by Leji Albano
He sat in a chair and silently toasted the mummy with the tumbler of scotch he held in one hand. It wasn’t often that he made the effort to come to this hidden room, but when he did, he liked to commune with what was left of the man who had made him into who he was today. Alexander's eyes scanned the dimly lit room, cataloging the anomalous artifacts that he had gathered over the years: Gold objects that resembled aircraft, statuary, and ceramics that most assuredly were modeled on non-human subjects, writings on various materials that spoke of the gods, and many other such things. Only the Vatican had a better collection, and the chances of him gaining access to those forbidden items were nil. Unfortunate, really, as he suspected he could learn much from their archives.
He was feeling melancholy, not an unusual state of affairs for someone like him. Alexander had read an obituary today, a notice that told him that his last remaining direct family member had died. His brother, Achilles, had lived a long life by human standards, and his children and grandchildren would continue the family line. Alexander had never gotten to know any of them since he had voluntarily broken off contact long ago, and he knew it was for the best, really. He had made peace with the fact that he would never have a family of his own, but today he couldn’t help dwelling on the what-ifs. Still, a part of him yearned for the normality that he denied himself.
He frowned and drank the remainder of what was in the glass. Monsters don’t deserve such things, he told himself angrily, then strode from the room….
Alexander heard the ooomph! as his sparring partner slammed onto the tatami surface of the dojo floor. “You’re still telegraphing. Until you learn to hide your intentions better, the floor is going to become your best friend.”
He turned slightly and eyed the disheveled form glaring up at him from the mat. “On the other hand, you at least held onto the practice blade this time. Little steps, Tina, little steps.”
Extending a hand to help her up, he couldn’t help but admire the total package that was Tina Ferrante. Currently, the object of his observations was dressed in tight black yoga pants and a teal sports bra…and covered in a considerable amount of sweat. For a moment, as she glared at him, it seemed she might not accept the assistance, but then she heaved a sigh and took the hand. He easily lifted her to her feet, then tossed her a towel to dry off.
“Let’s call it a night. You did well.”
“Not well enough.” She snorted angrily.
Alexander gave a soft smile and shook his head slightly. “It’s only been a couple of months, and I see some real improvement.” He strode over to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of cold bottles of water, setting one on the island in the center of the kitchen. “Granted, you still telegraph your attacks, and over-commit when you launch them, but that will come with time and practice.”
“I just get so frustrated.”
He nodded and quirked an eyebrow, then placed his right hand on the center of his chest. “And that brings us to the real issue. It might come as a bit of a surprise, but I’m afraid I’m duty-bound to inform you that you have a wee bit of a temper.”
Tina blushed and looked away. “I know. Trust me, I know. It sort of runs in the family, but I think I got more than my fair share of it, and I know that’s not a real excuse.” She twisted the top off the bottle of water violently and took a long drink.
Considering her words, Alexander replied earnestly, “Without control, all you have is passion. Anger by itself is nearly useless. Focused anger, on the other hand, can provide power and strength.”
On the verge of tears, she said, “But how? How do I tame it? When it flares up, it consumes me.”
“While the old Klingon adage ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ isn’t entirely relevant for your situation, it does contain a nugget of truth.”
She rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose at him. “Nerd.”
His answering smile and sip of water indicated that her shot had missed its mark. “Seriously. Rather than allow rage to dictate your actions, you need to tamp it down, channel all of that emotion into a cold, dark place…and quietly choke the shit out of it. It doesn’t go away, but it puts your logical brain in charge again.”
Tina batted her eyelashes at him and said in an overly innocent tone, “I thought you told me once that the words logic and woman should never occupy the same sentence?”
He stood there, stunned, blinking his eyes owlishly. “Yes, well….” He cleared his throat. “However, I can neither confirm, nor deny, ever actually making that statement.”
Gesturing with his bottle of water, Alexander continued. “Regardless, the point I’m trying to make is that until you are able to shake hands with your rage monster and get on with the task at hand, you will be severely limited. Not by actual ability, but by not being the master of your own domain. Does that make sense?”
“You make it sound so simple.” She sighed wearily and looked down at her feet.
His hand reached out and lifted her chin until she met his eyes. “Don’t you think I get frustrated and angry? I do. However, I refuse to let my lizard brain win. It’s as simple as that.”
Dropping his hand, he wrinkled his nose, looking her over from head to toe, then leaned forward slightly and sniffed delicately. “Good God, woman, you reek.”
Tina laughed as she chased him around the island. He was smart enough to not let her catch him.
Hands held up in surrender, he said, “If you would prefer, we can always drop the fight training and focus exclusively on your dance lessons.”
She had a horrified expression on her face as she replied, “Nope. Nope, nope, nope. It’s all good. I’m just going to take a quick shower before we watch Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo.”
Tina had the multi-head shower in Alexander’s bathroom warming up as she studied herself in the mirror. Turning first one way, then the other, she decided that all of the exercise she had been getting lately had gone a long way to toning her body up. She looked damned good, even if she did say so herself. All of the bruises the first couple of weeks had provided were now gone.
