Betrayal (Blood Haze: Book Three) A Paranormal Romance

by Shuler, Tara

  “I am not leaving her,” Alexi said, as if the matter wasn’t open for discussion.

  “Fine, why don’t we both stay in here tonight?” Liam asked. “We can take shifts staying awake to watch Hillary, and the other can sleep in the chair.”

  Alexi thought for a moment, and then relented.

  “Alright, but I am taking first shift,” Alexi said.

  I took a shower and changed into fresh pajamas, which Kai had picked out from a communal clothes closet at the compound. They were warm and soft. He knew me so well.

  I snuggled into the soft bed and pulled the blankets securely around me. Kai had already kissed me goodnight and left for his own room across the hall. Liam held Hillary while Alexi sat beside me. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and caressed my cheek gently.

  “Sleep well, my love,” he whispered. “I will be right here when you wake up.”

  I nodded, and he kissed me on the forehead and took Hillary away from Liam. Liam smiled at me, and I gave him a tired smile as exhaustion overtook me and I faded quickly into sleep.

  Chapter Four – Decisions

  “Alice?” Liam’s voice roused me from my sleep.

  “Mmm?” I mumbled groggily.

  “Alice, it’s Hillary,” Liam said.

  Absent-mindedly, I reached over and touched her arm to lull her back to sleep.

  “Thanks,” he whispered. “You can go back to sleep.”

  I looked over at Alexi sleeping uncomfortably in the chair in the corner. His head hung at a weird angle, and I knew his neck must be hurting in that position. He never seemed to sleep anywhere other than a chair in the corner of whatever room I was in, and I suddenly felt very guilty. I threw the covers back and padded across the room, kneeling in front of him and placing my hand gently on his.

  “Alexi?” I whispered.

  I startled him, and his head jerked up quickly. Seeing me, he relaxed slightly, but he was still tense.

  “What it is? Is something wrong?” Alexi asked, with a concerned edge in his voice.

  “No, no,” I told him. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering if you’d trade places with me.”

  “Trade places? What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you go sleep in the bed and I’ll sleep in the chair.”

  “What? No! Why would you want to do that?”

  “This chair looks awfully uncomfortable, Alexi. When was the last time you slept in a bed?”

  “I do not remember, but it is not important.”

  “Alexi, you’ve done so much for everyone else, lately. You deserve to get some decent sleep.”

  “I am fine, Alice. Just go back to bed.”

  “No,” I refused flatly. “If you’re not going to sleep in the bed, then I’m going to sleep on the floor.”

  I stood up and traipsed over to the bed defiantly. I snatched a pillow and blanket off the bed, and then I tossed the pillow into the floor and lied down.

  “Please do not be so difficult,” Alexi groaned.

  “Nope! Don’t want to hear it!” I teased, turning over and facing away from him.

  “You should be sleeping,” Alexi grumbled.

  “I am,” I joked.

  “Be serious, Alice.”

  “I am very serious!”

  “If you do not get up and get back into that bed, I’m going to drag you there, myself!” Alexi demanded.

  “Then I’ll just get right back out!” I said defiantly.

  Alexi sighed.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “I want you to sleep in the bed, and I will sleep in the chair,” I told him.

  “I will not agree to that.”

  “Then what will you agree to?”

  “What if I drag a mattress in here and sleep on the floor?” he offered.

  “No, Alexi. I want you to sleep in a real bed.”

  “A mattress is part of a real bed.”

  “It’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

  “Please, Alice. Just get some sleep. I will be fine!”

  “Nope! Shan’t!”

  Alexi growled in exasperation.

  “I am not leaving you, and I am not letting you sleep in a chair. If you will not accept me sleeping on a mattress on the floor… well, I believe this is what they call an impasse.”

  “For goodness sake, Alexi! Just sleep in the damned bed!” I shouted.

  “That is your bed, and I want you in it this minute!” he demanded, suddenly towering over me.

  I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

  “Alright, compromise,” I said. “We’ll take shifts.”

