Defender's Blood Alex's Destiny (An Urban Fantasy)

by A. K. Michaels

  Zach got up and brought Alexina to his side. “It’s okay, honey – come on – we can talk about what Michael said. We’re going to be fine, trust me.”

  Alex thought as long as Zach loved her and they were together, then she would be fine. She just knew it.

  Zach grabbed her into a tight hug and whispered, “My thoughts exactly.” They left the meeting with a lot of food for thought. They knew they would have to put that to the side and get through the next couple of days. Once the ritual was over, they could discuss things more fully.

  Once more in the jeep, Alex’s mind was whirling round a dozen different thoughts. Zach glanced over at her. “Honey, I know it’s going to be hard, but you need to try and focus. I can hear and feel your thoughts, and it’s a little disorienting. I really don’t want to be distracted in Scotland. I need to be able to focus on my job – keeping you safe. That’s all that matters to me.” She tried to calm her thoughts, but it was difficult, she was scared.

  They arrived back home and Zach helped her out of the jeep and into the house. He led her straight down to the basement and brought her to the middle of the floor, where he had some exercise mats. He sat down cross-legged and motioned for her to do the same. “I’m going to go through some calming meditation with you, Alexina. I think it will help calm your mind and help you to focus,” he explained. She sat down opposite him and he led her through some simple breathing exercises.

  She was quite surprised at the effectiveness of them and soon found herself relaxing. “Okay, Alexina, I want you to continue with that while I get some stuff ready for tomorrow.” She didn’t answer and continued with her breathing.

  Zach walked over to the far corner to a very large cupboard, where he kept a fairly substantial cache of weapons. There were only a couple of guns, he preferred old school, and he had many different knives. Both for throwing and for up close and personal fights.

  He had many swords and various other items, including a whip tipped with silver. He could use it to catch around an ankle, arm, or even a neck. The silver would severely weaken and hold the Super he was after. Both Vampires and Wolves were affected by silver, so this was a good weapon he used quite often. However, he had never fought a Demon, so wasn’t sure what he wanted to take. He looked again and got out his knives, he also brought out one of his swords. One he had owned for a very long time.

  The sword was large, heavy and very, very sharp. In the right hands – his hands – it was lethal. He always worked well with it, it was an extension of himself, and he thought it would come in useful. He checked that the weapons were in pristine condition and as sharp as he could get them. He then replaced the knives in their leather carrying wallet and got out his straps that went with them.

  He used the straps to place the knives in strategic positions on his body, where he could get to them easily, if needed. The sword would be in a holder that he had made especially for it: straps went over his arms, similar to a backpack, and the sword was inside a long leather sheath. He would wear it underneath his coat, but it afforded easy access for him while hiding it from any prying eyes. He had surprised quite a few, when they thought he was unarmed and he pulled it out. He laid everything at the bottom of the stairs and returned to Alexina on the floor.

  “Okay, I think we will go through some of the moves I’ve been teaching you, and I’m going to add something new today.” Alex got up and stood, waiting on her instructions. Whenever they trained, Zach was always ‘all business.’ He told her it wasn’t a keep fit class, it was learning to defend yourself and wasn’t a game.

  He came over with two small straps and two small knives. He put the straps on her forearms, beneath her sleeves so they would be out of sight, then placed the knives in them. “Zach, what are you doing? I could never stab someone!” She was shocked, he couldn’t expect her to use those.

  “Alexina, if it comes down to it, believe me, you will use them. However, only do so if it’s the last thing you can do.” Zach tried blocking her out of his mind. He had to do it sometimes when he was in the presence of another strong Vampire, so he hoped he could do it now. He didn’t want her to feel the fear he had for her.

  “Okay, now we will do the usual moves, but this time I want you to use the knives, trust me, you won’t hurt me, Alexina. I want you to practice getting them out quickly and see if you can do it.”

  Alex was a bit apprehensive, what if she stabbed him? She couldn’t bear that. “You won’t,” he replied.

  They started their moves and as usual, Zach was far too quick for her. He slowed down considerably, in order for her to get the most out of the lesson. He grabbed her from behind with his arm around her neck and the other holding her hair. She went for one of the knives and was surprised to find how quickly it came out and was in her hands. She stabbed backward and Zach grabbed her wrist before the knife made contact with him.

  “Good, Alexina, that was good. Hopefully you won’t have to use them, but if you do you need to, be more confident. Again, let’s go again.”

  They practised for quite some time, but at the end of it, Alex was fairly confident she would be able to get them out fast. Whether she could actually stab someone, well, that was a different matter entirely.

  When they finished, Alex spotted the cupboard with the weapons. She hadn’t seen it open before. She walked over and was astonished with the amount he had and the variety. Some of them looked practically medieval. Zach told her he had been collecting weapons for a very long time, and some were just for his own collection, but others he used regularly.

  She looked at him and realized just how deadly he was. “I would never hurt an innocent, Alexina, never,” he replied to her unspoken thought.

  “I know. I can feel the goodness in you, Zach. It’s just that I can feel your power and deadliness, too, and it’s a teeny bit scary,” she confessed.

