8. Invisible Protector
8
Invisible Protector
A lexa sat on her bed after the refreshments and she changed into her PJs. She called Cassie as promised and updated her on every detail of her ‘date’ with Tristan—that’s what Cassie insisted it was, despite Alexa’s protests.
Though, the details didn’t include her attempting to leap from a bridge and Tristan saving her, or that she had finally figured he was the Lightning Knight. Alexa could’ve told her that part, but she knew she’d have to explain how she figured out something that they’d dropped after comparing the handwriting on the notes.
The handwriting was something that still confused Alexa, but she told herself that perhaps Tristan used different styles on purpose so she wouldn’t figure out it was him. He did prefer to be mysterious, after all.
Cassie would find out about it soon, because Alexa wasn’t capable of keeping anything as thrilling as such information from her sister. Perhaps tomorrow. Because tomorrow would be the day that everything in her life collided.
After they hung up, Alexa reclined on a pillow and scrolled through her Instagram notifications. In the distress of the last few days, she had been barely online.
Though she had retreated from most activities after her dad’s passing and hadn’t return to them yet—like her dates with Jude, Melissa’s club meetings and house parties, and filming videos for her YouTube channel—she did go back to running her Instagram account after the first month itself, doing covers of songs that comforted her in her grief. Books had always been her comfort zone besides music, so she was still making book review reels too.
Replying to every polite comment, she finally decided it was time to sleep, when suddenly there was a knock at her bedroom door.
Alexa stiffened on the bed, staring at the closed door. Lightning Knight? Then she corrected herself. Tristan?
The knocking continued after a moment of pause, this time sharper, and followed by a voice. “Alexa, open up!”
Alexa’s heart jumped. She leapt off her bed in terror. Brandon? What was he doing here? How did he get inside?
Alexa held her ground with caution. She clutched the phone to her chest that heaved with the force of her breaths, her panic reaching the skies. The door wasn’t locked, but he didn’t know that. If only she could tiptoe toward it and lock it.
Alexa reached for the key and Brandon’s knocking became banging. His voice cut through the door like a sharp blade. “Alexa, I know you’re in there.”
The knob turned, and Alexa stilled, her heart stopping for a moment. If he opened the door, she was going to call the authorities. She unlocked the phone with trembling fingers and went to her contacts list, finding the Child Protective Service.
Her thumb hovered over the call button.
The knob kept turning, but the door didn’t open. Was he trying to scare her?
“Open the darn door, Alexa!” Brandon’s voice ordered as he resumed banging.
But she hadn’t locked it! She hadn’t ever bothered to lock it before. Who locked their bedroom doors when the house was secure? Perhaps she should start locking the door from now on; it seemed her house wasn’t so secure after all.
How on earth did Brandon get inside?
“It’s not locked!” she called back before she knew it.
The banging paused and Brandon laughed. “Nice game, pretty doll. But what fun is a game when played alone? Let me in and it would be much, much better.”
Alexa’s blood boiled. Had this man always been this lecherous? How had she and Cassie been so blind not to see it? She hated him with every fiber in her body now.
“How did you get in here? I know I locked all the doors and windows.” She kept her voice cold despite the trembling.
“Does it matter when one has the key?” Brandon snorted .
“What key?”
“Your sister gave me the spare key before she left. I guess she forgot to tell you that?” he asked with a mocking edge.
No, Alexa had only forgotten about it. Ugh, how they trusted him!
“Why don’t you open the door, huh? Your silence is grating on me.”
“Get lost,” she spat venomously, glaring at the door.
“Nuh-uh-uh, careful there, baby doll,” Brandon tusked. “I’d think twice before I say anything outrageous to the one holding my sister’s future in their hands.”
“You don’t hold my sister’s future in your hands, idiot, God does.” Alexa shocked herself with her words and recoiled, blinking twice. Had she truly just said that? She shook her head and pressed on. “And unlike you, I don’t think twice before making the right choice. I stand by what I said, you can get lost. I’m not the type of girl you think I am.”
“Even when your dear sister’s life is depending on you?” he mocked.
Oh, he had no idea how he nearly made her kill herself. How she nearly gifted him a lifetime sentence to jail. And he was still blackmailing her.
If Tristan hadn’t saved her…
Alexa shuddered.
At her silence, Brandon chuckled. “I know, Alexa, I have always known your sister is your weakness. In fact, you and Cassie are each other’s weakness. If you didn’t know that yet, I’m honored to disclose that Cassie had once told me so.”
