Chapter Eighteen

Christopher’s eyes fluttered open as he slowly woke up. For a moment, he enjoyed the black silence in the room he was in. He was caught in that moment when a person first wakes up and remembers nothing of what happened before they fell asleep, just the relaxing darkness surrounding him in a comfortable bed. He could lie there for hours wrapped in the warm blankets. Not a bad thing in the world. No cold, blocks of human flesh hanging from hooks and scattered on the floor.

That was when the memories resurfaced. He sat up quickly and gasped as pain washed over his body like a crippling tidal wave. He took a moment to let the pain subside and looked around the area when he could breathe again.

He recognized this room. He had been here before. The red fabric draped over golden walls. The soft beige carpet that he knew was softer to touch than it looked. He was wrapped in a gold sheet that felt unimaginably soft and a fluffy, warm crimson blanket. Layers of pillows were piled behind him in a way that made him think the bed had been freshly made and the pillows arranged before he moved them in his sleep. A glass of water rested on the antique, dark brown nightstand. Someone went through a lot of trouble to make him very comfortable, to make him feel very welcome. It wasn’t hard to guess who that might be.

When he moved, he realized his wounds were wrapped. He felt stitches in his arm and leg, but gauze was wrapped around the stitching. Alexander wouldn’t have done it himself. He wasn’t the best doctor, but he took the time to have someone else come in and treat Christopher’s wounds. The fact that someone bandaged him up didn’t bother him, but the threaded silk pajamas made him a little uncomfortable. Where were his clothes?

Chris timidly took the glass from the table and drank the water. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he really had been before he started drinking the water. As soon as the water was gone, he wished for more. Of course, he wouldn’t do what Alexander wanted. He wouldn’t call for someone else to get him the water. It would be Alex’s little way of saying ‘stay with me, Chris’, and it just wasn’t going to happen.

He put his feet over the side of the bed. As soon as they touched the carpet, he couldn’t help but smile a little. The absolute softness was some comfort against the pain in his chest. He used the backboard of the bed to help steady himself as he pushed to his feet, then sat back down. For a moment, he’d forgotten about the shot he took to his leg.

Christopher sat there for a few minutes in thought. Then finally he got back into the bed and pushed the buzzer at the top of the headboard. Within moments Alexander arrived. He knocked on the door twice lightly before he walked in.

“Did you need something?” he asked Christopher gently.

“Why didn’t you send one of your slaves?” Chris asked instantly. He knew why, but if it would get his point across without coming out and saying ‘stay away from me,’ he would much rather use this technique.

“I wanted to check on you myself,” he said gently. “I’ve been worried. Amara heals fast. She’s bound to me. Stephanie is a witch, so she’ll be fine, but you’re human, Chris. Three gun shots and broken ribs? I wasn’t sure how long you would be out of it or what condition you would be in when you woke up.”

“A bloody thirsty condition,” Chris muttered, moving his hand over the silky sleeve of his pajamas uncomfortably.

“I’ll get you some water then.” He turned to leave, but Christopher called for him.

“Alex?”

“Yes, Chris?”

“Why are you doing this?”

Alexander gave him a curious look as if he didn’t understand the question. There could be so many answers to that one simple question.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Alexander finally admitted.

“Why do you have me here in this room? In the bed like this? In the best clothes I’m sure you could find in my size.”

Alexander sighed and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I just wanted you to be comfortable,” he confessed. “I wanted to be sure that when you woke up, if you were in pain, you would have something there to make you feel better. You were always fond of this room. Of those sheets and those pillows. You always talked about how much you liked the walls and the carpeting. I wanted you to wake up happy, or at least happier.”

Christopher looked down, almost ashamed and a little embarrassed. He almost asked why again out of instinct. He knew why—or at least thought he did.

“Alex,” he said softly, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Chris?” Alexander looked up at him. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry for blaming you for everything for so long. You never forced me to come to you. I did out of curiosity. I wanted to know what it felt like to get bitten. I wanted to know what the big deal was. How you, specifically you, could make me feel. I’m the one who put my friends in danger, and I spent all this time blaming you.”

Alexander shook his head. He had watched the entire scene play out all those years ago. He watched the son of Crimson’s leader plan the downfall of Christopher’s little group. Of course, what could he do? He started to plan something, anything, but it all came too late.

“This wasn’t your fault,” Alex explained. “They hated your group. You were talking about things that didn’t involve killing vampires. About having a real life. Families. Children. Jobs that didn’t involve killing things. If you’re not with them, you’re against them. You know that. The moment one of you stepped out of line in the least, they were on the entire group. It was a set up, Chris. The only people at fault are the people you’re working for.”

