ALEXANDER

Alexander had to get a grip. The feelings he was having for that woman were illogical. He had come to her place to cut all ties and simply parrot a generalised statement of his thanks, yet when he saw her in nothing but shorts and a snug T-shirt, he wanted nothing more than to strip her and have her against the wall in her living room. She was like a drug, addictive and consuming. Her amber eyes kept him trapped in his fantasy long after he left her apartment. He had to stand by his original assessment of her—she couldn’t possibly be human. Perhaps, she was a witch, a siren, or something else entirely. She smelled too good, tasted too good, and felt too good to be true in his arms.

It’s as if she was meant to be there…

He cursed his train of thought as he strolled along the shore. The soft breeze coming from the Irish Sea played with his hair, throwing it about in every direction. He stopped to stare at the black waves beyond. There was no time to play around with every woman who caught his attention. Katharine was back in his life, and he needed to stay true to her. He owed her that much, at least, until she could build a life of her own or find a fitting man to be with her.

Deep down, he knew that he could no longer be with her in an intimate way. The love he felt for her, he had long since locked away in the same grave where she was buried after the Golden Chalice burned to the ground in October of 1776. There was no going back to retrieve it. He had changed, and so had she.

Resuming his stroll, he guided his hands into his pockets. A faint scent of vanilla clung to the material of his shirt. His fingers stroked the buttons Abigail had undone earlier. He didn’t bother doing them up.

Is it too late to return and make use of her bed?

He groaned and looked at the dark sky. That woman was already under his skin. Even Tanya had noticed it. The sooner she took his money and used them for her father’s treatments, the better. He could discard her as a charity case that was after his money and move on.

With his mind made up, he breathed in the fresh air and headed for his car. There were a few hours before the sun rose, and he didn’t want to attract the attention of the hunters by fleeting around the city.

Upon his return, he was accosted by Katharine. Her green eyes flared with fury when they rested on him. “You left me behind!”

“Yes, I apologise. There were matters I needed to take care of,” he replied, too tired to argue.

“You promised you would look after me, not abandon me to sit idly with your childe who cares little for the suffering I had to endure until now.”

He took hold of her hand. It was smoother than marble and just as pale. “I did not wish to bore you with pointless business affairs.”

“You were with a woman, weren’t you?” She moved in until her chest brushed against his. Her hand clutched the front of his shirt, and she lowered her face to take a whiff. “Is that why you’ve avoided my advances?”

Alexander pushed her away enough to retrieve some of his personal space. “I did not sleep with her if that is what you’re busy conjuring in your mind.”

“The fact that you are trying to reassure me of this can mean quite the opposite.”

“Katharine, please…”

“Is this why you brought me here? To be your wallflower while you are busy sleeping around?” she demanded, poking his chest with her index finger. “I should have stayed with Ghoul Master—”

“Don’t say that,” he urged, taking hold of her hand again. “I have no feelings for this woman or any other. I swear.”

She studied his face. “Let me meet with her.”

“No!” The word left his mouth automatically, causing her eyes to grow wary.

“No?”

“I told you what you needed to know,” Alexander stated, growing impatient. “Let this matter go. I am too tired to argue in the entrance of my home.”

“Am I interrupting something?” Tanya asked, peering around the corner.

Alexander thanked the heavens for his daughter and her perfect timing. He edged around Katharine to get closer to his childe. “Any improvement in Andrew’s condition?”

Tanya looped her arm through his and started leading him to the next level of the warehouse. “He’s asleep, sire. I have contacted some mercenaries to take care of Russian Roulette’s security during the day while we stay here. I even heard some interesting news—”

“Alexander!” Katharine called from the bottom of the staircase. “What am I to do while you are, as always, away to take care of your business?”

He stopped on the landing. “Please find a room that is to your liking and make yourself at home. There are some things I must finish tonight. I will do my best to spend more time with you tomorrow.”

“Do you promise?”

He managed a smiled. “Yes, of course.”

Katharine nodded and the anger in her eyes faded. She rubbed her arms as she made her way up the stairs and passed Alexander and Tanya. Afterwards, she started peeking into every room and mumbling things under her breath as she went through them.

Alexander led Tanya to his office. He collapsed in his chair and buried his face in his palms. “I am exhausted.”

“It’s no wonder. You have got an overwhelmingly possessive ghoul stalking your every move,” Tanya replied with a laugh.

“I am pleased my situation amuses you.”

“It doesn’t. Trust me when I say this, it won’t get any better. We have to figure out her feeding schedule and what…parts of the body she likes to eat. I was told that ghouls can be quite difficult to maintain if you’re new to this.”

Alexander never bothered to research much about those creatures. To him, they were the undead servants some vampires liked to keep around—mindless protection from the hunters for his kind during the day. Now, he had come to see them in a different light. Ghouls certainly retained most of their personality after death. They were smart and had strong senses. The only downside was their feeding habits. It would be hard to secure a stable supply of body parts to the warehouse without the hunters taking note.

