ALEXANDER

Abigail had fallen asleep again while holding on to him. He uncurled from her loose embrace and studied the outlines of her face. With a gentle touch, he stroked her strong jawline and pointed, defiant chin. His thumb traced her lower lip, and, unable to help himself, he lowered his mouth onto hers.

She had become the constant he did not know he desired. In truth, he feared the consequences of falling for a mortal. If he turned her, she would become bound to his word. Although, he would never be inclined to command her, it was best to not possess the option. She deserved a chance to decide for herself whether she wanted to become a vampire.

He started sliding off the bed when she sat up and stretched.

“Are you feeling better?” She covered her mouth to keep the yawn in.

Alexander gave a slow nod of his head. He had to get a move on. Katharine’s remains needed to be buried, and Andrew had to be brought to a hospital.

Her stomach growled, making him glance in her direction.

Abigail’s hands covered her tummy. “Sorry, I’ve not eaten yet.”

“It is my fault. Because of my problems, I have forgotten about your needs.”

She crawled to the edge of the bed and hugged him. “It’s normal to be upset after—” Her lips pressed together, and she chose her next words with care. “After someone important to you passes away.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Katharine did not pass away, Abigail. I killed her with my own hands.” Unable to keep the hurt from seeping into his words, he decided to create some distance between them. He could no longer allow her to see his vulnerable side. Until now, no one had even glimpsed the corner of his heart, not to mention seen him cry.

Standing, he shoved his hands into his pockets and faced away. “I will find something for you to eat.”

“Wait!” She almost fell over trying to grab on to his shirt’s sleeve.

He caught her before she met the floor and lifted her back up onto the mattress. “You shouldn’t rush. You could have hurt yourself.”

“You’re an idiot!” she snapped, swatting at his shoulder. “You’re the one in pain. Stop acting like an epitome of masculinity all of the time.”

“I believe I have allowed my feelings to slip a little too much today.” He let go of her. “I am not used to others spectating when I am at my lowest.”

“I won’t tell anyone. Your membership to the Manly Men Club won’t be revoked.”

A hearty laugh escaped him. “You are a strange woman.”

“Trust me, people have said worse about me.” Her feet found the ground, and she rose to her full height. Her fingers entwined with his before she pulled him towards the door. “If you don’t live here, I guess the housekeeper won’t keep any food around. Let’s go out to get some dinner.”

“Katharine must be attended to first,” he said, taking his hand back.

She stopped in the doorway. “You’re right. I’m avoiding going back there. I didn’t think my Monday morning would start off with someone dying.”

“It is not uncommon for others to die in the world I live in. You may want to reconsider staying by my side. No good ever comes to those who remain around me for long.”

“What about Tanya?” She quirked a brow. “I’m sure she’s perfectly fine where she is.”

“Because of me, she is unable to find a suitable man to date. I can see her loneliness even when all she does is hide it behind her humour and smart remarks. After Lucious chose Helena over her, Tanya became more withdrawn from the dating scene. I feel that it is constantly weighing on her mind.”

Abigail rested her hands on his shoulders. She stood on her tiptoes and landed a kiss on his lips. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re sexy when you worry about others?”

Stunned, he was unable to manage a response. Most women he had slept with were more interested in the number of zeroes in his bank account rather than getting to know him on an emotional level.

“Don’t look so surprised,” she added with a wink. “I like bad boys who are secretly nice.”

Alexander chuckled. “I do not believe I am either of those things, especially secretly nice.”

“Well, you’re definitely not openly nice. When we first met, you handcuffed me to a chair.”

He smirked at the memory. “Yes. I must apologise for that.”

“No need.” She waved for him to follow with a smile on her face. “Now let’s get something to eat. I’m going to pass out if I don’t fill my stomach with something.”

ABIGAIL

Abigail munched her Chinese order and waited for Alexander to return from wherever he had disappeared off to with that woman’s corpse. As she stabbed her chicken ball with a fork and dipped it in sweet and sour sauce, she wondered if something was wrong with her. She had witnessed Alexander taking two lives so far. Anyone in her shoes would be running for the nearest bus station or calling the gards. But, each time he committed a murder, he was protecting her. That definitely ruled him out as a psychopath who wanted to kill others for pleasure. And, the way he broke down after Katharine’s death just pulled at her heartstrings.

She pushed her food aside on the kitchen island and took a sip of water from her glass. Katharine must have been someone important for him to react in such a way to her passing. When he killed that guy in the alley, which she guessed wasn’t his first rodeo, he didn’t even flinch.

