Finding Fire: Paranormal Romance (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 1) (24 page)

Marcus laughed at that. “Are you still protecting him? You fool. Who is protecting you from him?”

Who was protecting her? Evie was usually around, but at the moment she was alone with a vampire she’d been warned against. She really needed to get back to her room.

“The last time I saw you, you told me I would be sorry. Are you planning on making good on that threat?”

“If I were you, I’d be careful about leaving yourself alone with any vampires,” he said. “Especially Nicolas.”

He hadn’t actually answered her question, but she didn’t want to linger any longer with him. She walked around him and didn’t stop until she reached the safety of her bedroom.

Really, what safety was there in the palace? At least in her apartment, no vampire could get in unless she invited them in. Here there was only the wood of the door, and she knew the door would never stand a chance.

Tomorrow night was Nicolas’s homecoming party. She would leave the next day. The longer she stayed here, the more danger she would be in.

She thought back on her conversation with Marcus. He referred to Nicolas as “the prince.” It was possible he was the one planning an attack against Aleksander. He hadn’t been at the palace all last week, according to Evie. He obviously hated Nicolas, and he didn’t seem to have much care for Aleksander, either.

She would have to let Aleksander know to watch out for Marcus. Even if this trap didn’t catch the traitor, this party would turn out to be interesting.

The hours that led up to the party were a whirlwind for Anna. She hadn’t gotten dressed up in formal wear since her senior prom, and for that, she’d felt like an eighteen-year-old playing with her mother’s makeup and fancy clothes.

This, however, was the real deal. Evie had lent her a dress that somehow fit the both of them. The dress was fantastic. It was a light blue Grecian inspired dress. The straps came over her shoulders and met the high back to hide Anna’s scars.

The waist of the dress was just under Anna’s breasts, and the soft material just flowed to the ground from there. The material had a sizable slit along the leg to give her plenty of movement.

She studied herself in the mirror, amazed at the results. She was so used to her jeans or her teaching clothes. She felt as though someone else stared back at her. Someone who was confident and fearless. A woman who could have casual flings with vampires and save kings from assassination plots.

Evie put Anna’s hair in wavy curls and had done her makeup like an expert. The shoes she wore were simple silver with straps and a flattering high heel that didn’t kill her feet with every step.

She was just turning to put a few essentials in the small silver clutch that was also a loaner from Evie when there was a knock on her door. After one last glance in the mirror to assure that everything was in place, she opened the door.

But instead of Evie or Aleksander, Fredrick waited for her. “Good evening.” He took in her dress and politely added, “You look lovely.”

She smiled at the compliment. It was always nice to be appreciated by an especially handsome man. “Thank you. You look nice too.” It was true. He wore a dashing suit and had an antique sword strapped to his back. The only thing taking away from his dapper appearance was the bandage on the side of his neck he’d been sporting the past few days. “I thought Evie and Aleksander were escorting me.”

“Duty called them away. However, I would be more than happy to have the most beautiful and mysterious woman here on my arm when I walk in tonight,” he said.

A blush spread across Anna’s cheeks. “I’m mysterious now?”

“You’ll be the only human in attendance, and only a handful of people know why you’re here. Everyone will be dying to know your secrets.”

She frowned at his choice of words. This whole party was a trap, so she didn’t like Fredrick throwing around words like
dying
so easily.

He held out his arm to her, and she hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow as he started to lead her to the ballroom.

“Have you been feeling better?” She glanced again to the bandage.

“Yes. I’ve been back to normal this week. Having Nicolas back has been very helpful.”

She stared at his neck for a moment, trying to see any sign of a recent injury. “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly happened to you? I thought vampires healed really fast.”

As they turned out of the wing of the house she was staying in, he said, “You have been told the best way to kill a vampire is through the heart or the head?”

She nodded.

“Well, someone was trying very hard to decapitate me.”

Anna gasped. “Who would do that?”

“Vampire hunters,” he said.

