Hunted Blood: A Love Triangle Vampire Romance (Beautiful Innocence Book 2)

Chapter 17 – Lorianna

Fairy lights and vines twine around rustic wooden beams from floor to ceiling and across the upper interior of the country wine bar. I was a little skeptical at first when Alex drove me out of the city proper to a secluded ranch, but although he was acting weird in the library, it never felt like I was in any danger, so I decided to trust him.

Now that we’re here, a glass of wine into the night with a fresh one poured and food on the way, I’m pleased I came with him. The place is classy, low-lit, with an exclusive vibe before we even entered the building—there was no indication outside that there was a restaurant or bar at all, but everything inside is luxurious, the environment sensual.

In one corner, a pianist and a violinist coordinate a solemn duet that resonates with my mood. Just when I thought I was figuring Alex out, he proves to be even more of an enigma. He sips from his glass of red, a distant look in his usually piercing green eyes. A curl of his blond hair snakes over his broad forehead, and he tilts his head in a manner that shows he’s deep in thought. While he’s like this, I can stare at him for hours—half because he’s just so damn easy on the eyes and half because it’s like he’s in another world. He doesn’t see me at all.

It makes my heart ache. I imagined our reunion would be more emotional; we connected over the shared loss of my father, who he had known longer than me, but everything else between us was pretty much ignored.

Except for that kiss that stole my breath and heart. Again. That was an hour ago, and my lips still tingle with the intensity of the carnal desire portrayed through the movement of his lips alone.

It makes me hot all over just thinking about it.

I’ve dreamed of kissing you for so long, Lori. I don’t want to hold back anymore.

Alex kissed me like I was the only woman in the world, and then he snapped away from me like I’d poisoned him. I don’t know what changed—did he just lose control? Was he not planning on kissing me at all?

It’s driving me crazy, not knowing. I’m trapped in my own head and unable to come to a satisfactory answer. I can’t put my finger on why he did a 180 like that, and now, according to him, we’re out as friends, not as a date, like that kiss didn’t happen.

Shadows naturally cling to Alex’s physique, and regardless of my confusion, I’m drawn to him in the way I always have been. His black suit jacket hangs on the rack attached to our private booth, away from the prying eyes and ears of the other sparse customers in the bar. His white shirt is crisp, but tonight his black tie is loose around his neck, like it was haphazardly thrown on and not with his usual care.

Somehow, since the last time I saw Alex, the invisible allure that’s grown between us for months is even stronger. I can’t stop looking at him, thinking about him, but the fact that we’ve been here together for fifteen minutes and have hardly spoken a word except to order our drinks and meals is turning my insides into knots.

I can’t escape the feeling that if I don’t take charge, the short time we have together tonight could slip away before I get any answers.

I throw back the rest of my second glass of red, the silky, rich wine running down my throat and leaving a sweet cranberry aftertaste. I have a pleasant buzz going, but I need more liquid courage. I start pouring myself another glass. “How did you know my bracelet is magical?”

Alex’s dark eyes uncloud and refocus on me, his face shifting slightly in my direction before speaking. “I consulted a witch when I was trying to find you. I know what magic feels like.” He pauses, and from the way his lips turn downward, I can tell there’s something he’s thinking of saying, but he’s not sure if he should. “She told me you are a witch too, Lorianna. Considering I saw no indications that you were a witch before a few days ago, my estimation is you woke to your powers after meeting your aunts.”

I let my fingers travel to the cloth around my wrist, tracing the part that’s stiff from the wax concealed inside. While Alex is nearby, I sense his presence as a humming vibration of warning in the back of my head.

“It’s a relief that you know already, to be honest,” I say. “I wouldn’t know how to explain how it all happened otherwise. I had no clue magic was real until that moment... when I… I guess I was upset about the news about Dad. Over the past few days, everything’s changed so quickly. Now, there are not only vampires and vampire hunters, but witches and magic, too? It’s too much.”

“How does it make you feel? Now that you know the truth about the world—and who you are.”

