The Kingdom of the Nine; The Vampire Legacy IV by Dawn Gray Page B

behind him, then walked
by and headed for the room. I could feel Nick following behind me
and then turned to look at him as we entered the room.
    “So, what do you want to talk about?” He
shrugged, with his arms crossed over his chest.
    “First off, drop the act, because it doesn't
work for me.” I told him, putting my hands on my hips. He smirked
at me then shook his head.
    “And, what act would that be?” He asked.
    “The cold, “I don't give a shit about
anybody” act.” I replied. “You men are all alike; do you really
think that stone cold persona you put on is really attractive?”
    “Are you saying that you're attracted to me?”
He asked as he made his way over to the couch, where he sat in the
middle of the cushion and stretched his arms out along the length
of the backrest.
    “No, but Connie was.” I replied, as I turned
to face him. I watched the cocky smile fade from his face and his
eyes took on a softer look. “Why did you leave her? Was it because
of me, or because of what happened to me?”
    “Not everything is about you.” He replied,
quietly.
    “No, I didn't think it was.” I stepped over
and sat in the chair in front of him, and then I watched as he
turned away from me. “So, why did you do it?”
    “She was in danger.” He whispered.
    “In danger of what? By whom?” I
questioned.
    “Why are you bringing this up?” He asked,
snapping his head around to look at me. I smiled at this reaction,
knowing in my heart that he still cared for her made this
easier.
    “I was on the phone with her, just before I
confronted you.”
    “Oh.” His eyes lowered to the floor.
    “And, she said that the last time you saw
her, you told her that you would never step foot in this house
again, so why are you here now?” I leaned forward, placing elbows
on my knees. “Is it because of Creolas, or because you thought I
would bring her back here too?”
    “I don't want to talk about this anymore.” He
whispered and looked up at me; his brown eyes seemed hard and
distant.
    “Why?” I asked. He stood, moved across the
floor, and towered over me as I was backed into the corner, in what
felt like an instant. His teeth bared and I could see his vampire
teeth, but they were dull, as if they were meant to be a warning.
“Nick, I don't want to hurt you, just tell me why.”
    “Because, I loved her.” He replied, quietly,
then stood and headed for the door.
    “She's been alone since you left her.” I
replied, sitting up in the chair. He stopped in the doorway, with
his back to me and I listened to him sigh. “I didn't realize why
she never met anyone else, or why she got so into her job, but now
I know.” I looked over at him as he glanced sideways at me. “It's
because she has been waiting for you.”
    “She doesn't have anyone?” He asked,
softly.
    “Well, there's Paul.” I replied, which got
him to look away, then I smiled. “Of course, he's not interested in
women, so I don't know if I'd count that as someone.”
    “What's your point, O'Neal?” He asked.
    “Why don't you go back to her?” I
questioned.
    “The time isn't right, there's still danger
around.”
    “There always was and always will be, but
that didn't stop you from getting involved before, why should it
now?”
    “You're a nosy pest, O'Neal, you always
were.” He answered, but I noticed that a bit of the hardness had
left his voice, and I smiled as he stepped out of the room. I stood
and moved to the window to look out at the ocean, when I heard
someone walk in.
    “He wasn't bothering you, was he?” Julian's
voice asked.
    “What is it with you and him?” I questioned
and turned to look at him, my arms crossed over my chest. Julian
shrugged.
    “We've always been a bit competitive.” He
replied.
    “Well, you both can knock it off around me,
because I'm not buying into it.” I answered. Suddenly, as I looked
at him, my head began to spin as my eyes blurred. All I saw was
darkness, and then there was a bright flash