The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1) (9 page)

Joyce shook her head. “
The sooner you two figure this out, the happier you’ll be.”

“How right you are.”
Claire sighed and headed up off to bed herself.

She had just closed her bedroom door
when Nikoli knocked softly.

“What do you want?” s
he growled at him, throwing open the door. “Come to tell me we can’t be together and then make out with me?”

Nikoli closed
the door behind him, frowning. “I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted to get rid of Theresa.”

“Thanks tons.”
Claire folded her arms up and glared at Nikoli.

“Ok
ay, okay,’ Nikoli acquiesced. “I deserve your anger for that….but if you must know, it was hard for me to stop with just a peck on the lips.”

“
Whatever, Nikoli. Go on, tell me how much you want me and I want you and how we can’t be together. Maybe I’ll just cross my fingers another bimbo will drop by for you so it’s convenient for you to kiss me again.” Claire was livid. “So you just let me know the next time you want to use me so I can make sure I’m avail-”

Without warning Nikoli’s
mouth was on hers. His arms around her, he kissed her slowly, gently. Claire responded instantly, returning his kiss.

“Claire,”
he broke away, “you make me crazy.”

“
I make you crazy? I don’t do super-fast vampire speed moves and kiss unsuspecting people. I only-”

Nikoli kissed her again more urgently, and Claire reciprocated in kind. She was lost. There was nothing now, nothing but this- Nikoli’s strong arms holding her, keeping her safe, his soft lips on hers.
Nothing before or after this moment mattered, only this. Claire thought she would explode with happiness. Something still bothered her though. She broke off the kiss.

“
I don’t want to do this Nikoli, if tomorrow you’ll just say it was a mistake. I know my attraction to you is not because of my bloodlines, I need you to know it too.”

“
My beautiful Claire, I was so very wrong about us,” Nikoli confessed, stroking her hair. “I thought being together like this would distract me from my duties. I had it backwards- denying us this distracted me more. When I pulled in today and saw Theresa was here I panicked. I worried you would think there was something between her and I. When I saw you on the porch it was so natural- I kissed you because I wanted to, and to show Theresa and let you know that she means nothing to me.” He pulled her close and kissed her again, his tongue gently flicking into her mouth, probing.

Claire moaned softly, her fingers
running through his hair as she had longed to do. He pressed against her, running his hands up and down her back, then through her hair. He stopped, eyes closed.

“Enough,” h
e breathed.

Claire almost scr
eamed out loud in frustration. “So that’s it? You’re back to ‘No, let’s not do this’?”

Nikoli’s eyes snap
ped open, boring into hers. “Oh no, my lovely Keeper. Quite the opposite.”  He kissed her again for a moment. “I hope we do lots of this in the future, but for now, there’s only so much a man can take.” He kissed her hard, and pulled away quickly as his breathing became ragged. “I can’t promise I’ll be the gentleman you deserve if we keep this up right now. Your scent, your heat- I just want to consume you entirely.”

Claire tensed with fear. Nikoli felt it and backed off immediately, sitting into the overstu
ffed chair. “No, Claire, not like that, never like that,” he reassured her. “I meant consume-in bed,” he explained sheepishly.

“Oh.” Claire felt stupid. “
I’m sorry, Nikoli. I thought you meant, well, you know. As for in bed,” she began nervously, eyes downcast, “I don’t want to disappoint you, but you should know I’ve never, well, done that. I’m a virgin.”

Nikoli inhaled
sharply then exhaled slowly. “That doesn’t concern me, though it is a good reminder for me to behave myself. I spoke poorly- ‘consume’ was a bad choice of words on my part.” He sighed. “What disappoints me is that you thought I’d hurt you, even for a second. I would never hurt you Claire.” He looked at her beseechingly.

Claire sighed. “
I know that Nikoli, I’m just not used to the whole ‘my boyfriend is a vampire thing’. Especially when they start mentioning wanting to ‘consume’ me.”

