The Alpha's Desire 3 (8 page)

“No worries,” she stated with a kind smile and an even softer voice in response to either my words or the new flush to my pale face. “You did not insult me. I have a TV. So I’m more than aware of what it shows our kind to be like. And yes, you are correct, I am a vampire. So, while you are right, please let me dispel a few myths for you too. Only a few drops of blood are required to heal you. A mere prick of my finger suffices, rather than ripping open a vein on my wrist. The rest of the potion comes from a spell we were taught, and an ancient mixture of fifteen different herbs that we cure in honey and wine. Plus…”

“Well, yum then,” I joked, not meaning to interrupt her, but that filter thing seemed to still be broken. I hoped my own uneasy smile conveyed that fact after the words came out of my mouth. “Please forgive me. I think I’m still a tad delirious. I hope that won’t stop you from telling me what else TV has gotten wrong?  But first, do you know anything about the people I was with? How they are? Where they are?”

“Oh, sure. Lex and Vivian and Riker all survived the attack,” she got out before I gave a huge sigh of relief, the air literally pouring from my lungs, almost deflating me as I curled over my tight stomach.

“You know them?” I asked. She’d gotten the names out awfully quick and easy, with a familiarity not gained from merely having been given them.

“Yes, I do. Werewolves and sorcerers and vampires, all of us otherworldly types, we stick together... well, mostly, in the real world. There are a few factions, like the group of werewolves that attacked you, but mostly, we work together. I know the Royals, and the talk lately has been all about the woman who has fallen in love with her protector, and thus somehow tapped into her magic in a very powerful way. I was happy to save you, as it meant gaining the privilege of meeting you, too.”

I sat there a minute, absorbing all she’d said, merging my fictional world, to some degree, as much of the lore apparently was wrong. All that really mattered, though, was that she’d said my Lex was alive, along with Vivian and Riker, too.

“So, you don’t seem shocked that I only mentioned the three of them you were with. So either you were not aware four other Royal werewolves were following you, or more likely, you saw a lot before I got to you.”

“Unfortunately, I saw much more than I would have liked,” I admitted.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

I only nodded before continuing, my mind already moving on to other things at warp speed.  

“I had a dream, well, a few nightmares, maybe a connection if that is possible, with Lex as I healed. In the last one I remember, he was so hurt, dying is more like it, I believed. He looked so badly beaten, last I saw him in reality. Do you know where he is now? I can’t imagine he’s not healed already and looking for me. I mean, in my experiences, the few I’ve had. that is, he just heals, literally from death’s door. But, he shouldn’t have to look for me; he should just find me through our connection. I don’t understand,” I said, letting my confused thoughts ramble out from my mouth. “I really thought that when I woke up, that he would just be here, like he always has been when I’ve needed him, even when I thought he was only a comforting image of my dreams.”

“I understand you have a lot of questions. Really, I do. It is more than understandable after all you have been through, not just these past days, but past weeks. So, let me try to explain what I can. First, LE. The werewolf group that attacked you, they have him. They will keep him, and hopefully Vivian and Riker, too, alive, to use as bait to get to you. They understand the connection you two have. But, also, they are, I’m sure, using magic, as they have captured and corrupted a sorcerer, probably against his will. They are preventing Lex and the other two from healing, blocking their bodies’ natural abilities to do so, from what the Royals have gathered during the intermittent periods when they could connect with Vivian. I would venture a guess that the true werewolves and their corrupt sorcerer have allowed his connection to you, the dreams as you call them, to show you his true state. It’s bait. They want you, along with other Royals, to come running to save them.”

“I have to. I have to save him. It makes me physically ill to think of him suffering because of me. Is there a plan to get them back? I mean there has to be, but do you know what it is?”

“I know the Royals are working on one. We, as a group, us vampires, I mean, have voted to take you to the Royals, as they requested, as was your original destination anyway. This town, this world for that matter, needs no more unexplainable bloodshed. It is a Royal matter. We were more than happy to do our part to help, to save you and keep you safe.”