  “The power and deadliness you feel? That’s what’s going to keep you safe, and I have used it in the past many times to keep others safe, too.”

  She nodded her head. Zach closed the weapons away and they made their way to the stairs, where he had left what he was taking with him. Alex saw the sword and marvelled at the craftsmanship of it. It looked like it should be in a museum. She wondered at the damage it would be able to cause.

  “Ah, this sword here and I are old friends. I have used it many times on missions. As I’ve no idea what we will be up against, I thought it prudent to bring something I am good at using,” he told her, once again having seen her thoughts.

  “How do you get something like that past security at airports?” she asked.

  “Well, that depends, sometimes a bribe is all it takes, other times it is listed as an antique that I am bringing to allow a potential buyer to inspect it. That gets it through.” Alex was surprised it was that easy. He picked the sword and knives up and they made their way upstairs.

  Alex was stunned to see it was dark and hadn’t realized how long they had been downstairs. “Yes, I know, time flies when you’re having fun,” Zach answered her thought jokingly.

  “Oh, this is going to take some getting used to,” she quipped. “I better not have any ‘dirty’ thoughts whilst you are in my head.”

  “Let me assure you, darling, you can have as many dirty thoughts as you wish. In fact, the more the merrier.” He laughed and lunged at her, catching her with one hand as the other held his weapons.

  Alex’s thoughts jumbled, she was trying not to think about what she wanted him to do to her, but failing miserably. However, the thoughts were all bits of this and bits of that and didn’t make sense.

  “That is some mind you’ve got there! However, can you decide on one thing? I don’t think even I have the stamina to do all of those at once!” Zach spoke quietly and she blushed. Jeez, she had blushed more since meeting Zach than she had in her entire life.

  “You can’t blame me for my thoughts. They just sorta come, I don’t have any control, you know.” She t
ried to get out of it.

  “Well, unless you want me ripping your clothes off at all times of the day and night, you might be better to try and control them.” His eyebrow was doing that raised thing he did.

  “I’ll try, but every time I look at you, I can’t help it. I can’t believe what a brazen little hussy you’ve turned me into!”

  He released her in order to place his weapons near the front door. When he moved back towards her, Alex had a clear thought of what was in his mind. “No, Zach, I’m all sweaty and smelly from that work out you put me through,” she shrieked.

  “That’s okay. The shower will work just as well!”

  When they reappeared from the shower, she realized she was starving. Once more without her saying the words, Zach answered her. “So, what do you want to eat then?”

  “Something big and stodgy – a nice big burger on a bun would do nicely, thanks.”

  “I think I can manage that.” He pulled out his phone and placed an order at the diner. “I’ll go and pick it up, you get some wine ready. I won’t be long.” He dressed quickly and went out the door.

  As soon as he was out on the street, Alex had an anxiety attack. Her heart sped up, she was breathless, panicky, and felt sick. What was wrong with her? She tried to calm herself and got the wine and glasses out, but the feeling didn’t go, it got worse. She was on the edge of full blown panic, adrenaline coursing through her system.

  Zach was only gone for a very short time, and he just about ran in the door. He made straight for Alex and pulled her to him. “Oh dear God, that was awful,” he said into her hair.

  “Did you feel it, too? I thought I was ill. I felt so sick in my stomach. But I feel fine now, that’s so weird.” And then she thought back to what Michael had told them, and it struck her why she had felt so bad.

  “Oh no, do you think it will be like that every time we leave each other?” she asked.

  “I certainly hope not, although I love you dearly, meine Kleine, I think we need to be apart sometimes. If you want a part time job, for instance, I can’t be sitting in your place of work while you’re there. There will also be times I have meetings regarding my work and the same thing applies. I think we need to work on this. It may take time, but hopefully if we start off slowly, we may be able to build up a little resistance to what just happened?” He was trying to find a solution. Nobody, not even when you are madly in love, can be joined at the hip constantly.

  “I hope so, Zach. I don’t want to go through that every time you go to put the rubbish out!” Her heart had returned to normal, and she didn’t feel sick any more. In fact, the minute he had touched her when he came back, she had felt fine. More than fine, she felt at peace, safe, and wonderful.

  Zach placed the bag with their take-out on the counter and tried to sort through how he had felt. He was a Vampire and never felt ill, so when he was halfway to the diner and started to feel sick, it gave him a shock. Then his heart sped up and he had a feeling of pure fear. He had to get back to Alexina. He had tried to calm himself, and managed to get to the diner and collect their order. However, when he got back in his jeep he drove like a bat out of hell to get home to his love. He had not liked the feelings coursing through him, and he hoped they would be able to overcome this.

  They sat at the counter and drank their wine, and Alex just about demolished her food. Zach loved to see her eat, it was so obvious how much she enjoyed it. When they were finished, they moved to the living room. Zach put some music on and they drank their wine and tried to sort through their thoughts. Alex’s were a bit jumbled and Zach found it hard to block her out. He tried a bit harder and found that he could do it. He tried to take it further and block her from his.

  She turned to him with a questioning look. “I’m just trying to see if I can do it, darling. It’s not that I’m having thoughts I don’t want you to know.”

