A/N~ Enjoy! :D Please tell me what you think about this chapter. I have literally been going back and forth on this one and I kept changing things so tell me if you like the way it turned out. I was struggling with it XD
I dedicated this chapter to cleo_puff! Thanks so much for voting and commenting on this story! I really appreciate it and I love reading your comments, plus I love your little pikachu icon hahaha
I don't know if anyone cares but I'm gonna say it anyway cause that's just how I roll ;) I changed my icon!!! It goes with alyssiiamarie story!! It's called Marked and it's amazing. She's planning on publishing it I think so I don't know how long she'll keep it up. It's not complete yet with only like four chapters to go or something like that but please go check it out and give her the support she deserves :)
~Chapter Twenty~
Waking up I felt like crap. I felt tired, weak, and just bad. I had finally gotten something to eat while on the plane so it wasn't because of that. No, I knew what it was.
I missed Aleksandr. No matter how angry I wanted to stay at him, I couldn't deny the mate bond. No one is meant to be without their mate this long and I could feel myself going mad. To make matters worse, every waking second I could feel only what could be described as a pulling or tugging sensation on the back of my mind.
I had thought it was from my drowsiness but I finally realized what the cause was. It was Aleksandr trying to force himself into my thoughts, and it was constant too. It never stopped which also added on to me weakening.
We were fine in the beginning once we were settled. The three of us didn't set any date for when we would finally return but we only lasted seven days. For a week we were able to relax with nobody but the three of us. Though we each constantly missed our other halves, we were glad to be away from them for as long as they would let us.
Honestly, it was quite exciting to think that at any moment our mates could barge through the front door. The thought of being my mate's prey thrilled me in some primal way.
But as the days wore on, I realized how hard this was going to be. They hadn't found us or even shown any signs that they were near though. What was hard was being away from them. I underestimated how much I relied on just Aleksandr's company alone. As the days went by I started to see how much I truly needed him. It made me realize that I didn't want a life without him. No life was worth living without Aleksandr no matter how angry or upset he made me feel.
That became even more apparent to me after seven days of blocking him. Throughout seven days I had been the most annoyed and irritable that I have ever been.
I knew I couldn't keep him out forever but I at least hoped I could last a while! I wanted him to feel bad and see my way but as usual, I only felt like I was making things hard for myself. All I could hope for is that he was suffering as much as I was.
Seeing Adara and Eileen the next morning I knew I wasn't the only one feeling the affects of the mating bond. On the seventh day, each of us had dark circles around our eyes showing that we got close to zero sleep. Our cheeks seemed sunken in and slightly more hollow. It was obvious to me that our health had declined sharply.
Our health wasn't the only thing being affected. Our attitudes and moods altered as well.
Adara wanted to do nothing but sit and couldn't even bring herself to read. Eileen's usual bubbly self didn't even leave her bedroom. When I brought her food she barely even touched it.
I felt like a terrible sister. This was all my fault. They never wanted to leave and because I forced them into this they were suffering. I couldn't have done this without them and they knew that. So of course they helped me even though Adara tried to dissuade me multiple times.
I told them as much too but they denied it. Eileen and Adara had been adamant about them wanting and needing this as much as I did. I felt like they were trying to make me feel better but I didn't push the subject any further. When I asked Adara if she wanted to go back, she stubbornly refused. Eileen didn't say anything.
On the seventh night Adara and I found ourselves in the kitchen. My sister was silent and I felt too drained to even attempt conversation. We seemed to be in our own dream states, preoccupied with our thoughts.
Not surprisingly, I found mine drifting to Aleksandr. I was wondering what he was doing at this very moment. Was he missing me as much as I missed him? Was he even still looking for me or did he go back home?
Once again I found myself wishing he was here with me. We could tour the city together even though he's probably seen enough of it already. My sexual appetite grew as well thinking about a little vacation with my mate.
"We should go out and get some food."
Adara sighed in agreeance. "That we should. I'll go ask Eileen if she wants to join is."
Slowly making my way to the front door, I sagged against a wall in the foyer. I doubt Eileen wants to go. Out of the three of us, she misses her mate the most. She doesn't ever want to do anything anymore.
Adara's heavy footfalls grabbed my attention. "She said she wants to be left alone," she shook her head as she came down the stairs.
