ALEXANDER

The first thing Alexander thought was that this had to be a dream. By some chance, he had fallen asleep at the cemetery, and Maxim would awaken him at any moment. But, his silent wishes did not come true when she glided over to him.

Click, click, click, her heels went against the polished flooring. And, with her every movement, Alexander’s eyes grew wider to the point where he thought the Devil himself may be in charge of this terrible joke.

“Master…” she said the word as if it was infatuation itself. It rolled off her tongue, highlighting the ‘r’. She still had her Russian accent intact.

“What’s going on?” Ewa asked, shooting out of her seat. She glanced from Alexander to Katharine and then to Max. “How is she alive?”

Max frowned. “Katharine arrived here with Ghoul Master after the Council building in London went up in flames. For the time being, we are housing the ghouls.”

“Ghouls?” Alexander’s voice spiked with his agitation. The memory of the final encounter with Katharine flooded to the forefront of his mind, and he cringed. He fed her his blood right as she had passed away. Until now, he wished to bury his love for her as well as his regrets so far down into the darkness of his heart that he had not considered the consequences of his actions.

“Master…” Katharine said again, reaching for him. She ran her hand, lovingly down his chest. Her hand paused over his heart, and she smiled. “It is you, Alexander.”

When he looked at her, Alexander’s words failed him.

Ewa stopped next to him and scowled at Katharine. “How come you have not sought him out until now?”

“I couldn’t find him. When I clawed my way out from under six feet of dirt, I found no one waiting for me. As I starved, Ghoul Master found me and brought me to London with him,” Katharine explained.

“You were alive all this time…” Alexander managed to say, cupping her cheeks and searching for imperfections. She appeared the same as she did in 1776. Pale skin, full lips, green eyes the colour of moss, strong nose and high cheek bones. It was unmistakably her. With a shaking hand, he clamped his hand over hers, pressing it closer to his chest. A powerful current that travelled through him informed him of the bond they shared—master and servant. They had swapped roles. Two centuries ago, he used to worship her beauty, praying to catch a single glimpse of her. Today, she was bound to him because of a mistake he had made when he was stricken with the grief of her passing.

“Alexander? You’ve created a ghoul?” Max inquired as he joined them, standing next to Katharine. “When did this happen? Why wasn’t I informed?”

Alexander hung his head low, knowing full well that his sire would be disappointed in him. Vampires did their best to avoid creating such creatures. The ghoul’s feeding and care fell to the vampire who created them until they died. He had abandoned his duty for a very long time, which could bring him a lot of trouble with the Council if not handled correctly.

“I didn’t know at the time—” he began.

Katharine smiled at Max and looped her arm through Alexander’s before resting her head on his shoulder. “I have finally found you.”

“Sire,” Alexander said, “Please pardon this misdemeanour. I truly did not expect to turn her at the time. Until today, I did not even know I had sired a ghoul, not to mention that I have ruined her life…”

Katharine lifted her head. “You do not wish to be together with me?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Alexander said quickly.

“You will need to speak with Ghoul Master. I will keep this hidden from the rest of the Council. You will be leaving here in two days anyway,” Max said.

Ewa pushed her way to stand between Alexander and Katharine. “I know how you feel about her, but can you truly support a ghoul? It is no easy task. Their feeding habits are not like our own.”

“I know!” Alexander said, collapsing into a seat on the sofa. He ran his hand over his face before burying his face in his palms. “I don’t know what to do, Max.”

“There are two things you can do. If you wish to keep her, speak with Ghoul Master and explain to him what happened. If not, leave now and forget this event ever took place.”

Alexander lifted his head, meeting Katharine’s pained expression. Her quivering lip made his heart break into a million pieces. The words left him before he had a chance to think them through. “What do you want to do, Katharine?”

“I wish to leave with you, of course,” she replied.

Ewa raised a brow. “Are you seriously considering this?”

“I have no choice!” Alexander snapped, rising to his full height. “I owe it to her.”

“Do as you see fit,” Max said. “You are not a newborn anymore.”

