Defender's Blood Alex's Destiny (An Urban Fantasy) (6 page)

Chapter 5

Alex enjoyed her shower. It refreshed her and she almost felt that she could cope with all that was going on. She finished getting dressed in clean jeans and casual shirt with her hiking boots, which she had put on for her walk in the country before all this started.

When she looked out the window of the plane it was still dark which startled her as she assumed it would be daylight. She packed her dirty clothes in her case and as she was doing this she saw her mother’s necklace. On impulse she put it on then closed the case, retrieved her mother’s journal and went out to the main compartment.

Zach was sitting at the table in the chair she had left him in hours before. He had put the laptop away and had a plate with some croissants placed in front of Alex’s chair, along with coffee and fresh orange juice.

Alex loved her coffee and this one smelled fabulous, so she filled a cup and blew on it to cool it down before taking a sip. Yup it tasted as good as it smelled.

After she finished her first cup she filled up again and then took one of the pastries. “We’ll be landing in about twenty minutes so you have time to finish your coffee and juice,” Zach told her.

“Just where are we landing and what’s the local time?” she asked.

“
Firstly it’s 1.30am local and we are going to be landing at the Council Headquarters. We have a very large compound in the middle of nowhere. Well technically it’s in Arizona but there is nothing for a number of miles in all directions. Just the way we like things, no nosey neighbours. It’s really quite large and is like a mini-town. The actual HO is smack bang in the middle so it will be a short drive from the runway but won’t take us long to get there and hopefully they will have some information for us, Alexina.”

“
HO?”

“
Headquarters Office,” he explained.

The landing of this fabulous aircraft was as smooth as silk. Very quickly they were in a waiting jeep and on the way to the HO.

Alex became extremely nervous. What the hell was she doing flying halfway round the world with a stranger?

Stranger, she thought? It was very weird but she did not think on Zach as a stranger. In fact she felt relaxed with him and that in itself was weird as she was a bit of a loner who didn’t have many close friends. She had what was commonly known as ‘trust issues’.

She tried to see what this ‘compound’ was like and was expecting something along the lines of an army barracks. That was what the word compound conjured up in her mind.

However, it was nothing like that. She could see proper streets with roads and pavements with houses and some shops. This was so far from the word compound as you could get.

After about ten minutes they came to a stop in front of a large building which to her looked like her local Town Hall, with steps leading up to it from the pavement. At the top of the steps there were two VERY large men standing guard. At least that’s what she assumed they were doing. They were even bigger than Duncan and he was huge.

As they approached she got increasingly nervous and Zach took her hand in his and ran his thumb over it as they walked. “It’s okay Alexina, they will not harm you. Nobody here will ever harm you. This is the safest place on the planet that you could be right now.” His voice was low and she got a very weird feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach.

She relaxed slightly but still felt on edge. One of the guards opened the main door for them before they got to it and they walked inside.

Her breath stuck in her throat. This place was huge and gorgeous and simply stunning. She ran out of words to describe it in her head. The entranceway was very large with marble floors and several doors on each side of the room with one of the grandest staircases she had ever seen right in front of them and in the centre of the large space.

It was truly a magnificent area. There were some very, very old tapestries on the walls and they were made so exquisitely she had to drag her eyes away. There were some ancient marble statues that were exquisite and paintings galore. Too much for her to process.

Zach gave a small chuckle. “It can be quite disarming the first time you see this, can’t it?”

“OMG I have never seen anything like this. It is so beautiful, it’s really quite breathtaking,” she replied, still in shock at the greatness of the place.

“
Yes we have amassed a colossal amount of items over the centuries and we take great pride in them,” he told her with a smile on his face.

“
Come – I’m sure there are people waiting on us,” and he guided her to the grand stairs. They went up to the second floor. This area was made up of a very long hallway branching off each way from the stairs.

There were numerous doors and Zach turned left and headed towards a set of very large double doors at the end of the corridor. He knocked first but didn’t wait for a response but opened the door and ushered Alex in.

Once again she was astonished as she took in this very large corner room. It was just as grand as the entranceway downstairs and had doors leading off from the left and right. There was an absolutely enormous antique desk on the far side with yet another large man sitting behind it.

“
Come in, come in Zach and Alexina, we’ve been waiting on you. I am Thadius, a member of the Council.” He introduced himself to Alex, getting up and coming round the desk to take her hand.

