At last! We have another chapter!

*Throws confetti in the air*

I did this one without my beta so all the mistakes are mine, but I hope you like it anyways! Please PLEASE leave a review!

Again, I only play with the characters, they in no way belong to me and I promise to put them back once I'm finished with them.

Chapter 7

Once they entered the dining room Nikola led her to her chair and pulled it out for her, taking his place across from her once she was settled. He smiled at her and poured two glasses of wine, setting one in front of her before picking up his glass. Helen sat still and waited for Nikola's next move.

"To new beginnings," He said, raising his glass to her before taking a sip of the wine. Helen looked at the glass in front of her and back up to Nikola. She had no idea what Nikola would do to try to sway her towards his position and she wouldn't put it past him to spike her drink.

"Come now Helen, surely you don't think I would drug you? If I had wanted to do that I would have injected you with something earlier this evening." Seeing the expression on Helen's face Nikola gave an exasperated sigh and reached for her glass, taking a quick swallow before setting it back in front of her. "I give you my word that nothing you ingest tonight will compromise that control you have so tightly wound."

Helen glared at him. "And I suppose that your immunity to common sedatives and the fact that you've brought me here against my will are things I shouldn't consider before accepting anything you serve me?"

"You wound me Helen. I have no intention of harming you in any way." He raised his glass to his lips and paused before taking a sip. "Of course, should you try to run I may rethink that decision."

"How kind of you." She said

"Don't be bitter Helen. This is supposed to be a celebration, why don't we try to enjoy ourselves?"

He clapped three times and Helen quickly formulated a plan as one of his vampires rolled the dinner cart into the dining room. A plate was placed in front of Helen but she ignored it and glared at Nikola as the vampire left. He smiled at her and waved at the food on the table.

"I know that I said we would discuss my plans over dinner but I would much rather talk about us."

"There is no us" Helen snapped. Nikola seemed unfazed by her outburst.

"Well, not right now, and certainly not with that attitude."

"Stop toying with me. Just say what you need to say and be done with it."

"What, no small talk?"

Helen just glared at him as he picked up his steak knife. He held it up in front of him and studied it as he chose his next words.

"Helen, you and I are a part of something far greater than anything you could imagine. What you think you know about my ancestors are children's stories compared to the true history of my race." He set the knife down and his eyes met hers. "Do you ever wonder why my gifts were so much more powerful than the rest of the five?"

He waited for an answer but continued on when none came.

"It's true that the vampires were stronger, faster, and smarter than your average human but they possessed gifts that make other Abnormals pale in comparison. Longevity, stealth, precognitive foresight, telepathy, and I could go on. All of these gifts wrapped up into a far superior package." He paused and his features sharpened. "They saw what the world would become and took measures to make sure they would come back. That I would bring them back."

"You think that this is your destiny? My god Nikola, you're talking about world domination! No one person was meant to rule the world."

"And now we get to the heart of the matter."

"This is madness. How can you sit there and expect me to help you destroy everything I've spent my life trying to protect?"

"I sit here, not as a vampire looking to destroy the world, but as a man wanting to make it a better one. All of this was foreseen thousands of years ago by my ancestors. The Five was part of their vision. You were part of their vision."

"What are you talking about?"

"According to the messages my ancestors left in Bhalasaam, it was no accident that the five of us met. Each of us inherited one of the many gifts that the vampires had at their fingertips. Your longevity, John's teleportation, Nigel's invisibility and James's intelligence, each gift given with the purpose to change the fate of this planet. They planned the whole thing."

Nikola's eyed drilled in to Helen's. She couldn't hide the look of horror on her face.

"James was to be my general. He was to help me strategize the best way to make the changes without bloodshed or hatred. John was to be my foot soldier; my silent assassin against those that would do me harm. Nigel was to be my spy, bringing me information on those who would try to stop my plans from happening."

"And me?" Helen's voice trembled slightly. Nikola smiled and reached for his wineglass.

"You were to be my queen."

