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

by A. K. Michaels

  She was shocked – then something hit her. “Stuart! Oh dear God. Is he okay? He was hurt so bad, there was so much blood! Please tell me he didn’t die?” She had tears in her eyes remembering seeing the huge Wolf lying in a pool of blood.

  “Shh, don’t get upset. Yes, he’s alive, he’s not quite out of the woods yet. It was a serious injury, but he should be back on his feet soon. Margaret is looking after him in one of the rooms here in the main house. He’s on strong antibiotics to fight an infection, but he’s a fighter, he’ll pull through.” Zach tried to quieten her down and allay her fears for the large Wolf.

  She sagged back onto the pillows. “Thank God.” She would have been devastated, if he had lost his life while trying to defend her.

  “Is everyone else okay? No one else was hurt bad? What about Rhianna – is her head okay?”

  “Yes, darling, everyone else is fine. Well, apart from worrying about you that is!”

  There was a knock at the door and Margaret poked her head in. “I thought I heard voices! Oh, Alex, you’re awake. We were so worried. Are you okay? Are you hungry? Do you want a shower?”

  Before she could go on, Zach intervened. “She seems to be okay apart from very weak. I’m going to give her a bath and then I think maybe some light soup?”

  Alex piped up. “Lucozade? Do you have any Lucozade? It’s what my mum would give me when I wasn’t well.”

  Margaret frowned. “No, I don’t think so, but I’ll get one of the guys to run out and get some. You rest and I’ll get soup for you. Just shout down, Zach, when you’re ready for me to bring it up. Also, the rest are desperate to see she’s okay?”

  Zach smiled, everyone had been worried for Alex, she was well thought of. Vlad had been pacing back and forth for days. “I think, maybe, after the soup, if she’s feeling up to it then.” Margaret left saying she would let the others know.

  Zach turned back to her and he couldn’t believe his luck. She was awake and seemed fine. Thank you, God – he sent a thanks upwards. Not something he would normally do.

  “Right, now I’m going to wash you. The en suite just has a shower, so we’ll use the main bathroom. I’ll just go and fill the bath, I won’t be a minute.”

  The minute he stood up Alex grabbed for him. “No, no, Zach, don’t leave me, please!” He sat back down as there was another knock at the door.

  Margaret again peeked in. “I’ve run a bath, and put plenty of bubbles in for you,” and she promptly left again. Zach was grateful that she had thought to do that.

  He gently lifted Alex and carried her to the bathroom. It was lovely and warm and steam was rising from the bath, full to the brim with bubbles. He took the nightie she had been wearing off and placed it on the floor, he checked the water, wasn’t too hot, then placed her in.

  He got a sponge and lathered it up and very, very gently washed her. From top to bottom, the contact was not sexual in any way, it was gentle, loving, and caring. When he was finished, he let her lie in the bubbles for a while and he explained everything that had happened since she collapsed.

  Zach had carried her all the way back to the jeep and it had taken Duncan, Dmitri, and Vlad to carry the wounded Wolf. Stuart had to stay in his Wolf form for the first twenty-four hours for a couple of reasons: he was too weak to change back, and his wound was so severe that if he had then, he would probably have died.

  When Alex hadn’t wakened after a few hours, everyone had got worried. They had contacted Tatiana and she said it was in God’s hands, and they couldn’t do anything but wait.

  That hadn’t sat right with any of the Vampires. Zach cursed, Vlad paced, and Dmitri swore in his native Russian tongue, which made it sound even worse. Everyone else, well, they did the only thing they could, they prayed.

  Zach had been beside himself, watching Alexina slip away from him. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes were black, and she had lost a lot of weight. He was so relieved that she had woken. She looked very weak, however, and he was going to nurse her back to health.

  She had shown great courage. She was the only one that had no powers, as such, and she stood firm alongside those who did. He was so proud of her, he couldn’t put it into words.

  She looked over at him, she smiled, he realized that she knew just how proud he was. “Right, meine Kleine, back to bed,” and he lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a big fluffy towel that Margaret had laid out for them. He took her back to their room and kissed her very softly as he sat her on the bed.

