Part 2
The stench of brimstone pricked Thaddeus' nose just before he wrinkled it against the unwanted assault. He and Nick were no longer alone. Sliding his gaze from Knight's sleeping form, he eyed the being now standing beside him. With an aloofness born of familiarity, he made contact with the unnatural, red eyes that considered him. A sly smile gave him a glimpse at the mouth full of jagged teeth, the rank odor of brimstone gaining new strength with the subtle movement of the yellow lips. Thaddeus took in the two small horns protruding from his visitor's forehead before he looked back into the amused eyes.
"Ya know, Thaddeus," the demon's voice crackled with a dry sort of roughness, "you're gonna get into trouble. You know as well as I do that your boss doesn't like it when you appear as something you're not. Isn't it against some kind of rule or something?"
"You're lecturing me on ethics, Claudius?" Thaddeus didn't try to stop the incredulous laugh. "This is one for the books. Wait a minute..." Looking around at nothing in particular, he pretended to search for something. "Let me write this date down somewhere." The uninspired smile Thaddeus received clearly told him the playful jab was in no way appreciated.
"Well, now that you mention it, it is a pretty noteworthy day when I have to remind you of the rules."
Thaddeus dismissed the bait with a wave of his hand. "Never once did I say that I was a demon. I just never got around to saying I wasn't. Anyway, what's really bothering you is the fact that your boss isn't too keen on my slightly unorthodox approach."
"Well, he does get a little frustrated with you. But in this case, I guess he won't mind too much. Since there's no chance of your winning. I don't get it, Thaddeus. Why are you even bothering?" The demon walked around the end of the couch to stand behind it, placing large, clawed hands on the back as he looked down on Nick. "You can stick a fork in DeBrabant, he's done. He's been done for about 800 years. You're wasting your time."
Thaddeus' mouth lifted at the corners with Claudius' modern-day reference to Knight. The angel had to hand it to the demon. Claudius did keep up with the times.
"Oh, I don't think so." Thaddeus shook his head, his attention drawn to the sleeping vampire. "And besides, it's my time. I can spend it any way I choose."
"Well, I didn't think beating your head against a brick wall would be one of the ways." Claudius chuckled, a thick sound that came from deep in his chest. The amusement reflected in his blood-red eyes as they moved back to Thaddeus. "He's a lost cause. Admit it."
"I'll admit nothing of the sort." Determination echoed in Thaddeus' voice, as he met Claudius' contented stare. "There's still hope. There's always hope."
"Hope." Claudius rolled his eyes, a peculiar sort of distaste turning his mouth. "Such a wishy-washy word. What is hope? At most it's an uncertain desire. It holds no strength, no destiny. It's a wish for the weak and will do DeBrabant no good at all."
"We'll see." Thaddeus quietly questioned the demon's conviction, his own faith in the hope that he held for Nick steadfast.
"And what about LaCroix?" Claudius abruptly changed the subject with the challenge, as if the master vampire's name would further reflect the futility of the angel's faith.
"Yes, LaCroix is a problem." Thaddeus admitted with a node, a deep sigh echoing his concern.
"Yeah, isn't he though?" Claudius' satisfied grin reflected the immeasurable pride he held for the ancient Roman. "He's a legend. I've got a beautiful set of horns just waiting for him."
"I'll bet you do." Thaddeus couldn't stop his short laugh. "But, he's a problem Nick will have to learn to deal with." A solemn frown pulled the lingering smile from his lips. "And Knight really hasn't done a bad job of it up until now. He can handle LaCroix. However, Natalie is so precious to him that he's not thinking too clearly. The possibility of losing her, either to death or to darkness, has all but paralyzed him. He's got to snap out of it. She can help him. He can't push her away."
"Help him? How?" The skeptical questions shot from the demon as he folded scaly arms across his chest, his stance defiant. "He has no say over what happens to him now. Neither does she. He has no control. He gave that up 800 years ago with his decision to become a vampire. He can't change anything, and neither can you. It's much too late."