Helen launched herself across the table to try to plunge her steak knife into Nikola's chest. She cried out in pain as his claws encircled her wrist and he used her momentum to roll her under him before they hit the floor. She gasped in pain and screamed as he ripped the knife from her grasp and it spun across the floor and ricochet off one of the table legs before sliding to a stop just out of Helen's reach.

Nikola let go of her wrists and grabbed her arms to pull her up and Helen slam her knee into his groin as hard as she could. He dropped her and she fell back and hit her head against the hardwood floor. Ignoring her double vision and nausea she frantically reached for the knife and got it between them as he landed on her. The knife slid into Nikola and she felt his warm blood drip onto her chest as she shook underneath him. His eyes glazed over and he choked out her name before slumping down on top of her.

Knowing that a knife wound would only incapacitate him for a few minutes she quickly rolled him off and stumbled to her feet to run out of the room. She made it to the front door and felt her heals sink into the grass as she ran across the grounds. She kicked them off and ran barefoot to the trees surrounding the manor, barely making it into the outer edge before she heard Nikola start to yell at his creatures back in the house.

A moment later the only thing she heard was the sound of her own breathing and the slight rustle of the leaves as she brushed past them. She dodged through the trees and through a small stream, hissing quietly as the cold water and sharp rocks stung her feet.

A few minutes later Helen slowed to a stop, panting softly as she tried to catch her breath. Her legs and sides ached from running and she had no idea where she was. She had no doubt that Nikola was right behind her so she started moving again, this time listening as hard as she could for any sounds of pursuit. She nearly sighed in relief when she heard a vehicle somewhere close by and she started running as fast as she could, all of her focus on getting to the road and flagging down a car. She was almost out of the woods when she was grabbed from behind and slammed against the tree by a very angry vampire.

"Helen," Nikola growled into her ear. He spun her around to face him and she clawed at his face, crying out when he grabbed her arms and dug his fingers into her flesh. His grip pulled the shoulder of her dress away from her neck and his dark eyes drilled into hers as he fought to hold her against the tree.

"Nikola, please," she said, her voice trembling and tears spilling from her eyes as she stopped struggling.

"Shush," He whispered. His eyes dropped to her neck. "Begging will come later." He leaned forward and nipped at her throat just over her pulse point, not hard enough to break the skin but to remind her of what he was capable of. Helen gave a small whimper in the back of her throat and took a shuddering breath as he inhaled her scent. Her muscles tense and he released one of her arms to start pulling her back towards the manor.

"Nikola, let me go," She cried, struggling against his vice like grip. He ignored her and continued pulling her along, his grip firm on her wrist. She struggled harder and began yelling loudly in the hopes that someone on the road would hear her.

Nikola quickly grew frustrated with her antics and turned around to grab her throat. He cut off her windpipe and Helen clawed at his hand as she fought for breath. She felt herself becoming light-headed as her vision started to fade and the last thing she saw was Nikola's sharp teeth and black eyes. After a moment she fell unconscious and he swept her up into his arms and carried her back to his bedroom to wait for her to regain consciousness.

The first sensation that Helen was aware of when she woke up was the heaviness in her limbs quickly followed by a nearly crippling pain in her head. She slowly sat up and raised her finger tips to her temple in an attempt to alleviate the pain, wincing when she accidentally pressed too hard on a welt left from a tree branch. She turned her head to the side and felt a sharp sting in her neck right where her throat and shoulder met and she softly probed the spot to see if she had been bitten. As her arm brushed her side she felt silk and her eyes flew open in surprise. She looked down at her body and made a startled noise in the back of her throat; someone had wiped away the blood and had dressed her in a long silk nightgown. In the dim moonlight shining from the window she saw that she was in Nikola's bed and for the moment the vampire was thankfully absent.

Helen swung her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand only to have her legs go out from under her. She silently turned towards the bed and slid to her knees, burying her head in her hands as she took a few stabilizing breaths before trying to push herself to her feet again. She was halfway there when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist to steady her as she fought the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her. She panicked and tried to struggle away only to be held securely against Nikola's chest.

