Fall of kNight (31 page)

“Do you love him? I mean honestly.”

The truth was there in my heart. Yes, I did love Richard. I loved him and Daniel.

There was no doubt in my mind. A vampire should repulse me, but for some odd reason, I wasn‟t repulsed.

“Yes, I love him.” I stated with a sigh.

Her hands wrapped around mine. The once warm hands of my best friend were now cool. A soft smile broadened on her face, and her pale cold fingers gently stroked my hand.

“Don‟t feel bad about it. I know he‟d like to know the truth. Julie, it‟s not your fault.

You are a Lycan. You love unconditionally. It‟s in your nature. But, you have to let him know. Richard, I mean, if you are marrying Daniel. I know that is really where your heart belongs.”

“Yes, you are right. But how can I love them both? I mean my heart breaks for Richard. Casey, he‟s been through so much. I can‟t hurt him anymore.”

“So I see he‟s told you about his loss.” She sighed and pulled her hands away.

“Honestly, I‟m surprised he fought the urge to change you. I overheard a conversation he had with Nathaniel. Julie, Richard wants you. There is nothing in this world that will stop him.”

I lay back against the pillows. My fingers gently went to the sore spot on my neck, the spot where he had bitten me. I realized he did have to make a choice. Again Richard showed honor. His restraint was a great one.

“Casey, what do I do?”

“I don‟t know. I wish I had an answer for you.”

“Are you really serious? Richard is not going to let me go?”

“He‟s in love with you Julie. It‟s different for a vampire. Somewhere you have touched his heart.” She smiled. “You were probably just being you.”

I tried to smile. “He says it was my blood?”

“Blood or lust?” She perked up. “Julie, Richard has had a hard on for you ever since he met you. He was going to take you the first opportunity he had. But something changed.”

“You knew this before you left?”

“No. I didn‟t. Nathanial and I discussed it on the way back home.”

“Daniel would kill him.” My heart raced loudly.

“I think he and Daniel have an understanding. Daniel is truly thankful Richard saved your life. He knows Richard loves you.”

“Did he say anything about it? I mean…”

“No, not really. My brother is in love with you, but Richard repulses him because he‟s being protective over you. And not to mention he is a vampire.” She rolled her eyes.

“We had quite an event here in this house while you were out.” She said in a humorous tone.

“OH! I need to talk to Daniel!” My thought immediately went to the Dark Wolves.

“Julie, please let him rest. This is the first night he has slept in two days.”

“But the Dark Wolves.”

“He knows. Richard told him. Daniel understands. Willie and Taylan explained everything to him. He has had quite a shock these last few days.”

“What is he going to do? I mean about the war against the Dark Wolves.” I asked almost in fear.

“I don‟t know. You‟ll have to talk to him in the morning. Meanwhile, I‟m going to get Jason. He wanted to know when you woke up.”

“Casey!” I whispered.

“I‟ll be back in a minute,” she said.

Before I could say anything, Casey disappeared. I felt for the lamp on the nightstand. Turning it on, I winced against the brightness of the light. Three days of hell.

I needed a shower. I climbed out of bed. My legs were weak. I managed to stand, then make my way to the shower. Jason would have to wait.

The water ran hot in the shower. I climbed in and closed the door behind me. My thoughts ran wild. My baby. Our baby. Was it all right? There were so many things to think about. The war that loomed between the werewolves and the Lycans threatened us all. It appeared the vampires might be backing out, with the exception of Richard‟s coven. Then there were the Dark Wolves. My family. Which side would Daniel take?

Would he go against the Dark Wolves, the only blood relatives I had left? I knew the side I would take. I was sure of it.

In the middle of my own turmoil, I heard the bathroom door open.

“Julie?” It was Casey.

“Yeah, give me a minute. I‟ll be out soon.” I shouted to her through the glass.

“Jason is waiting. He wants to check you over.” She replied a little louder. The tones in her voice stung my ears.

“Okay! Tell him just a minute,” I yelled out again.