She only then noticed two other people sitting on a sofa in the corner of the room with a coffee table in front of them. They also got up and made their way over. He introduced the two people. “This is the Head of the Council – Viktor, and this is our Head of Sorcery and Witchcraft – Amelia.”

Alex looked at them closely. Viktor was slightly taller than Zach but had the same aura of power around him and she surmised that he was extremely capable. He had dark brown hair with quite an attractive face, though not nearly as good looking as Zach.

Amelia on the other hand was one of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen and Alex did not like the way that she was looking at Zach. Not one bit.

She realised this with a start and filed it away for further thought later.

Amelia took her hand and said, “Hello”, all the while looking in Zach’s direction and not at her. She had long auburn hair that was styled ‘just so’ and her make-up was flawless. She wore a VERY figure-hugging little black dress, with the emphasis on little.

She made Alex feel like Cinderella, dressed as she was in her jeans and shirt and hiking boots.

“
Come sit down and have some coffee and we will proceed,” Viktor advised.

Thadius spoke in a low rumbling voice. “We have been discussing these recent events and the information we have uncovered is disturbing, to say the least.”

Alex sat on a chair and Zach sat on the arm of it next to her and laid his arm across her shoulders. She was surprised at how good it made her feel.

Alex could see that Amelia was not happy.

“So what has come to light?” Zach asked.

Thadius started to explain. “As you know, Brianna, the seer of the coven in Quebec, contacted us and advised that Alexina was in some sort of trouble. Her vision was quite dramatic and of course we sent you, Zach, to protect her while we tried to find out what was going on.”

Alex interrupted “How?”

“
How what?” Viktor asked.

“
Well I take it this seer didn’t get a flash with my address on it?” she said.

“
Ah no, she didn’t, but in one of the visions she saw you parking your car in some out of the way car park. She got your licence plate. From there it was very easy for us to find you,” Viktor answered.

Thadius continued “Now, we are still not one hundred per cent sure what is happening but the information you passed on while you were in-flight certainly helped us. Amelia has uncovered some obscure text in one of her many old books and it seems that Alexina is exactly what her name depicts. She is the Defender of Man.”

Alex opened her mouth to speak but Thadius beat her to it. “Alexina, I know you must have many questions but if you could hear us out first then we will be happy to answer – is that okay?” She just closed her mouth and nodded. Her stomach was in knots. This was madness.

“
Okay, so for as long as we can figure out there has been a bloodline that Alexina is the latest of. This bloodline has never wavered – always a female named Alexina. The important part is the bloodline – to be frank – the blood. Wait Alexina, I know you are troubled but please let me explain.” Thadius once more pre-empted her interruption.

Zach’s arm tightened a little bit on her shoulders and she knew he could feel the distress she was in.

Thadius continued on. “This line of women were created in order to keep the doors to hell closed. They were entrusted with special blood which they would use every thirty-five years or so in a special ritual, at a particular point on earth, that ensured the gates did not open. What we have learned is that Alexina’s mother and grandmother were killed to stop them from continuing to carry out this ritual and these gates are getting weaker by the day. It is down to Alexina to learn this ritual, hopefully it will be in this journal that you have brought with you, and to get it done as quickly as possible to ensure that they do not open fully. Already some Demons have escaped and we assume that is what was after Alexina in the woods.” Thadius stopped talking but had never taken his eyes from Alex.

“
I don’t know what to say,” Alex whispered. “I never knew any of this and I certainly don’t know the ritual. Are you sure? I mean this all sounds a bit far fetched to me. I have looked at the journal my aunt gave me but I can’t understand it. It’s written in a foreign language – but one I have never seen before.” She had been holding the journal – all the way from the plane – it was her mother’s and she had not wanted to put it down.

At this Amelia reached over and said “May I? I know many of the ancient tongues and I may be of help.”

Alex handed it to her, reluctantly, and looked up at Zach. He smiled at her. “We will do everything we can Alexina – please try not to worry. I will help you. I will not leave your side until we know you are safe!” He said this while staring into her eyes.

This calmed her a bit but she was struck with how sad she felt that he would ever leave her. She didn’t want this Vampire not to be in her life. She hadn’t known him long but she felt very deeply for him and she was a bit scared at the strength of her feelings.

