Chapter 27
Healing
ALEK
As they all disappeared from the ruins of his old Kingdom and the view of his old home faded. Alek didn’t feel the old sensation of loss like before. Instead, he felt like he was moving toward a new beginning. With Lanias in his arms, he’d found his new path.
He only needed her to accept him fully, along with her title.
The minute the view of the manor came into sight, he heard a shout. The youth they’d found in the protected home; Fabian ran toward them and surprisingly hugged Lanias. She looked down at his head in stunned silence.
“I didn’t know I would be missed.” She joked, awkwardly patting his back.
He pulled back, a few tears in his eyes.
“I thought something bad had happened to you, and I didn’t trust that Vampire guy.” He glanced at Alek, who decided not to be insulted. Looking back at Lanias he continued, “I’m glad nothing bad happened to you.” Saying it once more while hugging her.
Lanias laughed, “Well now you know, I’m sort of invincible.”
He pulled back, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Yeah.”
“You’ve brought guests,” Dmitri said, coming up behind Fabian he looked at Roni and the girls with him. “What happened?”
“I’ll explain once we get inside.” Alek said, guiding the large crowd toward the front door.
“You said we needed to speak.” This was how Lanias welcomed Alek to her bedroom later.
Alek forced himself to ignore the fact she was only wearing a towel.
He eyed her where she stood leaning against the door of the bathroom, looking from her to the bed then back to her. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Don’t let that worry your pretty little head. You said we needed to ‘Talk’ and I’ve been taxing my brain trying to think of what exactly we need to talk about.” She pushed off the door and walked toward him. “I said all that I needed to get off my chest.”
He pulled off his shirt, “You may have, but I still have things I want to say and questions that need answers. For example, how did you learn about your father? And why didn’t you tell your sister?
I still don’t know enough about your past.” He tossed his shirt on the bed, “I would like to know more about you Lanias.”
Lanias lips worked as she tried to think over how to respond.
He crossed his arms matching her pose and lifted his head to make challenging eye contact.
“I feel like the two of us need to have an honest conversation between us.”
She gave her head a small shake, pressing two fingers to her temple she sighed. “That is the most normal thing that I’ve ever heard you say.”
“Yes, well monster or human. Those who wish to deepen their relationship should be honest with one another.” Alek said, enjoying the wrinkle in her nose and the way she cast him a look clearly questioning his intelligence. “I want to know everything about you. I would assume you’d want the same.”
“Fine,” she walked over the bed and plopped down. “What do you want to know?”
“How did you grow up, if you didn’t grow up with your parents?” That had honestly interested him the minute she’d talked about trying to find her origins.
“I had a mom, though she wasn’t that great at playing mine; she was okay to Sabina.
I guess.” She shifted her seating, “Warren, my uncle; paid her to claim me. She would leave me with my grandmother and take off with the money. Sometimes she took Sabina, but mostly she left her too. So, we grew up together, I treated her as my sister and the rest is history.”
“Is it really, what about your grandmother, where is she now?” He asked noting how she didn’t speak about school.
Lanias eyes lost warmth, “Dead. She was killed when they came for us, The Council passed an edict for all suspected numb Witches to be gathered. Those willing to sell their children would be greatly compensated. Sabina’s mother loved that.”
“So, it’s true that you, and the others at the shade are the children from that bus accident.”
She shrugged, pulling her knees to her chest as she crossed her legs.
“Yeah, that is very old news. At least for Tiller, he’s been digging into it.
Which has been a pain in the ass to cover up, everything was neat, and he’s ruined it with his snooping.
My memory charms were works of art. To have him undoing them has been causing me a great inconvenience. ” She shook her head.
“Do you remember the time you were there?” He asked, taking in every move she made.
Even as her movements grew agitated her expression remained empty. “Yes.”
Walking to her side, he took a seat. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Honestly, no,” she said, looking at him. “I think it would be akin to asking you to tell me about the day you lost your wife.”
He flinched but didn’t pull away from her, he took her hand in his to stop her fiddling. “If you asked it of me, I would tell you.”
She shook her head.
“I’m not ready to unpack it yet,” she whispered. “It was so much, and once we escaped there was even more. I don’t think I slept a full night for five years after that.”
“How old were you when you escaped?”
