It was a couple of hours later when Vasya returned. At first, I was furious that he had returned with Alex in tow and Antoine missing. I picked up the nearest object to me —which happened to be an old book —and flung it at Alex's head. Luckily, he caught it and shot me a murderous glance.
"What the hell, Vasya?" I questioned and looked at him with a pure rage burning in my eyes, while my voice was controlled.
He held his hands up in surrender. "We need to answer some things. And Alex is going to be doing some explaining to you," he said and gestured for Alex to sit.
I frowned, noticing that the bed I sat on was the only place to sit. With a deep sigh, I moved my feet so that they both could sit at the foot end and not bother me. They both shot me equally dirty looks, but sat down nonetheless without much complaint.
Alex was closer, with him sitting halfway in the middle of the small bed and Vasya at the end. I held in snarky comments and retorts. "Well?" I said after a prolonged silence.
My patience was wearing thin considering I had very little sleep and the fact that I hadn't been sleeping well. Alex ran a hand through his hair and looked at me with his blue eyes. "The thing is that I can't really talk about this," he said uncomfortably.
I looked at Vasya with an irritable look, warning him that I wasn't too happy. At my glare, he hit Alex on the shoulder. "Alex," he hissed. "You promised!"
I scoffed. "Yeah, well, it means nothing really," I said drily. "But anyway, I have something to ask you Alex."
He nodded and motioned for me to continue. "Why on earth did you get so angry when you found my note?" I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.
He turned his face away from me and then spoke. "What the hell was I supposed to think? You left an impersonal note and ran off."
I got angry at that and my voice came out even calmer than ever. I guess Henry's tips had sunk in after all. "I said I did not run away. I just needed a few days until your temper tantrum was over."
His head whipped around and he twisted around so that his whole body was practically leaning over me. "Temper tantrum?" he whispered chillingly against my ear. "What makes you say that?"
I kept quiet and waited for him to get away from me, only when he did, I spoke. "You walked in the mansion giggling and laughing with that redhead. Then in the next second you started screeching like a girl on her period that hurt her foot. You came ahead and yelled at me like everything was my fault. As if I was the reason you sat with such a great mess on your shoulders. I told you so many times that I wanted to leave, but it was your obstinacy that refused me the only thing I wanted." I wiped my eyes as angry tears rolled down my face. I took a deep breath and looked at him in the eye.
"You should have just let me go," I whispered.
He looked at me with blazing eyes. "I said no."
I turned away from him and stared at the empty wall. I was beyond angry now. I was no longer a child. Rightfully I could move out, but I made a promise to my parents and him. I was bound by my word and there was no way I could break it. "Liv," he whispered softly.
I ignored him.
"Olivia, I am not going to go without explaining everything to you," he said quietly. I snorted —earlier he said it was difficult to talk about and now he was so ready to talk? He must be bipolar. Whatever the case, he wasn't my responsibility. It was the redhead's responsibility.
Internally, I frowned. I had just realized my jealousy was sparked because I was in love with him, but did it need to be so all-consuming? Was jealousy as bad as all books claimed? Was it truly such a green monster —or was that envy? In any case, I needed to get it under control because I had a sinking feeling that whatever he told me as we sat there was not going to be pleasant.
He took a deep breath. "Last night..." he stopped.
"You were on whatever drugs make a vampire crazy. You then came home and took whatever true emotion you had and spat it on me," I said bitterly. Obviously, this was jealousy speaking as I recalled the way he stood with the redhead on his arm.
At my feet, I heard Vasya trying to hide his laugh with a terrible cough. "It won't work, Vas," I said drily.
"No, last night, I found my queen," he said quietly.
At first, I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Then, I had to ask a question —just to break my heart further, just to cement the sadist I knew I was. "Your rightful queen? The one you know that is meant to be queen?"
I turned to look at his face. To see whether he would lie to me. His head hung and he was staring at the black sheets as if he hoped they would give him either the answers that would soothe me or the strength to tell me the truth.
