ALEXANDER

A week had gone by since he had caught sight of Abigail, and Alexander was beginning to miss her spark. She was like a fox cub, cunning and cute at the same time. Tonight, even her charming personality could not bring him out of his misery and heartache. Standing here, in front of the three most important people in his life, under the judgemental light of a crescent moon, Alexander knelt on the soft grass. Three marble graves stared back at him—his mother’s, father’s, and Katharine’s.

Every year, he came to Russia to visit his dead family. It was a sentiment not many of his kind understood. His best friend, Lucious, not once spared a loving word about his parents. He kept those memories buried deep within his heart, and even Alexander could not pry it open after a hundred years of friendship.

He placed a single white rose on each grave, voicing a soft apology in Russian as he did so. When his fingers brushed his mother’s name, a tear escaped him. He quickly wiped it away.

Would she be proud of the man I’ve become? His mother was an honest, loving kind. She never once pushed him to do something that he did not want. Would she question my current lifestyle?

He let no one near his heart. Not after he failed Katharine all those centuries ago. If only he had abandoned his revenge before it had consumed him, perhaps her life would not need to be forfeited.

“Are you ready to head to St. Petersburg?” Maxim asked in Russian, joining Alexander at the graves.

Alexander glanced at his sire. In the dark, Maxim Grekov seemed like an obelisk. He was tall, powerful, eternal. Without this man, he would have died a long time ago. He would never have had the chance to be a part of this new family or sire Tanya. That decision he never regretted, not when she had become his pillar of support with her no-nonsense attitude towards business and life. He wished she would meet a man suitable for her, but, to his dismay, such a gentleman had not come knocking on the doors of his club.

“I’ve already finished here,” Alexander said, rising to his full height.

Max planted his hand on Alexander’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You come here to honour your family every year. It is commendable.”

“Some see it as a weakness or foolish sentimentality.”

His sire chuckled. “Not everyone grows as attached to mortals as you do.”

A scowl crept onto Alexander’s face. “What do you mean?”

“You have been like this since the very beginning, son. It is part of the reason why I chose you.” Max started to walk downhill.

Not wanting to miss his explanation, Alexander hurried after him.

“With your mother, your lover, and your first servant, you lavished your affection on them without restraint. If I am not mistaken, you are still sending a stipend to Lev’s descendants since his passing.”

“He was a good man. He never broke my trust and never asked me questions I did not wish to answer,” Alexander replied, tucking his hands into his coat’s pockets.

“But, something has changed, hasn’t it?”

They came to a stop in front of Max’s silver Mercedes.

“What do you mean?” Alexander inquired.

“I guess you have not yet noticed it. That is fine. I am certain you will understand my words in due time. Now, let us leave. I believe Ewa is eager to see you again.”

“What about Matvey? Is he still taking care of your holdings in Moscow?” Alexander circled the car to get to the passenger’s side.

In the moonlight, Max’s sandy hair appeared grey. His green eyes twinkled with adoration for his eldest childe. “He chose to become a hound and presently is visiting Vladivostok. There were disturbing reports of increased hunter activity in that area, much like in Europe right now.”

Alexander cringed at the mention of the hunters. After what they did to Lucious and Helena, he couldn’t stand the thought of being near one of them. He would rather tear their throats out before they could speak a word. “How aware are you of the situation in Europe?”

They climbed into the car, and Max started the engine, allowing the vehicle to expel a satisfied purr.

“There is a Royal on the Council. I heard rumours that Kallias decided to take matters into his own hands and lead the new Council members himself.” Max faced Alexander. “Or are my sources incorrect?”

“You aren’t wrong. Lucious took the seat only last month.”

Max nodded. “I heard to claim a seat, he killed his sire. A tragic way to—”

“That’s not what happened!” Alexander snapped and immediately retracted his anger. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”

Max’s chuckle filled the car’s interior as they drove into the night. “I guess some news got mixed up. Not surprising. It is an abnormal occurrence for such a young vampire to take a seat. But, nevertheless, it is a pity the previous Council perished. I was quite fond of Eliza and her inner strength.”

“I’m sure many would disagree,” Alexander commented, remembering his encounters with her. The first time they met, she scared him to near-second-death with her terrifying indifference and schemes. Every time thereafter, her cruelty seemed to grow.

What does Max see in someone like that?

“No. She was a good woman. She had all of Europe’s vampires dancing under the same banner for over a thousand years. Youth such as you would not understand how much strength one needs to gain the respect of others. She chose fear as her tool over kindness. Too many would try to undermine her rule otherwise.”

“Does this mean Lucious could be in danger?”

Max gave him a half-smile. “With a Royal on the Council, no one would dare to oppose them, at least, not openly.”

Alexander let silence envelop them. He relaxed into his seat and pulled out his phone to check his e-mails. He had another business deal to attend to in St. Petersburg in two days before returning to Dublin. His thoughts took a full U-turn, bringing him back to Abigail. As much as he liked teasing her with the name ‘Abby’, he could see that she would pick his eyes out the next time the word left his lips. He would only use it if he wanted to drive her away in the future. Yet, the thought of being rid of her didn’t make him happy. After their night together, he couldn’t sleep with anyone else. He tried. He took to bed four of the sexiest models he knew only they didn’t make him as excited as Abigail did. Because of his lack of interest, he dumped a large sum of money into their accounts and asked them to leave.