I bite my lip. It’s sensitive because I’ve been doing it a little too frequently, but I see how his eyes fall to my mouth whenever I do. Should I tell him the rest—ask about the memory I re-experienced with my mom’s accident?

It could have been him who carried me from the crash. He could know more about what happened that day. I could learn more about Mom. But… as much as I want to know more, that’s all in the past. There’s so much that I need from Alex that will affect my immediate future.

“I don’t know. Is it weird to say I might be relieved? There was a lot about the world that didn’t make sense, like how big corporations like MIG could exist and get away with so much bullshit and small miracles everywhere that never added up. Now this big piece that I’ve been missing has dropped into my lap, and more of the unusual experiences I’ve had in the past are starting to make sense, even though there’s still a lot that doesn’t.”

“You take the truth better than most people.”

I shrug. “It’s probably easier when I’m in no immediate danger. I’m just happy to make it out onto the other side. It might not seem like it right now, but this must be my chance to finally chase my lifelong dreams, and there’s something powerful in that. So, if being a witch makes it easier for me to pursue a career as a dancer and open that studio I’ve always wanted, I don’t need or want to be CEO of Dad’s company.”

“You might feel that you are distant from the danger, but you are not.”

“I know I’m not free and clear yet, but I’m safe for now. Unless you know something I don’t?”

The hustle and bustle of the bar drones in the background, along with the melody of the violin and piano. There aren’t many other people here at this late hour, but the music and occasional echo of laughter remind me that we’re not entirely alone, despite the private corner we’ve nestled ourselves in. My nose catches some spices lingering in the air, and I turn my head just as the waiter arrives with two trays. Just in time, too, or else all this wine will go straight to my head.

“Here you are, folks,” the man says. He places a plate with a seared, rare steak and garden vegetables in front of Alex, and a fluffy pilaf with roasted salmon and a squeeze of lemon in front of me.

“This looks incredible, thank you!” I beam at him.

“Is there anything else I can get you tonight?” He looks between us expectantly, smoothing out the black apron over his dark uniform.

“Another bottle of the 2007 Gaja Barbaresco, please,” Alex answers.

“Coming right up, sir. Enjoy.”

I spear a piece of salmon with my fork and bite into the soft flesh with a sigh. Baked to perfection with a soft interior and a light pepper and lemon flavoring, it’s the best meal I’ve had in days.

“You were right—this place is amazing. I’ve never heard of it before.”

Alex smiles from behind his glass of wine. “They cater to a limited clientele. Only those with a membership even know it exists.”

“I didn’t realize you were so fancy,” I joke.

“It is less about extravagance and price than it is about a comfortable location open until dawn, whenever the need to escape LA strikes. Though the atmosphere is very much what I prefer as well.”

I bite at a length of asparagus, my tastebuds going haywire over the mix of earthy goodness and garlic. Moments later, just as Alex is cutting into his steak, the waiter returns with the new bottle of red and pops the cork for us to let the wine breathe.

Once he’s gone, Alex sighs again, his eyebrows are drawn together as if he’s still troubled. It’s strange to see Alex this way; I’ve always thought of him as a very reserved but articulate man who knows exactly what he wants, how to get it, and how to use his words to achieve that end. The fact that he’s troubled by what he has to say to me means it’s either bad or he’s just as flustered by me as I am by him.

That could be either good or bad.

“So?” I prompt after a few more bites of my meal to settle my stomach. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

His lips pinch together. “I am happy you can still trust me after all these tragedies, Lorianna. I am here to support you through everything, and it is very heartwarming that you concluded on your own that there is a way through this where you are stronger and better off than before. But I am… concerned. As you are distant from the major conflict here, without much context about Aurelius, vampires as a whole, and hunters, it is possible that you might get the wrong idea about what your life will look like from this day forward.”

“Sure, I can see that. Magic is a game changer, but I’m aware I can’t rely on it for everything. I wouldn’t dare.”