"No, I found her suitable to be my queen. The other girl —well, woman actually —isn't fit to be my queen. She is reckless and impulsive and childish. Those aren't necessarily bad qualities, but she can't follow an order or listen when someone talks."
For some reason, I felt as if he was talking about me being reckless and impulsive. I am not saying that I think he thinks that I am his queen; I just think he found a suitable way to indirectly tell me his true feelings of me.
"So, you can't groom her? You can't help her to be the queen she needs to be? Instead you will just pick someone who looks like she can fit the bill. Instead you will just pick someone you can control and tell her to say what you want, when you want it to be said. You are afraid of a challenge!" I said angrily. I was disgusted by him, by his cowardice.
"Just shut up, Liv. You know bloody nothing! You think you may know everything, but you bloody well don't!" he yelled back at me.
"Yeah? And whose fault is that? Who refuses to let me go without giving me a proper reason? Just let me leave and your life will be better!" I cried and tears ran down my face. "Just bloody let me go. But you won't. You know why? Just so that you can have someone to blame when you don't get things to go your way! You just want me to be your scrape goat!"
"It is not what you think."
"Then tell me what it is. Stop thinking what I think. Just bloody tell me the truth!"
He looked at Vasya and somehow his decision was made. "Alyona Larisa is staying with us. She will have a bed on your floor. She and I have been meeting for the past few weeks and it seems like she is the one."
My heart broke and I could feel each piece shatter as he said that, but, I kept my face impassive. I was not going to let a guy break me. I was not going to act affected, instead, I will be the opposite. I will be emotionless and indifferent to the whole situation.
"She is perfect, you know? Her red hair looks like flames from a fire. The freckles across her nose and cheeks make her look so innocent —" he was going to continue, but Vasya cracked up.
An angry Alex shot him a dirty look —which he seemed to be doing a lot of —and continued when Vasya quietened his snickering. "As I was saying, her freckles make her look innocent and I absolutely love her curls as her hair swings over one eye. Her curvaceous body is a wonder to travel your hands over," he sighed dreamily and was ready to continue.
"I think if I have to hear how much you enjoy running your hands over her body, I might just puke," I said quickly.
He smirked, knowing that he irked me and he just scored one point for him. But this was a battle I intended winning and I wasn't going to let Alex and his redhead beat me.
"Well, Liv, you don't have to feel inadequate because you don't have such a curvaceous body," Vasya snickered.
"Shut the hell up!" I said glaring at him. I was slightly insecure with my thin, curve less body. With all the training I did during my teenage years, it had a great effect on my puberty growth. Sure, I had enough to fill a full bra cup and a little so that it looked like I had something in the back, but otherwise, I was flat and straight. There was nothing that could make Alex or anyone for that matter, look at me more than once. Unless, I had my blonde hair.
"Eli seems to like it that way," he added with a glint in his eye.
I chucked the pillow at him.
"Enough!" Alex roared.
He opened his mouth to say more and I opened mine's to tell Vasya just where to get off, but Antoine burst straight into the room with the annoying redhead right behind him. She looked terrible, like she had seen a ghost. Her clothes, which were a long black silky nighty and a red robe was torn at the edges and she was barefoot. Her face was void of any makeup and I could see that she was beautiful, but I would never tell her that or anyone else.
Antoine had black soot covering his face and he too, looked panic-stricken. He pants looked burned and his shirt had a few singed marks marring it. "Alex, the mansion is burning the fire is consuming everything readily. It was deliberate. I have called in reinforcements to help end it and they will be here shortly," he said breathing hard.
"The humans?" Alex asked, unconcerned that his house, his home was burning down.
"They were not anywhere inside," Antoine answered.
Alex looked contemplative, until he remembered his queen. He gestured for her to come to him and she did, looking like a scared cat while she did so. She sat his lap and he wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. "Are you okay?" he murmured and ran his hand over her cheeks.