I grimaced. "She said that?"
She let out a curt chuckle. "No," Adara denied. "She merely stared at the wall as I spoke."
All at once the guilt I had been suppressing washed over me.
"Well let's go. If we actually want to eat tonight we better get going," Adara started pushing me out the door.
"So who did you call in that barren icelandic deathtrap?"
"Are you talking about Alaska?" I eyed her in amusement with a grin playing on my lips.
She waved me off but gave a nod.
"My best friend, Ashleigh," I supplied. Boy did I have a lot of explaining to do when I finally got back to California.
"So this Human, what is she like?" Adara didn't say it with any demeaning attitude but as if she were stating a fact. Ashleigh is Human and we are not.
It made me upset to think about our dissimilarities. We used to have everything in common. Now we had close to nothing.
"Ashleigh," I spoke with emphasis for Adara to acknowledge her by name, "was like my sister. Since I didn't get on well with my 'parents', nor did she, we found solace in each other. We were more like siblings than friends."
"Is she the one that provided us with gold?"
I busted out laughing. "Yes. She sent me money Adara," I said as I wiped away an imaginary tear.
Adara glared at me as I lost it. She attempted a dissatisfied scowl but it broke out into a slim grin.
I'm surprised with how this evening turned out. Adara has seriously been on a short fuse since leaving Darius so it was rare to see her cracking smiles.
"Are you still mad at Darius?"
Her gaze hardened and I instantly felt bad for souring her mood. "Yes," she snapped, her anger obviously not directed at me. "That deceitful snake lied to me!"
"He was probably just scared," I shrugged. I don't know why but that sounded like a wrong adjective to use when describing Darius.
Adara just rolled her eyes and kept walking, holding our drinks. "He should not have kept something that important from me. None of them should have."
I nodded in acceptance. She is right but I'm pretty much over Anastasia. Adara could probably hold a grudge forever.
I decided not to dwell on the subject seeing how affected Adara was getting by it. Of all the times I've spoken to Darius, we got along just fine. I would actually cut him some slack probably but I don't know the Darius Adara knows. He could be a completely different Creature when he is with Adara.
I really felt like crap for bringing up Darius when Adara stopped talking and continued in silence.
"Well, well, well." Adara and I both halted immediately. The chilling voice that resounded in the night was distinctly male and came from the dark alleyway we were passing.
A figure finally emerged from the shadows. It was a man who appeared to be a bit older than me with olive, toned skin and dull, blond hair. Behind him there was another man with almost the same complexion but with blue irises.
The one with blue eyes had an arrogant smirk on his face as he stepped closer, to which Adara forced me behind her. She was using herself as a shield as she stood in front of me in a protective stance. "Who the hell are you," she snapped.
Yep, there goes her good mood!
"Some foul language coming from a Princess," he grinned mockingly. "And our names do not matter. The real question should be, why are two beautiful Creatures such as yourselves walking around at night." Oh shit. They are not Human and they obviously know who and what we are.
"Why the fuck do you care," Adara hissed.
"King Gareth is willing to pay a high sum for just one of you. Imagine how much we could get for two." His pale, green irises flashed as he slinked towards us slyly.
It all happened so fast. One moment Adara was standing before me, the next she had tackled the green-eyed Creature to the floor and was pummeling him with her fists. She was beating him up!
I was so enraptured by Adara that I foolishly ignored the other Creature. The blue-eyed male charged me and took me down to the floor roughly. I let out a cry of pain when I hit my head hard on the ground.
Besides the now sluggish feeling I had just gotten from slamming my head, I don't know why I didn't react. It was like I was frozen. I've never had to use my powers before and I didn't know how to react. When I used my power on Aleksandr, it was on accident.
I was slammed into the ground with brutal force, the Creature scrambling to pin me. Now my body chose to do something but I merely squirmed and attempted to throw him off. It didn't help any though and the next thing I know he's raising his hand while grasping a dagger firmly, poised to attack.
In that moment, I felt true fear. All blocks came down. I was going to die. Aleksandr couldn't save me this time and Adara was dealing with the other guy.
At the same time though, I felt ... content.
It seemed like slow motion watching the knife being brought down. Right before it pierced my chest though, a black coil wrapped tightly around his wrist like a whip yanking it up.
