7. ~Alena~

7

~Alena~

Warmth infused me.

It was strange given that I was standing on a windy mountaintop covered in snow.

I looked down to see that I wasn’t even dressed.

Not in the tank and shorts I’d gone to bed in—the clothes I’d left amongst some others in my old room of the family home.

I was completely naked.

What the—what was happening?

And where was this place?

It wasn’t familiar at all.

I spun from the edge of the mountaintop and looked to see a small cabin a few feet away covered in heavy snow too.

I considered heading in there to get something to cover myself with, but an air of foreboding betook me as I took a single step in that direction.

I pulled up short.

A rush of air whipped around me—again, warm and inviting, like the temperature of this strange location.

The falsified temperature.

It shouldn’t be possible in such a windy and snowy area.

Hot breath fanned over the side of my neck and I spun.

No one was there.

I felt that breath a my neck again, then a hand stroked my back.

I spun only to find no one there again.

“Stop!” I yelled out, my voice echoing through the mountains.

“That’s not in my vocabulary.”

Another rush of air encircled me, before he materialized right in front of me.

Constantine Vale.

His long black hair whipped in the wind.

He was dressed down in just a pair of linen pants, his broad, muscular chest on full display.

“You’ll learn that this night, darling princess.”

“I’m not your princess.”

“Oh, but you are. And after tonight, there will be no qualms about that.”

I shuddered at his words, unable to contain the reaction.

Instinctively, I went to call my power to conjure some clothes, then my plan was to keep him talking while I figured a way out of here and what sort of magical state he’d trapped me in. A dream? A manufactured plane?

But not even sparks came into being.

“Your magic won’t work here. I am in full control of this plane.”

A plane then. That was something.

But what could I do without my fucking magic?

“How?”

“I ingested your blood.”

I cursed under my breath.

“Release me. Now.”

“You’re being far too hasty. We’ve yet to get to know one another.” He licked his lips as he ran his dirty gaze all over my naked body. “Especially not to my satisfaction.”

“Don’t touch me,” I seethed.

“And why not?”

“I’m not yours.”

“You’re to become mine.”

“You said that during our battle. Why? What do you want with me?”

“Everything. But most of all, to make you my queen.”

“You’re delusional.”

And creepy as hell.

When he just stared at me, seeming to observe every little thing about me, how I spoke, the content of my words, my gestures and mannerisms, I spat out, “You’re nothing but a madman with a power complex.”

A snarl escaped him, and then he snatched my wrist and jerked me into him so I smacked against his hard chest.

He spun me around so my back was to it, then he banded an arm across my breasts, his other hand sliding up and down my right thigh.

“Get your hands off me!” I demanded. “Now!”

He leaned in and breathed at my ear, sending a tremble of unwanted sensation through me. “As I’ve said, don’t be so hasty. I can make you feel things you’ve never even had the wherewithal to dream of. I am an eight-hundred-year-old vampire hybrid with centuries of experience in the art of carnal pleasure.”

“That means nothing to me.”

“Oh, but it will. In fact, you’ll come to crave it from me.”

“Never. I’m already with—”

“Orpheus, Talon, and Xavier… I’m aware. A meaningless barrier that I will tear down soon enough.” His fingers slid higher up my thigh, making me shudder and push back to get away, but I only ended up pushing against his hard cock.

A sexual growl sounded from him, rolling right through me.

What? What was happening?

“You’re controlling me?”

“Not exactly.”

“What then?”

“Why, darling princess, are you feeling favorable sensations toward me?”

“What. Are. You. Doing?”

“I’ve merely stripped away the rest, leaving just your most honest wants and desires.”

His fingers brushed my pussy and I jolted, but something stopped me from actually trying to pull away again.

He dragged his fingers through my folds and I threw my head back against his shoulder.

His arm banded across my chest left me, unbinding me, and he stroked my hair gently as he continued his ministrations, sending sparks of pleasure through me.

“God,” I breathed.

“That I am,” he rumbled at my ear.

I couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but sink into the bliss he was eliciting.

He targeted my clit, rolling it, then pinching, then circling.

I was panting and rolling my hips, responding fully, getting lost in it.

A scream tore from my throat as I crashed over the edge and came all over his fingers.

Using his hold in my hair, he turned my head and made me watch as he licked them clean, sounds of the utmost satisfaction emanating from him that skyrocketed my arousal.

When he was done, he grasped his cock through his pants and told me in a soft tone, “Lie down and spread your thighs for me.”

Immersed in a heady spell that he’d wrought, all I could do was drop down in the snow that was wet and warm to the touch.

I was about to open my legs, when he crouched down and pressed his hands to my thighs, stilling me.

