Chapter 21: Alexis

Chapter 21: Alexis

I hadn’t anticipated such a sudden change in the town after Maurice’s death. The air was not that of mourning, as I had expected, given that their mayor had passed away under mysterious conditions. Instead, the atmosphere was competitive, to say the very least. Five different candidates had risen within a matter of hours, announcing their candidacy for the position of mayor.

It had barely been a few days since Maurice’s death had been made public news, and already the city was smattered with flyers, stickers, and flags of different colors, all of them urging the citizens to vote for this person or that.

Truth had a very sickening way of dawning on me as I stood outside Fiddler’s Green and looked at the posters. I did not know any of these people. All my life, I had lived in this place, and yet I was a complete alien to the goings-on.

Who was Wendy Wilshire, running for mayor from the business district? Did Fiddler’s Green even have a business district? I did not know who Jeremy Clarkson was either, and he was running from downtown. Weren’t the business district and downtown one and the same? Rodrick James, whose poster claimed he was a two times war veteran and had won the Medal of Honor, was running from the Grimm Abode district. At least I knew that district. What I was surprised to learn was that there were other colonies in the area besides the commune. Tony Hawkins, a relatively older member of City Hall, had also announced his candidacy.

“Vultures,” a complete stranger standing next to me said. I turned around and saw a very haggard-looking woman holding a bagged-up bottle of rum in her hands, her eyes bloodshot, her face looking haunted.

“I beg your pardon?” I cleared my throat, further alerting the woman to my presence. Given her inebriated stance, it did not appear that she knew that I was standing beside her.

“Vultures, each and every one of them. Our beloved mayor hasn’t been dead for less than a week, and there’s already a call for a new election!” the drunk, homeless woman yelled. “They’re feasting on his corpse, aren’t they?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they’re feasting on his corpse,” I said, shaking my head. They were only following procedure. A town had to have a mayor.

“You’re just as terrible as the rest of them,” the woman said, her speech slurred to the point of incoherence, her arms dangling dangerously, and her eyes crossed.

“If you can tell me what Maurice did as the mayor, I’ll concede,” I said, but the woman was in no shape to respond. She was sprawled on the floor, cradling her bottle of rum in her arms, snoring loudly already.

“Don’t you mind her,” the bartender said, coming out of the bar I was standing in front of. “Her mind goes more and more each day, and she refuses to give up drinking. At this point, it’s more of a mercy to let her have a drink, so she does not have to bear the terrors of sobriety.”

“Was Maurice related to her in some way?” I asked.

“No. And he wasn’t related to half the people in the town who are all of a sudden finding sympathy for their departed mayor in their hearts. If there’s one thing you have to know about Fiddler’s Green, it’s that the people who live here love to be obstinate. Maurice was mayor for a long time. Thousands of people are finding it impossible to just move on and get on with their lives with a new mayor at the helm of this city.”

“Maybe I’ll run for mayor,” Will said suddenly, emerging from the lab on the right of the bar. He was holding a file in his hands, and his face bore a cheery look. He broke into a grin as he saw me standing outside the bar. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Not just anyone can run for mayor,” the bartender said to Will.

“Well, I’m not just about anyone. I’m a Grimm. My family helped build this town,” he said.

“Maurice was a Grimm too, and look what good he did to this city!” the bartender said, then receded back into the shop, shaking his head.

“My, my, the tempers are running so high in this city. The doctor in the lab was all red in the face about this mayoral campaign business,” Will said as he approached me and wrapped his arms around me. Then he kissed me on the lips lightly.

“But what did he say?” I asked, taking his file from him. I opened it and saw the results of all the tests. They were all negative, but even still, I wanted to hear it from him.

“The doctor said that there was nothing wrong with my blood, at least not that he could find through all the tests he conducted. He didn’t even find any trace of Wolf’s Bane or all the chemicals that Edward had been injecting into me. Believe it or not, your potion worked wonders. The doctor declared that I was in perfect health, all thanks to you,” he said. The moment he uttered those words, relief swept through my body, and my mind became peaceful.

“So, it was a good decision, right? Getting a second opinion from a doctor outside the commune?” I asked.

“It was the best decision. Now that we know that there’s nothing wrong with me, I can finally put the past behind me and look forward,” Will said.

“If you’re really serious about running for the mayor,” I said, smiling. “There are some things that you ought to get started with.”

“Oh, I was just kidding. Being an Alpha is already quite huge of a commitment. I do not need politics on my plate right now or ever,” Will said.

