Thirty-One

When she walked out of the bathroom, her face was a grimace. The haughty look she shot at us meant to intimidate, but it was far from happening. She was the most gorgeous thing I set my eyes on a hundred of years ago, and now the feisty spark just added to my adoration.
“I understand your concern for me, but I’m not a fucking damsel in distress from the dark ages!” she growled, her eyes shooting daggers at us. “Don’t you dare come any closer to me! I won’t think twice before blowing you back.” The warning in her voice kept us on the spot. We didn’t dare to move. Although, my whole being screamed for me to go to her. How come a simple visit to the barber became this bad?
“Watch it! You’ve got a nasty mouth there.” I grumbled at her, and I saw blazes of fire scintillating in her gaze straight at me.
“And you are the biggest entitled asshole I’ve ever met!” she spat at me so fast it shocked me with her defiance, and her face lit up in satisfaction.
“Calm down, old friend.” Anton patted my shoulder when frustration and anger made their way to her face. “You’ll have a lot to learn. Women are all mouthy like her these days, so brace yourself for trouble!”
“Dad! How dare you?” She glanced at Anton, then at me, and he chuckled at her exasperated scowl. The surrounding air lightened up a bit, and I opened and closed my mouth, thinking to speak, but I remained quiet, as she said, “Look, I understand both of you care a great deal about me, but we must get into an agreement. We need some boundaries here!” She looked straight at us.
“You’re right, pumpkin.” I didn’t believe my own ears when he agreed with this lunacy.
“Good! And for you, Grizzly, you can’t barge in my life, and expect that I behave and act like the submissive you’d met in the 15th century, understood?” Even in the dark, her eyes glinted like two black obsidian, impossible to see the violet in them.
“She wasn’t a submissive, far from it!” I bit back, as Anton’s hand came once more on my shoulder, trying to appease me.
“Let me handle this, Vlad. Trust me, old friend.” Against all my wishes, I nodded.
“Alex, I’m sorry. You worried me sick, and I overreacted. You gave me the beautiful gift of fatherhood, and when you didn’t call me back… Please, forgive me, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Then she flung herself onto him, holding Anton so tightly to her. Bitterness crept on me as I watched them. I should be the one there for her, I should be the one being hugged for comfort, and before I censored myself a low grunted noise escaped from my throat.
“Thanks for being with me when I needed it, it means the world to me. I’d have called you if things didn’t get out of hand. I’m sorry I worried you, dad.”
A burning gripped my chest at her words. I wasn’t there when she needed me. It hadn’t been me giving her solace during her troubles. I could only imagine what had happened in her life, and I hadn’t been there for her. Grief consumed me again, and as Anton chastised me, I had crawled myself into a hole of self-pity and missed her rebirth. Leaving her alone, unguarded, and whatever happened to her it was my fault, well not entirely. Something odd was at play here.
“I’ll let it slide this time, pumpkin. But I think you’d better quit the job with the Intelligence.”
“I’m not going back there for sure, but they don’t know with whom they messed with. I’m bringing them down, one by one!” She pushed Anton to the side, storming away to the back of the shop.
I wrenched her by the arm with little care, bringing her soft body, now tensed with emotion, crashing on the hardness of mine. She struggled to break free, and I strengthened my grip on her. Anton moved towards us, but I had my full power now.
“Stay away old friend, things are between me and her, now.” I was aware my face had changed as he stopped looking at us.
“Don’t even try to blow me, I’m prepared for you.” I sneered at her. “Look at me, Alexandra.” When she didn’t move, my mood darkened to the point my nails turned into claws, sinking into her skin. “Look at me when I tell you so!” I laced my fingers into her long hair and pulled them back, tilting her head up to face me, and with the harsh movement, a whimper of pain escaped from her lips. “You’re going to let go of this hunt.”
“Make me!” she gritted out and stared at me with defiance with those lavenders. I could smell the fear all over her, but she would die before submitting to me. She had an iron will, and wouldn’t let go of this craziness that easily.
“I won’t allow you to put yourself in harm’s way, dragă, don’t defy me in this matter.” Her heart pounded against mine, and I heard it stutter in her chest. She swallowed hard, licking her dried lips. My gaze fell on her mouth, following the tip of her tongue.
“I. Won’t. Quit. Vlad! You don’t own me!” she said, pausing in each word, struggling to free herself. I brought her closer, her hair still laced in my fingers, as I lowered my head to her ear.
“Yes, I do. You’re mine… And I will show you how much I own you!” I nipped at her neck, and when our eyes met, they were two dark orbs of lust staring at me.
“Vlad…” She relaxed into my body, letting me hug her. “You’re not getting in my way. I may not track them down now, but I’m still going to chase them.” Her raspy, sultry voice made its way from my ear to my groin in seconds.
“Don’t play with me, dragă. You don’t know what I’m capable of.” I warned her, trying to intimidate, but it came out in a low, lustful growl, arousing both of us.
“You also don’t know what I’m capable of.” It was her defiant words.
“Alex, why don’t you go to the pantry and grab some new lights?” Anton asked, bringing us back to reality. We took a minute to let go of each other, and once I gave her some room, she turned on her heels and disappeared through the back door.
“We need to talk! This Alizandra is not like the others, Vlad. Besides, things have changed a lot in this century in all areas you can think of. You shouldn’t have vanished all this time,” he lashed out at me. “Thank Lord, she barged at my door years ago, or she wouldn’t be here today!”
“Don’t you think I know, Anton. I didn’t intend to sleep that long. And you, why didn’t you wake me up like you did before?” I stared at him, fuming.
“Because I couldn’t find you, Vlad. I tried to pinpoint your location, but you vanished.” He sighed and looked back at me, tired.
“Do you believe me, now? Something went wrong!” That was my only answer to him. What else could I say?
“I just wanna ask you to go easy on her, that’s all. She didn’t have a good start in life, and she’s obsessed with avenging her family. Does that sound familiar, old friend?” He shook his head and went to the back of the shop.
I understood the message, as I paid the price for my stubbornness and mistakes. I’m not saying I regret what I did in the past, no! Some things had to be the way they were, there were only two options, to kill or get killed and I’m sorry if I chose the first, no room for arguments. But maybe, if I had thought out of the box, if I hadn’t been so obsessed with avenging my family, my land, and if I had listened to her! Maybe I would have had the chance to live a life and grow old with her, and we wouldn’t be in this deep shit. If, if, if, so many ‘IFs’ that I hate to think about them.
Killing myself and finishing with this pitiful existence came to my mind millions of times, but she could only find her peace if I made things right, so the only reason I endured these long centuries of suffering was for her. I wasn’t about to behave selfish again, not when she had always given herself to me completely.
How could I make things right if she kept dying on me? Every time she had been here, I lost her, and the closer my demon got to the surface. I had no choice but to put myself away. I was too far gone in madness and misery to stay above ground after her last self... But I never intended to stay away this long.