Chapter 4
"She was
snooping around in my room!"
Caroline
crossed her arms. "That did not mean you had to frighten the poor
thing!"
Nick began to
pace impatiently. "She knows! If she tells anyone--"
"That is
the least of your problems," she interrupted, "you must go out there
and find her."
"What?!"
Nick exclaimed. "I'm not going out there! It's raining!"
"You
should've thought of that before."
"But--"
Caroline
stomped her foot on the floor. "Nickolas Carter, get you nice fanny
out there now!"
Nick scowled.
She refused to
budge.
"Fine,"
he mumbled after a few moments, "I'll go."
She
grinned. "Thank you."
Sighing
angrily, Nick disappeared into the foyer and after a few moments, she heard the
door open and close. He still has a heart, she thought in relief, it's
not as hard as he makes it out to be. It just needs a little
light...and I have a feeling Rina just might be that
light...
***
Nick moved his
soaked hair out of his eyes, his mood very sour. He knew this was all his
fault, but he couldn't help but feel a giant resentment toward Katarina Clark. She'd only been here for a day and
already she'd turned his life upside down. I'll probably catch
pneumonia thanks to her... His eyes darkened. Then again,
maybe she's doing me a favor. If I catch it I can finally leave this
place... He wandered further into the woods. He had no idea
where he was going, but his gut was telling him that he was on the right
track. A sudden loud crash of thunder startled him and he jumped. Damn!
That sounded pretty cl-- His eyes
widened. Oh shit! He knelt down to her still form. Oh
man...this wasn't supposed to happen... "Katarina?"
Nothing.
"Katarina? Come on...say something..." Nick was
beginning to panic. What if she's dead? He checked her wrist
and gave a sigh of relief. There was a pulse. Carefully, he lifted
her sprawled body into his arms and ignoring the odd feeling in his chest, he
marched quickly back to the house. "Caroline!!!" He
called out, "we've got trouble!!"
She burst into
the living room and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh dear!!
Take her upstairs immediately. I'll be right up."
Nick did as he
was told and brought her to the first room on the second floor. Gently,
he lowered her onto the bed. She hadn't stirred once and he began to
wonder if maybe she really was dead. After checking her wrist again, he
pushed the thought away. No...she was still here...still
breathing... His eyes raked over her body. Her clothes were
plastered to her soft feminine curves... Nick shook his head. Now
is not the time to be thinking those kind of thoughts Carter. His
eyes stopped at her forehead and he stared at the massive bump in
concern. That doesn't look very good...
Caroline came
in and ushered Nick out of the room so she could tend to her. He waited
impatiently right outside the door, his mind flooded with thoughts of
guilt. He just wanted her out of this house...he didn't want her to get
hurt... He ran his fingers through his wet hair and sighed. He
always did stupid things. This wasn't supposed to happen...
***
"I
knew you'd find me."
She stared
at his tall figure, not at all frightened, but intrigued. His soft blue
eyes gazed at her and he smiled.
She
returned it, but she was confused by his words. "You were looking
for me?"
"I'd
been looking for you my whole life...and I know you've been looking for
me."
Now she was
really bewildered. "I don't understand..."
"You
will soon enough." He reached for her hand, his face much more
solemn, "I need you Rina..."
She was
amazed at the sensations her body felt when his skin touched hers. She'd
never felt anything like that before...but she liked it...
She liked
it a lot.
"I
need you to save me."
"Save
you...?" she looked at his worried eyes, not at all comprehending what was
going on.
"I
know you're the only one who can."
She lifted
her hand to his face. It was smooth, warm... He was handsome...but
it was his eyes that held her attention. His beautiful eyes that were the
exact colour of the ocean in her hometown.
"Save
me Katarina..."
"From
what?" she looked at him in concern, noticing how uneasy he was. He
squeezed her hand.
"From
myself..."
***
An hour passed
before Caroline finally emerged from the room.
"How is
she?" he asked immediately.
"She's
fine for now and she'll be asleep for the rest of the night, so we won't know
anything until morning." She yawned. "I'll stay with
her. You go on to bed, dear."
Nick shook his
head vehemently. "No way. You go to rest Caroline. I'm
staying with her."
She patted his
arm and a light smile curved her lips. "Don't fret now
Nickolas. She'll be all right."
"I'm not
freakin' out or anything...I'm just...well...it's my fault she's hurt," he
crossed his arms, "it's my responsibility."
Caroline
simply nodded and yawned again. Very well dear. Good night."
"Good
night." He watched her until she disappeared into her room and he
stepped hesitantly into Katarina's. Quietly, he
took the chair from the desk and settled down next to her bedside. She
did look much better than before. The bump seemed smaller... He
watched the tiny stream of moonlight dance across her face and slowly his eyes
softened. What was it about her that just made him want to touch
her...hold her...? Something kept telling him that she was
different...not at all like most girls. She looked so innocent, he was
almost afraid that by just simply touching her, he would corrupt her.
Still, his hand hovered over her face. He just wanted to feel what her
pale cheeks felt like. His fingers lightly grazed her skin and he almost
gasped from the electric sensations that traveled up his arm. He'd never
had a reaction quite like that before...he liked it...
He liked it a
lot.
Soft to the
touch her face was... smooth as silk. He traced her cheekbones lightly
and traveled to her lips. What would it be like, he wondered, to be the
one to be able to kiss those lips? To be able to say that those lips
belonged to him and nobody else but him. That she was his...
His thoughts
suddenly began to frighten him. He could see a future with her and he
didn't even know her? How was that possible? He shook his
head.
The fact of
that matter was that it was impossible.
He removed his
hand from her serene face. I can't do this to myself... I
can't feel...I can't. He closed his eyes, as though in pain.
She was an angel...
He was nothing
but a monster.
***