“Don’t think so hard,” Tanya said, smirking, “or your brain will melt.”

“I believe you are too late with that advice.”

She lowered her voice. “How did it go with Abigail?”

“I told her that I have compensated her and left.”

“Are you serious right now? Because I cannot tell.”

“I am quite serious, yes.”

Her brows shot up in disbelief. “You didn’t bed her?”

It was his turn to raise a brow. “Was that your intention, for me to sleep with her and not return tonight?”

“Well, it would certainly make things more interesting.”

Alexander rested his head against the back of his chair and covered his eyes with his palm. “Go, Tanya. Allow me to have some peace and quiet before I commit the rest of my night to work.”

“I thought you were going to spend your night doing something else,” she joked.

“Tanya!” he growled.

Laughing like a naughty little girl, she waved goodbye and left. Just as she was insinuating, he would rather be doing something else—or someone else—to take the edge off. He took out his bottle of scotch from his desk drawer and sighed when there was a little under half of the golden alcohol left in the decanter. He wouldn’t be able to get drunk with this much.

“A miserable night this is,” he mumbled to himself and took a swig from the bottle’s neck.

Days flew by for Alexander and, before he knew it, Friday arrived. He felt someone’s hand combing through his hair and caught it, forgetting the little sleep he was getting amidst the mess they were in. He raised his head from his office desk to find the culprit.

“Katharine?” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing here?”

She glanced at her hand that he was holding on to. A soft smile upturned her lips. “I have missed you, so I decided to see how you were doing.”

“I am fine. Have you settled in? Is there anything more you need?” He let her go and stood. A sudden desire to put some distance between them was overwhelming, so he moved to stand by the drawn curtains. This wasn’t the first time she had come to see him while he slept. He had no will to tell her to stop doing it, which he knew was the root of the problem he was served with.

The intensity she studied him with could have melted a man. Katharine was anything but stupid. She must have sensed his need for space since she didn’t move from her spot, only turned around to face him. “Your friend, Andrew, is trying to get out of bed. I thought you would want to know.”

A pang of guilt stung Alexander’s chest. “I am sorry, Katharine. It has been a long week.”

“I know. Although it may not work the same way on your end, as your creation, I can feel your emotions and distress. You do not want me here, do you?”

“That’s not the case!”

She lifted her defiant chin. “Not the case? After your return from some woman’s house, you’ve avoided me. Has she managed to claim your heart?”

“No.”

“You are eager to lie to me or, perhaps, you are lying to yourself. But know this, Alexander. I will not let her have you. I have waited too long to be by your side.”

The growing fury reflected in her eyes worried him. “Don’t go after her, Katharine.”

“Is that your order as my master?”

Her unwavering gaze made him nervous. Am I willing to destroy her trust because of some mortal woman? He ground his teeth together and finally replied, “No. It is a request.”

“Since it is a request, I do not have to abide by it.” She turned on her heel, heading for the door, when he caught her wrist.

“You are forbidden from harming her, Katharine.” In that second, he felt it, his power over his ghoul was weak but present. He used his energy to coil it around her and solidify his order. “Is that understood?”

She glowered at him. “Yes.”

Alexander released her as the door to his office opened.

Tanya burst in with a massive grin on her face which was immediately wiped away when she took in the situation. Her attention darted between the two of them. “Am I interrupting again?”

“Not at all.” Alexander returned to sitting behind his desk. As he did so, Katharine left the office faster than he could blink. It wasn’t surprising that she did not want to be around him when he had just ruined what he was trying to build with her—a friendship of some kind.

Tanya closed the door. A brilliant smile was back in place as she tossed the newspaper on his desk. “I didn’t know you’ve become a charitable man, sire.”

“A what?” Perplexed, he lifted the paper, not seeing why she was so ludicrously happy. His eyes scanned the headlines until he came upon the one that made rocks form in his stomach. ‘Alexander Grekov donates €300,000 to charities across Dublin.’ He cursed and met his childe’s mirthful gaze. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I did no such thing,” he snapped, throwing the newspaper across the room. “If this is fraud, find out who did it!”

Tanya snorted, making him glare her way.

“Is there something funny about this?”

“I checked. It’s not fraud. The only sum you’ve transferred recently that fit the bill was to that redheaded reporter.”

Abigail. Alexander’s hands balled at his sides, and he checked the time on his watch. “I am going to speak with her.”

His childe appeared by his side, grasping his shoulders. “Try not to hurt her.”

“I’ve never harmed a woman in my life, Tanya. You should know that.”

“Are we taking into the account those poor souls whose hearts you’ve broken, too?”

He shook off her hold on him and grabbed his suit jacket. “Track her phone. Find out where she is and call me immediately when you do.”

“Alexander, are you sure about this? You’ll be invading her privacy.”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t already done so,” he retorted.

“I may have, but I can’t let you get hurt any more than you are already hurting.”

He shrugged on his jacket and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I am perfectly fine.”

“So said the suicidal man before jumping!” she shouted after him when he marched out of his office.