“That is not what I mean. You escaped Aurelius, but he is looking for you, and he will never stop. In time, he might let the effort wane, but only to trick you into believing you are safe to lure you back into the open.” He swirls his glass, staring into the blood-red liquid. “I have seen it happen many times during my tenure with him, and it never ends well. I do not want that to happen to you, Lorianna.”

“I’m not exactly putting myself out there, except for today. Shouldn’t he be leaving California if vampire hunters are after him anyway? I thought that was his whole survival strategy—running.”

“One mistake is all it takes. He is immortal, you are not. Unless you want to change your entire identity—including your name—nowhere will truly be safe. Aurelius might move his business away from California, but other vampires will move in. They could hunt you for credit with him.”

I lift my wrist. “Won’t this protect me?”

“I found you anyway, did I not?”

“Yeah, but… no one can replicate the way you found me unless they drink my blood, too, right?”

I try to meet his eyes to see how he reacts to me mentioning that extremely intimate moment between us, but his face is shadowed. The allure between us is still strong, but the way I was able to read him more clearly a few days ago is gone, like he’s intentionally shutting me out. It makes me tense in my seat. I don’t like how, since he found me again, he’s stayed at a distance emotionally and physically.

“Someone could find you through non-magical methods—what about video cameras, photos on social media, GPS? An anti-magic precaution will not stop a vampire or bounty hunter from finding you using other means or by accident.”

“I guess…” The words come out of my mouth as a half-hearted mumble because I can’t stop thinking about what if Alex is right. I shove rice from the pilaf around on the plate, mixing it with lemon juice and bits of leftover salmon.

Everything my dad lived and worked for was taken away because he was trapped under Aurelius’ thumb, just as he lost everything because of other the more powerful people calling the shots when he was younger. How is Aurelius any different than that? Dad might have made a deal, but that shouldn’t extend to me. Dad wouldn’t have wanted it to. He would want me to live free.

“You know what? No. I’m not going to let the asshole who controlled my father control me too. All this worrying about cameras and being spied on? It’s bullshit, Alex.”

“It is not,” Alex growls in a sudden show of emotion, his fist clenching around his wine glass. My eyes widen, and he notices my surprise, so he takes a moment to calm himself and polish off his drink. “You should never let Aurelius control you and your life, that is true. I am merely recommending caution and a realistic attitude. He will use whatever means necessary to find you if he believes you are a threat to his business and the existence of vampires.”

My head is swimming already from the alcohol, but I’m not drunk enough to fully process the implications of what Alex is telling me without breaking down into a puddle. I tip back the rest of my glass, too, and knead my temples. “You’re saying I’m going to be a prisoner in my own life for, like, the rest of eternity?”

“That is the more dramatic way of putting it, but yes. You will be free of his day-to-day influence, but he will remain a shadow over your life permanently.”

“Then I won’t really be free. I’ll live every day in fear… It’s not good enough, Alex. Please…” I reach out to Alex’s other hand, which is casually resting on the table. A shiver of warmth trickles through me at the contact. He doesn’t draw away, even though he tenses. “How can I prove I’m no threat to him? I don’t give a shit about his business or his money, and I sure don’t plan on telling any sane people I know about vampires.”

Alex chews on the last piece of his steak, each bite deliberate and slow, stalling out the time before he has to speak again while his thumb gently rolls over my knuckles. “You could become a vampire and swear fealty to him, but my personal experience indicates that is never as safe as you would think. He might not kill you, but he tortures vampires in other more excruciating ways, and the tests of loyalty are endless. From time to time, he still slays his own followers. The only way to truly be safe would be to kill him.”

From everything I’ve heard, Aurelius is a horrible tyrant, a murderer, controlling and evil, and if those characteristics weren’t bad enough on their own, he’s also a vampire. The world would be better off without him. But I highly doubt Alex is the first to seriously consider helping him along on his very late departure to the grave, and what would I even have to offer to that effort? I’m a nobody, a witch on the run who doesn’t know how to use her powers.

“How do you really feel about Aurelius?”

