The Academy Vampire

{ Chapter 23 } - Forgiveness and Love

A/N: This is the chapter everyone's been waiting for... Honestly, I was falling asleep at the keyboard as I was reading this over, so I'll be shocked if nothing's wrong with this document.

I hope you enjoy it and don't die from the cuteness by the end of it ;)

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--- Nikolai's Pov ---

'Ugh... how can they believe her innocent act. It's so frustrating.'

If I didn't know better, I would have thought she had compelled everyone in this damn house to love her stupid personality. Everyone treats her like she's a child that doesn't know what she's doing, but she has to... no one can stay that sweet. Not after what she's apparently been through.

I protected Cody, and I made sure he wasn't affected by our home life before our parents were murdered. Then, I made sure nothing bad happened to Cody again, human or not. This girl didn't have someone to protect her like Cody had, so what are the repercussions of that? Did something prevent her from being affected by her past, or is this all an act she puts on?

'Will she always be the victim... or will she become the villain?'

If she was always that sweet, Gabriel wouldn't be so... entranced by her. But when she's around, I'm second best and his last choice.

Even her interaction with another man's man, she seemed to know no boundaries. I don't know if its intentional or not, but she's going to cause problems here if she's unable to keep her hands to herself.

As soon as Owen went to the kitchen, I obnoxiously clapped my hands, hoping to startle her.

"Wow, you even have Owen cheering for you! Bravo. You're just a little seductress, aren't you? Pulling in all the boys, even if they aren't yours to have," I sneered.

"Nikolai?" She blinked up at me, once she found the source of the claps.

"I mean, I'm all for you being with the rest of the nitwit boys," I waved a hand in the direction of the front door, too tired to try to think of their names as I walked down the rest of the stairs, "But Owen and Gabriel are off limits."

"I was just talking to Mr. Blackbourne... I didn't mean anything by it," she said.

"Maybe you think that, but to anyone else that overheard the conversation would have thought you two were flirting." I was standing with her now, but the happy look on her face from before turned sour by the time I was face-to-face with her.

"What about Gabriel? I don't think he considers himself off limits after the fight you two had," She lifted an eyebrow in question.

"He told you about that?" I growled.

'Did he seriously run right to her after the fight?'

"He was talking about being angry with you at breakfast, but I didn't hear why. Kota and Nathan seemed to know about it, though."

'Of course, he ran to the guys that didn't have his back before now and thought they'd help him... He's so stupid sometimes.'

"He's mine, even if we're fighting," I insisted.

"What if I like him, too?" She snapped.

"Then we're going to have a problem here," I stepped closer to her, making the space between us almost nonexistent.

"You're the one with the problem here. I don't know what it is, but you've had some kind of issue with me ever since I walked through the front door. You act like I'm some threat to you," she sighed.