“I can never stop working for them.” Christopher looked down at his toes as he said it. His voice had gone dark and morbid. Hopeless.

“That’s not true,” Alex said as he moved closer. “You can run away. Come to me. I’ll protect you. They’ve been after me for years and haven’t been able to catch me. I’ll do anything I can to keep them from getting you, Chris. What have you got to lose?”

Christopher’s first instinct was to answer with ‘my soul’, but he knew that wasn’t true anymore. If he were able to lose his soul, he had already done so long ago. If there was a hell, he already had special reservations. Maybe a seat near some of his friends, he hoped. At this point, Alex was right. He really had nothing to lose. If they caught and killed him, he would be just as well off. Maybe better off than continuing to work there for them.

Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Maybe it was the thought of being the disgrace of his family again or maybe all those years of brainwashing in The Clinic, but he couldn’t run away. He had been through too much there, worked too hard to regain their trust and his reputation, to regain his rank as the top hunter. Of course, look where being the top hunter got him last time.

“I’ll think on it,” Chris said carefully. He wasn’t sure he meant it, but saying it might keep Alexander from insisting more.

Alex put his arm around Chris and kissed his cheek softly. “Just think on it. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Do I have to be one of your…” He was trying to grasp the right word. ‘Whores’ seemed too blunt, but it was the only one other than ‘women’ that came to mind. He hated to be referred to as a woman. He was still just as much of a man as anyone else, maybe more of one than some. He didn’t need anyone trying to make him feel like even less of a man.

* * * *

“One of my pets?” Alexander tried to fill the words in for him, but Chris shook his head. That was when Alexander caught the thought in Christopher’s mind. “A lover?”

Christopher nodded, and Alexander laughed a little.

“That’s not what I want from you. I want you to be happy. To live. Amara thinks I’m still the cold-hearted bastard I was with Raina, but you know better than that. Maybe hanging out with her for so long is rubbing off on you.” He stood up. “She has a right to be angry with me, but it really was just business. I turned Amara to save her. Raina was the one who drained her.”

Raina had been Alexander’s ruthless ex-girlfriend. She spent years manipulating him into doing anything for her, even if it meant killing entire families. After a while, it became second nature. If someone looked at her the wrong way, Alexander would take care of it. If someone threatened her, he would take care of it. When he got hurt in a fight with Amara, it took months for the silver she injected into him to wear off and for him to become strong again. Raina left and found a new, human lover. It broke Alexander’s heart.

“Rest.” Alex got up. “I’ll get you some water. You just rest.”

Alexander helped Christopher back into the bed and tucked him in so he would feel safe and warm. He smiled at him softly, and Chris couldn’t help but return the look. Alexander sighed gently and started for the door, but Christopher caught his hand. The vampire looked down at him and caught the pleading look in the hunter’s eyes. Chris didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to go back to Crimson.

“Chris, you know I meant it. You really can stay here with me. No strings attached,” the vampire said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed again. He couldn’t leave him, not when he was like this. For being the cold killer that he was, he always had a special soft spot for Christopher.

As Christopher lowered his eyes again, Alex lay down beside him and rested an arm over his stomach. The hunter didn’t pull away, but rather leaned into him. Maybe he couldn’t move in with the vampire, but for now he might be able to rest and relax just a little bit. He nuzzled against Alexander’s neck comfortably, simply to keep comfortable and closer.

“Please stay,” Alexander whispered the words gently and leaned his head against Christopher’s. The words were filled with quiet heartache.

Chris pulled away andAlexander thought it was his cue to leave. When he pushed up on his elbows, Chris leaned to kiss him.

It happened so quickly that at first Alexander wasn’t sure what was going on. He tensed, surprised by the suddenness of it. The feeling of Christopher’s soft lips against his was enough to make him relax into the kiss. He tilted his head a little and brought his hand to Chris’s cheek, gently cupping it in his hand. Their hearts beat just a little faster, and the world sank away around them. Heat overtook their bodies like wildfire. The kiss deepened, and Chris hummed a content moan against Alexander’s lips.

After a few moments, it was the vampire who broke the kiss. He shook his head, suddenly having second thoughts. He couldn’t put his old lover into this position.

“I don’t want you coming here like this.” His breathing was a little harsh, a little too fast as he said the words. “I don’t want you to stay and think this is something you have to do.”

“I know that I don’t have to.” Chris believed Alex’s words. It was what he wanted.

“Go home, Chris. Come back in a few days after things have calmed down. Call for me. I’ll come get you.”

“Thank you,” Chris said gently.

“You’re welcome. Don’t worry. No one needs to know.”