Alex raises an eyebrow, leaning in just a bit closer to me. “I believe I have made my position very clear. He is my lord, and I must be loyal to him.”

“I’m sure he would love to find out what kind of loyalty means making out with the woman he wants dead and buried, then wining and dining her. It can’t be how you really feel if you’re protecting me. You’re risking yourself, aren’t you?”

“Lori…” His voice is pained, but it’s attached with a warning not to press that issue any further. He pulls his hand away to show how serious he is about staying away.

Despite the drunken haze making me a bit bolder, I don’t want to upset him. I need Alex on my side. But I don’t miss the use of the nickname, either. Has he ever called me Lori before? My heart flutters in realization that there’s still something between us, even if he’s suppressing it.

“I know you. At least, I know you well enough to understand that you believe he’s a piece of shit, a stain on the world, and a threat to humanity.” This time, I’m the one leaning closer to Alex. “You said so yourself that you were working with my dad to eliminate him. Let me help.”

“Yes, I want him dead. There is nothing that would give me greater satisfa—” Alex’s jaw flexes, and he leans back in his seat, staring down at me with authority I’ve never seen before.

I shiver in my seat, sinking into the cushion. I suddenly feel very small, like I am a mouse and he is an eagle. Alex has always had an energy about him, radiating calmness and confidence. But now, that confidence has taken on a life of its own. He wants me to hear him, clearly, and perceive the threat underwriting his words.

“I swore an oath to Aurelius, and so, to a degree, the ways I can act against him are limited. There is not much I can do right now, and I cannot recommend that you make any attempts to openly defy him, either.”

“I might even agree that it’s too soon for me to think about making a big move like taking down Aurelius, but it should be on the table, right? We should know where this is going and what I need to feel safe and protected.”

“It is not on the table. It will not be. It’s too dangerous.”

“But you said—”

“Forget what I said. You are an infant in this world of magic and beasts, my dear, and it will swallow you whole if you do not tread carefully.”

“The ‘safety’ you’re offering sounds like I might as well become a nun in a mountainside covenant and never use technology and never leave those safe walls again.”

“Maybe that’s where you should be. Maybe that’s the best way for me to keep you alive.”

“That’s not what I want! Don’t you understand? If this self-proclaimed vampire lord tries keeping me from living a fulfilling life, I might as well have been stuck as a puppet CEO for a company I hate.”

“You deserve better, but this is the most I can offer you.”

“No, it’s not.” I take a deep breath and pour myself another glass of wine. Alex offers his glass as well for a top-up and to finish the bottle. “If your hands are tied because of your oath, fine. That makes sense. But you can get close to Aurelius in a way that no one else can. You can be my eyes and ears in the vampire world while I work on the outside to take him down for good.”

“You?” Alex scoffs. “What enlightening information have you gathered in the three days you’ve fully been a part of my world? What have you, a mortal woman, seen that I have not in the past century?”

“You don’t have to be so fucking patronizing,” I snap back at him. “I’m fully aware that I don’t know shit about Aurelius or vampires or your dynamics, but sometimes that’s an asset. We could be a team, like you and my dad.”

“Then, by all means, share the epiphany you have that will help us defeat the monster who has terrorized humanity for 800 years.”

I glower at him, pissed that he’d talk to me like a child instead of an equal. So what if he could be centuries older than me? I’m not an idiot, and this is the first time he’s ever treated me like he thinks I am. Is it the smartest idea to learn about vampires and that I’m a witch and a handful of days later decide that I need to take on the strongest vampire in the world? No, I agree with him on that front; it’s a pretty fucking stupid move.

But the fact that he’s sitting across from me, making these choices for me instead of with me, he’s really no different from Luke. Deciding what’s best for me. Treating me like a fragile doll with—

My eyes widen. Luke.