Evie had mentioned the vampire hunters. It didn’t surprise Anna too much. For the majority of her life, she’d been pretty anti-vampire herself. “How did you get away?”

“I had very good men working with me at the time. You need to surround yourself with good men if you want to survive.”

“I don’t think I’m in that much danger,” she pointed out.

“You never know,” he said. She was uneasy with the talk of her own safety. “But I suppose you’re safe enough tonight. Nicolas said you really didn’t get a chance to see this traitor we are looking for, and have not been able to recognize his voice.”

“Nicolas talked about me?” He wasn’t exactly the talkative type.

“Not much,” he reassured her. “We only wanted to make sure you would be as safe as possible.”

“As long as he doesn’t do anything crazy to make sure I stay safe.” Lord knew what crazy antics he’d think of to protect her next time.

“He cares very deeply for you,” said Fredrick as they turned into the hallway that led to the ballroom.

Anna shook her head. “Nicolas likes me well enough, but
like
is all there is.”

Fredrick stopped walking and turned to face her. “He’s not said anything to me, but everyone here can see that he’s head over heels for you. Everyone has seen him stare at you. How do you even think Aleksander got him to agree to this whole party?”

Anna had been wondering this whole time why Nicolas agreed to stay and help the person who had forced him out of this fabulous palace.

“He stayed for you,” said Fredrick. “Aleksander saw right away that his weakness was you. He used that to make Nicolas help him.”

Anna shook her head. “I think you underestimate just how much he hates Aleksander. He would never give that up for me.”

Fredrick stared down at her. “I think you’re underestimating Nicolas.”

He continued to walk and led her into the ballroom.

The sight was amazing. That same beautiful room she and Nicolas had walked through was now filled with people. Handsome men were dressed in their best tuxedos, and the women all wore gorgeous dresses.

On one side of the room, a band played classical music. The whole atmosphere was exhilarating. Fredrick walked her over to Evie, who was surrounded by a large crowd of women. She was perfect as a queen. Beautiful and graceful to everyone, and perfectly polite to all of the guests.

With so many beautiful women here, Anna started to think what Fredrick said about everyone being curious about her was just another compliment. She was wrong. As soon as she joined Evie’s group, a steady stream of guests came over to greet her.

A couple of men had asked her to dance, but she had to say no. The music they were playing was straight out of another century that most people here had lived in. She would be much too embarrassed to trip in front of such a large crowd.

After she’d been introduced and reintroduced to so many people that she lost count, she excused herself to get a drink. She could practically feel the eyes aimed at her back. She tried not to think about it and just focused on her end destination.

She was looking for someone herself. She knew Nicolas was here somewhere, but she’d been unable to move from that one spot for the past forty minutes. Now that she was free, she tried to discreetly seek him out.

He would probably be busy all night. All of these people hadn’t seen him in decades. They were bound to be more curious about him than they were about her.

She wove her way through the guests and finally reached the drinks. She opted for water. They were trying to catch a killer tonight, so she needed to keep her wits about her.

When she turned back to look at the crowd, she spotted him. He was breathtaking. His hair was slicked back, and his tux fit him perfectly. He was also walking straight toward her.

She was tempted to look to each side of her to see whether there was someone else who he was walking so intently toward, but his eyes stared straight into hers. She wished she’d grabbed something stronger as she took another sip of her water.

He stopped abruptly when he reached her. She wasn’t sure what she should say to him. Their last meeting had been so awkward.

He broke the silence first. “Would you dance with me?”

Oh God, yes.
“I can’t. I don’t know how to waltz or—well, right now waltz is the only name of a dance I can think of. That’s how little I know about dancing.”

Nicolas gently took her water from her and set it on the table behind her. “I know how much you love this room,” he said. “It would be a shame if you don’t use it the way that it is intended.”

“I’ve said no to about five men already tonight. It would be rude if I danced with you.”