Despite how frustrating the lessons she was getting from Alexander could be, she was continually surprised by how much actual fun she was having. Sure, any seven-year-old with a pillow could kick her ass currently, but she was improving. He was a good teacher, although she would never admit that to his face, and he was supportive while still pushing her to her limits. God knew that he never allowed the fact that she was a woman stop him from bringing the pain. She appreciated that fact since experience had led her to believe that men would always hold back when teaching a woman. Tina was sure that, given time, she could become a true badass…or close to one anyway.
She lifted her arm in the air and pushed her boob up slightly, then let it fall. Even the girls are getting firmer, she noticed with satisfaction. Turning back to squarely face the mirror, she ran her hands over the developing six-pack and froze in consternation as she noticed the Yeti living between her legs. It’s not like it really matters since there isn’t anyone likely to see it anytime soon. The corners of her mouth curled upward as she pictured getting two eyes and a nose tattooed right above the hairline, and growing her bush into the equivalent of a biker beard. She quickly banished the idea and made a note to take care of that housekeeping problem soon, then hopped in the shower.
Alexander occupied himself with preparing some snacks while Tina showered. It was always distracting for him, knowing she was just feet away, naked, but he forced his mind onto other things. Sliced meats and cheeses, as well as fruit, were on the platter he set on the table in the home theater area of his apartment. The Clos du Bois Merlot was open and should be ready to pour by the time she finished up.
While it would be a stretch to say that he had his emotions in check where she was concerned, he had found a middle ground that allowed him to simply enjoy being around her. When she had first asked him to train her in the martial arts, and specifically in the use of short blades, he had panicked. Being in
such close and constant proximity was going to be a challenge…and he knew it.
Still, she was like a breath of fresh air for him. Tina’s naivete and chaotic personality drew him like a moth to a flame. It had been a very long time since he had looked at the world the way she did, and getting to experience life through her eyes was working wonders for him. To say that she was mercurial would have been an understatement. She flitted about without a thought for how she might be perceived, and he couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.
Have I ever been that young and carefree? Alexander wondered. If so, I certainly don’t remember it. That’s not to say that she didn’t have any negative quirks…she did. It didn’t take much to spark that temper she kept barely restrained at the best of times, but those stoked fires also spoke to him since it was something that they shared. His wolf traits meant he was never far from slipping into a rage at the slightest provocation. However, over the years, he had become adept at keeping it under control.
Tina was an inquisitive person, and since she didn’t filter herself much, she came across as rude…maybe brash was a better word. Even so, it was genuine curiosity, not just a way to fill in conversations. Alexander could work with that, and her abrasive manner didn’t bother him in the slightest. As long as she wanted to know the answer to a question, he would happily indulge it and provide the solution. Too many people these days either were afraid to look stupid or just didn’t care enough to ask.
To be honest, he found Tina interesting in a very fundamental way. His lifestyle didn’t lend itself to much human interaction, and he desperately missed it. Maintaining a safe distance from any form of personal entanglement and ensuring that very few people knew who Alexander Matthews really was, had become a way of life for him…and just maybe, that had been a mistake. He wasn’t quite prepared to acknowledge that as fact yet, but he was at least entertaining the idea.
The Blu-ray was queued up and waiting when she finally exited the bathroom and made her way to the couch. Her hair was still damp, hanging loose down her back, and she had changed into a different pair of yoga pants and a Ramones t-shirt. The fact that she was braless was plain to see, especially considering the shirt was a little on the tight side. He smiled when he saw the logo, and she glanced down at her chest. “What?” she asked suspiciously.
“I was just admiring your taste in music,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Are you sure it was my shirt you were eyeballing?”
Alexander laughed as he stood up. “Even if it wasn’t, I would never admit it. My turn to sluice off, back in a few.”
I know you wouldn’t, she thought wistfully. She shook her head to break that chain of thought and wandered over to peruse his bookshelves. Tina was amazed at how comfortable she had become with showering at his place. In the beginning, it had been harder. In fact, the first time he had offered, she had flat out refused, horrified by the idea, but over time had come to accept that it really was just an innocent offer, and not some twisted plot to get into her pants.
Not only did she train in his apartment now, but she also ate quite a few of her meals here, as well as the movie nights like this one. It was nice. Granted, it smacked too much of being in the friend zone, but he seemed to get her in a way that no one ever had before. Tina thought she would miss having an active social life, but surprisingly, that really wasn’t the case. The time spent with Alexander seemed to more than make up for what now seemed like a fruitless search for something. What that was she wasn’t sure, but she was positive she wouldn’t find it in some random guy met in a club or by swiping an app. Tina was gaining insight into what her aunt had told her that first day of work, and she was beginning to understand how Maria could have dedicated so much of herself to this job. It didn’t do anything to relieve the horniness, though, she thought and grinned to herself. Ah, well. Can’t have everything, I guess.