“Vampire hunters,” I blurt. “Your information, their numbers and firepower—”

“You think I haven’t thought about that? It would never work. Hunters have shown nothing but hatred for my kind for centuries, and for good reason. You can’t undo that kind of hate. Even if I was willing to work alongside them, there is no chance they would listen to anything I had to say,” Alex hisses, his voice dangerously low. He leans in, his pupils narrowing to slits. “They would never trust me, and I would never trust them. It would be a constant mental game to decide which one of us can get away with killing the others first. A disaster waiting to happen.”

“It doesn’t have to be. You’re not like other vampires, Alex. You’re kind, you’re good, and I trust you. Doesn’t that mean something?”

Alex’s gaze tilts away from mine as he sips his wine, laughing softly to himself. “You are so innocent, Lorianna, that you surprise me sometimes. I am not good—perhaps not outright evil like Aurelius, but I am so far removed from good that the things I have done in my lifetime would make you sick.”

My lips tremble at his frightening tone and threatening glare, but there’s an unmistakable allure to his harsh tone. I’ve only seen this darker side to him once before, in the alley where he threatened to kill the man who hurt me. But he doesn’t look at me like he wants to tear me into a bloody mess—no, with that lust in his eyes, he wants to tear my damn clothes off.

Like this time, he’ll be the one to eat me alive in more ways than one.

For what? Pushing back on him?

“You’re just trying to scare me.”

I hold his gaze, those dark, animalistic eyes cutting into me.

The next instant, Alex is gone. The weight of him crashes into my side, shoving me against the wall of the booth. My head spins as he crushes my face into the wall, firmly but not so much that it hurts. His hot breath tickles my ear when he leans in, whispering, “I can sense your fear… and your arousal.”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex chuckles darkly, his teeth grazing my ear. His fangs prick at the outside of the lobe, and I moan at the sharp sensation of him almost breaking my skin. “Do you like to be afraid, Lorianna?”

“I told you already. I’m not afraid of you.”

His powerful body pins my petite frame, but if anything, my head spins with lust, and my thighs tremble with need. My breath hitches, desperate to ask him for more. To stop trying to push me away and to listen to me, just for once.

But I can’t make the words come out. Maybe I am just a sad, terrified little girl after all.

“You are brave, I will give you that. But make no mistake, vampires and vampire hunters working together is impossible. To even try would be to put yourself in the middle of unspeakable danger that I cannot protect you from.”

He loosens his grip on my neck, and I turn to look at him straight on. “You speak true for most vampires and most vampire hunters, but you’re the exception to the rule. So is Luke. If the two of you could just meet—”

Alex snarls and lifts his entire body away from me. I miss his weight, his presence, his protection the instant he’s gone. “How can you trust Luke after all he has done to you? Do you not understand that he wishes me dead, too?”

“I don’t trust him! But he’s not a bad person, and he wants Aurelius dead, maybe just as badly as you do. If I can get you both to see what I see in each of you, and we work out a temporary alliance, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to put aside all your hate to take down a greater evil? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Alex gives me a long, hard look and then makes a sound of disgust. A brief gust of air before he’s back on his side of the table, raising a hand briefly when the waiter comes near. “The bill, please.”

The waiter nods and disappears again.

“All I’m saying is that me, you, and Luke, we’re all stuck in the middle of everyone else’s bullshit. That should be enough… it should…” I pause to collect myself as I’m more than a little intoxicated, and having Alex so close to me, if briefly, has done wonders to fuck with my head. “The three of us, if we worked together, could do what others haven’t been able to before.”

“No.”

“But—”

“This discussion is over, Lorianna.”

The way he shuts down is like a stab to the heart. The waiter returns with the bill, and Alex swipes his card without looking at the cost. My heart is hammering in my chest the whole time the transaction takes place, watching all the progress Alex and I have made crumbling around me and desperately searching for a way to keep it all together.

Alex has been sour with me before, but never like this. After everything, that kiss, I thought things would be different. I thought I could convince him to listen, to see me as someone other than my father’s daughter, but what if that’s not possible? Am I less to him now that Dad is dead and I’m no longer in line to run the company?

The waiter leaves, and Alex rises to his feet. His expression, his entire body language, is stiff and cold like a corpse. He shows no emotion toward me whatsoever, and that is more chilling than his anger and attempts to scare me.

