Chapter 42 – Alex
Chapter Forty-Two
ALEX
The blood slides down my throat like the most incredible liquor. It’s tangy, sweet, and satisfying, but at the same time, it doesn’t even come close to the scent coming from Sera.
I wasn’t lying; the all-consuming desire to drink from her has faded, but it isn’t completely gone. The pulse of her throat beats mine, mine, mine. I want to claim her. All of her. Will she let me?
While Kian said letting Rae drink from him is the most arousing thing he’s ever experienced, I don’t know if it would be the same for us. I’m a vampire, not a god. The last thing I want is to hurt her, and the enchantress queen’s bite was excruciating.
After refilling my glass once more, the hunger in my gut appears to be satiated. I sniff at the food again, wondering if I’ll be able to eat. I try to remember if I ever saw the queen eat actual food, but most of my memories of her are oddly muted, which is perhaps a small mercy.
I pick up a juicy plum-looking fruit and bite into it.
“Well?” Sera asks, curiosity lighting her eyes.
“It tastes fine,” I say, “but I’m not really hungry anymore. I guess we’ll just have to feel it out, as you said.”
Sera pulls the cart over to the table and fills a plate. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve barely eaten in days.”
“Please don’t apologize. It’s not bothering me or anything,” I try to reassure her as I move to the seat across from her, shocked once again at how fast and smooth my movements are.
This will definitely take some getting used to.
What I wouldn’t give to have a go at Kian on the training mat with these new skills.
A heaviness fills my chest at the thought of him.
I miss my best friend, and the fact that they haven’t shown up to check on us makes me worry something else is wrong.
“Do you think Kian and Rae are okay?” I ask.
Sera pauses, her fork halfway to her mouth before she sets it down. “I do have to admit, it seems a little out of character that they haven’t shown up, though time flows differently between realms.”
“How long have we been here?” I ask. “I’ve lost track, you know, with the imprisonment and dying.” I let out a dry laugh.
Sera wrinkles her nose. “I’m so incredibly sorry for all of that.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Well, it sort of was,” she retorts. “The queen imprisoned you because of me. Do you want to talk about it? About whatever else happened other than her compelling you to kill me?”
I blow out a breath, leaning back in my seat. “Did you know your realm has vespira root?”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
I rub a palm over my face. “She drugged me after she got into my head and found my weakness. Used it against me.”
“Oh, Alex,” Sera says, her voice growing soft.
“I don’t want your pity,” I grouse. “The goddess said my penchant for addiction won’t do me any favors with my bloodlust, so perhaps her tonic affecting me this way is only temporary.”
Sera reaches across the table and grabs my hand, squeezing it in hers. “You’re one of the strongest people I know. And you’ve got me here to help you however I can.”
Tension I didn’t even realize I was holding seems to melt out of me. “Thank you. That truly does mean a lot.”
“Of course.”
She continues eating in silence, and I can’t help but be in awe of her beauty and strength.
The way soft tendrils of hair frame her face, the faint flush in her cheeks as she senses my eyes on her.
She stayed with me. She didn’t give up. She contended with her curse to save me and her court from the queen. I don’t deserve this female one bit.
I pour another glass of blood and slowly nurse it, giving my hands something to do. The tension between us is thick, and I know there is still so much to discuss. What happens next? Where do we go from here? Will she rule the kingdom as the last remaining heir?
“Your thoughts are so loud,” Sera says with a faint smile.
I straighten in my seat. “Can you read—hear—my thoughts?”
Sera shakes her head. “Not exactly, but I can almost feel the intention.”
“Can you tell me more about this mate stuff?” I ask. “I don’t quite understand what it means for us.”
Sera nervously bites her lip before taking a gulp of water. “Yes, I suppose we should talk about that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, feeling a distant pang of hurt.
“It was always to protect you, but also to protect me,” she says softly.
“I didn’t want you to be used to hurt me, and what in the hells do I have to offer you?
I didn’t know if I would ever break this curse, and I was losing myself.
Not to mention, a mate bond is a huge commitment, and I kind of have commitment issues. ”
I snort. “You’re not lying.” She throws a napkin at me, and I duck, giving her a grin.
Her face goes serious. “I am sorry. You shouldn’t have had to find out the way you did. Can you forgive me?” Sera looks up at the ceiling, a hint of tears welling up in her eyes, and immediately, I want to comfort her. We’ve both had our hurts, but I want to move forward.
“Of course, sweetheart,” I reply. “No more secrets, okay?”
“No more secrets,” she agrees, her shoulders loosening and a smile returning to her face.
The truth in her words fills me with a sense of peace. “You know, I was gone for you the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
A flush heats her cheeks, but she avoids my gaze. “You were such an ass.”
This time, embarrassment floods my cheeks with heat, and I remember how I managed to piss her off during our first conversation. “Kian has never let me live that one down.”
Sera bursts into laughter, and I can’t help but join her.
When our mirth dies down, the moment turns oddly somber. She finally meets my eyes, and I ask, “Do you want to be mated to me? I don’t think I’m fit to rule a fae kingdom, but I’ll happily stay at your side. I don’t know if I’d be accepted back home with all the changes . . .”