Cassie trusted him too much. Her sister loved him so much. And this was what she was getting in return; this was what he was giving her back. The impulse to yank open the door and throw a punch to Brandon’s supposedly smug and smirking face was almost unbearable.
“You’re the vilest being I’ve ever known!” She seethed in her anger.
“If only you’d open the door and I could see you glaring daggers at me, I’d appreciate any insult you throw at my face, but not from the other side of the door.”
Alexa withheld the urge to groan; her hatred was flaring by each passing second.
“Now, be a good girl and open the door.”
“For the last time, the door isn’t locked.” Alexa rolled her eyes. “And even if it was, I won’t open it for you .”
Brandon tried at the knob again, and it rattled. “Then why isn’t it opening? You don’t want to play the wrong game with me, you know?”
“And here I was thinking you’re the one playing the game,” Alexa muttered and marched toward the door, reaching for the knob. She wanted to see why a door she hadn’t locked was not opening, and then lock it for real. But the moment she touched the knob, it wasn’t the knob her hand made contact with; her hand brushed against something soft and smooth over the knob.
She gasped and withdrew her hand, holding it to her chest. What was that?
“What is it?” Brandon asked from the other side of the door, obviously hearing her gasp.
“N-nothing,” she stuttered, staring at the knob.
“Nothing? I heard you gasp. Are you hurt or something? ”
Alexa would’ve rolled her eyes if she hadn’t been stupefied already. Instead, she ignored his question and mustered up the courage to reach for the knob again. She pressed her lips together to prevent herself from gasping again, just in case what she felt wasn’t her imagination but real.
Then she set her hand on the knob.
Her fingers brushed a hand instead of the surface of the knob.
Alexa immediately knew who the hand belonged to.
All the tension eased from her chest, and the burden lifted off her shoulders. He had promised, and he had come. He hadn’t abandoned her when she thought he did; he had been right there. With her. Invisible.
The corners of her lips trembled with the smile of pure relief that she tried to contain.
Alexa ran her hand up his invisible arm, in a slow and cautious movement, feeling the softness of his skin against her palm. As her hand reached his elbow, she felt the fabric of his sleeve.
She turned slightly, facing him where she assumed he stood, and took a step forward, reaching her other hand in front of her after pocketing the phone and the key. It moved in the air further forward, and then, touched him.
The fabric of his—she assumed—black sweatshirt was soft, and she felt the pounding of his heart against her palm, matching the rhythm of her own. Warmth radiated from him. She reached both her hands upward, tracing up his neck carefully until she held his face in her hands.
It felt weird touching him but not being able to see him; because all she could see was the wall of her room as she looked at where she supposed his eyes were. He was perfectly still, she wondered if he was even breathing.
He was shocked, she was certain, but not as shocked as when she pushed herself to her toes and whispered, “Tristan, I know it’s you.”
Though she didn’t hear him breathe, now his breath hitched.
“I’m not afraid of you. You don’t have to hide from me.” Something swelled in her chest as she said those words, and she realized she meant them. A smile pulled the corner of her lips. “Let me see you, Lightning Knight.”
The gap between her hands where she held his face was filled, and Tristan’s electric-blue eyes stared back at her. Any words Alexa had on the tip of her tongue to tell him next were forgotten.
She forgot how to breathe.
His eyes captivated her gaze with a soft look, but a myriad of emotion swam in them; disbelief, surprise, and confusion being a few of them.
Suddenly, the door flung open. Alexa gasped, and Tristan’s eyes snapped behind her in alarm. His arms came around her immediately and pulled her to him, her face slamming into his chest.
It all happened in a blink.
Tristan tightened his grip around her, and in the next moment, gravity shifted beneath her. It was restored in the next second, and the atmosphere felt calm, cool, and windy. She pulled away from him when his arms loosened around her slightly, and looked around, awe filling her senses.
They were on the rooftop of her house .
She snapped her gaze to him and found his concerned eyes on her. If he thought she was scared, or would get a panic attack, or would go mad… he was wrong. She was astonished.
Questions swirled around her head, but she picked up on the one that needed an immediate answer.
“What happened?”
“I lost control—I was… I was distracted when you touched me, so he was able to open the door. I had to get us away.”
Alexa nodded slowly, trying to decipher his words, before asking, “How… how did you stop him from opening the door?”
“I was holding it,” he answered calmly, but his eyes were anything but. There was a silent storm brewing in them.
“The knob?”
He nodded. “I let him turn it, but not budge.” He took a step back. “Listen, Alexa. I want you to stay right here until I return, and I’ll be back very soon.”
