Playing with Shadows (7 page)

Carolyn didn't need any
prodding. Once she cleared the threshold, she took off running into
the night. As soon as she was sure the young woman was safely out
of the demon's reach, Nikki turned back to the fight. She had just
taken a step forward when Alistair's body soared through the air
from where the demon still stood. Something fell from the vampire's
hand and rolled away towards her. Nikki caught a glimpse of ivory
and immediately knew what it was. Reaching a hand down, she felt
the cold, hard feel of demon bone in her grip.

The only weapon that could
kill the demon and she had it.

A heavy form collided with
her from behind knocking her off of her feet and onto the ground.
Vlad rolled away from her with a groan as he succumbed to his
wounds. Nikki glanced at her master and saw his skin was scorched
to the point of bleeding. His clothes smoked from the force of the
demon's power and she could faintly smell his burning flesh. With
the demon knife in her grasp, Nicola hurried to her feet as the
demon noticed she was beside Vlad's fallen form.

The demon's eyes scrunched
in confusion and then glanced to the place where Carolyn had been
only moment's before. As the situation dawned on him, his crimson
eyes shot back to Nikki. “Where is my
uxor
?”

His voice was loud in her
ears, but she resisted the urge to cover them with her hands.
Instead, she tightened her hold on the knife. Noticing the small
movement, the demon's eyes focused on the knife. Nicola didn't know
if she imagined it, but she could have sworn a flash of fear
crossed his features before he expertly wiped it away.

He lifted his hand and the
knife was suddenly in it. Appalled, Nicola looked at her empty hand
and then back to the demon. Holding up the bone, he crossed the
space separating them before she had a moment to run. With a hand
in her hair, the demon pulled her to his chest and held the knife
closer to her face than she would have liked. Drawing the sharp
edge of the blade down her jawline, the demon's handsome visage was
filled with rage.

“
Where did you acquire
this?” He demanded, barely controlling his fury. His blood-red eyes
flashed dangerously.

Nicola shook her head
despite the tug on her hair. She was unable to speak. Eyes turning
to liquefied fire, the demon gave her a sudden cruel smile. Before
she had time to register what was about to happen, the monster
plunged the demon bone knife into her chest. The scream that
erupted from her mouth didn't sound like her at all. It was a thing
of misery and unbearable pain. The knife had struck her heart and
every time her heart gave a beat, the knife would twinge just
enough to send another jolt of burning fire throughout her
body.

“
Doesn't feel so good now,
does it little bloodsucker?” The demon taunted as he slowly turned
the blade to the left. The pain magnified and she let out another
nightmarish shout. To Nicola, it felt as if thousands of tiny
razors were shredding her heart. Meeting his crimson eyes, she knew
he would turn it again and again, sending that terrible pain
through her body each time.

A strong wind wrapped
around them. The gusts were oriented on the demon and the hurricane
like gale knocked Nicola loose from the demon's unyielding hold. He
stumbled back away from her as the wind whipped at him. Unable to
stand on her own feet because of the pain, she fell to her knees.
The landing jolted the knife further into her chest and she cried
out. The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. Her
head felt like it weighed a ton, but she managed to lift it enough
to see the man who stood before them.

“
Christian?” Her voice
came out like a croak and her eyesight wavered from the blood loss,
but she could tell it was him... only it couldn't have been.
Blinking a few times to clear her sight, Nikki attempted to focus
on what was in front of her. Christian was standing before her and
he was... solid.

Christian's blue eyes
flashed to her face and he winced at the vision of her. “I'm so
sorry, Nikki.”

“
What is going on?” She
asked, a wave of dizziness washing over her.

The blade that was lodged
in her heart began to move. The prick of its movement sent pain
pulsing through her nerves, but she gritted her teeth to keep from
crying out. The blade made its final exit from her bloodied flesh
and floated on the air before her. Nicola's green eyes stared
dumbstruck at the knife.

“
You should have left with
Carolyn.” Christian told her dolefully. She didn't miss that he
avoided her question completely.

Unsure of what he meant by
that, Nikki pulled her eyebrows together in confusion. The demon,
upon witnessing the display, let out a savage laugh. Christian's
attention left Nikki and turned to the demon. His eyes narrowed as
he took in the laughing form of his nemesis and the creature trying
to destroy his family. A flick of Christian's wrist sent the demon
bone knife soaring at the fiend. It didn't have the chance to avoid
the attack.

The knife found its home
in the chest of the devil. A terrible howl let loose from the
demon's lungs as the magic inside of the instrument did its work in
destroying the evil. Red smoke engulfed the demon and as Nikki
slumped over onto the ground, the last thing she saw was the
monster implode before darkness overcame her.

Chapter 10:

The bandages covered nearly
every exposed piece of skin Nikki had. Every movement sent another
wave of relentless pain through her body, but she was happier than
she'd been in a while. The demon was gone. Carolyn as well as
Vlad's line were safe. Sitting upon a plush chair in the sitting
room while she stared into the hearth where a fire was blazing
steadily, Nicola thought back on everything that had transpired in
the past few days. She, Alistair and Vlad still had the wounds from
the battle with the demon. Those wouldn't heal for at least the
rest of the month and though she didn't relish the pain, she was
grateful that it meant that she was still alive.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nikki
could see Christian's form float into the room. He'd kept his
distance after what had happened with the demon and though she'd
enjoyed the silence, she truly did miss him. He was a bright spot
in her otherwise gray life.
“How are you?”
Christian spoke as he hovered just
out of her eyesight. The discomfort in his voice was obvious. A
petite smile appeared on Nikki’s face despite the circumstances of
his asking. She turned her eyes to look at him with
curiosity.
“I’m fine, Christian. There is no
need to worry about me.” Her voice was soft and with a miniscule
shake of her head, she stood on unsteady legs. Once she reclaimed
her balance, she took a deep breath and met his ice blue eyes again
with laughter in her gaze. “It could be worse. At least the knife
wasn't made of silver.”

