“I know she does, but I’m still worried.” He knew Alexi was looking at his scars, but he didn’t care. He was already lost in those dark green eyes. “Thank you for being here…”
“I was gone for only three hours…” Alexi smiled softly at the thought that the blond had actually missed him. He leaned in to capture his lips in a kiss, and Kain immediately responded by pressing his whole body against his and engaging his tongue in a playful battle. They both had yet to say it out loud, but they were pretty sure that after solving this case they would only work together, the three of them.
A knock on the door interrupted their kiss, and Alexi went to open it. He smiled down at Leila and invited her inside, but the girl refused again.
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly… I’m too busy, Mr. Leraje. I just came to tell you Sophie will wait for you and Mr. Andras in the greenhouse right after midnight.”
“Is she okay?” Kain had stepped behind Alexi. Leila was the only one who could see Sophie anytime she wanted, as everyone knew she was her cousin.
“She’s fine. She spends most of her time in the Count’s chambers, unfortunately, and I even told her she should go out more often. She is so pale! This morning, I thought she was ill. She eats well, though, and she said she’s actually getting a lot of fresh air because the Count takes her to his chalet almost every day.”
“Damn it,” muttered Kain. Now he was sure the bastard was feeding off her energy.
Alexi tried to smile. “Thank you, Leila. Are you sure she’ll be in the greenhouse tonight? The Count never leaves her alone…”
“Oh, she will. The Count will be busy with the party tonight. There’s this old friend he hasn’t seen in ages, as he himself has put it,” she chuckled. She had no idea she could actually take it literally. “He’ll arrive later this afternoon, and we’re all busy preparing for his welcome party.”
“I forgot all about that!” Kain slapped his forehead in frustration. “Any idea who this guy is?”
“No, sir. No one knows. We all asked Berith, but she wouldn’t tell. Apparently, it’s some sort of surprise for everyone.”
“Must be some high ranked…” Alexi almost said “demon”, but stopped himself on time. “Let Sophie know we’ll be there. We’ll slip out of the room right after midnight. I see no reason for anyone to notice our absence.”
“I’ll go tell her right away,” Leila chirped. “And I’ll also make her some tea.” She made to run down the corridor when Alexi grabbed her arm and squeezed it gently. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the blood still froze in her veins. There was something about this man, something to which her body reacted almost violently.
“Please, Leila… Take care of Sophie. Make sure she has everything she needs, and if her health worsens, let us know immediately.”
“Of course I will. She’s my cousin.”
Alexi gave her a reassuring smile and let go of her arm. Sophie had done a great job at convincing the priest’s daughter they were related. And if the girl ever snapped out of the illusion, he or Kain could always compel her again. He hated doing this to her young mind, but it was the best choice.
?
“Are you all right?” Kain closed the door behind them and ran to Alexi’s side. His voice was filled with confusion that turned to worry when he touched his arm and felt how hard he was shaking. “What happened? Talk to me, come on… I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
Alexi banged his head against the wall – his last attempt at regaining control of his senses. His back burned so badly that he was sure his shirt would eventually burst into flames. The pain was excruciating. It went round his sides, pressed onto his ribs, and found its way right inside his stomach, raising bile in his throat. He was vaguely aware of Kain’s hand on his arm, and he could barely hear his voice over the constant buzz in his ears.
“It’s him…” he managed to whisper. He wanted to say his name, but his stomach clenched in agony and he bent over trying to alleviate the pain.
“Him who? Alexi, you’re scaring me. And Sophie is waiting. Can you walk?”
“I… I can’t. I need some air. You go talk to her.”
“I’m not going without you! We’re doing this together. Besides, I’m not leaving you alone when you’re like this.” Kain crouched down and touched his partner’s forehead. “You’re burning up. You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can do something about it.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it.” Alexi struggled to stifle a sob. All these years… He had never thought he would react this badly. He had played so many scenarios in his mind, and none of them had come even close to reality.
Kain sighed in frustration, but didn’t stand up. The corridor was sunken in darkness, and the heavy door kept out the music, laughter, and cheerful conversation which indicated there was a party somewhere in the mansion. He could tell Alexi was breathing heavily and trying to control his panic attack, so he decided to simply sit by his side for a while and wait for him to calm down. His hand found his shoulder blade and he started rubbing softly only to have Alexi flinch in pain and push him away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Kain’s eyes grew wide with realization. “It’s the demon mark, isn’t it?” He stood up and started pacing the corridor. Seeing Alexi wasn’t denying it, he shook his head and thought back to everything they did that evening to try and identify that one thing which triggered this violent reaction. They had gotten dressed for the dinner party, arrived in the main hall earlier, then chatted with the other guests until Casimir D’Argyle finally came down followed close behind by his mysterious friend. “It’s him… Duke Gremory, you mean?” Kain crouched back down and tried to meet Alexi’s eyes. He doubted he would say anything to confirm or infirm his conclusion, but he could read it in his eyes if it weren’t so damn dark on this corridor and Alexi’s eyes wouldn’t be hidden under his long bangs. He pushed his hair away, cringing at how hot his forehead felt. “Casimir’s old friend and oh-so-important guest? Is that the guy who left that awful thing on your back?”
“Yes…”
“I can’t believe it! When? How? Alexi, you have to pull yourself together and tell us everything. Come on, I’ll help you up.” He grabbed him by the arms and attempted to pull him up. “You have to, do you hear me? You have to! There’s no time for this. Sophie is waiting, Casimir might see that we’re missing…”
“I can’t go back there.” However, he allowed Kain to pull him back to his feet and drag him towards the greenhouse.