I woke up and my eyes opened naturally. I squinted, even though the room was almost entirely dark. Only a faint light from a dim lamp illuminated everything. I still couldn’t move, but my eyes were able to scan the room.
Alexi was resting peacefully in his chair in the corner. The room was very white – sterile. It looked like a hospital room, but I couldn’t imagine Alexi actually taking me to one. This must be some kind of infirmary in his grandfather’s compound, I thought. I wondered if Max was in another room like mine, and if he was all alone.
I concentrated and tried to move, but it was useless. My body still would not comply. So I channeled that energy into speaking.
“Ah…” I croaked, and then I tried to clear my throat. “Alexi?”
Alexi’s hooded head shot up, and he flew to my side when he noticed my eyes open. He sat beside me and took my hand with one of his, and he brushed my hair away from my face with the other.
“Yes, darling,” he said. “What is it?”
I opened my mouth, but I choked. I felt my tongue push against the back of my throat, and it just sort of stuck there. All I managed to do was make a bizarre clucking noise.
“Oh, honey,” he sighed. “I wish there was something I could do to help you.”
I struggled to swallow, and I gulped. I really needed to speak to him. There was so much I wanted to say. Why couldn’t I just speak?
“M…” I squeaked.
“It is alright, my love,” Alexi said gently. “Take your time. I am not going anywhere.”
I took a deep breath, pulling air into my lungs and trying to relax.
“M… Max…” I finally muttered.
Alexi sighed, and his shoulders slouched slightly.
“Max is fine, honey,” he told me. “He tried to help you keep the portal open, but not being a vampire, it drained him badly. As soon as he touched you, he passed out. It was too much for him. But he is fine, darling. Don’t worry about him.”
I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. But there was so much more I needed to say to him. This was so difficult. I felt desperate to tell him things, but I just couldn’t.
“You…” I muttered.
“Yes?” he asked, breathless with anticipation.
I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out. Come on, Alice! I shouted inside my head. Say it! With all my strength, I forced myself to utter one word.
“Love,” I whispered.
Alexi’s mouth fell open. He was motionless… silent.
“I must have misheard you, darling,” he finally said. “Or perhaps I misunderstood?’
I shook my head slightly, trying to tell him he hadn’t misunderstood.
“I want more than anything to believe you are telling me you…” Alexi gulped, unable to finish the sentence. “But I cannot. I know you love Kai, and I understand. I just cannot help but feel… hopeful, I guess.”
How could I make him understand? Yes, I still loved Kai. That hadn’t changed. But when I thought Alexi wasn’t going to make it through the portal, something inside me had changed. It altered my whole world. Then, lying there listening to him breaking down at my bedside, I realized how much I stood to lose if anything ever happened to him.
I felt so conflicted. I loved Kai so much, and he was such an amazing, gentle, caring person. I knew I would do anything for him. And, of course, there was Max. I cared very deeply for him, too. But now, something was telling me that there was much more to Alexi than I’d ever realized. I needed to tell him.
I opened my mouth to try once more to tell him how I felt, but I paused in terror. I heard a faint whispery sound somewhere far in the distance. I strained to hear, trying to verify what I heard. Then I realized, it was indeed...
“Wraiths!” I forced myself to blurt out.
“What?” Alexi gasped, jumping to his feet. “No, no, no. This cannot be happening. It is supposed to be safe, here!”
He picked me up and flew out of the room, shouting, “Wraiths! Everybody get out here! Wraiths!”
Kai and Liam were already in the hallway outside my room. Both of them sprang to attention, frantic looks upon their faces.
“How did wraiths get in here?” Liam gasped.
“I do not know, but Alice just said ‘wraiths’, and I know she would not say that unless they were here,” Alexi said. “Liam, go tell Grandfather. Kai, find Hillary.”
With as much effort as I could muster, I sputtered, “M-Max!”
“They will get him, darling, do not worry,” Alexi comforted me.
Alexi rushed down the hallway. Near the end, he pressed his back to a door handle and it flew open. He raced down a stairwell, and burst through another door at the bottom. There, he headed down another hallway. At the end of the corridor, there was a door similar to the bunker at Barnabas’ compound. This one had only a keypad. Alexi gripped me tightly while straining to punch in some numbers.