“You’re drawn to the dark, Alena. And I am the personification of that. You belong with me. You feel it now and that will only increase in other ways beyond this pleasure.” In the next moment, he snapped his fingers and I was covered in a white fluffy robe. “But I am not a complete monster.”

He took my hand and pulled me back to my feet.

“I don’t understand, I thought you—”

“Shh, that was merely a test.”

“I… okay,” I murmured, my brain unable to process that, or anything much, it seemed.

He took my hands and leaned down a little as he told me, “I brought you here to see where you’re at in regards to me, but also to make you a deal I’m sure you’ll find favorable.”

“A deal?”

“Yes, darling princess. I will reverse what I inflicted upon Xavier Sabre if you come to me. Step outside your mother’s ward and I will be there to whisk you away with me.”

When I didn’t respond, just staring up at him in awe, he tilted my chin to meet his eyeline.

His eyes flamed with his red magic briefly and then he spoke in a hypnotic tone, “When you wake, you will remember my offer.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, whispering, “We’ll be together soon.”

And with that, he dematerialized a moment before everything slipped away.

“Alena? Alena?”

I blinked awake to see my mom standing over me.

She looked her usual impeccable self in a teal A-line dress, her wavy ivory hair cascading down her back. A complete contrast to me in black sweats.

I looked around to see that I’d fallen asleep in one of the patio loungers outside.

As I was taking in my surroundings, a flicker of movement caught my attention through the trees.

Red eyes bored into mine.

And then they were gone, like they’d never been.

I blinked the strangeness away and turned my attention to my mom and all the urgency coming off her.

“Sorry, I guess I was more tired than I realized.”

“I’m not surprised.”

I frowned. “I’ve been sleeping normally.”

“Yet you still feel exhausted, yes?”

“It’s been a lot the last few days with Xavier and everything. He ended things between us.”

She pulled up short, clearly about to say something else, but stopping herself at my revelation. “He did?”

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” she said, rubbing my shoulder. I flinched, then jerked away.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. With what happened at the Academy, I guess I’m still just a little jumpy.”

I couldn’t tell her about what had happened with Constantine, him invading my dreamscape, seducing me… none of it. Especially not the part about how I’d responded favorably. More than favorably. Urgh. I was disgusting. I was sick, demented, a traitorous—

“Alena?”

I blinked and looked to see my mom eyeing me with a whole lot of worry.

“Did you say something?”

“I did, but you spaced out.”

“Oh… must be the whole exhaustion thing.”

“Darling, is there something more happening? Something you’re reluctant to tell me?”

Damn her and her over-perceptiveness.

“About Talon Creed and Orpheus Hart, perhaps?”

Oh , that was where her mind had gone.

I swallowed hard. “What about them?”

“Alena, I’m well aware of the existence of a relationship between the four of you.”

“How? And… when?”

“Let’s just say that Saryan isn’t the only parent watching their child closely. Did you think I’d just send you there and wash my hands of you? I know I’m busy with work, more so than most, but you remain a priority to me alongside Exemplar .”

“And yet you haven’t said a word about it? I don’t understand. Especially with Orpheus being in the picture.”

“He’s good for you.”

Shocked didn’t even cover it. The words that had come out of her mouth just didn’t compute.

She smiled and took a seat on the lounger opposite me, perching on the edge. “Alena, you’ve always struggled with your power, always been afraid of its potential to corrupt, and to lead you toward darkness. Orpheus has experienced a similar struggle in fighting not to turn into his father. He’s also a dark being, but he isn’t dark hearted. He seeks out the light, hence his deep interest in you, being drawn to you to such an overwhelming extent. In you, he's found both. He’s also been training at an extreme level his entire life. He has the know-how and experience to help you with your own struggle. The phoenix, Talon Creed, provides some much-needed levity and passion that you can also connect well with due to the free spirit that you are at heart, despite years of repression of your magic. And Xavier, well, he’s the pure heart and safety that balances all the rest.” There was a faraway look in her eyes as she said, “He’s very much like his father in that respect.”

“He’s been a great friend to you, Mom. All these years.”

She smiled. “He has. And not to worry, that’s all it is for either of us. Companionship and friendship.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore with Xavier ending things.”

“This is an awful transition period for him, Alena.”

“Yeah, a time when we should be pulling together.”

“He has that loner disposition, like Elliot again, when something befalls him. Give it time and give him space. The latter will be easier to do with you returning to Electi Academy first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Return?” As much as I wanted to see Orpheus and Talon and be around them again, I couldn’t just go back to classes and return to student life like nothing had happened, like nothing was still happening.

“That’s right,” she said firmly.

“I can’t do that, Mom. You must realize that. I’m needed. After what I was able to do to Constantine—”

“He was toying with you.”

“What?”

