I am clutching the granite kitchen bench and every scream that fills the air forces me to grip tighter and tighter.
Etu and Alex returned from their separate missions soon after Amelia and i spoke and set to work on resetting her bones. I tried to help them but each snap of bone sent Amelia into a high pitched wail that chilled me to my core. I couldnt continue to watch so i made my way in here where i have stood, gripping the bench top with ultimate force, as Amelia's screams move throughout the air.
Finally after 20 agonizing minutes, the screaming stops and footsteps coming my way can be heard.
"Are you ok?" Alex asks as he appears next to me with a reassuring hand resting gently on my lower back.
"How's Amelia?" I purposely skip his question and interject my own.
"She's resting now. Etu took her into one of the bedrooms. She will be fine in a few days or so."
His strong hands are rubbing soft circles on my back and i feel myself soften from the touch.
"So what now?" I ask.
"How about we rest for a while and figure it out tomorrow? I think we both deserve some time to just sleep."
I nod eagerly at his suggestion but then a familar amber liquid catches my eye. Suddenly an idea reveals itself and i am no longer tired.
"Or we could continue on where we left off the last time we were here." I add nodding toward the bottle.
Alex's lips turn upwards at the corners before he plants a soft kiss against my lips.
Sounds good.
.....
Half a bottle of whiskey and two glasses of wine later and i am practically seeing stars. The room hasnt stopped spinning but somehow i dont feel like vomiting. Maybe im getting used to binge drinking.
Alex has been telling me stories of his past lives and what the world was once like and i don't even try to hide my astonishment.
He has seen so much and lived in so many different countries but somehow he always found his way back to Russia. He said that it always felt like home to him.
I'm not surprised when he tells me that he hasn't been back to Ireland since he lost his family and saved Keavy from death and at the mention of her name the mood begins to dim.
We were laughing and joking all of 15 minutes ago but now the air feels somber and my mind begins to take me to different places.
Alex feels my shift in thought and lets out a soft sigh at the realization of what is to come. He knows i have questions and i know that he is ready to give me the answers.
"What was it like in Zone Zero?"
Even as a child i remember hearing that Zone Zero was for vampires only and that it was for the best. I didnt understand back then why they had to be segregated but since leaving zone two i am starting to realize that all was not as it seemed all those years ago.
"It was alright at first. We thought we could run the place and it would be our own country but the truth came out pretty quick. The UN never wanted it to be a vampire country but instead a way of monitoring and eliminating us."
I let a gasp escape my lips just as Alex hangs his head to stare at the floor.
"They rationed our blood and soon began to start cutting our rations until we were only feed once a week. It was enough to live but no one had any strength to fight back which is what they wanted. Soon they began taking away the weakest vampires saying that they were going to be properly taken care of in a differnt facility but none of them ever came back. Rumours began flooding around that they were used as experiments or that they were flat out killed which caused a stir amongst us all. Vampires were talking about taking a stand and began voicing their opinions only to be slaughtered on the spot."
I shuffle along the couch until i am close enough to touch Alex and place my hand soothingly on his knee. He rubs my hand for a moment and continues his tale.
"Soon enough everyone was too scared to speak out and our numbers just kept dwindling. We had lost close to half of our population within the first few months. And then things started getting worse. They stopped feeding us all together so that we started attacking each other on a daily basis. And the supposed guards use to watch and place bets on who would win each fight." He lets out a snort of disapproval and i find myself struggling to keep myself from shedding a tear.
"Cail and i were together the entire time. We started to plot our own escape and soon we had a small following of others that wanted out too. We managed to get quite a lot of vampires behind us and started making some big plans."
He lifts his gaze from the floor and locks eyes with me and i know instantly that his next words will not be easy to hear.
"We slaughtered every guard we saw and made our escape into the neighboring zone but we were all so starved and couldn't control our thirst. Most of the humans that we saw died before they could even scream, but it wasnt enough. There were many of us but more of them and we needed to replenish our numbers. We began turning anyone we thought would be strong enough to handle being a vampire and killed those who wouldnt."
He breaks our gaze and hangs his head once more.
"I'm not proud of what Cail and i orchestrated but we didnt think we had a choice. We were treated worse than animals within zone zero and knew it was a matter of time before we were all dead. It started out as just survival but it went so much further than that."
"After the word spread of what happened and we had more numbers, Cail passed the order that we should attack the other zones as well. We all followed him blindly, not seeing that what he wanted was to start a war and push humans to the brink of extinction. When the humans retreated to Zone Two and put up the walls i managed to persuade Cail not to attack. Instead he had groups of vampire scouts roam the world looking for stray humans and began farming them for their blood or auctioning them off like livestock."
"I led so many different attacks on the humans in so many different cities. I never felt regret or remorse for what i was doing. I saw it as them or me and i wanted to survive. I came to see just how much i was manipulated by Cail but i kept going along with him because i saw it as the only way."
He grasps my hand softly and intertwines out fingers, setting a soft kiss on the back of my hand.
"I know now that there has to be a better way. But the only way to achieve it will be by overthrowing Cail."