  “Oh, okay, I was worried, but I guess we will have to learn to do that. Your mind is obviously a lot more powerful, so it should be a bit easier for you,” she said softly.

  He hugged her closer. “Yes, that’s what I was trying to work out. I think I would be able to block my mind both from hearing yours and you hearing mine, for a little while anyway.”

  Alex looked very contemplative and finally spoke. “Zach, I think when we get to Scotland, when we are going to the cave, well, I think you should try and put a block in place. I’m terrified that my thoughts, and the fear I know I’m going to have, will have an effect on you. I couldn’t bear it, if you got hurt because of my jumbled mess of a mind.”

  Zach frowned. “I’m not sure, Alexina. If I got distracted by something else and you got into trouble, I might miss it. I couldn’t bear it, if you got hurt because I put a block in place!” They both thought about this and went back and forth with possible solutions. Finally they agreed. “Okay, so we’re going to practice. I’m going to try and block your thoughts, but still feel your emotions. That way if your fear jumps up a notch, I should know you’re in trouble. What do you think?”

  She wasn’t completely sold on the idea, but had to agree to the compromise. Zach made her go into the kitchen and he practised on blocking her while still ‘feeling’ her. She tried several different emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, and even lust. Zach managed to get them all right. She was amazed at his mental capacity and control. She only hoped that in time she would be able to control things as he did.

  “That’s enough for now, honey. We’ll try some more tomorrow and again before we leave for the cave. However, that last feeling you had? Well, I think I need to explore that one a bit more.” He walked through to the kitchen.

  He stalked towards her and released any blocks he had on his mind. He let hers in and let his out to her. More than that, he pushed his thoughts to her. He knew she had got them loud and clear, because her face grew red and her breathing quickened. He wanted to ensure that she knew exactly how he felt about her, how much he loved her, how much he adored her. Before they had to leave on what he knew was going to be a dangerous mission.

  Her blood was pumping fast through her system and it yet again called to him – it sang – as it had the first time he had met her in the woods. He was always amazed when this happened. It was not something he had ever come across. He loved the feelings it gave him, knowing she was his and his alone. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, trying to decide on just what game they might play tonight. However, when they got there he decided no games. He was just going to show her the depth of his feelings and make her feel good, very good. That was his mission for this evening.

  Chapter 13

  Well, he fulfilled his mission brief. Alexina was lying in his arms completely satiated and now sound asleep. He hadn’t moved for hours with her cradled in his arms. He didn’t ever want to move. The sun was just coming up and he realized they would have to get up soon to get ready, but not yet. He watched her as she slept and wished nothing more than to be with her every morning like this.

  His fear was rising that something would happen to her, and he knew he had to conquer it. He would not be able to do his job properly, if he did not.

  She stirred and sleepily smiled up at him. “Good morning, Mr Vampire. You been awake long?”

  Zach replied with a smile on his face, “For a while, but I was enjoying watching you sleep. You do know you snore? Quite loudly I might add.” He was teasing her, she didn’t snore, well, not really.

  “I do not,” she retorted, and he bent down to kiss her. Nothing could harm her – nothing – he wouldn’t let it.

  “My, my, aren’t you the frisky one this morning,” Alex chirped, her hand had found his arousal.

  “No better way to start the day, meine Kleine.” He smirked back.

  She replied using one of his regular words – “Indeed!”

  Too soon they were at the airstrip and had loaded what they were taking, which was not a lot. Some clean clothes and toiletries for Alex, plus he
r two small knives, and clothes and weapons for Zach.

  While they waited for the others to arrive Alex broached something that had been in her head for a couple of days. “Do you think we would have time after this is over to go to my place and get the rest of my clothes?” She hoped so. She had quite the collection of shoes that she didn’t want to lose.

  “I don’t see why not, it wouldn’t take long. I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind a small delay in returning home.”

  Alex was pleased. She wanted to double check there wasn’t anything else personal that she didn’t want to leave. She had already remembered a few photos of her parents and grandmother that she wanted. At that, Vlad and Dmitri drove up with the sisters, Rhianna and Brianna in the back. They all got out with their luggage and soon they were all seated on the plane.

  Zach pulled up the stairs and did the double knock thing on the door leading to the cockpit, and she realized she still hadn’t seen the pilot. “There really is someone flying this thing isn’t there? I haven’t seen the pilot.” Everyone stopped talking and there was what could only be called an awkward silence.

  “Did I say something wrong?” she queried.

  “No, Alexina.” It was Rhianna that answered her. “It’s just that our pilot doesn’t like to be seen. His name is James. He’s very shy, as he was involved in a mission that went very wrong. He was badly scarred, mainly on his face and shoulders, so he tends to keep to himself.”

  Alex thought that was sad. “But surely he knows all of you? Is he like that with everyone? Or is it because I’m here?” She didn’t want to think of someone spending their entire life alone.

  Zach took over. “He has some very close friends that he’s okay with. I count myself as one of the lucky ones, he’s an amazing person. Loyal, trustworthy, hard-working, and cares for everyone before himself. However, he finds it very hard with people he doesn’t know. That doesn’t just include you today, he doesn’t know Brianna, and Dmitri has never met him properly either.”