. The first bookcase she came to was filled with hardbacks covering archaeology, anthropology, and interestingly enough, mythology. They were divided into no particular order that she could see, but randomly pulling them out, she found Sumer, Mycenae, and the Celts all represented. She could tell by their fragile condition that some of these books were quite old.
The next set of shelves was exclusively dedicated to languages. She shook her head as she remembered what he had told her in Paris. All seemed well-used, but she felt no need to examine them.
She shifted to another and was amused to find that all of the books contained on these shelves were science fiction and fantasy. Tina recognized several of the books and authors. It would appear that her boss only collected first edition hardcovers, and many of them were signed by the author.
“Would you like to see signed first edition copies of Lord of the Rings?” he breathed from just behind her.
Startled, she spun in place and yelled, “Stop doing that! You scare the shit out of me every time you sneak up on me.”
Straightening to his full height and glaring imperiously down the length of his nose, he said, “I do not sneak, madam.” Then a sniff. “I cannot be held responsible for your failure to take note of your surroundings in a competent manner.”
“So, like I said, sneaking.”
He just stared at her for a few seconds. “You never answered my question. Would you like to see the Tolkien books?”
Tina relented. “Yes, please. I’ve never seen or held an original before.”
Alexander smiled as he reached over her head and pulled three books from the top shelf. His fingers caressed the bindings prior to depositing them in her hands. “I didn’t know you liked this type of reading material.” He followed a beat later with, “Actually, I didn’t know you read anything that didn’t include a lot of pictures and over-sized type.”
“Ooooh, you are so lucky I’m holding books worth more than my annual salary,” she growled.
He smirked down at her. “Not quite…individually, but close.” Alexander walked over to the bottle of wine and poured two glasses.
“What, no warning to be careful with them?”
He appeared to consider her question seriously for a moment, shrugged, and said with complete sincerity, “No. I trust you.”
Tina was stunned. Four simple words, and yet they conveyed so much meaning. She walked to the couch and very carefully set two of the books down while she gently opened The Fellowship of the Ring and read the first line to herself. She looked up at Alexander as he set her wineglass on the table, far enough away from the books to be safe, awestruck by it all. “All three books are signed?”
A nod from him. “We can skip the movie tonight if you like.” He held up an index finger. “On one condition.”
“What would that be?”
“You have to read to me from that book.”
Tina grinned at him. “I think that can be arranged.”
Eyes closed, and head resting on the back of the couch, Alexander listened as Tina read aloud. She was quite good at it, seldom faltering, and adding inflection where needed. He was moderately impressed, to tell the truth. A yawn interrupted her recitation, and he turned his head to glance her way. He could tell she was tired but fighting it.
Alexander picked up the bottle of wine and checked the level of its contents, then poured the majority into his glass, and just a bit into hers.
He reached over and gently removed the book from her hands. “I think you have worked hard enough tonight, young lady. We can continue this another time.”
She smiled gratefully at him and drained the remaining wine in her glass. “I’m so tired…but I totally have to pee.” She got up and walked to the bathroom.
Alexander picked up the Tolkien books, put them back into place on the shelf, and reseated himself on one end of the couch. When Tina came back, she sat next to him and leaned her head onto his shoulder, pulling her legs up onto the sofa next to her. “Just gonna close my eyes for a minute, OK?” she murmured.
He put his arm around her shoulders and snugge
d her closer. Within seconds she was sleeping. They sat there for almost an hour, Alexander simply enjoying feeling her so near. It was only when he noticed that his shirt was beginning to get wet as she drooled on him that he decided to move her to his bed. Once he had her tucked in, he took off the shirt with the wet-spot and tossed it in the hamper.
He brushed a wisp of hair off her cheek, turned off the lights, and went to sleep on the sofa.
Try as he might, Alexander just couldn’t get to sleep. His thoughts roiled around his head like a tornado, troubling him greatly. Why was he so attracted to this brash young woman? Granted, she had a supermodel's good looks, but it was more than that; he had known many beautiful women over the years, and none had affected him this way. At some unconscious level, the two of them just clicked. The why was what eluded him.
He was conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to protect her, keep her safe from the world, even lock her up in a gilded cage. And on the other, he was drawn to her, intoxicated by who and what she was. This girl was a danger to him, to everything he had done to isolate himself from ordinary humanity. How could he justify endangering all that he had built? All of his carefully hidden secrets were at risk…and he almost didn’t care.
Her pure naïve joy in the world, in making discoveries, was an almost forgotten part of his past. Alexander found himself living vicariously through her eyes, reexperiencing the wonders of the universe. For Tina, each day was to be savored, not endured. It was refreshing to his cynical old soul. He found that he needed that innocence and joy to continue to be a part of his life …even if it was at a distance.
Alexander had spent so long shutting the world out and living in a prison of his creation that he had forgotten what it was like to have a life that was inclusive, and not exclude everyone and everything. And he craved it like a starving vampire craved blood.