The Kingdom of the Nine; The Vampire Legacy IV (12 page)

“I'm sorry, Cait.” He whispered, but I saw
the witty smile that spread across his face. I watched her walk
over to him, shaking her head and she grabbed the back of the
chair. I smiled when she pushed on it and smiled when it gave way,
knowing that Julian pushed it back with his feet.

“I don't want your apologies, Jules.” She
said as she leaned closer to him. He placed his hands on her hips
as she moved towards him.

“So, what can I do to make it up to you?” He
questioned, and looked her over as she straddled him on his lap.
“Well, this could look a bit compromising.”

“Julian, shut up.” She smiled as she kissed
him, but just at that moment, Creolas walked into the room and
stood against the wall next to the doorway.

He crossed his arms and watched them, just as
I did, licking his lips, then he put on that trade mark smirk I was
getting use to seeing him wear, before he made a loud knock by
pounding his hand against the wall. She looked up and Julian looked
over at their viewer before she slid off his lap and stood behind
him as he rose.

“Creolas, I didn't realize you were back.”
Julian said, in a monotone voice.

“Well, don't let that stop you from whatever
it was you were doing.” He replied. “Please, continue. Don't stop
on my account, in fact, I encourage you.”

“What do you want?” She asked, but Julian
looked at her, quieting her with the sternness of his eyes. Creolas
smiled widely, locking his eyes on her, and then he turned and
walked out of the room. I watched Julian turn to her, to see the
fright in her eyes, and then I heard his soft voice.

“Caitlyn?” He whispered, and I closed my eyes
to just listen to that voice. I smiled, listening to him talk to
her so caringly, and then I heard his voice closer to my own ears.
“Caitlyn?” I opened my eyes and looked over at Julian, as the five
men around the table stared at me. His green eyes twinkled as he
looked at me, trying to determine if I needed help or not. “Are you
feeling well?”

“Yes.” I smiled and looked around the table.
“I'm fine. I was just remembering something.”

“It must have been something extremely
interesting.” David added, which made me look at him. “You're a bit
flush.”

“It was...very personal.” I answered, and
then looked at the men around me. “So, what's for dinner?”

“Steak and potatoes.” Michael said and
watched as they brought in a plateful of steaks and began to set
the table for dinner. Michael looked at me as I glanced back at the
doorway and sighed. “So, what's got you so distracted?”

“Something's been bothering me, and I'm not
quite sure what it is.”

“So, how do you know it's bothering you?”
Quinn questioned.

“Well, it's there, in the back of my mind and
I can't seem to bring it forward, but I know that it's something
important and it has to do with, and this may seem a bit funny, but
it's about Julian and Nick.” I glanced up in their direction when I
mentioned them and watched their reactions.

“What about us?” Nick asked.

“That's just it, I don't know.” I sighed,
trying not to get upset at the fact that I didn't remember, but I
couldn't help but suddenly feel pressured to come up with
something. With all eyes pinned on me, I couldn't take it anymore.
I quickly stood, took a glance around the table, and then left the
room.

I could feel someone following me, but it
wasn't Julian or his brother, then again, it wasn't Creolas,
because I wasn't feeling the danger from him, but as I rounded the
corner near the stairway, hands reached and grabbed me, and turned
me quickly to face whoever it might have been that stopped me, and
that brought on the memory.

I was pushed back against the wall behind me,
just under the handrails of the stairs, in the darkness of this
house at night. I saw his eyes before I heard his voice, those red
glowing orbs of light, then he smiled.

“I thought you were warned not to wonder
around here alone.” Creolas smiled at me, flashing those sharp
fangs. He pressed his body against mine as his hand wrapped around
the back of my head and grabbed a handful of hair. I placed my
hands against his chest, pushing at him. “Oh, come now, Caitlyn,
don't you think you should stop denying the attraction you have for
me?”

“Let me go!” I ordered, still pushing, but I
couldn't budge him.

