The Vampire Legacy; The New Queen Rises (26 page)

"Ellen, I asked not to be disturbed," he said
without looking up. I stopped walking and stood behind the chair,
smiling.

"If you'd like me to leave ..." I started,
making his head snap up from the papers. I stared him directly in
the eyes, getting lost in that green and unable to move from where
I stood. His face was pale, like he was sick, but his eyes lit up
the room. I pointed to the door, moved my mouth to say something,
but nothing came out and I finally dropped my hand. "Hi."

"Hi," he said and stumbled to get up from his
seat. "Wait, you're not supposed to be here until next week."

"I could leave if you want." I smiled at him,
knowing his response. He shook his head and stepped closer to
me.

"No, no, by all means, stay." He smiled,
still a little unsure if I was standing there or not. "I don't know
what to do."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. He stood
only two feet from me, closing in on my space, his presence,
literally taking over.

"Do I hug you, kiss you, and if I do, is that
going too far?" He asked me. I smiled at his childishness.

"Do what comes naturally to you, Julian," I
whispered at him, not sure about what I should do either. Suddenly,
his arms were around me and his lips touched mine tenderly. I
sighed when he backed away, missing the kiss that I had not felt in
a year. "For you, that would be natural."

"Too much?" He questioned. I stepped back and
sighed. "What?"

"Not enough," I replied and looked at him.
"Before we ...I went after Victor, you wanted me to make a choice,
and I did, but it wasn't the choice that I should have made. I
should have stayed here. I should have stayed with you."

"Stay here now, raise Jack with us. We'll
help, you know we will," he said and grabbed my hands. "You are our
Queen ..."

"No," I said stopping that sentence. He
looked at me oddly. "I don't want to be Queen and I don't want Jack
to be prince and I don't want to choose a King. I want to be a
woman, with a beautiful son, in love with an unbelievable man, who
I want to spend eternity with. That's it, that's all I want."

"There's someone else?" Julian asked. I
smiled at him and shook my head. "But, you just said ..."

"I know what I said, Jules, and you know what
I meant, so stop being dumb and don't try to make me tell you it
again," I said and looked out the window at Jack and Michael, who
were rolling around on the grass. Julian's hands touched my arms
and he pulled me close to him.

"This other man?" He asked me. I smiled at
him. "Do I know him?"

"Intimately," I replied.

"Would I like him as a friend?"

"Probably not."

"Is he possessive?"

"He has his moments."

"How does he feel to you?"

"Very, very right," I replied and turned
towards him. I put my hands on his chest and looked up into his
childish face. He gazed into my eyes and we were trapped in each
other.

I knew this was where I belonged. I knew this
nine years ago. I know it so much more now. He leaned down and
touched my lips gently with his.