Christopher laughed a little. “That might be the best idea if you want me to run away here.”

Alexander nodded and smiled to him, then went to fetch his glass of water.

* * * *

Amara sat at Stephanie’s side in Alexander’s little mock-up hospital. She was more than a little worried about the girl since the fight, despite Stephanie’s constant reassurance that she would be fine. The girl came off fairly lucky. Her arm, which had already been sprained, was now broken in three places. Her ankle was sprained, and she was covered with a variety of scrapes and bruises. Now, only two days later, all her minor injuries had vanished.

The three narrowly escaped with their lives. Amara was having a hard time grasping the fact that Alexander saved them. She wondered more than once if it were simply his affectionate feelings for Christopher that made him come, but Spirit promised her he had gone to save all three of them.

The vampire took quite a beating for them himself. Being a vampire, he was already fully healed. A little blood, and he was ready to go for another round. Amara wasn’t sure what she thought of that. On one hand, she was happy to see him up and moving. On the other hand, she wished he would have been as hurt as the rest of them—just for good measure. Even Spirit walked away more injured than him.

“You know,” Stephanie said, “at first I didn’t like this room at all, but it grew on me.”

Amara smiled at Stephanie’s words. The room was bright and white, almost blindingly so. Stephanie’s intravenous hung beside the bed and stretched down into her arm. A few clean bandages were tucked off to the side for the nurse when she came in to clean and redress Stephanie’s wounds.

Otherwise, the room was kept very plain save for the extra soft blankets and the choice paintings on the walls. The paintings were very modern and not at all Stephanie’s choice. The room clashed with her sense of style all together. She hadn’t really been awake to argue what room they were going to put her in when she was wheeled in. Or carried in. Whatever the case may be. After a while, though, the room didn’t seem so bad. It was all just how she looked at things, and this was like a luxury hospital room.

“I’m just happy that you’re going to be okay,” Amara said gently to Stephanie, who laughed lightly and shook her head.

“Thanks, mom,” she joked and rolled her eyes.

“You did really good back there.” She smiled to her partner. “You kept us alive and out of the way long enough for Alexander to fight the good fight and get us out of there safe and alive.”

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Stephanie sighed deeply and rested back. “I don’t think I could have taken seeing or smelling one more dead body with pieces cut out of it for vending.”

Amara laughed at that. Stephanie really signed up for the wrong job. She could have explained this was a normal week in their line of work. That things got worse than finding a few dead bodies. Why ruin the moment? Things finally, really settled down.

“You’ll get used to it. It comes with years of experience.”

Stephanie held her smile for a moment longer, but it faded a bit around the edges. Amara knew a difficult conversation was about to come up.

“Amara, why does Alexander call you Mirth?”

Amara sighed and looked down. This wasn‘t a conversation she ever wanted to have with anyone, let alone Stephanie. After everything that happened, the two were much more closer than she ever imagined they could be. Maybe she could divulge just a little of her past to her new friend.

“That’s my birth name. He spent so much time trying to tell me that I’m Mirth, but I keep telling him I’m not. Not anymore.”

“Being blood bound to a vampire doesn’t change who you are. It gives you prolonged life, superhuman abilities, and a few other little benefits and hardships, but it doesn’t change who you are.”

“No, it doesn’t. Finding your family dead on your living room floor after school one day does. Raina was my best friend before she got with Alexander. She wasn’t a hunter though. She was just a girl I met at the park, and we just started to hang out. I wasn’t even actively training to be a hunter. I hadn’t even thought about it. I was going to be a teacher, or so I claimed. When my parents told me what Alexander was, I warned Raina, but she was already swept away by the idea of it. The ‘romantic’ side of vampires. He turned her, she went insane with power, and she hurt everyone around her.”

“Where is she now?” Stephanie asked her gently.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to know.”

“Not everyone is going to do that same thing to you.” Stephanie touched Amara’s hand gently. “Not everyone is going to turn their backs on you and not everyone is going to die on you. We might come close once and in a while but history doesn’t always repeat itself. You’re not some sort of wild jinx.”

Amara couldn’t help but smile a little. “After all the times I’ve worked so hard to push you away, you clung to me. I guess it’s about time to realize if I don’t give up, you’ll burrow inside my stomach or something.”

“Well, a not-so-nice way of putting it, but yeah.“ Stephanie chuckled. “I don’t intend on going anywhere, Amara. You’re my friend.”

“Thanks, Steph. I’m glad you’re my partner.”

“Ditto, Amara. Now maybe you can back off on Chris a little bit?” Stephanie smiled sweetly to Amara who rolled her eyes.

“Don’t count on that one just yet.”