Alexander took Katharine’s hand. Her surprise registered on her face as he dragged her through the room to the door. “Tell me where the Ghoul Master is, Katharine.”

“I saw him last in the War Gallery.”

Striding with her through the Winter Palace was like a dream come true. He didn’t care for the scenery nor greeted the passing hounds who patrolled the building.

Once they entered the Field Marshal’s Hall, which was adjacent to the Memorial Room of Peter the Great, she pulled on his arm, drawing him to a stop.

Facing her, his breath caught in his throat at the beauty before him. It was as if he was twenty-two again.

“Alexander…” she whispered, caressing his cheek. Her gentle touch lingered on his skin before she moved her hand down to trace the outline of his strong and proud jaw. “You are still so beautiful.”

“It is you who remained the same, like a shimmering diamond on a crown of kings. How…” He shook his head. “This time, I will do right by you. I have caused you much grief by leaving you alone with a terrifying man.” His heart tore at the possibilities of what Ghoul Master could have done to her. After all, she could not defy him once she became a part of his flock. “Tell me, has he done anything terrible to you?”

She looked at the ground. The smile and wonder she had on her face earlier dissipated, leaving behind a living doll. A long second had passed. When she lifted her gaze, her eyes were full of unshed tears. “I do not wish to speak about the past. I am not proud of the things I have done and the men I have been with.”

Scorching rage burned through Alexander’s veins. He wanted to tear Ghoul Master’s head off his massive shoulders and let his ghouls eat it for breakfast. Once, these ghouls were humans, just like him, just like Master was. Yet, that man dared force them into illicit acts without their explicit agreement? Alexander could not leave Katharine with such a vile creature. He would rather procure dead bodies for her to consume for the rest of his life instead.

“Come, we must remove your leash before you can come with me to Dublin. I am certain you will like it there. I will also introduce you to Tanya—”

Katharine’s eyes narrowed. “Is she your woman?”

He snorted at the preposterous idea of ever having a sexual relationship with his witty and defiant childe. “She is my daughter and a good friend, nothing more.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “I would love to meet her.”

Pleased with her reaction, he took her hand into his and led the rest of the way to the War Gallery which was through the Armorial Hall. Under the barrel ceiling carved to perfection, huge paintings of past tsars and other important men from the battle with Napoleon hung on the ruby-coloured walls.

Studying one such painting, Ghoul Master stood almost as tall as the top of the golden frame. His black dreads ran down his muscular shoulders, and his blood-red eyes searched for imperfections in the artwork.

Alexander cleared his throat. “May I have a word with you?”

Master did not react. He sluggishly finished admiring the painting and shifted his gaze and body to the next painting. “What can I do for you, Alexander?”

“I want to talk about Katharine.”

The elder stilled and glanced their way. “Katya, what is it you wish to tell me?”

She hid behind Alexander’s frame. “I found him. I found my creator, sir.”

“Is that so…” Master’s penetrating stare landed on Alexander. “And, are you the man who has abandoned this woman in the middle of nowhere?”

“At the time, I was too young to realise that I had created a ghoul. I wish to claim her as my own.”

“And what do you want to do, Katya?” Master asked.

Alexander sensed animosity directed at him. It was as if that man was restraining himself from acting out on his desire to tear Alexander’s heart out.

“I wish to go with him, sir,” she replied, lowering her head.

Master returned to studying the picture of Tsar Alexander I, riding on a white steed on a dusty road.

An eternal minute had passed, and Alexander was beginning to think the elder had forgotten they were present in the gallery.

A long sigh escaped Master. “You may leave, Katya. If this man does not treat you well, or if he forsakes you a second time, come to me, and I will end his miserable existence on this earth.”

A strange thing to say for a man who forced her to serve as a sex slave, Alexander thought. “Will that be all?”

Katharine inclined her head and tugged on Alexander’s sleeve. “Master’s word is final.”

With a nod, Alexander led her back through the palace to one of the private rooms he was permitted to occupy at for the duration of his stay. He opened the door for her and ushered her inside. In the sitting room, he motioned for her to take a seat as he wandered over to the drinks cabinet. He needed some alcohol in his system and soon. His mind was reeling from the day’s events.

