The Vampire's Executioner

Chapter 15

Lizzie scowled at him, wondering just why he had woken her up for that particular reason. It wasn't like she was hun-

At that moment, her stomach growled loudly, and she glared down at it.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked him, arching a brow.

"Practically twenty-four hours," Nikolai said, pressing a forefinger on the tip of his chin. "Although it depends on how long you were in the library before you fell asleep. Oh well." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Let's go to dinner."

"I can't believe you just assume I'm supposed to eat with you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes. "You can't even ask, can you? Is that breaking some sort of vampire code or what?"

Nikolai gave her a look that matched his voice. "And there's that charm I've been missing," he said with obvious sarcasm, and then reached out, coiling his long fingers around her wrist. "Let's go, Tinkerbell."

"My name," Lizzie said, resisting his pull by shifting her weight, "is not Tinkerbell. It's not Elizabeth or any other sort of endearment you want to bestow upon me. It is Lizzie. Simply Lizzie."

Nikolai took a moment to consider this. "Why do you have an old-fashioned name when you possess a new soul?" he asked her, cocking his head to show that he was particularly interested in her response to his question.

She tilted her head to the side, regarding him with a suspicious look. "What's it to you?" she asked. She happened to like her name, old-fashioned or not. It fit her, and she didn't need some vampire telling her otherwise.

"You know what?" Nikolai began, jutting his index finger into the sky. "You're Tinkerbell, and that's that." His tone sounded as though the argument was closed for discussion and he was right.

Lizzie felt her cheeks turn red from frustration at how arrogant he was being – though, in reality, she shouldn't have been surprised. "Yeah, well, you're an asshole," she retorted, hoping her voice didn't come out as shaky as she thought it did. She shifted her shoulders so that her hair spilled behind her rather than in front of her, and swallowed. "Now, we should probably get going. I need to change, especially since I have decided to grace your table with my presence, but only because my hunger is calling."

"Well, that is definitely kind of you," Nikolai said, opening the door and allowing her to walk out before he did. "You're very generous, you know."

"Oh, trust me," she said, giving him a look as she began to head up the grand staircase. "I know."

***

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