“Never say never,” I said, taking his arm and walking toward downtown. “Now, how about you take me shopping as a thank you for me saving your life?”

“At once, my lady,” Will said, bowing courteously, his arm waving at a Jeep—a brand new Jeep with the plastic still on the seats.

“Will, what kind of surprise is this?” I was unnerved by seeing such an expensive vehicle parked there. Knowing what I knew about Will’s current financial situation, I knew there was no way he could afford a truck worth thirty-thousand dollars. It made me apprehensive to think what Will must have been thinking of while buying such an exorbitantly expensive thing. But instead of replying to me, he kept laughing till tears started dripping from his eyes. “Is this some sort of a joke?”

“You tell me!” Will continued howling with laughter, now holding his stomach. In all the time I had spent with him, I had never seen him laugh so fully. This must indeed be the working of the potion. It didn’t just feel like he was a changed man. It exhibited itself in so many tiny mannerisms and behaviors, all of which were a testament to the fact that the poisons and chemicals had left his body, and he was completely healed.

“I don’t understand. You bought this?” I asked, scratching my head. “Are we going somewhere? Is this one of your surprises?”

“I found the car parked in front of the house early in the morning with a note saying that it was from Vincent. He wrote in the note that he hadn’t ditched Lawrence’s car as I had asked him to. Instead, he had fenced it somewhere in Ohio. He bought a Jeep registered in my name with that money. How thoughtful of him, isn’t it?” Will explained.

Now that I was in on the joke, I found laughter coming much easier. What a stroke of genius on Vincent’s part. If we’d kept Lawrence’s car, that would have aroused suspicion, and soon the police would have meddled. But he fenced it and used it to buy Will a truck that he could actually ride in.

“We had Jeeps back in Germany, if you believe it. The Americans brought them along during the war. I fell in love with the Jeeps back then. That love still holds in my heart after all this time,” he said.

“I was under the assumption that you just loved me,” I said, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows.

“Of course, my love, you are the only living breathing human being I’m in love with,” Will said, coming to me, holding my hand, and puckering it with playful kisses.

“I hope you’re taking me somewhere. It is Valentine’s Day, you know. People the world over are doing romantic things with their partners. What are we doing?” There was a bit of nagging and complaint in my voice, but it was benign at best. I didn’t mean to pester him. Not after what he’d been through. But it was necessary for the health of the relationship that I voiced my wants.

“Ah. I have the perfect day planned out. You know, back in the day, there wasn’t so much hoopla around Valentine’s Day. It just seems like a modern creation of American capitalism. Who here truly gives a damn about what Saint Valentine actually did? I don’t think there are many people who even know the real story. The day’s been reduced to chocolates, roses, and teddy bears. What a shame,” Will said.

“Will! Come on! I don’t want a history lesson right now. I’m your mate. You have to do these things with me,” I said. This time there was legitimate nagging in my tone. Nagging that Will noticed immediately.

“Well, my dear mate, as it happens, I do have something planned for you. For us, actually. To commemorate and celebrate our rekindled relationship, I’m going to take you to this secret bed and breakfast north of here. It’s just past Lonely Mountain, right on the border of Vermont. There’s actually a bit of a story tied to the place, but I’ll save it for later. Right now, we’re going to take a nice long drive through the woods and head over to the Last Inn,” he said.

“Is that the name of the bed and breakfast?” I asked.

“Yes, the Last Inn. It was built by the Spanish in the late 17th century. Once, it used to be a sprawling mansion, but after the rest of the country came to know about the Spanish tucked away in North East America, they tore down the mansion and drove the Spanish back to Spain. Now, however, there are some kindred spirits who’ve taken it upon themselves to rebuild old heritage sites across America. And the Last Inn is one of their endeavors. If you’ve ever wanted to live in a Spanish mansion, you’re going to have an excellent time,” Will said.

“You promised you wouldn’t get into the story right now,” I said, getting in the Jeep.

“I believe I did something that your friend Maliha would call ‘nerding out.’” Will sat beside me and turned the engine on. The Jeep roared to life, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the street.

“You’ve gotten quite the grip on your slang,” I said.

“I had some excellent teachers,” Will said, looking at me.

“I missed you; you know that?” I finally confessed. It was hard not to become vulnerable when looking into his eyes. They drew out sincerity from deep within me. The way he looked at me made me feel like I was his entire world.

“I missed you so much, too,” Will said. “And I am feeling great right now. I just want to go on a long drive and not stop till we reach Vermont.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” I said, putting my hand on his hand and pushing the Jeep into first gear.

