Maybe I could find something that would help Daniel.
The doorbell rang as I made my way back into the living room with a bowl of popcorn. As my eyes glanced to the front door, an immediate rush of fear flooded over me like a heavy rain. It was Richard. At this point, I didn"t know what to do. So much for the perimeter of the house being protected! So much for Lycan bodyguards! Slowly I set the bowl down on the coffee table, and moved toward the front door.
Richard stood outside and waited patiently as he saw me moving toward the door.
My heart froze for a second to two as I contemplated opening the front door. The black long sleeve sweater he wore enhanced the pale color of his skin. I assessed his attire, admiring his choice in black Kenneth Cole jeans and shoes. Even I had to admit he looked very handsome despite the pale features.
As I opened the door, Richard removed his sunglasses. The inhumanly beautiful creature now stood before me. The tinted contacts he wore hid the beautiful crystal blue diamond-like eyes. My heart skipped another beat as his eyes appraised me in a seductive manner. There was no reason I had to fear him, especially when Heather was just a scream away.
“Richard.” I managed flatly.
“Julie.” His deep voice was thick and lustrous. The tones tingled in my ears.
“And you are here because?” I tried to hide the alluring qualities as my hand gripped tightly to the doorframe.
A spark of humor flickered in his face as a smile donned lips. “Actually, I wanted to talk with you concerning the information I found. May I?” He gestured with his hand for me to invite him inside of the house.
The air was chilled outside, so I went against my better judgment and stepped aside to let him enter. A warm smile crossed his lips as he moved past me through the threshold of my home. A few steps and he turned toward me.
“You have a guest?” He inquired as his eyes drifted up the stairs.
“Yes, Heather and Jason are staying with us for a little while.” My voice strained.
His attention was upon me again. “Hmm.” He began as he took a step toward me.
“So we are not alone then.”
“Richard, I swear to you…” I huffed out in a breath.
A small chuckle escaped him as he took a step away from me. His hand rose to his mouth to cover the laugh. “You do have a beautiful home, Julie. It was my intentions of complimenting you before, but I was somewhat distracted.”
“You are always distracted, Richard. As you were saying about the information.” I urged.
“Ah-yes, please accept my apologies. It seems I have found some rather interesting information on your werewolves.” His voice was silky and smooth. It appeared the more he spoke, the more I was drawn to him.
“Please enlighten me, if you will.” My voice was firm and sarcastic.
My eyes narrowed slightly as I wondered if this was a trick. Richard appeared to be calm and very sure of himself. What type of information could he offer me?
“A lady would ask a gentleman if he would like to have a seat.” His gaze drifted around the room. “Is this not what you would call Southern Hospitality?”
“Yes, a lady would.” I walked past him into the living room. “However, I am no lady when it comes to you.” I sneered. “Sit Richard, and please tell me what you have to say.” I sat down on the sofa and motioned for him to sit down.
Richard moved slowly and fluidly toward the chair I offered him. As I watched him walk, I was awestricken once again. He moved as a man in control, confident and sexy.
The way his legs moved with his body sent chills over my arms. Damn, he was too sexy for his own good. I shifted slightly on the sofa as I watched him seat himself in the chair across from me. My heart skipped another beat as I watched him lean back in the chair. The air of arrogance preceded him in the most unnerving way. Any woman would admire this in a man. It was what most women wanted. A man who knows what he wants, but Richard was no ordinary man. He was in fact a vampire. It was a fact which I constantly needed to remind myself. Does this quality add to the sense of sex appeal?
For me, it most certainly did.
This inhumanely beautiful vampire had that type of confidence in his own abilities.
It was this air of arrogance that drew me to him. Just watching him as he moved, walked across a room made my heart flutter. How was it that this vampire had this ability?
“I found out our werewolf friends are searching for something inside of the mountain. It appears there is an item which is hidden deep within the mountain itself.”
“Do you have any idea what the item is?” I leaned forward; my curiosity over this new found knowledge appeared to have the best of me.
“No. There is one person who would know. I have already made arrangements to meet him.” Richard glanced around the room again.
“Who is this person? How does he know what is hidden there?” My questions rushed out of my mouth.
Richard"s gaze shifted only for a second. Even in that small second, I noticed his eyes travel past me and up the staircase. Without even questioning, I knew something about Heather bothered him. Maybe it was the fact I was not alone with him.
“His name is Mithras.” Richard began as his attention fell upon me again. “I said he might know what is hidden up there. The answers you seek still remain open.” He inhaled a slow breath and leaned forward placing his arms on his knees. “Julie, there is one more thing.” His voice was low and soft.
The moment he moved, my heart fluttered once again. It appeared that even moving an inch closer bothered me. It was without control of myself that I immediately stood to my feet. I needed distance between this beautiful vampire and me. Reminisces of our first kiss clouded my mind.
Slowly I crossed the floor to the bar, allowing a little distance between this vampire and myself. I had the uneasy feeling Richard was not going to stop. He didn"t seem to be the type to give up so easily.