A hissing sound escaped as the door slid open, and I heard a couple of metallic clanks. Alexi grabbed the door handle and almost bumped my head into the door. He put his foot inside it and kicked it back, slipping inside and letting it close on its own behind us.
We headed down another stairwell, and at the bottom, there was a giant door. This one had a large scanner beside it, and Alexi peered into it, jabbing a button with one finger. I felt my body lift up as he raised his arm high enough to touch it. The scanner beeped and whirred, and a red line passed over Alexi’s face. I guessed it must be an optical scanner.
Something clanked loudly inside the door, and Alexi yanked it open and carried me inside. It was pitch black inside the room, but I could faintly see a corridor similar to the one in Barnabas’ bunker. We traveled down the corridor, which opened into a room with bunks and shelves like the one we’d hidden in before. This one was twice as large, and was much better stocked.
Alexi gently laid me on a bunk, and then he turned to stare anxiously at down the corridor. I knew he must be waiting for the others. My stomach churned as I thought of Kai, Max, and Liam out there with the wraiths. I wanted to scream or cry, but I couldn’t move. My arms felt cold and clammy, and a tingling sensation spread through my body.
Helpless, Alexi sat down beside me. He buried his hands in his face. I heard him sigh deeply. I knew he was twisted up and hurting inside. His brother and his Grandfather were out there, as well as Kai, Max, Hillary, and many others Alexi knew. I could tell he desperately wanted to help them, but he wouldn’t leave me.
“G-go,” I urged him.
“What?” he asked, turning his head my way. “You mean leave you? No! No way. I am not going anywhere!”
“Go,” I repeated. It was all I could manage to spit out.
“I will not leave you, Alice,” he said sternly. “Not for anything or anyone.”
I tried to insist, but once again, I couldn’t manage to get anything out. I was growing more and more frantic as time went on. Being unable to move or speak had been hard enough lying in a bed in an infirmary, but with so many people I cared about in danger, it was unbearable.
I heard a loud clank at the end of the corridor, and footsteps echoed loudly toward us. Liam carried Max, and Kai was behind them. I released a massive sigh of relief. At least they were safe.
“Liam, what’s going on?” Alexi demanded, taking Max from Liam’s arms and placing him on a bunk beside me.
“Alice…” I heard Max whisper.
“There are at least twenty wraiths,” Liam said frantically. “It’s mayhem. They’re doing their best to fight them off, but it didn’t look good. I’m going back.”
“N-no!” I managed to sputter.
Liam turned to me with a surprised look on his face.
“Alice, you of all people should know I can’t just leave them,” Liam said incredulously.
“S-s-stay,” I stammered.
I saw Alexi staring intently at Liam, who seemed to be concentrating on something. Liam finally nodded. I realized Alexi must have been speaking to Liam telepathically, an ability he rarely used because it drained him quickly.
Liam eyed me suspiciously, then said gently, “Alright, Alice. If you insist.”
Alexi’s speaking to Liam that way reminded be that Alexi could read minds. I knew he didn’t do it often, but he’d never really told me why. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t read my mind now that I couldn’t speak. I made a mental note to ask him about it, later.
“I just do not understand,” Alexi lamented. “How did these wraiths get here? This place is protected. No one should even know the location, much less be able to get in!”
“I don’t understand it, either,” Liam said.
My eyes suddenly closed involuntarily, and my body tensed up, stiffening as though I were having a seizure. My muscled ached from the tension. I heard a grunt escape my lips, and slowly I saw strange pictures filling my mind.
“Alice!” Alexi gasped, and I felt his hands trying to restrain me.
The sounds in the room faded out. I could hear people speaking, but it was muffled as though they were in another room and I was hearing them through a thin wall. The figures in my mind began to take shape, and I saw Hillary speaking on a cell phone.
“Dmitri, you promised me your wraiths would not harm anyone!” Hillary shouted into her phone. “You said they would take her, and no one else would be harmed! It’s a bloodbath here!”
What? I thought. Hillary is talking to Dmitri?
“I don’t care!” Hillary screamed into her phone. “I only agreed to open a portal for your wraiths because you promised me you’d get that bitch out of here and away from Alexi. You said that’s all they would do!”
Oh, my God! I thought. Hillary opened a portal for the wraiths! That’s how they got in! I had to tell Alexi.
My body relaxed, and I opened my eyes. Alexi and Kai were standing over me looking frantic.
“H-h…” I tried to say, but apparently the vision I’d seen had drained me.