Viktor spoke. “Amelia – do you think you can translate the journal for us?”

“
I think I may be able to but it’s going to take me some time. I suggest that you leave it with me,” Amelia said in a haughty tone.

“
Of course, of course,” Thadius responded.

“
I think Alex should get settled and rest,” Viktor added to the conversation.

Thadius looked over at Zach. “That’s a very good idea. Zach, there are the usual rooms available here.”

“If it’s all the same I think we will go to my place. I think Alexina will relax a bit more there,” Zach announced and Amelia’s eyes darted between Zach and Alex. Alex was sure she could detect jealousy in her look.

Thadius just nodded. Zach stood and took her hand and they retraced their steps to the jeep which was still outside.

“
I know you are very scared and a bit daunted but we will get through this Alexina. Together we WILL get through this. Please tell me you believe me?” He gave her the most endearing look she had ever had from a man, any man, and for it to be this magnificent man, well, she was astounded.

“Zach, I do trust you. I don’t know why, I mean, we’ve only just met as such, but I know in my heart you will do everything you can to help me. I just hope it’s enough. This is all pretty scary. I mean, Demons, gates of hell, REALLY. It’s scaring the beejesus out of me.”

Zach once more frowned while answering her. “Oh there you go again – you have some very funny sayings, you know that?” He laughed.

“Well they’re not funny to me.” She grinned back at him.

They got into the jeep and Zach drove for only about five minutes until he pulled up in front of a lovely little detached bungalow.

To say Alex was surprised was an understatement. Didn’t Vampires sleep in coffins?

She realised she really would have to change her preconceptions.

Chapter 6

Zach opened the door to his home and Alex noticed the door hadn’t been locked. It must be nice to live somewhere that you didn’t need to lock the door she thought.

Once inside it was not at all what she expected. They were in a small hallway that had a door to the living room and a couple of doors further down that obviously led to bedrooms.

She had expected the black leather sofa, hi-tech toys, glass and chrome that a lot of men had in their ‘bachelor pads’. But no, it was nothing like that. There were a couple of very comfy looking sofas and armchairs in front of a very large fireplace and a TV in the corner. It wasn’t one of the huge plasma TVs that were all the rage, it was just a normal sized flat screen TV.

There was a gorgeous antique writing desk in the corner opposite the TV and it didn’t look out of place at all, which surprised her a little.

On the wall opposite the fireplace there were some watercolours that were just beautiful. Very simple but stylish. There were a couple of doors leading off from the living room one of which gave her another surprise, a piano was there. She hadn’t taken Zach to be the type to play the piano, but then again she had only just met him, hadn’t she?

The other door led to a kitchen with a further door from there leading to a loo and utility room. He advised that both bedrooms had en suite so he didn’t need another separate bathroom. He took her jacket and told her to sit down while he got her a drink.

He came back in a few minutes and handed her a tall glass with a drink with ice and a straw, which she took to be cola. However, as soon as she went to take a drink she could smell it wasn’t. It was Jack Daniels and diet cola – her drink.

“Did you just happen to have this in your drinks cabinet?” she laughed.

“
No, afraid I can’t say that. I phoned one of my friends when you were asleep on the plane and asked him to drop some here for me.” He smirked. “I thought you might need one, what with all that is going on. You need to relax and I was hoping your favourite drink would do it. Do you want something to eat or do you want to go straight to bed?” He spoke to her and once more she realised how much she liked his voice.

Alex raised her eyes and looked at him. “Well now that’s not something I hear in the first five minutes of being alone with a man.” She half-laughed as she tried to keep a straight face.

“No I didn’t mean that!” Zach blustered.

Alex finally succumbed and started to laugh. “I know you didn’t Zach. I was just teasing you. I don’t think Amelia would be very happy and I’m surprised she let you bring me here?”

“Amelia? What? Do you think Amelia and I are together?” Zach retorted. Alex raised an eyebrow at him while answering. “Well from the way she was acting earlier – yes, I thought you were. She was certainly unhappy when you sat next to me and even unhappier when you put your arm around my shoulders. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”

If he told her that he hadn’t she would bloody well call him a liar, she thought. He had a slight frown on his face as he replied “Well, yes, but we aren’t together. She has tried to get me to go out before and yes some of the guys tease me about her, but I have never had any feelings for her. Not those types anyway. She is a colleague, nothing more.”

