Chapter 9

 

I was alone when Victor did return. Everyone was needed to be somewhere else doing something else. I didn’t mind. Too many people around all the time stressed me out. I was okay with quiet. I wasn’t feeling like moving around much still, and wasn’t sure if it was from the magic, the healing, or if my body was just tired. Then again it might be a food coma, as Daxx suggested. Mitz had fed me three times.

Victor knocked quietly and then opened the door and looked in.

“Hi.” I watched him smile and come in. He wasn’t in his justice clothes now and I had to wonder if that meant there was blood on them that he didn’t want me to see.

He came over and sat on the bed. “You’re still in bed. Should I worry?”

I smiled, “I am tired. Daxx says it’s a food coma.”

He laughed. “As comas go, that’s the best kind.”

“Rafael went and got my other bag. I keep it under the bed at Daxx’s.” I don’t know why I blurted that out. I noticed his hair was wet. “Did you have to wash off blood?”

His eyes jumped to mine. “There was some blood. Not as much as I would have liked, but Leone and Michael stopped me.”

“You found the man that did that to me?”

Victor nodded. “Yes. He is in a cell now that he can’t get out of or use magic. Troy was able to see inside his mind and confirmed it was him. We have two others that were with him as well.”

Taking my time, I studied him, he didn’t look relieved. “You don’t seem happy that you caught him.”

“I am.” He reached over and brushed my hair back from my face, his touch was gentle. “He needs to be punished for what he did to you.”

“You are the justice.” He nodded, but gave me an odd look. “Not the punisher.” I finished.

He smirked briefly, “Sometimes there is no difference.”

“Maybe this man is just following orders.” I nodded, when he continued to look at me. “We know he is not the one with the purple eyes, the one that is the leader.” I offered him a little smile. “You can’t find out what he knows if he’s dead.”

“Mmm,” his jaw clenched a few times. “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like that he still breathes.” He looked at me, then to the bed and shook his head. Standing up, he reached down and scooped me up into his arms, blankets and all and carried me over to the couch and sat down with me in his lap. “I am not used to you sitting still, so I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.”

I laughed. “I can walk. I’m okay.”

He snorted, “You are always okay, even when you’re not.” He tucked the blanket around my legs. “Quinton stopped to see me, there is still no sign of Alona. We’ll leave someone there the next few days to watch for her.” He tucked the hair behind my ear. “Troy is going to see if there is anything useful inside the other men’s heads in regard to her.”

“Can I go see them?”

“The men we brought in?” His brows drew together. “No.”

I bit my lip. “I wanted to see if the one that chased after her was one of them.”

Turning his head, he looked at the floor for a moment and then sighed. “I’ll get Arius to send photos.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I was happy with that, the idea of seeing them in person hadn’t seemed like a good idea after I said it.

Shifting, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before putting it to his ear. “Send me pictures of them.” His green eyes moved over my face as he spoke. “Cristy wants to confirm their identity.” He smirked and looked at the floor. “Just do it.” He hung up. “He’s going to go take them and send them to me.”

I clasped my hands in my lap. “I don’t know if Emil went to the club.”

“And that’s going to worry you.” Rubbing a hand over his face, he exhaled loudly. He looked tired. “I can send Raf there to keep checking, maybe a few of the guards we trust. He looks like Arius?”

I nodded. “His hair is shorter.” I held my hand to my neck, near my shoulder. “To there, but if you didn’t know Arius you would think it was the same person.”

Lifting the hand with his phone in it, he hit a few buttons again and put it to his ear. “Can you come to Cristy’s room?”

Someone tapped on the door, it opened, and it was Rafael with his phone against his ear. “Sure can.” He grinned and hung up, then came over and looked down at us and raised an eyebrow.

I realized it was because I was sitting on his brother and wondered if that would be one of those socially unacceptable things Daxx talked about. But Victor was proper in so many ways, so he wouldn’t have done something that was wrong. I saw the plate in his Rafael’s hand.

“I promised her more cookies.” He set them on the table and sat in the chair. “What’s up?”

“When I saw Alona, and the man watching her,” I focused to remember it all, “the one that chased her tonight,” I looked at Victor to see him watching me, then back to Rafael. “Emil was there too in my head.” I shook my head. “But I didn’t have time to see him before I had to run.”