Burying her hands in her hair, she rested her forehead against the cool marble surface of the kitchen island. What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? Her gut told her to get away from this mess before it spilt into her life, but her heart yearned to be close to Alexander. Plus, she was certain it had already started affecting her lifestyle. She was missing jury duty because she was hiding from crazy people who were more than happy to shoot others in the street.

Her phone vibrated, and she picked it up. “Yes?”

“Abigail, I need to talk to you,” Glen said, sounding serious.

“What about?”

“I stopped an attack at the hospital, your father is unharmed, but I believe it would be a good idea to move him before more hunters decide to visit him.”

The blood in her veins turned ice cold at the thought of her father getting hurt. She burst out of her seat and sped to the front door. I could take Alexander’s car to the hospital and… Her feet rooted on the spot. “Why were you at the hospital?”

“Because I thought this could happen. Alexander is a good man, but he got too emotional. You must have affected him in more ways than one for him to lose his level-headedness and the ability to think of all the possible outcomes.”

“I don’t—”

“Come to the hospital,” he interjected. “I’ll wait with your father here. He seems like a nice man.”

Her hands started to shake. “You will keep him safe until I get there?”

“I am a man of my word.”

“Okay, I’ll come as soon as I can.” She ended the call and ran outside. Cold rain beat against her face and soaked her clothes as she made her way to Alexander’s car. She checked the handle—it was locked. Grumbling under her breath, she stole a peek over her shoulder at the house. Did he leave the keys behind? Last night, she could have sworn he left them in the car.

She retreated back to the house and called his number. When he didn’t pick up, she dialled him again, mumbling prayers for him to take her call. The call went to voicemail every time, and her decision was made for her. She couldn’t lose another minute by staying here. Her father needed her, and she had to get him to a safe place.

Searching the foyer, she found his keys in a small basket on a table. She took them. He wouldn’t mind me taking his car for a spin…

ALEXANDER

Alexander dragged his leaden feet into the villa. His clothes were drenched in the rain and his shoes were coated with dirt. The downpour started halfway through the grave-digging process, but he could not stop. He had to give Katharine a proper burial for her spirit to rest, which was why he picked a spot by a small stream on his property line. When they were young, she often enjoyed playing by the lake. Yosef, her father, was very much against her raising her skirts above her ankles. Her liveliness and desire to seek out adventure was what drew him to her initially. Yet, much more than that, she was the only person—besides his parents—who had shown him kindness and love. Even when he was nothing more than her household’s servant, she played games with him when they were children and read books to him in secret. Those fond memories would never leave his heart.

He scanned the kitchen where he had left Abigail. She was nowhere to be found. Frowning, he closed his eyes, listening out for a heartbeat. He found none in the house. Has she left to go somewhere?

Alexander reached into his pockets, noting that his phone had died because of the water. Tossing the useless device on the counter, he sauntered to the house phone and dialled Tanya’s number.

“Who is this?”

“It’s me,” he grumbled. “I’m calling from the landline because my phone died. Did Abigail contact you?”

“No, why?”

A bad feeling brewed in the pit of his stomach. “No reason. Could you track her phone’s location for me?”

“Are you ever going to stop stalking the poor woman? What happened to the days when privacy was a thing?”

“Tanya, please do this for me.”

She sighed. “Alright. I will text you the address when I find out where she is. Right now, I’m a bit tied up. We’re at the hospital and the doc is going to go through with the procedure.”

Alexander rubbed the back of his neck. He should have been more thoughtful when it came to Andrew. Since Katharine’s death, his brain wasn’t able to catch up. “I should be there with him.”

“Are you sure? I thought you wanted to track down Abigail.”

“You and Andrew are the closest thing I have to family. I should not trade my curiosity for duty.”

Tanya’s voice softened. “It would be great to have you here, sire. I am worried. He won’t admit the pain he’s undergoing, but I can see him looking worse.” She lowered her voice. “There are dark veins spreading throughout his body.”

Alexander cursed in Russian. “I did not know he was in such a state. I will be right there.”

He hurried outside but found that his car was missing. His teeth ground against one another as he stormed back into his home and called for a taxi. He would deal with Abigail’s theft of his car on a different occasion. Tonight, he had to be there for his family.

Alexander arrived at the hospital an hour later. He fleeted to the third floor, seeking his childe and Andrew out in Radiology. When he arrived, he got pulled into the examination room by Tanya.

She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder at Dr Foster, saying, “The doctor is here.”

