“Why did you make me into a creature so vile? How will I return to my mother and Katharine now?”
The man nonchalantly bent down and began gathering the broken pieces of crystal into his palm. “You cannot see them. Not yet. You will be too unstable around humans for some time.”
The thirst became a burning and that burning turned into need as the smell of blood drifted towards Alexander’s nostrils. He unconsciously edged closer to the man. His eyes darted between the tainted glass shards and the puddle on the ground.
“Why not?” Alexander managed to ask with half the interest.
“The reason is in front of you, childe.”
Alexander squatted over the spilt blood. He dipped his finger in the liquid and stared at it in wonder. One moment his body was on fire and the next he felt as if someone doused him with a bucket of ice water. He grimaced but licked the blood off his finger. And, when it met his tongue, a wave of pleasure ran through him. His whole being became everything at once: a free bird in the sky, an anomaly in the space beyond, a hunter strolling through the forest from the decades past.
He needed more…
Alexander lowered his face to the puddle and began lapping it up like a stray dog. He didn’t care for how it looked. This was what he needed his whole life—the feeling of freedom, of shackles being broken around his tired and overworked joints. The feeling of wholeness and belonging.
The man sighed. “I will get you another glass. Once you’re full, we may discuss any questions you feel you need answers to.”
Alexander did not question where the blood came from as he drank down his seventh glass. He had never felt so alive. He could see every imperfection, every freckle on his maker’s face. The texture of the material he wore became unbearable. His rough working clothes were still covered in bloodstains and caused unpleasant friction against his oversensitive skin. He shed his shirt and held it in his hands.
“Where do I put this, sir?” Alexander asked.
“I am not a ‘sir’. I am called Maxim, but you may call me Max. I am your sire as much as you are my childe.”
“Am I a servant?”
Max tapped his chin in thought. “I believe a better term would be son. I gave you a new life, and it is up to you how you wish to live it once you learn to control your thirst.”
Father—a word Alexander had not used since his real father passed away. He felt emotions fighting for dominance in the confines of his heart. Sorrow battled with excitement, the dread of what was to come with admiration. Maxim was willingly giving him a new start—a new beginning—when Yosef shunned him and worked him like a slave. Perhaps there was still a way to sway Yosef’s opinion in Alexander’s favour.
“For now, rest. I will introduce you to my other children when they arrive tomorrow evening,” Max said and patted Alexander on the head. “Welcome to my family, son.”
Just as promised, Alexander heard people arriving at the mansion all evening. Max left a spare set of clothes on the bed while Alexander slept. He couldn’t help feeling thankful towards Maxim for such kindness.
After a warm bath—something he had never experienced before—Alexander put on the clothes that fit him to perfection. It would not surprise him if Maxim had taken his measurements in his sleep and had these made.
He faced the large mirror on the wall. His eyes had returned to their original shade of pale grey. His platinum hair fell over his dark brows.
The reflection was that of a stranger who smirked back at him. After all, he was dressed well enough to sweep Katharine off her feet.
A knock on the door drew him out of his dreamlike state, and he saw two women standing in the doorway.
“Are you the new addition to the family?” a tall, lean woman with large blue eyes, full lips, and wavy blonde hair that reached her waistline asked.
“Can you not be so rude, Ewa?” the dark-haired beauty snapped at her.
Ewa pouted. “I believe you are already interested in our new brother, Jana. Whatever shall I tell Maxim?”
Jana rolled her ocean-blue eyes at her and glided into the room, her violet skirts floating around her thin frame. “As you can tell by now, I am Jana and this is our blood-sister, Ewa. It is a pleasure to meet you…” She prolonged the last word, waiting for his reply.
“I am Alexander,” he responded and scratched the back of his head.
It wasn’t unusual for him to get attention from the fairer sex, yet these two were now his new family. He was not sure as to how he should behave in front of them or what was the appropriate topic for conversation.
Ewa, in her golden dress, brushed past Jana and attached herself to his right arm, pressing her generous-sized breasts into him. “Do not look so vexed, Alexander. I will take good care of you.”
Jana clutched his other arm and tugged him towards her. She scrunched up her beautiful face in disgust. “He does not need you to take care of him.”
“And here I was worried they wouldn’t like you,” Max chimed in from the doorway.
“Oh, Maxim, he is so beautiful! I agree completely with your choice in men,” Ewa said quickly.
Alexander tried to speak, but he couldn’t say a word because Jana grasped his face and pulled him in for a kiss. His eyes expanded, and he fought his way out of the women’s holds. When he finally succeeded, he stumbled backwards, creating some distance between them.
The two girls giggled behind their gloved hands.
“You have frightened the boy,” Max said and beckoned to Alexander. “Let him settle in first before you make him take sides.”
Jana and Ewa crossed their arms, pouted at each other, and then looked in different directions like disgruntled children.
“Come, Alexander, you have to meet my other childe. He is waiting for us in the dining hall,” Max added.
Alexander squeezed past the women, careful not to be in their grasping vicinity, and followed Max out. The women joined in behind them, each one commenting on his attire or how they would have preferred he was not wearing anything at all.
