Page 68 of The Neighborhood Vampire

“He made the choice. He knew what he was doing. It wasn’t you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thank you.”

Ez gave two taps on Alice’s back and let go. Alice stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes. She sniffled to pull back any further tears.

Ez locked eyes with Alice with an intense, unrelenting gaze. “I need to know. Are you prepared?”

Alice’s lower jaw twitched. She attempted to focus on Ez, but her gaze became blurry, which left Ez as nothing more than a colorful blur. Anxiety coursed through Alice’s body. Her heart raced. Her neck muscles tensed up. A high-pitched noise drowned out all sounds, leaving her in silence. She tried to gulp, but nothing happened. The gnawing sensation froze her in place.

“Are you?” Ez asked again.

Alice could only nod her head yes.

Ez surveyed the wine cellar, examining all the motionless equipment. Her eyes lingered on the bottles ready for transportation to her club. She turned back to Alice.

“So, what do you want to do? Do you still want to move?”

Alice stood upright and pulled her shoulders back. She took a deep breath. Her anxiety filled veins emptied, replaced with a fiery rage. The rage built in her stomach and spread out to every inch of her body. She furrowed her brow and locked eyes with Ez. Her eyes filled with an intense malice mentally directed at two unseen people.

“I’m not leaving.We’renot leaving. We take them out or else they take us out. There’s no other way. If they want a war, well, they got one.”

“Great,” Ez said. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Chapter 17

Pillow Talk

Alice leaned against the dark wood entryway casing to the living room. The room was darkened. The lights and candles long since extinguished as the night grew later. The flickering TV light filled in the darkened corners of the living room. Sports highlights played on the TV mounted above the fireplace.

It was a compromise in their home decor. She hadn’t much use for a TV, but knew Hugo liked to watch his sports. The house was filled to the brim with her stuff—he hardly contributed anything after he moved in. She gave up the space above her fireplace. They each had their peace of mind. She had her wine cellar. He had his TV.

Her eyes fixated on Hugo sitting on the couch. He lounged comfortably, leaning back with his feet propped up on the coffee table. One leg outstretched, careful not to knock anything over. The other leg had the knee bent and foot pressed against the edge of the table.

He held the remote control in one hand. His other hand was stretched behind his head as if he was using his hand as a pillow. His gaze focused on the moving images of various sports highlightsplaying from earlier in the day. The day he had sequestered himself in the damp, dark cellar away from the destructive sunlight.

A smile formed in the corner of her lips as Alice traced the outline of Hugo in the flickering shadows. His gray sweatpants formed tight against his legs, leaving nothing to the imagination. His black T-shirt snug against his lean, muscular chest. The sharp jawline of his nearly perfect trimmed beard. His coifed hair. She ended her examination locked on to his icy blue eyes. He seemed at ease, at peace.

A stark contrast to her frazzled nerves which mimicked the wildness of her tussled hair. She ran her fingers through her purple hair, pulling it back behind her ears. She finished and crossed her arms. Her hands buried in the oversized hooded sweatshirt she put on in the chill of the night.Hishooded sweatshirt.

She leaned her head down and sniffed the cotton fabric. The hoodie smelled of him. His essence. His cedar and vanilla signature cologne. She breathed deep, committing the smell to memory. Harmony and peace filled her aching soul. For a moment, the world was right and normal. A brief time where all was perfect with the world, even if their world was rocked to its core. Something had to be normal, even for a moment.

She let out a soft sigh as their eyes found each other in the darkness. He smiled. Her heart beamed. They didn’t need to say a word. The unspoken connection spoke more than any soliloquy, sonnet, or love poem could ever express.

Her heart fluttered, dancing to its own melodic beat, as a gentle reminder of her love for him. The love for moments where they could adore each other and not say a word. The act of being in each other’s presence nourished and fulfilled Alice’s soul. Being only together.

“You can hide in the shadows and glare at me all you want,” Hugo said in a low, gravelly whisper. “But my heart will always smile when my eyes find you.”

Alice melted as his words sent shivers of warmth and longing down her spine. The cadence of his voice was like a sweet symphony for her soul. Her heart erupted as it overflowed with passionand desire. Even in times of trouble, a moment like this brought her comfort. Moments where they were lovers without a care in the world.

“Always?” Alice asked with a half smile.

“Always.” Hugo smiled with a piercing, narrowed gaze.

Alice buried her head into her shoulder to hide her blushing face.

She took a moment to collect herself, taking a few breaths to calm her fluttering heart, before turning her focus to Hugo. “I’m pretty exhausted. It’s been a day. I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight. Thank you for everything today. It means a lot that you would go through so much trouble. I want you to know that I love you.”

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