He put one hand on the small of her back and led her to the dance floor. “I’m the guest of honor. It would be even ruder if you refused to dance with me. I’m sure all the men you refused would understand.”

“Nicolas, I can’t...”

“Annabelle, this isn’t me trying to control you. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve a great dance. Just let me give that to you.”

She looked up at him and got lost in the dark depths of his eyes. As if of its own accord, her head moved up and down in agreement. Nicolas led her through the crowd, and everyone moved out of the way for them.

When they reached the dance floor, Anna looked around and saw how the couples stood a respectable distance away from each other and tried to mimic that stance and the locations of their hands.

Nicolas held one of her hands in his, and his other was at her waist. As she straightened her back to start pretending she knew this dance, the hand at her waist pulled her body flush to his. Anna caught her breath.

Nicolas whispered, “It will be easier for you to follow my body this way.”

The corner of Anna’s mouth curved up. “I think you have ulterior motives.”

They started to move to the music. Nicolas went at a pace she could actually follow. She might not be winning any ballroom competitions any time soon, but she held her own on the dance floor.

She looked back up at him and saw that he stared intently at her. “Nicolas,” she said.

He shook his head. “Shh. Enjoy the dance. This song is beautiful.”

She took his advice and focused on the movements her body made. On the feel of him pressed against her. Every movement he made caused the muscles pressing into her to move.

As they twirled around the room, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on the music and the wonderful sensation of holding him in her arms. She lost herself to it. He was touching her body, and his scent filled her head. She wanted this moment to last forever.

When she could hear that the song was coming to an end, she said, “I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me and Evie. This week has been amazing.” Nicolas smiled down at her, and her heart almost broke. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” she blurted out.

His smile vanished then. She moved to take a step away from him, but he leaned in so his mouth was right next to her ear. “I need to speak with you privately about the reasoning for this party.”

Her nerves picked up. Had Aleksander or Nicolas found anything out? She nodded and followed Nicolas off the dance floor. As they got closer to the doorways leading out of the ballroom, Nicolas took one of her hands in his and pulled her along with him.

She should have protested to the contact, but she was grateful for a last chance to touch him before she left. When they were out of the ballroom, Nicolas kept on walking.

“Aren’t we going to talk?”

“I have to go somewhere I don’t think anyone will hear us,” he said.

It was a longer trek than she would have expected, and even though her heels weren’t horrible, her feet started to hurt. “Nicolas, where are we going?”

He looked from side to side to verify no one was around them. “This works.” He went to a door on the left and pulled her inside.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

“If someone is trying to frame me, they wouldn’t strike at Aleksander until I was out of sight. I needed to disappear for a while.”

She glanced again at the closed door and her face went stark with comprehension. “You want everyone to think we’re having sex! That’s horrible.”

“What’s horrible is you leaving me with only one night’s notice,” he said.

“You’re the one so worried about my safety. I’m not safe here. I have to think about myself,” she reminded him.

“I’ll go with you. Aleksander can’t make me stay. I won’t let him.”

“You’re one of the main things I’m protecting myself from,” she pointed out.

Nicolas grasped her by the waist and pushed her up against the door. “If you think for one moment you can leave me without a fight, you’re wrong.”

She had grabbed his shoulders for support, but now she pushed back on them. “I swear to God! You’re no better than Charles!” she yelled.

Nicolas immediately went still, and she regretted the words. “Do you really think that?” he asked. “Do you think I’m that much a monster?”

She looked into his face and could tell he was hurt. “No,” she said.

She started to say more, but his mouth met hers in a passionate kiss. At first she wanted to push him away, but after a second, she moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She opened her mouth for him and met his tongue with her own. It was a slow and playful kiss. She’d wanted to kiss him so many times in the past few days.

His hands tenderly cupped her face as he devoured her, body and soul. Soon she couldn’t wait any longer for him than she already had. She pushed at his jacket until it pooled on the floor. She tried to work on his buttons, but her fingers shook too hard. He reached up and pushed her hands aside.