She nodded and the laid her head on his chest. They made me sick to look at, so I got off the bed and went to the bathroom while grabbing some clothes with me. I changed and grabbed my boots pulling them on. I was on my way out when Vasya came behind me. "Just where do you think you are going?" he asked, hands folded over his chest and biceps bulging.
I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm going to check up on the humans," I sneered. I was angry that they weren't even concerned about the house burning down or even the fact that people that was hired could have been hurt. Then, I suddenly realized it. Everything. All at once.
I was human. Eventually I would die and they wouldn't care. There was no family left in this world that was mine. I could never and would never belong in his vampire haven. My world was out there and staying here was like betrayal to the humans. We were nothing to them, just food. If a few of us died, it wouldn't matter to them. There would always be more, but if we were all wiped out, then they would all die as well. So if all ten of the human servants employed died out, it wouldn't matter to them. After all, they were just humans.
"I'll come with you," Vasya said, wisely avoiding an argument with me on whether or not the humans were worth it.
"No thank you," I said coldly. "Alex promised me no more babysitters."
He scoffed. "You think Alex sent me? You're wrong. I came because we are friends and I worry about you," he smiled.
I rolled my eyes and walked out, shutting the door in his face. It was rude and unfair, but if we were so-called friends, he could have told me about this Alyona. He could have warned me that Alex might have possibly met the one vampire he would spend his eternity with. Friends don't keep secrets from friends.
Add to the fact, that I was rude to him as well because I was angry at Alex and I couldn't take it out on him. So, naturally either Vasya or Antoine would have got it. Unfairly, though.
"I am not letting you go there alone. What if something happened to you?" he asked chuckling, not because it was funny, but rather because I slammed a door in his face.
"You cause too much bloody havoc and chaos in my house anyway!"
I smiled. "A lot of good things would come from that," I said.
He studied me as we walked in the dark. I was used to seeing in the dark and nothing could surprise me, even if this was uncharted territory. "I don't think so. Alex would be mad," Vasya said quietly, as if he was not supposed to talk about it.
I rolled my eyes. "I doubt it. Remember, he told me indirectly I was a burden to him?" I pointed out.
"Sometimes, in moments of fear we speak out. When we do speak, we say what we really don't mean. Since Alex's parents passed away, he shut himself off from feeling anything to somebody he didn't know. He remained indifferent to people, except those that he knew and trusted before their death. For example, he trusts, Antoine, Robert, Rosie, Cathy, Seb and myself. He doesn't let people in too easily because he never wants to go through that again. He prefers to act like nothing hurts him and nothing affects him, but that isn't true. We all know he has weaknesses. His family is his greatest one. And I suppose he never wants to feel that helplessness ever again." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't take what he said to heart. He was just scared," he said softly.
"I doubt that. He is too proud." I tied my hair up, since the blowing wind was starting to knot it and that would only complicate my life later on. As if there wasn't enough complications going on already. "Anyway, I am grateful for your company but you should go bow down to the new queen and go ask her if she needs anything," I teased.
He growled playfully at me. "I won't do that," he said seriously.
I looked at him questioningly. "Why won't you bow to her? If Alex makes her the Queen, then you have to. Or else that is like rebellion or treason, or whatever," I said worried what would happen to him.
He chuckled. "No, you misunderstand me. If my best friend does make her his queen, I will treat her with the respect she deserves, but I cannot see us agreeing on anything. I don't know, I just cannot see her as my queen," he shrugged.
"Oh, okay," I muttered awkwardly.
I looked ahead and from the distance I could see the flames polluting the air and the fire eating up the eastern side of the mansion. I started running there, I had to get there and do something. I couldn't let it go any further.
"Stop," Vasya said and held my arm in a death grip, but he didn't hurt me.
"I need to go, Vas. What if they're hurt? What if they need me?" I protested.