Aleksandr! It has to be! He's the only one I know that can control the shadows.
I got excited but then noticed that it was not a shadow. It didn't have that glossy look that reminded me of a silk ribbon. Was it a . . . plant?
It was a vine; a vine covered with thorns.
The man howled in pain as the vine tightened, loosening his grip. Blood was slowly sliding down his arm like rain drops. I took my chance and rolled out from under him.
It was Adara! She was controlling the vines. I watched in astonishment as more vines burst from the ground. They wrapped around both of the Creature's wrists along with his legs and any other limbs.
All at once an unknown force constricted and yanked sending body parts flying in different directions. Blood splattered in all directions and a sickening noise echoed in the night. I wish I could say I was terrified by the sight but the truth was, I wasn't.
The man was trying to hurt both Adara and I. I'm glad she did it. That doesn't mean I didn't stand there in shock eyeing the place where the Creature once stood.
"What the hell is wrong with you," Adara shouted as she grasped me firmly. "You could have been killed!" Her voice cracked like she was on the brink of tears.
My eyebrows furrowed. "Are you about to tell me that was all my fault," I snapped.
"Why didn't you do anything?" She shook me hard as if to shake sense back into me.
I did feel stupid though. What is wrong with me? I have powers and I didn't use them.
"I-I don't know," I stuttered. " I reacted-"
"Like a Human!" Her eyes blazed. "You are not Human anymore Sera. I know it's hard and you only know how to act Human but you are not that anymore. In our world, acting like a Human will get you killed." Adara was yelling at me frantically.
Maybe that's why Aleksandr didn't let me out of the palace. I still only know how to act Human.
"I understand," I whispered as I looked down. The guy almost killed me because I stumbled. These people want me dead and they aren't going to show restraint because of what I used to be or because I'm a girl.
"Hurry! We must check on Eileen-" Adara's sentence was cut off as she was tackled into the nearest tree. Her head lolled to the side as she lost consciousness from the force.
The Creature with the green irises was now standing before her. His eyes were glinting with a feral note. He looked crazed, maniacal. He was probably pissed off that Adara killed his friend.
I don't know what he was about to do to Adara but I quickly ran and jumped on his back. My hands wrapped around his face and I used my nails to dig into his skin as he tried to shake me off. I let heat flow through my palms and stick to his skin like a hot iron.
The man screamed in pain as he grabbed me by my hair and tossed me away. I yelped as my head rebounded of the brick flooring.
With the Creature now giving me his undivided attention, I was brought back to Halloween. The man was prowling towards me dangerously only this time I knew for sure he wanted to harm me.
Blood was pouring down from a spot on my head as I tried to scurry away. It's not like I could get up and run. Adara is still conked out and I won't leave her.
When the Creature stood a mere foot away from my crouched form, a hand burst through his chest. Blood pelted my shoes and some even landed on my face.
A loud crack resounded as Darius pulled his hand from the man's chest. In his own grasp was the Creature's heart. My head felt heavy as I watched the man's figure keel over to rest deadly still at my feet.
Darius' irises were a vibrant red with black, pulsing veins taking up the whites. Was he trying to frighten me? Everything was getting fuzzy but I was trying to stay awake. "D-Darius. . . "
I flinched as he stalked towards me after releasing a vampiric hiss. I stayed conscious long enough to see a dark object knock him to the floor.
"Adara!" I instantly shot up and started assessing my surroundings frantically. I couldn't see anything with the only source of light being from the moon shining in through my balcony. It was still night and I was back in my room at the vacation home somehow.
But I didn't care. There was only one thing on my mind.
Scrambling in the darkness, I felt around for the edge of the bed and threw my feet over the side. My head was pounding uncomfortably but that was important and meant nothing to me at the moment. "Adara-"
A hand immediately placed itself on my chest and pushed me back down. I didn't think this time and just reacted. I started punching and clawing whoever was holding me down until a fierce growl rung out sending pleasurable shivers through me.
"Don't move," he rumbled dangerously.
"Aleksandr!" My voice cracked as I forced that one word out. He remained silent but sat on the end of the bed. "Where is Adara?" I was frantic now. Last I saw of her she was lying unconscious with a lunatic about to attack.
"Adara is fine." There was still an undertone of a growl.