  He got a clean nightie for her and put it on. Then he got her comb. She never used a brush on her curls, and he combed her hair through to get rid of all the tangles. She was grateful to him, and in fact, this was the closest she had felt to him. She was truly grateful to have her soulmate close by.

  “I need a plait, Zach, or it’s just going to get tangled again. You’ll find a bobble in my toiletries bag,” Alex said, and Zach looked confused.

  “What the hell is a bobble?” he asked, and she tried to laugh, but didn’t have the strength.

  “It’s a band for my hair...bring me the bag.” She rooted around and brought out a band, which he used to secure her hair, once he had done a bad job of putting it into a plait. After he had finished her hair, he made her lie in the bed and covered her up to keep her warm. He then stuck his head out the door and shouted for Margaret, who soon appeared with a tray with some hot soup and toast. Alex was hungry, but she was so weak that Zach fed her.

  She could feel he wanted to discuss something, but he was mildly blocking her, so she didn’t know exactly what it was. Zach spoke softly as he fed her, “Honey, I want to speak to you, I don’t want you to be frightened, but I think now, especially that you are so weak and ill, that now is the time.” She wondered just what he was going to say?

  Zach continued, “Now, you know how I feed from you? And we’ve spoken about you taking some of my blood so that you don’t age. Well, my blood has some healing qualities, and I think you should have some. What do you think?”

  Alex stared up at him, he sounded worried, he had obviously been scared, but she didn’t know how she felt.

  “Zach, I’m not sure, you know that I can’t even eat my steak rare. I’m worried I’ll be grossed out and not be able to do it. I also don’t want to, oh what’s the word I need, my brain is so tired, I can’t think straight. This isn’t the word I want, but it’s the only one coming to me, I don’t want to offend you, if I can’t do it.” She was so tired, she just wanted to go to sleep.

  Zach carried on and she tried to focus, “I understand, Alexina, I do, but I really think we should try. Okay?”

  She looked at him and just nodded. Zach bit into his wrist and let a small amount of blood pool on it before holding it to her mouth. “Try and drink a little, honey, please,” he coaxed.

  She didn’t look at it, but stuck her tongue out and lapped a tiny amount. The taste was not what she had expected at all. She was not expecting the sweetness that hit her taste buds and lapped a little more, she kept her eyes closed, though.

  Zach murmured all the time, encouraging her to continue. She did for a little while more, but then exhaustion overcame her, and she didn’t have the strength to lap up any more. Zach took his wrist away, lay down next to her and took her in his arms. Her feeding from him had elicited the normal response, but he hid that from her.

  “How was that? Do you think you will be able to do it?” he asked. She nodded once and promptly fell asleep. Zach stayed at her side and slowly his arousal left.

  Margaret knocked a little while later to see if Alex was up for visitors. When she saw Zach lying next to a sound asleep Alex, she said she would tell the others they would have to wait.

  Alex slept for another eight hours and Zach refused to leave her. When she woke this time, she wasn’t as bad as she had been, and Zach could sense she was healing, slowly, very slowly.

  The others came to visit a couple at a time with breaks in-between, so as
not to tire her out too quickly, and Zach gave her another bath. When Scott and the sisters visited, she noted that Scott and Bri stood very close and the large man’s hand made its way to Bri and held hers. I was right about them, she thought.

  Bri kept thanking her for saving her. “God, Alex, if you hadn’t done what you did, I doubt I would be standing here right now. I really, really can’t thank you enough.” Alex just smiled. She had only done what anyone would’ve done, right?

  Margaret appeared with a smile and a bottle of Lucozade, which made Alex happy as she gladly drank it down.

  They were lying quietly when Alex spoke. “When will we go to my old place? I would like to get my stuff before we head home.”

  Zach smiled. “It’s okay, you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “But, Zach, I need to get my stuff.”

  “It’s already taken care of. Scott drove the girls and they packed up your things. They took anything personal, and all your clothes, shoes, jewellery, everything has already been loaded onto the plane. You don’t need to worry about anything, other than getting better.” She smiled into his shoulder and fell asleep again.

