Alec got out of the car went to the back for their luggage but Silas motioned for him to follow, so he dropped behind him as he walked into the opulently decorated foyer and up to the service desk. Silas spoke to an immaculately dressed older gentleman and he in turn dispatched four bellhops to collect and see to their luggage. Alec was almost dead on his feet at this point. He could have burned blood and felt refreshed and wide-awake but decided not to since he was about to hit the sack. He did, however, prepare himself in the unlikely event that they were attacked and he needed to defend himself.
The gentleman behind the counter called over the concierge and handed him a key, and the man asked them to follow him to their rooms. The man didn't make idle chit chat on the ride up the elevator and Alec for one was grateful. He didn't feel like trying to hold a conversation as tired as he was.
The elevator ride was longer than Alec expected and once they arrived, he realized why. They were in the penthouse suite. The elevators opened onto an opulent suite decorated in cream and gold. It was a little extravagant for Alec's taste but he'd never stayed in a penthouse before and was excited. The concierge showed them around and explained that the windows had been completely covered as per their request. He didn't question why it had been requested and acted like it was an everyday occurrence. Silas tipped the man one hundred dollars before he left.
On his way out the concierge held the elevator door as four bellhops carried their luggage in and placed it in their rooms. Alec noticed several devices that looked like refrigerators among Silas's belongings and wondered what they could be until the answer hit him suddenly. That was Silas's blood supply. Of course. Because everyone carried blood around with them. Alec was so tired he almost laughed.
Silas again tipped each man one hundred dollars and watched as the elevator doors closed. Alec suddenly realized he hadn't texted Steven and quickly pulled out his phone and typed a message and sent it.
"If you're texting Steven or Marcus, please don't tell them where we are or what hotel we are in," Silas said loosening his tie.
Alec yawned. "Not a problem since I have no idea about either. I didn't even bother looking at the name of the hotel."
Silas removed his tie and folded it up before putting it in his pocket.
"Good. If you wish, you may retire for the day. I had your windows blocked so that they sun wouldn't keep you awake. I hope you don't mind?"
"Not at all," Alec said yawning again. “Actually, that's a good idea. I think I will hit the sack."
"Then sleep well, Alec. You have a big day ahead of you," Silas said grinning. Before he'd turned Silas said, "And Alec, please don't come into my room while I'm…asleep. I don't want there to be any unfortunate accidents."
Alec nodded with a frown on his face and then headed to the room that had been designated as his. He stepped into the completely dark room and fumbled until he felt the light switch and clicked it on. He looked at his luggage neatly stacked against the wall and walked wearily over to the bed. He stripped out of his clothes, slipped between the sheets and instantly fell asleep.
It must have been some hours later when Alec's phone vibrated and woke him. He felt refreshed and realized he must have slept longer than he thought. He reached over and grabbed his phone to check his message and realized that it was five PM. The message was from Steven, checking up on his progress and well-being. Alec typed in a message and rolled to the edge of the bed.
Today was the day. He was going to meet the one vampire that had died and been brought back to life. He was nervous and excited all at the same time. Hopefully, today he would get some answers and be able to put this whole mess behind him. He wasn't really sure what he expected but Silas wouldn't take him to meet someone that was going to confirm the damnation of his soul, would he? Silas really didn't seem the type, but if there was one thing Alec had learned recently it was to expect the unexpected.
Alec quickly showered and dressed. He wasn't sure where they would be going so he stuck to his regular cargo pants and a long sleeve pullover shirt. If he wasn't dressed appropriately he was quite certain Silas would let him know.
Alec was quiet as he exited his room. The rest of the suite was dark due to the window coverings but there was a night light that illuminated the room clearly enough to navigate. He had been exhausted last night but now he wondered about Silas's cryptic advice about not coming into his room. Not that he ever would have. What exactly had Silas meant? Did he set booby traps before he went to bed, or whatever passed for a bed? Alec had never asked Marcus, respecting his privacy. Vampires were a secretive, paranoid lot sometimes. Dangerous, yes, but secretive.
For a moment Alec contemplated what to do. He was starving and hadn't eaten since the day before sometime. He started to order room service but didn't really want to disturb Silas if he was a light sleeper…or whatever. He remembered seeing a cafe of some sort downstairs when they arrived. If he couldn't charge his meal to the room he still had quite a lot of the money left that Xavier had wired him. He'd tried giving the cash back to Silas but he'd been told to keep it in case of an emergency. He'd given Steven a couple of hundred dollars before they’d parted in Chicago. So much had happened in just a few short months.
Alec went to the elevator and hit the button and waited. What was he going to discover from this Jacob person. How the hell did a vampire, of all things, die and come back? The elevator arrived and Alec stepped on and hit L for lobby. He was more than a little nervous about meeting Jacob. From what Silas had said Jacob was a very private man. What if he refused to speak to Alec? What would he do then?