There was a flash of sudden movement in my peripheral vision. Richard had moved, standing behind me as his floral fragrance encumbered my senses. The familiar smell of lilies and carnations lingered against my senses, even heavier than before. My eyelids drooped as I tried to breathe without inhaling the intoxicating scent. Slowly my hands gripped the granite counter, holding tightly as I fought the effects of this exquisite scent.
“In my scurry to uncover the secrets behind your werewolves, another precarious secret revealed itself to me. One of which, I was most intrigued in its origin. Of course, I had to explore more into this wondrous thing.” The coolness of his breath fanned against my hair. The sweet scent overloaded my senses, leaving me helpless once again. The desire to have his lips once again on mine, tasting the sweetness of his kiss overwhelmed me.
“What may that be, I wonder.” My words came out through gritted teeth.
I felt my hair as it was pulled away from the side of my face, exposing the flesh on my neck. The temperature in my veins rose as I felt the coolness of his lips against my skin.
He inhaled a deep breath. “Mmm.” He paused. “Oh, I think it is something you would enjoy immensely. A bit of information your dear Daniel and the people you consider your family and friends may have hidden from you.”
The muscles in my arms trembled. The tones in his voice tingled in my ears. I couldn"t think. Confusion had taken over my mind. As I fought hard against this wave of intoxication, I remembered, it was his spell. It was the spell of a vampire.
I bore down against his spell, turning to face him. My will had to be stronger than his.
“You"re lying.” I hissed between clinched teeth.
Richard chuckled softly. “No… my dear.” He whispered. “See I know a few things about you, some of which you don’t even know about yourself. Your mother for example.” His hand lifted slowly to my face. The pale finger locked onto a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger then brought it to his face. “You never knew who or what she was. Maybe she wasn’t what you thought.”
&nb
sp; I blinked a couple of times, staring into his beautiful face. The lips that once touched mine carried that kiss which still haunted me.
“If you will,” He began as he leaned closer to my face. “Trust me and I will tell you everything I know.”
I inhaled a deep and ragged breath. My mind swirled from his scent. “Wha-at ma-ake-s you-u…” The words shuddered out of my mouth. “Th-hink I can trust you.”
“Because my lovely, I am the only one who will give you what you desire.” He leaned closer to my face.
Richard took a step back away from me. Something had changed about him. His eyes had become bloodshot. The linings of his eyelids were almost a blood red. I watched as his body tensed and become rigid. The beautiful features suddenly became distraught as his jaw clinched tightly together. For a moment, I had considered the fact Richard might indeed attack me. Was he actually losing it?
Apparently, he gained control of himself and spoke in a strained voice. “Soon and very soon I shall return for you, my lovely.”
A soft kiss feathered against my skin, my eyes closed tightly, my body trembled.
Richard was in control of himself. Just how badly did he want me? I wondered. When I opened my eyes, he was gone. My trembling fingers lifted to touch the skin where the soft kiss lingered. At least this time, I thought, I didn"t faint.
Richard"s new information left me in a quandary. What if Daniel and the Maxwell family knew about my mother? What if there was something about her they were keeping hidden from me? Charlotte had said once; she knew what my mother was. Was it something that would cause me pain? All of these thoughts ran through my mind in a rush. I was tired of being in the dark. I wanted the truth. For now, Richard appeared to be the only one willing to provide me with the answers I was seeking. The biggest question remained, could I trust this inhumanly beautiful creature with my life? There was only one way to find out.
Daniel and Jason returned later that evening. There appeared to be some odd static in the air concerning the two of them. Even Heather noticed the difference. After a quiet dinner, quiet meaning no one spoke during the entire dinner, I watched as Daniel lingered by the kitchen counter staring blankly into the wall. My heart was beginning to break. I didn"t know if Daniel realized it or not, but it felt as though he was putting a certain amount of distance between us.
I crossed the room and moved beside of him. “Daniel, will you talk to me about this?” Gently I placed my hand over his heart.
The expression on his face was now grimmer than ever. He shook his head, and then ran his fingers through his hair. His hazel eyes narrowed into a glare. My heart fluttered. This was bad, worse than before, and it was written all over his face.
He sighed. “We have a lot on our plates right now.”
“Daniel, we will get through this.” My heart hoped he would tell me this torture he was enduring. Something happened and I knew it. Daniel was withholding it from me.
Hope failed me as Daniel moved away from me. He paused and gave me a kiss on the forehead. From there I watched as he slowly walked back into the living room and out onto the patio closing the door behind him. A feeling of dread washed through my heart. Something else was bothering Daniel. The fear that washed over me was more or less if he knew if Richard was here again. The need to eat had left me and he was my concern now. I did what any woman would do…I went after him. He was standing on the patio, leaning against the railing.
The chill in the air swept over me, sending a shiver down my spine. Daniel was staring out into the woods; he turned his head slightly to side as I touched his back.
Raising his arm, he slid it around my back. I looked into his eyes and my heart shattered.
Daniel"s teary eyes met mine. He was in pain, a very deep emotional pain.
“Julie,” He began. My heart pounded loudly to the point my ears were ringing. “I want you to know I love you more than my own life.”
“I know.” I spoke softly.