A grimace crossed
Christian's handsome face. “There is no reason to joke so
crudely.”

Nicola's expression
sobered. “I'm sorry. You're right. We were lucky to escape with our
lives.”

“
Yes, but you did.” He
paused as he watched her thoughtfully. “I must thank
you.”

“
For?”

“
Saving Carolyn. Because
of your actions, she is able to move on and raise her son without
the threat of the demon. Also-” A smile lit up his face. “Vlad has
decided to take Carolyn into his protection.”

“
He has?” Nikki asked in
amazement. This was not like Vlad. “Why?”

Christian's expression
turned sheepish as he admitted the truth. “It's because of what I
did to save you.”

The image of him standing
before her in the flesh flashed through her mind. It was the most
impressive and yet, terrifying thing she'd ever seen. “How did you
do it?”

Christian shrugged. “It
happens from time to time.”

“
Christian...”

Her voice had taken a
warning tone and he looked doubtful. Then he sighed and turned away
from her to stare into the dazzling fire.

“
It's only happened once
before and at the time I'd felt a strong emotion. In that moment, I
became flesh like I was hundreds of years ago... like it was before
I died. It was for a few minutes and then I return to my ghostly
form as if it'd never happened.”

“
A strong emotion?” Nikki
thought about the scene with the demon. Christian had been so
upset. “Like anger?”

“
Anger is strong, but that
wasn't the emotion that made me become flesh in the warehouse.”
Christian finally looked at her and his face held an expression she
couldn't quite place. It gave her chills.

“
What was it?”

“
It was love.”

Nikki's heart felt as if
it were about to burst through her chest at those words. They were
the only thing that made sense in this crazy, mixed up situation.
She knew her feelings were deep for him. It was as close to love as
a vampire could possibly get. She couldn't speak, however, and
stared at him in open shock.

Christian glanced away
from her to look at the floor. “I know there is no chance for a
vampire and a ghost when it comes to love. I am unable to stay in
solid form and though you may not age, I am forever trapped in this
image. It would be unwise to care for me.”

“
I've never been wise.”
The words came from her, but she felt numb throughout her
body.

The ghost glanced up at
her with hope in his gaze. “Carolyn is going to give birth in a few
months. My soul will be reborn and in eighteen years, I will be
once more an adult.” He paused as if contemplating his next words.
“It would be selfish of me to ask this of you, Nicola, for you have
given so much already-”

“
Ask.” Nikki needed to
hear what he had to say.

Christian smiled somewhat
at her tone. “Would you wait for me, Nikki?”

Nicola was silent. Would
she wait for someone she barely knew? He was everything she wanted
and yet, she didn't know if she could wait around not knowing.
Christian watched her with anticipation, then worry, then sadness
on his face. The emotions passed by so fast that Nikki felt as if
she imagined them all. Then as despair finally found its place in
his features, Nikki spoke, “How do I know you will be the same
person you are now?”

“
Pardon?” Christian didn't
appear to understand her question.

“
You will be in an
entirely new body and raised in a new lifetime. How is it possible
that you will be the same man you are today? How will you remember
who I am to you?” Nikki tried her best to sound strong, but her
hope was wavering. There is no way he could still be Christian if
he were reborn in a new body.

Shaking his head,
Christian responded with one simple sentence. “The soul never
changes.”

Looking at him with
uncertainty, Nikki asked, “Are you sure?”

“
I am positive. I will be
reborn as a different man and yet, I will be the same.”

A grin broke across Nikki's
beautiful face. “I would wait for eternity if it meant a chance to
be with you. To
really
be with you, Christian.”

He floated across the feet
separating them without pause. Nikki watched in awe as he stood
before her a moment later as she was: a being in the flesh. The
demon magic that once pumped through his veins made it possible for
him to become human for a short while once more. A smile lit up his
face as he watched her take in the sight of him.

“
This is the most amazing
thing I've ever seen.” She said breathlessly.

Christian placed a hand on
her cheek and though he was flesh, she expected it to go through
her. Instead, his touch, cool and strong, met her soft skin in a
gentle caress. The contact sent shivers throughout her body.
Without conscious thought, Nicola's eyes eased closed and she
smiled warmly.

“
I love
you, Nikki.” Christian whispered, his voice full of passion and
promise. “We
will
be together.”

The light touch of his
lips upon hers was a shock to her system and her eyes fluttered
open. Sensing her reaction, Christian pulled away enough to gaze
into her eyes questioningly.

“
Is this alright?” He
asked, hesitant.

With a smirk, Nikki
allowed her hands to trail down his jaw to cup the back of his
neck. His skin was rough and chill, but under her fingers it felt
like heaven.

“
It's perfect.”

It was all she could say
before his lips found hers again.

Epilogue:

Seven months
later

“
You can do it, Carolyn.”
Nikki urged her friend as she worked through the labor. “He will be
here in a few more pushes.”

The blonde woman shot a
pair of ferocious azure eyes in the vampire's direction. “Have you
ever given birth before?”

Her voice held a touch of
sarcasm to it, but Nikki still answered as if it were a true
question. “No.”

“
Then
stop
helping
.”