  Zach was worried that it was taking too long for her to get better, and he wanted to get her home as soon as he could. He decided they would leave the next day, he could carry her, and then she could go to bed on the plane. He got up slowly, so as not to waken her, and made his way downstairs.

  Margaret, Duncan, Vlad, and Dmitri were in the kitchen. It was the heart of this house he thought. He told them his plans. He wanted to get Alex home, and so that’s what he was doing.

  Margaret was a little sad, she liked them both and wished they would stay longer. Zach assured her that when Alex was fine, they would return for a little holiday. To this Duncan did a loud ‘harrumph.’

  “Well, ye better dae it this time, dinnae wait fer another hundred years, laddie!” Duncan spoke in a reproving tone.

  Zach laughed. “I won’t, Duncan, I promise. I know Alexina would love to see the baby, when it comes.”

  He sent Dmitri to find the girls and tell them they would be leaving the next day and to get organized. When Zach made up his mind, nothing could sway him.

  Margaret made Zach sit down, obviously worried about him, also. He hadn’t left Alex’s side since they had brought her back, he looked tired.

  Vlad stared at Zach, he too looked worried about him. He hadn’t fed in four or five days, and he was nearing the limit without food. “Zach, please don’t bite my head off, but you look like you need to feed. You look tired, my friend.”

  “I’m fine!” Zach shot back. “I feed from my mate and nobody else,” Zach advised in a tone that would have scared most.

  Vlad, however, continued, “Zach, I know that, but obviously you can’t feed on Alex right now. That doesn’t mean you don’t feed. You know you can’t go more than another couple of days. What will you do if she’s not better by then?”

  Zach slumped, “I don’t know, Vlad. The thought of feeding from anyone else makes me sick to my stomach.”

  Vlad got up and walked over to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know, Zach, but you won’t do Alex any good, if you get weak. I have some donated blood in the special container on the plane. I think you should have some when we get on? Okay?”

  Zach’s voice was filled with feeling as he looked up at his friend. “I know you mean well, Vlad, I do, but I don’t know if I will be able to...we will see.”

  Dmitri came back and he actually had a smile on his face, something which was pretty rare. “We’ll be one short on the return journey, Zach. Scott has managed to convince Bri to stay on for a bit.”

  “Ah bloody well knew he had eyes fer that lassie,” Duncan laughed.

  “I hope she knows what she’s letting herself in for – Wolves are very possessive,” Margaret commented.

  “Indeed,” Zach remarked and everyone smiled, he really did like to use that word.

  Zach stayed downstairs for only a short while and then returned to Alex’s side. He felt calm when he was next to her. He couldn’t watch over her from downstairs.

  She woke for a brief period, and he had her drink a little more of his blood. Every time she woke now, he was doing it. He badly wanted his blood inside her, hoping she would heal more quickly if it was.

  One of the times she was awake, he told her they would be leaving soon to go home. She smiled at him sleepily and muttered, “Good.”

  The next morning she managed to eat some toast unaided and everyone took that as a good sign. Zach dressed her in loose-fitting comfy clothes and picked her up and carried her downstairs.

  She quietly said goodbye to everyone and promised to keep in touch, then fell asleep in Zach’s arms. Margaret and Duncan looking on with worried faces.

  Rhianna had a tearful goodbye with Bri, but Dmitri took it upon himself to comfort her and led her to the waiting jeep. William was driving the second vehicle, and Zach was glad to note that he seemed fully recovered. Once they were all in, the trip back to the airport was uneventful and quiet.

  Again Thadius had worked his magic and they were allowed to drive practically right up to the plane. “Goodbye, my friend,” Zach said to Duncan and Duncan reciprocated and gave him a bear hug. Zach then turned and carefully carried his Alexina out of the jeep and onto the plane.

  Very soon they were on their way home, Alex asleep in the same bedroom she and Zach had shared on their way over. Zach was worried, surely she should be getting better quicker than this?

