ALEXANDER

If Alexander had a beating heart, it would have stopped over a dozen times in that single night. Not only had he found three mercenaries dead behind his nightclub, he also discovered that Abigail was most likely kidnapped by the hunters, and he had no idea where she was taken to.

In his rage, he burst into his club and punched a wall. The plaster fragmented under the force he applied to it, making it crumble at his feet. He was careless, allowing her to be captured when he promised he would protect her.

As he was prepared to punch the wall again to relieve some of his pent up frustration, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered it with a bark, “What?”

“It’s Glen,” the incubus said, out of breath. “It’s good to know you’re finally taking my calls.”

It was a good idea to get Tanya to reroute all calls to his new number. “Where are you? Abigail was taken—”

“She’s with me. We escaped. She’s—” Glen groaned in pain. “She needs your blood to heal, Alexander. I’m at a payphone.”

“Glen?” Alexander shouted into the receiver when the line cut off. He nearly threw the device against the floor if it wasn’t for the shred of his remaining self-control. The phone rang a second time, and he was already running out of the club.

“I think we are somewhere in Bray, closer to the mountains. The hunters will be on our trail. I have to keep moving.”

Alexander got in his car and started the engine. “Take care of her, or I will kill you myself.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. I owe her my life. Anyway, I’ll call you back in thirty minutes. If you’re not here by then, I will have to move us elsewhere.”

“I’ll be there,” Alexander snapped.

He must have broken all of the speed limits on the motorway as his car ate the miles. For her to be in need of his blood, she had to be hurt. Every other thought on his mind was plagued by what the hunters could have done to her. They often used torture on his kind to extract information. Since they captured her and Glen without killing them, they could have suffered the same fate as the vampires they caught.

He ground his teeth, causing his jaw to ache. What if she can’t be fixed with my blood alone? Should I turn her? The option was there. But, if it was too late for her, he wouldn’t want to push her into becoming a ghoul like Katharine. He would rather bury her than force her into an eternity of servitude and bitterness.

After twenty minutes, he parked in the small town of Bray, which was south of Dublin. The streets were emptying out as people went home for the night to their loved ones. He searched tirelessly when Glen grabbed him by his shirt’s collar and pulled him into the shadow of a small church.

“She’s inside,” Glen whispered, letting him go. “In the confession box.”

“I will go get her,” Alexander said, starting for the side door.

The incubus grabbed him by the shoulder. “Before you see her, let me explain that it was her idea that I feed on her. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to get out of that place.”

Alexander’s eyes flared with fury. He smashed Glen’s back against the stone wall, digging his fingers into the bastard’s throat. “You fed on her?”

“Yes.” Glen’s sharp claws sank into Alexander’s hand.

He didn’t care for the pain. Instead, he let go of the incubus and fleeted into the church. Seeing that no one was around, he ran to the confession box and opened the creaking wooden door with carved flower patterns on it. Abigail’s head rested against the side of the cubicle. Her hair had gone completely white and her cheeks sank into her face as if she had starved for months.

With great care, he lifted her into his arms, hating the fact that she weighed almost nothing. That damned monster took more than was necessary. Yet, he needed to take care of her first before he killed Glen for doing this to her.

Alexander settled her on the polished hardwood flooring and bit into his wrist. He pressed it to her lips, parting her mouth with his free hand. When she didn’t react, he massaged her throat to push his blood down it. He couldn’t allow her to wither away on his watch.

After a while, she lifted her heavy lids, but her eyes seemed to find it hard to focus on him.

“Hey you,” she whispered in a hoarse voice.

“Abigail, I will rip his head off for doing this to you. I promise.”

She sluggishly moved her head from side to side which he assumed was her disagreement. Once she stopped, she said, “He saved us.”

“But you—”

Glen rushed into the church, clutching his ribs. “We need to leave this place. Now, Alexander!”

He nodded and gathered Abigail into his arms. She snuggled against his chest and buried her face in the crook of his neck. If it wasn’t for her soft breathing brushing his skin, he would be unable to move an inch without checking on her every two seconds. Packaging his bravado back into its box, he guided Glen to his car, and they drove back to the warehouse in Dublin.

ABIGAIL

Abigail woke up with a massive headache. The light in the bedroom she stayed in was too bright, making her squint.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Alexander asked beside her.

She turned her head, seeing him lying next to her for the first time in days. A pleased smile graced her lips. “The light hurts my eyes.”

A second later, he was gone and the room became dark. She heard him circling the bed. A bedside lamp turned on to her left. He sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand into his. “I was worried sick about you. I’ve had Dr Foster take a look at you. He said you will need to eat a lot to gain back what you’ve lost.”

“How much did I lose?” she asked, curiosity prickling her mind.

“However much you’ve weighed before, you now weigh a little under forty-five kilos.”

She let out a hoarse whistle. “Fuck, that’s nearly forty pounds gone in a blink of an eye. If I ever need a crash diet, I’ll know whom to call.”

“It isn’t funny!” he growled. “You could have died.”

“But, I didn’t. I’m still alive and kicking unless…” She felt for her heartbeat in her chest and sighed, relieved to find her vital organ pumping blood through her system. “Phew, I’m not undead.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, you are not. I wouldn’t allow you to become something like that without your express permission.”

“Good, because I don’t plan on becoming a ghoul or a vampire or whatever else there is.” She measured his reaction. However her words had affected him, he wasn’t showing any emotion on his stony face. Does he want to turn me or something?