“I care about you, but it seems I misjudged your proclivities. If you are insistent on working with vampire hunters, with Luke especially, then we are finished. And that is final.” He slings his coat over his shoulders and makes as if to turn away, but there’s just barely a hint of hesitation before he shoves his hand in his pocket, retrieves a cloth bag, and tosses it at me. “This belongs to you. Perhaps if you were not as careless with your belongings as you are with other people, you would not have lost it. I am sure you can still have it fixed.”

And then, finally, he turns his back on me.

Alex is smooth like ice as he walks out the front door. Calm, collected, unaffected by me. Meanwhile, I’ve been fighting back tears for the last five minutes, spinning out in my head as I realize over and over again that I fucked up.

I’ve ruined any chance I ever had with him. It’s not just the vampire hunters, though, is it? It’s Luke. And can I blame him for not wanting to associate with the man I’ve been dating for weeks, who’s taken a huge presence in my life and all but pushed Alex out and exposed me to so much danger in the process?

Absolutely not.

But I still can’t piece together how he went from kissing me like I’m the whole fucking world to him to leaving me in the dust like I’m worse than trash. I’m appalled at his sudden change of attitude. All of this is so unlike Alex.

For years, he’s been the man I could rely on for anything. A safe haven, a protector, a guiding force in my life when my father was too busy. We didn’t get close until he started to tutor me, but I’ve known him long enough to be one hundred percent sure I haven’t misread him this whole time. There is a darkness inside him, but the core of him is good. He wants to be good. I think he’s just forgotten how.

And he won’t let me show him the way.

This isn’t Alex at all because he’s still pushing me away.

The tie around the cloth bag comes undone with a tug, and I peer inside to find the few broken pieces that I noticed were missing from the remains of my mother’s ruby necklace. He’s returned the missing pieces to me.

“No, no, you fucking don’t,” I grumble. “You’re not going to give me this and leave me behind. You’re not going to blow shit up because of your ego.”

I down the rest of my wine and launch myself from my seat. Then, I storm out of the restaurant and bar after him, through the patio and into the gravel parking lot, craning my neck to search for him. He’s nowhere to be found.

“Alex, wait!” I shout anyway.

I notice movement to my side, and Alex appears where he hadn’t been moments ago. Now, he leans against one of the stone pillars holding up the patio roof, his arms crossed. “Are you ready to go home?”

I stare at him, stunned. “You didn’t leave?”

“You were correct about one thing; I am no monster. I would never leave you alone at night, drunk, more than an hour’s walk from home.”

I shudder at the memory of that man’s grubby hands all over me, shoving me against the club’s wall and trying to force his way into my skirt. Now that my head is woozy with alcohol, the memories of that night seem to hit me harder than they have in weeks. I haven’t felt safe drinking alcohol since then, and tonight, I only drank at all because I’ve always been safe with Alex.

The brisk night air swirls over my shoulders, moving me to action. I stalk toward Alex, and before he can stop me, I grab the collar of his shirt and yank his mouth to mine.

He growls into me, his lips hot and demanding against mine. This was meant to be my attack on him, but it’s Alex who is brutal, his lips crushing me with bruising force. His tongue makes a feral assault on the seam of my lips, pushing them open for him as if he’s reminding me that I’m his.

I swoon into his arms because I’ve bargained for more than I was prepared for, but I take it all in willingly. The way he kisses me is so ferocious that it’s like he’s telling me he’s only capable of taking, taking, taking, but without knowing it, he’s giving me a piece of him, too. He’s shown me the darkness and the light. I know who he is, and he’s just as vulnerable to me as I am to him while we bare our souls to each other in this mind-bending kiss.

Possessive and loving and so much fucking pain in one kiss, I’m crying before he breaks his mouth from mine.

He kisses the tears away, once below each of my eyes. “Do not waste your tears on me, precious one.”

