Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Wait, our mate? Where? In what direction? It was quiet on Yuki’s end for a moment before Alexa heard her snort. Alexa stayed perfectly still, even though she could hear the panicked voices around her.
It was only for a moment. I felt him for a split second when you were hit. But it’s gone already. I can’t feel the pull at all. There isn’t even a remnant of his scent. But he was here …
Alexa groaned inwardly. But this did tell her something important.
He was here, and he was watching her. And this made her think that maybe he did this often.
She didn’t want him to know she’d noticed him.
Nothing to put him on alert. She needed to pretend she noticed nothing.
Inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes and furrowed her brows as she looked at the sets of worried eyes above her.
“Raine, I’m glad you’re on our side.” Alexa smiled as she began to sit up.
“Lex.” Mikah swung his arms around her, pulling her into his chest, one hand cradling her head against him while the other rested against her back.
“Mikah …” She could hear his panicked heart racing and his heavy breathing.
“I’m sorry I scared you. I’m fine. I was always fine.
I was just … I’m sorry.” She couldn’t say what she was doing.
If Ken was nearby, she didn’t want him to overhear.
Luckily, she and Mikah were close. She could tell he at least understood it was something she didn’t want to talk about right now.
She felt him nod against her as he patted her back.
“I’m just glad you’re alright,” he breathed out quietly.
“Are the kids okay?”
“Yes, they’re fine. Raine, why don’t you take them away from the training area,” Brian asked, unable to go near the children on his own.
“Oh, and Raine.” Alexa turned her head from Mikah’s suffocating embrace. “Let’s keep this between us.” She winked at her cousin, who nodded in understanding as she led the children away.
“Let’s see how you look,” Brian said, leaning down toward Alexa. Mikah let out a low, feral warning growl, snapping his dark, agitated eyes at him.
“Check your beast, man. It’s just me.” Brian chuckled and tilted his head toward his friend. Luckily, they were all very understanding of Mikah and his emotional extremes. When it came to Alexa, he had a hard time managing his outbursts. Especially where her safety was concerned.
Alexa smiled and placed her hand on the side of his face.
She sent a gentle, cooling wave over his body.
“Mikah, remember. You’re the one in control here.
” She smiled as she watched the light blue come back in his eyes.
This used to happen all the time in the beginning, but he was getting better at controlling himself.
And now, when he did have these moments, he was able to reel himself in fairly quickly.
“Sorry, Brian,” Mikah mumbled out, a bit embarrassed as he released his grip on Alexa.
“Don’t apologize. Lex here is lucky to have someone like you protecting her. Even if she doesn’t always realize it.” Brian winked at Alexa as he pulled her to her feet. He stared into her eyes, studying her face. “What is it? Are you hurt?”
Mikah jumped up, also in full interrogation mode now. “Where, Lex? Where does it hurt? You have to tell me.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine, I promise.
Come on, let’s go back. I’m starving.” She pushed past them and headed toward the castle.
She had just learned something important.
It wasn’t just that Ken was watching her.
It was that he reacted to seeing her in trouble.
And maybe if she wasn’t surrounded by others, he would have come out completely.
She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to do.
But now, with this information, she could really work out a plan to lure Ken out.
She would have to do it away from her watchful protectors, though.
And the best time to do this would be at night.
She just had to hope he would still be around, watching …
Damn! Ken set his jaw angrily. He messed up.
For a split second, his aura raged out of control in panic for Alexa.
What was he thinking? He wasn’t, and that was the problem.
He’d reacted, which made him even angrier.
What was she thinking? She put herself in danger.
What kind of hair-brained guardian did she have watching over her to allow such a thing?
He stood there watching and let out a sigh of relief when she got up. She looked unharmed, and luckily she didn’t seem to have been alerted to his presence. He couldn’t afford a slip-up like this. He didn’t want her to know he was still around. She needed to move on.
She needed to find someone else and forget about him.
Once she did that, he would quit watching her.
At least that was what he kept telling himself.
The problem was that the very thought of another man claiming her drove him crazy.
When that dragon last night was trying to make advances, he wanted to crush him.
The problem was that Alexa wasn’t just his mate.
She was his soulmate. Because of this, the unmated connection between them was strong.
The Moon Goddess was a crafty bitch. She’d managed to mate two deities to people of her choosing.
This was not an easy feat. Setting up the mate connection was one thing.
It would be easy for her to do by manipulating the wolves.
But the soulmate bond … now that one had him stumped.
She was powerful, but a soulmate bond with a deity was something even she couldn’t pull off alone.
But with her powers of premonition, she could know about it and manipulate it how she wanted.
A soul connection, though … how in the hell was he going to deny it?
How could he ever choose another mate to break the curse he was under?
After the fairy king died, he would be cursed to return to the sea again.
He was only able to wander freely because he was linked to him.
And now that he had a soulmate, there was no way he could take another as his mate.
