The Vampire's Executioner

Chapter 16

Lizzie quickly changed into a green, long sleeved shirt that hugged what curves her torso had to offer, and black slacks that hung dangerously low on her hips. She headed back down the stairs where Carl escorted her to her seat.

"Might I say, mum," he said in his old English accent. "You look rather ravishing tonight. Is that a smile I see playing on your lips?"

She pretended to think for a moment, her lips curling into a knowing smile as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "I think it is," she agreed, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "Surprisingly."

Carl led her down the stairs and to her seat, promising to get her a glass of ice water once everyone else was seated. Only William and Henry were seated, and after Lizzie's encounter with William in the library the previous night, she felt rather uncomfortable. She glanced at the fine china placed in front of her, trying to ignore the looks given between the two male vampires. She wondered what they were thinking, but then decided it was better not to think of it. When one peered into the mind of a vampire, it was hard to forget, to decipher, and to imagine. And looking at the two vampires before her, she figured that their thoughts would be odder than she could ever imagine. That, and sickening.

When Nikolai, along with Lewis, appeared, she couldn't believe it, but she felt calmed. Where had Lewis been during dinner last night, anyway? She tapped the point of her chin and decided to worry about that later.

It was silly, but if the two vampires - William especially - had tried anything with her, she knew she could count on Nikolai to put them in their place. She wasn't exactly sure why she trusted Nikolai blindly when it came to her well-being, but she did. It might have to do with the fact that she was his bodyguard, she was supposed to protect him, and in some way, he was reciprocating, but at least they had rapport with each other.

Nikolai looked good too. Not that Lizzie would ever admit it, but she couldn't help but scan Nikolai's taut body, made even more impressive in the silk long-sleeved navy blue collared shirt and black slacks held up with what appeared to be a matching belt and black loafers. As usual, his hair was pushed back away from his face, the black color contrasting against his skin. He took his seat at the head of the table while Lewis took the one on his right.

"Hello Elizabeth." Lewis greeted with a polite smile. His sapphire blue eyes reminded Lizzie of glaciers. She highly doubted she would ever see them melt. "It is good to see you."

"And you as well, Prince Dragulia," Lizzie murmured, trying to maintain some level of respect with him. He never gave her attitude the way Nikolai did, so she didn't feel she needed to go out of her way to cause problems with him.

Nikolai cleared his throat, looking between both her and his brother. "You call him prince and me an asshole?" he asked, disbelief tainting his tone. "I'm the one that's going to inherit the throne, you know. I'm the one that's going to be king."

"Well maybe if you acted like you were going to be king, I would treat you like one," Lizzie muttered under her breath. She knew that what she said was disrespectful, but at the same time, Nikolai was acting like an asshole. Although, the more she thought about it, the more she knew it wasn't a justification for her behavior.

Despite the low murmur of her voice, every vampire at the table could pick up what she said. Nikolai bit his bottom lip, but his blue eyes danced with amusement. Marie tensed and Lewis glared at Nikolai, as though waiting for some enraged reaction. Yet, Nikolai found he could not feel angry with Lizzie. Annoyed, yes. Frustrated, absolutely. But angry... Not angry. Not with her.

Just then, three different servants began carrying silver platters with an assortment of food, and Lizzie's stomach growled with obvious interest. The dinner she had eaten last night was one of the best she had ever had, and she couldn't help but want to taste whatever was being served tonight. She was glad Nikolai had talked her into accompanying him to dinner. She, of course, would never say so.

Just as the servants placed the platters on the surface of the table, Carl walked over to Nikolai. "Your Highness," he murmured adjacent to his ear. "Miss Cozma is asking to speak with you in the tea room privately."

"Dinner was just served, Carl," Nikolai said, looking at the food with obvious desire. "Is there any way this can wait?"

Carl gave Nikolai a look that even Lizzie could read. The two seemed to have a close relationship, deeper than one a future-king normally had with his servants. "I highly doubt it, sir," Carl replied.

Nikolai clenched his jaw together and rolled his eyes before standing up and walking down the hallway and into the first room on the left. Lizzie watched him go. Something inside of her told her that Nikolai was currently in the dog house, and luckily for her, not only would she be dining with exquisite food, but she would also be getting a very entertaining show for free. She glanced at the door before looking at the food, and once Lewis started to top his plate, she, along with William and Henry, followed suit.

The first thing she grabbed was a big portion of macaroni and cheese. Adjacent to the pasta, she placed a small portion of Cesar salad, and then grabbed a good portion of a baguette. The last thing she placed on her plate was some fruit salad which was bountiful with strawberries, her favorite fruit.

Before she could place a bite of the hot pasta in her mouth, Marie's voice rang through the hall. Everyone could hear what she was saying including Lizzie, except she was the only person who couldn't understand Russian. She tried to ignore it, deciding to focus on every time a single noodle melted in her mouth, and she closed her eyes to savor the taste. She was nearly able to block them out when Lewis started to chuckle, probably at something one of them had said. Nikolai had joined in Marie's conversation – fight – and they were speaking so fast Lizzie thought that if someone set music to it, it might sound like they were rapping.

After tense silence and pointed looks, Lizzie dropped her silverware so that it clattered to the pristine, white plate, and asked Lewis, "What are they saying?"

William and Henry glanced at each other, as though they were hiding a secret.

"I do not think I should reveal a private conversation between a royal couple," Lewis said, but from the look on his face, she could tell he wanted to do exactly that.

"She is complaining about you," William said since Lewis was not going to. "Of why you are here, your purpose, and that sort of thing. She does not like you. She thinks that you are planning to steal His Highness away from her so that you can be Queen."

"Does she know that I do not want to be Queen?" Lizzie asked.

"So you say, but she does not believe you," Henry said after a quick look at his brother. "Who would not want to be Queen of Vampires? That is her reasoning at least."

"And he is trying to reassure her that nothing of the sort will happen," Lewis told her. "This is the cause of the fight. Nikolai does not put much into the fight and as a result she is even more upset than she already is. She says she's worked hard to achieve her position in society, and she doesn't need some human to take it away."

"Which won't happen," Nikolai said as he walked into the room. His voice was flustered and very heavily Russian-accented as he transitioned back to English, and his eyes flashed a dangerous blue as he took a seat at the head of the table. Pressing his lips together, Nikolai glanced over at his brother. "Where's Karina?"

"She is visiting her parents," Lewis replied, his sapphire colored eyes still holding amusement."And Marie? Is Marie not joining us this evening?"

Nikolai's eyes narrowed in his brother's direction. "No," he said crisply. "No, she's lost her appetite."

"That's too bad," Lizzie murmured, wiping her lips as she stared at her nearly empty plate. The tension had dissipated – for now. Currently, she felt full and bloated, but the food was so worth it. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." She stood up and shot a smirk in Nikolai's direction. "The food was amazing, if you were wondering."

"Yeah," Nikolai said, running his fingers through his hair. "I know." And then dryly, he added, "Thanks."

"Have a good night," she murmured as she headed up the stairs, and she actually sounded like she meant it.