The Vampire's Executioner

Chapter 22

Lizzie and Rachel spent a little more time shopping, and Rachel managed to talk her friend into buying the dress she had picked out. Lizzie, of course, was always the modest one, but Rachel threatened to pay for the dress herself before Lizzie finally relented. She needed to get away from the castle, needed to get away from Nikolai and her bedroom and what happened between them.

When she finally arrived back at the castle, they said their goodbyes and Lizzie carried her dress up to her room. Her stomach growled at that moment, and she realized that she had been gone longer than she originally intended. Walking into the kitchen, she wondered what she wanted when her gaze found a bundle of bananas. She smiled and grabbed one, tearing it from the stem before heading back into the dining room. As she peeled the fruit, she spotted Nikolai sitting at the dinning table, a glass of red wine in his hand. Normally, she would have made some snide comment and walked past him, but she found herself frozen, and wanted to sneak away. The truth was, she didn't want to talk about the sex.

The amazing, toe-curling, God-screaming sex.

Now, however, something stopped her. Something in his eyes. There was a vulnerability that she had never seen before. To be honest, she had always thought that Nikolai was strong because he was arrogant. In all honesty, he probably didn't expect her to be in the dining room the moment he was. Even so, the look on his face stopped her in her tracks and she took the time to memorize it because he was beautiful, not that she would ever admit that out loud.

After some time passed, she felt as though she was intruding on something she probably shouldn't be seeing and cleared her throat with the intent to make her presence known. Nikolai's posture straightened, and that vulnerability disappeared, probably, she guessed, for a very long time.

"Hey," she said, taking a seat next to him before biting into her apple. She took in the deep red wine in the transparent glass, idly wondering if the wine was actually blood, but decided the color wasn't rich enough. She refocused her gaze back onto Nikolai. "What's up?"

She took another bite of the apple and shrugged. "Well, you look sad, is all."

"I'm not sad," Nikolai said, and though he didn't snap, his tone was slightly defensive. "I'm just trying to calm down. You know, your presence here hasn't done me any favors." The dryness returned to his voice, and even though Lizzie knew he was forcing small talk right now, she didn't call him on it. "At least not with my fiancée. She still thinks you want me."

"She should know I'm definitely not trying to take her place or anything," she murmured. She stomped across the room, raking her fingers through her hair. She couldn't tell him she would never sleep with him because she already had and it was... Breath-taking. She didn't even want to be around him for fear that he might smell her desire. "I'm never ever going to be with you because you're already taken and you're probably the most aggravating person on this planet."

"Well, I do try," he said, and then raised his gaze to lock with Lizzie's. Surprisingly enough, the two shared a smile before she took another bite of her apple. "So, tell me, Tinkerbell, do you have a beloved?"

"What's it to you?" She swallowed the last of her apple and pressed her lips together. Now he asks her this? Now?

"Just trying to have a conversation."

She leaned forward and firmly planted her feet into the floor. "Well, I don't want to talk about it."

Nikolai leaned forward so he was only a few inches from her. "Okay, then," he conceded, and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Tell me why you hate vampires."

Lizzie opened her mouth, ready to deliver the same response that she had given to the first question, when she caught herself and clenched her jaw. "I'll tell you why I hate vampires. It is biologically impossible for your kind to be monogamous."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Nikolai pointed out, but before she could retort something smart, he quickly continued. "So, what you're telling me, exactly, is that you believe that vampires are incapable of falling in love?" He didn't seem to be condescending or judgmental; he just sounded curious.

"I'm not saying that," Lizzie said, shaking her head and leaning back in her chair again. "I believe that vampires are capable of loving people. But I also believe that you are incapable of being faithful."

* * *

She seemed pretty sure of her conclusion. Nikolai, too, sat back in his chair and studied her. Though he himself had taken to being unfaithful every now and then, he didn't see it as too big of a deal. He knew that Marie didn't love him, just like he didn't love her, and he truly felt because of that reason, it was okay. It wasn't as though she was completely faithful to him, either. Nikolai wasn't a fool; he knew that Marie wanted the crown more than anything.

Tilting his head to the side, he wondered if Miss Grant was the same way, but he highly doubted that was so. In fact, if he was being completely honest, Elizabeth – had she been the woman in Marie's place – would probably break up with him if she had evidence of his infidelity, whether she had the crown or not. The corners of his lips quirked up as he regarded her, deciding he respected her even more than he already did.

Elizabeth Grant was quite a woman.

"I am going to have to disagree with you," he told her, his gaze still locked to hers. "However, I think I understand why you believe what you believe. It is true that many vampires are not monogamous, that we like to go from mate to mate, but biologically, that's what we're supposed to do. Even humans are programmed to jump from mate to mate. The feeling you associate with love fizzles out after eighteen months, and instead of being in love with a person, you simply love them. They are like family."

"Oh, and that makes cheating okay?" Elizabeth asked. She started to pace.

"Hang on," Nikolai said, raising a hand in defense. "Let me finish. Once that love fizzles out, people need to find a way to rekindle the flame. Vampires don't like working out a relationship if they don't love a person, so they move on. Vampires take lots of time to actually fall in love, but when they do, they don't cheat. I can guarantee you that. A vampire's loyalty is never questioned."

Elizabeth looked at him for a long moment. "How can you possibly love someone forever?" she asked.

Nikolai shrugged. "I'll let you know when it happens to me," he promised. "But let me make something clear to you, Tinkerbell. I really do believe in true love. I just don't think I have found it yet."

"That makes one of us," Elizabeth said, tossing her apple core into a nearby trash bin.. Nikolai waited patiently until she finally decided to explain her meaning. "This whole concept of true love is bullshit. How can anyone believe in that when there are six billion people on the planet? What if you never find your true love? What if your true love dies? What, then?"

"I didn't say I could explain why I believe it," Nikolai corrected. "Aren't all women supposed to be romantic? I just said that believe it. And, just so you know, Tinkerbell, I'll get you to believe in the concept of true love, too."

Elizabeth gave him a pitiful look. "You can try," she told him, "but I highly doubt you'll sway me."