Alexander leant in, leaving a feather-light kiss on her lips. “Rest now, doctor’s orders.”

“What about Glen?”

“I will thank him on your behalf,” he spat out in distaste.

“Don’t hurt him. He only did what I asked.”

His eyes narrowed. “He should have known better.”

“He tried to talk me out of it. He even wanted to stay behind, so I could get away. I couldn’t leave him. He’s a good guy, and I trust him.”

“You trust him but not me, is that what you are saying?”

A tear escaped her eye.

Alexander wiped it away with his thumb. His harsh features and tone of voice softened. “I am sorry. I am angry with myself for not being there and for being unable to keep you from harm. My mind was elsewhere.”

“I love you,” she said, lifting her head and locking her lips with his.

Alexander froze. She wasn’t sure if he had turned into a statue, and she didn’t care. She continued to brush her lips against his because she had missed him. No matter how good it felt making out with an incubus, Alexander’s embrace and his affection were what she craved deep in her heart.

His hand supported her neck and his other arm wound around her waist as he sat her on his lap and returned her feverish kiss.

Her body hurt all over, and the feel of how bony her hands had become disgusted her. After consuming a lifetime supply of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a truckload of Chinese food, she was certain she would gain her pounds back in no time.

ALEXANDER

Alexander met with Glen two weeks later at the incubus’ hotel room. They decided to move Abigail’s father to a secure private clinic in Wales and as far away from the hands of the local hunters as possible. Since the incident, Alexander wasn’t taking any chances with her safety or her father’s.

“What brings you to my humble abode?” Glen asked, spreading out his arms on the back of his sofa.

Alexander eyed him with suspicion, taking a seat opposite the incubus. This man had reverted back to his normal state. His eyes were no longer the demonic shade of black and his claws were nowhere in sight. “What happened to your face? You looked better with the demonic taint on it.”

Glen laughed, reaching for his steaming cup of coffee on the table as Alexander settled into a seat across from him. “I wasn’t about to keep draining humans of their life force if that’s what you’re asking. After a few days, my body reverted back to normal.”

“Abigail mentioned you had sprouted wings. Is that common for your kind?”

“I would rather you didn’t mention that to anyone.”

Alexander raised a brow. “Why not?”

“Because it is frowned upon in our community, much like descent is looked down on in yours.”

“I see your point.” Alexander crossed his legs and rested his elbow on the armrest. “I want to know why you are interested in the fate.”

Glen took a sip of his drink and set it back on the porcelain platter. “It’s simple. We want to protect Mother.”

“I believe only half of you do,” Alexander corrected him.

“You’re well informed, I’ll give you that. But, if she is Mother of Yakshi, my clan is eager to provide our protection. We cannot allow Yakshi’s followers to take her life.”

Alexander pondered his words. He could no longer dismiss Glen’s honesty that resonated in his words. At the same time, he couldn’t allow the succubi and incubi to get entangled in the vampire politics. “She’s not the Mother you’re seeking.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because the fate that is known to us is the Mother of Arthemis.”

He edged closer in his seat. “Her sister?”

“Yes. So, now you can return to America with the news that the fate you were looking into is the wrong one.”

Glen sighed. “It’s not that simple. Even if I report back saying that the fate in England is Lilia, the Yakshi followers may still attack her. We can—”

“We will protect her,” Alexander countered.

“There can never be enough protection when it comes to beings who can manipulate souls and their vessels, and you know it.”

Alexander rose and offered his hand to Glen. “Let us drop this matter once and for all. The vampires will take care of their own business. The Councils were designed to make the tough decisions and provide protection to those they deem worthy.”

A laugh escaped Glen. He stood as well. Avoiding Alexander’s hand, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his navy chinos. “A day will come when Diya will surface. The one who will find her will be Lilia, if she lives long enough under your so-called Council protection.”

Alexander squared his shoulders. “Are you implying that the Council is incapable of protecting a single woman?”

“I’m saying that if someone truly wishes her gone, they will find a way. And, with the state the new Council in Europe is coping, I fear for the stability of your community in years to come.”

“Take care of your own problems,” Alexander growled.

Glen smirked. “We always do.” He ran his hand through his sandy hair. “I will be leaving at the end of this month for New York. I was hoping I would get to see Abigail one last time.”

“Only if she wishes to see you,” Alexander said, itching to leave the hotel room.

“I’m sure she’d like that. We shared some good moments together in that hunter’s lair.”

Alexander’s eye twitched. Unable to control himself, he pulled Glen in by the material of his white shirt. “I will seek you out and cut your head off myself if you continue to spout nonsense.”

Glen’s laugh surprised him. He peeled Alexander’s hand off and patted him on the shoulder. “I only wanted to make sure that the famous playboy was serious about her. It would be a pity to leave such a beautiful creature like Abigail to someone who doesn’t know how to cherish her.”

“I don’t need someone like you to tell me how to treat a woman.”

“Oh?” Glen studied his nails, and they morphed into claws a second later. With eyes as dark as night, Glen stared at him. “Heed my warning, Alexander. If you hurt her, I will return the favour. After all, Abigail is someone I gave up on only because it was you she chose that night.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ask her, though I doubt she will have the courage to tell you. For now, I must get on with packing.” His claws retracted and the blackness in his eyes dissipated. “Consider my offer about the fate’s protection, and, if you change your mind, you know my number.”