"Don't you believe in miracles, Claudius?" The angel's eyebrows rose with a false surprise as he teased.
"Please." The demon brushed aside the notion with a flip of his wrist, as if it was a pesky fly buzzing around his face. "You can't save a soul that isn't there."
"Isn't there? You know as well as I do that Knight still has something to salvage." Thaddeus fervently disputed Claudius' damning assertion. The angel knew better and wasn't about to let the demon get away with it. "It happens sometimes. The darkness didn't take all of his humanity."
"Yeah, yeah. There's an occasional weird exception. And he's one of 'em." Again, Claudius casually dismissed the hope that still existed for Nick. "So what? There's not enough left to make him a candidate for salvation. There's just enough to make his time on earth more painful than it has to be." A wicked smirk touched his yellow lips. "And when I think about it, that's not such a bad thing."
Thaddeus could do nothing but shake his head in disgust at the demon's delight in Nick's suffering. As many times as he'd witnessed the evil cruelty of the beings, he remained immensely sensitive to it. There was no numbness. No calluses had developed. The degree of malice still effected him deeply. And, he supposed, that was the point. He would never, could never, grow insensitive to the beasts and their malevolence. It would sabotage everything he tried to do. Cold complacency would cost him his job. He loved his job. There was too much to be done, too much of Satan's work to undo.
"Oh, and just out of curiosity, why didn't you appear to him as all sweetness and light, with encouragement and love?" Claudius' rough, patronizing voice altered the short silence. "That's the usual scenario, isn't it? Why the charade?"
"LaCroix's threat seemed to have drained all the life out of Nick." Thaddeus again looked down on the serene vampire, sympathy filling his heart. "I wanted to see if I could put some of it back. I wanted to see if I could get him mad enough so he'd want to fight back. Who better than the enemy, come to gloat over his failure? Angelic encouragement would have been nice, but Nick needed to find the drive within himself to keep up the battle. And I think he has."
"For all the good it'll do him," the demon scoffed. "It's a battle that's already lost. The sooner you and DeBrabant realize that, the better off you'll be."
"Thanks for the advice, Claudius, but I think I'll ignore it, if you don't mind." Thaddeus offered a weak smile as his attention shifted back to his determined rival.
"Suit yourself." Claudius shrugged. "I'm just trying to spare you some frustration."
"How generous of you." Thaddeus feigned his appreciation before taunting, "Are you going to stick around and see what happens next?"
"What happens next doesn't matter, Thaddeus." The demon took a step back from the couch as he shook his head, his eyes settling on Knight. "It will change nothing, least of all DeBrabant's fate. What's the word?" He looked up at Thaddeus, brown, jagged teeth peeking through the huge grin curving his mouth. "Ah, yes...sealed. But...should that miraculously begin to change, I won't be far away."
With the threat, Claudius dissolved from sight, his triumphant smile the last thing to disappear.
The angel glanced down at Nick, who continued to sleep peacefully on the couch. "Neither will I, Claudius." He quietly promised. "Neither will I."
He was awake, but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, he lay very still, listening.
No heartbeat. He quietly observed. But that doesn't mean anything, does it?
No, it didn't mean a damn thing, not where his visitor had been concerned. But.... Nick allowed himself to view the darkness that began to cloud the skylight. Did he truly have a visitor, or did his overwhelming guilt conjure up one hell of a lifelike dream?
Swinging his feet over the side of the couch, Knight sat up. He looked around to assure himself that he was indeed alone. There was no sign of Winterbottom anywhere, and with the discovery came a sigh of relief. At least, if he had been real, he was no longer cluttering up the loft. Nick had had about all he could take of the distinguished-looking demon. Waking up to find Thaddeus still in his home was not something the vampire was up for at the moment.
With elbows resting on his knees, Knight held his head in his hands. He stared down at the ground, oblivious to what his eyes encountered as he struggled with the meeting he wasn't entirely positive had taken place. It had to have been a dream. Right? That was the easiest, sanest, explanation. There had been no sojourn from a demon, had there? No. That was ridiculous.