The elevator dinged pulling Alec out of his reverie and he stepped off into the lobby. It wasn't crowded but bell hops, businessmen and staff were bustling around on their various ways somewhere. As soon as the doors closed, the concierge that Alec had noticed quickly walked in his direction with a pleasant smile on his face.
"Sir, may I be of assistance?" he said with a well-cultured accent.
"Uh…I'm looking for the cafe? Is it open?"
The man nodded his head and stepped aside and gestured towards the eatery that Alec had seen this morning when they’d arrived.
"Of course. I can have food delivered to you if you wish? Would you rather take your meal in the penthouse?" He looked at Alec expectantly.
"No thank you. The cafe will be fine."
"Of course sir, if you'll follow me?" Without really waiting for an answer the concierge walked towards the cafe, which Alec could plainly see for himself. Were rich people directionally challenged or did they just need to be babysat?
The concierge walked into the cafe and motioned to the hostess and spoke to her privately. The cafe wasn't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it did have a nice exotic feel to it. There were pictures of cups of coffee and espresso on the wall as well as a few cups of soup and sandwiches. Not huge, tacky pictures of the beverages and food, but well placed and appealing looking. The young hostess looked at Alec and grinned as she walked up to him.
"This is Candice, she will see to your needs, sir. I've let her know that you are staying in the penthouse and to charge your meal to the room."
"If you'll follow me please," Candice said sweetly.
"Thank you," Alec said to the concierge as the man bowed and walked back to his station.
The meal was delicious and filling, especially since Alec was famished. He’d ordered quite a few things. He was careful not to shovel the food into his mouth, but he did eat every single bit of what he ordered. Once finished, he checked his email and texts and then went back to the penthouse suite shared with Silas.
When Alec stepped off the elevator he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in the middle of the room, on his cell phone as usual, was Silas. What had stopped him dead was that instead of his usual immaculate suit and tie, Silas was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a blue polo shirt. Alec had thought the imagery would look ridiculous and make him laugh, but as usual, Silas wo
re it well and looked comfortable and at home in the casual attire.
Silas ended his call and put his phone back into his pocket, rolling his eyes. He almost looked human for a moment. Alec found that thought amusing.
“The car is set to arrive in an hour. I take it you’ve eaten?”
Alec nodded his head.
“Good. Everything is going well back home, but I’m sure you know that already.” He chuckled.
“Yes, I’ve already had several texts from Steven,” Alec said laughing and dropping onto the couch beside Silas.
Silas was quiet for a moment, thinking and Alec wasn’t sure what he was going to say next. He wasn’t even sure that he wanted to hear it. He didn’t want anything interrupting his search for answers.
“Alec, Jacob is a loner and he’s not used to strangers. He doesn’t even come out to pick up his own blood supply. We deliver it to him. Once we get there let me do the talking. I am going there on the context of taking him his monthly supply, but he will listen to me. Especially once he realizes who you are. You two have something in common after all.”
Alec looked at him frowning, which caused Silas to start laughing.
“You’ve both been through something that no other vampire has been through. He came back to life after dying and you are…well, you.” He laughed again as Alec rolled his eyes.
“How do you know he’ll listen to you? If he’s such a recluse then how do you know that he’ll trust you enough to speak to me about his experience?” Alec asked seeing a glitch in his quest for answers.
Silas was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Finally he said, “Because I’m his sire.”
Alec’s eyebrows rose at that admission. He didn’t really know why he was so surprised. He knew how vampires were created and he knew that a vampire siring another granted certain power and strength, though he didn’t really know what that meant. He did know that Silas couldn’t have gained his position as a Protectorate without both. He just really hadn’t thought of Silas as a sire.
“Not to question the honesty of your minion or whatever he’s called, but how do you know he’s telling the truth about dying and coming back?”
Silas turned to look at Alec and met his eye. “Because I was there when it happened. I’m the one that brought him back.” He stood then and walked away from Alec to make sure everything was ready for the trip out to see Jacob.
Alec was dumbfounded and couldn’t speak for several moments. He had a million questions for Silas, but he could tell by the man’s attitude that he didn’t want to discuss it any further. Instead Alec stood.
“Do you need help getting anything ready?”
Silas chuckled. “What? You think I can’t do my own manual labor without servants?”
“Well, I didn’t want to say anything,” Alec said feigning innocence, “but you do seem to have a lot of people doing things for you from what I’ve seen. Plus, let’s face it, you aren’t getting any younger.” He couldn’t contain it any longer and burst into laughter.
“Listen you young whipper-snapper,” Silas said affecting an old man’s tremulous voice, “I’ve been doing my own carrying, packing and planning since way before you were born. The servants are just a bonus for centuries of hard work.” Silas laughed too as he made sure all was in order with the packages and books that he was taking out to Jacob.
Alec had a moment of clarity and sat down hard on the couch. Silas turned to look at him with concern on his face but all Alec could do was stare at him speechless.
“Are you okay Alec?”
