Chapter 17
Alexander
Alexander lay where Boaz had shoved him, staring up at the night sky. His entire body felt tight and sensitive. It burned with a desire he couldn’t shake off as Boaz’s warmth clung to his skin and the taste of his lips lingered.
Alexander groaned as he reached for his aching cock. His hips rolled on their own against his hand, seeking that perfect friction he’d felt when Boaz had arched into him. He moved his hand along his length, pressing down. “Fuck.”
Boaz’s footsteps faded into the distance.
Alexander couldn’t believe he had just… left him like this.
Was it that easy for him?
To kiss him like that and then walk away as if it meant nothing?
Alexander let his hand fall away from his cock and fisted the damp sand beneath him.
What the hell was going on between them?
His gaze drifted back to the sky, searching the scattered stars as if they might offer him some kind of answer. But there was nothing. Only confusion.
He was losing control of himself, doing things he never would have done before. He should have been with Lyla right now, but like the other times, the moment Boaz walked away, the urge to go after him was undeniable. So strong, he couldn’t fight it.
And tonight was no different. He’d wanted to be close to him. But he hadn’t known how… hence the weird moment in the lake.
“That was so stupid,” he muttered under his breath. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes immediately dropping to the tent in his boxer.
He was still fucking hard.
“Fuck!”
Alexander squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled, willing his body to calm down. When he felt calm enough, he picked up his clothes and teleported home. When he reappeared in his room, he tried to think through what happened tonight. Come up with solutions to prevent it from happening again.
Maybe they needed some distance. Some time apart. Alexander’s biggest problem was that he needed Boaz to survive. And that very reason put them in each other’s personal spaces. He had no choice but to be close to him, to touch him. Breathe in his scent. Feel his warmth.
If he could just stop needing him…
That meant drinking blood from another being. His stomach roiled at the thought.
“No. I have to try,” he told himself as he walked into the bathroom. Minutes later, he stepped out, dressed in fresh clothes, and made his way to the kitchen.
He paused just inside; he hadn’t set foot in there since he’d lost control weeks ago.
Now, he felt different. In control. He could drink someone else’s blood.
He had to try, he repeated in his mind as he crossed the room and reached for a bottle of wine from the rack built neatly into the cupboard. He grabbed a glass, setting it down on the counter.
The kitchen door creaked open behind him.
“Pour me some,” Blade said casually as he stepped in, dragging out a chair at the island and dropping into it.
Alexander glanced over his shoulder. Blade looked…. impeccable as always, but tonight there was something extra.
“Where are you going, all dressed up?” Alexander asked, reaching for a second glass.
He poured the wine smoothly, filling both glasses before he turned toward the fridge.
“Out,” Blade said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s cloudy, snow’s falling… perfect weather to go into town.”
Alexander gave a small nod as his fingers closed around the bag of blood. He twisted the cap open with a faint click and poured a small amount into each glass. He quickly sealed the bag and returned it to the fridge.
When he turned back around, Blade was watching him.
“Are you able to drink other blood now?” he asked.
Alexander didn’t answer.
Instead, he picked up his glass, and he lifted it to his lips. The smell hit him before the glass even touched his mouth. His stomach roiled as he jerked the glass away.
“I guess not,” he said in frustration.
He turned to the sink and dumped the contents out, the mixture of wine and blood splashing messily against the basin.
With a heavy sigh, he set the glass on the counter and reached for a cloth, scrubbing at the mess with more force than necessary.
“Is it not getting better?” Blade asked. “You’ve been going to the werewolf every night, I thought…”
Alexander’s fingers tightened around the cloth. “I’m not getting better. It’s getting worse. And…” He trailed off.
“And what?” Blade prompted.
Alexander slowly turned to face Blade. “I’m supposed to be going after my bride, but I’m not.
Frankly, I’m not even sure I want to.” The admission hung between them.
“You told me I was going to meet my bride during the war.” Alexander stepped closer to the island, bracing his hands against it as his gaze fixed on Blade. “What did you see?”
Blade frowned. “You don’t think it’s her.”
Alexander flushed. “No. I’m not drawn to her.
I’m not even sure I ever was. When I’m with her, all I can think about is him.
” He scratched his head vigorously. “And it doesn’t help that I’m bound to him by blood.