He smiled. "I'll let you go, but I need to know something," he said and looked at me in the eye. "Do you like Alex?"
I stopped breathing for a second and then remembered that he would realize it. "Don't be stupid," I said putting up the show of waving my hand dismissively. "He was spoken for long before I was born," I added.
"And if he wasn't?" he asked, a slight hitch in his tone.
"Things aren't different, so I don't really know," I answered and shook off his hand.
"Livvy, wait. Think, what if things were different?" he pressed.
"You said one question," I reminded him and started running.
When I got there, I found them all huddled by one large tree in the back yard. There were very, very near to my rose bushes and I glanced in their direction just too see if the roses were unharmed. They were, thankfully.
I walked over to the group and assessed their clothes. Most of them were dressed in jeans and tops, yet all the clothes were clean. Not one of them had any sooty marks, no burns or anything. I searched and assessed the whole group, looking for injuries or anything, but they were fine. A little too fine for my liking. It was suspicious.
Some of the younger ones looked shaken up and scared, but unharmed. I called Aggie aside to speak to her. She looked positively scared. "Yes, miss?" she asked, her body rattling.
"How did you all make out alive?" I asked.
We were making breakfast for the master and them, and a lot of the younger children were in the kitchen with me while we ate and prepared before the ...master and his friends woke up. One boy, Tommy, had to go to the bathroom and then he said he smelled smoke. I had them all leave everything and get out of the house. I started screaming that there was a fire and then the master's friend ran out and found us. But then he remembered something and said he had to get it. That is all I know, miss, I swear," she said, still shaking.
I nodded, not quite convinced, but I had let it go. Instead, I went into the burning house. "Olivia!" Vasya yelled behind me, but I had to go in. I had my family's stuff in there. I had to get it!
I sprinted in through the kitchen, running along the wall, yet not anywhere near the fire. I sprinted up the burning stairs, taking a massive gamble. At any second it could have collapsed, but I was determined.
The air was starting to thicken with the smog and breathing was difficult. My lungs burned for fresh air, but I held my sleeve over my mouth as I sort of filter. I reached my floor and ran in the burning hallway, jumping over fallen beams and frames. My arms got singed a few times, but I had to get into my room. I knew my door was locked, so as I once heard, I kicked near the handle and the door flew inside, crashing with a loud thud and then bringing the fire inside.
I ran over the burning door and threw open my cupboard, grabbing the duffel bag I had with the money and items I took. The fire was spreading faster and faster in my room. Eating it all up like gasoline had been thrown there. Braving the fire, I jumped on my bed, grabbed the frame and ran across the bed, throwing myself out the window.
It was a stupid move, but a necessity. The door was burning and going out the same way I came in was suicide. Although I was definitely suicidal, I still had one last mission to accomplish. Death could not capture me if I hadn't yet tried to fulfil my mission. As I flew out the window, I kept my body limp but held those precious items close to me.
I wasn't afraid of dying —that would be a treat and a mercy. Yet, as always, God wasn't as gracious to me as he was to others. I landed on the floor with a thud. Dust floated into the air and I was coughing like a bronchitis sufferer. My lungs were on fire for the fresh air, and as it floated in, my lungs raged against it. When I could breathe properly, I stayed still for a few minutes, trying to figure out which of my bones broke.
"Olivia Richard!" Vasya boomed. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
He stomped his way over with Antoine, Alex and Alyona following. In a flash, Alex was at my side. He ran his hands all over me, feeling my body for a major break or cut. Even at a time like that, I marvelled over his touch, God knew how much more I would have. It was soft, caring and careful. "What the hell were you thinking?" he asked me, so softly, I was the only one who heard.
I turned my face away from him and instead looked at Vasya, who was crouched at my other side. He held my hand and tried to gently lift me up, without hurting me further. He slid his hand behind my back and lifted me, which forced Alex back into his beloved's arms. "Ouch, that hurts," I cried as I was in mid-air with my feet and legs flat on the ground.
