Like the monster inside of her had finally come out.
I swallowed and took a step back.
“Faith,” Alexa said sternly.
When I took another step back, Alexa’s eyes flashed, and in a blink of an eye, she was standing directly in front of me. Blood slid from her eyes and nose, and I was confused as whether to help her or to run away.
“Alex ―”
“Quiet,” she commanded.
My eyes widened when she took a step towards me.
I couldn’t feel Alexa at all, making me worry about where she could be, because the person in front of me wasn’t her. This person was empty, like there was nothing inside of her, and she was thirsty.
When Alexa’s fangs descended, I was just about ready to run off when she grabbed my arm with a vice grip. “Don’t move.”
I stiffened and began panting in fear as she closed the gap in between us, then grunted when she rushed in and plunged her cold fangs into my neck.
Cold spread throughout my entire body, numbing me, before my temperature began to rise.
Usually, at some point, she would stop in fear of taking too much or hurting me, but as my vision began to blur, and I fell into her, I realized that she wouldn’t stop until I was completely drained.
“Alexa…Alexa…”
Alexa’s teeth sunk deeper into my flesh, causing me to shiver before everything went black.
“Please, wake up…”
~Frostbitten~
Flames engulfed the building, burning everything inside.
I stood in the snow, ignoring the chill of the cold weather.
After everything, the cold no longer had an effect on me.
I spent so much time locked inside the facility that it was hard to believe that it was up in flames. It hadn’t even fully registered that Esha was still inside, most likely dead, as the fire continued to burn.
Emptiness filled me, making my stomach turn. Was I alone now?
“Alexa.” A pair of soft and gentle hands wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me into a hug.
My eyes widened at the sound of Esha’s voice and touch. Did she get out of the fire?
“Esha?” Tears welled into my eyes.
Esha placed her head against my back. “I want you to leave from here and never come back. Can you do that for me?”
My lips trembled. “I can’t leave without you.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t be. I’ll always be with you, Alexa…Always.”
I lowered my head and placed my hands over hers, but after blinking, I realized that I was only placing my cold fingers against myself.
~Frostbitten~
When I opened my eyes, they landed on the ceiling of what looked to be Alexa’s room, and when I turned my head, I found that I was right. Alexa’s room was a complete mess with just about everything broken into pieces of wood or glass. All that remained unharmed were the arm chairs that were simply tipped over to the side. Besides that, her room was wrecked.
Turning back to the ceiling, I thought back to the dream that I had and frowned.
Alexa was suffering from the memories of her past, and she couldn’t erase Esha from her mind. That’s probably what drew her away from Loren, and one day, maybe even from me. She didn’t seem to have those kinds of feelings for me, and I hadn’t considered feeling that way for her, but whatever we had, would we lose it because of her past? Because Esha wouldn’t let her go?
I sighed and placed my hand over my forehead. I felt light-headed, like…like I had lost a lot of blood.
My frown deepened as I tried to remember why I was in Alexa’s bed in the first place.
Hearing the shower running from her bathroom, I turned my head and suddenly remembered that she fed from me, nearly killing me. I thought that she would end my life, but at some point, her monster must’ve went back under the surface, allowing her to stop herself.
Fuck.
I felt like shit, but I knew that Alexa felt even worse.
Anxiety, pain, trepidation, and worry all radiated from her and into me. She must’ve come too close to killing me.
I sighed and sat up, then turned to the doorway to see Allie running through, and at first, I was excited to see him, but the moment that I heard the sound of his heartbeat and even his blood flowing, my eyes widened.
Just like Alexa’s, my monster was on edge, and she was hungry.
I licked my lips as Allie made his way to the side of the bed and was relieved when he didn’t jump up on my lap. I needed to be as far away from him as I could get until I fed, or else he would end up being my next meal.
“Faith,” Alexa thought. “Come here.”
In an instant, I was out of her bed and in the bathroom with my teeth and claws descended.
I didn’t feel like myself, and when I saw Alexa stepping out of the shower with a white towel wrapped around her, I almost charged at her throat. I was starving from nearly being drained and needed Alexa’s blood, but more than that, I wanted it.
I wanted her.
Alexa stood faced me with a worried expression, then she stepped back and moved her long black hair from one side of her neck, inviting me to feed from her. “Come.”
Unable to control myself, I rushed at her and slammed my hands against the wall with a crack, caging her in. She had never let me feed from her neck before, not that I’ve asked, but it seemed more intimate than biting from her wrist. In a way, she was submitting to me on a completely other level.
Alexa released a deep breath with her eyes focused on something else. She looked lost in thought, or completely gone for a moment, but then a second later, the light came back to her eyes and she was with me again.
I should have dug my teeth into her neck, but even in starvation, I had a fear of harming her. I was eager, anxious, and impatient, but still tried to force myself to calm just enough that I wouldn’t go overboard. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ever caused her any pain, and it was clear to me that she wasn’t sure how to feel about what she did to me.
I wanted to tell her that it was okay. That I knew that it wasn’t really her that bit me, but when I opened my mouth to speak, she sighed, knowing what I was about to say.