Rafael glanced at his brother. “You want me to go hang out and see if he shows up?” He glanced at his phone. “It will still be open for a few more hours tonight.”

Victor nodded. “We’ll set up a rotation, keep an eye out for him and possibly Alona for the next few days. Emil looks like Arius, with shoulder length hair, so he shouldn’t be to hard to spot.”

“And if I see either? What am I supposed to do?”

I bit my lip. “I told Alona my friends could help her.”

“So, just tell her I’m a friend of Crissy’s?” He glanced to his brother briefly than back to me.

I nodded. “I don’t know about Emil though.” I frowned. “He doesn’t know he’s not alone.”

Rafael shrugged, “Alright, we will play it by ear with him.”

I started to nod then stopped. “I don’t know what that means.”

He smirked, “I will see how he is, and if I can find a way to talk to him.”

“Yes. Okay.” I looked at the cookies. “Thank you for the cookies. I can’t eat anything else right now, but I will save them for later.”

He laughed. “Mitz consoles herself by feeding us whenever something happens.”

“She does it very well.”

He got up. “I’ll go now. Call if I’m needed back here.”

Victor nodded. “Of course. We’re just waiting on pictures of the men we brought in for Cristy to confirm.”

“Confirmed or not, they’re not going anywhere for a long time. If ever.” He turned to the door, then looked back at me. “No more heart attacks today, please.”

I smiled. “I promise. None.”

When the door closed, Victor started to say something and then his phone made a sound. Sighing, he held it up and looked at it, then turned it toward me. “This one?”

I looked at it, he seemed familiar, but it wasn’t from tonight. “I’ve seen him before. Outside my head, but I don’t know where.”

He flipped it to the next picture and held it up.

It was the man with the purple eyes, the one that had hurt me. I looked at it longer then the other one, trying to see if I had any good feelings toward him. I could find none and that upset me a little. Daxx always said I was too soft and tried to find the good where there wasn’t any. I realized Victor was still waiting for an answer. “He’s the man that chased after me.”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t say a word as he flipped to the last photo. It wasn’t the man that went after Alona. I sat taller and looked at him. “It’s not him.” My heart sped up. “The one that went after her is still out there.”

Turning the phone around he hit some buttons on it then put it to his ear again. “The one that went after Alona is not any of the ones we brought in. Hold on.” He looked back to me. “What does he look like?”

I bit my lip for a second trying to remember if he had any tattoos or something helpful. “He’s big like Raf and has no hair. His eyes go yellow.”

He nodded, then spoke into the phone again. “Did you hear that? Yes. Emotion feeder. You see him, call. I want him.” Nodding again, he hung up. “I’m going to text Troy so he can go see what he can find out from them.” He smirked. “I’d call, but I have orders to not disturb him while he spends some time with his queen.”

“Won’t the text disturb him?”

Victor smiled. “Yes, it will.”

“Oh.” I smiled back. I remembered. “Troy told me to ask you about a book with leaves on it.”

He stopped typing and looked at me. “Oh, did he?”

“Yes.”

“On second thought, I better call him. Finding out if those men know anything about the bald one or Alona is of the utmost importance.”

I agreed with that. “I’m going to put my cookies away.” I got up, dragging the blankets along with me and picked up the plate. I wanted to wrap them and put them in my pack for tomorrow.

“Sorry to disturb. Cristy looked at photos of the men in the cells and none of them are the one that went after Alona. I need you to get in their heads and see if you can find anything, now. Raf is going to the club to watch for Emil, because Cristy saw him there in the vision with Alona and the one that chased her.” He snorted. “I’m sure your queen will understand the importance of this, brother.”

I turned around to see him laughing quietly and holding the phone against his chest. He stopped and put it in his pocket and then got up. “You know you don’t have to hide your cookies in your pack here.”

I stood there with the plate and looked at him. How did he know what I was going to do? “I just, always have.”

Coming over, he took the plate from my hand gently and set it on the table. “I know I upset you and you left abruptly the last time, but I do hope your exit, when you do, will be more planned from now on.”

I forgot how tall he was, but now standing and looking up at him I felt small. I didn’t have a way to measure or anything, but he had to be a foot taller than me.

