Very early the next morning, I woke up as the loud shrill of my alarm went off. I didn’t waste time climbing out of the bed and making my way to the b athroom. I hardly slept a wink last night waiting for morning to come so I could go for my training to release these pent-up nerves in me.
In three minutes, I’d washed off my rumpled sleepy face and mouth and set out with my water bottle. Striding down my hallway to the stairs to go down, there Alfred stood at the base of the rung as though waiting for me.
Shit!
I had set the alarm to wake me by four so as to avoid him. Now, it’s all a waste of time.
“Morning, loveliness. Let’s go!”
I stood with my hands to my waist to challenge him, then on second thought hesitated until we got outside, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention. “I want to train alone, Alfred,” I bit out.
“Whoa! Someone is still mad at me…” He chuckled like any of this is funny. “Look, if there is anyone supposed to be angry with the other, it’s supposed to be me. You lied to me, remember?” He hedged, with a lopsided grin.
“Then why ain’t you mad at me?” I splayed my hands in the air, with an arched brow.
He bobbed his shoulders, the receding moonlight casting a shadow on his early morning face. “That’s because I don’t bear things at heart. We are friends, so… while I might not be happy with you, I still forgive you.”
My eyes twitched in contemplation, still having this odd feeling that he isn’t being frank with me. I lied to him, he is supposed to be incensed even for a few days. Or, maybe he was just being a nice guy. I eyed him ruefully. Oh gad, I’m still mad at him, though.
I huffed, eyed him, and sashayed away to start my run. “Still, I haven’t forgiven you. I told you the last time about my condition. If you want us to remain friends, then tell me everything I need to know. I have to be certain of who my friends are, you already know everything about me, so?”
He was jogging by my side. “What exactly do you want to know?”
I slowed down, skidding my eyes to him to know if he was being serious. From the look in his eyes, he appeared so. Well, what exactly do I want to know about Alfred? Everything! Everything about him is bizarre. Starting from his weird knowledge of things and the way he talks sometimes. Not to mention his sneaky behaviors.
Instead, I chose the most important. “Tell me about your powers.”
His countenance fell just as I expected it but he didn’t turn away or give me a snaky comeback. He faced me as we reached the end of the Lance’s quarters, and turned to face our mansion. “I promise to tell you everything about me someday, Danika. You have to be patient with me.”
“Are you a vampire?”
There was an abrupt blunt of turmoil in his eyes which were masked up very fast that I had to stop running, thinking maybe I was now seeing things. I had seen it plainly. His face showed irritation before it was replaced by his smirk.
“Why will you ask that, Danika?” he quizzed, stopping beside me.
My first instinct was to tell him that his brother was also a vampire and so I thought he might also be one, however, the voice of Alonso rang in my head about me being the only one he has ever told, so instead, I shook my head, furrowing my brows at him. “I guessed.”
“Guess?”
“Yea, you know, most Hybrids are either witches or have vampire blood so I thought you might be one.”
“Hmmm… Well, you are wrong. My powers go beyond that of a vampire and one day I will tell you everything. For now, I’m still in search of my true nature so I can’t tell you anything.” He gripped my hands and tugged me forward towards his car at the garage.
“I don’t know, Alfred. Just stop acting weird, you know… and, please stop saying obnoxious things to me.”
“What kind of obnoxious things?” he asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.
I snorted. “You know what I mean.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry I might not stop that. Especially now that I know you are my brother’s mate. I would do anything to see him roast in jealousy.” He smacked the car door close and started the engine.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Please, don’t.”
“Too late… come to think of it, why didn’t you tell me? I thought you said you were genuine friends with me, indeed.”
“And I thought you said you had forgiven me?” I sat askew to gawk at him cheekily.
His smirk deepened. “I know I said so, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ask.”
I puffed out a chilled breath. “I don’t know, Alfred. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you so badly but I was scared.”
“Scared of what? I’m the most secretive and very open-minded person you can meet around here.”
“I believe you,” I said with a sarcastic chuckle. “I’m sorry, Alfred. I just didn’t want you to use it against him. He wouldn’t have forgiven me.”
“umm… well, if you put it like that.” He entered the training ground. “So what do you plan to do now?”
“I didn’t know, Alfred. Maybe you can tell me what you think I should do.”
“mmm… perhaps you should reject him.” At the snap of my eyes to him, he shrugged. “Someone else is carrying his heir, Danika. Unless you want to remain his mistress, then rejecting him is the only way, in that way you have a chance at love again.” He was damn serious.
We got to the training court-the private one. “It’s not that easy, Alfred. What I share with your brother goes beyond that. Do you think I haven’t rejected him before?”
“You have?”
“Yeah.” I kicked his shin, which he rapidly reacted to by grabbing my ankle and twisting it. I yelped and tugged away to glare at him.
“Phew! That’s something. What I don’t get is, if he had you why did he still go ahead to pick Paisley as his chosen mate. What is wrong with my brother? That’s why my mother thinks he’s incapable of so many things. So cruel and inconsiderate like our father, yet claims to be nothing like him!”
“We are not here to talk about him, Alfred. Just because you two have refused to mend ways doesn’t mean you can drag me into it,” I teetered, went around, and when he was least expecting it, I jumped up and went rolling in the air in an unexpected power bomb, and in a smooth uppercut had him sprawling to the ground with his hands up in defense, and a wide jaw-dropping grin.
I shrugged off proudly, with a matching smirk on my face.
“Danika, where did you learn that?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I keep doing things, I didn’t know when I learned them,” I told him frankly. I didn’t even know I could do that. It just popped up in my head and I took the chance.
“Marry me,” he said.
“Excuse me,” I retorted with a wide eye.
He tottered with laughter and suavely jumped up from the grass. “I’m just kidding, Sweetface. But seriously, if you marry me, we will make a perfect match.”
Now it was my time to laugh. “Nice try, Alfred. Well, enough of your cheap tricks. Let’s get back to work!” I positioned myself once more.
“You never take me seriously,” he remarked sullenly.
“That is because I have a mate and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m working so hard to resolve one problem, I don’t glorify steeping myself in another anytime soon, thanks! Ow!” I cried out when in a bat of an eyelid, he was behind me, his hand wrapped around my throat and another holding my midriff merely touching the under of my breast.
I tried wrenching away but he held fast to me.
“Watch yourself around me, Sweetface. I have never missed a target, believe me,” he whispered against my ear, my organs fluttering in panic. He sounded so much like Alonso. And when in another flash he held me in a vice-like position with my face an inch from his, my mouth fell open as I blinked, looking directly into the same sharp blue eyes. It was as though I was staring into the face of my mate.
“Alfred,” I muttered and struggled to get away.
“Imagine me as an enemy and you are fighting for your salvation.” His hands held tighter, his eyes becoming darker.
“But you are not! Let me go this minute!” I struggled further.
“You said I wasn’t being tough on you the last time, so here we go, Sweetface.”
I swallowed loudly, thinking of what to do to leave his grasp. “I will kill you, Alfred, if you don’t let go this minute!”
His lips lifted at the side, his other hand from my back tightening my arms and arching my back to him, my breast tilting into his face, which followed the movement of his eyes lustfully.
“You know, you can try, Sweetface. I wouldn’t mind dying at the mercy of your soft arms.” Hot goosebumps sprouted through my skin in self-consciousness. This has gone beyond mere training.
“If you don’t let her go this instant, Alfred, I swear I will bring an end to your unfortunate life!” We both swung our heads to the entrance of the court.
…