The Power

by Cynthia Roberts

  “Lilly?”

  “I’m sure.” Lillian whispered. “Sorry to wake you. Goodnight, Jack.” She said in a loving voice.

  “Anytime you need me.” Jack returned, a smile in his voice. “Good morning, Love.” he corrected her earlier sentiment. Right, it was morning!

  Love? Was Gina correct? Was Jack in love with her? This was getting out of hand, Lillian thought, but the thought that Jack may indeed be in love with her was a comforting one, and one that filled her with warmth, happiness and desire for him.

  But it could never work! Jack was mortal, and she was not! She would never pull him into her world. She would never dream of asking him to join her world, where he would have to give up anyone and everyone he had ever cared about. Jack deserved better than the coldness of the immortal. He deserved to be happy! She wanted that for him, happiness, even at the cost of her own happiness. Yes, Jack Stone meant a great deal to her. The realization was striking, but deep down she had always known. Since the moment she had met him again she had known that he was the one she would have spent the rest of her life with. That is, if she had remained mortal, had remained human.

  Chapter twenty-five

  The restaurant was romantically lit where they sat in the midst of the room. Ewan had just ordered for her in French none the less, and Nicole had to admit that she was thoroughly impressed. “So what will I be dining on tonight? Please tell me you didn’t just order me snails.” She teased softly. Ewan’s smile was handsome, suave, and it caused her to hold her breath in anticipation.

  “Filet Minion. Fish.” he reassured her, and Nicole smiled beautifully. Did he know the affect that he had on her? How could he miss it? She was sure she had to be as easy to read as a paperback! God, she couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t stop praising her luck. Just last week she had been contemplating spending the rest of her life alone. Who would want some crazed fanatic after all? Even she knew that she was obsessed. How could she not be though, after the way her parents had perished, after finding the journal? Perhaps, Detective Stone was right though? Perhaps it was all in her overactive imagination? Oh! The years she had spent studying anything and everything on the subject of vampires… She had even taken a vacation to Romania, hoping to discover more clues in nearby Transylvania. Was she just a fool chasing a fool’s dream? She had found no evidence in America, Romania, or Transylvania to suggest that her would-be creatures of the night did in fact, exist. No, all she had ever stumbled upon were myths and legends. The closest she had actually come to discovering a real and true vampire had been here, recently in New York, in the city that she called home.

  Sighing, she scooped up her wine glass and took a meager sip as she stared into the glorious, moss green eyes of her new companion. What a handsome man, she thought, as she stared at his dark chestnut hair that was so thick with a lustrous shine. She longed to run her fingers through it, to kiss his temple, his ear. She could feel her stomach turning into a heated mess as her heart began to beat away from her at such thoughts.

  “What are you thinking?” Ewan inquired, and Nicole blushed at her own seductive thoughts. She barely knew the man! She wasn’t the sort of woman who was loose with her morals, but damn, she had wanted to jump this man’s bones since the first moment she had laid eyes on him! It was an elating feeling.

  “This is a nice place.” She said, trying to hide her embarrassment of her heated thoughts by glancing around her at the deep red tablecloths draping over several small, rounded tables surrounded by beautifully sculpted, antique chairs. Silently, she worried that perhaps the waiters she saw darting back and forth were better dressed than she was. She wasn’t used to this sort of atmosphere. Her usual eateries included late night trips to McDonald’s or Taco Bell. Not that she couldn’t afford better! No, she just never had the time with her demanding job.

  “Is it? I had hoped so.” Ewan confessed with a warm smile that caused butterflies to twitch in her belly.

  “You’ve never been here before?” Nicole’s blue gaze rose to melt into his beautiful eyes. Did he know how handsome he was? How sexy? Jesus, it’s been a long time since you’ve had a man, Nic! She scolded herself for her overactive libido. Down girl!

  “Never. It came highly recommended though by some friends of mine. I apologize if it isn’t all that you are used to. I don’t travel in New York often or America for that matter. I mostly stay overseas.” he explained, and she couldn’t help but to practically swoon at his sexy, English accent. Perhaps that was part of what drew her to him: the accent?

