The Kingdom of the Nine; The Vampire Legacy IV (6 page)

“You must be a writer.” David laughed.
“You're very descriptive.”

“She's just remembering.” Quinn spoke up.
“Let her be.” He turned and looked at me. “Go on.”

“I remember that the next thing my eyes saw
was blurs, colorful blurs one with black hair, the other blond, and
a third standing by the fire with almost red hair.” I walked over
and sat down on the floor next to the fire and stared into its
bright flames. “They focused quickly, letting me see all of you,
but I just wanted to lay there and listen and I heard David ask who
I was, then Quinn's strong voice interrupted him, telling him that
obviously I wasn't someone that could be harmed, though I'm not
sure what that meant, but it was Michael's unusual observation that
made me giggle letting you know that I was awake. He said that
I...”

“That you smelled like Julian.” Michael
interrupted. I looked at him, smiling as he laughed. “I remember
that.”

“Yes, that was it that I smelled like Julian
and at the time I didn't understand why you would say that because
I hadn't seen Julian all day. It was only after the fact, when I
thought about it that I remembered Julian had come over early in
the morning, before anyone else was awake and we had snuck out to
the beach. When it was clear to the three of you that I was awake,
I remember Quinn, who was sitting on the bed beside me, lean over
and look me dead in the eyes.” I looked at Quinn, who had gone back
to staring at the ceiling, then turned back to the fire, myself. “I
think he was trying to scare me, I really do, but then he just
smiled when I didn't shy away from him, and got off the bed.

“Julian came in shortly after insisting on
checking me over for bite marks when he found out that the three of
you had rescued me and changed my clothes. He introduced each one
of you, making sure I knew what to watch out for when I was alone
with you, not that I think he expected me to be, and that was that,
you were part of me from that moment on, and it's sad that I'm only
now remembering how it felt to be part of something that powerful,
to have a bond with not one but four people, it felt unbreakable.”
I whispered and looked down at my hand a moment before looking back
up. “I just wish I could remember what it was that made me forget
in the first place.”

I watched as this statement got looks from
the four of them, and all eyes turned to look at Julian, who wasn't
looking at anything but the floor. I stood up and walked over to
him, knelt down close enough to touch him in several ways and put
my hand on his knees.

“What is it that you don't want to tell me,
Julian?” I asked as I watched him shiver as he reached out and
touched my hands with his. “Do you know what happened?”

“Yes.” He whispered, looking into my eyes.
“But, I can't tell you, not yet.”

“Why?” I asked him. Julian shook his head and
got up, suddenly, moving away from my touch.

“I've just gotten you back, Cait.” He
answered with his back to me. “I don't want to lose you, again, not
so soon after you've just arrived.”

“Do you think I'm going to leave if I find
out?” I questioned, standing up also. The others all turned or, in
some way, moved to see what was going on as I walked up behind him.
“I have so much to remember, Julian, but the feelings, the
overpowering pull I have towards you is already there. I'm not
leaving. I won't disappear again.” I stopped and waited for him to
respond then it occurred to me and I put a hand on his back,
feeling him tense up at my touch. “Tell me, Julian, did you have
something to do with it?”

Silence was all I received as a reply and
slowly I removed my hand from his back. I watched his head, bent
down, as he looked towards the floor, in shame, and he looked
towards the side, towards me and closed his eyes.

“I'm sorry, Caitlyn.” He replied and walked
out the door. I turned, slowly and looked at the others not sure if
I should follow or not, but as I looked back out at the door he had
gone through, I knew that I should stay where I was. Michael's hand
rested on my shoulder and he smiled, dryly at me when I looked up
at him.

“Did I hurt him?” I asked. Michael shook his
head, and then gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“He's been hurting since he lost you.” He
replied.

“So, I've made it worse.” I sighed and
crossed my arms over my chest. “Maybe, I should leave.”

“No.” Quinn spoke up. “You've only just
gotten here, you should stay. He'll come around, for you he always
did.”

“Connie mentioned Nick.” I said, quickly
changing the subject. “Who was he?”

“Ah, Nicky.” David laughed.