“What is it, darling?” Alexi asked gently.
I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath, trying to control my body the best I could.
“H… Hillary,” I managed to say at last.
Alexi’s mouth fell open.
“Hillary…” he repeated. “Wait… are you saying Hillary had something to do with this?”
It took all the strength I could manage, but I was able to nod my head very slightly to answer affirmatively.
“I should have known,” Alexi growled.
“You think Hillary opened a portal for the wraiths?” Liam asked Alexi.
“There is no other way they could have gotten here,” Alexi said.
“Why would she do that?” Liam questioned.
“I do not know,” Alexi admitted. “Maybe she was trying to get rid of Alice?”
“By putting us all in danger?” Liam asked.
“Hillary is impetuous and irrational,” Alexi returned. “I would not put anything past her.”
“So what are we going to do?” Liam wanted to know.
“There is nothing we can do without leaving Alice unprotected,” Alexi lamented. “I would not even leave her if she was one hundred percent, but we certainly cannot risk her when she is in no shape to defend herself.”
“No, you’re right,” Liam agreed. “We can’t leave her like this.”
“Max, what are you doing?” Alexi suddenly shouted.
I tried to turn my head to see what was happening, but my neck only moved about an inch. I twisted my eyes toward Max, and I could see him trying to stand. I could see Max standing, but he looked shaky, as if he could barely stay upright. In an instant, Alexi stood beside Max, helping to support him.
“I have to see her,” Max said weakly.
“Alright, alright,” Alexi agreed. “Let me help.”
Alexi assisted Max, helping him move over and sit beside me on my bunk. He put his hand on my arm, and leaned in close to speak to me.
“Alice, I’ve really missed you. I’ve been so worried about you,” Max said. “I wish I could have been there for you, but I couldn’t get out of bed.”
I managed a very weak smile at him.
“I love you, Alice,” Max whispered in my ear. “You should get some rest. I just wanted to tell you that.”
“Good idea,” Alexi agreed. “She needs to get some rest if she is going to recover.”
Alexi bent down and kissed my forehead gently.
“Please get some sleep, darling,” he whispered.
Then he helped Max back to his own bunk, and turned off the light. Within seconds, I was fast asleep.
“You have some nerve showing your face in here!” I heard Alexi bellow, jerking me out of my slumber.
I shot up in bed, shocked to realize I was now fully in control of my body again. Alexi and Hillary were standing in the middle of the room, with Alexi towering over the fragile and contrite Hillary.
“What are you talking about?” Hillary asked, trying to conceal her betrayal.
“There was no one else who could have led those wraiths here, Hillary!” Alexi shouted. “You are the only one!”
“No, Alexi!” she cried. “I would never betray you that way!”
“I do not believe you,” Alexi said. “Why should I?”
“Because I didn’t do anything!” she pleaded.
“Yes, you did!” I interjected suddenly.
Everyone in the room turned to me with their mouths gaping. Liam, Kai, and Max had been quietly watching the entire scene unfold, and now they looked thoroughly shocked.
“Excuse me?” Hillary demanded angrily.
“I saw you, Hillary!” I shouted.
“You…” she started to say, lurching forward slightly. Then she became defiant, shouting, “What exactly do you think you saw?”
“I had a vision of you on the phone with Dmitri,” I said pointedly, jumping to my feet. “You said you only agreed to open the portal because Dmitri promised no one would be hurt!”
“A… vision?” Hillary gasped, clearly shaken. “How did…”
“Do you deny it?” I snapped, now standing inches away from her.
“I… I do deny it!” she shouted, suddenly belligerent. “You’d say anything to turn Alexi against me!”
“I have no need to turn anyone against you, Hillary,” I said, glaring. “You’re denying that you spoke to Dmitri on the phone?”
“I am!” she shouted.
“Liar!” Alexi hissed.
“Get out of my head!” Hillary screamed at Alexi.
“You can lie to everyone else all you want, Hillary,” Alexi growled. “But you cannot keep secrets from me!”
“You think you know everything, don’t you?” she snapped at Alexi. “Stop reading my mind!”
“Why?” Alexi asked her. “Because you do not want me to know the truth? Too late, Hillary. I already heard it all!”
Hillary’s chin began to quiver. Her face turned ghostly white, and she obviously realized she couldn’t hide what she’d done any longer.
