Loren gave a smug grin. “Be very careful about what you do next, little girl.”
“Loren,” Alexa’s soft voice hardened. “Leave us.”
Loren didn’t move right away, but when she noticed the veins in Alexa’s face begin to form, she sighed and backed away. “Watch your back, Kid.” With a bitter smile, she turned away and flashed out of the alley.
Alexa sighed. “I told you not to provoke her.”
~Frostbitten~
Alexa and I rode in silence as she drove us back home in her black Mustang. I was still surprised that this was her choice of transportation but had to remember that she was a bad ass in disguise. She only presented herself as an elegant, graceful woman, but I knew better.
Alexa had one hell of a dark side.
I supposed that Loren used to help her keep that side hidden away. I mean, she looked exactly like Esha, only it was obvious that she wasn’t her, and not just because Esha was dead. Esha, in many ways, was just like Alexa, or vice versa. Going from the memories that I gathered, she was kind and sophisticated with this light-hearted effect on people.
I wasn’t sure why it got under my skin, but the thought of Loren being a replacement for Esha ― no, the thought of her at all, made my blood boil. She and Alexa clearly had an intimate relationship, and the thought of her being with someone made me feel uneasy. Like, somehow, I had been betrayed.
They were together before she even met me though…
Why the hell did Loren get to me so much? I wasn’t interested in Alexa that way. She was just the person that changed me, and someone that I was connected to by mind and soul, so of course, I felt very attached to her, but it couldn’t be in that way.
“Faith?” Alexa spoke, breaking the silence.
Surprisingly, her voice annoyed me. I had no real reason to be upset with her, but a part of me was. I guess it was some form of jealousy ― just a symptom of being sired to her. That’s all.
I sighed and raised my head, answering her with silence.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
Alexa glanced at me. “What’s on your mind?”
Irritated at the fact that she could tell I was upset, I frowned. “Can’t you just read my mind and figure that out?”
“I’d rather not invade your privacy that way. Not if I don’t have to.”
I sighed, trying to force my rising anger away. I didn’t like how it felt to be mad at her, and for no reason at that. She did mention before that my emotions were heightened, so with that knowledge, I could work on controlling myself.
“I’m fine. Really. It’s nothing,” I answered.
“It’s Loren.”
“I thought you said you’d rather not invade my privacy?”
Alexa shrugged. “I didn’t.”
“Oh…” Once again, I felt like an ass for snapping at her.
Alexa was silent for a moment. “You don’t have to worry about her. She wouldn’t hurt you.”
“Why? Because she cares about you?”
“Yeah.” Alexa sighed. “Besides, she and I need each other.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “How so?”
“She isn’t human. Creatures of the night, like us, help each other. Her family helped me get that house and this car under a false identity in exchange for information about the facility that I was in, and my services.”
“Services?”
“Yes. When there is trouble or the possibility of exposure, they call.”
My lips parted, and I frowned. “So, they call you in to use your gifts to kill?”
Alexa didn’t respond, but I knew her answer. I wanted to judge her, but how could I? She had to survive somehow.
“So, they give you money too?” I asked.
“Their pack leader, Argus, deposits funds into a special account for me on a monthly basis. He was the first to help me when I escaped to the states. When he realized that I was different, he made a deal with me that if I told him all that I knew, he would help me from there on out.”
I slowly nodded, figuring that he used her information to know what to look for if those military guys ever came looking around. I wasn’t completely sure, but that’s what I would do.
I sat in silence and watched as the trees passed by in a blur, then a thought popped in my head. “Did you just say pack leader?”
Alexa nodded. “Loren, her brother, and Argus…they’re werewolves.”
Chapter Six
Days passed since our outing downtown, then those days turned into weeks.
I wasn’t sure what was going on with Alexa after our outing, but something about her changed, and I wasn’t entirely sure of what to do about it. She felt off, like something was bothering her when she was alone, but when she was around me, her heavy emotions seemed to lighten.
Most of the time, Alexa locked herself away in her room and only invited me in when it was time to feed. We only went downtown every once in a while to get fresh blood, but for the most part, we fed from each other.
I didn’t bother trying to understand my feelings for her anymore, but when we shared each other’s blood, it felt intimate. We were gentle to one another and never had to exchange words. When she called me, I would just enter her room, then she’d wait for me to sit down and offered her blood.
I did the same, but the only difference was that she kneeled in front of me to feed from my wrist.
A part of me disliked the fact that she was on her knees, but another part of me felt as if she were submitting somehow. This strong, powerful woman submitted to me, and she always stopped when she thought that I felt discomfort from her cold bite.
When we were done, I’d leave, and then Alexa’s strained emotions would resurface all over again, stirring up her beast. She had a tendency to leave the house without me, only to come back smelling like animal blood. Her glowing eyes always seemed just a few shades darker, and her turquoise veins would nearly cover her entire face, but when she’d look up at me through my window, they would quickly disappear, and then so would she.