However, as the visit had played out, he'd admitted to himself that it wasn't a dream. It certainly hadn't felt like one at the time. Closing his eyes, Nick slowly shook his head. Looking back on it now, he wasn't so sure. Or, maybe, he didn't want to be sure. If it had actually happened, it meant his greatest fear was, indeed, a reality. Although he'd suspected it all along, he now had proof. Ignorance and uncertainty could no longer comfort him, could no longer allow for the possibility of reprieve. He'd learned that Satan's grip on him was real, strong, unyielding. And thanks to his recent behavior, Beelzebub's hold was tighter than it had been in over a century. A bitter smile tuned the vampire's lips. He would make a nice addition to Hell.
But is that all he'd learned from the...dream? And did what he'd discovered mean anything, if it was, in fact, a dream?
Knight raised his head, his sights resting on the gray sheets of metal covering the loft windows. Picking up the remote from the coffee table, he pushed a button. Gears hummed to life, and the protective barrier rose, revealing the twilight-cloaked city.
A quiet sigh escaped Nick as he stood and walked to the window. He scanned the growing darkness, seeing more than he should, more than was natural. Nighttime. A vampire's time. His time. That would never change. He would remain a prisoner of the darkness for as long as he walked the earth. A bitter smirk pulled at a corner of his mouth. Had he really believed he could alter that damning reality? Beat the Devil? Actually, yes. With Natalie to help him, he'd felt more confident than he had in years about the possibility of success. Her conviction, her fortitude, her encouragement had invigorated him, breathed fresh life into his waning hope, shored up his weakening determination. She made him feel as though anything was possible. She made him believe in miracles.
Of course, he'd destroyed all of that last night. The memory of Natalie's devastated expression filtered back into the vampire's mind and his body stiffened against the agony it conjured. His cruelty had successfully pushed her away, and with her, the possibility of miracles. His hope had deserted him when she walked out the door, the desire for the unattainable losing its potency. Without Nat in his life, why would he want to regain his mortality?
"Natalie." The name left the vampire in the form of a haunted wish, a fierce longing moving through him while he momentarily abandoned his torturous thoughts. He didn't try to stop the images that bombarded his mind, his senses. The warmth, the tenderness, the love. His gut clenched tight with the overwhelming craving that seized him, Natalie's skin so soft, so inviting, under his touch. Hesitantly exploring, learning, discovering. Nat's heated, willing body pliant in his arms, as eager for his kisses as he had been for hers. Wanting more, needing more, but shyly reserved as the new feelings worked toward becoming more familiar. A sad smile lifted Nick's mouth. Dear God, she was so very precious to him.
Damn it! No! Relinquishing the window, and the stimulating memories, Knight stalked into the kitchen. Silently, he contemplated the refrigerator door, his hunger stoked by the passionate reminiscence.
He had to stop this. Now. If Natalie was to stay alive, he could no longer indulge his feelings for her. Somehow, he had to cut himself off from them, smother them. If he didn't, his maker would....
God help me...please. Nick closed his eyes as the ardent request entered his mind, a paralyzing dread slicing through him.
LaCroix's threatening presence loomed over Knight like a great, black, thunderous storm cloud, promising to strike Natalie down at Nick's first sign of weakness. Continuing to harbor this intense love for her would surely get her killed or worse, brought across. But even with that horrific menace hanging about him, Nick didn't seem to have any control over his feelings. He loved her so very much. How could he possibly deny it, hide it?
"You're weak. You're frightened." Thaddeus' damning accusations replayed in Knight's head. "You just don't have any fight left in you. You've been beaten. It's just easier to lay down and submit. LaCroix has always gotten the better of you. Why should now be any different?"
A heavy scowl darkened Nick's face as he heard the words again, the same anger that he'd felt the first time bubbling up inside him.
Coward. Was he really? Weak. Beaten. Beaten? Would he lay down and submit, allow LaCroix's threat to take from him the one good thing in his life? Knight's frown deepened as he considered the repulsive possibilities, his rage multiplying with every second that passed. Damn it, he wasn't a coward. He wasn't. But...he was running away, wasn't he? Running from Natalie and the light she offered him, the love.