“Now, as for the book with leaves on it. That is a very long and complicated conversation and I think you have been through enough for one day.” He smiled down at me. “I have been through enough for one day.” Leaning down he kissed my forehead. “If you are feeling one hundred percent tomorrow, we can have that discussion. Agreed?”

If he thought it was complicated, I was very interested to find out, but I had to agree. I was tired, both my body and my head, so tomorrow would be better. “Yes.” I remembered. “What is an emotion feeder?”

He sighed. “That one is a little easier to explain but could be a long explanation as well.” Sitting down on the bed, he held my hand. “I will explain, but first, how is your back?” Turning me slowly, he wrapped the blankets around my waist and lifted up the big t-shirt I was wearing. “It’s still very red. Does it hurt.”

“Not painfully. It’s sort of numb.” I told him. “When I was so sick, I heard some things.” I thought back, “I think I did. Troy told you not to ingest it. What did he mean?”

“Mmm, that’s an easier one.” He ran his finger along the scar. “Those of us with red eyes, have healing saliva, I will explain why shortly, but I was going to use that on your back and he stopped me.”

“Would you have gotten hurt or sick?” I clutched the blanket to my chest.

“Quite likely, yes.”

“I’m glad he stopped you then. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.” I glanced over my shoulder at him, he had a strange look on his face.

“I can honestly say that was the hardest thing I have ever done. To watch you in pain the way you were today.”

I felt his breath on my back.

“It’s probably too late to help, but I can hope.”

I know my eyes went wide when I felt his tongue swipe along the mark that had caused me so much discomfort earlier. I didn’t know if it would help it at all, but it did wipe away the feelings that it had caused me. When he stopped, he rested his forehead against my spine, his breath brushing over my skin.

“I want you take more blood. Make sure everything inside is healed as it should be.” He turned me slowly and looked up at me. “I have a confession before we do though.”

“You do?”

He sighed, “Yes. Since the first time I have been concentrating, as hard as I am able to help give your mind peace from the usual chaos.” His eyes searched mine. “I can’t do it indefinitely, but I can to allow you to get some rest today.” Shaking his head, his eyes serious, “I don’t know how you have managed to live with it like that for so long. It would drive me insane, the constant motion.”

I reached out and played with the hair that had fallen on his forehead, it was softer than I had thought it would be. “Most think I am insane.” I raised an eyebrow at him, remembering he had asked me that. Shame filled his eyes. “My fourth,” I looked down trying to remember, “It might have been the fifth foster home, had me locked up in a place with a lot of sick, and sometimes scary, people. They did horrible things to me, trying to pick me apart and figure me out.” I bit my lip, not sure how much to tell him. I had never shared this with anyone, but something inside me told me I should. “I broke for a little while after that. So many emotions to avoid, I couldn’t sense people well there, and I felt like I was wandering around lost every second I had to stay inside those walls.” I took a deep breath and then continued. “I’m not crazy. I just have to sort through the never-ending flashes in my mind, and my own thoughts sometimes get mixed up with them.” I shrugged, “or I think I’m thinking something but then say it out loud.” I touched his hair again, not wanting to look at his eyes yet. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d judged me now, like most did. “I couldn’t stay in school, the teachers thought I tried to be bad, but I didn’t.” I shook my head. “So maybe I’m not as smart as I could be, but I never forget once I’ve read something or I’ve seen it…” I finally looked at his eyes, they weren’t cold or judging. “I just…” I wasn’t sure of the word, “misplace things inside my head sometimes and have to find them again.” He was completely focused on every word I was saying, it made me feel good. “Because I pick up on so much around me, in addition to the noise in my head, I haven’t been around a lot of people.” I shrugged slightly, “so I don’t always know what I should, or shouldn’t, do.” I gave him a little smile. “And if you weren’t helping control the flashes right now, I wouldn’t have been able to say all of that and have it make sense the first time.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead, like he had mine.

His fingers squeezed my waist tightly, and his jaw clenched a few times. “I have talked to the elders and many others to see if there is anyone that can help you learn control.” He gave me a soft look, one that I’d never seen before, but it gave me warm feelings, so I would remember it always. “I think my heart just grew inside my chest.” He said quietly. “To survive what you have and cope with so much all the time. Yet, here you are, so gentle and full of goodness. You look after everyone, but yourself. I believe you may be the strongest, bravest person I have ever had the pleasure to know.”

