ABIGAIL

Abigail slammed the empty pint glass down on the lacquered table in the busy pub. “I hate men like him! All they do is fuck, use women, and act like they’re better than everyone else.”

Her best friend, Ursula O’Neill, laughed as she lifted a pint of Budweiser to her lips. “Is he hot?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

Ursula cocked a brow. “Everything.”

“He’s a little hot,” Abigail admitted against her better judgement. She was sure it was the alcohol in her system talking and not her logical brain, which seemed to be taking a prolonged vacation.

“So, you’re what? Interested in the guy?”

“Of course not!” Abigail shouted, causing at least five guys at the bar to peel away from the rugby match that was playing out on the TV. She covered her face with her hand and grabbed her glass. “I’m going to get another drink.”

“You’re running away again,” Ursula called after her.

Abigail shook her head and ordered another pint from the tired-looking bartender. After getting her drink, she returned to the table with renewed determination to never see Alexander again. He was like the plague. If she didn’t distance herself from him soon, he would consume her and possibly be the death of her. Her secret thoughts made her blush. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she wouldn’t mind being consumed by him for a night or two under the silk sheets. That hot idea vanished as soon as it came when she recalled him being in bed with two stick-thin models.

“That man deserves to die,” she mumbled under her breath.

Ursula snorted. “That’s why you’ll never last in a relationship if you keep picking the wrong guys. How about I set you up on a date with my co-worker? He’s single, cute, even plays a guitar.”

Abigail rolled her eyes. “You make it sound like a mother trying to hook up her thirty-year-old son who won’t leave the basement.”

“Nah, he’s not thirty…twenty-eight to be exact. Got the abs of an underwear model.”

Suddenly interested, Abigail leant in. “Really?”

“Yeah, like an eight-pack. I nearly fainted when I saw that.” She fanned herself and her cheeks turned rosy. “Ah, if I wasn’t getting married in four months, I’d jump his bones.”

Abigail traced her finger along the rim of her glass. This was a good chance to move on from her previous disaster of a relationship and, finally, start again with someone nice. She took Ursula’s hand and grinned. “Introduce us!”

Her best friend giggled. “I knew that would work. All you need is abs.”

“Hey, a fine physique is never a bad thing!”

“And that’s why the only guys you’ve dated until now turned out to be stuck-up assholes.”

“But they were hot stuck-up assholes,” Abigail corrected.

They both burst out laughing and finished their drinks. Once they finalised the details of her date for Sunday evening with the mysterious co-worker, they left the pub and walked up the road to a taxi stop.

“You sure you don’t want to catch a taxi with me?” Ursula asked.

“Yeah, it’s only a ten-minute walk. It’ll help me walk off some of the drunkenness.”

“You’ve never been drunk in your life.” Ursula checked the time on her phone and climbed into the available taxi. “Text me when you get home safely!”

“Will do. Take care of yourself.” She waved goodbye to her friend and watched the taxi merge with the traffic.

Wrapping her jacket tighter around herself, Abigail crossed the road and traipsed along the pavement. The old cobbled ground made it hard to walk in heels. She pushed her hair back over her shoulders and sighed. Maybe a caring guy in her life would help her get over this peculiar fascination she had with Alexander and his club.

A sudden chill crept up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. When she glanced over her shoulder, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Looking ahead, no one was there, either. She dismissed her unease but picked up the pace.

Turning the corner, someone grasped her arm and clasped their hand over her mouth. Her scream was muffled by the stranger’s palm while he roughly pushed her against the brick wall. The back of her skull started to hurt from the impact and her vision dotted black in places. For a second, she thought the man’s eyes were glowing, which she knew had to be the trick of the light.

She attempted twisting out of his steel grip and couldn’t. Before she knew what was happening, he bit her neck.

An agonised scream escaped her only to be trapped behind the prison of his podgy fingers. She kicked his shins a couple of times. He didn’t seem to care and continued to sink his teeth deeper into her flesh.

Tears streaked her cheeks. She desperately fought the heavy body pressed against hers. The seconds ticked by and all she could do was pray that this man along with the pain would disappear. As if God decided to answer her cries for help, the bastard was propelled to the other side of the street.

The stranger’s back hit the wall with an audible thud, and he hissed at the man standing next to her. She slid to the ground, cupping her throbbing neck. Her eyes never left Alexander’s strong back.

He advanced towards her attacker. Seemingly with little effort, Alexander lifted him and his hand disappeared into the guy’s chest. Then, it reappeared holding what appeared to be a human heart dripping with fresh blood.