Nikoli rose a
nd embraced Claire once again. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe,” he breathed into her hair.

Claire snuggled
into him, her fear forgotten. “I know Nikoli.” She lifted her face to his, seeking his lips again. They shared another long tender kiss before Nikoli broke away.

“I have something for you,” h
e told her, reaching to the chair behind him. Claire had not noticed the small brown bag package he had brought in with him. He handed it to her. “I hope it’s okay.”

Claire
unwrapped the brown paper and gasped in surprise. The tears came then, unbidden. Inside the brown paper wrappings were photographs of her deceased family together over the years. She recognized the pictures as they had been on display in her home.

“
How did you get these?” she whispered.

“
When I left earlier today it was to go to your house. It’s still roped off with crime scene tape but almost all of the investigating team was gone. I had to persuade a photographer, but I was able to enter the crime scene. I took what I could find, what the fire hadn’t ruined.”

Claire stood mesmerized, staring at a picture of her
family together on the beach two years ago. Kevin was even there. They were all smiling, squinting against the bright sun, relaxed and happy together. “Nikoli, I….I don’t know what to say.” She tore her gaze from the picture to look him squarely in the eye. “Thank you, I can say thank you, but it’s not nearly enough.”

Nikoli hugge
d her tight again. “I’m sorry they’re gone, Claire. We’ll make Stavros and his Myrmidons pay for what they’ve done to your family.” He kissed the top of her head. “I just wanted you to have these to remember them by. I wanted to get what I could for you before we left on our trip.” He stepped back, holding her shoulders. “You need you rest. Tomorrow will be a long day of traveling. Goodnight, my lovely Keeper, sleep well.” He kissed her softly and was gone.

Claire sank onto her bed, holding the precious photographs. One by one she arranged them on her night stand. She drifted off, her pillow wet with tears, her dead family smiling at her
from times long gone.

Claire awoke once in the night, drenched in sweat, her bed soaked with tears. Stro
ng arms held her as she thrashed about, calling out for her dead parents.

“
Ssshhh, Claire, I’ve got you, you’re safe now,” Nikoli crooned softly, rocking her in his arms. Claire curled into his chiseled chest as she strained to shake off the lingering terror the nightmare had left behind. “It’s okay my Keeper, I’m here.” Claire slipped back into sleep in the arms of her Guardian, and dreamt no more.

Chapter 11

The bird calls outside woke Claire the next morning. Blearily she opened her eyes to find herself nestled in the crook of Nikoli’s neck. She smiled to herself and lifted her head slowly, trying not to disturb him. He slept on, his arm drape
d over her, hugging her close. He slept in a pair of boxers, shirtless. Claire used the quiet moment to enjoy the view of his finely sculptured chest. Heat bloomed in her stomach and her breath quickened as she examined Nikoli’s exquisite face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. She resisted trailing her finger down the slope of his jawline.

A l
oud knock sounded on her door. “Claire?” Joyce called. “Sorry to bother you, but it’s time to get up. Do you know where Nikoli went off to?”

“
I’m in here Joyce, give us a few,” Nikoli responded groggily. He smiled sleepily at Claire, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

“
How are you feeling?” he asked her.

Claire responded by burying her head back against his neck, drawing him closer.
“Better now,” she replied as she trailed kisses down Nikoli’s neck. He stilled, enjoying the sensation, then pulled her lips to his.

“
I could do this forever, but we’ve got to get going. We’ve got a plane to catch. We can’t just lie around ‘making out’ all day,” he chided.

Claire put on a playful pout.
“Why not? It sounds like a good plan to me.” She sighed. “But you’re right. No more fun for now.”

“
Baby, you don’t know what kind of fun we could have.” Nikoli smiled devilishly as he untangled himself from Claire and climbed out of bed. “I’m going to get dressed, I’ll see you downstairs in a few.”

