Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (16 page)

Luke could feel Nicole moving about but
it was in small bursts so he figured she was getting settled into her room.  He
was hoping to catch her before she had too much time to dote over the grandeur
of the place and, more importantly, before she had more time to think about
what a childish pain he had been.  He turned right again at the end of the hall
and noticed the pull was leading him up into the tower room at the top of the
stairs.  He took the first two steps in one lunge making quick time up the
spiraling incline but stopped short of the last three steps.  At the top of the
stars he could see Slade standing in the doorway of Nicole's room.  He was
talking softly to her as she studied him.  "Please, I just need a moment
to talk to you," he took her hand and kissed it lightly but she pulled her
hand back from him.

Luke could see the doubt and unease in
her eyes as she listened to Slade.  "Slade, there's nothing we need to
talk about.  I know what your motives were back at Loch's and I'm sure they
haven't changed.  You are in this for your own gains and I will not help
you."

"Please, you've got me all wrong. 
If all I cared about was myself, I wouldn't have helped you and everyone else
get out of there," he said tenderly.  "Just let me come in and
explain.  There's so much you still don't know, love," he whispered.

Luke watched with his heart beating in
his throat.  He wanted her to tell him to leave, to shut the door in his face,
any sign that there wasn't a chance she was going to listen to his lies but
instead she let her shoulders sag in defeat and stepped back to let Slade in.

When Slade was inside Luke stepped out
into sight hoping to get Nicole to change her mind.  Just as she was closing
the door she noticed Luke.  She froze staring into his soul with her deep blue
eyes.  He could see the confusion and hurt just as clear as he could see her
standing in front of him.  He tried to think of something to say, anything at
all, but the whole world seemed to stand still in the moment.  Then she dropped
her eyes to the floor and closed the door.

He ran his hands roughly into his hair. 
"Fuck!" he groaned pacing the floor.  "I'm such an idiot.  She
wants to be with him."  He punched the wall with a guttural roar.  Sheet
rock crumbled around his fist along with some brick of the block wall hidden
behind.  He shook with anger as he turned back down the stairway, "If
that's what she wants then I'll let her have it but he's not going to keep me
from doing my job."

**~***~**

"He follows you around like some
lost puppy."  Slade opened the French doors that led out to the balcony of
Nicole's room.

Nicole crossed her arms over her chest,
"You knew he was out there?"

"Of course, love.  I wouldn't be
the man I am today if I wasn't always aware of what's going on around me.  There's
always someone looking to take what I want," he faced her with a smile.

"Oh, you mean you're always having
to watch your back so someone wont steal what your trying to take," she
could feel her temper starting to rise the more she looked into his smug face. 
"Slade, I don't have time for your bull.  Thank you for helping us get
away from Loch but I'm not giving you what you want.  I do not want to rule
this kingdom; I only want to put an end to the war, so you will not gain power
by using me."

Slade dropped his eyes, a genuine look
of hurt replaced his calm and distinguished demeanor, "Nicole, I'm not the
cold blooded man you think I am.  I care about these people," he took her
hand and led her out onto the balcony.

Nicole could see the whole town stretching
out below her.  She pointed to the cobblestone road that ended at the castle
gates, "What is that?"

"That is for you.  A parade in your
honor, love." He pointed to the line of people all making their way down
the street to place flowers, food, and ornate gifts at the foot of the
gate."

"But why?  I don't understand why
all the fuss."

"These people believe in you,
Nicole.  They know that you will be the one to bring happiness and peace back
to our world.  They want to pay tribute to the new queen."

Nicole clutched her hand to her chest,
"New queen!  But I don't want to be the queen."  She shook her head
and backed into the cover of her room, "That's not what I came here to
do."

"But it's your place," Slade
said firmly with his brows pressed together in frustration.

Nicole threw her hands up in the air,
"No it's not Slade."  She stomped over to the door and opened it,
"It's time you left."

Slade studied her face with a cold look
in his eyes, "Fine, but this conversation isn't over." He walked past
her but stopped before he was completely through the doorway, "It's your
decision what you do with the throne but I have a say in how you feel about
me."  He slid the back of his finger down her cheek, "I care about
you love, and I'm not giving up that easily."

Nicole stepped back from his reach and
closed the door.  She leaned against the wall and listened to the echo of his
boots as he turned and walked away.  "Damn it, I don't need this.  Not any
of this," she cursed.  She sat down on the edge of the huge four post bed
and stared out the open doors of the balcony into the bright, midday sky.  She
didn't want to rule a kingdom, she didn't want to fight a war, hell, she didn't
want to be anywhere right now other than in her own bed back in her own,
little, Alabama home town safe under the covers.

She dropped her head down into her
hands.  "What happened to magical worlds staying in story books?"

"Well like it or not the fairy tale
is as real as this fairy standing in front of you," snapped Sage.

Nicole jumped, "Where did you come
from?"

Sage pointed a finger to the open
bedroom door as she stood with one hand on her hip, "It wasn't locked so I
walked in."

"Well most normal people knock,
Sage."

Sage laughed, "Well good thing I'm
not normal.  I brought you something to wear tonight," she pointed to a
garment bag draped over a high back chair in the corner of the room. 
"You're welcome," she smirked.

"Oh, umm..sorry.  Thank you,"
Nicole rubbed her temples.