“I appreciate that, but I have to get to Lex,” I cried, letting my imagination go to the worst, knowing now that the worst was indeed true. Well, not the worst, as he wasn’t dead, but still close, as he suffered because of me.

I gripped my stomach, the hard ball there now pushing bile up my throat, though I really had nothing but juice apparently to get sick on. The urge to get to Lex, to be with him: it rendered my ability to breathe almost useless, made my breaths hard and short, painful and dizzying. I tried to rein in my mind, though, as it took a flight toward the insanity of needing something so badly you can’t think straight. It would do me no good to lose it here.

“The Royals will get Lex,” she tried to sooth me, her hand patting my leg which remained under the covers.

“No!” I screamed, my voice so high I hurt my own ears. “I have to get to him now, with or without you!”

Fighting the covers, I sprung stupidly from the bed with no destination in mind, as I knew not where they kept him, but I’d had to move. I couldn’t lay there a second longer while he suffered out there.

“Take me to him. Now!” I demanded as I ungracefully held onto the railing and stumbled down the stairs just as fast as moving and keeping an upright position would allow.

Chapter Nine

My vision grew hazy in accordance with my rage. By the time I reached what I guessed was a great room, or the main part of the loft at least, my entire body shook. My head scanned for a door as my brain finally caught up with the fact that I didn’t know where I was, and I had no idea where they’d taken Lex either. Lost and having no direction to go didn’t help my unstable metal state, let alone my overreacting body.

With wide eyes, I stood like a caged animal, my legs out, shoulder width apart, as were my arms, poised in a fighting stance, though I had no one to attack. I kept looking all around me, like a lunatic, thinking, or more likely hoping against all odds, that a passageway to Lex would suddenly appear. I wanted a portal that would just sweep me to wherever he was, away from wherever I was. This time, I did wipe away the cool sweat still beading on my neck as a chill snaked down my spine.

Leaving my hand at my neck, I grabbed at the tight muscles and then rubbed the tension building there, which threatened to create a full-blown headache. With werewolves and vampires and magic my new norm, how far off could a portal be? I grew angry in the desperation which mounted within me, tensing my jaw as I gritted my teeth. A sigh came out like a hiss, startling even me.

Turning to find Nira behind me, I pleaded, “Please, tell me where Lex is. Tell me how to get to him. I have to get to him. Please understand. I’m not ungrateful or insane, just a woman in love, desperate to get to the man who has for all my life saved me. And now, he needs me to save him. I have to. Please, please help me. I’m begging you.”

I crumbed to the floor then, my head having grown light, my thoughts fuzzy. Hot tears burned my eyes before spilling over onto my cheeks. I’d never felt so useless, so inept. I actually lifted my hands, studied them as they trembled, feeling like they were tied, though obviously they weren’t. Nira came to me then, gently grabbing me, around my back, under my arms, and guiding me back to my feet. I wanted to slump against her strength, to rest my head on her shoulder, but it wasn’t an option, and I’d imposed on her enough. Guilt washed over me for my foolish display.

“I’m so sorry. For all of your kindness and hospitality, this is how I repay you, with an outburst and demands. I’m irrational and heartbroken. Scared. Please forgive me. And pardon my asking, but is there anything I can do to help Lex? I need to get to him more than I can possibly explain.”

“I do understand. I get that strength of love. I do. There is nothing to forgive, not for an outburst of passion. We all have them, human or once human. But, that is why you have to trust those in a better position to think things out rationally, without fear and love clouding their vision, their motives. You can’t play into their twisted plans. Giving yourself up to those wolves will not help Lex at all. Once they get you, he will be dispensable, and you will be responsible for his death. You need to let the Royals get him. We need to get you to the Royals. The best you can do for Lex is to trust us and follow the plan. In the meantime, heal, get back your strength, so when they do get him, you can be whole for him.” She’d offered each word as she’d held me up, rubbing a hand in circles on my back.