That wasn't enough for me. "I have to go check on her," I sat up in a frenzy only to be forced back down.
"You are not going anywhere. She is with Darius and he wants you nowhere near Adara," he snarled viciously. "Stay."
I laid back dejectedly. I wanted to see her and make sure she was okay with my own two eyes. But Darius would take care of her, I knew.
Aleksandr continued to just sit quietly so I took the time to assess him. It was hard to make out too much but his form was hunched over weakly and I had no idea why. Did he feel as bad as I did?
"What happened?"
My mate's fists clenched tightly as his nostrils flared. "You mean after you left me," he growled accusingly.
I stared at him sadly but silently. I didn't want to fight. I've had enough of it and I just want to be with him.
Aleksandr must have saw that because he sighed dejectedly while looking down. "We got there in time to see you latch onto that Creature and claw his face to death." He let out a brief chuckle at the thought.
"You saw Darius kill the Creature and then you passed out. Since we were so close to your house, Eileen must have heard a struggle and ran to help. Darius left with Adara and after Eileen led me here, she left with Gabriel."
"Did anyone see?"
Aleksandr shook his head. "Since we were already so close to the house and away from shops, no one was near. We had to send for someone to come and clean the mess Adara made though."
I sat quietly after that. I didn't know what to say anymore. I missed Aleksandr and if my head wasn't so sore I would be climbing on top of him for sex more than likely. I don't know what he's thinking about but he sat in silence as well.
I was okay with the silence as long as I was near him.
"Venice, Italy. We were searching all over America and you were on a different continent entirely." Aleksandr's voice rumbled deeply sounding odd in the deafeningly quiet room.
A jittery feeling began to wash over me. He wasn't yelling in anger like I thought he would be. He was merely staring at the wall calmly. But it was this stillness that had me feeling uneasy. I was expecting him to lash out at me but he still hasn't even glanced at me. He already scolded me but it wasn't as harsh as I expected.
I felt so out of place, so uncomfortable sitting next to him. Should I talk to him or wait for the explosion I know is about to happen?
Interrupting my thoughts, my mate finally looked me. Surprisingly his irises weren't black. They were their usual dark brown. Now that I wasn't distracted by Adara I took the time to assess his form. Just like Darius, he looked horrid. There were dark circles around his sullen eyes and he looked miserable. "You said not to bother talking to you till I could sympathize with your feelings. Well I want to talk now then." Aleksandr stood from the bed but remained close. He seemed like he was fighting with himself to hold my hand, to even touch me. But as he went to do that he stopped and stepped away.
A twinge went through me at the discrete action.
"You want complete freedom from my palace walls and I can't give you that right now," he spoke to me gently. "There are people that want to cause me harm and the easiest way to do that is through you. I can agree to be less overbearing but I can't let you leave to anywhere without me."
Oh shit we're doing this now.
It seemed like he was finally relenting to his desires when he finally latched onto my wrist and pulled me towards him. "What just happened outside proved to me that you are not ready to wander around alone." Did he really see all of that? Or did he miss the first guy? His irises began to darken and his muscles tensed.
I opened my mouth to protest but he snapped his teeth at me viciously showing me his elongated fangs. "Do not try to lie to me," he roared. "If Adara had not been with you, you would be dead. Adara has once again saved your life even though you keep walking into harms way with open arms!" I shut my trap at that. He was right after all. So maybe he did see the first guy. . .
I felt Aleksandr calm himself as I refrained from speaking out. "I know you want to go and explore new places and live different experiences. You will have that, eventually. And when you are ready, we will have the coronation. We have all of eternity to do whatever we desire," he hugged me closer to him. "We don't need to rush into anything."
I was getting ready to respond but he kept plowing forward. He didn't give me a chance to speak. Aleksandr was literally listing all of our problems that we had been arguing about for days. I let him continue though. If I broke into his speech then I feel like we'll start fighting again. I don't want that. I've had enough fighting.
"And I know I lied to you. It was wrong of me to keep that from you," he looked down briefly before straightening once more. "I had just gotten you. We had just mated and I felt like if I told you the truth, you would have left me instantly; before I even got a chance to have you. I won't lie to you again like that, I swear it. But I don't care how mad I get, don't ever think I will lay a hand on you. I would never- Just the thought alone-" he kept cutting himself off and shaking his head in disbelief.
