~ Alek ~
Alek had spent the morning at work and went to the spa for a swim at lunch. Every male in the locker room was discussing Dakota, as usual. This time, they were talking about how depressed she usually was after a hunt. She always comes back, hooks up with Durk, and they drink and dance all night.
One of males snorted, “What is so special about Durk? He doesn’t have anything the rest of us don’t have.”
Another responded, “They were friends growing up. He might have the inside track but I think if she wanted him, she would not have broken it off with him two years ago. Besides, he asks her out all the time and she always says no. I think he should just give it up, move over, and make room for new blood.”
One of the males nodded in Alek’s direction and remarked. “The only hunt I have ever seen her come back fine from was Alek’s. Now I wonder what was different about that particular hunt.”
Several males approached him and began asking questions. “After she found me, I was in bad shape. She stayed with me and live fed me for a couple of weeks. I think she just needs down time after a hunt.”
The males were shocked and then there were several people asking dozens of questions. What was she like? Did she share his bed? Did they kiss? Did they have sex? What did she eat? Is it true she has a son? On and on the questions came. Alek was evasive and any question he could pretend not to know, he did.
Finally, he cut them off. “Look, I barely know Dakota, I am just one of hundreds of poor unfortunate souls she hunted. You have all known her socially for years. I’m sure I don’t have much to add to this discussion.” He threw his wet trunks in his gym bag, shut his locker, and hand scanned it to lock.
Durk’s voice sounded off from the doorway. “I think that perhaps you do have something to add to the discussion. I have never seen her the way she was after her hunt for you. She was relaxed, confident, and content. Why?”
Alek tilted his head and replied assertively. “If you would like to know the answers to such questions, you should simply ask Dakota. You are her best friend. I’m sure she would be happy to share with you what I can only speculate about.”
Durk responded bluntly, “I’m asking you.”
Alek replied coldly. “Then let me be clear that I have no intention of discussing Dakota with you or anyone else. What went on with my hunt and during the time of my recuperation is something I consider personal.”
Durk eyes narrowed. “Dakota told me the person who took you put a device on your arm that drained the blood out of your system. Drained you almost dry, in fact, over and over again…like on the ships.”
Alek nodded his head in acknowledgement. “It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my long life.”
Durk continued, “It must have taken massive amounts of intense live feeding to overcome something like that. If I know Dakota, she can be persistent about feeding sick vampires. She must have been in your lap fairly constantly to make that right in two short weeks.”
Alek looked him in the eye for a brief moment, nodded one short nod, and then turned on his heel to leave.
As he was walking off, Durk’s voice sounded off in the now quiet locker room. “Just so you know, last night, she came back from her latest hunt upset. She chose to spend her time with me. We drank and danced until the bar closed. No matter what any of you think, Dakota always comes to me because we have a special bond that cannot be broken.”
Alek turned and said quietly, over his shoulder. “I noticed she never goes home with you. She didn’t spend two weeks in your home, in your bed, and in your lap fresh feeding you. Honestly, I know why you are so territorial with her, Durk. Although I have never made love to her, just having in her my arms and drinking her blood while she gently caressed my body created the most intense longing I have ever known. The feeling of separation is more painful than anything I have known. It is a feeling I would not wish upon even my worst enemy.”
Instantly, the room erupted in excited whispering. Durk expression told Alek that the man knew exactly what Alek was talking about and only a fool would wish that kind of misery upon himself.
Alek decided to spend the rest of the day working from home. Very occasionally, he worked from his home office. The drive was an opportunity to get his head straight. He was finding the days he’d been separated from the lovely hunter wrought with loneliness.
He had quickly realized that never having been in love made such an emotion easy to discount and easy to learn to live without. Having held the beautiful hunter in his arms and kissing her had awakened such a strong longing in him. It was a sweet torment he had never known and he had no defenses against.
Each day, it had been difficult to resist the urge to go to her. He had promised her no contact for at least two full weeks and he worried constantly that she was slowly forgetting the feeling of his touch. He realized it must be difficult for a woman to form a genuine attachment to a vampire.
Whatever small tiny flame he had sparked in her heart was no doubt forgotten when she left his house and began spending time around other more attractive males. He was certain he would pale by comparison to the large, attractive vampire warriors he normally saw her with.