“I’m so sorry,” Hillary sobbed, her hands hidden in her face. “Dmitri said no one would be hurt, and he would only take her. He promised!”
The way she said “her” sounded dark and spiteful. The resentment she had for me was still raw, and the bitter emotion hung in the air like a thick fog.
“This is the ultimate betrayal,” Alexi spat at her. “You are hereby banished! You are stripped of your title as Elder, and your protection status is thus revoked. Leave here at once! I do not ever want to see your face again!”
“Alexi, please!” she begged, suddenly clinging to his cloak. “Don’t do this! It was a mistake! I’m sorry!”
“You are dead to me,” he snarled, glaring with venom into her pleading eyes.
“Don’t say that, Alexi!” she beseeched, looking up at him longingly from her kneeling position. “Please forgive me! I only did it because I love you! Can’t you see that?”
“If you had any love for me, you would never wish harm on Alice,” he growled. “You know how I feel about her!”
“But she doesn’t love you, Alexi!”
“That may be true,” Alexi said, his voice sounding pained. “But she is my life. If anything ever happened to her…”
His voice trailed off as though he couldn’t speak the final words.
“I beg you,” Hillary pleaded. “Don’t do this.”
“Leave the premises before I have you removed!” Alexi boomed.
“Alexi, perhaps we should…” I started to say, feeling sudden pity for Hillary.
“Don’t you dare try to defend me,” Hillary hissed at me. “You’re the reason Alexi doesn’t love me! You and your sunny disposition! You have him wrapped around your little finger, and you don’t even love him!”
I clenched my jaw together and took a deep breath.
“Hillary, I have never wished any harm to come to you,” I said through clenched teeth. “And I do not wish it, now.”
“Of course you don’t!” she shouted. “Because you’re little miss perfect, and everyone loves you!”
“You will remember who you are speaking too, Hillary,” Alexi demanded loudly.
“What? You mean because she’s the Chancellor now that your grandfather is dead?” Hillary screamed. “You think I care about that, now? You banished me, remember?”
“No, because she is my future wife,” Alexi clarified. “She will not become Chancellor officially until we are wed.”
“She’s not going to marry you, Alexi,” Hillary insisted. “She doesn’t love you!”
“That may be true,” Alexi agreed. “And it may not be. But she will in time.”
“You’d really throw away the chance for a real future with me for the slightest chance she might love you… someday?” Hillary asked incredulously.
“I would give my life for her,” Alexi confirmed. “Sacrifice is obviously a notion that eludes you, Hillary. But when you love someone as much as I love her, you will do anything for that person. If that means feeling as though your heart is being ripped from your chest every time you see her kiss someone else, because you know it makes her happy, then you do it!”
A knot formed in my stomach and crept slowly into my throat. I could hear the agony piercing his words, and his voice broke as he spoke of me kissing someone else. I wished there was something I could do to take his pain away, but I knew there was nothing that would make any difference.
“I’ll kill you!” Hillary suddenly shouted, lunging toward me.
Her hands wrapped around my throat, and her eyes were wild with passion and rage. I could feel my head begin to pound as her hands squeezed tighter, cutting off the blood supply to my brain. I gripped her wrists and tried to pull her away, but her sense of purpose was furious.
Alexi, Liam, and Kai were there in an instant, grabbing her arms and trying desperately to pull them away from my neck. Her grasp weakened, but it was quickly strengthened, again. Finally, I’d had enough. I touched her forehead, and she slumped to the ground.
I fell to my knees, clutching my throat and trying to catch my breath. Alexi immediately kneeled beside me and began to examine me. Seeing no permanent damage, he wrapped his arms around me. Kai and Liam both watched uncomfortably.
“I’m fine,” I told him once I regained my breath. “What are we going to do with her?”
“She has been stripped of her protection, so we will have her dropped off at a hunter warehouse,” Alexi said immediately.
“Oh, no” I said sadly, struggling to my feet. “We can’t do that to her.”
“Alice, she tried to kill you,” Alexi reminded me, standing beside me. “She helped Dmitri attempt to kidnap you and got a lot of us killed, including our grandfather.”
“I know, but she was driven mad with her love for you,” I told him gently. “I feel pity for her.”
“Sweet Alice,” Alexi said. “You are the kindest, most understanding soul in the world.”
