17
Ivan called a meeting the following evening. I made it clear to Vaughan that I was going and that was final. “Nicola, I don’t think it’s such a good idea. Everyone is still… a little tense about us.”
“I don’t care. They will have to face me eventually.” I protested.
Vaughan puts his hands up in surrender “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He held the back door to Ivory open for me. My hands started to shake and my stomach was turning somersaults. I took a deep breath to calm myself and walked through. The low humming of voices coming from the main bar stopped with the first clink of my heel on the floor. I held Vaughan’s hand and walked behind him into the room. Eight pairs of dark unwelcoming eyes watched me cross the room and sit down beside Vaughan. Even Gerri seemed surprised by my presence. “Welcome Nicola, I’m glad you joined us this evening” Ivan greeted me. I smiled back timidly. My focus then shifted to the others in the room. Adrian, Gerri and Marcus I knew, they seemed to greet me more warmly than the others, although still apprehensive about my presence. Everyone else I recognised, but didn’t know their names. I had seen them working here, before my self imposed exile from the bar.
“What is she doing here?” Someone hissed in a low voice. I craned my neck around Vaughan to see who it was. A woman, who I knew worked in the main bar, had turned her face away from me, she has shoulder length brown hair and legs that seemed to go on forever.
“Nicola has every right to be here Anna. This concerns her too.”
“It is her fault this has happened Ivan. She is the one who brought this upon us.”
A low growl rumbled deep in Vaughan’s chest and he held my hand tighter. Anna’s voice had a thick European accent, Russian maybe. She shifted her body toward me. She had high cheekbones and a masculine body, with a thin straight nose, slightly turned up at the end and her lips were pouty and red. She was very tall and her limbs were long and lean. I could tell she was beautiful in her human life, because she was stunning in the life she now led.
“You mean that Nicola made us aware of the other coven, who were putting us at risk of exposure. There is a difference Anna, do not forget that.”
Anna hissed and I felt Vaughan shift in his chair. I squeezed his hand and huddled myself closer to him.
Ivan now addressed the group “As you know, Heidi has decided to part from our company. She has joined the others who inhabit this area.”
Growls and hisses circled the room at this news “There has also been a threat made towards one of us, from the other coven. This threat was conveyed through Heidi and two others, Dante and Elisabetta.”
Murmurs and whispers erupted, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the matter as to what sort of action needed to be taken.
“Now as you know” Ivan paused until the conversations died down “We have made an arrangement with Ulrich, their leader. We are not to interfere with them and they are not to interfere with us, a cohabitation agreement. Due to recent information, it appears they may intend on breaking that agreement. I can’t ask you to participate if something does eventuate. If you wish to stand aside, I will not stop you. If you wish to leave, I will not stand in your way.”
“We will fight for you if it is a just cause Ivan” Anna interrupted “But she is not a just cause” she jabbed her finger in my direction. This made me cringe and I pressed myself into Vaughan’s shoulder. My heart beat loudly in my chest, it took all my strength to try and control it. If Vaughan could hear the sound of my heart, then every other body in this room could hear it too. I didn’t want to do anything to antagonise this volatile group. Vaughan wrapped his arm around me and held me tightly to him “It’s ok” he whispered into my ear.
“So what’s the plan?” Adrian asked.
“We wait” Ivan answered.
Adrian seemed disappointed by this answer.
“I will not be the first to break our agreement. As soon as someone from Ulrich’s side does...”
“We’ll take ‘em down” Adrian finished Ivan’s sentence enthusiastically. A few of the others shared Adrian’s enthusiasm, Marcus included, who fist bumped Adrian.
“What does that mean?” I whispered to Vaughan.
His gaze went from Ivan to me “It means they need to make the first move.”
“What you mean is, kill somebody, here in The Cove?” my voice was slightly louder now. I could feel the chagrin burning inside me and the eyes of everyone in the room on me. How could Ivan let this happen? I turned to him, pleading. “Isn’t there any other way?”
Ivan eyes were downcast as he answered me “I’m afraid not” That was it, the decision made. Even though I thought it was the wrong decision, it was the terms of the agreement with Ulrich. We had to wait for someone innocent to die.
The car trip to Vaughan’s apartment was silent and felt like it took an eternity, not a few short blocks. Once inside Vaughan put his arms around me and pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head as I buried my face into his chest “What have I done?” I whispered.
Vaughan looked down, studying my face “What do you mean?”
“Anna’s right. This is my entire fault. I brought this trouble.”
“Nicola, you didn’t ask for any of this to happen.”
I wiped a tear away from my cheek “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“No one will get hurt.”
“You heard Ivan; you’re waiting for somebody to be killed.”
“We don’t know what Ulrich’s motives are; it may never come to that.”
“Do you know that for certain?” I asked, tears misting my eyes.
He was silent for a long moment then seemed to resign to the fact that he could not give me a guarantee “No, I don’t.”
“I just wish that we could escape somewhere, just you and me and we don’t have to deal with any of this. No ridicule, no fighting. Just our own little bubble.”
“Me too” Vaughan’s voice sounded choked and barely audible, he turned his head toward the window and I buried mine into his shirt. “You know if there was any way I could make this disappear I would.”
“I know.”
“There is nothing I would not do for you.”
I looked up at him and touched his cheek with my fingers “I know.”
“I’m sorry I have brought this upon you.”
“You didn’t bring this upon me. Someone would have found out eventually” I ran my finger lightly under Vaughan’s eye; the lines were becoming more prominent “You need to feed.”
“I won’t leave you.”
“Please Vaughan, don’t do this to yourself.”
“I’ll go tomorrow.”
“I’m safe here. I’ll be asleep.”
“No.”
“Please” I begged, the thought of Vaughan starving himself pained me. I knew how hard it was for him to be around me, his hunger only made it worse. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer, especially for me.
He nodded “Ok, but I won’t go far. I’ll be back in an hour.”
I smiled weakly “Ok.”
He tilted his head downwards and kissed me, it wasn’t the soft, sweet kiss I was use to. This kiss had more heat and passion about it. My arms reached around his neck and pulled him closer to me. My body crushed against his. Vaughan slowly backed away from me. I bit my bottom lip and smiled at him teasingly “Oops.”
“I think I should go, right now” he quickly kissed me on the lips and left the room. I heard the door click behind him.
My head was racing when I lay down in bed, replaying over and over what was said at the meeting. Was there really a fight about to begin? Had I walked into the middle of a vampire turf war over my home town? Ivan wanted to wait for them to make the first move, but that mean hurting someone. What if it was somebody I knew? I checked my watch; it was almost 2:00am. My body was tired, but my mind was wide awake and conscience of every sound. The door opened and before I heard it close, Vaughan was la
ying by my side, looking more glorious than ever. I checked my watch again. “That was less than an hour.”
“I couldn’t wait to get back here to you.”
“Did you… get enough?”
He smiled at my obvious awkwardness “Are you ok with everything that happened tonight?”
“I don’t have a choice. Ivan said you were to wait for them to make the first move. I don’t want innocent people to get hurt Vaughan.”
“Hopefully it will never come to that.”
“I hope not.”