It’s fucking complicating everything. I’m supposed to feel something for my bride.
I don’t feel anything. I don’t want to…”
“You don’t want to fuck her,” Blade interrupted.
Alexander groaned and dropped his head into his hands, his elbows braced on the. “I wasn’t going to say that,” he muttered through his fingers. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”
Blade leaned back in his chair, chuckling. “I’m not na?ve. I know what happens between two people who are attracted to each other. And I’ve done things with men. A lot of men.”
“Stop,” Alexander said, dropping his hands down to glare at him.
Blade only laughed harder. When his laughter ebbed, Blade focused on him again, a sly look in his green eyes.
“Are you attracted to the werewolf?”
Alexander groaned loudly.
“Come on. Don’t be like that.”
“Yes,” he said. “Happy.”
Blade’s grin widened. “Do you want to fuck him?”
“Blade,” Alexander growled.
The little shit chuckled again, thoroughly entertained.
“Sorry,” he said, though the smile didn’t fully leave his face.
“Anyway. If we’re to consider what you said, then maybe Lyla isn’t your bride after all.
In the vision, I didn’t see a specific person.
I saw you fighting in the war against dark creatures from the underworld.
Then it shifted.” He tapped his index finger on the counter in a slow steady rhythm as if that helped him remember.
“I saw the courtyard. Snow was falling. You were standing there holding someone in your arms, but I couldn’t see their face. They were turned away.”
Alexander’s heart thudded in his chest as he yearned for what Blade was describing.
“And you were watching a child play in the snow,” Blade added.
Alexander’s throat tightened.
“He had your eyes,” Blade continued. “And small fangs. That’s why when you said you met Lyla, I assumed it was her. It could still be him.”
Alexander blinked. “What makes you say that?”
“You’re already bound to him, and you find him attractive even though you’ve never been attracted to men before. You can’t stop thinking about him, even when you’re with the woman who’s supposed to be your bride. I think the signs are all there.”
“Except for one thing. I can’t have a child with Boaz. Or with anyone else.” He exhaled, resignedly. “I can only have a child with my fated bride.”
“Damn,” Blade muttered.
Silence stretched between them.
“Fate changes all the time. He could be yours. I could be wrong about the child. Maybe you adopted him like you did me.”
“Have your visions ever been wrong?” he asked.
Blade opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Maybe, you just need time with Lyla. Time to get to know her. To bond with her. To fall in love.”
“My problem isn’t time. It’s him. I’m too dependent on the werewolf. That’s why I can’t think of anything else. I need to find a way to stop this…this… fucking dependency.”
Blade studied him carefully. “How are you going to do that?”
Alexander shook his head. “I don’t know. But I will.”
He strode out of the kitchen without another word.
“Where are you going?” Blade called after him.
“To train,” he threw over his shoulder as he continued down the hallway.
He needed something to do. Something that would keep him from thinking about Boaz, of blood, of everything.
When he appeared in the cave, Alexander didn’t waste time, he picked up a discarded sword and stepped into the fray. But the young vampires offered him no real challenge. He could beat them with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back.
And that was a problem. He had too much room to think
Bottom of Form
And as always, his thoughts turned to Boaz. How he’d felt against him. How his heartbeat had doubled the longer he kissed him. And his cock — thick and hard against Alexander’s stomach.
Alexander clenched his jaw as heat crawled down his back and his cock jerked in his pants right in the middle of training.
“Fuck,” he groaned, dropping the sword. And then disappeared.
He went to his room, but the silence in there unnerved him. And worse, he was hard as fuck. All he could think about was going into the shower and fucking stroking himself until he came. But that would mean he was accepting this.
He was giving in.
When his cock jerked at the thought of coming, Alexander disappeared again.
He appeared in town.
Snow drifted lazily from the sky, settling delicately over rooftops, walkways, and parked cars. Warm light spilled from shop windows in soft golden pools, turning the town into something straight out of a storybook.
Alexander inhaled, letting the scents of the town wash over him as he searched for Blade. Once he caught his scent, Alexander turned and walked down the walkway.
He stopped in front of a shop with darkened windows where Blade’s scent was strongest. A crooked Closed sign hung loosely from the door.
He frowned
Why was Blade here?
Alexander drew in a breath, his eyes scanning the building to the second floor where Blade’s scent was stronger.