  “No.”

  “Fine, sleep in the bed with me.”

  “Absolutely not!”

  “Why not?”

  “It is inappropriate.”

  “Alexi, Liam’s in the room. It’s not like…”

  “I said absolutely not,” Alexi said. “We are not yet married, and I will do no such thing.”

  “It’s the twenty-first century, Alexi. You don’t have to worry about tainting my honor or anything.”

  “I just do not think it is appropriate.”

  “Please?” I begged, looking up to him with my best set of puppy dog eyes.

  Alexi’s mouth twisted into a frustrated smirk.

  “Fine,” he relented. “But we will place pillows between us, and I will sleep on top of the blankets.”

  “No. We both sleep under the blankets, but the pillows between us will be fine.”

  “Deal,” he said, extending his hand.

  I took his hand and shook it, and he pulled me closer to him. My body was touching his, and he put his other hand on my shoulder.

  “I have relented to appease you,” he said sternly, bending his face closer to mine. “But, I am going on record as objecting to this, and I still think it is inappropriate.”

  “Duly noted,” I agreed, trying to suppress a chuckle.

  He started to pull his hand away, but I gripped it harder and pulled him back toward me. I put my other hand behind his head and pulled it down, and I planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Clearly flustered, he cleared his throat, and then said, “Of course.”

  “How much longer is in his shift?” I asked Liam.

  “About three hours,” Liam replied.

  “Can you give him four?” I pleaded.

  “Of course,” Liam said.

  “Thank you, Liam,” I said. “He really needs the sleep.”

  Liam nodded.

  Alexi left the room briefly and returned with two extra pillows, which he lined up in the middle of the king sized bed. He helped me spread the blanket back over it, and I placed my pillow back in its spot. We both climbed into bed and settled down.

  “There,” I told Alexi. “I can’t even tell you’re in the bed with me.”

  Alexi mumbled something incoherent, and I elected to leave him alone. He’d conceded enough.

  Sometime after I’d drifted to sleep, I heard Kai shout, “Alice!”

  Alexi and I both sprang to attention.

  “What is it, Kai?” I gasped, fearing the wraiths had somehow returned.

  “What is going on in here?” he asked, glaring stormily at Alexi with his fists clenched ominously.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  I realized what he was getting at, and I sighed. I peeled back the blankets to show him the pillows that formed a barricade between Alexi and me.

  “He’s been sleeping in a chair for weeks, Kai. He wouldn’t leave the room, so I insisted he sleep in the bed. There are pillows between us, and Liam’s been in here the whole time. Nothing to freak out about,” I explained.

  Kai’s hands relaxed, and he sighed in relief.

  “I still don’t like it,” he grumbled.

  “I’m ready to get up, anyway,” I said, and Alexi started to get up, as well. “No, Alexi, you sleep. Kai and I can watch Hillary, and Liam, you can go to your room and get s
ome sleep, too.”

  “I am not leaving you alone with her,” Alexi argued.

  “We’ll stay in here while you sleep,” I insisted. “I won’t be alone.”

  “Alright, but you do not leave this room under any circumstance,” Alexi demanded.

  “I promise,” I said, placing my hand on my heart for emphasis.

  “Fine,” Alexi said, and he went back to sleep.

  “You know where to find me if I’m needed,” Liam said, handing Hillary over to Kai and backing out of the room.

  “I do. Sleep well,” I told him.

  Kai sat down in the floor with Hillary in his arms, and I sat down beside him. I put my head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. I was just happy to spend some time with Kai, even if we had to be quiet so Alexi could sleep.

  Hillary only woke up once, and I quickly put her back to sleep. The hours crawled by, and if not for the fact that I didn’t want to miss a moment of my time with Kai, I probably would have fallen asleep.

  Alexi woke up about six hours later, and asked, “Has Galen not arrived, yet?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” I answered.

  “He should have been here, by now,” Alexi said. “I am going to go find out what is going on. You two come with me.”