  “In England?” she asked the obvious question, and felt stupid for doing so. She was a smarter woman than this, she reminded herself. She had a Harvard Medical degree for Christ’s sake, but she was having a hard time using her mind tonight for anything other than fanciful, romantic fantasies. She couldn’t concentrate on the amazing ambiance of the room. The soft classical music that played from hidden speakers seemed to saturate the air, but Nicole was lost to it all, lost to everything but the incredible man sitting across from her.

  “If I were to call any one place home, London would be it.” he offered, gathering his hands together on the table. “And you Nicole? Is New York where you were born and raised?”

  “Manhattan.” She said. “I moved here for college, and stayed, well came back after medical school, Harvard.” She shrugged her pale, slender shoulders. She was dressed up tonight in a beautiful, powder blue gown that she had gone out and purchased the moment Ewan had suggested dinner to her. She blushed at the thought. It had been a long time since she had gone to the trouble of getting dressed up for a man, but Ewan Derringer had been worth it. His smile alone was worth it, she thought, becoming lost in that smile. He was gorgeous, intelligent, possessed a sharp wit, and a decent sense of humor. What else could a girl ask for? And he was interested in her! She couldn’t believe her luck! Guys like Ewan Derringer never went for the brainy girl. They always went for the bleached blonde, tramps who didn’t possess a decent thought in their heads! “I guess I couldn’t get the city out of my system.” she confessed, “And my aunt needed my help.”

  “She was ill, your aunt?” Ewan guessed wisely, and Nicole nodded.

  “Brain cancer. She died six months after I moved back home. I still live in her old apartment.”

  “I’m sorry.” Ewan replied, ducking his dark head. She could tell that her confession had made him feel uncomfortable.

  “It was a long time ago. What do you do, Ewan? You mentioned that one of your clients lived in my building?” Nicole pressed. Ewan appeared uneasy all of a sudden, and Nicole wondered at it. Had she said something wrong?

  “I buy and sell art.” he said, looking to the waiter who was coming to refill their glasses. Nicole waited for the waiter to leave.

  “Oh, you work for a museum?” she asked.

  “I sell to individuals actually. I’ve always had an eye for art. I seem to simply know what certain people will appreciate. I locate the items, mostly from starving young artist scattered abroad. I sell their work, and help give them a name.” he explained, and she was once again enthralled, and quite frankly impressed to her toes!

  “It sounds like a lot of traveling.” She cupped her hands together on the table and leaned in closer to him.

  “It is.” he agreed.

  “Then you’ve seen the world?” she asked excitedly.

  “Much of it, yes.”

  “So tell me.” Nicole beamed. “What is Paris like?”

  “Marvelous. Spectacular. There is no place on earth quite like Paris, Love.” Ewan expressed in that rich, English accent, and Nicole nearly crumbled in her seat. What was it about the man that made her feel as if she were melting where she sat? Her heart had been racing since the moment she had set eyes on him again tonight. Sweat gathered in her palms. Her stomach tightened, and stayed clenched. She didn’t know how she was going to eat a bite, but she didn’t care! Ewan Derringer was quite simply the most fascinating man she had ever met!

  “When
do you plan to bring the woman into our little coven?” Martin asked later that night as he and Ewan stood together on the balcony of Ewan’s studio apartment in a well-to-do neighborhood.

  “When the time is right.” Ewan replied sternly as he leaned down against the railing.

  “And when will that be?” Martin followed suit, and leaned down on the railing as well.

  “When I say it will be.” Ewan hissed, and he stared out into the dark night, becoming lost in his thoughts. He thought of Dr. Harold, but he could not help but to think of her as well. Where had she gone after she had abandoned him? How had she lived, and did she ever, even if only once in a decade, think of him?

  “She doesn’t resemble her as much as you seem to believe that she does.” Martin said carefully, but not carefully enough. Ewan turned with lightening speed and grabbed the vampire up by the collar of his shirt, sending the man slamming back into the stone wall with a loud thud. Martin’s bright eyes showed alarm. His shock of white hair fell over his eyes when he lowered his head in submission.