Alexander nodded. He moved her aside to stand next to the old gentleman who had been receiving funding from Alexander’s company for acquisition of blood from the blood banks. Dr Foster had been a surgeon for over twenty years before he was offered a position of chairman at Alexander’s hospital. Their working relationship had been beneficial to both of them.

“Damien, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Alexander said, shaking his wrinkled hand.

“Yes, it’s a pity that the hospital’s MRI machine may be damaged because of this procedure,” Damien replied in a low drone. “Are you willing to cover the damages, Alexander? Otherwise, I don’t know how I will explain a million dollar machine dying to the board.”

“I will pay for everything. Money is not the issue.”

Tanya joined them. “What will happen to Andrew?”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Well, once he enters the room, he will most likely already feel the magnet working as it is never truly turned off. I believe the shrapnel will be ripped out of his body. If I didn’t know what you were, I would say this is suicide.”

“He will recover.” Alexander made his way to the bed where Andrew lay. He seemed to be asleep which was strange since the kid was usually the one to stay up the longest. Grabbing his shoulder, Alexander shook him. “Andrew? Can you hear me?”

Andrew scrunched his brows and peeled open his eyelids. His eyes focused on Alexander’s face. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I didn’t think I’d ever get this tired. I feel like shit.”

“We will fix you up in no time,” Alexander assured him, lifting him into a standing position by draping the boy’s arm over his shoulders. His gaze found Damien, and he said, “Lead the way.”

The doctor guided them out of the examination room and into a room that looked like a TV show set with a sectioned off area full of computers and screens. He motioned for Alexander to go through the other door that led to the machine that looked like an oversized white doughnut with a bed.

Andrew groaned the second they entered the room. He clutched his chest, and his legs gave way.

The doctor spoke through the speaker. “Try to keep him standing straight. It will reduce the damage.”

Alexander moved to stand behind Andrew. He curled his arms under his friend’s, knotting his fingers behind Andrew’s neck.

Andrew cried out in pain when they stood a foot away from the magnet. Blood splattered the circular opening and tiny metal pieces sliced through him before they stuck to the sides of the machine, some of which created tiny holes in the plastic coating.

A minute later, Andrew’s legs gave way, and Alexander lifted him onto the bed. “Tanya, bring me some blood bags!”

She fleeted into the room, holding two bags at the ready. “Yes, sire.”

“Feed them to him while I take a look at his wounds.”

Alexander moved aside, searching for something he could use to stop the bleeding. He rushed out of the room and, in one of the cupboards, found some bandages and gauze. Taking them with him, he returned to the room. Once he put the items on the bed, he tore open Andrew’s T-shirt. His face contorted with pain. Tanya was not exaggerating when she said he was in a bad shape. The dark veins had spread to the boy’s neck, consuming his entire torso.

“Alexander, if I give him any more blood, he may go into a descent,” Tanya said, eyeing her sire in panic.

As Alexander covered Andrew’s wounds with gauze, taping it to his body, he ordered, “Do it Tanya. He is strong-willed. He will overcome it.”

“What if he doesn’t? It could drive him insane!”

Alexander’s hands stopped moving. He closed his eyes, praying that God was on their side tonight. “Do it. He needs to heal and, without blood, he will perish from the poison.”

“I understand…” Tanya didn’t wait. She lifted Andrew’s head and allowed him to drink the remaining contents of the second bag.

After a few minutes, Alexander’s breath caught in his throat. Andrew’s eyes started turning crimson just as Lucious’ had done in the past when he was reaching the state of madness. They could no longer keep him in the presence of humans. He would seek them out and drain them in the savage thirst without realising what he was doing.

“We need to get him back to the warehouse, Tanya. Until he recovers, we have no choice but to keep him underground.”

Her blue eyes watered. “I will get the car ready.” With that, she was gone out of the room, stirring the air as she did so.

Alexander held Andrew down with both hands gripping the boy’s shoulders. Snarls came from Andrew, and he glared at Alexander with those alien, red irises. If he was anything like his sire, Andrew would pull through. After all, they both were stubborn enough to survive the Demon Realm.

Tanya returned with steel chains. They used them to bind Andrew’s body until he was unable to move. Damien handed them a few blankets, so they could wrap him up and escape unnoticed down the fire escape.

Once they put Andrew in the backseat of Tanya’s car, Alexander let her drive while he held on to the struggling and growling vampire.

“You will be well in time, Andrew. I promise,” Alexander whispered, but even to him his words were nothing more than another prayer.