  Kai and I got to our feet and followed Alexi. He headed down the hallway to Liam’s room and opened the door.

  “Liam?” Alexi called. “Sorry to wake you, brother. I need you to find out what is taking Galen so long. It is after three, and he was supposed to be here by now.”

  Liam grunted groggily and squinted.

  “It’s three?” he mumbled.

  “Yes, and Galen has not arrived,” Alexi told him.

  “Alright, give me a moment,” Liam said.

  Liam rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. He looked haggard and exhausted, but he rolled out of bed. I’d never seen him without his cloak, but he was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts. I quickly turned away, but the sight of his wide chest and well-toned abs stuck in my mind. He almost looked like a rock star with his wavy brown hair and muscular physique.

  Hillary stirred in Kai’s arms, and I put her back to sleep quickly. A moment later, Liam brushed past me and into the hallway. He was fully dressed. His cloak billowed behind him as he breezed down the hallway to my room, where he’d left his phone. He appeared back in the hallway with the phone pressed to his ear.

  “Voicemail,” Liam told us, and then he proceeded to leave a message. “Galen, it’s Liam. Just wondering where you are. Give me a call.”

  “Maybe his plane was delayed,” I offered.

  “Perhaps,” Alexi said, clearly skeptical.

  “Alice, you need to eat something,” Kai mentioned.

  “Oh, dear,” Alexi groaned. “I’m sorry, Alice. I have completely forgotten about that. You do need to eat something.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I told him. “I’m not all that hungry.”

  “Nonsense. Let us all go eat something,” Alexi said.

  “Liam, can you go get Max so we can all eat together?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Liam replied. “Be right back.”

  A moment later, Max joined us and we all went to the dining hall. I insisted on bringing a mattress into the dining hall for Hillary so we could all eat at the same time. Everyone was getting tired of holding her.

  I guess it would have been a nice breakfast, but everyone was too anxious to eat. It seemed like nowhere on Earth was safe, and we were all on edge. Galen’s delayed arrival was weighing heavily on our minds, and we all wanted it to be over.

  “Master Alexi,” a voice spoke behind us just as we were getting up from the table.

  I turned to see a young man wearing the deep amber robe of an acolyte, an apprentice Elder – the kind I’d never been asked to wear during my training. I recognized it from seeing others wear it at Barnabas’ compound.

  “Yes, Jamison?”

  “The visitor has arrived, sir,” Jamison said.

  “Thank you,” Alexi said.

  Jamison bowed deeply, and then backed slowly out of the room.

  “Let’s go,” Liam said, hoisting Hillary from the mattress.

  We followed Liam into the foyer to greet Galen. Galen appeared to be in his forties, which meant he was likely quiet old. He had short, brown hair, which was slicked back, and he wore a long, burgundy leather trench coat.

  “Liam, it’s so good to see you,” Galen said grandly. “I’m so sorry to hear about your grandfather.”

  “Thank you, Galen,” Liam responded. “Thank you for coming to help us with our problem. Galen, this is my brother Alexi, Alice Wright, Kai Walker, and Maxsim Augustine.”

  “Of course. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Galen responded. “Especially you, Alice. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  My face flushed, wondering what he’d heard, and from whom he had heard it. Galen started at me silently for a moment, and then turned his attention toward Hillary, who was motionless in Liam’s arms. He looked at her with pity, which was quickly replaced by scorn.

  “Let us complete the process immediately,” Galen suggested. “She’ll need to be somewhere comfortable. The process is rather… painful.”

  “We can take her upstairs to a spare bedroom,” Alexi suggested.

  “Agreed,” Liam said.

  We followed Liam to one of the bedrooms, and he placed Hillary gently on the bed. Galen stepped over and placed one hand on her forehead, and he took one of her hands in his other. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  Within seconds, Hillary began to tremble – gently at first, but with quickly increasing intensity. Her teeth began to chatter, and I saw her hair begin to stand on end as if she were being electrocuted. Soon, she was overcome by violent seizures. Her back arched, and her eyes shot open and rolled back into her head.