I had a feeling that Loren’s face had something to do with Alexa’s behavior, but then again, she could’ve always been this way. Like she was always on edge, and maybe I was just now realizing that, but I wondered why she changed around me. Why did she calm so much when she was in my presence, or mine in hers?
What could I mean to her?
We barely talked or made any contact at all if we weren’t feeding. Sometimes I’d catch her watching me play with Allie, and sometimes she’d even smile, but I never knew exactly what she was thinking. I may have been able to catch her memories every once in a while, but I couldn’t read her mind the way that she could read mine. The most that I could do was understand how she was feeling, and that wasn’t even something that I could do all the time.
After three weeks passed, I had finally gotten used to our relationship. It was silent, but oddly nice. I shared something with Alexa that I had never shared with anyone before, and even though I couldn’t exactly name what that thing was, I didn’t ever want it to end. Her presence, her scent, and her voice…it all made me feel safe and secure.
Like nothing bad could ever happen.
~Frostbitten~
I couldn’t move.
Iron cuffs held me down to a cold metal table by my wrists and ankles, and I was naked.
My skin burned, and when I raised my head, through the darkness I saw syringes connected to plastic tubes sticking from out of my legs and the sides of my stomach. I also noticed my veins bulging painfully through my skin, resembling multiple lightning strikes, only they were black.
Panic began to rise, and fear forced its way into my heart. What did he do to me now? What was he testing this time? What would be the outcome? And why was I in so much pain?
I may not have noticed it when I first awakened, but I was now fully aware of the acute burning sensation throughout my entire body.
I dropped my head back down on
to the metal table and squeezed my eyes shut while clenching my teeth, then jerked at the metal cuffs, but as expected, I was too weak to break through.
“Esha?” I croaked through my panting. “Esh ―” I grunted.
It was as if the pain would never end. My muscles felt as if they were slowly ripping apart, I had a splitting headache, it was extremely cold, and yet, excruciatingly hot at the same time.
I told myself more than once that I wouldn’t cry and that he couldn’t break me any more than he already has, but it was hard to keep my word.
My lips trembled as a lump formed in my throat, then tears began streaming from my eyes.
I wasn’t aware of just how cold it was until my tears began freezing against my face.
~Frostbitten~
The sound of something shattering startled me from my sleep, and I jumped into a sitting position. Looking towards my window, I noticed that the sun was just starting to go down, so Alexa was probably up, but what could she have been doing that made my heart beat so fast?
Allie bounced across my bed and climbed into my lap, then began licking my fingers.
“Hey, boy,” I said, petting over him. “You ready to start the night?”
Allie continued licking my fingers and nuzzled his head against my stomach, making me smile, but the moment that I heard something crack and splinter, my smile dropped, and panic began to rise.
Gently tossing Allie back onto the bed, I stormed out of my bedroom and headed straight for Alexa’s, only to find one of her wooden doors barely hanging from the hinges.
My eyes widened, and Allie barked behind me.
“Alexa?” I shot into her doorway with my eyes going straight to her bed, and surprisingly, I found her still sleeping in it. She was lying on her back covered in sweat with her head tilted in my direction and her hair splayed over the pillow. “Alexa?”
When Alexa frowned, her circular window above cracked, then blood began streaming from her nose. That’s when I received images from her dream, or memories. She was back in that dark room, suffering from excruciating pain for what felt like eternity.
She’s having a nightmare.
I shot over to the side of her bed and slid my hand over her shoulder. “Alexa, wake up.” When my words didn’t work, I tried using my mind. “Alexa!”
Alexa’s hand quickly wrapped around my arm and squeezed so tightly that I thought that she would break it. When her nails dug into my flesh, I yelped and yanked back, surprised that she let me go so easily, then began examining the damage.
“Are you okay?” Alexa thought.
When I looked up at her, she was still lying on her back, but with her exhausted eyes pointed at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. A ― are you okay?”
Alexa sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I am fine.” Only, she sounded anything but. “I hurt you?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out right away. “It’s just a few cuts. No big deal.”
Alexa gritted her teeth and sat up. “I hurt you.”
I sighed, knowing that I couldn’t argue with her since she’d know that I’d be lying. “I’m okay. Really. Let me get something for your nose.”
In only a matter of seconds, I grabbed a face towel from the cabinet and brought it to Alexa. When she didn’t take it, or even look up at me for that matter, I gently dabbed it over the blood drizzling from her nostrils. After a few seconds, she placed her hand over mine and took over from there.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You should get more rest,” I said, stepping away from the bed.
“No,” she snapped, catching me by surprise. After taking a deep breath, she calmed again. “I’ve had enough sleep.”
“You…” I hesitated. “You were having a nightmare.”
Alexa slowly raised her glowing eyes to mine. “You saw it? The room? The table?”
I rubbed over my arm, feeling like a prying idiot again. “I felt it too.”
“I’m sorry.” Alexa sighed and looked away.