They were interrupted by a light knock at the door. Both girls jumped a little and looked over. Alexander stepped into the room, followed by Spirit. Spirit ran up and jumped on the edge of Stephanie’s bed, her tail wagging excitedly.

“How are you feeling?” Alex asked, standing a few feet from Amara. He didn’t want to invade her personal space. The last thing he needed was to make her feel aggressive again.

“Much better.” Stephanie was still a bit nervous around the vampire. He was the strongest vampire for at least a few hundred miles. It was just a little bit intimidating.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m guessing The Administration is wondering where the three of you are. No call. No word. They’ve probably assumed you‘re all dead.”

“I don’t think that they would ever assume me dead,” Amara chuckled. “They probably know we were just held up.”

“Or captured,” he said lightly. “Maybe you should at least give them a call.”

“We’re going to head out today anyway,” Amara said. “If Stephanie can get back to the Headquarters, we can finish getting her healed by our staff. It’d look suspicious if we showed up fine and dandy.”

“Is Chris going to be okay to move?” Stephanie asked Alexander as she sat up again. She hadn’t gotten to hadn’t seen him since the fight.

“He’ll be fine. He’s having trouble walking and a little trouble breathing. I trust his word that he’s okay when he’s trying to get up out of bed on his own.”

Stephanie smiled; and Amara knew she was relieved that Christopher was doing that much better. Alexander separated Christopher from Amara and Stephanie. Amara was sure that with them all in separate rooms, Stephanie had started to wonder what had happened to him.

“When did you plan to leave?” Alexander asked Amara, who watched him just as cautiously as he was watching her. It was like a cobra and a mongoose working together for the greater good. After a while the good will would fade, the truce would become void, and they would be after one another again.

“There’s no time like the present,” Amara said as she looked to Stephanie. “You ready to leave?”

Stephanie nodded and held her out to Amara. There was no way she had it in her to pull the intravenous out herself. Needles freaked her out.

“I’ll get a nurse,” Alexander said before Amara had a chance to pull the needle out. “If I’m saving your life, I don’t want to hear that you died from an infection a few days later.”

“I can pull a needle out of her hand, Alex. I’m not an idiot,” Amara said blandly.

“No, but you’re not a nurse either. I’ll get a nurse in here in a few moments.” Alexander closed the door on his way out, leaving the three girls alone to talk.

‘You know, he really does mean well,’ Spirit said to them as she curled up in a little ball.

“Maybe,” Stephanie said quietly. “It’s just hard when you’ve been told for so long that someone is the bad guy, learn about their bad guy past, and then meet them, and they’re working with you like you’re on the same team. It’s complicated. I keep thinking it’s a trick or something. A mask to make me feel safe so he has an easier way to strike.”

‘He does things like that sometimes, but not this time. If that were what he was doing, he wouldn’t have put all these resources into saving your butts.’

“Unless he’s got future plans for us,” Amara interrupted and looked to Stephanie. “Just wait. A few months from now, we’ll be getting a call that we need to return the favor. Alexander may not be evil, but he’s self-serving. He only helps when it’s going to better his own life in some way.”

Spirit shook her head and rested it on the bed. She was already tired of Amara. She was bitter and so closed minded. She liked this Stephanie girl though. She seemed like fun. It was a shame that she was leaving so soon.

‘Have a safe trip home,’ Spirit said as she hopped off the bed. ‘I do hope we meet again, maybe under better circumstances though.’ She ran out the door as Alexander opened it.

“Christopher is waiting downstairs,” he said as the nurse slipped past him, careful not to bump into him. She walked over to Stephanie and smiled as she got some gauze ready.

“That’s it? No games? No smart remarks?” Amara asked skeptically. It couldn’t really be that easy to leave.

“That’s it,” Alexander shrugged. “I’ll meet you down there to see you all off, but I’ve got another meeting to go to.”

“How polite,” Amara rolled her eyes and helped Stephanie up out of the bed. “Where are her clothes?”

“Ruined,” Alexander answered with that single word. “New clothes are folded up on the seat for her.” He turned to Stephanie, his expression neutral. “If you don’t want them, you can get rid of them after you’re home. Clearly, I won’t need them.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie said, and she meant it. Amara may not have liked his hospitality, but Stephanie was surprised by it. After everything she learned about this vampire, he was the exact opposite of what she expected to find.

“I’ll see you downstairs,” he said with a quick nod and walked out of the room.

“Don’t get too comfortable around him,” Amara reminded Stephanie as she brought the folded clothes over to the girl. “He’s dangerous. Polite, but dangerous.”