  I heard the sound of arcing electricity, and a faint blue lightning began to pass back and forth over her body, emanating from Galen’s hands and bouncing around her as though it were scanning her. Her body finally settled into a rigid state, with her head titled backward and her arms and legs out at straight as boards.

  Galen finally withdrew his hands, and her entire body relaxed instantly. A deep sigh escaped her lips, and she fell into a deep sleep.

  “It’s done,” Galen said.

  “So that’s it? Her power is just gone?” I asked.

  Galen turned to me and nodded.

  “That’s it,” he agreed.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” Liam said, taking Galen’s hand and shaking it.

  “I understand it was unavoidable,” Galen returned. “Let us hope you will not find yourselves in need of my assistance again in the foreseeable future.”

  “Indeed,” Liam agreed.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I must return home immediately,” Galen excused himself. “I have pressing matters to attend to.”

  “Certainly,” Liam agreed. “Thank you again.”

  Galen turned to me and nodded.

  “Alice,” he said. “It was an honor to meet you. I do hope we meet again one day.”

  “Thank you,” I responded, unsure of what else to say.

  With that, Galen made a hasty exit.

  “At least that’s over,” Max said.

  “Yeah, that’s one less thing to worry about,” Kai agreed.

  “When she wakes up, she will be banished,” Alexi said. “I do not even want her on the premises.”

  “Where will she go?” I asked.

  “Who cares?” Max snapped.

  “I care, Max!” I shouted. “No matter what she did, she doesn’t deserve to just be thrown aside like she’s nothing!”

  “You’re really defending her after what she did?” Liam grumbled.

  “Look,” I said. “I know what she did was terrible. It’s unforgiveable. But she’s a tormented individual. She’s heartbroken, and lovesick, and probably not in her right mind. Admittedly, I didn’t know her
before. But was she the type of person to do something like this before I came along?”

  “I really don’t know, anymore,” Liam admitted. “I didn’t think so, but maybe she’s not who we thought she was.”

  “Liam, try to be a little more understanding,” I said gently. “You know how she feels about your brother. Maybe it made her ‘crazy’, for lack of a better word. Maybe she didn’t think before she acted. Besides, she’s paid for what she did, now. She doesn’t deserve more punishment.”

  “I think you’re wrong,” Liam argued. “But since you feel so strongly about it, we’ll give her some money so she can get a life started somewhere else. Does that make you feel better?”

  “Yes, it does,” I told him, giving him a thankful hug.

  “Okay, okay,” Liam joked, pulling away from the hug and chuckling. “I get it. You’re welcome.”

  “Alright, now to more pressing matters,” I said. “We have to figure out what to do about Dmitri.”

  “I do not think we should be worrying about him right now,” Alexi interjected. “We are not strong enough. You need more training, Alice.”

  “About that…” I said. “There’s something important I need to talk to you, Kai, and Max about. Can we go sit down?”

  “Of course,” Alexi said. “Let’s meet in the library.”

  “Aww, I’m not invited?” Liam joked.

  “It has nothing to do with you, but you’re welcome to come, if you want,” I told him.

  “I’ll be there,” he said. “I don’t want to miss anything important.”

  I shrugged, and said, “See you in the library, then.”

  Chapter Five – A Break

  A few minutes later, we all gathered in the library. The room was warm and inviting, and we all gathered around the fireplace. It would have been a cozy evening, except for the fact that I had bad news to tell everyone.

  “Alright, so I have something very important to talk to all of you about,” I said. “Well… all of you except Liam.”

  I shot him a scowl, and then grinned to let him know I was just joking.

  “Look,” I continued. “Life is really complicated right now. I need to be able to devote all of my time and attention to training, and I can’t keep dealing with all this emo relationship stuff right now. So, I’m putting you all on notice that until further notice, I’m off the relationship market. This applies to all of you.”