“I’m not mad at you,” I said.
Alexa pinched her lips together, still not making eye contact with me.
Unable to hold back any longer, I took a deep breath and lowered myself down to her neck. I wasn’t sure of what came over myself, but I placed a soft kiss over the place that I planned on biting, and surprisingly, Alexa relaxed.
The monster in me was just about stepping over the edge before I dug my teeth into her flesh, but the moment that her sweet blood rushed over my tongue, it completely vanished.
Chapter Eleven
Alexa’s painful memories flashed behind my eyes, causing me to bite down harder…
I was in a dark room, standing with my wrists shackled above me. It was cold, I was naked, and my eyes were blind folded. The wall at my back and the floor were both made of metal, making me even more uncomfortable than I already was, and I was terrified.
I felt someone’s warmth before a pair of sharp fangs painfully dug into the side of my neck. A moment later, my blood was being stolen from me, then suddenly, the teeth were gone.
“You are my greatest creation yet,” a man’s voice mumbled. “My greatest creation.”
A second later, there was the sound of something squeaking before scalding hot water began to pour over me, and then I screamed.
~Frostbitten~
I gasped loudly as I ripped my fangs from Alexa’s flesh, then stumbled backwards, still recovering from the pain I’d just experienced.
“Faith,” Alexa took a step towards me, but stopped when I raised my hand to her.
Taking in a deep breath, I clenched my teeth together and turned towards the mirror, then used the counter to hold myself up.
My mind was running with thoughts. Dark, gruesome, pissed off thoughts. I wanted to find whoever
did that to her and rip his head from his shoulders. I wanted to slice him to shreds. He needed to pay, and I was determined to make him.
“Was that him?” I asked through gritted teeth.
When Alexa didn’t answer me, I snapped my eyes to her, right on the brink of no return. I had never been so angry in my life, and I wanted blood.
Alexa stared at me with what looked like fear in her eyes. The sight made me turn away.
“The man you heard was the person that made me like this,” she answered in a low voice. “He called his experiments M.O.D.’s.”
“Short for modified,” I mumbled.
The two of us were silent before Alexa spoke again. “I’m sorry that you saw that. When you began feeding, the memories…They just came flooding back.”
I turned back to her and straightened. “Was he the last person to ever feed from you like that?”
Alexa gave a slow nod while looking away in shame. I hated seeing her this way. I mean, she was a strong, amazing woman, and that fucking psycho degraded her, experimented on her, and tortured her, so of course she had weak moments, but I couldn’t stand it. The thought made me want to kill him even more, but I needed to calm down in order for Alexa to feel at ease. We were connected by mind and soul, so I was sure that she could sense my rage.
“How do you feel? Did I take too much?” I asked.
Alexa turned back to me with a confused expression on her face. “N ― no.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “You took even less than when I…forced from you.” She shook her head. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay. You weren’t in control. If anything, you lost too much blood and went into survival mode. That’s all.” The thought did bother me a little, but not enough to make me distance myself from her. I didn’t think I could ever do something like that.
“Still, I shouldn’t have ―”
“Alexa, it’s fine. Really.” I tried to offer her a smile, but it slowly faded when she didn’t look as if she felt any better.
Alexa drew her eyebrows into a frown before tightening her towel around herself. “I should get dressed.”
I stayed in the bathroom to give her a little privacy as she dressed in her bedroom. When she was done, I walked inside to see her sitting in bed dressed in a pair of black leggings, a long sleeved, loose grey t-shirt, and a pair of white socks with her hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head.
She was looking around at her room with a sad expression on her face with Allie making his way into her lap. Once he finally got his head under her hand, a slight smile pulled up on Alexa’s face.
Good job, Allie.
“My rooms a mess,” Alexa sighed.
“Well,” I shrugged. “We can clean it if you want.”
“That would be nice. I don’t think I can look at this for another night.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “Another night? How long was I out?”
“…Since last night.”
“Oh, well, I’m awake now. So ―”
“Faith?” Alexa looked up at me. “I will never do that to you again. I promise.”
My lips parted before I closed them back and nodded. “Okay.”
The two of us were awkwardly silent. “So, should we get started?”
Alexa put Allie back on the floor. “Yes, that would be nice.”
I smiled as she stood from the bed, but the moment that I heard the sound of a door being knocked down from downstairs, my lips flatlined.
Alexa’s eyes widened before they instantly hardened. It was just like that time in the alley when she killed those soldiers. Her inner monster was ready to rip something apart.
“Oh, Alexa?” a familiar man’s voice sang from downstairs. “Come out and play.”
Alexa’s eyes flashed before she stormed out of her room and into the hallway. I followed behind to find her, glaring over the railing at a familiar man with glowing green eyes.
“Who is he?” I thought.
“Someone they created to control me.”
The man’s eyes flashed. “I said to come and play.”
Alexa frowned. “You know your mind control doesn’t work on me, Ashton.”