“Where are you going?” Her hands fell from him and her eyes widened.
“To deal with him.” His voice was calm but grave, and the storm in his eyes intensified.
Alexa’s heart pounded with frenzy. “Tristan, wait.” She grabbed his hand. “I know you’re furious after what he said to me, but I don’t want you to hurt him.”
Tristan’s electric blue eyes widened slightly before narrowing on her. “Do you still care for him after all that?”
“No!” Alexa exclaimed, her own eyes widening. “I care about you, Tristan. I don’t want his blood on your hands. Scare him away all you want, but don’t hurt him. I know what rage can do when it blinds someone.”
She stared at him with anticipation, holding her breath.
The storm in his eyes calmed the slightest. Tristan glanced down at his hand that she clasped in both of hers before meeting her pleading, terrified eyes. “I promise.”
“I believe you,” she blurted out, slowly letting his hand slide from hers.
Tristan took another step back, holding her gaze, and in a blink, he was gone. Alexa exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Her mind spun, but she had something more figured out about him now.
He was fast. He could teleport. He was strong. He could turn invisible.
But, what was he?
As far as she knew, though vampires were strong and fast, they couldn’t teleport or turn invisible. Nor could werewolves. And he was most definitely not a ghost.
Was he Fae?
What other options did she have to pinpoint the possibilities of who he was? Would he tell her if she asked?
Alexa paced back and forth until she heard Brandon shouting. She ran to the edge of the small terrace and glanced down at the front yard. Brandon’s shouts continued, but she couldn’t make out his words. A moment later, she saw him scrambling out of the house and tearing across the lawn, stopping to glance back only once he reached the road.
Alexa ducked from his view and peered over the half wall. Brandon was still there, staring at the house and breathing heavily. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, holding his nose—as though someone threw a punch at his face. Exactly what she had wanted to do.
Brandon scrambled to his feet and ran down the street. Probably to his car. Alexa scanned the courtyard for any sign of Tristan, wondering if he had gone after Brandon to chase him off her neighborhood.
“Alexa.”
Alexa turned to see Tristan standing behind her, unruffled. She shot to her feet from her crouching position and, without a second thought, flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smelled like vanilla and coffee beans, comforting and homey.
His arms came around her, hesitantly at first, before tightening and burying his face in her hair. He exhaled.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Alexa.”
Alexa pulled away from the hug to look at him. “But you saved my life, saved me from Brandon twice now. And… and you defended me from Melissa’s bullying.”
Tristan dropped his arms from her. “Yes, I did. But you don’t have to be thankful for something that’s already yours.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You owe me a full explanation.”
“Shall we go back to your room?”
“Yeah,” she said and swallowed. “Should I… should I hold on?”
Tristan nodded silently and stepped close, wrapping an arm around her. In a blink, the scenery of the night changed to blank and then to her room.
Alexa didn’t realize she had a death grip on him until he let go of her and she looked at his elbow. She drew her hand immediately and stepped back, taking a deep breath.
“You can teleport,” she said, slowly meeting his eyes. “You can turn invisible. You’re fast, strong…” She trailed off, and watched sorrow swimming in his gaze. “What are you?”
He smiled, a cold, self-mocking one. “What do you think?”
“A vampire?” She held her breath in anticipation.
A sad laugh escaped him, and he planted his hands into the pockets of his jeans, shaking his head. “If I was, I wouldn’t have been able to enter your house unless you invited me in.”
Right. But … Twilight vampires didn’t require it. She shrugged away the thought. “Werewolf?”
This time he simply smiled. “No.”
“Fae!”
His eyebrows rose. “I’m sorry to disappoint you for sounding so sure.”
Alexa wracked her brain for more options. “Superman? Aqua man? Batman?”
At the shake of his head, she asked, “Then what? Bitten by a spider? Spiderman?”
Tristan sighed. “I’m afraid I’m none of those, and I have no name to describe myself. My kind doesn’t have a name, because I’m the only one of my kind.”
“I don’t understand…” she whispered. “Then, what are you?”
“I will tell you everything, but not now.” Tristan held up a hand as she opened her mouth to protest. “Right now, all you need to know is that you’re safe, your sister’s reputation isn’t at risk, and Brandon will never bother you again. I’ll make sure of it.”
“What are you talking about?” So, had he seen her then, when she pleaded with him to help?
“I was there when he blackmailed you in the kitchen that day. As much as it killed me to stay back and watch while he said all that garbage to you, I had to. If I had interfered any earlier than I did, I wouldn’t have been able to find out the truth. And the truth is, it was all an empty threat. Alexa, he doesn’t have the photos he claims he has.”