If Alexander could still blush, he would possess a face as red as an apple. The happiness he felt in that moment could not be compared to anything he had ever felt before. Is this what a real family is like? Where people joked and accepted one another without overblown arguments or frustrated sighs?
They entered the dining hall. Portraits of the two ladies throughout the ages lined the wallpapered walls. The furniture also matched the Western style in Alexander’s room.
Alexander spotted a man in a cream coat sitting behind the table with his hands clasped together. He eyed them with dark eyes from underneath a mess of brown curls. The stranger had to be at least five years older than Alexander.
“Matvey, meet Alexander. My new childe,” Max introduced.
The man stood, straightened out his coat sleeves, and approached them. He towered over Alexander as he paused before him.
“Matvey,” he said simply.
Alexander shook hands with him and smiled. “Alexander.”
“I hope you do not talk as much as those two.” Matvey glanced over Alexander’s shoulder at his blood-sisters.
“Oh, aren’t you always the charmer…” Jana hissed.
“Pray I do not throttle you in your slumber, brother. The need to do so was rekindled the instant you opened the pissoir you call a mouth,” Ewa added.
“Girls,” Max warned. His voice held the power that tugged at Alexander to obey. “This frivolous fighting must end if we wish to welcome Alexander properly.”
“Yes, sire,” the women replied in unison.
Everyone settled in around the oval oak table, and Max sent out Ewa and Jana to get the drinks.
“I fear you will have to feed from a glass until you are in full control,” Max told Alexander.
“I feel fine…”
Matvey chuckled and folded his arms behind his head as he reclined in his seat. “I did, too, at first. So, I went for a walk in a village when I wasn’t
ready and mauled a man to death.”
Alexander gaped at him, and Max let out an exasperated sigh.
“Quit scaring the youth. He only woke up yesterday,” Max grumbled.
Matvey shrugged. “I stated the truth.”
The women returned. Jana was carrying a tray of glasses and alcohol with ease while Ewa nattered about new fashion trends in Paris.
Jana set the tray on the table and sat in the free seat on Alexander’s right. Ewa grumbled under her breath and was left with the seat across from him, next to Matvey.
“Why do you get to sit next to him?” Ewa complained.
“Because I am older,” Jana replied smugly.
“Just because you are two hundred years my elder, does not mean anything. You have not developed any ability either.”
Alexander eyed Jana with wonder and surprise. She did not look older than twenty years of age. How could she possibly live past two hundred? This had to be some kind of jest.
“Ability or no, I can outwit you anytime, dear sister,” Jana responded.
Ewa rolled her eyes and selected a glass of clear liquid from the tray.
“Want some?” she offered to Alexander.
He took a whiff. It was strong vodka, and he was never good with alcohol. “I fear I will make a fool of myself if I attempt to drink it.”
Max selected a glass of amber liquid that Alexander recalled to be bourbon. He had seen many bottles of it stashed in Yosef’s library. “You can drink a barrel and be able to walk in a straight line, I assure you.”
“My tolerance is not as great as you believe it to be…”
Jana placed her hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “You are not the same as you used to be. You are stronger, faster—a perfect predator who hides in plain sight.”
Her words rang true. He should be riddled with pain and be bedridden, if not dead, from the wounds he had acquired last week. Alexander blanched as Andrey’s words replayed in his mind, ‘She will wed me next week and, by then, you will be in your early grave...’
He had to stop the wedding. He needed to keep Katharine out of Andrey’s clutches. She was what made his heart beat, his blood warm, and his soul sing. How could he allow for such a vile creature to take her?
“Alexander, whatever you are thinking, I suggest you stop,” Max began.
Alexander looked up. His confusion was evident on his face. “I have to protect Katharine…”
Jana tugged on his sleeve. “You are a danger to all humans right now. If you leave this mansion, you will kill anyone who comes your way. Do you wish to see said Katharine die by your hand?”
Alexander shuddered at the thought. He could not be the reason why Katharine lost her precious life. It would pierce a hole through his unbeating heart.
“You must let go of your past for it will only drive you to do things you will regret later,” Max told him.
Grabbing the first glass nearest to him on the tray, Alexander poured the burning contents down his throat. Although he was stronger, faster, and healed at an inhuman rate, what was the meaning of staying alive if one could not protect the people one loved? Next, he opened a bottle of bourbon and poured himself another glass.
Ewa clapped her hands. “It would appear the party is finally beginning.”
CHAPTER 7
Outskirts of Moscow. September, 1776.
Alexander stared out of his bedroom window. The trees and shrubs in Max’s garden had been trimmed, but he had not noticed when. No sun peeked out from between the heavy grey clouds, tempting him to take a stroll. He had already explored his new home countless times, read many books in the library, and even learned business philosophy from Matvey and Max when they were around—things Yosef and Gleb avoided teaching him.
He let out a heavy sigh. Three months had passed since he had seen a human being with a beating heart. How would I know when I can control the thirst without being around humans?
“If you do not rub such a forlorn look off your face, I will kiss you again,” Jana murmured from the doorway, and Alexander turned around. She had become the only person he could converse with on a daily basis because Ewa had run off to attend soirees in the capital.