"Take it easy, you're safe." He whispered softly into her ear. He waited until she was calm before loosening his hold to turn her in his arms. She had tears in her eyes as she fought to stay upright and gladly held on to his arms as he lowered her to sit on the mattress.

"Safe?" Helen repeated, her voice hoarse from his rough treatment earlier. She let go of him and twisted her hands together in her lap, closing her eyes as Nikola knelt in front of her. "You tried to kill me."

"You gave me no choice. I did warn you."

Her center of gravity shifted and she gasped as Nikola reached out and held her hands.

"What did you give me? " She slurred out, her hand going to her neck where he had injected her.

"Something to help you sleep Helen, we have a lot to talk about but first you need to get some more rest. I promise I won't hurt you."

The world spun again and Nikola caught her as she started to fall forwards. He lifted her up as if she weighed no more than a child and laid her back on the bed, pulling the soft sheets and warm comforter over her form as she struggled to remain awake.

"Don't touch me." She begged before she lost consciousness.

He watched over her as she slept and let his mind wander over his plans. He reached forward to move a curl out of her face and stopped a hairsbreadth away from her skin, desperately wishing to touch her but refusing to go against her wishes while she was asleep. He let his hand drop to his side and walked towards the fireplace, taking a seat in the chair with the best view of the bed. He poured himself a glass of wine and settled in to wait for her, letting his eyes rest on her face as the drug slowly wore off and she slipped into a natural sleep.

It was some time later when she gasped and turned away from him. She curled up around herself and bit into her fist as she started to cry. Nikola went to her side and looked down on her as she started whimpering Ashley's name. His expression softened and he sat down beside her, intent on waking her from her dark dreams. He was just about to touch her when she cried out John's name. He flinched back and watched the expression on her face turn from one of horror into one of hope. Disgusted, Nikola stood back up and walked over to his wine glass, raising it to his lips and draining it in on swallow. He heard Helen stir on the bed and waited until he heard the bed sheets being pulled back.

Helen stood without aid this time, her abnormality speeding up the healing process by a few days in only a few hours. She wasn't one hundred percent better yet but she stood a better chance with Nikola now than she had before he had drugged her.

Nikola turned towards her and waited until he was sure she was steady before he started speaking.

"You've seen him recently, haven't you?"

"What does it matter to you?" she asked. Nikola's face was angry as he walked towards her and grabbed her arm. Helen stiffened and thought about jerking away but instead allowed him to lead her to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. She knew she was no match for Nikola in the state she was in and made the decision to wait for him to lower his guard. Not that she thought it would happen soon.

"It matters to be because by all rights he should be dead!" he hissed as he pushed her into the chair. Her spine stiffened as he braced himself on the arm rests. His face was inches away from her own and she could only watch him with wide eyes as he spoke acidly.

"The Jolts I gave him should have allowed the creature to take full control." All of the blood drained from Helen's face as she processed his words.

"You knew about the creature?" Hot fury filled her.

"I created it." He snarled. Angry tears of betrayal filled Helen's eyes and she clenched her hands into fists to keep herself from trying to claw Nikola's eyes out.

"Why?" She said, her voice was raised and slightly broken but her eyes never left his.

"You're mine." He snapped, standing up and running a hand through his hair angrily. "You belong to me and he refused to acknowledge that."

Helen's heartbeat sped up and pounded painfully in her chest. Nikola was insane.

"I knew before the source blood that you were meant for me." His tone was casual now, as if he were speaking about the weather rather than his obsession with her.

"Do you remember," he said as he leaned down in front of her again. He reached out and wrapped one of her curls around his finger, staring at it as he spoke. Helen had to fight not to flinch away. "The night I woke up after the source blood you were there. I didn't even have to open my eyes to know it; I could smell you… I can smell you now." He said as he lifted one of her clenched fists.