"...you don't seem to realize that Natalie, and your profound love for her, have brought you closer to humanity than you've been since the day you were brought across." Again, the demon's words returned. This time, however, they had a calming influence over the vampire. Knight felt some of the fury drain away as Natalie's extraordinary significance in his life was, once more, brought to his attention.
Was Nat truly his saving grace? His way back to humanity? Was his love for her a strong enough remedy to overcome 800 years of evil? Could he keep her safe and allow the panacea to continue working, allow his devotion to guide him away from the hell into which he'd fallen, loosen Satan's hold? A consuming fear abruptly strangled the questions darting through Knight's head, an arctic shudder running down his back. Did he have the strength?
"...you'd find the strength to keep her close and keep her safe. But, apparently, you don't love her enough to try."
Nick's eyes sprang open and he spun around, fully expecting to find Thaddeus standing behind him, a triumphant smile plastered on the demon's face. The taunt had sounded so clear, so close. A wave of relief rippled over the vampire when he realized he was still alone.
It took only seconds, however, for the relief to be replaced by the returning anger, the vile accusation, once again, hitting him hard. Hell yes, he loved her. He loved her more than...life, more than....
"...you've got a funny way of showing it."
Knight's head snapped toward his left, his eyes darting to the second floor hall as he took a couple of steps forward. He would have sworn the sarcastic barb came from the direction of the upper railing, but as before, Thaddeus was nowhere to be seen.
Taking a few more steps out of the kitchen, Nick stopped and stared up at the empty place on the railing where Winterbottom had first appeared. Yeah, he had a funny way of showing it, but that was the problem. He couldn't show it, not the way he longed to, the way he hungered to. LaCroix would....
The memory of Natalie in the master vampire's arms rekindled the crippling fear. Nick felt it spread through him like a debilitating poison, causing his muscles to shut down, his breathing to falter.
"Hell is full of cowards. They do very well there." The hideous words flashed in Nick's head as he continued to stare at the empty railing, the dread continuing to rip him apart.
The sickening words, however, seem to act like an antidote to the poisonous fear. Tightening his jaw against the brand of coward, Nick slowly moved his head from side to side in a determined rejection. A stalwart conviction crept back into his heart. He could show Natalie his love for her. Not with profound declarations, but with quiet strength. By finding the strength within himself to hold his powerful emotions in check, and by banishing the undermining fear, he could be brave enough to be her friend. He would be brave enough to be her friend.
However.... Would Natalie be willing to give him the chance to try again? Could Nick regain her friendship after all the pain he'd caused? She had a kind, generous heart, no doubt, but had he wounded it too deeply?
Knight closed his eyes, the possibility of her rejection a torturous knife twisting in his gut. If she discarded him, he would truly be lost.
"No!" The vehement denial splintered the silence that enveloped loft, Nick's eyes springing open. He refused to allow his misgiving to defeat him before he'd even begun. Rejection or no, he would have to try.
With that thought in mind, the vampire climbed the stairs and prepared for work, but more importantly, he prepared for, what he hoped, was a renewed journey back toward humanity.
Through the lab door's window, Nick watched Nalalie remove her elastic gloves and toss them into the bio-hazard container before leaning against the counter and closing her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her. A guilty frown tugged at the vampire's lips as he noted the fatigue that seemed to drape around her shoulders, the sadness that reflected in her beautiful features. In the pockets of his long coat, strong hands clenched with regret. He was responsible for the sorrowful, weary picture she presented, and he hated himself for it. His cowardice had done this to her, his cruelty.
Nick's jaw tightened against the dark fear that returned with a vengeance. Had his cruelty been too much? She'd said that she would be ready to listen when he was ready to talk, but had he hurt her too deeply? Would she really want to hear what he had to say?
Knight's thoughts faltered, his troubled gaze falling to the window frame. What did he have to say? How much could he say, without endangering her?