“Where's your little man, now, Kitty Cat?” He
questioned as he began to nuzzle my neck. I could feel the panic
start to bubble in my stomach as his other hand began to caress the
form of my body. I could feel the tears start as I closed my eyes
and tried to suppress the nausea in my belly. “Why don't you just
give in to it? Stop holding back.”

He began to kiss me, and I could feel every
ounce of my being stopping the scream from escaping my throat, but
it was as his hand traveled down between my legs that I knew I was
in trouble. I reached down and tried to push that hand away as he
started to massage me gently.

“Are you afraid, Kitty Cat?”

“Please, stop.” I begged him as his kisses
became painful on my neck and I could feel his teeth on me. I
pushed with all my might at him, but he moved in closer, painfully
grabbing me between my legs. “This isn't happening!” I whispered,
trying to find some courage. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because, I can.” He replied and kissed me
hard on the lips, but the kiss was cut short and I was able to
catch my breath as I looked up and saw Creolas snarling at the
figure dressed in black behind him.

“She asked you to stop, and I suggest you do
as she says.” Nick's voice boomed through the empty halls of the
house. Creolas stepped closer to me again, but I watched, wide-eyed
and crying, as Nick's hand fell on his shoulder and he pulled
Creolas away from me. “Leave, before I get violent!”

“Please, Brother, don't make me laugh.” He
answered, but as he turned to move away, he looked back at me
quickly. “We're not finished, Kitty.”

“Leave! Now!” Nick ordered. Creolas smiled
and walked away, which left me to break down crying and it was at
the end of this memory that I looked at the man who had stopped me
as I ran from the dinner table. Nick's dark eyes looked down at me
as the tears I felt from the memory came forward.

“You saved me from your brother.” I
whispered, backing up against the wall. Nick released my arm and
looked away.

“It wasn't the first time.” He replied,
looking back at me.

“I shouldn't have come here. I'm not ready
for this.” I sighed and rubbed my head as I wiped the tears away.
“I'm certainly not ready for Creolas.”

“You shouldn’t be wondering alone.”

“I know, and you keep telling me this, and
slowly, I'm remembering why, but I'm not going to lock myself in my
room for the rest of the time I'm here.”

“Then, I suggest you get an escort before you
go roaming alone.” He growled and crossed his arms.

“Why did you follow me out here anyway?” I
questioned.

For a long, silent moment, he didn't answer,
in fact, he just stared at the wall, but, slowly, he turned to face
me. “I was worried about you...your safety, and my lazy cousin,
wasn't getting off his ass to follow you.”

“Did you give him a chance, or did you rush
out here as fast as you could?” I asked and stepped away from the
wall. I stepped passed him a few feet, then I turned and looked at
him again, as he moved to face me. “You know, Nick, if the two of
you decided to work together to protect me, instead of against each
other, things might be accomplished faster, not that I have any
idea what's going on between you, but I'm sick of being the monkey,
and I'm sick of being in the middle of the two of you in this game
of verbal insults that both of you insist on playing.”

“You're so stubborn, and you always have
been.” He replied, and shook his head.

“Did it ever occur to you that I was this way
because I have to deal with you, and Julian, and the constant
bickering that goes on between you over my well-being? I'm a grown
woman, Nicholas; I can take care of myself.”

“And, if Creolas has you trapped, again, like
he did that night?” He asked. I nodded, reached in my pocket, the
one I had unconsciously reached for when he turned me, and pulled
out the thick, three-inch piece of wood that I had carved into a
stake after leaving Nick at the door the other night. He looked at
me as I held it up for him to see.

“I think I have that covered.” I answered,
then turned and walked back to the dining room, but my appetite was
gone and I stood in the doorway looking over the four remaining men
in the room before Michael noticed me standing there. He stood up,
which captured the attention of the others, who turned and stood
also. “Please,” I smiled at them, “there's no need to get up.”

“Come and eat.” Quinn whispered. I smiled,
half-heartedly at him, and then shook my head.

“No, thank you. I seem to have lost my
appetite.” I replied. Julian walked over to me and looked me deep
into the eyes. “Really, Julian. I just want to be alone for a
while.”

