The Vampire's Executioner

Chapter 14

The next night, Nikolai walked into the library, only to find Elizabeth fast asleep on the couch. A tiny smile touched his lips, and for a moment, he simply watched her, reveling in the sound her heart beat made. It had been a while since he had been around a human, and he forgot how beautiful they could be. Her hair resembled the color of wheat; it was long, wavy, and untamable, much like her. Her body was long and lean, though she wasn't as tall as he had originally anticipated. In fact, if he was being honest, Nikolai wasn't sure if she could do the job he hired her to do only because of her stature. How was she supposed to be intimidating when she was barely five-foot six?

But then Nikolai read the case files, and his opinion of her changed. The fact of the matter was that Elizabeth Grant exceeded even his expectations.

And Elizabeth was gorgeous.

"You fool," he murmured to himself, shaking his head at what he had said before crossing his arms over his chest.

Foolish, yes, but even Nikolai could not deny the attraction he felt for her. Her personality didn't quite mesh with his, but he seemed to like that. While she didn't boss him around, she stood her ground when it came to certain convictions, and she was one of the first people to see through him in quite some time. Yes, he was arrogant, but he had barely met Elizabeth and already she was keeping him in his place – challenging him with witty repertoire he hadn't experienced in a long time.

But he had to remember that he had a fiancée. He was going to marry Marie, and that was that.

Marie was beautiful in her own right as well, exotic and graceful, as vampires usually were. But while a human was instantly drawn to the seductive looks vampires held, vampires themselves went for the softer, approachable look humans held.

At that moment, he wondered what it would look like if Elizabeth smiled. He already noticed she had straight, white teeth, and something inside of him told him that she probably flossed. Would it be bright and genuine, or awkward and forced? Would she have dimples? When she spoke, he hadn't noticed any, but then maybe she had one that only popped when she was smiling outright. Who knew? He shrugged his shoulders, deciding it was time for her to wake up.

At least she would most likely be on his schedule now, which would prove to be very useful in the upcoming days.

Nikolai reached out, hesitating only a moment before placing his hand on her shoulder. Even so, the material she was wearing was thin, and he could instantly feel the warmth radiating from her body. It reminded him of his mother in a way; while vampires themselves were cold creatures, humans that turned into vampires still retained their natural warmth despite the new species they belonged to. He let his hand linger there for a moment, reveling in feeling her, before gently shaking her awake.

Nikolai hid a smile as he watched her face contort into protest. Elizabeth's raked her fingers through her hair, and her closed lips allowed a groan of annoyance to slip through. She slowly opened her eyes and jumped up.

"What is it?" she asked, blinking rapidly as she stood, trying to wake herself up. "Are you all right? Is someone in the house? Have you got a lead suspect?"

"Um, no," Nikolai said in his usual dry voice, though he was surprised at her concern for him, especially when they were constantly at odds with one another. "Dinner's ready," he told her, cocking his head over to the door, indicating that she was going to get up and follow him to the dining table.

***

I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the support!