He wanted to tell her the truth. Damn it, he would tell her the truth. But he knew in his heart, he could only tell her so much. Certain things would have to continue to be unexplained, glossed over. A precious confession would have to go unspoken. Tender memories would have to remain buried. Her safety depended on it.
The vampire's uneasy attention rose to once again settle on Natalie. She had moved away from the counter to sit at her desk, her back to the door. With a heavy sigh, Nick placed a hand on the doorknob and turned. As he walked through the door, he mustered his resolve and prayed that Natalie's forgiveness was within his reach.
The door closed behind him with a muffled click.
"I'll be with you in a minute." Nat acknowledged that she was no longer alone, but continued to write in the open file in front of her.
"Take your time. I've got plenty to spare."
The sound of Nick's voice stayed Natalie's busy hand, her head raising slightly.
Knight's heart sank to his feet when, after a second or two, he watched Natalie's back stiffen. The rigid posture reminded him of a wall, a protective barrier that was suddenly erected between them, a defensive mechanism that had never been necessary until now. An ominous sorrow clouded Nick's mind as the gesture registered. He had no one to blame but himself for the tale-tell reaction. His self-loathing sharpened to a razor's edge, the blade of disgust debilitating as it sliced through his conscience.
"What can I do for you, Nick." The frosty words reflected Nataile's posture. She remained seated with her back to Knight, an eerie stillness surrounding her.
"Well, for starters, you can look at me." The vampire took a few more steps into the room, stopping a foot or so from Nat's chair.
Standing stone still, Nick waited. The seconds of chilly silence felt more like days, Natalie seemingly unwilling to face him. Her hesitation rekindled the agonizing dread. Knight felt its inky blackness seep into his mind and cloud his thoughts, blocking out his fragile hope, smothering his delicate determination.
Damn it, no! I won't do this! The vampire struggled against the crippling emotion.
As the weakness threatened to consume him, Nick willed himself to reject it, to banish it from his thoughts, his heart. It wouldn't get him where he needed to be, where he wanted to be. Strength and courage would regain Natalie's trust, secure her love. More than anything, he yearned to recover that faith, shelter that devotion. She had to listen to him. Dear God, she had to forgive him.
Taking another resolute step forward, Knight allowed the desperate longing to filter into his hushed voice. "Please."
With the gentle plea, Nick saw Natalie's shoulders drop slightly, some of the unyielding harshness draining away, and he allowed his hope to return.
With a heavy sigh, Nat laid her pen on the desk and rotated the chair, stopping when she faced in Nick's direction. Lifting her head, she looked him in the eye, but remained seated, and oh so quiet.
The stony expression did little to hide the sadness hovering in her eyes, an answering ache clutched at Knight's heart when he recognized the sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Nat." Nick's apology brimmed with regret as he sought to begin the healing. "I didn't want to hurt you."
"Then...why?" Natalie's brows furrowed with the confusion that entered her voice, the harshness completely disappearing, leaving the stark grief in its wake. "Why did you?"
"I...I only wanted...." An intense shame made it difficult for the vampire to speak, the source of Natalie's pain a dishonor he would never be able to tolerate. "I...needed to protect you."
"Protect me?" Nat rose from the chair, her confusion obviously heightened, her curiosity peaked. "From what?"
"From me...from what I am." Running an unsteady hand through his hair, Nick took a deep breath and ventured closer to the truth he had promised himself he would tell her. "From...LaCroix."
"LaCroix?" Natalie took a step closer to Knight, her perplexed gaze still trained on the vampire's face. "Nick, what are you talking about?"
"He's jealous. He wants to hurt you. I can't allow that." Nick made no attempt to conceal his sudden anger, the statements bitter reminders of his master's malicious intent.
However, even Knight's anger wasn't enough to weaken Natalie's effect on him. As Nick looked down into Nat's lovely, questioning eyes, her nearness suddenly became too much for him, the desire to pull her close and comfort her gnawing at him like some ravenous animal. But he couldn't give in to the craving. The temptation to take it farther would be too great. Turning, he walked to the other side of the room. With both hands back in the pockets of his coat, he faced her.