“Are you nuts? She’s gorgeous, why would you not want to go out with her?” Alex was quite surprised. She had been certain there was either an ongoing situation between them or a history.

“
Alexina – I am not nuts. I just don’t see her in that way. I don’t nor have I ever desired her. Now on the other hand – you – you intrigue me intensely.”

Alex spoke without thinking. “Intrigue? Well that’s not a word a girl hears every day. I would go so far as to say that you, Mr Vampire, intrigue me also.”

What was she saying? she thought. This magnificent creature would never be interested in her. She knew that she had feelings for him growing inside of her but she would have to just damp those down and stop fantasising, and stop bloody flirting.

He moved to sit beside her on the sofa. She took a very large pull on her drink, Dutch courage. The alcohol was going straight to her head, she had only had one croissant on the plane and that seemed like ages ago.

He sat very close to her, so close their thighs were touching and her heart rate shot up. Oh my God, what was happening. She hardly knew him and she had never, not once, had a ‘one night stand’. It just wasn’t her.

Then her mind raced, why am I thinking that, she thought. He’s only sitting beside me. He hasn’t given me any reason to think he would even WANT a one night stand.

“You seem nervous, Alexina? Do I scare you? I hope not. I thought I told you that you were safe with me?” Zach’s voice all but whispered. Her stomach clenched and a long dead feeling began further down.

“
Uh, no you don’t scare me,” she managed to get out, though her breathing had now started to keep up with her heart.

“
Can I say something?” He turned towards her slightly and was staring into her face. She tried hard not to look away and nodded. “I know, I can sense, that you don’t think much of yourself – am I right?”

She again nodded and this time she slid her eyes from his and looked down into her lap. He put a finger under her chin and made her look once again into his eyes. “You would be very wrong about that. You are the most beautiful woman I have come across in a very, very long life. I am attracted to you Alexina. In a way I have never been attracted to any female before.”

She let out a small gasp. This was not the way she had expected the evening to go.

She felt the same but it scared her. She just didn’t do this. She was a very private person and rarely if ever let her feelings control her.

If she was honest with herself though, and she thought this was the time to be honest, she had never felt like this before. She took a large breath in before responding. “I sorta feel the same but I’ll tell you Zach – it scares me! I have never felt like this. It’s strange, it’s almost like I’m not in control, and for a control freak like me that is scary as hell.” She was surprised at what had came from her own lips.

“
Well Alexina, I can tell you – I feel the same. I have no idea what’s happening between us but I can hardly keep my hands off you. It has been a struggle and when I walked into the room on the plane to wake you and saw you lying there? Well I just wanted to join you and it took all of my control not to. I don’t want to scare you. I will never hurt you and would never force myself on you. I just thought you should know how I feel,” Zach finished, trying to gauge her reaction.

She was stunned. She only ever thought of herself as okay-looking and never in a million years would she have called herself beautiful. For someone like Zach to say so, well, she could hardly breathe.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

As their lips touched she felt as if her body had come back to life after being dead. The feeling was so dramatic that her heart nearly beat out of her chest. The feeling of his lips on hers was astonishing and she didn’t want the feeling to end.

Zach finally pulled away and his eyes, when she looked, were almost shining. “Your eyes!” was all she got out before he kissed her again.

This time it lasted longer and he pulled her closer to him. She still had her drink in her hand and she tried not to spill it. Not a second after she had this thought, Zach pulled away, took her drink and put it on the end table.

He then pulled her closer and started to kiss her again. He pulled/picked her up until she was sitting on his lap and his arms were around her holding her close.

One of her hands was in his hair, holding his head to her. She wanted him closer, all of him. He pulled away for a second and she noted his eyes were indeed shining. It was very strange.

“It’s because I am rather aroused.” He smirked with one of his eyebrows raised. “My eyes, they can start to kind of glow if I am particularly aroused.”

“
Well blow my socks off,” she said and Zach burst out laughing.

“
Where on earth do you get those from? You are a very fascinating female. I can see you’re going to keep me on my toes trying to keep up with all these weird and wonderful sayings.” He grinned.

“
Well it’s not every day a guy’s eyes glow because he’s attracted to me. Especially such a fine specimen,” she answered.

