by Ashley Nemer
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The sunlight broke through the blinds of the living room of Zayn and Nikole’s home the next morning. Nikole’s eyes fluttered open as the light hit her face. She moved her neck around, loosening her body, her muscles still sore. Off in the distance she could hear servants preparing tasks for the day. Closing her eyes, she thought back to last night and her fight with Zayn. Yes, that mental connection was, at times, the worst torture created. Adjusting to get off the couch and go for a walk, she noticed that she was wrapped in a blanket. Looking around the room she saw a white rose was placed on the table. Zayn must’ve come and tucked her in overnight. What was he trying to do? Make up for being a total ass? He knew she had a soft spot when he did things like that. Only he could get away with that. Nikole sat up on the couch and reached for the rose, pulling it to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. Sliding the blanket off and standing up from the couch, she started walking out into the foyer. What was she going to tell Zayn? What was she going to say to Adara? The overwhelming sense of betrayal was still too fresh and potent for any decisions to be made.
She made her way to the front door and slipped outside, letting the cool morning breezes brush over her skin, cooling down her temper. She always enjoyed the smell of the fresh air right at dawn. Stepping off the porch and onto the lawn, she leaned over, stretching her body and muscles, loosening everything up. Deciding to head around the house a few times, Nikole moved slowly at first, half out of habit for the injury and half because she was contemplating Zayn and Adara. She could feel the betrayal deep in her gut, the knot as big as a grapefruit. She had to move on and she had to get over this. Her akh was sorry for his actions last night, showed her he was, but her mind didn’t care. All he could focus on was her, HER. There had to be a better way to find comfort than this. Taking the rose and letting its smell calm her nerves, she pressed the stem to her chest as if giving it a hug.
“Enjoying my present, Nikole?” She spun around to see Alec standing behind her. Looking up into his eyes, she remained speechless as she took him in. His skin shining from the sun’s rays made him look positively breathtaking.
“What are you doing here?” She couldn’t believe she was looking at him.
He reached out and moved a strand of hair from her face and let a grin creep across his face. “I felt your anger and panic. I got worried about you. After about twenty minutes of it I left my cabin and headed out here. I was ready to kill whoever it was who got you so worked up.”
Nikole watched him intently as he leaned in, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss on top of it. “You were worried for me? I don’t know what to say…” She caught a whiff of the rose’s scent. “You left this?” A light pink coloring flushed her cheeks again, thinking of him wrapping her in the blanket.
“When I arrived, your akh greeted me at the door, we shared a few words and I just knew you were cold. I haven’t shared my blood with anyone in over 300 years, it was very nerve racking knowing you were in some kind of pain and not being here to help you.”
She focused her eyes on his thumb rubbing her hand, the inside of her palm. Kevin had never been worried for her like this after they shared blood, yet this man she just met cared, he really cared. “What did you and my akh talk about? Was he mad that you came to our home?”
Alec led Nikole over to a bench where they sat down. He looked at her, running his finger over her cheek. “You know, some of this and that. He didn’t want to let me in. He said you were sleeping, but I could feel you were cold. Finally I just pushed my way through. Your servant showed me you were on the couch, sleeping with a book. I hope you do not mind.”
How could she mind? “No, Alec, thank you. That was very sweet of you to be so concerned for my wellbeing. You have done so much for me already. I wish I could repay you somehow.”
Alec’s hands felt good holding hers; she was enjoying his warmth. “A kiss, you could let me give you a kiss,” he said to her.
She blinked up at him, smiling. “A kiss, only one?”
He shook his head at her smiling; she couldn’t help but enjoy his splendor. She reached up to his face with her left hand. Cupping his cheek, she leaned in. He met her half way as her soft lips pressed against his cool mouth. Her tongue teased and guided his mouth open, brushing against his fangs, sending chills up her back. Alec let her tongue explore his mouth as his pushed against hers in a dance of seduction. Fifteen seconds went by before he released her. “Debt paid, my sweet Princess.”
Her hand dropped from his face but landed on his arm, running down his bicep. “I think I like being indebted to you. I really can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me.”
She stood up from the bench and took two steps forward then turned back to him. “I am going on a walk, please join me.” Reaching her hand out to him, he grabbed it. While standing and interlocking their fingers, they started walking around the grounds. They watched the sun rise over the mountains, the orange and reds coloring the sky.
“Do you want to talk about what had you so angry and hurt last night? Sometimes it helps to talk.”
She let his question go unanswered for a few moments; a few heart beats of dreaded silence. “My akh found himself a girlfriend, and it’s just not any old girl; it’s my best friend. And what makes things worse is they found each other while I was off being tortured.”
Alec squeezed her hand a bit as they kept walking across the lawn. “Don’t you think that’s good? That way you get along with your akh’s woman? I’m sure the timing wasn’t planned, Nikole. Maybe it just happened.”
No one understood what she was going through. How could they not see what had her so angry?
“Princess, I feel your anger; please stop. I’m not trying to upset you, just comfort. I get it, you are mad that you were suffering and they were back home finding love.”
She turned her head and gave him a pointed stare. “It is not love.”
Alec stopped them there on the lawn and pulled her to him. Their bodies pressed against each other, his hands pressing on the small of her back, holding her in place. “I know he loves you and was worried while you were gone. We spoke about the efforts they took to try and find you. They actually would have saved you had I not shown up a few hours ahead of them. You would have never had to come to my home even. So maybe things happen for a reason.” He took his forefinger and pressed it under her chin lifting her head up. “I, for one, am glad I found you and not your akh.” Alec leaned down and placed a heated kiss on her lips.
She let her hands explore his hard body, the muscles in his arms, his abs, the muscles he had running down his body. Nikole could feel his blood inside her veins, the cells heating up with his excitement like they knew it was him she was kissing. She moved her arms around his neck, her hand resting in his hair. Pulling back from the kiss, she looked up at him, smiling. “I am glad you rescued me as well.” They heard the dogs coming up along the side of the house breaking the serenity of the moment. She looked over Alec’s shoulder as they rushed them. What did they have on their coats? Did they get into something last night?
“Alec, does that look like blood on the dog’s coats?” Alec turned around and looked at the two dogs approaching them. Walking toward them, he leaned down, running his hands over the sticky substance, and brought his hand to his nose, smelling it. Wiping his hand on the grass cleaning the blood off of it, he looked back to Nikole.
“They probably found a deer or something to eat, most likely no big deal.”
Nikole started to walk the path the dogs just came from. “Let’s check to make sure it’s dead then. I hate to see creatures suffer needlessly.” They walked a hundred feet, taking the curve of the path, when Alec saw the body off in the distance.
“It wasn’t a deer.” He pointed to the body by the fence hanging off the metal rod. “Dear Gods…I always hated those things, but I guess Zayn was right for installing them.” Alec reached the body first, assessing the damage of the t
respasser. He heard Nikole gasp when she saw what was left of the man’s face.
“It’s Dominic. The man who wanted me dead, the one who, who hurt me.” Alec put his arm around her and pulled her into his body away from the carcass. “Come; let’s go tell your akh. We don’t need to stand here and look at this any longer.”