“What can we do with her?” I asked. “We can’t just put her in prison. She could just open a portal and get out.”
“I thought she needed people to help her open a portal,” Kai reminded me.
“Oh, yeah,” I said quickly.
“No, she can open a portal for herself without help,” Alexi corrected him. “She only needs help when opening a portal for someone else.”
“Then what can we do?” I wondered aloud.
“There is only one option,” Alexi said. “We have to give her to the hunters.”
“There has to be another way,” I complained. “We can’t just hand her over to be killed.”
“There is one other option,” Liam reminded Alexi.
“Do you think that is wise?” Alexi asked, understanding what Liam meant.
“What?” I wanted to know.
“I can’t see any other way,” Liam said.
“What?” I demanded.
“You are right,” Alexi said, as though the matter was settled. “Call him.”
“Excuse me!” I shouted. “Stop talking over me like I’m not standing right here!”
“Oh, I am sorry, my love,” Alexi said at once. “There is a very old Elder who lives in England. He trained Liam’s mother. His name is Galen. He has the power to take away the abilities of other vampires with a single touch.”
I gasped.
“And they can’t ever get their abilities back?” I asked.
“It is irrevocable,” Alexi confirmed. “Even Galen cannot undo it once it has been done.”
“I really hate to do that to her,” I lamented.
“I know you do, darling,” Alexi said, his hand stroking my hair. “Unfortunately, we have no other options. She is too dangerous.”
“Alright, do it,” I relented.
Liam excused himself to call Galen.
“Can I speak with you privately?” Kai asked me suddenly.
“Of course,” I agreed, and I followed him into the hallway.
When we were out of earshot of the others, I asked Kai, “What’s up?”
“When you were unconscious, I spent some time with Max,” he said.
“Okay. And?”
“Well, he was alone all day and I started to feel kind of sorry for him,” Kai explained. “Crazy, right? But, anyway, we were talking about you, and he told me something that really bothered me.”
“What? What is it?”
“He told me you thought I killed some family after I caught you kissing him in the elevator,” Kai said dejectedly.
“Oh, yeah,” I agreed. “We saw them outside the mall right after you ran off. Wait… are you saying you didn’t kill them?”
“Of course I’m saying that! Do you really think I would do something like that?”
“What else could I think, Kai? And I wouldn’t blame you if you did! I know things were going horribly for you, and I…”
“Stop!” Kai shouted. “You wouldn’t blame me if I did? If I killed an entire family… right before Christmas? Are you serious? I don’t care how badly things were going for me, I would never do that! I thought you of all people would know me well enough to realize I wouldn’t do something that terrible!”
In that moment, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt. He was right. I should have known that gentle Kai could never do something so atrocious. No amount of pain in the world could ever cause him to do such a thing.
“I’m so sorry, Kai,” I whispered. “You’re absolutely right. I should have known you wouldn’t do something like that. Please forgive me.”
“I’m not angry with you, Alice,” he said gently. “Just hurt. I’m hurt you would even think I could do something like that. I thought you knew me better than that.”
“I do! I just wasn’t thinking clearly at the time, and I haven’t thought about it much since then. I know it would have occurred to me that you couldn’t have done it if I’d just thought about it.”
“I really hope you mean that. I can’t stand to think you would think of me that way.”
“I don’t, Kai. You’re the kindest, gentlest soul I’ve ever known.”
I put my arms around him and laid my head on his chest. His strong arms closed around me, and I listened to his heart pounding rhythmically in his chest.
“Don’t you know that’s why I love you so much?” I asked, looking up into his crystal blue eyes.
“You know I’ve never understood why you love me,” he replied sadly.
“I wish there was something I could do. Something to make you understand what you mean to me.”
“Just being here with you like this is enough.”
I stood on my toes and kissed him gently on the lips. His arms wrapped more tightly around me, and he made a contented sound. Then we heard the sound of someone clearing his throat behind us.
“I am sorry to disturb you,” Alexi said as coolly as he could manage, but I could see his jaw clench slightly. “Galen is going to arrive tomorrow, and we need you to stand guard near Hillary so you can knock her out again whenever she wakes up. We cannot risk her making a portal for herself and escaping.”
“Oh, of course,” I agreed.
Kai pulled away from my embrace under the glaring eyes of Alexi, but I reached over and took his hand, pulling him with me as I walked back into the main room of the bunker. I wanted Kai to know that I wasn’t going to allow Alexi to intimidate him, or to come between us. Alexi may have had certain ideas about our future together, but I wasn’t living under the same illusions.