“Ten. I held Eliza in my arms and watched the others crawling from the dirt like worms. The rain was pounding down on them, churning their bodies into the dark dirt and mud. I remember thinking that I would never see anything more terrifying than that in my life. Every single girl that crawled out of the dirt was meant to die.” Lanias pressed her forehead against his neck.
“I’ve carried that memory with me ever since. ”
“The day I lost my wife she was meant to go and help Sorin learn how to hunt. I remember kissing her goodbye and greeting our children as normal and without sound or fanfare. The beautiful day erupted in fire. I remember thinking that I had finally met my mortality.” Alek revealed.
“Why didn’t Zaharis kill you?” Lanias inquired softly.
Alek sighed, looking at nothing. “He got in an argument with your father then suddenly he was gone. Your father seemed reluctant to continue his path of destruction. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or resent him at the time.”
“Is that why you wanted to kill him? Because he left you alive.”
He didn’t answer her right away, instead opting to entwine his fingers tighter with hers. And enjoying the beauty of their merged tones pressed up against each other. When he finally answered her, it wasn’t to the question she’d asked.
“Noble Vampires, children of the elder ones are typically more capable than an average Vampire. We can walk in the sunlight and enjoy food as we do blood. While I’m referred to as the ‘Monarch’ the blood line of our kind is strong in my sons.
They are similar in their ability, but something that haunts us eternally is our hunt for The One, our soul mate.
After my mate, Gloria died, I wasn’t sure I’d last long.
First the mind goes and then shortly after our soul.
I should have eventually turned into an empty husk.
However, I lingered. Maybe because of my strong desire for revenge and need to protect my children I remained sane, or as sane as described by Beings like us.
I lived day to day, pushing myself to breathe and continue to be a father.
Believing that after I killed those who’d put me in such a hell it would allow me to rest in peace forever.
I’d hand the title over to Sorin and end my life. ”
“What changed?” she asked.
“I saw you.”
Their eyes met, and Lanias was hard pressed to look away. Nervously she laughed, “I’m your soul mate?”
“I prefer to call you my Queen,” he said, a slow sexy smile taking over his lips. “I saw you and knew you were meant to be mine.”
“You have a great way of showing it,” she groused. “No hello, just let me violate your space with a lecherous grin.”
He shrugged. “What can I say, you’re cute when you’re annoyed.”
“So, what comes with being Queen of Vampires?” she asked, moving so that she faced him. “I’m already pretty dangerous as a Witch, well actually; I’m a demi-god.” She blinked. “Wait, I’m a goddess.”
Hearing this said out of Lanias’ mouth, triggered Alek to laugh. “How did we get from Queen of Vampires to Goddess?”
Swatting at him, Lanias poked her lips.
“Well, with the way the Surrem act and their magic, they can’t be anything other than Demi-gods of some sort. And I’m half Surrem, so that makes me a Goddess.”
“No, my love you’re only going to be two things.” He said lifting her up, ignoring her surprised gasp and placing her in his lap. “My wife, and my Queen. That’s it.”
She lovingly gazed down at him. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, I never said I would be either.”
He gave a swift smack to her behind.
“What was that for?” She demanded, glaring into his eyes.
“For saying something we both know isn’t true.” Resting his chin on her shoulder he wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve waited long enough.”
She wriggled in his hold, forcing him to open his arms so she could get out of his lap. Standing she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a saucy look. “Is there anything else you want to rehash Vampire? Because the shower is calling my name.”
“Yes,” he reached out hooking his fingers in her towel and yanked. The towel unraveled and hit the floor. “I wish to see you all the time, every part of you. Don’t hide this beauty from me.”
Looking down at the towel, Lanias shrugged, “I’m not that shy anyway,” She paused and looked back down again. And spotted a tattoo of a sword wrapped in thorns on her chest. Pressing a hand against it, she pursed her lips.
“What’s this.” She asked herself.
“It’s our mate mark.” Alek answered, reaching out he pressed his fingers against it.
She met his gaze, “And when did it get there?”
“Remember the first night?” He asked, his smile turning lecherous. “I didn’t let you sleep.”
Lanias flushed, not because she was shy, but because she remembered how thoroughly she’d given herself to him. “But it’s my first time seeing it.”