I clutch his hand tightly to my chest in both if my own and set my own small kiss on his knuckles.
"And i will be there with you every step of the way. Whatever it takes, we will take Cail down and fix the mess that he made."
He smiles softly at my words but it doesnt touch his gorgeous eyes.
Worry begins to fill me as i feel his emotions sink into my skin. He isnt sure if he can defeat his brother or if he can actually kill him. A feeling that i have felt before.
He runs his free hand through his hair, messing it up as he goes and then lets it run down his face. He seems exhausted but also relieved.
"Thank you for telling me about what it was like. I know that they must be memories you would rather forget."
Our eyes lock as he registers my words and soon i feel the all too familar touch of his lips against mine.
"Thank you for listening and understanding. I actually expected you to be furious and leave. I'm not exactly proud of the part i played but i also dont regret what i have done. Im no saint, that's for sure." He says quietly.
I cup his face in my hands and kiss his lips softly once more.
"I have known for a long time that you are no saint and i cant be angry at you for something that you did when i was just a child. You saved my life, remember? I could never hate you, or blame you, for any of the misfortunes that have fallen on me. That wouldn't be fair to you now would it, Aodhan."
I kiss him again sweetly as i finish and feel a wave of worry lift from both of us and get replaced by a burning need. A desire to caress and touch one another with urgency.
Alex burries his hands in my hair and pulls me closer to him until our chests touch, before gripping my hips and placing me atop of him so that i straddle his legs. I press myself hard against him and can feel the bulge in his pants begin to stiffen.
The quick change of pace is a welcomed accomplishment and i press my lips harder into his to gain access into his mouth. I let my tongue dart out and dance with his and i feel a rumble of approval groan from Alex's chest.
His hands begin to slide from my hips, under my shirt and up my back, sending chills racing down my spine. His very touch electrifies my senses and brings me that one step closer to the heaven that i have come to know when i am with him.
Suddenly he pulls away from my kiss and cups my face in his hands and just stares into my eyes. I stare back into his brilliant blue orbs and wait him to speak the reason for the interruption but i dont get one.
"What?" I ask bashfully as he engulfs me with his stare.
"It's just that you are so amazing. Sometimes i need to make sure that you are real and not just my imagination."
I feel myself begin to well with tears as he speaks such beautiful words to me but before they show he brings our lips together once more. We collide in our intimate kiss and throw everything else aside. It is only us two in this moment. Nothing else matters.
I begin ripping at Alex's shirt and he takes that as his signal. In one swift move he has me laid out flat on my back as he hovers above me completely shirtless.
I run my fingers down his chest and let them trail over his rippled abs and to the top of his pants before sliding my hand inside and grasping him firmly in one hand. He moans against my mouth and reaches for his pants just as i choose to turn the tables.
In a movement faster than he sees coming, i push him flat on the couch and straddle his hips. The surprise on his face is enough to spur me to continue as i slowly begin to kiss his neck.
I work my way lower, kissing and nibbling every section of perfect skin that i come across until i am at his belly button. I then run my tongue downwards until i hit the waist of his pants and begin to slide them down until his erection springs free.
I dont miss the sudden intake of air that Alex breathes as i grasp him firmly in hand and bring my lips close. Slowly i take him in my mouth as far as i can without choking and begin to overwhelm him with pleasure.
Soft gasps and moans emit from his chest as he brings his hand to play softly with my hair.
I continue my sweet assault on him and feel him grow stiffer by the second until he is at an incredible size. Slowly i come up for air and set my gaze to him only to find he has been watching me the entire time. His eyes are filled with lust and before i know it i am yanked onto his chest and my lips are parted to let his deepened kiss invade my mouth.
Within seconds he is pulling at my pants to come down and is ripping my underwear off before sitting upwards and moving me onto him in quick succession. I am again straddling him but this time he is fully inside of me as i rise and fall against him with breathy moans.
Each rise and fall beings me closer to fulfilment but nothing gets me closer than when he speaks words that i want to hear forever and always.
I love you so much.
That proclamation catapults me over the edge of ecstasy as i tighten my grip on his shoulders. My nails now digging in deeper into his flesh.
We continue our rapid movements as my breathing reaches extreme heights. My senses are set to overdrive and i cant seem to keep the moans of pleasure from escaping my lips.
Alex's own grip on my waist and hips becomes tighter as he nears his own blissful release. I find myself digging my nails in harder as i begin to build again.
When i am just at the edge i bring my lips forcefully to Alex's and then pull away to speak into his ear.
"I love you, Aodhan."
The look in his eyes mixed with the sheer love and devotion he is feeling at this very moment sends me spiralling over the edge yet again with him following fast.
Alex brings his hands up to my face and claims my lips forcefully with his before pulling away and smiling largely my way. I cant help but smile back at him and let off a small chuckle of embarrassment at his devouring gaze.
"I must have dreamed you into reality. There is no other explanation for it. You are utterly perfect." He whispers his words but they dont escape me. They amaze me.
A/N - Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy the latest chapter!! Xoxoxoxo