  There was a soft knock on the door and Zach got up to answer it. Rhianna was there and said Vlad wanted to speak to him. He looked back at Alex, he didn’t want to leave her. Rhianna was very perceptive and said, “It’s okay, Zach, I’ll sit with her ‘till you come back. If there’s any change, anything at all, I will shout for you.” Zach reluctantly moved and let Rhianna in, then made his way to the main compartment.

  Vlad and Dmitri were sitting in their usual places, however, there were no cards on the table this time. In their place was a packet of blood.

  Zach’s anger grew. They had no right to do this. Alexina was his and he fed from her alone. How dare they!

  Surprisingly, it was Dmitri that spoke, not Vlad. “Zach, I know how you must feel – trust me when I say this. I had a mate in Russia and only fed from her. When she was killed by a rogue on a mission, I was beside myself. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t feed, and I hunted the bastard down and made him suffer!”

  Zach was astonished, he had never heard Dmitri say more than a few words at a time. He certainly never heard him speak on personal matters.

  Dmitri continued in his thick Russian accent, “So after I had caught and killed him, I had nothing. Nothing mattered to me, my mate, my lovely Ludmilla, was gone. I stayed in my room, and after another few days got weaker and weaker. My superior, in the security guard that Ludmilla and I worked in, came to my room. He was not alone, he had three other guards with him, and I had no idea what they were there for. He held out a packet of blood and asked me to drink it. I turned my face away to the wall and refused to even look at him. Then I found out why he had brought others. They held me down while he poured the blood down my throat!

  “I was enraged that they would do such a thing! My superior just said that unless I was killed on the job, they would continue to do this until I came to my senses. I endured that once a week for over two months. You cannot imagine how it felt to have blood that wasn’t from my Ludmilla forced down my throat! However, Zach, I slowly came to realize they were right. Ludmilla would never have allowed me to get sick, she would have, how do you Americans put it, bust my balls. She loved me as much as I loved her, and she would have been the first person to tell me to feed. This realization came slowly, but it did come. So, Zach, what would your Alexina say to you now, here, at this moment, if she knew you had gone too long without sustenance? What would she say?”

  Zach was very rarely without w
ords, but this man had just bared his soul to him to help him. He was humbled. “Thank you,” was all Zach said as he reached for the blood on the table. He opened it and drank some. It tasted vile, nothing like the sweet blood of his love. He gagged, but forced himself to keep it down.

  He didn’t drink it all, just enough to keep him going. He replaced the bag on the table and made his way back to Alexina. Rhianna smiled at him, she could see the difference in him. She placed a hand on his arm and gave a slight squeeze, she knew it must have been hard for him.

  The rest of the flight, Zach stayed at Alexina’s side. She didn’t waken at all on the plane, and when it landed, he picked her up and carried her to a waiting car.

  Once more Thadius’s thoughtfulness struck him, he had sent a large sedan, so he could get her in comfortably in the back, lying across him and the seat. She only just mumbled a couple of times and Zach was getting more worried.

  The driver took them straight home, and Zach was a little surprised to find Tatiana and Thadius in his home. Tatiana jumped up as soon as they came in the front door, Alex still asleep in his arms.

  He took her straight to their room and was not surprised to see the new bed there. His phone call from Duncan had done the trick. He had asked Irina to get him a big old four poster with soft mattress and covers. She had outdone herself, the bed looked fantastic.

  Irina hadn’t stopped there. The rest of the furniture had been changed, in keeping with the style of the bed. New drawers and a new dresser with a huge mirror and stool in front of it complemented the bed. The room looked drastically different. He hoped Alexina liked it.

  “How is she?” Tatiana asked him, Zach thought he could hear a touch of fear in her voice.

  “She is not any worse, but only slightly better. She seems to sleep an awful lot of the time.”

  “Sleep is good, sleep is healing. I’ve been so worried! I was going to come to her, after the cave, but Thadius reminded me of something. You are now her protector, it’s just hard for me, she is like my daughter.” She sobbed on the last part, and Zach could see how upset she was.