"Jealous of what?" Nat's confusion began to blossom into irritation as she followed Nick a few paces across the room, the question leaving her in a short huff.
"Of our...friendship." Nick's heart balked at the lukewarm description, his answer echoing the hesitation. "He wants it ended. He doesn't like me being close to you."
"So...because big, bad LaCroix wants it, you do it?" There was little mistaking Nat's dubious tone as her hands were impatiently shoved onto her hips, eyebrows raising in disbelief. "Since when?" Seemingly unable to stand still, the doctor crossed her arms over her chest and took another step forward before continuing, her voice simmering with an undisguised fury. "You pushed me away without so much as a word. I thought I meant more to you than that, Nick. Besides, why listen to him now? I don't give a damn what he wants, and neither should you."
"I give a damn when it means your life!" The forceful pronouncement exploded from Nick as his frustration, edged with an acute fear, made its way to the surface.
He regretted his loss of temper immediately when he saw the color drain from Natalie's lovely face, and he cursed his lack of control. But as he studied her stricken expression, Knight wasn't sure if it was his outburst that upset her, or the information he'd bestowed upon her.
"My life?" Nat's rage vanished. A numbing shock appeared to usurp it, her features growing pensive while she absorbed Nick's meaning. Stunned disbelief tainted her voice as troubled eyes collided with Knight's. "He threatened to kill me?"
"Or worse." The need to impress upon Natalie how much danger she had been in pulled the callous words from Nick, his welling sympathy for her ignored.
"Bring me across." Nat quietly spoke the chilling prospect aloud, its effect obvious, a visible shudder running through her body. Her attention drifted to somewhere on the wall above Nick's head. After a second or two of contemplation, a perplexed frown tugged at her mouth, the question apparent even before it was asked. "Why?"
"I told you, he's jealous." Nick stuck to the truth. It was a vague, non-specific sort of truth, but it was the truth. "He doesn't want to see me happy with mortals."
"But why now?" Nat's sights settled back on Knight, a curious demand shading her attitude. "He's known about our friendship since he came to town. What's different now?"
I'm in love with you! The damning admission burst through Nick's scattered thoughts like a charging bull as his composure, without warning, came crashing down around him, the pointed question knocking him off guard. What could he tell her? Not that. Definitely not that.
With his attention still glued to Nalaie's inquisitive expression, Knight offered a watered down version of the truth. "He thinks we're getting too close."
"Are we?" Nat took a few more steps forward, stopping little more than a foot or so from the vampire, a mischievous, almost sultry, grin curving her lips.
Yes, yes, yes! Again, Nick's thoughts betrayed him, the need to confess ripping through his gut like so much shrapnel.
Knight pulled his eyes from the hope he saw in Natalie's, his gaze falling to the floor. His jaw tightened against the words he longed to utter. Surrendering to the desire would see her dead. Silence would keep her alive.
"We can't." From somewhere deep inside himself, Knight gathered the will to temper his greater want with a simple truth, his voice little more than a whisper when he finally found the courage to speak.
"That's not an answer, Nick." Natalie moved nearer. Raising a hand, she placed gentle fingers under the vampire's chin, forcing him to look at her. The playfulness disappeared, an urgent, serious, need to know dominating her demeanor. "Are we too close?"
The tender contact caused Knight's knees to buckle, but he successfully saved himself the embarrassment of falling to the ground. He couldn't, however, prevent his eyes from sliding shut as Natalie's silky warmth bathed his icy flesh. However, he allowed himself only a few seconds to bask in the luscious heat before opening his eyes. The delicate wish reflecting back at him did a number on his resolve, but he held on to it, somehow.
"Too close?" Of its own volition, Nick's hand left the confinement of his coat pocket to run light fingers down Nat's cheek, the satin skin sending a bolt of awareness shooting through him. His voice sounded thick, husky, to his ears when he continued. "I don't think that's possible. I could never be too close to you. Your...friendship is the one thing in my life that's keeping me sane, keeping me human. Or at least as human as I'm capable of being. The closer we get, the more human I feel. I never want to lose that. It took you walking out of the loft last night to make me realize it."
