Chapter 7
Alexander
Just drink it.
Alexander told himself as he lifted the bag of blood to his mouth.
The smell hit him first.
His nose wrinkled instantly. Disgust rolled through him so fast he dropped the bag before the blood even touched his lips.
He turned and yanked open the fridge, grabbing another bag of blood. He ripped it open. Brought it to his lips…
And dropped that one too.
“No…” he murmured under his breath, already reaching for another.
Same result. He couldn’t do it.
The smell alone made him gag.
“Fuck!” he screamed as he shoved his hands through his hair, pacing. The hunger clawed at him from the inside, making it hard to think, hard to focus on anything but the need to feed.
The moment he’d smelled Boaz’s blood… he couldn’t think of anything else
Sitting in that truck with him had been torture. And then he’d stepped into that fucking house. The thick, cloying smell of incense and melted candle wax hung heavy in the air, but it didn’t hide the werewolf’s scent, not even close. If anything, it made it worse.
Alexander could smell him over everything, making it impossible to focus on anything else. Every second had been a fight not to reach for him, not to drag him close and sink his teeth into him and take what he needed.
Alexander’s hand trembled as he grabbed another bag and lifted it toward his mouth, thinking this might be the one to save him, but smell hit again.
He gagged, turning his head, dropping it like it burned him.
“I can’t…” he breathed. “I can’t drink this.
The sound of hurried footsteps broke through the room just as the door was shoved open.
Someone gasped.
Alexander looked up to find Greer and a group of vampires behind him, staring at him like he’d gone crazy. Maybe he had.
“Uh…” Greer started, clearly unsure what to say.
But before he could fumble his way through, Blade pushed past him, forcing his way through the group.
“What is going on in here?” Blade demanded as he stepped inside, his eyes moving quickly over the scene before landing on Alexander. “Are you alright?”
“I—” Alexander started, but gagged.
He needed to get out of there. Now.
Blade seemed to understand. Without another word, he stepped forward and grabbed Alexander’s arm. “Come on,” he said, pulling him to the door. “Greer, get someone to clean this up.”
They left the kitchen. Quickly, climbing the stairs as they moved to Alexander’s room.
Blade guided him to the bed and sat him down before disappearing into the bathroom.
Water started running, then shut off. A moment later, Blade returned with a damp cloth and crouched in front of him, taking Alexander’s hands and wiping them.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “And don’t tell me you’re fine. I won’t believe you.”
“I’m…” Alexander swallowed hard, his throat tightening as the hunger surged again. It made no sense. He had fed just last night. “I need to feed, but…”
“You can’t,” Blade finished for him.
Alexander nodded. “I can’t shut it off. I fed last night. I shouldn’t be this hungry. But…”
Blade stepped closer and rested a comforting hand on his arm.
“It’s normal, Alexander. You’ve been asleep for close to two hundred years.
Your body is adjusting. Of course it’s going to demand more blood.
All newly awakened vampires need to feed more than usual at first. It’s part of the process.
But your problem isn’t just the hunger, is it? ”
“Yeah,” Alexander admitted, rubbing his face vigorously. “I can’t stop thinking about feeding from the werewolf. He’s…” He trailed off, shaking his head like he was trying to push the thought away. “I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
Alexander let out a slow breath, his shoulders rising and falling. “He hates me. We didn’t exactly start on the right footing. I might’ve been a little rude to him… and made things worse.”
“Might have?” Blade echoed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“I didn’t mean to,” Alexander sighed, frustrated. “I was starving. I bit him without asking.” He exhaled. “Then we fought over Lyla.”
“He likes your bride?”
Alexander nodded. “And then he had to go and bleed all over the place,” he clicked his tongue. “It took everything in me not to attack him. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said, dragging his hands over his thighs, agitated.
Then he stilled. Alexander shot to his feet, his gaze darting around the room.
“What are you looking for?” Blade asked, watching him.
“His blood,” Alexander said quickly. “I had a vial of it… I…” He stopped, trying to remember where he might have put it. “Shit,” he muttered. “I left it in the robe. Slove took it.”
“I’m sure he put it somewhere safe,” Blade said, already pulling out his phone. “Let me call him.”
A few seconds later, he was speaking quietly, then nodding. “Yeah, okay… got it.” He hung up. “He says he put it in your bedside drawer.”
Alexander turned immediately, crossing the room in quick strides. He yanked the drawer open. When he saw it there, relief washed through him. He reached in and picked up the vial, his fingers tightening possessively around it.
Slowly, he lifted the vial to his nose and pulled out the stopper.
He inhaled.
“Shit,” he groaned, his fangs pressing hard against his lower lip as saliva flooded his mouth.
Almost without thinking, he tilted the vial and drank. The moment the blood touched his tongue, a helpless moan slipped from his throat. The flavor exploded on his tongue. Boaz’s scent followed, flooding his senses. And it wasn’t enough. He wanted more… so much more.
A throat cleared beside him. It took Alexander a second to register it, his mind still lost in the taste.
“Fuck…” He dropped his gaze, heat creeping up his neck. “Sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
Damn, that werewolf for doing this to me.
Blade didn’t say anything at first. He just watched him as if he were trying to figure something out.
“Are you sure he won’t give you his blood?” Blade asked finally. “Maybe you should ask him.”
Alexander let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I’m sure. I made him look like a fool in front of Lyla.”
“You didn't,” Blade gasped, his eyes wide.
“Don't judge me.” Alexander shot back. “All’s fair in love and war. Besides… I didn’t realize it was this bad.
I thought I’d be able to feed from my bride.
But…” He shook his head slowly. “Other blood smells wrong now. I think I’ve had his blood for too long.
" He looked down at the empty vial in his hand.
"Maybe if I had been given other blood it wouldn't be this bad. "
Blade's face fell.
