Storm (Blood Haze: Book Two) A Paranormal Romance (11 page)

“Nonsense,” Alexi snapped. “She is my

responsibility.”

“Stop that!” Max demanded. “Just because

your father and her father made some deal nearly

twenty years ago doesn’t mean...”

“It means
everything
!” Alexi hissed.

“What…” I started to ask what happened.

“Alice!” Alexi

whispered.

“Oh,

thank

goodness! Can you stand?”

“I think so,” I said.

Carefully, he lowered my feet to the ground.

They were still shaky, but they held. He kept my

arm around his shoulders, supporting me as I

tried to regain my composure.

I looked around. We were in a dark hallway.

There were no windows, but I could see several

rows of doors. It looked very similar to the

basement of the warehouse in Georgia where

we’d been held captive by the hunters. I assumed

this place was similar. Alexi’s arm was still

wrapped firmly around my waist, supporting me

as we walked.

“Where are Kai and Will?” I demanded, my

voice still shaky.

“They’re fine,” Alexi insisted. “I’m taking you

to see them now.”

“I thought…” I started to say.

“You thought they were in the office?” he

chuckled. “Did you really think it would be that

simple?”

“I guess not,” I mumbled. “You really
are

irritating, you know.”

“I don’t mean to be,” he said, sounding

genuinely hurt.

“Could have fooled me,” I mumbled, instantly

feeling sorry I’d said it.

His normal gleaming grin was gone. I still

hadn’t seen his face, but I could tell by the

melancholy way his mouth was twisted that he

was unhappy.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean that.”

“Don’t apologize for telling me how you

really feel,” he argued. “You did mean it. I don’t

want to hear a lie to soothe my ego. I only want

to know you for who you really are, and what

you really think. Don’t ever think you have to

hide from me, Alice.”

“I’ll say one thing for you,” I told him.

“You’re hard to figure out.”

“How so?” he asked.

“One day you’re trying to kill Max,” I

explained. “And then you’re telling me you want

me to marry you.”

“I never intended to kill him,” he corrected.

“Oh, sorry,” I said sarcastically. “I guess I

misunderstood the
dagger
you were pressing

into his
throat
.”

“That was… merely an incentive,” he

countered. “I know how you feel about him. I

would never hurt you that way.”

“I see,” I said suspiciously.

“Here we are,” he commented, as we stopped

in front of a door near the end of the hall. “Can

you stand on your own?”

I’d forgotten his arm was around me.

“Yes,” I said quickly. “I’m fine.”

He fumbled with a key ring and unlocked the

door.

“Alice!” shouted Will, sweeping me into his

arms.

“Will!” I shrieked with joy, squeezing him

warmly.

Kai was still sitting on the floor. He had one

leg stretched out in front of him, and one knee

bent. His arm dangled out straight across his

knee, and he looked somber and disinterested.

“Are you okay?” I asked, behind down beside

him and touching his arm.

He jerked away from me.

“Don’t touch me,” he growled.

“Kai, I…” I tried to say.

“Don’t,” he snapped, glaring into my eyes.

“Just don’t. I’m sick of this, I’m sick of him, and

I’m sick of you.”

“Please don’t do this,” I pleaded. “Come with

me. We’ll fix this.”

“I’m done with you!” he shouted, springing to

his feet. He turned to Alexi and asked, “Am I free

to go now?”

“Of course,” Alexi said, bowing and holding

his arm out, inviting Kai to leave.

“Fine,” he snarled, and in a flash, he was gone.

I stood there in shock, my mouth gaping. I

hadn’t fully understood how much he’d been

hurting until that moment. I’d taken the one

person I had promised to shelter from harm, and

I’d hurt him worse than any of those I was trying

to desperately to protect him from.

I moved toward the door, wanting to follow

him – to try to make things better. Max put his

hand on my shoulder and said, “Let him go.”

“I can’t!” I snapped. “This is my fault!”

“It’s not your fault,” Alexi interjected. “You

and he were never meant to be.”

“Oh, stop with the ‘destiny’ crap, Alexi,” I

admonished. “I don’t believe in that stuff. We

make our own destinies.”

“You’re free to have your beliefs,” he said.

“But I have mine. And I know what I feel.”

“Alexi…” I started to argue.

The atmosphere in the basement suddenly

changed. It was charged with intense emotion,

and I could feel it swirling around me like static.

I gasped as I turned to see Kai holding a glinting

silver hunter’s dagger and charging toward Max.

He released a blood-curdling scream, and I could

see murder in his eyes.

“Stop!” I shouted, trying to step in front of

Max.

Alexi sprang forward and pushed me back so

hard I landed on my butt and slid across the

room, hitting the wall behind me. I was

momentarily knocked senseless, and I struggled

to understand what was happening. I heard a

sickening slurp, and a piercing grunt. I shook my

head and tried to focus.

Before me, I saw Kai’s hand gripping the hilt

of the dagger – the blade buried deep into Alexi’s

chest. He placed his hand over Kai’s and tried to

pull the dagger out, but he was too weak. He

sputtered, and blood spewed from his mouth and

dripped down his chin. He slumped to his knees,

clutching the dagger.

“Alexi!” I screamed.

In an instant, I felt all of the breath sucked out

of my lungs. I couldn’t move or speak. I felt my

body begin to tremble, and my vision started to

blur. The red haze slowly seeped across my line

of sight, and I was on my feet. The world was

once again moving in slow motion, and I flew to

Alexi’s side.