Reluctantly, Knight's hand fell away from the inviting warmth of Natalie's cheek, once again finding refuge in his coat pocket. He ached to have her in his arms, desire a shape agony pulsing through him from head to toe.
No! Knight warned himself away. LaCroix. Remember LaCroix.
"I am sorry, Nat." Focusing on his master was enough. The resulting remorse effectively squelched the hunger, Nick's need to explain his hideous actions surfacing. "But when LaCroix threatened you I...panicked, I guess. I thought that if I stayed away from you, you'd be safe. He'd leave you alone. Your safety...that's all that really matters."
"But I have some say in that, don't you think?" Natalie's touch moved from Nick's chin to his cheek, a tender determination shining in her eyes. "It's my life, after all. You hurt me, Nick. A lot." Pain dulled the conviction and pulled at the edges of Nat's mouth. "You should have come to me. You should have told me."
"I know, Nat. I know." Nick fought the draw of Natalie's gentle proximity with every once of strength he could muster, his shame aiding in the battle. "I was wrong. Very wrong. But I'm here now, and I'm asking you to forgive me. Please."
"I forgive you, Nick." Raising up on her toes, Nat placed a light kiss on the vampire's forehead. "How could I not? But you've got to remember that we're in this friendship together. That we fight for it together." Removing her hand from the vampire's cheek, the doctor took a step backward, a defiant gleam entering her eyes. "LaCroix's just gonna have to get over it." The gleam, however, didn't last long as concerned apprehension turned her mouth, the frown subtle as the same worry colored her voice. "You think he will?"
"I'll take care of LaCroix." The unembellished honesty of the statement allowed for its resolute delivery.
Nick knew that he, and he alone, would be the one to protect Natalie from his maker. It would be his strength of purpose that would keep the master vampire at bay. The ability to conceal his all-consuming love for Nat that would keep her from harm. He would take care of LaCroix.
"Okay...." The look Natalie gave the vampire was playful, a faint smirk crossing her lips, however the anxiety still remained. "But he's.... Nick, you be care-"
"I'll take care of LaCroix." Knight didn't allow Nat to finish, repeating his pledge, deliberate resolve emphasizing every words.
Nodding her head, Natalie silently accepted Nick's promise, a genuine smile brightening her beautiful face.
When he saw the acceptance, a tremendous wave of relief washed over Knight. Natalie believed him, believed in him. The steadfast faith hovering in her lovely, blue eyes caused the lingering fear of rejection to fade away, a warm contentment taking its place. He hadn't destroyed her trust, and the knowledge empowered his conviction. He would be strong, controlled. LaCroix would not be a problem.
"Alright, we won't talk about you-know-who anymore." Nat's cheerful pronouncement halted Nick's musings. "What we are going to talk about is your protein intake of late. Or should I say your lack of protein intake of late? Ya know, Nick...."
A satisfied smile curved the vampire's mouth as he listened to Natalie scold him for his shortage of cooperation where her protein concoctions were concerned. Her stern, yet upbeat, voice was music to his ears. The relaxed, happy expression on her face made him feel warm all over, or at least, what he remembered it felt like to be warm all over. His eyes never left her as she walked to the refrigerator to retrieve one of the revolting drinks, her mantra of collaboration never missing a beat.
I do love you. So very much. He couldn't have stopped the dangerous admission even if he'd wanted to, the passion rushing through him like a title wave. He would have to have better control in the future, but for now, he let the emotion sooth him.
It gave him immense joy, watching her, listening to her. She was his hope, his miracle. She stood between him and the Devil, a delicate shield against the horrid fate that awaited him. His love for her a cleansing light that warned him away from the dark threshold which stood silent, ready to swallow him. If he would allow it, cherish her and the love he held for her, he just might be able to avoid the dark decent altogether. He just might.
The End
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