because if a pretty woman walked by, a man's focus would be terminated until the pretty woman walked away from his line of sight. A woman, on the other hand, might catch a good-looking guy from the corner of her eye, but she wouldn't go talk to him until her assignment was finished.
And Elizabeth was gorgeous.
Not that Nikolai would ever say anything aloud about the instant revelation he had had upon first meeting her, but he wasn't blind and he wasn't stupid. Her body was taut – as it should be since it was incredibly important that she be in shape due to the complexities her job required – but still retained an admirable amount of curves. But it was her face that had caught him off-guard. To him, faces were important when it came to attraction. A woman could have an enviable body, but if their face wasn't proportioned well, it didn't matter how big her boobs were, how tight her abs were, and how long her legs were.
And Elizabeth had one hell of a face. It was one of those faces that caused men to literally stop, stare, and rubberneck. In fact, if Elizabeth had been around when Elvis was hitting his stride, Nikolai would have been certain that the song Rubbernecking was written about her. Even if there was a trail of drool spilling out from the corner of her lips.
"You fool," he murmured to himself, shaking his head at what he had said before crossing his arms over his chest.
Foolish, yes, but even Nikolai could not deny the attraction he felt for her. Her personality didn't quite mesh with his, but he seemed to like that. While she didn't boss him around, she stood her ground when it came to certain convictions, and she was one of the first people to see through him that he had encountered in a long time. Yes, he was arrogant, but he had barely met Elizabeth and already she was keeping him in his place – challenging him with witty repertoire he hadn't experienced in a long time.
But he had to remember that he had a fiancée. He was going to marry Marie, and that was that.
Marie was beautiful in her own right as well, exotic and graceful, as vampires usually looked. But while a human was instantly drawn to the seductive looks vampires held, vampires themselves went for softer, approachable looks humans usually had.
At that moment, he wondered what it would look like if Elizabeth smiled. He already noticed she had straight, white teeth, and something inside of him told him that she probably flossed. Would it be bright and genuine, or awkward and forced? Would she have dimples? When she spoke, he hadn't noti
ced any, but then maybe she had one that only popped when used in a smiling context. Who knew? He shrugged his shoulders, deciding it was time for her to wake up.
At least she would most likely be on his schedule now, which would prove to be very useful in the upcoming days.
Nikolai reached out, hesitating only a moment before placing his hand on the safe area of her shoulder. Even so, the material she was wearing was thin, and he could instantly feel the warmth radiating from her body. It reminded him of his mother in a way; while vampires themselves were cold creatures, humans that turned into vampires still retained their natural warmth despite the new species they belonged to. He let his hand linger there for a moment, reveling in feeling her, before gently shaking her shoulder in order to wake her up.
Nikolai hid a smile as he watched her face contort into protest. Elizabeth's brow furrowed with annoyance, and her closed lips allowed a groan of annoyance to slip through. She slowly opened her eyes, and when they came in contact with Nikolai's blue stare, she jumped up.
"What is it?" she asked, blinking rapidly as she stood, trying to wake herself up. "Are you all right? Is someone in the house? Have you got a lead suspect?"
"Um, no," Nikolai said in his usual dry voice, though he was surprised at her concern for him, especially when they were constantly at odds with one another. Of course, he masked that particular emotion, and instead added to his arrogance in order to keep her from figuring him out. "Dinner's ready," he told her, cocking his head over to the door, indicating that she was going to get up and follow him to the dining table.
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