He stopped immediately. "I'm sorry, princess," he whispered.
"It's o-okay," I rasped. My throat burned and my breathing wasn't quite back to normal. I could now feel all my aches and pains. My ankles were either both twisted and sprained. My back was aching so bad that I knew I could not move it —possibly from landing on it. I knew my arms had cuts, bruises and burn marks. My face? Well, only a mirror could tell the extent of the damage.
"No, it isn't, princess," he said. Just by his soft tone, I knew he felt bad for what I did, or my face was repulsive. "I'm going to make whoever did this to you pay with their life, princess," he said.
"No, it's okay. I'm-I'm fine," I said trying to smile.
"Relax, don't talk. Okay?"
I nodded instead, glad that he still held me or else I would have fallen a long time ago. Suddenly, I saw men in uniforms trying to stop the fire. Later on, I realized they were fire-fighters trying to kill the fire.
"Alex, where are we going to take her?" he turned to Alex.
Alex turned to look at me, and then when he noticed me watching, he switched his gaze to Vasya. "Take her back to where she was. Antoine and I will come there later and ...sort it out," he said cryptically.
Vasya let out an annoyed sigh. "And the rest? Alyona?" he questioned.
Alex looked exasperated. "I want Alyona to go home, now. And the rest Antoine can book them into one of my hotels. All apart from one another. I don't trust a few of them. No, one seconds thoughts. Give the big boys a presidential suite and all the others get stuck in another presidential suite. Have eyes on them at all times. Put cameras in the rooms with audio. I want to know what happens at all times. Am I clear?" he questioned.
They nodded and Vasya turned his attention to me. "This is going to hurt a bit, okay?"
I nodded, knowing that if he didn't help me up, the cold ground was going to affect my back. He lifted me up without pausing so that it would hurt less. In all honesty, I barely felt the pain. "Hold on tight," he whispered.
I was glad that when he picked me up, he didn't try to rip the bag or frame from my hand, so it was still safely secured. I nodded and leaned my head against his chest. He speed ran to the little cottage I stayed in and gently laid me down on the bed. "Livvy, dear, listen to me. Would you like to stay here?" he asked me gently.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that there is no way I can clean your wounds here nor disinfect anything here. If you want, I can leave a note here and we can run to his little fort where you will be safe and there will be supplies," he said, logically.
I thought about it and decided he was right. Who cared if Alex got angry at me? Who cared if we disobeyed him? "Yeah, let's go," I said. "But can we take my bag with? And could you put my photograph in there please?" I asked.
He nodded and then did it ad wrote the note before rushing out with me tucked in his arms. In a matter of minutes, we reached a grey, dull building. There was a single light on and it was cleverly hidden behind a thick brush of trees.
Vasya asked me to close my eyes and relax, so that he could enter the password without me peeping. He told me that he knew I wouldn't breathe a word to anyone else, but it was just for Alex's peace of mind.
I nodded and did as he asked. We were already in so much of trouble coming here without his knowledge.
Once we entered Vasya flittered his way to a huge room. When he switched on the light, I knew it was Alex's main room —this was only going to cause more drama. It was black, black and more black. I didn't even bother to take note, my body was aching everywhere. I wanted to scream out as Vasya laid me on the bed.
He took a deep breath and looked at me. "Uhm, where do I start?" he asked himself. He looked around the room for a sign, an indication.
"Vas," I choked out. "I need water to drink and medical supplies, please."
"Oh yes, sorry," he muttered distracted. He raced out of the room and came back with my glass of water.
"Thanks," I rasped and then looked at him. "I need some antibacterial soap or ointment. A cloth, water and scissors, please."
He nodded and flitted out of the room to find it. When the door creaked open, I started speaking. "Vas, I need to sit up please?"
But when the footsteps neared and I looked up, I stifled a scream. "Shh, princess. It's just me," Alex said calmly.