“Yeah…I’m fine. I just…” Alec didn’t know how to put it into words. He had just made a joke with a bloody vampire about needing servants and how old he was. A goddamn vampire. And he was laughing with him as if they were buddies hanging out and having a grand ole time. Alec’s life was in danger; he’d been chased, shot at, threatened with knives and swords, and might still be put to death when everything was said and done and he was joking with a damn vampire. He didn’t mean to take it so seriously; it had just kind of hit him suddenly. The news that the council was meeting sooner rather than later had shaken Alec up quite a bit.
Silas was still staring at him; concern etched on his features, so Alec made up some lame apology and excused himself. He practically ran to the bathroom and slammed the door. He leaned against the door breathing heavily and shaking. After a moment, he half walked, half staggered over to the vanity and placed his hands on either side, staring at himself in the mirror. The person he saw staring back at him was most definitely not the person he had started out as.
Alec didn’t know why joking with Silas had triggered this reaction, but all of it came slamming down on him. Everything that had happened in the last couple of months just kind of came galloping at him full speed and hit him like a ton of rocks. Clarissa, his situation, the attempts on his life, Steven and now the council convening as soon as they returned to Jordan. And the fact that his life, and maybe his soul, was hanging in the balance. All because he had been joking with a creature that was thousands of years old, drank blood and would pretty much out-live everyone that Alec had known from his previous life. And provided that Alec survived the upcoming council meeting to determine his fate, who knew? He might out-live all of his friends, as well.
Suddenly, Alec understood what Marcus had been trying to tell him about leaving his old life behind and cutting ties with what few people that he knew. Watching them grow old and die… How did you deal with something like that? Alec realized that he’d been standing there gripping the vanity tightly for quite some time. He would make those decisions once his fate was decided, if they let him live. If.
He took a deep breath, then he took another. He ran some cold water from the tap and splashed his face and neck several times. He still felt a little overwhelmed with his thoughts. His heart was racing and he knew that if he walked back to Silas he’d be able to hear Alec’s thudding heart and know something was wrong. Alec took another deep breath and burned blood. It took him a couple of tries but he finally grabbed onto the feeling of more like it was some sort of life vest and clung to it. Instantly he felt more in control and his heartbeat resumed a more normal pace.
When Alec walked back into the living area, Silas was talking to a bellhop, giving him instructions about the items he’d be carrying with him. He looked a question at Alec, asking him silently if everything was okay. Alec could see concern in Silas’s gray eyes. Alec smiled at him, lied to him, and told him everything was okay. Silas nodded and continued explaining to the bellhop what was needed.
Alec noticed there were different refrigeration units on the floor than the ones they’d arrived with. The others had been for Silas. These had been delivered recently and held the blood that they’d be delivering to Jacob. If Alec hadn’t been burning blood he probably would have begun laughing hysterically, unable to stop. He couldn’t afford to crack up now. He was close to getting some answers that he’d had questions about for several weeks now.
Once the bellhop had everything in order and loaded on the elevator Silas turned to regard Alec.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked looking closely at the young man.
Alec nodded. Silas understood that Alec was lying, but he didn't say anything.
“Do I need to change clothes before we leave?” Alec changed the subject before Silas asked him anything else.
“Can you move freely in those clothes?” Alec nodded again. “Then you should be fine. I won’t lie. It’s a trek to where we are going. You ready?”
Alec took another deep breath, and stepped into the elevator to go meet the one man that might be able to give him some of the answers he was looking for. After that…well he'd deal with everything else when he got back to Jordan.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Answers... and More Questions
Alec stared out the window of the car, watching the scenery as Silas drove. Alec was surprised that Silas was driving himse
lf for a change, but he didn't say anything. Actually, he hadn't said much since he'd had his anxiety attack, or whatever it had been. Kind of made sense that Silas was driving if Jacob was as reclusive as Silas had led Alec to believe.
"You okay?" Silas asked, breaking into Alec's thoughts.
"Yeah…I'm fine," Alec lied.
"You don't sound fine," Silas said finally.
Alec was quiet for a bit.
"Does it really matter, considering the council might just kill me anyway?"
Silas frowned.
"Feeling sorry for yourself? That's not the Alec I know. The Alec I know is a fighter and doesn't let anything bother him," Silas said accusingly. "The Alec I know never lets anything bother him and fights no matter what the circumstances."
"Yeah, well maybe you don't know everything about me," Alec snapped.
Silas shook his head.
"I know that you took up for a woman and tried to save her life after she opened fire on you because you knew she wasn't acting of her own accord. I know that you tried to save a hostage taker who threatened the lives of others because he'd been manipulated. And I also saw you stand up to a vampire much, much older than you when he called you an abomination. That is the Alec I know."
Alec's face turned red and burned with shame. Silas was right. He was acting like a spoiled child. Had he changed that much? Just because he'd found out the date of his hearing he was suddenly going to act sullen and withdrawn? Silas was right. That wasn't him. He dealt with problems; he didn't go around feeling sorry for himself.
"I'm sorry," Alec said quietly. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Without looking at the young man, Silas put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
Shadow Born: Book 1 of the Shadow-Borne Chronicles Page 26