Rowena
Alex was as handsome as I remembered him, perhaps even more so now that he had grown up and filled out. He was taller than I remembered, well over six foot. Taller than Henry too. His body was lithe, slim but very muscular, like a soccer player, whereas Henry was more like a rugby player, thick and robust. Henry was darker in hair and tone, and Alex was blonde and fair. He made me feel like a ton of bricks were crushing my chest. I don't know if it was because I grieved the loss of him or the loss of the family we could have been.
He greeted us with a genuine smile and enthusiastic wave, appearing happy to see us. Reluctantly and unconfidently, I returned his wave. To smile at him was a bridge too far at this point. I turned away from him and got Charlie out of the car.
Alex hugged his mother first, and I felt guilty watching them embrace. Tears welled in Alice's eyes, and her fervent words of nostalgia and apology for her absence broke my heart. It wasn't only my fault that Alice missed her son. Alex made the choices he had and could hardly blame Charlie or me for them. But I still felt remorseful.
Alex turned his attention to me, and my heart skipped a beat. I blushed, realising he must have heard that. He stepped forward and gave me a tentative smile.
"Hi," he said with his melodic voice. It was strange hearing such a voice from a mythical creature I always assumed would be more like Henry than Alex. To my relief, he seemed as unsure of what to do next as I did.
"Hi," I replied when I found my voice. "It's, uh, it's good to see you."
He chuckled, and looking bemused, he said, "Goddess, I've planned so many times the things I would say to you if I ever got to speak to you again, but for the life of me, I can't remember any of it."
I hummed in agreeance and said, "I don't know what to say either. I feel like I want to apologise. I didn't understand what was happening to you, and I judged you harshly all this time. I..."
"Stop," Alex said firmly. "No, Row, don't. You don't need to do that. You were very much in the right." He glanced at Charlie, and a fond, soft smile grew across his face. "I thank you every day that you stood up to me and refused what I asked you to do. It took me a few years and my daughter's birth to understand I was wrong. Forgive me?"
This was not exactly how I thought this meeting would go. I imagined much more screaming and tears and possibly another escape attempt. "I, um, I don't know, I." I stammered, really thrown for a loop. "I don't know if I forgive you. But we can work on it."
Alex took a step closer with his arms out. My God, he was going to hug me. My fear and surprise must have shown on my face because he dropped his arms. "Sorry, I suppose we arent there yet."
"Shake on it?" I compromised. He nodded, and we shook hands. "You've met your son Charlie before, haven't you?" I said. Alex looked alarmed and snuck a peek at Alice. I smiled and gave a nod to indicate that it was ok, I knew.
He made a face of gratitude and squatted down in front of Charlie. Charlie was so tall now that he was taller than Alex when he squatted. "Hey, little man, well, you're not exactly little anymore. Do you remember me?"
Although Charlie still clung to me, he spoke clearly to his father. "Yeah, I remember you."
"That's great. I've been looking forward to seeing you again for quite some time. Can I have a hug?"
Charlie glanced at me as if seeking permission. I shrugged and pointed to him, letting him know it was up to him. Charlie put his arms out, and they hugged. To my surprise, Alex had tears in his eyes. I was astounded to see Alex inhale deeply, sniffing at Charlie's hair and neck. Alex let out a short sob before he could hold it back. I looked away before the scene made me cry too.
Recovering quickly, Alex stood and took Charlie's hand. "Would you like to come inside and meet some more of your family?" Charlie agreed, and the three of us followed Alex into the house.
A woman and a girl waited for us in the foyer. They could only be Delphine and Sierra. Delphine was beautiful in a very earthy, seductive way. She was so naturally attractive with sharp, high cheekbones, dark brown hair and tawny eyes. Her arrow-straight hair shone almost as brightly as the Vampires I had seen last night. My God, was it only last night that I had found out about this other world?
I was struck by how much Sierra looked like Charlie. The features of both children resembled their father's so strongly, it was almost as if neither myself nor Delphine had contributed any genetic material. Delphine and I both stared at each other's children, seemly both thinking the same thing. It was undeniable that each were a product of Alex.
Alex embraced his wife and introduced us. Awkwardly, I greeted her and put my hand out for a shake. Equally as unsure, Delphine took my hand. "Welcome," she said. Although I could hear the nervousness in her voice, there was a warmth there that couldn't be denied. "I have heard so much about you and Charlie. It is a pleasure to meet you both."
Part of me instinctively thought that there was no way that she could mean that. What women would welcome another into her home when they had intimate knowledge of her husband and had a child with him? But when Delphine looked into Alex's eyes, I saw how she could welcome me. Alex had never looked at me the way he looked at his wife. I could have stood here naked begging him to fuck with me, and he would still look at his wife that way. Delphine wasn't worried about me taking her man.