Sage jumped onto the high bed and leaned
up against the pillows, "Your bed is bigger than mine," she stated as
she fluffed the pillow behind her head.  She patted the spot next to her and
Nicole leaned back and stared up at the white canopy above her.  "Well,
you've gotten too damn good with guarding your thoughts so you're going to have
to spill it."

Nicole kept staring up into the space
above her, "I wouldn't know where to begin."

Sage slid down so she was lying flat on
her back just like Nicole and stared up into the void too.

"Well, let's not deal with the
heavy right now.  How about we talk about the two boys fighting over you?  It
will be just like a slumber party."  She pressed up onto her elbows so she
could look down into Nicole's face, "I'll even braid your hair."

Nicole turned her eyes on Sage raising
one eyebrow in disbelief, "Who are you and what have you done with the
irritable, cold-hearted Sage I love?"

A genuine grin spread across Sage's red
lips, "Stop flattering me or I'll go back to flirting with you just like
my brother and Luke.  I am one step ahead of them already," she winked.

"One step ahead of them…what do you
mean?"

"I've got you in bed." Sage
gave a comical wiggle of her eyebrows causing Nicole to giggle.

"You are so full of yourself,
Sage," Nicole laughed as she let her eyes drift back to the space above
her.  Sage settled in beside her again still laughing.

"Well at least you're smiling.  You
shouldn't let those guys get you down.  Right now you should worry about taking
a long bath, drinking a glass of wine and then getting ready for the ball
tonight."

"Ball?" groaned Nicole. 
"Can't I just hang out in my room for a few days and pretend to be
sick?"  She hated the idea of facing the world right now.  All she wanted
to do is hide away and pretend like life was normal again.  No powers, no kingdoms
in jeopardy and defiantly no men fighting for her hand.  She longed for the
smell of pine, the taste of sweet tea and the company of her dad and Kat.

"Really, Nicole.  You can't hide
away from this.  You need to talk to Luke.  As much as I detest warriors...I
feel bad for him.  He's going off the deep end."

"I should talk to him?  Sage, I
don't think you see what I see.  When he looks at me he's always so cold.  He's
not the man I knew before I left him behind."

Sage rolled to her side and thumped Nicole
on the arm, "Don't you see?  That's what made him like this.  You refuse
to let him be by your side in any form because you're too stubborn.  If nothing
else you have to understand his job is to protect you."  She sat up
crossing her legs under her, "You may not love him Nicole but I can tell
he loves you so the least you could do is let him be your warrior again."

Nicole stared at Sage like she was
seeing the dark haired, pointed ear, snow white fairy for the very first time,
"Listen to you.  Since when do you believe in love and letting a man
protect you?"

Sage dropped her eyes and a serious look
turned down her lips, "I've had a lot of time with Luke since you left and
well…we both can agree that we care about keeping you safe.  All romantic
feelings aside, he truly is miserable without you."

Picking at the pillow behind her head
Nicole let her mind drift back to the Luke she left in Alabama.  Life had been
so crazy that she never really allowed him to get too close to her.  Before she
knew that he was a warrior it was the fear of him finding out that she had
hidden powers that kept her distant from him.  But even after they knew the
whole story about each other she had still pushed him away to protect him.  She
didn't want anyone to suffer for her, especially those she cared about so
pushing him away was the best thing to do then...but what about now?

Sage darted off the bed in a blur that
made Nicole motion sick for a moment, "When you see this dress you are
going to change your mind about going to the ball." Sage said, pulling
Nicole from her thoughts.  She unzipped the garment bag and revealed a long
dress in a stunning deep green.  Beautiful black swirls delicately danced
across the velvet bodice with precisely placed pearls in the center of each
turn.  It was sleeveless with the top made to define a small waist and then
turned into a long and flowing silk skirt.

Nicole rose from the bed.  She felt the
crush of the velvet beneath her fingers as she traced the intricate design of
the dress, "And what fairy tale princess did you steal this from?"

Sage snarled her nose, "Those
primpy little things don't have shit on this dress.  This one was made for a
true leader, one with a mind of steel and blood of fire."  She placed the
dress in Nicole's hands with a wink.  "Now hang this up and go enjoy a
good soak.  I'll stand guard out here and keep the men away."

Nicole gave a sarcastic laugh, "I
don't think you will be too busy.  I've managed to make them both mad at me
within minutes of each other."

Sage walked to what Nicole thought were
two doors leading to a closet and slid them open.  Hidden in the wall was a
huge, flat screen television and shelves lined with movies and books.  The
fairy thumbed through the movie titles as Nicole gawked, "What?  Did you
think just because we live in a castle in a different dimension we would all be
using torches and chamber pots."

"I wasn't expecting...."she
pointed to the home theater set up then shook her head, "Just forget
it," she laughed.  "I'm guessing I'm not going to be taking a bath in
fire heated water either am I?"

"Not unless you count the gas hot
water heater as a fire.  But if you like, you can go take a bath in the river
and I'll enjoy your Jacuzzi tub
—
just so you feel like you're getting the 'true story
book experience'."  Sage flopped down on the bed with a remote in her hand
and a sly grin on her crimson lips.

Nicole smiled at the prospect of a nice
hot bath with powerful jets soothing away the soreness in her muscles,
"I'll pass.  Enjoy your movie, Sage."

"Yell if you need company,"
shouted Sage as Nicole shut the bathroom door.

"I'll pass," Nicole repeated
with a laugh.