***

The mansion was indeed, as resplendent as Will had described. A red banner hung from the front, serving both as a tapestry and an awning for the entrance. There were great terraces on all four sides of the mansion. At the center, there was a massive fountain with bubbling blue water. The entire place was covered in ivy, vines, and flowers. Treetops served as a canopy for the mansion, creating a green mirage everywhere I looked.

I hadn’t even noticed that my mouth hung open in the face of this spectacle. It was truly mesmerizing. What was more mesmerizing was how Will had managed to find such a place in such a short time.

While we were not alone—as there were almost half a dozen cars parked in the driveway—the aura and the atmosphere complemented the natural beauty of the place in such a way that I did not mind the couples walking around the gardens hand in hand. For the first time in my life, I was not envious of seeing other couples celebrate their relationship publicly. There was no bitterness this time around now that I had Will by my side.

We walked arm in arm through the main entrance and checked ourselves in at the reception. A bellboy helped with our luggage and took us to our suite.

“Sweet lord!” I exclaimed as I saw the balcony outside our bedroom. It was entirely made of marble and overlooked a lake. Lonely Mountain loomed mysteriously in the back. “Look at this view, Will. It’s like…”

“Maddeningly beautiful, isn’t it?” Will asked, coming behind me, holding me from the back.

“Not more beautiful than you,” I said, turning around and looking at my mate. The potion had done something to his physique and appearance. Before, Will had a permanently strained look on his face, as if he was subconsciously battling all the dangers within him. Now, his face was brighter, his expressions were much more relaxed, and he looked altogether a much more handsome man than before, not that I didn’t like how he looked prior to this. “You actually look like a twenty-something.”

“All thanks to you,” Will said, then leaned in and kissed me on my lips. Even his kiss had more joy to it. I could feel the carefreeness on his lips as he puckered and sucked my lips. I could taste the sweetness on his tongue as he lolled it around in my mouth. He was more virile too. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since we’d started kissing, and he was already hard and throbbing against my thigh.

I moaned as he began kissing and sucking my neck and let myself go in his arms. He held me softly, kissing me on my breasts, licking the nipples, and kneading them gently.

“Will,” I whispered. “Oh, Will.”

“You are everything I ever wanted,” Will said, and with that, his head disappeared between my thighs, and I was lost in a world of swirling pleasure as he licked me, kissed me, and played with me under my skirt. His tongue rolled down my pussy as his lips cradled my clit and drove me to an unexpectedly quick orgasm. Perhaps it was the ambiance of the place, or perhaps it was the romance of it all, but I was already in a horny mood the second we’d stepped through the room.

Now, he was on top of me as I lay on my back, kissing my belly, rubbing his hands on my boobs, and letting me hold him by his head. Will entered me with great passion, which didn’t hurt as I was already quite wet. Just as all aspects of him had changed for the better ever since the potion, so too had his lovemaking. I could feel more force in his thrusts and more vigor in his cock as he pounded me. This was a pleasure, as I had never felt before.

I closed my eyes and let my moans echo in the room, cradled in Will’s arms as he fucked me. This was more than just lovemaking. This was something on a transcendental level. It felt like he was having sex with more than just my body. It was as if our souls were mating together.

He pulled and held me aloft, prodding his cock deeper in me while staring into my eyes deeply. It was all there, the relief, the ease, and the joy. I straddled him smoothly, allowing myself to ride his thick, hard cock all the way to a second orgasm.

And as I came, so did he. His frothing warm liquid gushed into me, filling me up from within. Panting, we both fell into each other’s arms and onto the bed, staring intently into each other’s eyes, letting our gazes speak on our behalf.

“I love you. Know that, forever and always,” I said.

“I love you too,” Will said, kissing my nose and then playfully rubbing his nose in mine.

It wasn’t before long that we fell asleep in each other’s embrace, only to wake up by the incessant knocking on our door. It was the bellboy telling us that evening tea was being served in the living room.

“Evening tea?” I confusingly asked Will.

“An English and Spanish tradition, one lost in American culture. I have a suspicion that the tea won’t just be tea. There will be scones and croissants and all sorts of baked goods waiting for us down there. Can’t you smell it?” He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “It smells wonderful.”

Just as he had said, there was a grand table in the living room along which six different couples sat, drinking the tea that the butler was pouring them, helping themselves to the cakes, pastries, and biscuits on the table.

“Please welcome. We have been waiting for you,” an elderly lady with white hair in a bun waved at us with one hand while fanning herself with the other. “Why don’t you come and enjoy some tea?”

I looked at Will, who winked at me and said, “When in Rome…”