Maybe he deserved this, though. Perhaps because of the trouble he’d caused in the past, he didn’t deserve happiness.
He watched the sun shine on Alexa's golden hair as she walked back to the castle. She was made to shine. She was perfect. And she was his … no no no. He couldn’t think that way.
She deserved better. She should be with someone untarnished.
Someone who was worthy of her light. He was someone who deserved the darkness.
Not to mention being with him would put her in danger.
He couldn’t allow anything bad to happen to her because of him.
And that damn deity Erebus was out to make his life a living hell.
If he found out about Alexa, he would come for her.
The bastard had gone into hiding because he knew he was being hunted.
He closed his eyes and turned away. His chest felt constricted as he told himself he couldn’t have her.
The problem was … he loved her. He should have stayed away.
He never should have watched her. Because even from a distance, he fell in love with her, and his bond to her had fastened.
But he couldn’t stop. He had to make sure she was alright, and he had to secretly feed his addiction to her.
He made a mistake today, but it was one he couldn’t make again if he wanted to continue to feed his obsession.
His lips curled upward as he thought about what she’d said earlier, and he quietly chuckled.
She said she would be the one deciding her future.
And that if she decided she wanted him, she would claim him.
As if she really had a choice here. Still, it was adorable to hear her say such things.
What a thrilling game of hide and seek. If only he could let himself get caught …
He shook his head, removing the idea from his mind. He couldn’t allow it. But he would protect her in secret and love her for always.
“Terra.”
A woman flashed in front of him, kneeling, her head bent down and one hand on the ground. Her long, dark brown hair spilled over her shoulders, matching her caramel skin.
“My lord.” She lifted her head, hazel eyes meeting green.
“You know what to do. Watch her. And notify me immediately if there are any concerns.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Terra was one of the few people he trusted unconditionally.
She knew of his past and everything that had happened and was loyal to him, despite being a vampire.
But she wasn’t an ordinary vampire. She was part demon, and she didn’t really have a place in this world.
Ken had taken care of her since she was a child.
She had been abandoned to fend for herself after her parents were killed.
They were on the other side of the demon war …
After the war, there was no place for the little girl. Even though he hesitated at first, he couldn’t just leave her there to fend for herself. So he took care of her. He made sure she had food and clothing. He wasn’t a father to her or anything, but he cared for her as one would care for a pet.
When she was older, he told her all about himself and the things he’d done.
He wanted the young woman to go off on her own.
Instead, she gave her oath to always aid him.
She told him she didn’t have anywhere to go and no one would accept her.
The fact of the matter was she didn’t have anyone else.
Rather than live a life of solitude, she chose to stay with the only one who’d accepted her existence.
This couldn’t work for Ken unless she took on a useful role.
Otherwise, it would seem problematic to keep a beautiful young woman near him.
She seemed to have already realized this and began trying to be beneficial.
She would keep tabs on Alexa for him when he was busy.
She was also trying to help him search for traces of Erebus.
She was someone who could move around undetected, and this was useful to Ken.
Thus, they built a relationship based on trust.
Ken glanced back at the castle, making sure Alexa was safely back inside.
It was now time for him to go hunting for Erebus.
He did this daily. It was his mission to find the terrible deity and put him down, because it was only a matter of time before he figured out he’d been tricked.
Then he would be after Alexa, which was something he could never allow to happen.
He could never let him defile his sweet, innocent light.
In a flash, the Kraken disappeared, leaving Terra there alone.
She didn’t mind watching Alexa. In fact …
she secretly loved it. She’d gotten to know the family from a distance.
She’d laughed with them, cried with them, and felt like she was part of them.
Even if it was just from a distance, it was nice.
She wished one day she could have a family like that.
Someone who wouldn’t care that she was …
an abomination. She wasn’t a demon, nor was she a vampire.
She was a half-breed. A demonic hybrid cross with a pure-blooded vampire.
A dempire … vamon. Vamon was the cruel word she was called as a child.
It was a mocking word, like she was vermin.
And that is what they began to call her.
It was what they would call her kind … though she may be the first of her kind.
It was certainly unheard of. And her parents had fought on the side of Mephisto during the demon war.
Because of that, there really was no place for her.
The fairy queens and princesses might have good hearts, but her parents fought against them. Maybe even killed those they loved.
A family? Who was she kidding? She was lucky the Kraken cared enough to take care of her.
He was a man with a lot of weight on his shoulders.
Even when she was young, she could tell he carried this weight.
But one of his biggest problems was he felt like he could never be good enough.
That no matter what, he would never deserve Alexa.
A blind man could see how much he loved the fairy princess.
She wished she could help him. She wanted him to have happiness.
She could never have a family, but she could see no reason why Ken couldn’t have one.
Especially because Alexa wanted him. He wanted her and she wanted him, so what was the problem?
She stared at the castle and quietly sighed. She would just keep doing what was asked of her. As for her, for now, she would continue to dream of being part of the family she so often watched.