Alice embraced Delphine, "It's wonderful to see you again, Daughter." she said. And looking at Sierra, she hugged the child too. "You too, my little sweetheart." She kissed Sierra on the cheek, which Sierra instantly wiped off. Remembering Charlie doing the same on occasion, I chuckled at her.
Alex addressed the children, "Hey Sierra, why don't you take Charlie to your room and show him your toys? I know Charlie is a big boy, but I bet he likes lego as much as you do."
Charlie was blown away. "You like lego?" he asked.
Sierra nodded. "Yeah! Come see!" she exclaimed. She turned and, bouncing with excitement, ran to her room shouting about the lego kits she had made. Charlie looked at me for permission to follow, and with a slight incline of my head, he ran after her.
"Now," Alex said. "I guess we had better have a chat about why you have come here so urgently."
Delphine protested, saying we might want to go to our rooms and freshen up first. I thanked her for the suggestion but declined her offer. I did want to take some time to digest what had just happened, but it was a luxury I couldn't afford. I didn't know how long it would be before Henry discovered that I had run and how long it would take before he found us. The last thing I wanted was for Alex to be unprepared for a Vampire coming to look for me.
Alex led us to a sitting room, and Delphine offered to get us some tea. That I did agree to and thanked her, she smiled at me for the first time. I smiled back, and surprisingly, I meant it.
"So, Mother, Row. What's going on?" Alex asked.
I looked at Alice. She shrugged and indicated I should start. I took a deep breath and asked Alex, "Do you know a Prince Henry?"
Alex was taken aback. He clearly did not expect that question. "Henry of the Sanguisuge? Yes, I've met him briefly once."
"He thinks I'm his mate," I said simply.
To say that Alex was shocked was an understatement. He looked as if someone had doused him in ice-cold water. Flabbergasted, his mouth worked but could not speak.
"Yes," Alice said. "That was my reaction too."
"He thinks he's your mate, or he is your mate?" Alex asked when he was able to speak again.
"I don't know," I said.
"Well, if you don't know, he couldn't be your mate," Alex stated. "If he were your mate, you would have felt something." I met his eyes, and they must have told him everything he needed to know. "Henry is your mate then." I nodded.
Delphine entered with the tea and poured, which gave us all time to process the implications.
Alex asked, "So this is about Charlie? You're worried about his safety."
I agreed and said, "Yes. David, you remember David, right?" Nodding, Alex said he did. "Well, David is Lawrence's mate,"
"Wait, what? Duke Lawrence, is your brother's mate?"
"Yes, Alex," I said, frustrated. Now I knew how Lawrence had felt trying to explain everything to me. "Try to keep up. It's complicated." I laid out for him the events of the past 24 hours, told him about what Henry believes he would do to Charlie because of what Alfred had done. Alex had heard the story of King Alfred and his mate, as most vampires and wolves had. I told him David wanted to take Charlie and keep him safe, but I didn't trust the situation. That was when I decided to run away and when Alice told me about him and Werewolves.
"You've had a busy 24 hours, Row," Alex said, shaking his head, still shocked by my story.
"Yup," I said and played with my teacup, spinning it on the table.
Alex laughed, "Goddess, you still do that?"
"Do what?" I asked
"Play with your cup like that."
Huffing, I immediately stopped and crossed my arms. "Well, are you going to help me or not?" I asked aggressively.
Alex's mirth disappeared. I realised he was now thinking as an Alpha, husband as well as father. He considered it for a long time, and my frustration got the better of me.
"For fuck's sake, Alex! He's your son. You have to do something." I shouted at him.
Alex growled, he seemed to grow larger, and his face hardened, "I don't have to do anything, Rowena." All the melodic tones of his voice disappeared, and I felt frightened. So that is why he is Alpha. Delphine put a hand on Alex's arm, and he seemed to calm instantly.
"Alex and I will take Charlie in," she said.
I felt my chin start to wobble. This woman was amazing. "Thank you," I said quickly, wanting to say it before I began to cry.
"It wasn't Charlie that I was thinking about. Of course, we will have Charlie. This is his home, whether he knows it or not," Alex said much gentler now that his terrifying Alpha presence wasn't on display. "I was thinking about you, Row. I don't know if there is anything I can do for you."
I swallowed. "Is there any way I can get rid of it? What do you call it? The bond?"
Alex scrunched his face up. "Why would you want to do that?"
"I don't want to be a Vampire," I choked up. The tears that had threatened to flow all day finally fell. "I don't know Henry. I don't understand how I could be in love with someone I don't know. I don't want to leave Charlie. I don't want him to think I've abandoned him."