Without feeling the pain, Helen and broken the skin on her palms with her fingernails. Nikola gently opened her hand and looked down at the four bloody crescents on her smooth skin. He looked up at her and brought her hand to his face, letting her fingers rest on his cheeks as he turned his head and inhaled deeply. Helen watched in horrified fascination as he pressed his lips to her palm before turning back to her with a look in his eyes that she couldn't begin to understand.

"You grabbed me." Helen whispered. "You threw me against the wall and tried to-." Without a word Nikola dropped her palm and stood up in one fluid motion, startling Helen into silence. He walked to the fireplace and grabbed a glass ornament from the mantle.

"It started innocently enough." He continued as if she hadn't said anything. "We had just found out that your father was gone and that the source blood was missing as well. You had run to John and I needed a distraction from the anger I felt." He turned the ornament in his hands and Helen watched a small spark start to build up in it.

"I was working on a way to amplify my powers and came up with this." He said, raising the glass tube in his hand and watching the sparks jump around inside it. "I was running an experiment when john burst into my lab and told me that he had asked for your hand in marriage."

Nikola's eyes flickered to Helen's and he watched for her reactions. Her face held no color and she was gripping the armrests as if she would fly away at any moment.

"I was furious when he told me that you had said yes." His eyes dropped down to the tool in his hand and he smiled. "I hadn't been ready for human trials until his announcement." His eyes flashed to Helen's and they became hard and cruel.

"I slammed this into his chest and zapped him with every last ounce of energy I had. It was beautiful."

Tears spilled from Helen's eyes and she covered her mouth in horror.

"I meant to kill him," He admitted with a smile. "But in the end it didn't matter. You chased him at gunpoint once you realized what he had become." Helen stood up and made for the door only to be intercepted by Nikola.

"Let go!" Helen sobbed, trying to pull her arm out from the vampire's grasp. Nikola growled and spun her around, grabbing both her wrists and pushing her back against the glass window. She took a sharp breath and looked up at him with terrified eyes, turning her face away as he closed the distance between them to avoid his kiss.

She tried not to sob and closed her eyes as he dipped down to her neck, slowly dragging his fangs over her pulse point. He moved so softly that it raised tiny goose bumps on her skin. He pulled back slightly and her breath hitched as he pressed his lips where he had previously had his fangs.

"What makes you think," He whispered, his hot breath against her throat sending shivers down her spine. "You are in any position to make demands?"

"Don't do this" She pleaded softly. "I don't want you to do this."

Nikola pulled back and she turned to face him. His eyes were black and hungry as he tightened his grip on her wrists.

"This isn't about what you want this is about what I deserve. I have spent over a century watching you and John doing this intricate dance through the decades, hunting and haunting each other, getting close enough to make the other bleed."

He let go of her one of her wrists and raised his hand to her face, softly threading his fingers in her hair and brushing his thumb over her cheekbone.

"But no matter how much you tried, you could never kill him. He's your Achilles heel. The one thing that keeps you from the only place you truly belong."

He felt Helen panic and let her go when she wrenched herself out of his arms. She backed a few steps away and bumped into the chair she had been sitting in only moments before. Nikola took a step towards her and smirked as she stepped to the side and put the chair between them. It would offer her no protection should he decide to go after her, but he had to admire her survival instincts.

"I realize that this is a lot of information to take in at once, but you must know how I feel about you. How I've always felt about you." His voice was soft, the words spoken as if to a child. He took another step towards her and she flinched.

"Don't" She begged.

"I would grant you your heart's desire if only you would let me."

"If you truly love me you'll let me go."

"Ah, but we both know I'm, how did you put it back in the tunnel? 'Selfish, arrogant, putting my own desires before everyone else's.'?" He sent her a self satisfied smile and walked to the bedroom door.

"I've made it no secret that I desire you above all else and nothing is going to stand in my way. Good night Helen, sleep well."

The door shut behind him and Helen heard him lock the door before his footsteps faded away.

DUN DUN DUN!

Cliffhanger :)

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