The Kingdom of the Nine; The Vampire Legacy IV by Dawn Gray Page A

I saw in his unwavering stare that made me nod in
agreement. He turned and looked at Julian, who walked over and took
my hand, and then lead me out of the room.
    Once upstairs, nestled in the quiet safety of
my own room, Julian got comfortable on the bed, with one leg pulled
up to his chest and the other dangling off the bed, while he
watched me stand by the window and stare out.
    “You're upset.” He pointed out. I looked at
him, quickly, wanting to thank him for his observation, but I
turned and looked back out the window.
    “I just don't understand.” I replied, feeling
the confusion as I stared out at the waves in the ocean. “I
remembered them last night, and both of them are here, but I can't
remember much more than that.”
    “Your dreams or memories are premonitions, of
things to come.” Julian shrugged.
    “So, why didn't they tell me about them
sooner?” I turned towards him and crossed my arms as I leaned back
against the wall.
    “I can only assume it was because you're
still under the influence of what made you forget in the first
place.” He replied, looking over at the fireplace.
    “And, what influence was that?” I questioned.
Julian shrugged again, and then looked back at me. “Let me ask you
something and I don't want any shrugs, or hand gestures to quiet me
down, I want the truth.”
    “Fine, if that is the way you want it.”
Julian replied. I watched him turn on the bed and slide over to my
side, where he sat with his hands folded on his lap. “Shoot.”
    “Nick,” I said and watched him nod, “who is
he to me? I assume that he was the one that watched over Connie,
but why do I get this strange vibe from him whenever he's
around?”
    “You took his blood, he saved your life.”
Julian replied.
    “When, and why him and not you?”
    “The last summer you were here, just before
you forgot, you were attacked and I didn't get there in time to
help you. Nick was, although, at times, I have to wonder why he was
so close to you at that moment.”
    “Should that matter?' I asked. Julian closed
his eyes and shook his head. “Why is he like that to you? Why does
he treat you like you're a child and need discipline?”
    “When you and he met, Creolas was on the
attack, and he protected you from that, even though I'm not sure
why he decided to protect you, because he's never been that way. He
had always believed that if you couldn't protect yourself then you
were meant to be fed to the wolves.” Julian stood and walked over
to stand next to me, looking out the window. I could hear him
breathing as he stared straight ahead. “Anything else?”
    “Creolas is Nick's brother, right, or did I
misinterpret that little comment?”
    “No, he's Nick's brother. Can't you tell?
They have the same attitude.” Julian replied, and even though I
couldn't see him; I could imagine him rolling his eyes.
    “Fine.” I whispered, and then closed my eyes.
“So why does he scare me so much?”
    Julian's arms wrapped around me, as I shook,
visibly, from the feelings I got just thinking about him. I felt
Julian's lips on my forehead as he held me close.
    “Creolas is evil, plain and simple.” He
replied. I uncrossed my arms and wrapped them around Julian's waist
and the two of us stood there for a while, just enjoying the
security, but then something made me back away a bit.
    “What if I did call them both here?” I asked
him. Julian shook his head.
    “How could you? I don't think you have that
power.” He whispered, stroking my hair.
    “But, my dreams and my memories could be so
loud that they picked up on them.” I replied, and then closed my
eyes. Julian smiled as he drew me back towards him. As I stood
there, with my eyes shut I thought about what I had remembered in
the other room and it made me shake. “He bit me.” I said softly,
and then felt Julian nod. “How could I have been so stupid to let
him do that to me? Was I really that naive?”
    “He's very powerful.” Julian sighed. There
was a