The shower was rushed, as was my dressing. When I was completely dressed, I checked the clock. It was 4:30. I could hear Jason downstairs talking softly with Casey and Nathaniel. Somewhere I wondered if Richard was still here. Slowly I moved down the stairs. Jason was sitting in the chair, while Nathaniel and Casey were sitting together on the sofa. My heart froze. Richard stood in front of the fireplace. The expression on his beautiful face was sad. His eyes lifted to me as he saw me walking down the stairs into the living room.

There were no words spoken. His gaze never left mine as I moved closer into the room. I felt my heart freeze in time. There was an overwhelming feeling of love surrounding me, a sudden rush of excitement, followed by pure love. Richard‟s body stiffened. It was as if no one else were in the room but the two of us. We were locked in a moment of time.

Richard moved to me. He appeared to be in slow motion. My heart fluttered inside my chest, and a feeling of pain and turmoil encamped around my heart and soul. His inhumanly beautiful form stood inches in front of me, reaching out to me. He took me in his arms and I couldn‟t do anything but respond to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me tight to him, his heart pounding against my chest. Slowly he pulled away from me.

The pale fingers trembled as they touched my face. His eyes peered into mine. Joy filled his face and he smiled broadly.

“Richard…” I began softly.

“Don‟t.” He cut me off. “Please do not thank me again. Do not ever put yourself in that position. I am not strong enough at this point to mind my manners,” he stated in a firm yet commanding voice.

I understood. The feelings he had swept over me like a strong wind. I felt the very essence of his being. There was no warmth, but cold. The love, however, was true.

Richard was undeniably in love with me. His love showered over me like a pouring rain.

It had to be some type of connection we made when he took my blood. At least that is what I believed. I have never felt him like this before. When he took my blood, he took my very existence, the intimate life force that dwelled inside of me.

“Casey said you almost died.” My eyes peered into his. I wanted to know why he did such a thing.

“Yes, well let us just say werewolf venom does not exactly work well on a vampire‟s stomach. I must say, your blood was rather tasty though.” He let out a chuckle.

A smile crossed my face. “Food poisoning, huh? Then my blood will not be tempting you any longer?”

Richard really didn‟t want me to know how severe it was for him. A smile crossed my lips, and I raised my eyebrows as I peered into his beautiful face.

“I bet it‟s one of those things like food poisoning. You probably won‟t want to do that ever again.” I teased.

Richard let out a laugh, then nodded. His eyebrow rose and a wicked grin crossed his lips. “I suppose you could say it was like food poisoning. And you are right. The experience has left me with being a little shy of ever biting you again. However, you can never tell. I am a slow learner,” he warned as his lips twitched into a smile.

I could feel the heat on my cheeks. He was so beautiful. His eyes, those beautiful crystal blue jewels twinkled with delight.

“All right then,” Jason began as he cleared his throat. “Julie, I need to give you a once over. We will need to do an ultrasound as soon as possible.” He pointed to the chair for me to sit down.

I moved around Richard. His fingers brushed over mine as I moved past him, relishing the touch of my skin against his. My heart broke as I sat down in the chair.

Jason opened his black bag and pulled out several items. One of which was to check my blood pressure. I waited and remained quiet while he checked my vitals. Then the pen light moved in front of my eyes. I jerked my head away as the light hit my eyes. Jason immediately stopped. He froze.

I heard Richard and Casey inhale a quick breath. My heart raced out of fear, I waited to hear the unexpected news. The light felt like a knife had been shot through my eye. It hurt all the way to the back of my head. I turned slowly back to Jason.

Jason grabbed my face with his hand. He tilted my head up and stared into my eyes. The look of shock was all over his face.

“What! What‟s wrong?”

“Julie, your eyes. Dear lord.”

“Jason!” I growled out.

“It appears your eyes are sensitive to light.” He turned immediately to Richard.

“It is the effects of the vampire venom. She will be all right. It will go away in a day or two. She will probably need to wear sunglasses for the time being,” he stated firmly.

“Is that all I need to be concerned about?” Jason glared at Richard.

