An Education in Royalty: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 1) Read online

  When Lizzie had finished, Rachel was silent for a long while, taking everything in.

  "The only thing that matters, honey, is what you think," Rachel told her friend sincerely. "Do you like him?"

  "I think I might love him," Lizzie said without thinking. The sex hadn’t helped. If anything, it had only caused her feelings to deepen. Her realization shocked her, but she refused to ponder it. "And I don't know what to do."

  A slight curl of Rachel's lip said otherwise. "Honey, I think you know exactly what to do," she said.

  Chapter 23

  It took Lizzie two hours to get ready, probably because she purposefully took her time in order to avoid Nikolai as long as she could. She needed to sort out her feelings for him, and she didn't need him distracting her if she could help it. The dress was probably the hardest part to get on since there was a corset that needed to be tied in the back. However, she managed to grab Carl without running into Nikolai, and he helped lace it up. Before he could comment on her looks, she thanked and sent him away. As an afterthought, she made him promise not to tell Nikolai anything about how she looked, and Carl agreed; an indescribable twinkle in his eyes.

  When she had finished, she stared at herself in the full-length mirror that occupied her bedroom, her sharp eyes looking for anything that could be fixed.

  Lizzie had decided to curl her hair before pinning the locks up into a fancy bun. There were times when it was necessary for her to wear makeup, and now was one of them. Eyeliner and mascara were her favorite things to use, but she also applied some blush to enhance her cheekbones, and after much deliberation, finally decided to adorn red lipstick. She had never done anything like this before – even when occasions were formal - but knew that it went with the dress, and somewhere inside of her wanted to try it, just to see what she would look like with Marilyn Monroe lips.

  Not half bad, actually.

  A tiny smile touched her lips.

  The dress itself was a deep blood red. Lizzie idly wondered if Rachel picked it out for the simple irony considering she was rooming with vampires who loved nothing more than blood and perhaps sex. She had asked for this particular color, and the dress fit her beautifully. As always, Rachel was flawless when it came to picking out the perfect outfit for any person. It was definitely old-fashioned, resembling something from the past, maybe even as far back as the eighteenth century. The cut was heart shaped, and though it wasn't incredibly low, the tightness of the bodice gave her bountiful cleavage. The material was similar to silk, and the feeling of it on her skin was almost like an aphrodisiac. The dress cinched at the waist before flaring out in folds, and the skirt had black beads on it, making patterns such as a crescent moon or stars. On her feet were black pumps. Though she knew she should wear gloves for the full effect of the dress and the time, she decided against it. If she had to grab her gun that was skillfully strapped to one of her thighs, the gloves might get in the way.

  The last thing she added to her outfit was probably the most important part– the mask itself. It was red with black beads on it, matching the dress to a tee. It was only half a mask, shading the top half of her face, and was held against her skin with a simple black string. It was obvious who she was, but she didn't mind. If she was the only human coming to the masquerade, they would know exactly who she was due to her heart beat. She hoped nobody would try anything with her. It would be such a stereotype to deal with it.

  After one last check, Lizzie left the comfort and security of her room before heading down the stairs and into the lion's den.

  ---

  Nikolai knew he should’ve been a better host when it came to his guests, but he couldn't help but tap his foot impatiently, his eyes scanning every entrance of the ballroom the castle had, keeping a sharp eye out for Elizabeth. Though he told himself he had no idea why he had such a burning desire to see her, he knew that wasn’t the case. He wanted to apologize if he had made her feel uncomfortable, wanting nothing more than to kiss her lips, if only once…

  Then, just like that, he saw her. She was descending down the west staircase, and even though he was talking to some very important people he soon forgot the names of, he stopped in mid-conversation and simply stared at her. She was a vision, and he couldn't – wouldn’t - deny that. It would be a disservice to her beauty.