“Let me walk you to your room.” He whispered
and looked up at Nick, who nodded at him, and went to sit back down
at the table. I closed my eyes, briefly, then looked up at him and
nodded. When we reached the door to my bedroom, I stopped and
turned towards him, and then I put a hand upon his chest and looked
up into his eyes. “What is it?”

“I think this is where we should part ways.”
I answered. This took him back a bit. “I'm sorry, Julian, but every
time we step into a room together; it gets harder and harder to
think about anything else but your lips, and right now I need to
think about other things.”

“Can I check on you later?” He whispered. I
nodded and watched as his lips came closer. I kissed him, quickly,
and backed away before he could do it again, but, just that little
kiss seemed to make a spark. I opened the door and started to back
into it. Julian watched me, with sad eyes; and it took all my
strength to close the door on him.

I decided that maybe what I needed was a
little more sleep, so I changed into a nightgown and climbed under
the covers. My eyes were heavy and it didn't take long for me to
fall into a deep sleep. The dreams were more memories, and most of
them were good, showing me the days that Julian and I had spent
together those summers that seemed so long ago, but slowly, the
dreams became confusing, like riddles that I couldn't figure out,
which woke me from my sleep.

My only thoughts, upon awaking, was to find
the library, and from my memories of the time I had spent here, I
knew that, somewhere, in this maze of a house, was the largest
library I had ever seen, and surprisingly, it wasn't hard to
find.

There was a large table in the middle of this
library, floor to ceiling shelves of books covered all three walls
and over the double doors that were used to enter the room. There
was a movable ladder on each wall and four large,
comfortable-looking chairs surrounded the large, rectangular table.
I spotted the small door that sat in the furthest right hand corner
of the room and made my way towards it. Strange feelings of
knowledge filled my senses as I moved closer to it and when I
reached out to touch the door; I could feel the power emanating
from the wooden door, and I could almost feel the magic that
protected it from unwanted intruders, but I didn't believe that
entering this small room would be a problem, because I had been
called to it.

Gently, I pushed at the door, after not
finding any handle, and was surprised at how easily the heavy,
wooden door opened. Inside the room, which seemed to be almost as
big as my bedroom, were glass cases filled with priceless books. To
my left, along that wall were several books that seemed older than
the others, bound by rope and leather, the covers were old and
tattered. My eyes focused on these and it was my legs that decided
that I should go over. I reached out, almost afraid to find out
they were real, or maybe it was the fear that they would turn to
dust when touched that made me want to withdraw, but when my
fingers did finally touch the soft covers of the books, I realized
that they were what I was looking for.

The one that caught my eye was, of course,
the open one that lay on a shelf by its self and my eyes scanned
over the pages that faced me. It was a prophecy, written in
sprawling script that seemed to pop out at you from off the
page.

It was about a young woman who was born the
daughter of two vampires, who was said to become the Queen of the
vampires, and she was to bare a son, that would become the prince.
That prince, though many years into the future, is said to be the
one that will bring peace to the vampires, and unite mortal and
immortal, but it didn't say how. What it did tell me was one thing,
his mother would have to defeat a powerful man to save her son's
life or all would be lost.

This prophecy was familiar to me, and I
decided to look for others that might spark my inner voice. As I
went through the book, looking through the yellowed pages, other
prophecies came to me. There was one about a girl, who was the last
of her bloodline, which held a power within her to make someone
eternal, but if she and two others stood together, strong and true,
then the love that they had would bind them and they would defeat
this evil.

The one that seemed to make the most sense to
me was that of the original vampires, the Kingdom of the Nine. It
told about the first vampire, and the next eight, before it told
about the children born to the kingdom, each of them would be an
heir and each new set had a specific date, the first of this new,
current generation was my son's birthday. This made sense to me
only because of the last thing I had heard in my dreams before I
woke up. The rest of them, the other eight, weren't specific dates,
only places where they would be born and New London was the last
location on this list.