Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Lewis hadn’t spoken. “She did that to me before. I didn’t even realize that’s what she had done.”
“Done what?” Alexander asked.
“That, with the control thing. I went to reach out and touch her, and she told me not to, but there was something in her voice that made me pull back. I didn’t want to … you know…” He blew out a breath. “I had no idea.”
“None of us did,” Brandon said.
Alexander had heard enough. They might all be frightened of her, but he was terrified for her. There were a lot of people who would love to see her dead. Her abilities would cause many different factions to attempt to kill her. He couldn’t allow her to die. There was no way he would ever be able to live with himself if she died.
He had to do whatever it took to keep her safe. He took off in the direction she had left, following the trail of her footprints. He heard her sniffles and when he saw her, he took a few moments to admire her. She was one of the most beautiful women in the world to him. It had taken him over a thousand years, but he finally understood why men did what they did, why they fought, hunted, and killed for the love of a woman.
****
Layla had seen the way everyone looked at her. With fear. They were all terrified of her, but she didn’t have a clue how she’d been able to do what she did. It hadn’t been intentional to stop Crazy Lizzie. Actually, that was wrong, she’d wanted the witch to stop, but of her own free will.
“You do not need to cry,” Alexander said.
She turned toward him and couldn’t help but smile, even as her lip quivered. “It’s easy for you to say.”
“Yes, you saved me.” He gave a little chuckle. “Very easy for me to say so, indeed. My dead heart is still in my chest.”
“Does a stake to the heart kill you?”
“It can, but with a chest as old as mine, I’m quite stubborn.”
This did make her smile. “Then I like the fact you’re stubborn.” She didn’t want to think about him dead. “This is all real, isn’t it? I’m not going to wake up from some crazy dream?”
Alexander reached out and took her hands. “How about we go for a walk?” he asked.
“A walk?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t they need me back there?”
“They will eventually need you back there, but for now, you’ve done enough. If anyone had any doubt about who you were, they were very much mistaken.” He took hold of her hand and locked their fingers together. “Come on. I think it’s time you cleared your head.”
“You think my head needs clearing?”
“Yes. I know after hearing some … news, I tend to have to clear mine.”
She took a deep breath.
He must know she had a lot on her mind.
They walked for several minutes and he was taking her home. She hoped her parents—no, the gargoyles—would give them some privacy, or at the very least some space, so she could spend some time with Alexander and just breathe.
“What will you do when all of this is over?” she asked, curious about him.
“I’ll be staying here, of course.”
“You’ll stay here?”
They entered her backyard and she waited for him to follow her inside, before she closed the gate. It was strange, being inside her home, it felt calming to her.
“This is where you are, Layla. I’ll go wherever you go.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his words. Wherever she was, he was going to be. What wasn’t to love?
They walked up the steps leading to the kitchen when Alexander tightened his grip around her hand.
“Look at me,” he said.
Layla turned toward him and stared up into his eyes. She knew people had looked at him in their final moments and seen fear, but for her, she only saw life and peace, and that was all she wanted with him.
“Yes?”
“It’s going to be fine.”
“That’s what you have to say, isn’t it?”
“I don’t have to say anything, I know it’s going to be fine.” Alexander opened the door to her home and held his hand out toward her.
“Do you need an invite?” she asked.
“No, once you invited me in, that was all I needed. Unless you order me out, or put a protection spell around the house barring me, until then I can come and go as I please.” He stepped over the threshold and closed the door, flicking the lock into place.
She was about to ask him a question about what they were doing, but she let out a little scream as he suddenly picked her up in his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I think it’s only fair that I treat you like my queen. My queen needs to have a nice, relaxing bath, and to just take some time to heal.”