“I could not bear it if anything happened to you. When Dad told me about the mall, I immediately had flash backs of Casey. I could not handle it if they did something like that to you. You do not understand what would happen to me, if they hurt you that way.”
“Daniel,” I wanted to say so much, but the words caught in my throat. Still I felt he was not telling me something. “We will get through this.”
“I know we will.” He sighed again then turned back to look out through the woods.
His arm slid away from me and returned his hand back on the wooden railing.
The heart inside my chest broke as I turned around and went back into the house.
“Julie?” Daniel"s voice was soft yet there was a brokenness I heard clearly.
I turned to face him, he hadn"t moved one inch. “Yes?”
“I just want you to be happy.” The words were barely above a whisper, yet they rang loudly in my heart and ears. For a split second, I felt as though I was losing Daniel.
Hot tears streamed down my face. The heart inside my body shattered into a million pieces. What had I done? I brought my trembling hand to my mouth, to cover any sound that I may make. Did he not realize I loved him more than my own life?
Could he not see I would die for him? I stood frozen for a moment consumed by the overwhelming pain I was feeling. Daniel never moved. He stood motionless with his back turned to me. I didn"t know what to say. I needed to put some distance between us.
I pushed my way back to the kitchen to clean up. It was making no sense to me. Tears continued to stream down my face, I needed answers, but this wasn"t the time. My heartfelt the crushing waves again, tearing at my soul. A gush of air erupted from my chest as the tears continued to flow. I raised my head and looked around the kitchen.
Chills prickled down my spine, I loved Daniel so much. A certain amount of guilt swept over me concerning Richard. How could this have happened?
Heather and I were in the kitchen when Daniel made the announcement he and Jason were going to see Thomas. I was ready to go with him, when his weary eyes looked into mine and said the words that tore through my heart.
“Not this time, Julie.” The hurt in his voice matched the pain in my heart. “I want you and Heather to stay here until we come back. There are some things I need to discuss with Thomas and the Council. Please be careful. We may be back later than expected, so don"t wait up for me.”
Those were the last words I heard from Daniel before I went to bed. As my eyes closed, I couldn"t help feeling the distance between us. What could be creating this? I wondered if it was because I kissed Richard. Then it dawned on me; Daniel could have detected Richard"s scent in the room. Why didn"t I think of that before! Maybe I should have told him Richard came over. I turned over in the bed again.
The argument continued within my mind, until I finally became too exhausted to continue with the war. There had to be some other explanation as to why Daniel was doing this?
Tomorrow would be another day and hopefully, a day of answers. My plans would be to seek out Richard, then confront Daniel. I only prayed the answers wouldn"t be as bad as I feared.
Finally, my thoughts faded as I drifted off into a deep sleep. The darkness covered me as my body relaxed. Yes, tomorrow was another day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The new day started off with a bang. I was still sleeping soundly when Daniel woke me. Wednesday, the week was almost over and I still had a lot to do. My grumbling and protests didn"t stop him as he pulled the warm bed covers off me, exposing me to the coolness of the house. I glanced at the clock; it was only five thirty. My eyes peered through narrow slits to see him standing before me already showered and dressed. The irritation on his face was probably due to my disagreement from waking up so early.
“Julie, we have house guests, come on! We need to get breakfast started,” he snapped.
Wearily, I rolled off the bed as he grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I pushed his arm away and padded toward the bathroom. Yes, I knew we had guest
s, but I was not a morning person, at least not before I had my first cup of coffee. Five thirty, I thought, I was standing in the shower at five thirty. I finished, dressed and found Daniel in the kitchen. He cranked up the griddle on the massive gas range. The coffee was ready, with a second pot ready to start brewing when needed.
I stumbled my way to the coffee, grabbed a cup and glanced around the kitchen. He shoved a carton of eggs and bowl toward me on the prep island. I didn"t speak, still in my stupor, and broke the eggs into the bowl. He cooked the country ham and bacon on the griddle and then chopped the onions for what looked like hash browns. I took another sip of coffee then beat the eggs once I had emptied the entire carton. Reaching for the salt and pepper, I held them over the bowl and suddenly he slapped my hand away and yelled at me again.
“NO! Do not put salt and pepper in those!”
I glared at him a moment, trying to decide what I was going to say. “I thought you wanted scrambled eggs.”
“I do,” he sneered at me. “But I also need an egg batter for the French toast. Here”
He shot out at me as he tossed me the French bread and slammed the carton of cream down in front of me.
I went to grab another bowl, and another carton of eggs. Returning to the counter, I pushed the first bowl aside and broke open another carton of eggs.
“What in the hell are you doing?” he yelled as he walked over and looked into the bowl.
“You said you wanted a batter for the French toast.” I replied.
“Julie, Damn it! Use the one you started for the batter! What is wrong with you?” he snapped again.
Okay, have it your way! I grabbed the cream and poured it into the bowl, followed by the vanilla and stirred it. Setting the bowl aside, I grabbed the knife and cut the loaf of French bread into slices. Fate help me if I cut them wrong. So far, he was intent on watching the meat cooking. I continued with the French toast until I had it prepared for him. Then I went back to working on the scrambled eggs.
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