“W—why are you doing this?” I whisper. “Pretending you don’t care when you obviously care so much? Why? I know you can feel this, this, whatever it is. Between us.”

I watch his mouth as if I could memorize the texture of that sensitive skin, the lines of his mouth when they imprint on mine. When he stays silent, my eyes flick up to his. His stare penetrates deep into my soul, all the way down into the places I’m too terrified to look. But I let him see me, all of me, how much I love him and always have.

But his expression stays blank. I haven’t swayed him at all.

“Why would you kiss me like that if it isn’t how you feel?” I demand.

“This is just a dream, Lorianna. You drank too much. Tomorrow, when your head aches and you can barely remember what happened this night, it will be a blessing that you and I have parted ways. I promise. Let me take you home.”

“No!” I back away from his arms and out of his reach. “You’re doing it again, trying to tell me how to feel and think. Who do you think I am? I can see you. I see who you are deep down, even if you refuse to see it. Out of everyone in my life, you’ve always been the most honest with me. You’ve had my back, you’ve never lied or misled me. Don’t you dare fucking start now!”

He scoffs and jams his hands in his pockets. “That is so very far from the truth, and you know it. I am a vampire; I was created to mislead and destroy pathetic humans before I devour them as my meal. I have thus far spared you. Why is that not enough?”

“Stop lying,” I sob. “Please… I’m not like you, Alex. It’s not pathetic to want to live the short life I’ll have free from Aurelius. And if I can’t have that, then can’t I at least have you?”

“No, Lorianna. Your choice was made for you when you refused to make it yourself. You say you know what you want, the future you wish to lead, but you do not. You cannot decide who you want to be with, and so you instead choose to string both me and Luke along for your own satisfaction. I will never live second to another. If you ever come to your senses, and Luke and the vampire hunters are permanently out of the picture, then I will be around.”

“That’s never what I wanted to do.”

“But it is what you did, whether you intended to or not. You now know my terms. Remove Luke and the hunters from your life, or I will remove myself.”

I shake my head sadly. “You know I can’t do that, Alex. I don’t know what Aurelius did to you to make you afraid of standing up to him outright, but I refuse to live the rest of my life cowering in the dark like you are. If you won’t help me, I will find someone else who will.”

The stoic visage on Alex’s face finally breaks. His sadness is deeper than a bottomless pit, threatening to consume me just by witnessing it for myself. My heart squeezes, fearful of whatever the hell I’ve just done.

“As you wish. Let me ensure you make it home safe, at least.”

“I’ll call a cab. Leave, Alex, if that’s what you want to do so badly.”

He grits his teeth and flies through the air again, landing beside me in a frosty gust of wind that makes me shiver. His hand, so delicately, cups the back of my neck and brings me close enough so I feel his breath on my cheek. “I will always protect you. From near or far, however I must. These kisses are simply reminders of what you’ve lost by choosing someone else. Morirei per te, amore mio.”

He’s beside me and then gone again in the span of a breath, and when he is finally gone, tears pour down my face at full strength. When the numbing buzz from my bracelet warning me of a nearby vampire finally ceases and goes quiet, I know I am truly on my own. My tears cloud my eyesight just like my broken heart clouds my head, leaving me shaking in his absence.

“Alex, how could you?”

My hand goes to my pocket, and my heart lurches with panic when I can’t find my phone. Fuck. It’s only been three days. Of course, I’m not used to going without yet. Anger burns through me, fire locking the last few shattered pieces of my heart together. I search behind me at the door to the restaurant. I was just inside, but would I be allowed back in if it’s Alex’s membership that permitted my entrance in the first place?

“It’s only an hour or so walk home—I’ll be fine. I need the fresh air after that disaster.” I claw a hand through my hair and force myself forward one step at a time. Zipping up my hoodie, I start walking, and the rhythm of my steps helps me sort through the mess that unfolded, even if I can’t find any answers to my millions of questions.

I’m so caught up in my own head that twenty minutes later, a third of the way back to my aunts, I don’t notice right away when my bracelet starts tingling again.