  “This has nothing to do with her!” Ewan growled out, and he loosened his grip, allowing Martin to hover there in the air as he had witnessed the vampire do countless times before. It was the vampire’s power, the ability to become semi-weightless for moments at a time, to hover above the earth if only for a short time. It helped in a battle. It helped in a hunt, but Martin wasn’t nearly as powerful as Ewan, and they both knew it.

  “Doesn’t it?” Martin pressed, and Ewan sent him a warning scowl. “You’ve never forgotten, never forgiven her for…”

  “For what?” Ewan snarled loudly, watching as Martin‘s booted-feet again touched the stone tile of the floor.

  “For no longer loving you.” Martin was brave to say, but he dropped his gaze all the same.

  Ewan turned, growling low in his throat. He dropped his arms to the railing once again, and stared out into the lit city, admiring the many white lights. “I thought she was different.” He confessed. “She seemed to legitimately be in awe of me. I believed she would accept me.” he said brokenly.

  “But she didn’t.” Martin stressed. “She didn’t accept you for who you really were, and then she left you.” he reminded. “And you’ve been searching for her ever since, in every face we pass. You thought you saw her years ago, in the child, in the woman you now pursue, but she isn’t Lillian, Ewan. She will not satisfy you.” Martin warned.

  “You couldn’t possibly know that.” Ewan said lowly. Was Martin right though, he wondered? Nicole was endearing. She was not innocent as his Lillian had been, but she was sweet and smart. She had an amazing smile, and she looked at him with beautiful blue eyes filled with awe. She wanted him, but how did he know if she wanted him for himself, and not because of his gift? It wasn’t something that he could simply turn off. Those around him were drawn to him as if by some unseen force, and he knew that Dr. Nicole Harold was not immune to his charms. What did he want with her anyway? Why was he drawn to the sweet, wholesome types? He was anything but! He had Martin and he had Gerald. As inadequate as the two vampires were, they accepted him for who he was. They had stayed with him for all of these years, by his side no matter what he had said, no matter what he had done. Of course, they were as callous as he, himself, was! They enjoyed the hunt as much as he, himself, did. It was what had brought them together in the beginning. Why was he always looking outside of the box, seeking what would never accept him for who, or rather what he was!

  “Leave me.” He voiced, and Martin didn’t hesitate to do so. Ewan had a lot to think over. Was Dr. Harold really worth his time? He wasn’t stupid. He knew how dangerous it was becoming for them in this city. They could take things only so far before they started to draw the attention of the mortals. If he was going to stay, they were going to have to be more careful in their dealings. As much as he hated to do so, they were going to have to cut back on their hunts, and soon, or with or without the good doctor, they would be forced to vacate New York all together!

  Chapter twenty-six

  Jack was turning into Lilly’s drive when he saw Gina standing at the huge, iron gates. What was she doing out here, he wondered as he pulled to a stop? The lights were on at the house, but it was far enough away that he was sure no one had seen his approach as of yet. Was that Gina’s plan?

  “Hello, Jack.” Gina greeted as she came to his window. “I wondered if I could have a moment of your time.”

  “Sure.” Jack replied uncomfortably. What was this all about? He had a bad feeling that Lilly wasn’t going to like it. “Get in.” he reached over to unlock the passenger’s side door as Gina walked around.

  “Drive.” she ordered, once she was seated.

  “Um, alright.” Jack hesitated with that sick feeling in his gut once again, but he backed out, and began to slowly drive down the street. “What was it that you needed, Gina?” he asked. “I don’t even know your last name.” he realized.

  “It isn’t important.” Gina stated. She was looking out her window, not looking at him.

  “Alright. Why don’t you tell me what is on your mind then?” Jack said to get her talking. She turned to him then. Her blue eyes alarmingly bright. She was a very pretty woman, but she didn’t move him like Lilly did. No one did! What did this woman want? Was she checking him out for her would-be daughter’s sake? Was she worried that he wouldn’t measure up, that he wasn’t good enough for Lilly? Jack’s heart jumped to his throat to beat wildly. I may very well not be good enough for her, but I want her all the same. I can’t imagine my life now without her, he thought almost desperately. Gina smiled warmly then as if reading his expression.