“You are new to battle. Do you honestly believe that you could have come out on top if Constantine had been battling you to the full extent of his abilities? This is a being who the whole of Exemplar struggles to defeat, Alena. You are new to all of this, to accepting our world, and to dealing with high-level threats.”

“You’re saying I just got lucky? Is that it?”

“In essence. Worse than that, you used your powers in front of him. He knows what you’re capable of now and that puts you in a very dangerous position. You can’t give it all away up front with a calculated being like him. He’ll use it all to his advantage.”

“You’re just trying to scare me so I walk away from it all without any more protests.”

“You will be walking away regardless,” she said in that firm and non-negotiable tone.

“You don’t understand, I did beat him back. And even more than that, he came for the four of us, we’re special to him. That means I can use that to our advantage.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You haven’t even heard me out. Mom, we can save Xavier, return his magic to him. We can bring Saryan Hart back. A lot of things, if we’d just go the diplomatic route instead, if we just work the situation to our benefit.”

I’d never seen her so shocked before. “You’re talking about making a deal with the devil incarnate, Alena. Not only is that a violation of Exemplar’s laws, but it is beyond foolish and it will be your end. Constantine is age-old. He’s calculative and he’ll manipulate you to the point where you won’t receive your end of the bargain, but you’ll instead find yourself giving him everything he wants and then some. A deal cannot be struck with the likes of him. Diplomacy has failed enough times with him for it to now be off the table forevermore.”

“So, you haven’t even tried that to get Orpheus’ father back then?”

“No,” she said simply, and completely unapologetically.

This was the work version of her. The unbendable and entirely uncompromising Abigail Rose.

“Has any progress been made at all?”

“We’re following protocol. We’ll find him in due time.”

Due time? Not good enough. “So you’re not holding back resources then?”

“What?”

“Because the kidnapping victim is Saryan Hart?”

“Of course not. My personal distaste for the man has no bearing on my professional life and decisions.”

“Didn’t it during the Cataclysm?”

“Excuse me?”

“What you did to him, Mom… that didn’t need to happen, things didn’t need to go that way. You ruined him.”

“I see Orpheus has been very talkative.”

“He hated you. I demanded to know why. And once I did, I could see his point.”

“It’s more complicated than you can imagine. You saw things through the eyes of a father who loves his son dearly.”

“I saw into his memory.”

She started. “He allowed you access inside his mind?”

“Yes.”

“The four of you are closer than my watch was able to determine. That’s… given how stoic and guarded Orpheus is… it’s staggering. He’s expressing a great depth toward you. Such trust. Love, really.”

“I wouldn’t… we haven’t gone there.”

“Then I’m sure it’s forthcoming.”

“Mom.” Talk about redirecting. “About Saryan?”

“The investigation is running smoothly and to the best of Exemplar’s abilities. We are doing everything we can. Believe me, none of us want the Dark Fae throne vacated for long. There are things there that need to be protected.”

Before I could ask more, or delve further, she told me, “I need to get back to the compound to handle Exemplar business. We’ll have dinner tonight and tomorrow you’ll head back to Electi Academy.”

“Mom, I want in on Exemplar.”

She stared at me for several moments, some sort of war taking place. “You’re not ready.”

“If you’ve been spying on me as you’ve claimed, you know that’s not true. I’ve come a long way.”

She started shaking her head. “You don’t want it, believe me.”

“What does that mean?”

She reached out and took my hand. And then she shocked me as a rare display of emotion betook her and she was telling me in a heartbreaking tone, “You can’t imagine the price for it.”

“Mom, I—”

“End of discussion, Alena.”

Of course it was.

In the next moment, she teleported out without another word.

I blew out a breath and started pacing the patio.

A ferocious roar startled me and I spun, looking up in the direction of the room Xavier was staying in.

Thuds and crashing sounded next making me wince.

He was suffering so much.

But there was a way through, one that nobody—including him—wanted to take.

I had the means to see to it, to make it happen.

“I will reverse what I inflicted upon Xavier Sabre if you come to me. Step outside your mother’s ward and I will be there to whisk you away with me.”

I could even do more than that. If I let Constantine take me with him, it would likely be where he was holding Saryan Hart and I could then free him too.

I could undo a lot of damage. Just through making a deal.

My mom didn’t trust in that when it came to Constantine.

But I could ensure it through a blood vow or something, a way where he couldn’t go back on his word, couldn’t use trickery or any such thing.

I couldn’t suggest that to my mom because if a blood vow was broken, it meant death for whoever was responsible for doing it, and that counted as murder to Exemplar.

All these rules, regulations, and protocols were getting in the way of so much that needed to be done. They were slowing everything down. And they weren’t doing shit to protect those who needed protecting.

It was leading us to make deals with devils, making us desperate.

It was hurting us all.