As difficult as it was to endure the urge to go to her during the day, the longing he felt for her at night was what tore a huge hole in his soul. It was during the night that he sometimes grabbed his cell phone and pulled up her number and it took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to push the button and hear her sweet, sleepy voice answer the line. It was at night that he felt bewitched and controlled by her. At night, the dreams came upon him almost every time his head touched the pillow. Strong, erotic dreams filled with having her with him, watching her expression when she played chess with his girls. Seeing the soft, loving expression on her face when he held her and kissed her. Playing over and over in his mind the sound of his name on her lips. Hearing her speak vampier made him so hard for her.
Remembering the way she touched him as he fed from her. How eager she was to feed him all better. The very pleased look on her face each time she pressed him back down on his pillow after feeding.
He remembered how aroused she became during his feedings. He often wondered if it was because of his gentle caress or because of the feeling of having his fangs in her neck. Whatever it was, he could tell she liked feeding him immensely. On several occasions, feeding him had led to high levels of sexual arousal for her. He could sense it and smell her pheromones. Her scent was the most beautiful he had ever encountered.
He had tried everything to drive thoughts of the beautiful hunter from his mind. He had scheduled spa visits every other day, which were nice, but did nothing to alleviate his intense longing. When that didn’t work, he tried masturbation several times a day, then moved on to cool showers. He had even resorted to live feeding with other females but the experience was nothing like being with Dakota.
It left him feeling even more need and desire for her, so he went back to synthetic blood and forced a discipline upon himself the likes of which he had never known. He increased his work, exercise, and swimming. He put a clamp on his heart. He spent endless hours practicing the old fashioned vampire martial arts cottas. He was beginning to lose hope that he could go the last week without speaking to her.
He walked in with his gym bag and found Selene and her little love mate on the sofa playing a video game. He smiled his greeting and went to get sit up in his private study off the great room. He pulled out his laptop and pulled up his 3D imager. He was beginning to look at information generated by his VP on a potential acquisition when Selene slipped into the room. He took a break and sat with her on the sofa on the far side of his study.
She smelled faintly of chlorine, so he asked, “Have you been swimming?”
She pulled up the strap of her swimsuit and replied, “Jared invited me over. Dakota has a large Olympic size pool with a diving board. It was fun. I spoke with her this morning and she asked me to say thank you for putting up the money for the hunt she did on the missing girl.”
Alek smiled at his young daughter. “Of course, I saw the news footage. I guess it turned out to be the stepfather. Jared nailed him a good one from what I saw. I think that young man will be following in his mother’s footsteps.”
Selene looked very proud and responded, “It wouldn’t surprise me. Hunting is in his blood.”
He tilted his head. “I’m beginning to think you two have commitment issues…maybe a little too committed a little too early in life.”
Selene giggled. “Maybe you should sort out your own commitment issues before you worry about mine. Dakota had another message for me to give you. She said to tell you she is sorry about asking for the break…whatever that means. She also said to tell you she would rather have spent yesterday evening with you. Again, I don’t know what that means, either.”
Alek tried to wipe the very pleased look off his face.
Selene quipped giddily, “I have the feeling you know what it means.”
Alek smiled and nodded. “She asked me not to talk to her for a couple of weeks so she could sort out her feelings for me.”
Selene swung her legs capriciously. “Grownups are always so strange. Not talking to someone you love for two whole months is nearly impossible. Even I know that and I’m…well, a kid.”
Alek kissed her on the forehead. “First of all, you are very smart, even if you are young. Second of all, what makes you think we are in love?”
Selene hopped up, headed for the door and replied matter of flatly over her shoulder, “Anyone could tell from watching her with you that she adores you. She was always touching you, babying you, and worrying over you. I have never seen you react to anyone the way you do with her. Jared says he has never known her show affection openly like she does with you. We noticed you two kissing on the beach. You seemed pretty into each other to me. Trust me, she adores you just like the rest of us.”
Alek thought sagely that Dakota’s feelings for him were infinitely different from her feelings for everyone else’s. That much was apparent, even to him. It was so like Selene to not recognize romantic love. She was too young and innocent to know of such things.
Still, he couldn’t believe the message she sent to him about regretting the two month break from seeing each other and that she would have preferred his company to Durk’s last night. He would love to have spent the evening with the beautiful human, cuddling and kissing away all her angst about the hunt.
He smiled to himself because now he could definitely last the rest of the week because he had something he didn’t have before. He had hope.