I loved him so much. Grabbing him by his hair, I slammed his lips onto mine roughly. While the action surprised him, he wasn't about to object and began moving his tongue against my own.
He pulled away barely, leaving his lips to brush along mine as he spoke. "We should finish talking about this," he gasped out, breath intermingling with mine. Aleksandr seemed to force himself back. His arms remained around me though.
I pouted slightly. I didn't want to talk anymore. I wanted him too much to discuss this right now. I sighed in agreement though. We should settle everything now before we christen my friend's vacation home.
I started with the easiest thing for me. "I'm not mad that my mother was executed. I didn't even know her. I was mad that you lied about it," I told him.
It was the truth though, no matter how cold it sounded. I didn't know her nor my dad. While it was a bit saddening to never be able to meet my parents, they were before my time; not even a distant memory. I wouldn't leave him for somebody I couldn't even remember.
"And I know I can't just wonder around like I did when the Sprite was loose." I felt him tense up and saw his eyes darken at the mention of the Light Creature. "But I can't spend the rest of my life trapped in a castle. I understand that we're wanted Creatures but every once in a while I need to get out. It'll drive me insane if I don't." I was relieved to see Aleksandr following me on this. We were actually listening to each other like we should have been from the start.
"And what happened in the hallway, never do that to me again," I bit out in a slightly acidic tone though I did attempt to tone it down. "I get you guys have your own customs but I also have mine and you can't do that. Especially in front of some man I have only just met. That's why I thought you would hit me. If you were crazy enough to pull that stunt, why wouldn't you?"
Aleksandr grabbed my chin and pulled my face closer to his. "I promise you it will never happen again. Though it was embarrassing, it was pleasureful. I would never cause you pain," he shook his head looking at me a bit hurt.
Since Aleksandr abhorred the idea alone, I believed him. Now that we are having a decent conversation together, I saw that.
"That wasn't some random man by the way."
I glanced at my mate in confusion. Well, I certainly haven't ever seen that man before.
"That was your grandfather, Sera," Aleksandr tried to hide his grin but he was failing.
"I hav- I have grandparents?" My eyes widened as my mouth fell open. "Why didn't you tell me?" Slightly irritated, I started slapping his chest but not using my full force.
Aleksandr sighed as he frowned at me. "At the time I couldn't because I was afraid Ardin would reveal what truly happened to Anastasia. Same thing with your grandmother Ulrika."
"How come they didn't seek me out?" It made me mad that my own grandparents wouldn't want to meet me. What kind of grandparents are like that? I was also annoyed that Adara nor Eileen decided to enlighten me on our family tree.
Aleksandr saw my anger and tightened his grip on me. "I honestly have no idea. I swear I didn't tell them to avoid you," he said adamantly.
"Wait," Aleksandr raised an eyebrow in response. "So they still serve you guys," I questioned baffled. This Kingdom executed their daughter and they still support the throne?
Aleksandr seemed to be in deep thought before saying, "I've actually thought about that myself but they have earned my trust. They are two of my most trained Generals." He shrugged lightly. "I guess they agreed that Anastasia had been a traitor."
It still sounded bad to me, like they really couldn't give two shits about their daughter and now not me either. They haven't reached out to me and unless Aleksandr had told me, I would have never known they existed.
An unexpected yawn forced its way past my lips. My eyes felt heavy and I was about ready to pass out on the floor.
It was as if my body knew Aleksandr was here and was reacting to him. All I wanted to do was climb into bed and let his arms wrap around me so I could snuggle into his warmth.
Pushing him away, I started pulling on night clothes while he stripped to his boxers. I started crawling into the bed with my hand latched onto his arm, forcing him to join me. As I laid down, I felt him wrap himself around me as we spooned. He kissed my mark on my neck before we both fell into a very much needed sleep.
A/N~ I have actually been working on this chapter for a while. It was a bit hard for me to explain the mind block and all of that so I was sort of struggling with it. But it's finally up so I hope you guys liked it! How many of you guys were expecting a mating scene? ;) hahaha that comes later ;)
If you like the chapter, please leave a vote(or comment). It really helps me out and tells me if you're enjoying the story so I know whether to continue or not :)
Thanks for reading! :D