I went to sit down on the bunk nearest where Hillary still lay slumped in the floor. Still holding Kai’s hand, I pulled him down next to me, and I laid my head on his shoulder. I knew it hurt Alexi to see me being affectionate with Kai, but I couldn’t keep ignoring Kai forever just to spare Alexi’s feelings. At some point, Alexi would have to wake up and realize it was Kai I wanted to be with – not him.
Admittedly, it upset me terribly to hurt Alexi. I did care about him deeply. But I knew it would hurt him far less if he got used to the idea now, rather than suffering under the illusion that my feelings for Kai were something fleeting that he could overcome. And I also didn’t want Kai to feel like he was losing me because I was spending so much time with Alexi.
Kai kissed the top of my head, and I smiled up at him. I might not have known how to make Max and Alexi happy at that moment, but at least I could keep Kai contented. He was the one who mattered most in my heart, and he was the one I wanted.
“We should get out there and see what we can do to help,” Liam suggested. “There might be survivors who need us.”
“I am not leaving Alice alone,” Alexi said.
“I’ll stay with her,” Kai offered.
Alexi scoffed.
“No offense, but there is little you could do should Alice be in any real danger,” Alexi growled at Kai.
I shot Alexi a warning scowl, and squeezed Kai’s hand.
“It’s alright,” Kai told me sadly. “He’s right. I can’t protect you.”
“It’s alright,” I said. “I can take care of myself.”
“That may be,” Alexi agreed. “But I still feel better when I know you are safe, and the only way I can be assured of that is to stay with you at all times.”
“Alexi, you can’t babysit me twenty-four hours a day,” I challenged him.
“I most certainly can! And that is exactly what I intend to do!”
“You can’t be serious! There are far more important things for you to do than watching over me all day! And what kind of life is that – spending every waking moment just guarding someone else.”
“You are my life!” Alexi shouted.
The room became eerily quiet. The reality of his words really sank in, and no one knew what to say. Kai and Max were probably fuming, I was feeling remorseful, and Liam had a strange look on his face that I couldn’t quite place.
I heard a mumble come from somewhere underneath me, and I turned my eyes down. Hillary was stirring, and I saw her head begin to lift.
“Not now, Hillary,” I grumbled, bending down and poking her harshly in the forehead.
Hillary’s head fell back, and her mouth hung open almost comically. She looked as if she might start snoring at any moment. I pushed her chin upward and her teeth snapped together. Then I stood up and turned my attention back toward Alexi.
“Look, they may need help out there, so let’s all go together,” I decided. “You grab Hillary, and let’s go.”
“Fine,” Alexi agreed, hoisting Hillary into his arms.
“Lead the way,” I told him, and he headed down the corridor.
I took Kai’s hand firmly in mine, and we followed Alexi out into the compound to survey the damage. Fortunately, we discovered things weren’t as bad as we thought.
Alexi and Liam’s grandfather was indeed dead. He’d been killed trying to buy us time to get to the bunker. He managed to stall the wraiths while the others mounted a defense, but he’d succumbed to their gas. A few others had been injured, but most survived. They’d cast some sort of spell that banished the wraiths. They hadn’t even been sure it would work, as they’d never had to face wraiths before. Fortunately, it did. The wraiths were instantly zapped back to Dmitri’s compound.
“You know what this means, right?” Liam asked me.
“Do I know what what means?”
“Our grandfather is dead,” Liam clarified. “You know what that means.”
“Oh. I heard Hillary say something about me being Chancellor. How is that possible?”
“Our father appointed you his successor, and he was Grandfather’s successor. Since Father died, that means you are Grandfather’s successor,” Liam explained.
“I don’t even know what the Chancellor does,” I groaned. “How am I supposed to be the Chancellor?”
“Well, you were supposed to have had a lot more training to prepare you for this,” Liam said. “We didn’t anticipate you needing to take on the role so soon.”
“What am I going to do? I’m so overwhelmed,” I lamented.
“Do not worry. Liam and I will help you,” Alexi interjected. “You will never be alone in this.”
I smiled weakly.
“Wait a minute,” I said suddenly. “I overheard something before… when I was in the coma… Kai was training for something. What was that about?”