As she’d pleaded with me, the loft began to fill with other vampires. There would be a blur, as if a ghost, or the flash of a shadow, and then a human body would appear. Still trembling, this didn’t help, to be startled repeatedly. To add to it all, they each started talking at once, introducing themselves to me as if I were someone famous. Each of them were just like Nira, not in appearance, but as in that their hands were slightly cool. So, I figured this was a vampire thing rather than her just being cold at that moment. Plus, each wore her same skin tone, a pale that had become popular among the goth type or health crowds these days, so no one would notice, or think it out of the ordinary.

Overwhelmed by the sudden crowd, oddly, my breathing seemed to calm. My thoughts regulated, as did my heartbeat. Maybe it was the blessing of distraction, but it seemed something more. They had a way about them, friendly, genuine, not at all scary or intimidating, just real people, and quite a diverse crowd, at that. They appeared to come from all walks of life, various incomes and jobs, maybe. A few I’d have called teachers or maybe librarians, having that casually dressed, smart look about them, along with that look in their eyes that said they wanted to help.

Others had more of a business attire, from suits and dresses, screaming that they had money and resources, but none felt unapproachable or conceited and standoffish. Beyond that, there were those in workout attire or jeans and t-shirts. There was even a woman in front of me that looked rather hippie, in vintage clothing, a warm smile on her face that lit up her eyes. I couldn’t have felt out of place, over or under dressed, no matter what they’d put me in.

Not catching a single name in this state, I shook hands and mumbled greetings until they fell silent. I got continual glances, though no one stared. Still, I got the impression they had something to say to me, or that they waited for me to say something. I attempted to move my lips a few times, but nothing came out. Instead, a buzzing sound grew in my ears, formed cotton in my head instead of thoughts. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it all stopped. In that silence, information came to me. Thoughts, one by one, burst into my brain, ancient truths about the people surrounding me. I would swear that proximity alone had unlocked information stored in my brain that I hadn’t realized was there.

I didn’t think that they were giving it to me, but they appeared to sense that I needed time to process. No one spoke. No one touched me. They just let me be with wayward smiles, occasional glances, giving me time to think. It was odd, as in that tingling you get in the back of your neck, telling you something is off, to stand there, to have people in this day and age stop, give someone time to think without prying or walking away. So, I let each thought grow, emerge into my consciousness, catching and returning looks as they came my way in the meantime.

They did not burn in sun as lore would have one believe, or even TV which had them sometimes smoldering from sunlight through a window, and other times bursting into flames once they walked outdoors. Their skin tolerated what nature threw at it, but obviously they lacked something that would make them tan. Maybe in coming back to life, melatonin no longer was produced, but still, they weren’t deathly pale, not corpse-like at all. The sunlight streaming through the room didn’t make them sparkle either, but then, that wasn’t lore, but Hollywood ridiculousness to let the teeny-bopper crowd in, to profit from that market, as well, in this new craze in fiction.

They didn’t feed on human blood either, but gained nourishment from rare meats mostly. Although, as I’d seen the other night, they did indulge in all the other food groups, as well. So, I didn’t have to fear their hunger, or even a younger one suddenly being overwhelmed with the urge to feed off of me. Bloodlust was another myth. I had nothing to fear from them outside of a fight and their beyond-human strength. However, apparently their blood held some magical sort of healing properties for humans.

This made sense in the fact that their job in the world was to protect. So, they were the walking dead, just ones chosen and created for a specific purpose. Rather than fierce predators, they were misunderstood saviors forced to keep to the shadows due to an ill-informed world. They were the ones that. when bad things happened, kept the world from turning upside down.

They’d been brought back to life with a purpose, imparted with important missions, to save those like me in dire straits, put into situations hard to explain to a regular law enforcement officer who would have been no match for werewolves, probably not even with guns, at least not the ones they carried in a holster. I couldn’t imagine that one small bullet, or even a round of them, could take down wolves that size, even if the police could manage to get a bullet in them with the speeds at which the wolves ran. Whoever had created them, in my new world, they were needed.