I tilted my head and looked down at him, trying to sort through what he said. “I’m not very strong at all,” I smirked, “and I am much better at hiding then being brave.”

He stretched up so our eyes were closer. “You don’t even know it.”

I studied his eyes, they were a very pretty green, but he looked tired. I remembered. “With you helping me,” I tapped my head lightly with my hand, “with my head, is that why you look so tired?”

He smirked, like you would if you were caught doing something. “Yes. That and I haven’t fed…” He sighed, “which brings us to the explanation regarding emotion feeder, or in my case essence feeder.”

I grinned, “and your sexy fangs?”

His eyebrows rose as he looked at me. “Yes.” Tapping my hip with his hand, he slid back further on the bed. “First I want to give you more blood. I will help keep your mind at ease tonight so you can rest, and then we will see how you are feeling tomorrow.”

“Can I be in your mind too?” The idea of someone else’s for a change, did hold some appeal.

“I don’t think my mind is a place for someone like you.” He told me.

I frowned, not sure why he would say that.

“For the last four hundred and fifty years, I have been the justice for all of Alterealm. I have seen a lot of evil. Had to be violent. I fear you would not cope with it well, due to your sensitivity.”

I sighed, “You are so sweet, Victor.”

He snorted and shook his head. “No. I am not.”

I nodded. “You are. You help quiet my mind. Protect me from violence, even though I know you have to have a darker side, to do what you have to do to protect everyone else at the same time.”

The look on his face changed, but before I could figure out what it meant, he gently pulled my head down to his. His lips brushed over mine so softly, I wondered if I imagined it and it hadn’t really happened. When he moved away, he patted the bed. “Come. Take more blood and then I will explain what my fangs are for.”

I smiled, I was finally going to know. “Okay.”

He reached down and lifted his pant leg and pulled out a small, very sharp looking knife.

I paused. “Do you always have a knife strapped to your ankle?”

He grinned. “Yes.”

Nodding, I got on the bed. I would have to remember that. Turning, he gently pulled me closer so I was sitting next to him.

“I don’t trust myself to lay on the bed with you.” When I was going to ask why he shook his head at me. “I will explain it all tomorrow.”

I bit my lip and tried to be as brave he said I was, when he raised the blade to the skin on his chest, but I squeezed my eyes shut when he started to cut himself.

I heard him chuckle softly, “Come here.”

Opening my eyes, I looked to see the blood dripping down his chest. “You don’t even act like it hurts.” I told him quietly as he pulled my head closer. I licked the blood with my tongue and he hissed out a breath, but put he pushed on the back of my head so I would continue.

By the time the gash healed closed, something I still found fascinating, I was in his lap, my body against his warm one. Lifting my head, I looked up into his red eyes and wondered if he was going to kiss me again. His hand continued to stroke down the back of my head gently, his eyes searching my face.

“I want to kiss you again…” He looked at my mouth, “but I am too tired, you are too tempting, and because I haven’t fed, I’m finding it very difficult right now.”

I looked at him mouth, and thought of his fangs, a warmth spread through me.

He growled softly. “Your emotions and mine… both wanting the same, is not helping. I know what you are thinking.”

Biting my lip, I felt my face flush. “I can’t help it.”

Heaving out a heavy sigh, he straightened and set me further from him, then slid up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.

I moved closer, so I was facing him and pulled my knees up to my chest. “Tell me about emotion feeders.”

His eyes were slowly turning back to green as he looked at me. “Those with yellow eyes, never let them stare into yours. They live off emotions and I’m told human emotions are the most appealing. There are more colors, but I am too tired to go into that tedious details, tonight.”

I nodded slowly while I fit the pieces together. “So, purple is magic?”

“Yes. Witches are more inclined to be paler, lighter hues, and mages a darker shade.”

I had wanted my hair to be the darker purple I’d seen the leader of the bad ones, Marcus, have, but had since decided I didn’t like that color. “Yellow eyes are emotions,” I mused quietly filing away the information, “Red is blood then?”