The man, Ashton, smiled and turned to me. “True, but it does work on ―”
Alexa leapt over the railing and landed in front of Ashton before releasing an intimidating hiss. Even from where I stood, I could see the veins climbing up the sides of her face.
“Take Allie and run. I’ll find you.”
“What? Alexa, n ―”
“Take Allie and run! Go into the woods!” This time, Alexa was giving me a command, so without further hesitation, I scooped Allie into my arms and bolted for the steps.
Alexa and Ashton were downstairs fighting, crashing, smashing into things, and hissing at each other. I was surprised that Alexa hadn’t used her powers yet, but figured that she was waiting for the right moment since using them could backfire.
Allie barked in my arms as I began running down the stairs, and when I noticed that Alexa and Ashton had made their way to the dining room, I zoomed around the steps and went straight for the back door.
The moment that I stepped foot into the kitchen, Ashton went flying past me and into the table, breaking through the top with a snap. He was quick to get back to his feet and charge at Alexa with glowing green veins covering his entire face, and Alexa was just as fast to charge at him again, only now, her nose was bleeding.
When Alexa and Ashton finally reached each other again, Alexa slammed her fist into Ashton’s jaw before throwing two left hooks at his ribs. Ashton grunted, but didn’t falter. He landed an uppercut to Alexa’s chin before throwing another blow to her stomach. Before she could even react, he grabbed her head and held her up with his veins climbing towards the top of his skull.
“Faith…go now.” Alexa thought to me.
“Don’t move,” Ashton growled with his eyes focused on Alexa’s.
If I wasn’t frozen before, then I was now. Ashton’s mind control was keeping me where I stood, and there was nothing that I could do about it. I was completely helpless. What was worse was that he was doing something to Alexa that caused her to stiffen. It was as if he were trying to force his way into her mind.
“Now, Alexa. I want you to stand down,” Ashton said through gritted teeth.
Alexa hissed and grabbed Ashton’s wrists, but couldn’t seem to pull his hands away from her head.
“Mr. Bardelos has been worried sick about you, and he wants you home.”
“I am never going back there.” Turquoise veins began to bulge in Alexa’s arms.
“You are,” Ashton snapped. “I return you, I get set free, so you’re going back.”
Alexa growled. “He will never let you go.”
“Alexa ―” Ashton yelled, but he didn’t get to say much else when Alexa used her telekinesis to send him flying through the glass doors and into the backyard.
After he rolled across the grass and onto his back, Alexa started walking towards him, but the moment that she stepped foot outside…shots were fired.
And she was hit.
Chapter Twelve
I was shocked, confused, and afraid.
It was as if time had come to a slow when the first bullet hit Alexa’s rib cage, then the next landed in her leg. The last one went into her shoulder, knocking her to the ground, and when I blinked, soldiers were pouring into the house through the back door.
“Faith…” Alexa’s thought echoed through my mind. I could feel her pain and fear as the soldiers grabbed her, then my own fear began to rise when they grabbed me.
Allie was ripped from my arms and thrown across the room with a cry, the sound snapping me out of my trance, but it was too late.
“No!” I yelled trying to break from the men. “Allie! Alex ―”
Something hard slammed into my temple, knocking me to the floor. The men that were holding my arms held me down and snapped a pair of thick metal cuffs around my wrists.
&
nbsp; “Don’t try to break free from these,” one soldier said with a chuckle, and I soon learned why.
Electricity surged through me, burning my insides and causing me to shake uncontrollably. After a few seconds, my vision began to blur, and I was afraid that they would never make it stop, but before my eyes began to roll back, the electricity ceased.
“Understand, Freak?” the soldier asked.
My eyes watered, and I grunted in pain. A lump formed in my throat, and I thought that I was going to cry but didn’t want to give these men the satisfaction.
“I asked you a question,” the soldier snapped.
Another surge of electricity burned me from the inside out, and I clenched my teeth in response. When it finally stopped, I released a breath and tried to get control of my shaking.
“Hey, let’s not fry her before we get back to Bardelos. That French bastard will have a fit. He’s going to want to test on her,” another soldier said.
“Yeah, whatever.”
I couldn’t help myself now. Tears were drizzling from my eyes and making a small puddle on the floor. This hurt, and worst of all, it was only going to get worse.
Two soldiers dragged Alexa into the house and dropped her on her side, facing me. She was alive, but barely able to stay conscious. Her eyelids were low, and the glow in her eyes was dimming out. She was also panting, and most likely, unable to move from the special bullets they shot her with.
“What are we going to do with Ashton?” A soldier asked.
“Mr. Bardelos said to put him out once he completed his mission,” another answered.
“Man, that crazy scientist is cruel.”
“Only to the freak shows.”
“I could swear he was one himself. He never comes out during the day.”
A soldier chuckled. “Maybe…”
I tuned them out as I kept my focus on Alexa. Her nose was bleeding and there were healing scratches on her arms and face. If she could get the bullets out of her body, then she’d be able to heal faster and kick their asses, but she could barely hold her eyes open, so I knew that she couldn’t use her powers to remove the bullets.
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