I frowned as panic began to set in. I didn’t like seeing Alexa this way and preferred her blank, emotionless look. Not this vulnerable woman. It bothered me, and all I wanted to do was make her smile, but I didn’t know how.
“Don’t be.” I quickly said. “It’s my fault for seeing it. I’m still working on staying out of your head.”
Alexa remained silent, then turned to look out her cracked window. After that, she stood from her bed and began walking towards her bathroom. “I’m going to shower. You should as well.”
My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. Did I smell?
Before Alexa walked into her bathroom, she looked over her shoulder at me. “And dress in something warm tonight.” She then, walked inside and closed the door behind her.
I took a deep breath and wondered what she had planned as I gazed out the circular window overhead.
Chapter Seven
I took in a deep breath of cold air and gazed up at the bright stars through the trees. I wondered why Alexa decided to bring me out here with her tonight since usually, she left alone, but I wasn’t complaining. It was a beautiful night, and I was grateful that she was including me in…whatever she was including me in.
Alexa was only a few feet ahead of me, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans with her hands tucked in her coat pockets. We were headed uphill through the woods in the backyard which started out flat, but after a mile or so, slowly began to tilt into a hill.
“So, Alexa…” I started in thought. “What are we doing out here?”
Alexa slowed for me to catch up with her. “Just getting out. I realized that you’ve been living with me for a while now and haven’t seen anything yet.” She glanced at me. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to bring you out here.”
If I were still human, my surroundings would scare the shit out of me right now, but with my heightened vision, I could clearly see everything around me. Especially with the rays of moonlight peeking through the leaves.
“So, you hunt out here?” I asked.
“Sometimes, and other times I just need to get away.”
From what? Me? The thought got under my skin. There wasn’t much to get away from besides me and Allie, but maybe there was more. Maybe coming out here distracted her from her thoughts.
“How is your arm?” Alexa asked.
Catching me by surprise, I jumped. “It’s fine. I told you that I’m okay. It healed after a few seconds.”
Alexa gave a slow nod. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Stop apologizing.” I offered a smile. “It’s okay. Really.”
Alexa’s eyes locked with mine for only a moment before her eyelids fluttered, then she turned away. “We should use our speed to get up there faster. At this pace, we’ll arrive at sunrise.”
I frowned in confusion. “Arrive where?”
For the first time in a while, a slight smile hinted at Alexa’s lips. “Ever stood at the top of a mountain?”
Excitement filled me at the thought. I had only ever been at the top of buildings in the city and never imagined that I’d ever stand at the top of a mountain. What made it even better was that I’d be up there with Alexa. We rarely spent any real time together, which I didn’t realize was something that I really wanted until now. I thought that I was fine with just being connected to her, but now that we were together and doing something other than hunting and feeding, I found myself wanting to do more with her. To spend even more time.
Alexa turned to me again, her glowing eyes soft and her lips… “Let’s go.”
At the nod of my head, the two of us sprinted off.
Trees whizzed by as we blasted further up the mountain, and halfway through, I was starting to notice how steep the hill was becoming, but only saw that as a challenge.
Smiling, I couldn’t remember the last time that I challenged myself to do anything. For years, I had been nothing but a drug addict with a void to fill, and now I was this vampire, sprinting up a mountain with t
his mysterious, beautiful woman in Alaska.
A full smile spread across my lips before I turned to see Alexa directly by my side. We both slowed to a stop at a giant mountain of rock that was probably a little too high for me to jump over. I was sure that Alexa could, but I was an average vampire, and not at all as strong as her.
“Is that the top of the mountain?” I asked, looking straight up.
Alexa surprisingly chuckled. “Almost.”
“Oh…So, h ―” I wasn’t sure what was going on at first but was startled when I felt a slight tug wrap around my entire body and gently lift me a few inches into the air. It felt as if gravity was nonexistent, and when I finally realized what was going on, I turned to Alexa in a slight panic. “Hey, you don’t have to do this. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Alexa’s turquoise veins slowly began to surface along the sides of her chin. “I won’t. You’re not very heavy.” Another smile hinted at her lips, this time more distinct. “I want you to see the top.”
I smiled back. “Will you come up there with me?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Looking down at my feet, at the thought that I was flying, a laugh escaped my lips. I was levitating, and now I was floating upwards towards the moon and stars. Towards the top of a mountain.
I hadn’t noticed just how tall the trees were until now. As I was being levitated to the top of the rock wall, the trees were still going, like they would never end.
Finally, at the top, I gently landed on my feet and turned to face uphill, then shook my head with a chuckle. Almost meant only a few several feet through a path that looked made specifically for me. I was basically there.
Confident that Alexa would be right behind me, I started walking towards the top. The dirt path had rose bushes on both sides with mid-sized trees behind them, adding to natures beauty.
As I neared the top, I could see outwards at the mountains, the tree filled forest below, the
moon that I thought I could touch, and miles and miles of stars.
Frostbitten 2 Page 3