His behaviour now didn’t matter. Abigail was particular about their intervention in bed being a one-time only occurrence. He wasn’t a man to fall into desperation. His pride wouldn’t permit him to beg a woman for another night between the sheets.

I could always seduce her…

Close to sunrise, they arrived at their destination. Unlike the European Council’s office building disguise, the Russian Council did not seem to worry about the hunters as much. They flaunted their power and reach by staying in the Winter Palace which was built in the early 18th century and was reconstructed and expanded several times thereafter. The Dutch style pastel-green, white, and gold exterior seemed too standoffish for Alexander’s taste, but he wasn’t going to complain about his sire’s present residence which was lit like a firework in the middle of the city.

As they headed closer to the entrance, Alexander recalled news of a hunter attack in the mid-nineteenth century. They tried to burn the palace down with every vampire in it, destroying almost the entire interior. Because of the Council’s connections to the monarchy, King Nicholas ordered the reconstruction of the palace and its captivating contents hidden behind these strong walls.

He followed closely behind his sire who led the way through a maze of spacious corridors, rooms, and extravagant marble staircases with red carpets spanning their length like giant tongues. Gold decorated every wall. It was shaped into pillars, chandeliers, paintings’ frames, and made him wonder how many unnecessary furnishings did one’s abode need.

Next to him, Maxim let out a low chuckle. “I know you do not come here often but please stop glaring at the décor. It may disintegrate from your stare.”

“I wasn’t, sire.”

“Is the interior the reason why you have not come to serve me as a hound to this day?”

Alexander halted, forcing Max to turn on his heel and face his childe. “I don’t believe I am suited for working as a Council’s servant. Business ventures require much less exercise.”

Max assessed him with a long, penetrating stare. His green eyes were a lot brighter in the light bouncing off the gold columns of the hall they stood in. “I would never force you to do anything against your wishes, son. Your happiness is what’s important to me. But, as you may have guessed, I do get lonely. It is tiring to deal with the Council’s matters on a daily basis without seeing my children. I am beyond thankful your visit coincided with Ewa’s. Too bad Jana cancelled her trip at the last moment.”

“Why is that?”

His sire shrugged one shoulder. “It is not my business to ask. Come, Ewa is just through here.” With that, Max strode to the other end of the extravagant room and opened a set of ornate white doors.

They found themselves in a large sitting room which was isolated from the usual tours the building staff provided to human tourists, earning the Council and the royal family some pocket change. Alexander didn’t get a chance to take in the painted ceilings or the royal crests on the lacquered parquet because he collided with a squealing woman.

Ewa landed kisses all over his face. By the time he realised what was happening, she was locked in a lengthy kiss on the lips with him.

With a smile, Alexander returned her eagerness, grasping her waist and bending her back to deepen the kiss.

Laughter from their sire broke their greeting, and Ewa separated from him with a light giggle.

“Oh, it has been too long, Alexander,” she said, placing her hand on her chest. Her tight, low-cut peplum top hugged her slim waist and emphasised her hips. Even her black pencil skirt helped show off her beautiful figure. “Did you miss me? I have not visited you since…”

“Since the New Year’s party in 1964, I believe,” he replied.

“Yes. My many suitors kept me busy. I even heard of your adventures in bed in my circles. The girls told me your techniques have improved,” she ran her finger down his chest, “and I would love to see how much.”

Max cleared his throat. “Ewa, you’ve not seen your blood-brother in half a century and all you think about is bedding him.”

She pouted at their sire. “It is how I make friends or rekindle old sparks.”

“Thank heavens you cannot catch any disease, my childe,” Max commented, “or I fear the world would perish from another plague.”

Ewa scowled at them and folded her arms under her generous chest. “I enjoy sex. Every civilization to date has focused on it one way or another. So, there’s nothing’s wrong with that.”

“Nothing at all,” Alexander agreed.

“You two truly made me question my desire to marry a single woman…” Max mumbled.

Alexander’s ears perked up at the sentiment. “Who is she? Is she human?”

Max grinned. His happiness highlighted the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and mouth. “She is blood witch, or used to be.”

Ewa gasped. Her hand covered her lips. “Max, are you certain she hasn’t used her magic on you? Blood witches are bitches, pardon my French.”

“She’s right,” Alexander added. “Can you be certain she hasn’t used a spell or a potion to get your affection?”

Waving for them to take a seat on the royal blue loveseat, Max said, “Her name is Alissa Bonnet. I had a few witches take a look at me, and every one of them said that I am not under any magic, blood or otherwise. I will introduce you to her shortly, but first, let us have something to drink.” He clapped his hands and someone entered through the side door into the room.

Alexander’s mouth unhinged further with every click of the woman’s heels. Her long mahogany hair cascaded to her waist, just as he had remembered. A slim-fitting green suit highlighted her gem-like eyes that still sparkled like jewels in candlelight.

A single word managed to escape his suddenly dry throat. “Katharine…”