I gently lowered him to the ground, cradling

his head. His cloak fell away from his face, and I

finally saw him for the first time. His skin was

snowy white, and framed by a thick mane of

silvery white hair. His eyes were a piercing

violet. The skin was marred by one large, deep

scar that ran from the hairline above his left eye

across his nose to just below his ear on the right

side. That’s why he wore the cloak. He didn’t

want anyone to see it.

The trembling grew so bad I felt my entire

body seize up. I couldn’t control it. I clenched my

teeth in an attempt to control the shaking long

enough to remove the dagger. I pulled it slowly

from his chest, and blood slowly began to soak

through his cloak and spill onto the floor.

“No…” I whispered weakly.

I placed my hands over the wound, trying to

stop the bleeding. I knew it was no use. My two

frail hands could never hope to stop the flow of

blood that was rushing from a wound straight to

his heart.

Very slowly, the world still crawling, he lifted

his hand to touch my face. His violet eyes looked

at me as though he had known me all his life.

That look – it was love. I recognized it instantly.

Inexplicably, he loved me – a girl he’d never met

until recently. That must be why he believed so

strongly in destiny. He really did feel it.

Remorse washed over me for the way I had

treated him. I knew there was no way I could

have known how he felt, and what he wanted.

Still, he lay there dying underneath my hands, and

all he was thinking was how much he loved me.

“No!” I shouted at once.

I pressed my hands harder over the wound, and

I closed my eyes. I didn’t think I believed in God,

but I began to pray.

“Dear God,” I pleaded. “If you’re out there,

and if it’s not too much for a vampire like me to

ask, please help me save him. Please, God. Help

me.”

Nothing happened. I felt adrenaline surge

through me, and my arms began to feel ice cold.

Through the redness that clouded my vision, I

saw his face once more. His eyes appeared to be

closing as though he was nearing death.

I squeezed my eyelids together tightly and

searched deep within me. I was desperate. It was

unexplainable, but I knew I couldn’t let him die. I

would not. There must be something I could do.

In an instant, I was overcome with a sense of

purity and calmness. I knew what to do. I focused

intently, willing my own life force inside of him.

I felt a warm tingling emanating from my hands,

and I saw a golden light glowing underneath

them.

My entire body was wracked with such intense

trembling that pain jolted through me. It felt like

a thousand knives piercing into me at once.

Something warm and wet like tears dripped from

my eyes and nose, and I clenched my teeth

together to keep from screaming.

Just as quickly as it started, it was over. Time

was restored, and I heard Alexi gasp loudly as he

shot into a sitting position in an instant. The pain

was unbearable. I closed my eyes, and I slumped

forward onto Alexi.

“Grace,” I heard him whisper as I faded into

oblivion.

*****

Chapter Eight – Taken

“She’s still out,” I heard someone say in the

distance.

“Will she be okay?” another voice asked.

“Time will tell,” the first voice answered.

In confusion, I looked around me. I was in a

soft, warm bed. The room was dark, but I could

see the bed was similar to my own bed at home –

but not the same. It had four tall dark posts rising

up and a pale yellow, sheer canopy with matching

curtains that were tied back to each post. The

walls were a made of a dark wood paneling. I

didn’t recognize the room.

The door opened, and Alexi walked in. He saw

me open eyes, and I saw his white smile

underneath his cloak.

“She’s awake!” he shouted.

In a few moments, I was surrounded by

smiling faces. Alexi sat on the bed beside me and

took my hand, holding it tightly between his own.

Max stood near my head and brushed a stray lock

of hair away from my face. My mother stood

behind him, her face awash with relief. Will

stood beside Mother with his hand on her

shoulder, and Jamie held his other hand. Kai

stood near the door looking anxious and

remorseful.

“Kai,” I whispered weakly.

Alexi’s smile faded.

“Can I talk to Kai, please?” I asked quietly.

“As you wish,” Alexi said. He glared at Kai as

he left the room, and he said, “I’ll be just

outside.”

Everyone left me alone with Kai, who stood

nervously by the door. I held my hand out to him,

and he looked at me as if I’d sprouted a new

head.

“Please,” I begged.

He slowly walked over to the bed and took my

hand.

“Sit with me, please,” I said, and he complied.

He looked down at the blanket and refused to

make eye contact.

“I understand,” I told him.

“Understand what?” he asked solemnly.

“I understand why you did it,” I answered.

“Why you were going to kill Max.”

“Do you?” he asked. “And does it change

anything? My mother was right. I’m a pathetic

waste of life. I’m nothing. I’m a monster.”

“Look at me,” I said.

He refused, so I used my other hand to lift his

gaze to mine. “You are
not
a monster. I am.”

“What?” he gasped. “N-n-no! No! You’re not!

I was going to kill someone because I was so

jealous! I wanted you all to myself. I wanted… I

wanted to
own
you.”

“I understand,” I told him again, squeezing his

hand.

I noticed a tear spill from one eye and slide

down his cheek, and I brushed it away with my

free hand.

“You’re too good for me,” he said. “I’ve

never met anyone like you. You see things other

people don’t. No one ever loved me my whole

life. Not my mother, not my grandparents – no

one. There’s a reason for that, Alice. I’m no

good.”

“Please don’t say that,” I begged. “I can’t

stand to hear you say that about yourself. You

are so smart and so beautiful and so kind. There

is nothing bad about you, Kai.”

“Except the fact that I want to kill people,” he

snapped. “I almost killed that Alexi until…”

He looked back down at the blanket.

“Until?” I pressed him.

“Until you did that thing,” he said. “It almost

killed you.”

“What thing?” I asked.

“You healed him,” he breathed. “It all

happened so fast I couldn’t tell what was going

on, but in a split second you were beside him,

and the next second there was blood dripping

from your eyes and nose and you just fell

forward.”

I thought back. So that was the warm wet stuff