After Stephanie was fully dressed, Amara helped her down the stairs carefully. The two girls walked into the living room, Amara knew the house well enough to know where the living room was. Alexander used it for most of his entertaining, and it was obvious why. The dark wood floors were polished to a shine. The walls had gold etching on them, and Amara would have been willing to bet her bank account that the gold was real.

She helped Stephanie sit on one of the antique sofas, which were just as fancy as the rest of the room. Clean red cushions with dark wood frames and small golden button embroidered along where the fabric and the wood met. The glass tabletops were like the cherry on the top of the fancy cake that was the room. They just pulled everything together.

As Amara sat down with Stephanie, she saw Christopher being wheeled in by a nurse. He was in a wheelchair looking a little worse for wear. He was wearing new clothes. Of course, Amara expected that. Alexander wouldn’t leave someone in his protection leave his home in ripped, bloody clothes. Just one thing had her a bit confused. Why was it that Stephanie’s clothes were a bit on the extravagant side, and Christopher looked as though he could walk down the street unnoticed?

Stephanie’s shirt was white cotton, double layered so it was truly white, and her skin did not show through. Lace traced along the collar and cuffs of the sleeves in an elegant way, and small black buttons ran in a neat row down the front. The black pants he’d picked out for her looked like dress pants, but she assured Amara that they were completely comfortable.

Christopher’s clothes were absolutely street clothes. Sneakers, blue jeans, and a t-shirt. How was it that Chris had gotten clothes like that, and Stephanie had been all dolled up?

“Hey,” Stephanie pouted. “Why did I get the fancy duds?”

‘Because if you go home in fancy pants, The Administration thinks you’ve made a new, powerful ally. If Chris goes home dressed like he’s been here, they’ll kill him,’ Spirit said as she trotted into the room and sat down by Christopher. ‘You look great. I don‘t know why you‘re complaining.’

“It’s just not my style,” Stephanie said, looking down at the clothes.

That was when Alexander simply appeared in the room. Teleportation was one of the more interesting abilities some vampires and witches possessed. Thankfully, Alexander was powerful enough to teleport himself and others. That’s how Spirit suddenly appeared in the room to attack Warrick. Not because she could teleport herself, but because Alexander brought her with him.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time,” Alexander smiled to Stephanie as he knelt by Christopher’s side.

“Hopefully there isn’t a next time,” Chris said to Alex quietly, softly. There was more in the words than Stephanie or Amara would understand. It was his way of letting Alexander know he had no intentions of taking him up on the offer of a safe place to run to.

“Sometimes we don’t have control over things, Chris. Sometimes the things we try to avoid are just what we need,” he said softly. He pushed back to his feet, casually brushing his hand against Christopher’s as he did, and the hunter pulled away a bit.

“I’ve got a cab waiting out front,” Alexander said to them. “It’ll take you back to your headquarters. From there, you’re on your own.”

“Thank you, Alexander,” Amara finally said as she helped Stephanie back up.

“Take care of one another,” Alexander said, watching them with a sort of worry in his eyes.

Christopher recognized the look. He had seen it a few times before in his life. I It never meant anything good. If Alexander was worried about something, everyone should be.

“What aren’t you telling us?” he asked the vampire quietly.

“Times are changing. I’m not sure for the better or worse. Stay with people you know and trust. Be careful who you turn your back to.”

Before Chris could question him more, the nurse wheeled him away. He turned back, glaring at Alexander, knowing . He knew the vampire signaled the nurse to do that somehow. Nurses don’t just cut off conversations. Not normally at least.

“What was that all about?” Amara asked Christopher as she followed.

“I’m honestly not sure,” Chris said, but he was trying to figure it out. “Something else The Administration and Crimson should know but don’t.”

“I’m getting the feeling a lot of that is going around,” Stephanie added.

The group got into the cab, glancing back at the house. It was strange that Alexander wasn’t hiding where he was staying from them. He knew Amara and Christopher hunted him for years. Maybe he assumed that now he tried to make up for the sins of his past, that they would forgive him and move on with their lives.

For Christopher, Amara thought it worked, but not for her. She was still convinced that this was all just a ploy, and she was not going to fall for it. She would give it a few months and be back with guns to kill him.

She watched the house fade away in the distance. Thinking about their story. They couldn’t tell the truth. Christopher would be punished if his organization found out. They would have to come up with something different. The group used the car ride to come up with a few different, more acceptable variations of the story. Amara doubted Alexander would leak the truth. He had never had a problem with allowing The Administration to clean up messes for him before so why should he start now? Besides, she was completely sure that he wouldn’t risk their lives—not yet at least. Sometime in the future when he needed pawns or bait, perhaps, but not just yet.