“Of course I want to be mated to you, Alex, and I don’t care where in the realms we end up or if we go back to the forsaken one, as I have no intention to rule. I just want to be with you.”
Her words are a balm to my weary soul. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to be wanted, how badly I needed to hear she wants me. “I want to be with you too.”
The brightest smile lights up her face, and I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but are we there yet? Everything between us has been so fraught with tension, so damned slow. I don’t want to rush her.
Her words come back to me, and I ask, “Wait, you’re not planning to rule?”
“I meant what I said. I never wanted to rule.” She pauses, tears shimmering in her eyes. “My sister—Gabriella—she’s alive.”
“Sera, that’s incredible!” I exclaim. The joy and hope radiating from her fills me with warmth. “Is she coming here?”
Sera nods. “Jade went home to get her.”
“So you and Jade got pretty close, huh?”
“I think we could be good friends,” she says with a smile. “She understands the whole burden of being a princess but not the heir thing.”
I suck in a breath. I did not expect that. Jade was apparently also full of secrets when we first met. I’m glad Sera had her help though. She may not have made it through the confrontation with the queen without her assistance.
“So where does that leave us?” I ask. “Do we stay in Lunesai? Do we go back to Rakveren?”
Sera shrugs. “I don’t care where we end up as long as we’re together. You’re my home, Alex.”
That sounds good to me.
“Of course I will want to stay for a little while at least, to make sure my sister is set up before we make any decisions,” she adds.
“Of course. And we might be stuck here indefinitely either way if Rae doesn’t show up.”
Sera nods, then leans back in her chair and looks at me curiously.
“What?” I can’t help but ask.
“I was just wondering . . .” She twists a blonde strand around her finger. “Do you think you might be satiated enough to kiss me without trying to eat me?” There’s a teasing tone in her voice but also a vulnerability I didn’t expect.
“Spitfire,” I drawl, propping my elbows on the table and leaning toward her. “Are you asking me to kiss you?”
She blushes, and her incredible scent intensifies. Hells. I don’t think I could ever be full enough not to want her.
In a blink, I’m at her side, and she gasps in surprise. “Gods, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”
I grin before sweeping her up into my arms, pressing my forehead to hers. “Come on, it’s a fantastic development,” I tease.
Her pulse pounds fiercely, but I don’t sense fear. I sense arousal . . . anticipation.
“I think it’s time you showed me all the wonderful things your hands are capable of,” Sera breathes.
My cock strains against the confines of my pants, and I barely suppress a groan.
“Kiss me already,” Sera demands, pulling my face down to meet hers.
Our lips collide, and the want burning through me threatens to undo me right here and now.
Sera moves her lips against mine, her fingers caressing my face, working their way toward my hair.
She’s wanton and needy, but I’m holding back.
I’m afraid of hurting her with this newfound strength and a body that doesn’t quite feel like my own.
Her tongue teases at the seam of my lips, but I’m nervous about my fangs.
Sensing my hesitation, Sera pulls back and frowns. “I thought you were going to kiss me?”
She’s so light in my arms, almost fragile, even though I know that’s not true. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“Alex, I trust you. You’re my mate, remember? Mates cannot intentionally hurt one another. You belong to me and I belong to you. All parts, even the ones that might take us a while to fully accept.”
With a nod and a breath, I whisk us off to the bedroom to show her exactly how much I love and accept her.
The room is dimly lit with fae lights casting a soft glow upon the female in my arms. Her eyes sparkle with mischief and anticipation.
“You might want to warn me before you do your little rushing thing. I just ate, you know. It’s a good thing I don’t get motion sickness. Usually.”
“There’s a whole lot I will need to get used to,” I tease, slowly sliding her lithe body down the front of me. Her robe starts to come undone, revealing her creamy white skin.
Sera notices me looking and starts to back away slowly, swaying her hips in a completely maddening and distracting manner as she pulls at the ribbon barely holding it together. When it releases and the robe gapes open even further, I groan at the sight of her delicate lace underthings.
“What in the realms were you doing sleeping next to me in that? There’s no telling what I would have done if I saw that earlier.”
Sera blushes oh so prettily as she rolls back her shoulders and the robe falls off entirely. She reaches behind her to untie the lace bralette, but I close the distance between us, gently grabbing her wrist.
“Ah, ah, Spitfire, not yet.”
She purses her lips. “If you insist.”
“Oh, I do.” I eagerly devour her with my eyes.
The dusky rose of her nipples through the lace is a sweet torture.
I’m still almost afraid to touch her after she’s held me at arm’s length for so long, but then she takes hold of my hand and guides it to her breast, arching into me when my thumb brushes against the hardened peak.
“Do you even know how magnificent you are?”
“You make me feel seen in a way I never thought I’d feel again,” she whispers.
I pull her closer, and this time, I kiss her. She eagerly opens her mouth and my tongue sweeps in, tasting, teasing. She’s incredible . . . and somehow, she’s mine.