“Tell me,” he said, pouring a glass of whiskey, “what has your life been like until now? I feel responsible for abandoning you. I wish to wipe the slate clean and help you find yourself again.” Their eyes locked. “Do you think that’s possible?”

Katharine unbuttoned the buttons of her suit jacket, slipping out of it with grace. She discarded it on the back of the sofa. Instead of sitting down, she sauntered to him, her dark lacy bra showing through the thin material of her white sleeveless blouse. Stopping in front of him, she lifted the glass out of his hand and took a sip. Her red lipstick left a mark on the crystal, but Alexander’s attention was on the way her tongue licked the alcohol off her lower lip.

Katharine edged closer. She dipped her finger in the drink and offered it to him. “Do you want a taste? This whiskey was imported from America, I believe.”

Noting her challenge, he brought her finger to his mouth and sucked on it. The taste of smoky alcohol turned him on, just as everything else about her did. Her breasts caught his attention as she breathed in and withdrew her hand.

“It is definitely American,” he replied.

She put the drink aside and ran her hand up his sleeve. Moving her hands to his chest, she undid the button of his jacket and started helping him out of it. “Would you mind if I sleep here tonight?”

His jacket and coat landed on the floor behind him. “It is still daytime.”

Katharine leant in. Pressing her chest into him, she whispered near his ear, “It won’t be if you take me to bed and let us forget the centuries we’ve spent apart.” She nibbled on his earlobe, and Alexander snaked his arm around her waist.

“Are you not mad at me?” He pulled back enough to see her face.

“I won’t be if you do this for me, my love.”

Her forceful kiss broke through his restraint. Alexander closed his eyes, enjoying the taste of expensive whiskey on her tongue. As her hands fought to free him from his shirt, he captured the back of her head, feeling the silkiness of her luscious hair.

Just as his hands slid down her back to her ass, his phone vibrated in his pocket, and both of them groaned out loud.

“I have to take this call,” Alexander explained, pulling away.

Katharine gave him a seductive look with a slight curve of her pouty lips. She undid the buttons of her blouse and slipped out of it. Discarding her skirt, too, she meandered to the king-sized bed in the adjacent bedroom and lowered herself onto the red sheets in nothing but black lace.

Alexander swallowed. He continued to stare at her in wonder as his hand fumbled with his phone to answer the call. When he lifted the device to his ear, Katharine was already spread out in an open invitation for him to come and take her.

“What is it?” he barked into the receiver.

“Am I interrupting another one of your sexcapades?” Tanya’s annoyed voice rang in his ear.

He tore his gaze away from Katharine and downed a mouthful of his drink. “Not yet. What’s the matter? You know I’ll be returning soon, so, unless it is urgent, it can wait.”

“It can’t wait,” she said sternly. “Andrew is back, and he’s been hurt.”

“What?” Alexander’s thoughts were immediately purged of possible sex positions he could experiment with. “What happened?”

“When he came back from the U.S., two hunters attacked him. He managed to get away but not before they got dangerously close to having his heart pierced with a silver bullet. I’ve called Martin to help him. He’s currently undergoing surgery, but I thought you’d want to come back sooner. After all, he is like a son to you.”

“Thank you, and you were right to call me. I will return tonight.”

When he hung up and turned to check on Katharine, she was already standing next to him. He battled with the desire to have her in bed until he was spent, but the worry for Lucious’ childe didn’t subside.

“What’s wrong, my love?” she asked, searching his face for an answer.

“My friend’s childe has been hurt. I must return home earlier than planned.”

She ran her hands over her pushed up breasts, capturing his attention. “Shall I put some clothes on?”

Although it pained him to great extent, he gave a curt nod. “Please do. If you are coming with me to Ireland, prepare your luggage. I must attend to my business now since I will be unable to do so later.”

She kissed his cheek. “I will do as you bid, Master.”

That foreign title made Alexander’s stomach twist, but he said nothing.