“I should’ve taken care of you after the war,” he said. “I should’ve been there. But I was so… devastated. I couldn’t even deal with my own grief.” Tears gathered in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Alexander felt something pull painfully in his chest as he watched Blade try hard not to breakdown. He blinked away his own tears as he sat down on the bed and pulled him into a hug.
“It’s okay, kid,” he said as he patted Blade's back gently. “Don’t do that to yourself. You were just a kid back then.” He pulled back slightly, offering him a small, reassuring look.
“I’m just glad you survived it.” Blade sniffed, wiping at his eyes.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to get past the hunger.
Once that’s done… everything will be fine. ”
“How are you going to do that?” Blade asked quietly, still snuggled into Alexander's side.
Alexander let out a slow sigh, staring at the opposite wall. “I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “I’ll figure something out.”
Blade pulled away, sniffing as he wiped at his eyes, brushing the last of the tears from his cheeks.
Silence settled between them.
After a moment, Blade tilted his head, studying Alexander.
“What is it?” Alexander asked, noticing.
Blade hesitated, then spoke. “Does he… have to know?”
Alexander frowned, the question catching him off guard.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Blade said quickly, dropping his gaze shyly. “We’re vampires. We use every means necessary to survive.”
“I’m not judging you, kid,” Alexander said. “I’m just surprised you would suggest something like that. I thought you hated compelling people."
“I did,” Blade admitted, folding his hands in his lap. “It’s unethical. But I had to grow up when I discovered that I needed more than just blood to survive."
"You do?"
Blade blushed. "Yes. I feed off sexual energy. Its the witch in me." He let out a quiet breath. “It’s not easy finding men who are willing to…”
Alexander choked. “Men?”
“Yes, men, you oaf,” Blade said as he smacked Alexander’s arm.
Alexander raised his hands slightly in surrender. “Still not judging.”
“I know. I was surprised too at first. But I love it,” Blade said, a wide smile tugging at his lips.
“Still… it’s not easy finding men willing to have sex and let me feed off their energy.
So, I compel them. Then I erase their memories after.
” He shrugged. “I know it sounds strange, but I do what I have to in order to survive.
You have to do the same, Alexander. You have to survive. "
Blade gave his arm a light pat before straightening up. “Feed from him until your body settles. He won't even know what happened."
With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Alexander sat there, staring at the wall, his thoughts turning over slowly.
Blade was right. Once his body adjusted, he wouldn’t need Boaz anymore.
That thought settled in his mind as he stood and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the tap and washed the blood from his hands. When he was done, he changed into clean clothes. He refused to think too much about what he was about to do, opting to just go with the floor.
He vanished.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared in the clearing. The night was eerily silent as he lifted his head, drawing in a slow breath. He sifted through a myriad of scents until one rose above the rest.
Boaz.
The moment he caught it, he disappeared again, and materialized just outside Boaz’s cabin, surrounded by thick trees.
The door opened almost immediately.
Boaz stood there, his hair messy, eyes half-lidded with sleep, dressed in nothing but his boxers.
Alexander blinked.
“How did you know I was out here?” he asked.
“I sensed you,” Boaz said, rubbing at his eyes like he was still waking up. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” Alexander said.
“About what?”
“The healer found something.”
Boaz straightened a little at that, his tiredness fading. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Alexander more carefully. “ What did he say?”
“Can you let me in so we can talk?” Alexander said, glancing past him. “And maybe put on some clothes.”
Boaz hesitated for a second, then stepped back and pulled the door open wider. “Fine. Come in.”
Alexander stepped inside, his gaze moving over the space automatically.
It was small. Simple.
Everything was in one room. A compact kitchen with worn counters and a narrow bathroom were tucked off to the side. A single bed was pushed into the far corner. Near the window sat a rocking chair, the wood smoothed down from years of use.
“You live here,” Alexander said before he could stop himself.
“Yes,” Boaz said flatly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No,” Alexander replied slowly. “It’s just… the pack seems well taken care of. And you’re…”
“I’m what?”
“Nothing,” Alexander said with a small shrug, already stepping past him, his attention caught on something. A painting.
He moved toward it without thinking, drawn in by the vibrant colors, but Boaz stepped in front of it, blocking his view completely.
Alexander’s gaze lifted slowly, taking in Boaz’s clenched fists, tight jaw and rigid shoulders. Ready for a fight.
Something dark and thrilling stirred in Alexander’s chest at the sight. He wanted to push him further. Wanted to see what happened if Boaz lost control completely.
He shouldn’t be doing this.
He needed him calm. Relaxed. Needed him unaware if he was going to compel him, take what he needed, and make him forget.
And yet, the thought of seeing him break…sent a thrilling sensation through him.
“You said Brett found something,” Boaz said through clenched teeth. “What did he find?”
“He’s still running tests,” Alexander replied easily.
Boaz’s expression darkened. “Then why are you here?”
Alexander held his gaze.
“I needed to see you,” he said softly, letting his compulsion powers slip into his eyes and voice as he stepped closer. “Just relax,” he murmured. “This is a dream. When you wake up in the morning, you won't remember a thing.”
He closed the gap between them, his arms sliding around Boaz as he pulled him closer.
Alexander’s body tensed with anticipation. He dipped his head, licking a path along Boaz’s neck. A moan slipped from the werewolf, soft and unguarded. His body relaxed, melting into Alexander’s as the compulsion took hold.
“Fuck, you’re heavy.” Alexander grunted, tightening his grip to keep them both upright.
He spied the bed behind him and carefully walked them there. He lay down, pulling Boaz close beside him. Then, he sank his fangs in and sucked.
The moment Boaz’s blood touched his tongue, he wanted to cry in relief. He drank deep, desperate to fill the hollow ache twisting in his stomach.