The Final Embrace Before the Tempest

AYA

Rage surged within me as I sprinted up to the mezzanine. Alexander was right behind me, reaching the top just moments after me and striding in my direction. His frosty stare locked with mine, unyielding.

“Aya,” he started, his voice a soothing whisper.

I shook my head in response. “We’re stronger when we’re together. We crumble when we’re apart.”

“We’ve grown stronger than that,” he countered. “We can endure this. I won’t subject you to any more suffering or agony because of my errors.”

“I ~want~ to remain with you.”

“And I want you as far removed from my family as possible,” he murmured, moving closer to me again, his body pressing me against the wall. He lowered his head until his forehead rested against mine. “Allow me to serve my time with dignity, Little Bird. Allow me to make amends.”

“I can stand by you. I don’t need to flee or hide. I can be your ally.”

Alexander planted a gentle kiss on the bridge of my nose. “You deserve your freedom. When I earn mine, I’ll seek you out. Don’t fret about that; as soon as I’m free, I will find you, and we can be liberated together. Go anywhere. Become anyone.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. His large hand cradled my face tenderly as he lifted it and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

“Without you, I’ll be living a half-life,” he whispered. “I’ll think of you every day, every night. I’ll imagine you on grand adventures, playing chess in magnificent halls, your earrings chiming, your smile wide. I’ll picture you in the ocean, atop mountains, drinking from the finest humans. That will be my solace, Aya. Not having you by my side, wasting away.”

He paused to wipe my tears, kissing my cheek. “I’ve seen you hurt and shattered, Aya. I won’t subject you to that again.”

“It’s not fair,” I murmured, my voice trembling.

He nodded slowly. “It’s not. It never was. I’m sorry I’ve been such a terrible maker,” he confessed. “Such a dreadful man. I wish I had treated you better. I wish I could grant you everything you desire right now. I wish there weren’t hundreds of bloodthirsty vampires awaiting nightfall to seize me. If I could, I would do everything differently.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist, drawing me into his embrace. I could feel his breath against my hair.

“You are my future, Aya. I just need to make things right. I need to leave the past behind. In fifty years, all of this will be over. We can be wed and free.”

“Fifty years,” I echoed. “Is a long time.”

“Hardly,” he scoffed, kissing the top of my head. “We’ve been apart for longer.”

“Despising each other.”

“I never despised you,” he whispered, filling me with sorrow.

“I will miss you,” I mumbled into his chest, and he held me tighter.

“I will be thinking of you every moment, my Aya,” he replied. “We will reunite. I promise.”

I nodded against his chest. “I will wait for you,” I whispered, furiously wiping away my tears. “I will wait an eternity for you, Alexander Night.”

He lowered his head, capturing my lips in a passionate kiss. I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his neck, hoisting myself up and locking my legs around his waist. His arm coiled around me, supporting my weight with one hand while the other tangled in my hair, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss.

We collided with the wall, his fingers digging into my back. His tongue danced with mine, a fiery passion—the sound of my blood pulsating in my ears.

I could feel his sharp fangs grazing my tongue, his body molded to mine as he pressed us closer.

There was a desperation in our movements; I could feel the seconds ticking by, the minutes pulling us apart. We’d been ripped apart more than once. We’d lost each other. The solid press of his body, the caress of his tongue, his hand in my hair were the only tangible things I could cling to.

I gasped as he pulled his lips from mine, trailing soft kisses down my throat, tilting my head back to scrape his fangs against the sensitive skin. I shivered, every nerve in my body on high alert, my heart pounding.

He bowed his head, bringing my face close to his throat. “Take a sip,” he urged, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine.

As my lips brushed against the rough stubble on his jaw, he added, “You’ll need the energy.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “I think you’ll need it more than I will,” I murmured, my fingers tracing the steady pulse in his neck—a pulse that sent a wave of desire coursing through me, settling deep in my core.

“I want you to drink from me, Aya,” he whispered, his words a soft plea. “I want you to take something from me. I want to feel your presence for as long as possible.”

With my throat parched and aching, I pressed a gentle kiss to his throat. His soft groan echoed in my ears as his grip on me tightened. I nestled closer to him, my fangs grazing his skin, pressing down slowly until his skin gave way. His blood—bright and rich—flowed into my mouth.

A moan escaped my lips, my legs instinctively wrapping tighter around him as I drank. I could feel his heart pounding in sync with mine, his life force rushing through me, igniting every fiber of my being.

My fingers dug into the back of his neck, anchoring him to me. His body trembled beneath me, matching the waves of pleasure that washed over me as I drank my fill.

A low groan rumbled in his chest, his hand spreading wide across my back.

Finally sated, I pulled back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Alexander’s wounds healed instantly, his neck arching back, his eyes flashing a deep crimson.

“We should rest,” he suggested, his fingers gently tucking my hair behind my ear. “We’ll need our energy when night falls.”

I nodded, licking the lingering taste of him from my lips.

We settled down on the ground, his long body curving protectively around mine. My head found a comfortable spot on his bicep, his chin resting lightly on the top of my head.

Despite knowing that this was our last day together for the next fifty years, all I wanted was to feel his arms around me.