A type of different fear went through me. Was he mad that we weren't where he said we should be? Would he start yelling at me? Would he hit me? I looked away from him, ignoring his eyes.
"Liv, are you upset with me?" he asked gently.
Upset with him? Try furious, livid, irate, outraged. I was more than upset by him. I was hurt on another level. I felt extensively humiliated last night. "That doesn't cover how I feel," I said instead.
"Then why won't you talk to me? Look at me?" he pleaded.
At that precise moment, Vasya walked in with the supplies and a small table with wheels. "Vas, I need to sit up so I can deal with it," I said, ignoring Alex completely.
He nodded and walked over to me. With one hand, he lifted me up and then with the other, he grabbed the other pillows and stuffed it behind my back so that I was propped upright. The pressure from sitting upright hurt, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
I stretched my right arm in front of me and then checked over it. There were a few small cuts and one long cut that had dried blood around the edges. It was nothing too bad. On my other arm though, was a long cut from my shoulder down to the crease of my elbow and ending just before my wrist. That was a result of dragging that hand behind when I jumped through the window.
It was still bleeding. I ignored it and looked at my feet, small cuts but nothing too bad. "Vas?" I called, but he didn't answer and I knew he went out.
"Liv, let me help?" Alex asked kindly.
I grunted permission, because I had no other choice. He knew what I wanted and checked my ankles. "It's sprained," he confirmed.
I groaned aloud. "I need to get around. I need to do things! And now I'm stuck here," I moaned.
He chuckled. "I'll carry you where you need to go," he said.
"No, you don't have to. I'll ask Vasya. You have other things to do," I said brusquely. I didn't like to rely on anyone and now to rub my pride in dirt, he wanted me to rely on him.
"Vasya isn't here. He had to go and help Antoine," Alex said calmly.
I glared at him. "You did that on purpose didn't you? You wanted to corner me and grill me some more when there weren't any witnesses around," I screamed at him weakly.
He laughed and picked me up. "What the hell are you doing? Are you going to kill me?"
He laughed even harder and just kicked open one of the doors —which opened up to another one of his divine bathrooms. I had no words to describe the lavishness of it. I swear, for a fort to hide in, he made sure that it was stylish. "Oh," I said embarrassed when we walked in.
"Undress yourself and I'll run the bath for you," he said kindly.
"I can't, remember? I can't stand alone."
He handed me a pair of scissors and I stared at him. "Cut your clothes and then get into the tub, hand it to me and I'll get rid of it," he said softly.
I realized what he meant. I should cut the clothes while I was in his arms and then when he placed me in the tub, I could pull it all free. "Then what will I wear?" I asked in a small voice.
He gave me a dull stare, said nothing and then closed his eyes. I started cutting down in a straight line, so that even if he moved me around it wouldn't expose too much. As soon as I was done, I told him. He looked straight ahead and walked to the edge of the bathtub, then placed me on the rim so I could wiggle around and pull it off.
"Lift you right hand," I whispered. It lingered on my shoulder and around my back. He moved it long enough for me to remove the tattered shirt. When he put his hand back, things became awkward for me.
I felt exposed, bared and vulnerable. At any moment, he could do something to me and no one would know. But then, I had to remind myself that this was the same man that saved me when I was so small. He could have taken advantage of me any time back then but he never did.
But my subconscious had lots to say. "Yes, but he was never alone —like he is now with you," it whispered.
I frowned and worked instead on taking my jeans off to my ankles. I slipped it around there and couldn't wiggle anymore. "Uh, Alex, could you please pull the jeans off my legs?" I asked uncomfortably.
He snickered and just trailed his one hand lightly down my leg and pulled the jeans off with ease. "Relax, I am just going to slip you down into the bathtub, okay?"
"Okay," I said.
He slipped me into warm water that was soothing and relaxing. I could smell all the scents floating all around. He was halfway out, when he turned —eyes still closed —and spoke. "We'll talk after your bath."