“I feel…” He paused since he did not know how he truly felt. Forlorn? Lonely? Isolated?
Jana drew close, looped her arm through his, and nudged him to walk with her. They headed out of the room and in the direction of the staircase.
“When Maxim first sired me, I questioned everything he told me. If he told me to not go out into direct sunlight, I would do the exact opposite and end up unconscious in a field until the pesky sun set. If he told me to not wear silver jewellery, I would put it on and cry out in pain as it burned my skin. You, on the other hand, do not do any of those things. Why?”
Alexander wondered the same thing ever since he arrived. On some unconscious level, he sensed that Max did not mean him any harm and only wished for what was best for his childe.
“Max reminds me of my father. He is strict and honest. I feel that he truly cares for every one of his children.”
“Hmm.” She appeared thoughtful as they descended the wide staircase and slowly made their way towards the garden. “If you respect him so, why have you such a lonely visage? It is as if you are here yet wishing to be elsewhere. Am I that much of a bore?”
Alexander patted her hand that clutched his bicep. “I assure you, Jana, you are not at fault. I believe it is my human heart that longs for those I have left behind. I wish to see my mother and—” Should I mention Katharine?
Jana lifted her hand to her mouth and giggled. “Oh, I figured you had a woman in your heart ever since you tore away from my lips as if I was some kind of beast. More often, men would put on the pretence of being stunned; others would return it with passion.”
He nodded, contemplating her words.
They were getting close to the outside world, and Alexander opened the door into the garden for her.
Jana gracefully glided through and attached herself to his arm once more. “The woman you love must be truly something for you to ignore me. I almost feel jealous.”
It was Alexander’s turn to laugh. “You are as fair as she is, but I must digress.”
“Do not be silly. Tell me a bit about her. I want to know!” She beamed at him with a curious glint in her eyes.
Alexander led her to the marble bench that was next to the well-walked path that spanned the length of the garden. He sat her down and joined her, feeling the warm air ruffling his hair.
His gaze travelled to the drifting clouds. Although they looked threatening, he guessed that they had twenty or so minutes before rain graced their skin.
“I watched Katharine grow up. Each passing day, her beauty would surprise me. Her restrained laughs would bring me utmost joy, her silent cries would tear at my soul, and her pouting lips tugged at my heartstrings. In the eyes of her father, I could never be the one for her. I was a mere servant—a person of no status,” Alexander said, casting his gaze to the ground.
Young blades of grass were fighting to remain upright where people had stomped on them, forcing them to bow against their will, much like Alexander had to do all his life. Melancholy was replaced with warmth when he recalled Katharine’s confession. “But then, she told me how she felt, and I swear my heart leapt all the way to the sky above. Only she has that effect on me. That is why I wish to see her again. I miss that fiery hair that contrasts her jewel-like green eyes and those rosy cheeks that are as soft as the petals of a rose.”
Jana whistled, which seemed to be quite unladylike, and Alexander chuckled. She grinned back and rested her head on his shoulder. Her dark brown hair smelled of lavender. It had a soothing effect on him.
“In all of my five hundred years, I’ve never felt such a connection with anyone,” she admitted. “You make love sound magical, and I will support you in your quest. I wish to see that charming smile on your face more often.”
He closed his eyes, envisioning Katharin
e and his mother while they sat there, enjoying the warm breeze until the first drops of rain wet his face. The light shower quickly became a downpour, and they both ran back to the mansion.
Once they were in the safety of Max’s home, Alexander realised that their clothes were drenched and glued to their skin.
Jana’s hair became darker. Rivulets of rainwater ran down her pale chest and clung to her lengthy lashes.
He cleared his throat. “We must change before we catch a cold.”
Jana burst into laughter. “Oh, Alexander, you must have been a jester in your previous life!”
He frowned, not understanding why she was reacting that way.
She combed her slender fingers through her wet hair, untangling the strands. “We cannot catch colds. We are already dead.”
“Jana, Alexander, come with me,” Max said, and they both faced their approaching sire.
They followed Max to the dining room where their sire instructed them to sit down at the table. They did so, and Alexander studied Maxim with much curiosity.
Matvey stood behind Alexander’s seat and placed both hands on his shoulders, keeping Alexander in place.
Alexander assessed his brother’s stone expression and Max’s worried face. What is going on?
“We will run your first trial today to see how you are coping with your transition,” Max informed him and shot Jana a stern look.
She nodded and grasped Alexander’s wrists. “No matter what, we will not let you hurt anyone,” she whispered her assurances.
Still not understanding the situation, Alexander’s questioning expression seemed to prompt Max to continue. “We have brought a human with us. She is a donor and has been such for over a decade. With all your might, I beg you to try and resist your urges.”
Max left the room and returned with a dainty lady in her late forties. She wore a nervous smile on her face which was framed by her loosely braided golden hair. Her brown eyes focused on Alexander.
When her faint perfume reached him, Alexander was already burning inside. His body was trembling. He wanted to reach out yet his hands wouldn’t move. In his savage state, he looked down, and Jana had an iron grip on his wrists. He growled out his displeasure. How dare she restrain me from my meal?
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