“Yes, Nick.” Michael nodded, but neither was
giving me a straight answer.

“Okay, if you don't want to tell me about
him, just say so.” I shrugged and looked at them all. Quinn shook
his head and crossed his arms. “What is he some sort of family
secret? A skeleton in your closet?”

“You could say that.” Quinn answered, and I
felt Michael's hand move to my lower back.

“I'll let you in on the whole Nick thing in
the morning, maybe. You should get some rest.” He answered as he
ushered me out the door, and then escorted me up to the room that I
would be staying in. When he opened the door, to what I thought
would be an empty cold room, I found that it was already occupied,
by Julian, who was standing by the window. “Well, this is where I
say good night, so, goodnight.” He said looking at me, and then he
turned to Julian. “Goodnight.”

And with that, Michael closed the door,
leaving me in the room with Julian, who was still standing there,
looking at me, with quiet eyes.

“I wanted to apologize for the way that I
reacted to your question.” He spoke up, after a moment of odd
silence between us. “I should have explained better.”

“You should have explained something, instead
of walking out with a simple “I'm sorry, Caitlyn”, which was pretty
stupid because I've heard how sorry people were my whole life. It
was always “I'm sorry your an orphan”, or, “I'm sorry you don't
have a real family” or some dumb thing like that.” I answered and
watched him walk over. He stood only about a foot from me, with his
hands on his hips and I couldn't do anything but stare at him. “Why
are you real? Why, on earth, did I dream big enough to bring you to
life? Why now, when I have a husband and a son? Why not before,
when I had no one, but you were there, weren't you? And, I forgot
you.”

“It wasn't your fault.” Julian whispered. I
opened my mouth to ask him how he would know, but he raised his
hand, quieting me. “Not now, this is not the right time, but soon,
I'll tell you everything you want to know.” He reached out, with
shaky hands, and touched my face, gently. “Right now, I want to
hold you, so badly it hurts, just to make sure you're real.”

I laughed at him, closing my eyes as his
fingers seemed to blaze a trail of fire on my skin. “That was the
first thing I asked Michael when I saw him.”

I could feel Julian as he leaned down towards
me, coming close enough that I could feel his breath on me, and
hear it in my ears. Tenderly, as I stood there with my hands on his
hips, I felt little kisses on my skin and it made me shiver as his
lips caressed my cheeks and my neck. As his arms wrapped around me,
guilt flashed through me and I pushed him, gently away.

“Julian, stop.” I whispered to him, and then
looked up into his eyes. “I can't do this.”

“It's alright, Cait. I understand.” He told
me, quietly.

“How can you when I'm not even sure I do?” I
backed away and sat on the bed. “I don't want to lead you on,
because I do have a husband, and a child.”

“Tell me about him.” Julian sat next to me as
I slid up and sat against the headboard.

“There's not much to tell, really. Robert is
a pilot with a private company and is gone every other week flying
people to whatever exotic location they want to go to.” I answered
trying to sound enthusiastic about the whole situation. Julian
nodded then stretched his arms above his head and let them
drop.

“Sounds convenient.” He whispered. “How did
you meet him?”

“Three years ago Connie, Beth and I decided
to go to a college party that Laura's boyfriend was holding and
Beth, being a party girl, got completely drunk and it was Robert
that drove us home.”

“Three years, and you already have a child?”
I looked at him as he stared into the fire that was burning a few
feet away. It seemed that he caught every one of my flaws, and it
made him look at me when I sighed, loudly.

“I'm not being judgmental, Cait, I was just
thinking.” He whispered. I shrugged.

“I'm not proud of my stupidity, Julian.” I
answered and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I admit that I made a
mistake, but that mistake gave me one of my most valuable treasures
and I wouldn't trade Damien for anything in the world.” I watched
him nod, but he wouldn't look at me. “Anyway, after I found out
that I was pregnant, we ran off to Vermont and got married by a
Justice of the Peace in a quick ceremony. We've had our problems,
and we still do, but no matter what I feel at this moment, I can't
help but think about my son and how I promised that no matter what
he wouldn't be without his parents, even if that means my
happiness.”