“Yes,” Richard hissed at Jason. “It is a normal reaction. She is not turning into one of us, if that is what you are asking.”

“I just want to make sure,” Jason stated flatly. “I need to take a sample of your blood, just a precaution. To make sure you don‟t have any foreign substances crawling around in there.” He motioned for me to hold out my arm.

I glanced to Richard and his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was not very pleased with Jason‟s doubts of his honor. I tried to force out a smile, but winced as the needle pierced my flesh. Richard‟s jaw tightened. He was restraining himself. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nathaniel grab Casey‟s arm. In a flash, the two of them were gone. The door opened and closed to the patio faster than I could have imagined. Richard however, remained. It was blood.

“Sorry,” I stated flatly, while watching the patio door.

“Casey, I am afraid, is still settling in. She will be fine,” Richard stated in a controlled voice.

“And you?” I reminded him.

“I will manage.”

Jason was finished, and set the vial of blood in his medical bag. He stood up wearily, taking one more glance at me, then smiled. “It appears everything is all right for now. No hemorrhaging?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Then as soon as we can, we will get that ultra sound done. I want to make sure the wee one is all right. I‟m sure it didn‟t appreciate what your body went through.” He smiled.

“Jason, I didn‟t really appreciate it.” I returned his smile.

“Well, I‟m headed back to bed for a nap. I‟m sure Daniel will be up in a few hours. I gave him enough sedative to knock out a horse yesterday evening. The poor lad needed some rest.” He turned, then headed up the stairs.

Richard turned to me, eyeing me carefully and almost cautiously. I couldn‟t help the feelings I had. I could feel myself being drawn to him in the most precarious ways.

“Richard,” I began. “Is there something else to this vampire venom I need to know about? Like the effects.”

He released a long sigh. “Maybe.” He paused. “Your eyes will adjust in a day or two. I think that is all you need to worry about.”

“What about this odd feeling I‟m having?” I asked.

Richard‟s eyebrows crinkled together briefly. “And what odd feeling would that be?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“It‟s just…I well…” How could I explain it? I wondered. “It‟s like a connection to you.”

“The connection? It is your blood. I feel it too. I feel you inside of me. Living.

Breathing. I feel your heart with each beat it takes.” His gaze became deeper as he moved to me. “The longing.”

“Richard, stop.” I pleaded. “I can‟t do this.”

His gaze left mine. Turning his head, his attention fell in the distance beyond the patio door. I could feel the heart inside of his body. It was breaking, pulled and torn into pieces.

“I suppose you are correct. Your heart belongs to Daniel. As does your love,” he replied softly. “The sun is going to be coming up in a few hours. I think it best if I return home.”

I rose to my feet as he turned and slowly walked past me to the front door. There was no way I could let him leave. Not feeling the way I was feeling. The venom was more than what he was telling me. At least in my mind, that was what I wanted to believe.

“Richard,” I called out to him. He stopped as his hand touched the door handle. “I

… know what you are feeling.” I moved slowly toward him.

Richard turned to face me, his eyes searching mine. Was this the answer he was seeking? Some type of answer to quench the desire in his heart? A satisfaction for all those years he waited? Standing in front of him, I could not deny at that moment that I loved him. My heart was bleeding for him. I wanted to show him how much I loved and appreciate him. In my heart, I wanted to give him the love he so longed for.

I reached out to him, touching his face softly. His eyes closed as his face pressed against my hand. The pain in his heart was overbearing. It twisted my heart even more.

Yet, I couldn‟t help my own desire to try to soothe him.

“Julie,” he began softly. “Take care of yourself.” He took my hand in his. He brought it to his face. Richard pressed his lips to my fingers, allowing the kiss to linger for a moment, savoring it. Then he let go of my hand, and his fingers slid across mine slowly as he turned away. The heart inside my chest felt the closing pressure as I watched him walk away. My heart immediately dropped into the pit of my stomach.

I stood in front of the door, my arms wrapped around my body and tears forming in my eyes. The inhumanly beautiful vampire had walked out of my life. I could feel it.