Chapter 21 #2
“No,” Alexander snapped, taking Tobias’ hand and drawing him into his side. “When Tobias is in this house, he is mine to care for. Mine alone.”
“Oh well.” Maria shrugged, spun on her heel, and faced a darkened corridor to their side. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, brother.”
Tobias couldn’t help but feel as though Maria’s warning had nothing to do with Vladimir.
He was still hanging on her comment about reading up about him.
Tobias always made sure his digital footprint was minimal, enough to satisfy nosey people who, in the modern era, were suspicious of anyone who didn’t have a social media presence, but not enough to give away any actual details about him or his life.
Tobias waited until Maria departed to speak again. When he did, it was a soft whisper that the opulent room devoured. “I didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome, but I get the impression your sister would prefer to eat me rather than hug me.”
Perhaps Tobias’ choice of words wasn’t the best, because Alexander’s grip on his hand tightened. “Maria is protective of me. And in turn, I’m protective of you.”
“Anything you want to tell me?” Tobias’ voice shook as he asked the question.
Alexander refused to look at Tobias when he replied. “Let’s discuss this later. We’ve had a long day of terrible revelations. Time we both get some rest.”
Tobias felt like a lonely soldier standing in the middle of a battlefield, without weapons or a plan. He froze, unable to move.
With a sudden sweep, the floor fell away from Tobias and he was carried out of the foyer in Alexander’s arms. They locked eyes, Rothburn becoming an unimportant blur around them, as Alexander navigated them to his rooms. Tobias knew he should’ve been mapping out the floor plan, but he refused to look away.
Tobias quickly understood why Alexander’s bedroom was referred to as rooms, plural.
Not only was his bedchamber larger than his entire apartment above the Red Lion pub, but it was connected to a green-tiled bathroom, a sitting room, a small office that doubled as a personal library, and his own orangery that was walled by glass and overlooked the distant forestland around the estate.
Even though Tobias wanted to explore, he needed a moment to collect himself.
So he’d locked himself in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub with his head in his hands.
Alexander had been waiting outside the door, checking every few minutes to see if he was alright, until a knock sounded on his front door. Not a second later, and Alexander’s worried tone shifted to one of command. “Stay here, Tobias. Don’t leave the bathroom until I come back. Please.”
Tobias had just nodded weakly, thankful that the command didn’t mean he had to do anything more than stay put.
Whoever was at the door had the power to shift Alexander’s mood in an instant. And there was only one person who could.
Vladimir Damianos’ voice filtered through the bathroom, bouncing across the tiles as Alexander greeted him. Tobias’ skin turned to ice, his muscles aching with tension as he drank in the muffled conversation.
“…you should have warned me, Alexander. You are a guest in my home. This isn’t some halfway house for you to invite your little toys into whenever you deem fit.”
Tobias’ fists clenched, his nails pinching into the soft skin of his palms. There, just outside the door, was Vladimir Damianos.
The last time they’d been so close, he’d been on top of Tobias, teeth cutting his neck, tongue lapping against his ruptured jugular.
Tobias’ initial response was to look around him for a weapon.
Hell, he knew he missed the stake back in his apartment.
“When has a human ever bothered you so much, Father?”
Vladimir scoffed, his voice deepening. “Since the last time you brought one here. And at least with the last, you asked permission first. I wish to meet this one–”
“Not now.” Alexander cut his father off.
“Oh, so protective, my son. Has this one wormed himself into your mind? Intrusive little parasite. I wish to meet the human who has such a power over you. The human who has apparently turned my most powerful child from hunter into prey.”
“Don’t mistake me for a child, Father.” Alexander’s voice matched his father’s in fury. Tobias clutched the edge of the tub at the sheer anger in it. “And be careful. What’s mine is mine.”
“Step aside, Alexander. I shall not ask again.”
The door was pushed open slightly, allowing a slip of light to illuminate half of Tobias’ face.
He was frozen to the spot. But before the door fully opened, revealing him, Alexander’s ice-cold, steely voice interrupted.
“Keep your distance, Vladimir. He belongs to me. If I haven’t made myself abundantly clear, this human is mine. ”
Tobias tensed, waiting for Vladimir to ignore his son, to barge into the bathroom and attack.
“I smell no human.”
Fuck.
Tobias sprung up, his fangs extending, his body tensing in case Vladimir decided to attack. In case he decided to spill Tobias’ secret to Alexander.
He heard Alexander’s teeth grinding together. “He’s not yours to scent, Father.”
“No, that much is obvious. All I smell is you. How desperate are you, Alexander, to bring home a human even after you have drained them to the point of being anaemic and mostly empty? Are you so infatuated with mortals that you keep them by you, long after they’re without use?
I pity you. I really do. Maybe I’ve taken too much from you over the years. ”
“I think we’re done here,” Alexander snapped, his voice as frigid as a winter night. “Good night, Father.”
“For now,” Vladimir replied.
Tobias breathed out and leaned against the cool tile of the wall.
He felt completely empty. Empty of hope, of a plan, of strength.
And as he heard Alexander close the door on his father, returning to his place outside the bathroom, Tobias longed to throw himself out the window above him, rather than face what waited for him outside.
“Tobias, can you meet me in the bedroom?” Alexander’s voice was monotone and emotionless. “I need to speak with you about something.”
He tiptoed out of the bathroom warily. “Is everything… alright?”
Alexander was grim, his eyes downcast and his arms crossed over his chest. “No. But I promise you, if it’s the last thing I do, it will be.”