  “You really do care for her, don’t you?” she asked, confirming his suspicion that she could read his sorry hide like an open book!

  “I’m falling in love with her.” Jack confessed, feeling the strong, heated emotions to the very core of him. “She’s…she’s difficult to get close to though. Sometimes, I feel like she is hiding something from me.” he shared. Gina looked down at her hands, and suddenly Jack was worried that Lillian was indeed hiding something from him, and that this woman, Gina, knew exactly to what that something was. “What is it?” he asked, hoping that she would tell him what he wasn’t sure Lillian ever would.

  “It isn’t my place to tell you these things, Jack.” Gina voiced softly. “I just want to know that she can trust you, that you will not betray her if she does indeed share her secrets with you?” Gina’s eyes burned into him, and he could see that she was desperate to know where he stood.

  “Lilly can trust me with her life.” he swore, meaning every word of it. He would die to protect her. He knew that now. Whatever it was, he would protect her. “She seems almost afraid of me at times. She said something happened in her past? I assume it had to do with a man?” he asked quietly as he parked the car on the side of the street in front of a nice, suburban home, and killed the lights.

  “She was hurt when she was very young. She was so naïve to you men. I tried to warn her, but her heart was too far in it.” Gina relented, sounding sad, but also unsure of talking to him about this particular subject.

  “Hurt?” Jack tried to mentally prepare himself. He felt his chest tighten, and he prepared himself for words he did not want to hear. He didn’t like to think of Lilly with her heart broken or sad. He wanted to see her smiling, laughing, or that smoldering look in her beautiful eyes just before he kissed her. His gut tightened at the thought.

  “Lured actually.” Gina corrected.

  “What do you mean lured?” Jack’s gaze jerked upward at the menacing word.

  “A handsome gentleman, a man from wealth and privilege who had been handed everything on a silver platter, a spoiled, pompous man that Lillian could not see because of the stars in her eyes, charmed her, made her believe she was falling for him.” Gina turned once again to stare out her window. Jack’s gut tightened in jealousy as the picture of Lilly staring at some other man with stars in her eyes entered his mind. H
e had to check himself, and remind himself that it had been a very long time ago.

  “He seduced her?” Lilly’s past did not matter to him, he told himself. It was over and done with! He would be her future, he vowed!

  “Yes, and then this same, handsome, suave gentlemen of so-called class captured her alone one evening, and then he tore the stars from her eyes by brutally raping her.”

  The words hit Jack hard in the chest as if someone had slugged him there right in the heart. He had not been expecting those words. Not those words! He wanted to scream in denial. He wanted to find the man, and rip his head off. He wanted to kill the bastard in the most violent way imaginable! “I shouldn’t have told you of this, but Lillian never will.” Gina said brokenly. “She was always so ashamed afterward as if it had been her fault.”

  “How could she believe such a thing! Tell me she sent the son of a bitch to prison!” Jack growled out all at once. The fury inside of him was raging. Gina smiled warmly.

  “It was a very long time ago, Jack. She didn’t want anyone to know. I respected her wishes.”

  “And the bastard got off scot-free!” Jack snapped fitfully. “Tell me his name!” he demanded hotly, and Gina shook her dark head.

  “It doesn’t matter now, Jack. It’s over and done with. Now, promise me you will not hurt her. Promise me that no matter what, Jack, you will stand by her side.” It was a demand that Jack had no trouble submitting to. He nodded confirmation, and Gina smiled, obviously believing him. “Let me out at the gate, Jack.” she said dismissively. Jack fought the vengeful demon within him that wanted to take action tonight, to find that son of a bitch that had hurt his Lilly. He wouldn’t even know where to start though.

  Telling himself to get it under control before he met Lilly tonight, Jack drew in several deep breaths. Silently, he wondered if would she take one look at his face and know that he knew? Why hadn’t she told him herself? She had started to, he recalled suddenly, on more than one occasion. He knew that. It had to be difficult for her, he knew that too, but why couldn’t she trust him? He would never harm her, not in a million years. Jesus Christ! How was he supposed to sit through dinner tonight knowing what he now knew, and not give in to the need to pull her into his embrace to comfort her?