  Nikolai wasn't blind, and he wasn't stupid either. Men started to turn when they noticed her walking in; looking at her in the same way Nikolai was. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Elizabeth seemed to only have eyes for him. Though Nikolai felt an inner protectiveness concerning his girl and the stares his fellow vampires were giving her, he didn't act on it only because she was walking towards him, she was looking at him, and he wanted to see what she was going to do.

  If he had a heart, it would have stopped beating.

  ---

  To be honest, Lizzie had no idea what she was doing. She just allowed her feet to guide her, and unsurprisingly, they led her straight to the prince she was trying not to think about and the kiss they had almost shared. When she reached him, she stopped and tilted her head up, but had no idea what she was going to say and couldn't formulate something either.

  "Would you like to dance?" he finally asked, his eyes returning to hers after doing another sweep of her body. After a beat, he added, "You know, to make sure you still remember those moves I taught you?"

  Lizzie knew she should say no, especially after what happened the last time the two danced together. The vivid images that played in her mind as the two of them dove into their darkest passions headfirst, without caring about the consequences. The way she felt in his arms with her body pressed tightly against his…

  "Okay," she murmured, her throat suddenly dry, allowing him to lead her out to the dance floor.

  The dance started out just like it had when Nikolai was teaching her. The couples faded away as though it were only the two of them on the marble floor. The chandeliers glittered with candles, the only lights in the room. The music was tragic, beautiful, and very decidedly Russian. It was a setting where one could easily fall in love.

  The music was slow, and their bodies moved along with it. As they continued to move, Lizzie gave up any sort of control over herself and allowed Nikolai to completely take over. She wasn't exactly sure why she allowed herself to get carried away, but she wanted to relinquish it. Maybe she wanted to see what he would do with it.

  In fact, Nikolai took full advantage of what she offered, and the dance became more erotic. His hands ran up her sides before crossing her chest like a lover's caress. Even her fingertips played with the nape of his neck. It was almost like a game, and both of them were winning. The world and the company around them fell to the wayside, and the only thing that mattered was the two of them.

  After another moment, Nikolai couldn't take it anymore and he stopped dancing, keeping his cool blue eyes firmly locked with Lizzie's. "Follow me," he told her.

  For whatever reason, she didn't question him. In fact, she said nothing, and instead, slipped her hand into his and followed him out of the ballroom, down a familiar hallway, wondering where they were going. The feeling wasn’t strong enough for her to ask him about it, however. Nikolai stopped in front of a door and opened it – it was a guestroom he hadn't used in centuries, but it would certainly give him the privacy they needed.

  Once she was inside and the door was shut behind her, Nikolai turned around, and quickly pulled the woman into his arms. "I know you're going to kill me after this," he told her in a low voice, "but I don't care." And before Lizzie knew what was happening, his lips were on hers in a hungry, possessive kiss, wanting nothing more than to taste her and memorize her and everything else he could think of.

  She knew she should pull away and slap him across the face. Who the hell did he think he was, kissing her like this without even asking first? But she couldn’t lie to herself, not when he felt this right, this good. She wanted this just as much as he did, so she couldn't really blame herself when her arms
wrapped around his neck, her fingers buried in his hair, and her lips sought out just as much as his did.

  Though Nikolai wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to smirk triumphantly through the kiss because he didn't want her to break for air just yet or think he was using her for some sort of game. He really did want this. He tilted her head back and gently pushed his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss, as he ran his hands up her sides, much like they did during the dance.

  Lizzie tried to suppress a shudder of desire, but failed miserably, only encouraging Nikolai further.

  A blood-curdling scream finally caused the two to break apart. They looked at each other, and silently communicated that they needed to see what was going on. Lizzie dropped to her knees and retrieved her colt before the two dashed out of the room and back into the ballroom.

  There was a person – man or woman, neither Nikolai nor Lizzie could tell – dressed in all black with their arm around Marie and a gun pointed at the column of her throat. She knew that the bullets that occupied said gun weren't just bullets. They were dipped in werewolf venom – the only thing that could actually truly kill vampires.

