Page 99 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
“Why have you only texted me just now? What the fuck, Oliver?” Behind him, Kathryn clenches her teeth and slinks out of the room, sensing the impending explosion and saving herself.
I exhale and lift my palms. “Listen, please… don’t shout at me. It’s been a really hard couple of days and I’m depleted. I don’t want to fight with you.”
Alexander’s golden-brown eyes sweep over me in assessment, and it makes me a little self-conscious. He walks over to the desk near my bed, pulls the chair out and sits down.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you,” he says, frowning and running a hand through his hair. “But I’ve been racking my brain and worried sick about you ever since that night in your father’s godawful study, trying to figure out what happened—or what I could do to help you.”
He drops a hand and looks directly at me. His expression is pained. Or maybe disappointed. “I know you don’t like me, Oliver. I’ve made a lot of mistakes with you, and I get that. But could you at least have the decency to look at me as an ally? As someone who sincerely cares about you?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I explain. “I didn’t think it was fair for me to ask for your help after everything that’s happened. And I wanted to try handling this on my own.”
“Well, it looks like you’re doing a shit job.”
Half-heartedly, I chuckle. “Yeah, well…” My throat and fangs ache so badly, and they’re pulsing even worse now that he’s here. It’s like my body knows that a proper and nutritious meal is sitting in front of me.
I once compared Alexander and Aries in my mind, saying one was like an apple and the other a decadent piece of chocolate cake. I didn’t want this apple before. Now, I’m desperate for it. I’dlovean apple, please and thank you.
“Tell me everything,” Alexander says quietly. “How did we get here?”
I explain what happened after he left the study, sparing no details. Saying it aloud feels good. I’ve noticed this about myself in the past few weeks. I’ve spent the bulk of my life holding everything inside—my thoughts, feelings and even my vampiric essence. Letting out my words, my experiences and emotions has become euphoric. Therapeutic.
Alexander listens intently and doesn’t interrupt. He doesn’t take his eyes off of me. When I’m finished, he sits back in the desk chair and folds his arms, visibly bewildered.
“Wow,” he says. “Your father is truly diabolical. But also, comical? Like he’s determined to play the part of a spiteful villain in an old-fashioned movie. Twirling his mustache and cackling after tying someone to the train tracks. It’s fucking unbelievable.”
“It was crazy,” I concur. “Horrific. I could barely register the situation when I was in it, because everything happened so fast. Now that I’m here, though, the reality of it is sinking in.” It’s also getting harder to concentrate because I’m so anemic and hungry.
“Should I tell my mother and father what he’s done?” Alexander asks with his arms still folded. “The fact that he used his powers on you is forbidden. Him putting you in a dungeon afterward makes it even worse. I could bring this information before the Royal Order and he’ll be tried and accused. There’s no way he’ll ever be eligible for a royal title after this behavior. You’ll have to give your testimony and face him again, but… we shouldn’t let him get away with this.”
Looking off, I lift a hand to rub my fingers against the top of my scalp. If I did this, not only would I have to confront Lord Blakeley a second time, I’d also have to explain how I got away, which means involving Camille, Hudson and Benjamin. I don’t know if I—
“Don’t decide now,” Alexander cuts in, as if he can read the distressed state of my thoughts. “Just, think about it. The option is there, and if you want him punished, I’ll facilitate the process.”
I nod. “Thank you for this offer, but… I doubt that anyone on the governing board would even take my side. I’m not important enough to any—”
“Youareimportant, to me,” Alexander asserts, then sighs, considering as his gaze shifts and catches the bright stream of moonlight radiating through the window. “Eden has its problems, but I think, maybe someday, we can change? I know that you hate it here, but I have hope in our aristocracy. We can do better.”
He might be right, but I’m not sure if I’m willing to fight against this antiquated and stuffy system that’s definitely rigged in favor of vampires like Lord Blakeley. Vampires like Alexander who hold all the cards.
“You feel that way because you’re a vampire with power and influence,” I tell him honestly, recalling Kathryn’s earlier words. “When you’re like me and you have nothing within a static system, it’s difficult to have hope.”
Silent, Alexander looks down at his right hand rested atop his thigh. My gaze falls there as well. He’s staring at the two golden bands wrapped around his ring finger. I’m fairly certain that he’s worn those rings since we were teenagers.
“This is… yet another reason to dislike me, right?” he says softly. “My ‘power and influence’? You think of me as being the same as your father.”
“No, I don’t. I was just… That’s not what I meant.”
He sets his palms against his knees and pushes up from the chair. He avoids eye contact. “Sure, Ollie, if you say so. Anyway, you can’t stay here.”
“Why?” I ask. “Roland and Kathryn have been very kind.”
“Because this isn’t a place for purebreds.”
I frown and narrow my gaze. A moment ago, I felt bad for pointing out his obvious privilege. But now, he sounds like a classist snob. I’m about to tell him as much, but he holds his ringed palm up.
“Not like that,” he says. “Literally, they aren’t equipped to feed you, plus, you’ll eventually draw unwanted attention from the townspeople. Word will get out, and I doubt that Roland and Kathryn want to be wrapped up in this situation and pitted against your evil-ass father. I’m sure he’ll take great pleasure in campaigning to shut this house down and making their lives hell the moment he knows you’re here.”
Alright. He has an excellent point. “Okay,” I sigh.
