RECOLLECTION

“I can’t stay here, I need to go,” she said.

“I can’t live without you, Paris. I refused to live without you.” He expressed in a voice that melted her heart. She knew deep in her heart, she knew he loved her.

“Angelina!”

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw “Father!”

Excited by the unexpected appearance she ran to him.

“Are you okay child?” he hugged her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard what happened to you and came as quickly as I could.”

“Little too late for that,” Alexander interjected.

Aron met Alexander’s eyes. He did not appreciate his tone and humiliation in the comment he made.

“You’re no longer going to stay here, Angelina. You’re going with me to the City of Angels.” He declared, decided, at that moment.

“No, I’m not coming, father.”

“You’d promise if you don’t find a reason to be on earth. you’ll come with me without a second thought.” He reminded her. “And I just heard you say to this man you can’t stay here and you want to leave.”

“That’s not what I meant father.”

“Either way you’re not staying here anymore.”

“You can’t do that. I’m not coming.”

“You heard her. Leave her alone, Aron.” Alexander said stepping toe to toe.

It was then Paris looked at both the men. Both Strong. Both powerful. One dark and the other bright. One was the protective father, the other a fierce lover. She mused inwardly that she was in love with Alexander who was at least as old as her father.

“And what gives you the right to stop her,” Aron spoke.

“She’s mine,” was all Alexander said.

“You’re a Dracula, a man who’s an embodiment of evil, preying, sinking fangs into innocence humans’ necks and drinking their blood.”

“It’s true that he drinks blood but only from the donors, Father. He’s not a monster, he’s my Mate. My soulmate.”

“A mate who couldn’t save you. And left your dead body to disintegrate.”

Alexander had lived every moment clutching the pain; remembering, the shattering loss when Paris died. He couldn’t argue with that. He drank Aron’s bitter words of regret and stayed quiet.

But Paris didn’t.

“I don’t have my memories, but I’m sure Alex did all he could to rescue me. I know for sure he would give his life to save mine.”

Alexander felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. Just minutes ago she was annoyed with him and now here she was defending him.

Paris left her father’s side and walked towards him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. “I was a little upset with him, even though it’s not his fault entirely he still wants my forgiveness because his love is unconditional.”

Her words filled him with warmth and light, making him feel, that he was more of a man than a monster.

In the spur of the moment, Alexander lifted her chin and covered her mouth with his, kissing her until she wasn’t aware of anything on the earth or heaven.

“Thank you, Angel,” he said after parting away.

“Let’s go,” Aron said.

“Father!”

“You’re mother and Pauline is getting very anxious,” he said.

Paris let out a sigh of relief, knowing she was going home and not heaven.

While Paris was reunited with both her Mother. Alexander and Aron decided to go for a stroll. Before Leaving, Paris told Alexander to be cool and calm. And Angelina reminded her father that she loves him, and he was her mate, and to be civil with him.

After two hours when they both returned back from their walk, Paris saw a faint smile curved on Alexander's lips.

“Here.” Alexander placed a tiny glowing yellow sphere on her palm. “It’s your memories. This was the reason why I went away for two days.” He explained.

Her vision blurred, looking at the tiny glowing sphere. Her memories were stored in it, everything that she’d lost was in there. Her emotions were swelling out of control. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Paris. Just remember, I’ll do anything for you. Anything.” Alexander said and picked her up.

“W-what are you doing?” she asked him, holding on to him.

She felt small in his strong big arms. Paris drank him: His green eyes, his strong jaw, his straight nose. Alexander’s eyes were watching her as she was staring at his lips. He smiled faintly, and that made her gaze meet his. His face was close. ‘Heavens this man..’ observing him so closely. The blush stained her cheeks.

Alexander set her gently on her bed. Their gaze locked with each other for a moment; the warm concern they both felt for each other was consoling. Alexander broke eye contact—if he stared at them too long, he wouldn’t be able to control his desire any more than he was trying at the current moment.

“How did you retrieve this?” she asked and Alexander avoided meeting her eyes at that moment and changed the subject.

“Now, the process is very simple; you’ll need to sniff it through your nose.” He said, giving her the instructions. She nodded attentively.

“You’ll swoon, so I recommend you to stay in the bed. I don’t want you to fall on the floor and hit your head.” He explained then he rose from the floor and started to leave when Paris caught his hand. She frowned at him.“Aren’t you staying here with me?”

Cupping her cheeks with gentle fingers. “You’ll be fine. You can do this,” he said and placed a kiss on her forehead.

‘But I need you.’ She kind of felt abandoned.

Alexander saw her pouting face, down in the dump. Yes, he wanted to stay beside her and hold her, but there is an unresolved matter, so before leaving her side, he told her, “Come to me, Paris. I’ll be waiting for you.”

With that note, he left.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Paris open her fingers and looked down at the glowing sphere in her hand. This tiny little thing will reveal his love for her, not that she needs to know anymore, but how it has all begun; who said it first and how? With her childhood memory saved in there as well. She became nervous and excited at the same time. But she needs to know more about the two most important people in her life, her mother and him.

Paris brought the sphere close to her nose, and she tried to smell it, she was amused at her silliness. Paris took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then in one sniff, she inhaled the tiny sphere through her nose, and her brain froze for a moment, and she fainted.

~*~

As if she was traveling back in time, she revisited her childhood, seeing and remembering everything, as the memory was flashing into her eyes, she smiled, she cried, and she laughed at the visions.

“Alex!” She whispered his name and smiled while dreaming of the past scenes that flooded her mind: The intimate trick of their first encounter, those meetings of the eyes and lips. Everything that had happened between them, the lust, the feuds, the loss, the love, and her death.

Awakened from the dream, she found herself with her mother sitting next to her, reading a book.

“Paris!” Her mother’s worried voice spoke.

“Mom,” Paris clasped her mother’s arms. “I remember you, Mom! I also remembered how to make Boeuf Bourguignon. I don’t know why that was important, but I remember now. I can cook and bake again.”

Her mother laughed, and she couldn’t be happier; then, she saw Paris’s downcasted eyes. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Alexander, he had suffered a lot. He blamed himself and punished himself for not saving me. And then I accused him of something he didn’t do. I need to go tell him that I love him so much that it hurts when he’s not with me, beside me. Mom, I love him, I love him so much.” She began to cry.

“I think you should go and tell him that. He didn't have a wink of sleep and was worried since you passed out.”

“He was here? He stayed?”

“Yes, he stayed the whole night beside you, Paris. He held you instinctively tight as if his life depended on you. I’ve never seen anyone holding someone so affectionately. He loves you deeply, Paris.”

Happy tears dropped from her eyes. “Mom, can I borrow your pink dress for tonight?”

“Of course.” Her mother replied.

~*~

Paris teleported herself to the mansion.

She met Terence, and to his surprise, she hugged him, “I’d missed you, Terence. You’re such a good friend.” She exclaimed.

“I’ve missed you too, Miss Noel, and thank you for remembering me.” She giggled, and for the first time, he returned her hug.

After they pull apart. “Where is he?”

“In his office, waiting impatiently.” He rolled his eyes.

“Can you inform him I’m here?” she blushed.

“He knows you’re here, and he’ll find you on his own.” Terence couldn’t deny her shyness was so obvious on her face.

“Okay.” She walked through the long hallway and found Alexander’s bedroom and waited for him to come.

~xXx~