“So, you're unhappy?” Julian looked up at me,
took my hand off his shoulder and kissed it as he held it gently.
“Damien won't be without his father, Caitlyn. Robert seems
responsible enough, since he married you to give your son
legitimacy.”

“That wasn't the point of getting married.” I
answered. “And,” I said, looking into his eyes, “I am happy.”

“Okay.” He got up off the bed and walked over
to the mantel. “Does he know that you're down here? Did you tell
him that you were looking for me?”

“No and no. I told him that I was going to my
grandmother's and that her phone had been disconnected and if I had
told him about you, he would have thought I had flipped my lid.” I
laughed and shook my head. “I wasn't sure if you really existed to
begin with, why would I want my husband to feel threatened by
something, or someone I wasn't even sure was there.”

“But, I am here, so, now what are you going
to do?” He asked, looking over at me.

“How about a shower?” I questioned. I watched
Julian's face light up and I could almost hear what he was
thinking. “Alone, Julian.”

“Well, in that case, the bathroom is across
the hall and I'm going to bed.” He smiled and walked over to me,
where he planted a gentle kiss on my cheek, letting his lips linger
there just a bit too long, for I felt the heat that his body let
off and I began to long for it. “Goodnight, Caitlyn.” He whispered
in my ear, his breath warm against my skin, and then he backed away
and walked out the door.

“Goodnight.” I whispered back, as the door
closed behind him.

4

As I turned the water off, after letting it fill up
the tub, I sank down into the warm water that surrounded me and
closed my eyes. I thought about the conversation that I had just
finished with Julian about my husband and about the choices I had
made that got me to where I was now, an accomplished author with a
two year old son and a marriage that was based on the fact that I
was pregnant. It wasn't that I didn't love Robert, because I did,
but it was that feeling underneath the love, a resentful feeling,
not only for him being gone half the year on trips that gave him
access to beautiful women, and Robert was a very attractive man,
but also the fact that I knew he had recently confessed to having
an affair that made me think that nothing with Julian would be
wrong.

I sighed, as I opened my eyes and stared at the
ceiling. What was I thinking? I couldn't have an affair with
Julian, though the thought was quite enticing, because I had Damien
to think about. Robert would threaten to take him away from me,
which he had already done, and the fact that I didn't have a steady
job that brought in the income needed to support him would be held
against me and I couldn't lose my son.

After thinking about all of this, I realized that
there wasn't much that I had to hold on to. I was sinking, and
fast, into a world of supernatural beings, things that weren't
supposed to exist, but did. This thought frightened me and I got
out of the tub faster than I ever thought I could. Wrapped in a
terry cloth bathrobe, that came to my knees, and dripping from the
fact that my hair was still wet, I made my way up to the third
floor bedroom that I knew Julian occupied. The door had been made
to look like part of the wall, but with just a slight push on the
edge of the seam; it popped open wide enough to get my hand in.

“Julian?” I asked, as I stepped into the room; at
first I didn't see him standing in a dark corner, until I stood
next to the bed, and turned towards the fireplace. He stepped out
towards me, wearing nothing but a pair of black cotton pants, which
I assumed he was going to sleep in. I stared at his face for what
seemed like eternity as he stood there looking at me. The fire made
his skin look as if it were glistening and thoughts of running my
hands over his defined chest and abs made my face flush with a
strange heat as I looked away. I felt his hand on my neck, and for
a moment I closed my eyes, but what I had to ask him made me turn
back and look up into his eyes as they glowed an odd red color. I
waited only a moment more before I placed my hand against his chest
and sighed. “What am I?”

“I thought you'd never ask.” He smiled at me, and
then gestured to the bed, but I stopped.

“I didn't come up here to be seduced by you, you
know.” I said, stepping back a bit, but still taking in the whole
view of him. “I came up here to find out the truth.”

“And, I can give that to you, but you have to trust
me.” He whispered. I shook my head, knowing in my heart that even
though I had only met him, again, for the first time that
afternoon, that I trusted him fully, I couldn't quite get up the
nerve to follow it.