“Mmm,” he studied me for a moment. “Essence is in the blood, so in a way you are correct.”

“You don’t drink blood?” I had seen vampires in my head before and it was a scary, upsetting thing.

He shrugged, “A little may be swallowed, but our fangs,” he frowned, “you would have to speak to someone more scholarly then I for all the details I am sure your mind seeks,” he smiled at me. “Our fangs are designed to draw out the essence from your veins.”

I wanted to look more closely at his fangs, but as he was too tempted by me… whatever that meant, I didn’t want to upset him by asking. I remembered. “Your healing tongue heals the bite.”

He smiled. “Yes.”

I moved closer, finding that whole of that very interesting. “Can you feed from me?” I turned my head, and brushed my hair back so my neck was bare to him.

He made a soft noise, like a growl, I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, but he did lean closer. His breath brushed against the skin on my neck and warmth spread through my body. When he inhaled right next to my ear, and licked my skin slowly, I held my breath waiting to see what came next.

He moved away from me again, his eyes red. “I can, but I won’t… yet.”

Letting out a shaky breath, I frowned. “Why?”

“That is part of the long conversation regarding the book my brother mentioned to you.” He leaned his head back against the wall and watched me.

“The book with leaves on it.” I had to know more. “What is that book?”

“It is the book of prophecy for the nine sons of the king.” He smirked. “I used to think it was hog spittle.” He chuckled.

“I don’t know what hog spittle is…” I thought through it more, “but you are number one in the nine sons?”

He inclined his head to me. “I am.”

“I find that fascinating.” I nodded.

He grinned, and then sobered just as quickly. “Until I stood in Daxx’s apartment, if that can ever be considered a dwelling, I am uncertain…” Serious green eyes connected with mine, “when we found you unconscious in that alley, I thought the prophecy was just ramblings of someone’s fantasy.”

I thought back to the cold, motionless man that had stood there that day. I knew now that wasn’t this Victor, but the man of justice instead. “As someone who has lived with seeing inside her head, for all of my life, I believe all things are possible.” I smirked. “Even ramblings of fantasy.”

Reaching out, he tucked the hair behind my ear with a soft touch. “Yes. You have in a short time educated me on many things.” He shrugged. “I had thought I was beyond finding newness in anything, having seen so much these five hundred years, but I have been proven wrong and find, oddly enough, that I am quite pleased. Knowing that something I thought meant things that were entirely different and change my world in ways I was not very receptive to.”

I nodded, slowly, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I loved to listen to him talk. Even when he used that stiff funny way of his. Then I shook my head and smiled at him. “I don’t know what you just said, but I like listening to you.”

He laughed. “Let’s just say it has been messier in my mind than in yours, since the day we picked you up in that alley.” Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead lightly and then got off the bed. “I must go.”

I scrambled up off the bed. “To feed?” I did want to know more about that.

His big hand rested against my cheek with a light touch. “Yes. I find my restraint at its absolute end.”

“Who do you…” I frowned, “feed from?”

Victor stood there looking down at me, many emotions going through his eyes as he thought of his answer. “That, I am not ready to discuss with you.”

I nodded. I understood that, sometimes things needed to be kept to yourself. “Are they good?” I blushed, “I don’t mean tasty good,” I put my hand on my chest. “I mean in their heart, good.”

He cleared his throat. “Not always, no.”

A realization came to me that when he didn’t want to answer, he would clear his throat. What a funny little quirk, I thought. “I’m sure you do what you have had to… to be how you are.” I tried to assure him.

“Indeed.” He leaned down and kissed my mouth softly. “You may unravel me entirely if given the chance, my dear. That may be bad for my ego.” He straightened. “Please rest, I will see you at breakfast.”

I looked up into his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant, but couldn’t. Nodding, I touched my stomach. “I don’t know if I’ll be hungry by then.” It was true, Mitz liked feeding me too much.

He laughed. “I’m sure you will be.” With that his long strides took hm to the door and he left.

I looked back at the big bed and then down at the blankets I was still hugging around me. Going over I grabbed a pillow off the bed and my pack from beside it and went into the closet to get some sleep. I must ask about the outside here, I thought, I couldn’t stay indoors all the time, it made me feel like an animal in a cage, with no way out.