Alice put her arm around me, and I leaned into her shoulder, grateful for the support. Alex crossed the room and got on his knees in front of me. He gripped my hand in one of his and held my cheek in the other. I was surprised by his tenderness. "I won't let him think that. I know the damage I have done. I will not let Charlie think you don't love him. Besides, the intensity of the bond between mates shifts over time. Yes, when you first Consummate, you won't be able to think about anyone but him. In a few days or weeks, however, you can and will." I felt a little comforted by Alex's assurances as they mirrored Alice's. However, I wasn't convinced. What if it was different for Vampires?
"What if he isn't safe from me?" I asked seriously. "What if, when I turn, I can't control myself and want to drain Charlie?"
Alex shook his head, "You won't. From what I understand, once Vampires mate, they feed on each other exclusively."
I raised my eyebrows. "Huh? But David almost fed on me last night."
Alex shrugged, "He's young. He probably hasn't mastered control yet."
"If that's true, it makes it a little less scary. I thought I'd be running around feeding on humans every night."
"I don't even think they need to feed every night," Alex said.
"How do you know so much about Vampires?" I asked Alex.
Grinning, Alex said, "They say you should know your enemy."
I shifted uncomfortably. "So, I would be Charlie's enemy?"
Alex sat next to me. "We weren't always enemies. But the past few hundred years made us so. Our territories started to overlap as Humans drove both of us away from our traditional areas. My Uncle is working with Alfred at the moment, much to the dismay of both Wolves and Vampires."
"What do you mean working together?"
"They are in an alliance together. There are rumours they want to bring our kind out into the open. Traditionally we have refused because humans outnumber us. But lately, some feel we have no choice. We either come out or risk perishing. Modern technology makes it harder for us to hide."
"Yeah, Lawrence told me about that. Alfred wants to enslave humanity, and there is talk of support for an uprising, and they want Henry to lead it."
Alex raised his eyebrows, "Do they? Well, that's very interesting."
I started to ask why but I suddenly couldn't breathe. I felt a tug on my soul and the same desire I felt before seeing Henry last night. I gasped as I realised it was the Pull.
"He's close," I said fearfully.
Alex looked at Delphine. She dipped her head slightly. Alex sighed. "Come with me," he said. Alex led me across the foyer to his study.
Alex opened a display cabinet full of artifacts and ancient weapons. He put on a pair of black leather gloves, removed a large flat jewellery box and took it to his desk. Opening it carefully, he selected a few items and turned to me.
"Here," he said. He held a silver choker necklace made of vertical strips of silver in his gloved hands. He opened the clasp and asked, "May I?" I nodded, and he placed the jewellery around my neck. It completely covered my neck from my jaw to my clavicle.
"Silver is poison to both Wolf and Vampire. This will help protect you and give you time before he takes you." He brought out two wide silver bracelets that covered my wrist and half my forearm. Alex put those on me too. "I can't help your situation, but I can give you these which should protect you." Touched by his gesture, I thanked him.
"There's one more," Alex said, with a mischievous grin. "Take your pants off."
"Alex!" I blushed but laughed. I had forgotten that he was a terrible flirt. "That's a little inappropriate."
Still grinning, Alex lifted some silver chains. Two sets of them held together by a long thick chain. "This is for your thighs."
"My thighs?" I was stunned. "Why would I need to protect my thighs from Henry."
It was Alex's turn to blush, apparently, he didn't think he would need to explain. He cleared his throat and said, "It would seem that feeding from the femoral is common."
Speechless, I didn't reply as I lowered my pants. Alex knelt in front of me and fitted the large chain around my waist and then around my thighs. "It's a little tight," I complained.
"You always did have lovely thick thighs." Alex laughed. I gave him a light slap on the shoulder. To avoid further embarrassment, I asked where he got the pieces from. "It's a family heirloom. It's about 400 years old."
"Why are you giving them to me?" I asked.
Alex finished and helped me pull my jeans up over the awkward jewellery. "Because you are the mother of my son, and I owe you." He said as he closed the box and returned it to the cabinet. "I also gave it to you because I agree, you should have a choice if you want to accept Henry as your mate. But can I give you a word of advice?"
"Of course. I need all the advice I can get." I said honestly.
Alex took my hands in his and met my eyes. "I know you thought you loved me, and I thought I loved you too. I truly did. But the mate bond is something else. It's like comparing the sun to a dying torch. I'm telling you this because even though he's a leech and my enemy, you owe it to yourself to give it a chance."
I didn't get a chance to reply we were interrupted by the sound of the door smashing in and an enormous roar that shook me to my core. Only one creature could have done that.
"Henry?" I asked.