Alexa gaped at him in disbelief. “How do you know that?”
“Remember him taking out his phone and asking if you want to see the pictures? He was only pretending then. He knew you won’t say yes to take anything as a glimpse at it, and he used it as his advantage to make you believe his ruse. I was right behind him when he scrolled through his phone. And Alexa, he was only scrolling through some random photos in his gallery. I even got my hands on his phone that night just to make sure the threat was empty. I used his fingerprint to unlock his phone while he was asleep.
“He is no threat to you, Alexa, and he will never be. I promise you that.”
Alexa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her sister was safe; her sister hadn’t been unsafe in the first place. And if she had taken her life today, if Tristan hadn’t been there in time to save her…
Tears pooled in her eyes, and she took a deep breath to keep them at bay. “S-so… it was all just a ruse to take advantage of me?”
His eyes turned solemn, even with the storm in them, as he nodded. “Yes.”
“And you are pretty sure.” It wasn’t a question. She just wanted to hear it from him, again.
“Alexa, I would never have told you if I was at least doubtful of the chance. I even checked all bathrooms in your house after he claimed he has a camera in your sister’s. I can sense them, and there wasn’t one.” He tilted his head, looking into her eyes with utmost sincerity. “You and your sister are safe. Trust me.”
And she did. Alexa didn’t know how, but she trusted him. And she was surprised how natural it felt to trust him; she felt it in her heart, her soul, and down to her bones.
The crushing weight upon her heart vanished; she felt so light with freedom that she thought she might be able to fly.
Then, the hold on her tears loosened. They streamed down her face and she wiped at them hastily.
“Alexa…”
“No, I’m not crying.” She sniffed and looked at him with a smile. “They’re happy tears.”
At those words, a smile flitted across his face, but it vanished almost instantly. He took a step forward. “You’re not afraid of me?”
“Why should I be?” Alexa asked him incredulously.
His eyes searched hers, as though trying to know if she was being honest. Then he sighed. “I just… I thought, after you learn I’m not an ordinary human…”
“Oh, Tristan.” Alexa sighed and shook her head, gratitude and awe overwhelming her. “I owe you.”
“No, you don’t,” he said firmly, though his eyes were anything but. “You don’t owe me for something I give and will give, willingly.”
“Are you the knight to every damsel in distress?”
His eyes lit up slightly. “Just you, Alexandra.”
Never had her given name sounded so… so beautiful before. Alexa never liked being called by it, but now, her breath hitched at the way his tongue caressed the name. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“Why me?” She searched his eyes.
“Because…” His gaze roamed all over her face before gluing back to her eyes. “You’re you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“One day, you will.” The warmth in his eyes was undeniable, almost close to affection and… admiration? Did he admire her? “Now, I want you to go to bed and have a nice sleep. I know the past days have been hard on you, and you went through the hardest of them just a few hours ago. It’s all over now. Go to bed, have a nice sleep.”
He took her hand and pressed something small and metallic into her palm. She looked down and saw it was the spare key, and snapped her eyes back to his in wonder.
“I took it from Brandon,” he explained. “I’ve locked the main door and checked the back one and all the windows too; he has no more access to your house. You can sleep peacefully.”
“I almost thought you were compelling me,” Alexa said with a small, teasing grin. “But since I don’t feel obliged to obey you, I guess you have no such power?”
“Like I said, I’m not a vampire.” He returned her smile.
“Then what are you? I wanna know. I don’t think I can go to sleep without an answer. ”
Tristan cocked his head to the side and gave her a knowing look. “If I say I’m your Lightning Knight, will you be able to sleep?”
Alexa shrugged.
He chuckled softly. “For now, all you need to know is that I’m your Lightning Knight. And tomorrow, I’ll answer all your questions. I promise.”
Alexa gave in without a fight; his promise was something she could count on, she realized. He was a man of his word. “Then tomorrow it is.”
“I can drop you off at school, if you’d like.” He offered, almost as hesitant as testing waters.
“Who said I’m going to school when a supernatural human has promised to tell me all about himself?” She widened her eyes incredulously. “You can pick me up when school starts, but we’re going somewhere that’s not school. I don’t want to stay here either, until Cassie is back.”
“Deal. We’ll go to my place then.” Tristan took a step back from her. “Goodnight, Alexa. Don’t hesitate to call if you need me.”
“Goodnight, Tristan.” She nodded with a smile, and kept smiling at the spot where he stood even as he disappeared.