The Unwanted Imprint

Chapter 20

Over the next few days, Benjamin showed Nichole the sights of Cairo. He wore a turban and layers of clothing so that his skin didn't glow. Tia would occasionally join them, and eventually, it got to the point where Nichole hung around Tia more than she did Benjamin.

Then one night, Tia asked Nichole if she wanted to go out and get something to eat. "For you, of course, I don't think that you want to see me suck someone dry."

"Yeah, I think that I'll pass on that," Nichole said with a laugh. "But sure, food sounds great."

Benjamin and Amun stayed behind, with Amun warning them to be careful. "You may not have James here to worry about, but there are still thieves about."

"I think that I can handle a thief or two," Tia said as she rolled her eyes. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."

As they walked the streets of Cairo, Nichole could tell that there was something on Tia's mind, she seemed nervous and she kept on nibbling at her lower lip. "You okay?"

"Hm?" Tia glanced at Nichole. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? You look like you're worried about something. I know that we haven't known each other that long, but I know how to keep a secret."

"Even when you're the one that the secret is about?"

Nichole's brows furrowed together in confusion. "what are you talking about?"

"Nichole, I'm not going to lie to you, I feel an attraction to you, I know that it's wrong, you being a human and me being a vampire-"

"Tia, that doesn't make it wrong." Nichole stopped walking, taking Tia's hand. "Tia, you being a vampire doesn't change who you are, deep down. You're a caring and kind person, and anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. I feel an attraction too, at least I think that I do. I don't know, I've never really been in a relationship with anyone before, so I don't really know how I'm feeling at the moment. But...I would like to give us a try, and see how things go."

Tia smiled brightly. "You would, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." Nichole blushed a bit. "I really do like you." She then frowned a bit. What was going to happen when she went back to Washington? Because that was something that would happen eventually, and long-distance relationships, especially one that would be as long as this one, rarely tended to work out.

Tia seemed to know what she was thinking. "This may not last forever, but let's make the most of it while we can."

"I'd like that."

Naturally, Nichole had to tell Rosalie about her new relationship, and had called her over Skype.

"You have a girlfriend?!" Rosalie squealed, and Nichole winced at how loud pitched it was. "Yeah, I have a girlfriend, but it's not a big deal, you know."

"Not a big deal? This is your first relationship!"

Nichole chuckled a bit. "How's everything going over there?"

"We still haven't found James yet, we're close though. Bad thing is, Victoria is becoming more and more of a problem, she was on the werewolves land, and of course, they blame Carlisle for it."

Nichole sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Of course they do, and I'm guessing Carlisle tried to tell them that she wasn't associated with us in any way?"

"He did, and naturally they didn't listen, you know how stubborn those mongrels can be."

"Rosalie." Nichole chastised her, and Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You know, there's a lot of times that you remind me of my mother, one of the few people that I definitely don't miss from my old life."

"Oh gee, thanks." Nichole retorted. "Hey, I better go, it's late here."

"Be safe, okay?"

"You too, love you."

Nichole shut the laptop, sighing softly. She looked up as she heard what seemed to be a banging on the front door.

"Amun?" Nichole popped her head out of her bedroom. "What's going on?"

Amun shook his head as the door banged again. "I do not know." He went to the front door and opened it, revealing a group of men. "Abasi. What are you doing here?"

"We heard that you have a girl in your residence. A human girl. Is this true?" Abasi looked behind Amun, where Nichole was standing, and he licked his lips. "You have yourself a little snack I see."

"She is a guest of ours," Amun said, his voice going cold. "We don't consume the blood of innocents, you know that."

"You better make sure that she's safe, Amun. You know that there's plenty of vampires in Cairo that don't share your mindset."

"Ones like you, you mean? You aren't going to touch a hair on her head, or I will make sure that you regret it."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's a promise. She is under the care of the Cullens, and you know that they can be...quite a vengeful lot."

Abasi growled a bit. Apparently, the Cullens were well known all over the world, not that Nichole was that surprised by it. "Like I said, you better watch her closely, Amun. Pretty, foreign girls like her go missing all the time in Cairo." He beckoned his followers, and they all left.

Amun closed the door, sighing softly as he laid his head against it.

"Amun, what's going on?" Nichole was thoroughly confused. "Who was that?"

"His name is Abasi, he is the head of another coven. Unlike us, he doesn't care who he gets his blood from. Just the other day, he was bragging about how he had taken a little girl's blood, and that the younger they are, the sweeter they taste."

Nichole tried to repress a shudder, but it didn't work. "And he wants me now?"

"He does. I don't know how he figured out that you were here, but he did, and now he'll do anything to get you. I think that it would be best if you didn't do anymore sightseeing, and I want you to be in the presence of one of us at all times, you understand me?"

Nichole nodded her head, it just seemed like things never ended for her, didn't it?