“
A fine specimen? I take it you don’t find me repulsive then?” he quipped.

“
I don’t think there’s a female alive who would find you repulsive, Zach! You are gorgeous, hot and the sexiest man I have ever come across. Oh wait, you’re a Vampire,” she giggled.

“
Yes I am, little one, but first and foremost I am a man.” She frowned at him using that term. She had exploded at him the first time he had said it. Though this time she didn’t feel as angry – strange, she thought.

“
Oh yea you don’t like that do you? Sorry but I like it so you may just have to get used to it,” he responded to her frown.

“
Well maybe, it doesn’t seem like an insult when you say it. I am a little sensitive about being so small.” She was actually opening up to him, this was yet another surprise to her.

“
Well I think you’re perfect. In each and every way, you are perfect to me.” His voice was now sounding husky and she liked it even more.

She sighed, no man had ever said anything as nice to her. She was so attracted to this man, Vampire, that she couldn’t put it into words so she did the next best thing. She kissed him again.

He returned the kiss with a lot of enthusiasm and reached his hand underneath her shirt and as soon as he touched her bare skin his arousal jumped up another few notches.

His arousal was at this minute digging into Alex’s thigh and as soon as she felt it her excitement escalated. She couldn’t think, could hardly breathe, and just wanted to feel all of him. She placed one of her hands at the base of his shirt and tugged until she could get it underneath and touch him.

Zach moaned into her mouth as soon as her hand made contact and this upped her arousal even more. She had never done anything like this before and was scared just a little bit but with each passing moment that fear lessened.

She pulled away slightly, breathless, and tried to explain herself to him. “Zach, uhm I don’t know how to say this – I’m not what you could call ‘experienced’ and I have never, ever, had a one night stand. It’s just not me.”

His voice was hoarse as he answered. “Alexina, please don’t worry, I don’t want a one night stand with you.”

Oh God she thought, she had totally misread the signs. He didn’t want her. She was so embarrassed and tried to move away. “Just where do you think you’re going? Oh – you thought I didn’t want you? No no no Alexina, that’s not what I meant. What I meant to say, and failed miserably, is that I feel so strongly for you that a one night stand won’t be enough. I want you but I want you forever. Please don’t be scared. It’s just that this feels so right – you know. I don’t know how I know it – but we are meant to be together.”

He tried to explain to her but Alex felt so scared – she didn’t want to be hurt. “Zach I’m scared but I don’t know what is going on with my feelings either. I have never felt like this – not once have I felt an attraction like this. I don’t want to be hurt if, in the morning, you decide differently. I don’t think I could cope with that,” she whispered with a catch in her throat.

He touched her face so tenderly and she unconsciously moved into the touch. “I don’t think that’s likely. I feel very strongly for you. I have this deep-seated NEED to love you, take care of you, keep you safe and I think if I lost you – well I think I would truly lose myself too. Please don’t worry but if you want we can sleep in different rooms. If you really are worried that I won’t care for you afterwards then maybe we should do that? Then you will see that it is you I want and not just sex.”

She sat in Zach’s lap while he cuddled her and thought about what he had said. She knew that something was happening between them but she had never come across this before. She was having feelings that she hadn’t had before. Even for her sore excuse of a husband. She had thought she had loved him but it was not even in the same universe as these feelings.

She was afraid of the intensity of them but at the same time excited. She made a decision, one she hoped she would not live to regret, and stood up. “Can I have a shower to clean up? Then, you could possibly show me your room? If that’s okay?” She spoke quietly and she blushed – again. God that was the third time in twenty-four hours.

Zach smiled, got up and took her through to his room, picking up her case on the way. His room was at the rear of the property and he sat her case on top of an old wooden chest in the corner.

“
Wait a minute.” He went back through the door and reappeared with a small bag containing a selection of toiletries. Ones for a woman – shampoo, shower gel, etcetera. She raised an eyebrow and he laughed. “Not what you think, meine Kleine, the friend I asked to get the Jack Daniels – well he’s bonded and his mate thought you might like these. She put them together.”

She was touched by the thoughtfulness. “You’ll have to introduce me to them. I would like to say thank you. I totally forgot toiletries, I think I remembered my toothbrush though.” She got her toothbrush out and made her way into the bathroom.