“Oh!” Kai gasped, suddenly excited. “I’ve been wanting to tell you all about that!”
Kai laced his arm through mine and began to drag me toward the stairs.
“I’m going to show you the room I picked out for you!” Kai said happily. “And I’ll tell you all about my training!”
Kai led me upstairs and down a long hallway. He opened the door, and we walked into a room that was very similar to my room at home – the home I’d once shared with my mother and my brother before all the craziness in my life began. It was dark and cozy, and the bed was very similar to my own.
“It’s perfect,” I gushed.
“I saw this one and I knew it was perfect for you,” Kai told me proudly.
“It is, Kai,” I said. “Thank you!”
“My room is right across the hall, and Alexi’s is down the hall to the right. Liam is one door down from Alexi’s, and Max’s is on the other side of yours.”
“So, your training… tell me about it.”
“Oh! Well, for one thing they’ve been training me in combat. I’m learning how to use hand-to-hand combat so I can be more useful in protecting you. I just started, so I have a long way to go, but Alexi said if I’m going to be with you I need to learn how to help defend you. And I completely agree. I’m tired of not being able to do anything.”
“I can take care of myself,” I pointed out. “And I don’t want you in harm’s way, anyway.”
“Well, that’s not all, though. They’re also trying to see if I have any latent abilities that might be useful.”
“Abilities? Really? You mean you might have abilities that could be trained?”
“It’s possible. Alexi said most vampires have innate abilities, but if they don’t use them from an early age, they lose them. Sometimes they’re lost irrevocably, but not always. I’m hopeful!”
I was ambivalent. On one hand, I wanted Kai to be able to take care of himself when I couldn’t. But on the other hand, I didn’t want him involved in any of these issues. I wished I could send him away somewhere safe, so he wouldn’t be affected by all of the calamities that seemed to befall me at every turn.
The look on my face must have spoken to my mixed feelings, because Kai asked, “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”
“No, I am, Kai. I’m just worried about you. I wish you weren’t caught up in all of this.”
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” he said, taking my hands and looking into my eyes. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be. I belong with you.”
“And I want that, Kai. I just want to be with you. I wish it could be just you and me, and I wish Max and Alexi weren’t in love with me. I don’t like hurting them, but it’s you I want to…”
“Alice?” I heard Alexi call through the door, his voice anxious.
I dropped Kai’s hands and opened the door. Hillary was stirring in Alexi’s arms, and I touched her hand, lulling her back to sleep. Alexi’s mouth was turned down at the corners.
“How long have you been out here?” I asked him.
“Long enough,” he replied coolly.
“You’ve been listening to our conversation?” I asked him incredulously.
“No, I was not intending to listen,” he explained. “I followed you up here, because I said I would not leave you alone, and because I needed you close by in case Hillary woke up.”
“Oh,” I said. “But you heard…”
“It is nothing I have not known all along,” he interrupted.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, touching his arm gently.
Alexi ignored me, and he said, “You should get some sleep, darling. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“What about Hillary?” I asked. “I can’t sleep if I have to…”
“I will be staying with you tonight, of course,” Alexi interjected. “I will wake you whenever Hillary awakens. Galen is already on a flight. He should be here tomorrow afternoon, but you need to get some sleep tonight.”
“What about you? You need to sleep, too,” I argued.
“I will be fine,” Alexi assured me.
“We can take shifts,” Liam offered, and I turned to see him headed toward us. “I can take the first one.”
“I am not leaving her,” Alexi said, as if the matter wasn’t open for discussion.
“Fine, why don’t we both stay in here tonight?” Liam asked. “We can take shifts staying awake to watch Hillary, and the other can sleep in the chair.”
Alexi thought for a moment, and then relented.
“Alright, but I am taking first shift,” Alexi said.
I took a shower and changed into fresh pajamas, which Kai had picked out from a communal clothes closet at the compound. They were warm and soft. He knew me so well.
I snuggled into the soft bed and pulled the blankets securely around me. Kai had already kissed me goodnight and left for his own room across the hall. Liam held Hillary while Alexi sat beside me. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and caressed my cheek gently.
“Sleep well, my love,” he whispered. “I will be right here when you wake up.”
I nodded, and he kissed me on the forehead and took Hillary away from Liam. Liam smiled at me, and I gave him a tired smile as exhaustion overtook me and I faded quickly into sleep.