  Nikolai stood in front of her, trying to protect her from whoever this was, but it didn't matter. Upon seeing the couple, the person with the gun carelessly tossed Marie aside, turned toward the couple, pointed his gun, and fired.

  Chapter 24

  It couldn't have been more than three seconds, and yet Nikolai kept replaying it over and over in his head. The shot still rang through his ears and, almost like the slow motion section of the movies, he watched as the bullet went straight for the woman he was trying to protect despite the fact that he had hired her specifically to protect him. Even so, the bullet hit her, throwing her off balance so she landed flat on her back. Nikolai couldn't remember if she had screamed or not, nor could he remember if he had shouted for his guards to arrest the person in black or if they did that on their own accord. Did it even matter?

  What he did remember was the fact that he dropped to his knees and quickly pulled the upper half of the young woman to his lap.

  Her blood sent him into a tizzy – it smelled the way fruit from the Garden of Eden must have smelled, and he was certain he wasn’t the only person who felt the same way. He would have to make sure no one came in here trying to taste what wasn’t theirs.

  "It's okay," she told him, her voice strained due to the obvious pain she was currently feeling. "I'm okay. It hit my shoulder. I'm going to be okay."

  How could Nikolai be certain of that? If the bullets were laced with venom, she could slowly die just like vampires did. He needed a medic to check up on her, to know with absolute certainty that she was going to be all right, and that she wasn't going to die from this. Thankfully, Carl had a medical background, as he reached down and helped Elizabeth up. She insisted that she could walk by herself, but Nikolai didn't seem to care because he slipped his arm around her waist and made it so he held onto the majority of her weight.

  "Get these people out of here," Nikolai muttered as he passed a couple of guards who stayed in the ballroom to calm down the guests. He continued on, his focus solely the woman in his arms.

  Carl led them to the library holding a bag because it was close and contained a first aid kit. It was big enough to house the three of them without being overly crowded while simultaneously holding all of the medical supplies he was going to need in order to fix her up. It was obvious to see the distress in Nikolai's eyes, as well as traces of red lipstick around his mouth. If the current situation wasn't so dire, he might have smiled because of it. Those that appeared to hate each other always had passion, it would seem, and Nikolai and Elizabeth were no exception, royal vampire and human assassin alike.

  In a manner of moments, Elizabeth was lying on the couch, Nikolai sitting close to keep his eye on her as Carl inspected her right shoulder. After another long moment, he looked up at Elizabeth and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to say this, my dear," he said, "but I'm afraid the extraction of the bullet is going to be painful. We could give you some local anesthesia, but it's not going to help much."

  "Just give me what you have," Elizabeth said through gritted teeth.

  Carl hid a smile and nodded, before turning and rummaging through his bag. Nikolai locked eyes with Elizabeth and opened his mouth to say something when a knock on the library doors cut him off. Nikolai was ready to send whoever it was away – especially if that somebody was Marie – but it occurred to him that it might be his guards reporting about his own assassination. Suppressing a groan, he gave Elizabeth what he hoped was a reassuring smile and stood up, heading for the doors.

  Why had Marie come to the Ball, anyway? It had to be her pride. That, and the fact that she felt she belonged here, regardless of whether or not she was actually welcome. There was no other explanation.

  The people on the other side of the door were, in fact, his guards, and Nikolai quickly slipped outside, not wanting Elizabeth to overhear just what was going on yet. She needed to focus on getting better, not finding out whom the assassin was – at least not yet.

  "Well?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips, his voice sharper than he had originally intended it to be. However, he wouldn't apologize; not now, and not when Elizabeth was injured. There were times when his height added intimidation, and he was taking full advantage of that right now. It wasn't as though he wanted the guards to be afraid of him, but it was crucial they understood just how serious this was, and if Nikolai wasn't taking it seriously, he highly doubted his guards would be.

  "Sir," the first guard said, "we found out who injured Miss Grant." The guard opened his mouth, as though he was about reveal just who it was when he faltered, throwing a glance over to the man standing next to him, looking for some semblance of support.