Claire took a quick shower, threw on some of her new clothes and hurried down the kitchen. Joyce sat alone at the table, reading the paper. N
ikoli was nowhere to be seen.

“
Good morning Joyce,” Claire chirped, trying hard to act casually and failing miserably at it.

Joyce lowered her paper, and raised her eyebrows, looking e
xpectantly at Claire. “So, you, ah, had a visitor last night, did you?” Joyce inquired teasingly.

Claire flushed crimson and shrugged her shoulders, busily preparing her cup of coffee so she wouldn’t have to look
at Joyce. “I had a nightmare, Nikoli calmed me down,” she said, aiming for nonchalance and again falling short.

“I’ll just bet he did,”
Joyce snorted, returning to her paper. Nikoli entered the kitchen and made a beeline straight for Claire at the coffee pot.

“Morning Joyce,”
he called, sliding up behind Claire to slide his hands down her hips as he caressed her neck with his chin. “Good morning, Claire.”

Claire’s stomach flip-flopped like she was on the world’s fastest roller coaster. Her pulse quicken
ed as she fought to sound somewhat normal.

“
Good morning Nikoli,” she mumbled. Every inch of her body called out for Nikoli’s touch but she pushed him away gently. “Not in front of Joyce!” she mouthed silently to him.

Nikoli leaned
in again, his lips to her ear. “I don’t think Joyce cares, and I intend to enjoy you every opportunity I get,” he whispered, sending chills of longing up and down Claire’s spine. He moved away, but not before caressing her bottom first on the way by. Claire thought she might pass out from the sensation. She steadied herself, finished mixing up her coffee, and went to join Joyce and Nikoli at the table.

Joyce put her paper down an
d addressed Nikoli and Claire. “I’ve got muffins coming out of the oven in a few. You two can have some breakfast, and then you’ll need to be on your way. Horace will be waiting for you two.”

“Horace?”
Claire asked.

“Horace- my pilot,”
Joyce said as if it were the most natural thing in the world to have a personal pilot. “You’ll be taking my private jet to Hungary dear.”

Claire broke into a w
ide grin. “Private jet?”

“
I told you, thanks to my dear late husband, money is of no concern to me. You didn’t think I’d be just sticking you in coach on a commercial flight, did you? Oh- I almost forgot- Nikoli, I’m packing your injections in a cooler to take along, I’d better go draw them for you. When the timer dings be a love and take the muffins out to cool, won’t you?” Nikoli nodded and Joyce left to draw up the injections that allowed Nikoli to be exposed to sunlight.

Nikoli reached across the table and took Claire’
s hand in his. “Are you ready for this Claire? I mean really, truly ready for this? We’re off to Europe to rally with the Gypsy Queen and destroy the one thing that could resurrect the biggest threat to everyone on this Earth.”

Claire considered for a moment as she stared as his hand over hers. She look
ed him straight in the eye. “Yes, my Guardian, I’m ready to do my duty as Keeper,” she replied seriously. She couldn’t help but crack a smile when she said “Though the private jet part kind of helps too.”

Forty five minutes later Nikoli and Claire were both packed and ready to go. Joyce walked them out to the truck and Claire felt a twin
ge of regret to be leaving the Farm. In only a day and a half it had come to feel like home already.

“Claire,”
Joyce said, hugging her goodbye. “I hope you’ll consider staying here when you get back. It’s an awfully big place for just Nikoli and I, please consider joining us. It’s going to feel empty without you here and I need another female to keep me company. Nikoli’s too broody,” she teased.

“
Thank you Joyce, for everything. I’d like that,” Claire replied sincerely. This was home now, with Joyce and Nikoli. Her family was gone, her home destroyed- she belonged here, with her Guardian and her new friend.

“Nikoli,”
Joyce held her arms out to him for his goodbye hug, “you take good care of her, this one’s special.”

“
I will Joyce, you can be sure of it,” Nikoli replied, tears in his eyes.