Her mind went blank and a scream died in her throat the second Alexander turned his head to look at her. It wasn’t a trick of the light. His eyes were definitely glowing with silver light. She scrambled to her feet and fell back down. Her legs couldn’t support her weight and one of her heels had snapped sometime during the catastrophic events.

The assailant’s body melted or shrunk, she wasn’t sure.

I’m drunk. I must be freaking drunk!

The attacker’s skin sunk and tightened around his skull. His eyeballs became huge a moment before drying out in their sockets. His hair whitened and his clothes folded in on themselves.

Her beers started climbing back up her throat. She bent over, retching onto the footpath.

Alexander brushed her hair aside for her with his clean hand. “Are you hurt?”

She wasn’t sure what to say at first. He had killed someone, and she was a witness. Abigail wiped at her mouth and pressed her back against the wall, creating as much distance as she could between them.

When he brushed her hair away from her neck, she whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut.

“I will not harm you, Abigail, that much I can promise you,” he whispered.

She dared to steal a peek. He knelt by her side. That unnatural light in his eyes had completely vanished. He appeared to be like any other concerned member of society, except he had just taken someone’s heart out with his bare hand.

She swallowed hard. “Is—Is he dead?”

Alexander seemed to think about her words for a moment. “For quite some time, yes.” He offered her his hand.

Abigail studied it. Her gaze flicked to his other hand that he was hiding behind his back. “You killed a man…”

“He wasn’t a man.” He took her hand, lifting her into a standing position with him.

She swayed on the spot, unable to find her centre of gravity. Alexander’s arms wound around her waist, steadying her and making her look up at his handsome face.

“This is a dream, right?” she asked. “I got drunk and fell asleep somewhere or something.”

“I told you, you can’t handle the truth.” He bit into his thumb. Blood oozed to the surface, and he reached for her neck.

She tried to get out of his hold, but his arm tightened, trapping her in place. “Hold still or I won’t be able to heal you.”

“Heal me? With your blood? Are you insane? You probably have an STD or two from sleeping around so much.”

Alexander’s eyes flashed with anger. His thumb pressed roughly against the raw flesh of her neck as he massaged his blood into her wound.

When he finished doing his disgusting “healing” procedure, she slapped him across the face with what little energy she had left. Her palm pulsated from the force she administered. He, on the other hand, didn’t seem to react at all.

“Bastard!”

“I understand you are stressed. Let me bring you home. I have to make certain no one finds out about this ordeal.” He pulled out a phone and barked a few orders in Russian down the line.

Abigail edged closer to the roadside once his back was turned. She slipped her shoes off and started to sprint. Before she could reach the road, she felt his arms wrapping around her waist again. Her bare feet dangled in the air, and he tutted next to her ear.

“I did say I would bring you home.” He set her down and offered her his arm. “Please allow me to do so.”

Full of scepticism, she laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding… This is crazy. You’re crazy, and I just want to go home. Alone.”

“Are you sure you wish to be by yourself right now?”

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was right. By the way her legs were quivering and the blood she had lost, she wouldn’t make it very far. Maybe she could call for an ambulance. She discarded that idea. He wouldn’t let her do something like that. Seeing no other way, she looped her arm through his and let him do whatever he wanted.

They walked in silence. She tried to avoid the tiny stones on the pavement. Her feet hurt from both the cold and the rough ground she walked on.

“Would you prefer it if I carried you?” he offered.

She shot him a glare. “I can walk perfectly fine! I’m more concerned about you acting so relaxed after murdering a man.”

“He was not a good man.”

She laughed. “And you are?”

“No. I wouldn’t say that I am.” For the first time, she sensed honesty in his reply.

Abigail stopped walking a few metres away from her apartment building. Her action caused him to come to a halt, too. He said nothing and waited for her to do or say something. The fact that he wasn’t hurling insults or smart remarks her way confused her.

Is this the same man I’ve seen shacking up with those models three hours ago?

“I hope you know that I’m going to report this.”

He smirked. “Is there a way I can dissuade you from doing something so unnecessary?”

“Unnecessary?” She scoffed. “It’s a crime scene. My DNA and whatever else is all over that place. If the Gards find the—”

“There will be nothing left to find in an hour. Relax, get some sleep, and enjoy your weekend, Abby.” He inclined his head and started sauntering away from her.

“Alexander!”

He paused and glanced over his shoulder.

“I need some answers.” Drunk or not, there had to be some logical explanation behind all of this. “Please,” she added for good measure.

Alexander returned to her side with a cheeky smirk. “Everything comes at a price, young lady. What are you willing to give up for the answers you seek?”