  The second guard sighed silently before meeting Nikolai's expectant gaze. "You're not going to like it, Your Highness," he said in a quiet voice. "The man who threatened Miss Cozma and shot Miss Grant…" He paused before forcing himself to speak. "It was your brother, Your Highness. Prince Lewis was the man dressed in black."

  Nikolai felt all the color drain from his face as his eyes widened, looking between the two soldiers, hoping this was some sort of sick joke. The looks on their faces said it all, and Nikolai felt himself fall back a step, as though he had personally suffered some kind of blow. And he had. His own brother was trying to take him out in order to gain the throne. Luckily (or unluckily, depending how one might look at it), Lewis had such a bad shot that he missed Nikolai entirely and instead, hit Elizabeth in the shoulder.

  Nikolai knew that the motivation behind Lewis' assassination attempt was to garner the crown for his self, but he still couldn't fathom family betraying family, despite how common such an occurrence was. Maybe he was naïve, optimistic, or just blind, but he never expected Lewis… He couldn't even think about it. The fact that it was Elizabeth who ended up being harmed just added fuel to the fire.

  A scream interrupted his thought, but this time, he knew Carl was trying to disengage the bullet from Elizabeth's shoulder, and the morphine really wasn't working. After another shriek rang from the library, he decided he needed to be in there with her.

  "He's in the dungeons, yes?" Nikolai asked quickly, turning back to look at the soldiers.

  They both nodded.

  "Of course, Your Highness," the first one told him.

  "I want four guards down there at all times," Nikolai told them, his tone no-nonsense. He knew Lewis couldn't possibly be in this alone, and he would be damned if he allowed his brother to escape. "Don't let him out. Don't even think about it."

  Both guards nodded again, and tilted their heads forward in a quick bow before disappearing once again. Nikolai barely noticed; he was already re-entering the library and shutting the door behind himself. However, by that time, Carl had already found the bullet and got it out of her shoulder. Currently, he was cleaning it. When he noticed Nikolai, he told him, "Highness, you need to
keep her awake. She nearly passed out when I first began, but luckily everything's almost over…"

  The procedure took another twenty minutes, but Nikolai was successful at keeping Elizabeth awake by distracting her. He told her what an amazing kisser he was and how lucky for her to have experienced it. When she was finally allowed to fall asleep, she wasted no time, which was perfectly fine with the two men. Carl needed to talk to Nikolai, and he thought it might be best if Elizabeth wasn't conscious to overhear it. Just to be sure she couldn't eavesdrop; Carl led Nikolai deep into the library, far away from the woman, before turning and looking at Nikolai.

  "I have some news about the bullet," Carl began, preparing the news instead of just telling Nikolai what it was. Nikolai pursed his lips in order to maintain his patience, and Carl continued. "This bullet was regular in texture. It wasn't laced with werewolf venom whatsoever."

  Nikolai looked at Carl, unsure of what it meant. He knew that he would have eventually put two and two together if he just had a little more time. He had to push aside his desire to remain with Elizabeth and make sure she was okay.

  "And that means?" Nikolai asked, perking his brow.

  "It means," a voice said from behind him. Both men were surprised to see Elizabeth up, but then again, there was no way she could fall asleep in that much pain. "It means that whoever this person was, they weren't aiming for you. They were aiming for me."

  Nikolai tore his eyes away from Elizabeth and looked over at Carl, needing to hear confirmation.

  "That is what I interpret as well," the butler agreed cryptically, giving a curt nod.

  Chapter 25

  "You know I have to interrogate him, right?" Lizzie was giving Nikolai an expectant look. Asking him was just a formality; she would question Lewis, whether Nikolai allowed it or not.

  "That's not going to happen," Nikolai told her in that same firm tone. Because of his accent, it came out rougher than anticipated. Nikolai liked to tease her a lot, she knew, but when he was serious, he was really serious. His dark blue eyes were locked into hers and his body was tall and straight, muscles tense. He looked as though he was preparing for a battle with the woman in front of him.