I looked around at them, amazed at all I’d just learned, or re-learned, whichever it was. A breath I’d not realized I’d been holding shuddered out of me. I scanned the crowd again, amazed that they were all dressed differently. I don’t know what I expected. Maybe, I don’t know, I’d watched way too much TV, so much so that it had affected me more than I thought, as I couldn’t get past them not all being darker dressed, to be wearing more black than anything else, like tough guys, bad asses, a little on the goth side. Nira did, and she was the first I’d met. As ridiculous as that was, to create a stereotype so quickly, based on lore and one individual, on beings you knew so little about. Even with all of the information that had just come at me, I still expected something different. A uniform maybe.

Still a little slow on the uptake
, I teased myself, making light of my own thoughts in order to make some sense of them.

Smiling at my own errant ways, I went with the idea that maybe the stuff they’d made me drink was still affecting some part of my brain, like coming down off a drug. My last day or so had seemed like how I’d heard an acid trip described. One just didn’t get over that. Sure that had to be it, I tried for more rational thoughts.

I guessed they maintained the personalities they had in life, and that helped them to blend in. Vampires in the real world, that had to make more sense. Even the paranormal had to be more down to earth than the fantasy genre made it out to be. That insanity made sense to me somehow, so I went with it, and tried for more sane observations as I looked them over again.

Just in front of me, the two closest with Nira still at my side, I had a woman in yoga attire and a woman in dress. One wore hot pink trimmed in a black skin-tight cotton and spandex blend with a well-worn pair of Nike tennis shoes. With her hair in a wind-blown ponytail, the wrinkles around her eyes when she returned my smile said she wasn’t as young as you’d assume her to be.  The woman right beside her, on the other hand, actually appeared younger, with her floral, silky dress and heels. Her dark hair back in a neat up-do, she had an elegance about her, while the flowy cut of her dress said she was more of a free spirit than one might think.

The men, too, went from jeans and t-shirts to three piece suits, and everything in between. One even had a tool belt slung around his hips, with a sexy sheen of grimy sweat on his brow as if he’d already tried to wipe it off with the back of a dirty glove, like the yellow pair now tucked into his waistband. At least I could guess without a shadow of a doubt what he did for a living, unlike the guy in skinny jeans next to him who looked more like a pop star than anything else.

“I feel honored to meet each of you. And, I thank you for saving me,” I managed to get out, my brain in overdrive between my situation at hand and new surroundings.

Several nodded. The few closest touched me, a pat on the shoulder or rub down my arm or back. I got the impression they were an intimate, close bunch, not much into granting personal space. They were that group that was immediately everyone’s best friend, though not in a fake way. Not so far, anyway.

“The honor is all ours, to get to meet the girl who resurrected her magic with love,” a man in a fancy blue shirt with a black vest, who stood close to my left side, began. “The power inside you should have been dormant, and after all these years of mixing with plain old humans. And, from all we have ever seen, it should have remained so, so miniscule that it shouldn’t have been possible to tap into. Yet, not only did you do that, but we hear you’ve thrown a werewolf across the room with the mere light from your fingertips. We are curious, impressed, and in awe.” 

“I don’t know why it is,” I muttered. “I don’t know why it happened outside of getting to know Lex. We’ve broken some rules.”

“Maybe they should have been broken long ago, given what your feelings for each other have done inside of you,” a woman dressed in a nice suit with raven hair pulled up into a stylish bun said. “You are the first to fall in love with your wolf protector, and to have him fall in love with you. Magic can do amazing things, but when matched with love, it can be fierce, as dangerous as it is miraculous.”

I nodded at her, my eyes suddenly filling with tears. Only, that sadness met with my fear, and thoughts of my Lex sent me right back into a rage, anger that boiled up within me, frying my brain if you will, igniting the energy within me. I became desperate, all I’d just learned, witnessed, forgotten. All I knew was the emptiness that filled me, ate at me, when I was without him.