CHAPTER THIRTY:
Lycan Headquarters
Lucian sat in a chair close to the bed, watching over his patient. Exhaustion danced around his mind, seeming to draw him under. But he had no intentions of sleeping. He wanted to keep an eye on Alexandra and make sure she made it through the night okay.
Once Michael had finished cleaning up her wounds, he and Selene straightened up. When they were ready to go, Micca had offered to show them to their room. But Michael had wanted to talk. It took a little work, but he had convinced Michael that they all needed to get some rest, and that in the morning they would discus everything. Michael had reluctantly agreed, then given him strict instructions on caring for Alexandra.
As they were walking out of the chamber, Michael had called out that if there were any problems, he was to come and get him immediately. He had promised to do, anxious to have some time to himself. At that moment, he probably would have promised the Pope he would convert to Catholicism if it meant he could be alone. But he wasn't out of the woods yet.
Before he had time to settle in, Selene had come back. He tried to assure her that he would tell them anything they wanted to know tomorrow morning. But she had told him she wasn't interested in the same things Michael was. She had told him in no uncertain terms, that the questions she wanted answers for concerned this new breed he had developed. He had looked her in the eye and told her point blank that he didn't know much. He and Sinje had had quite a few theories, but until proven one way or the other, it was pretty much trial and error. She had looked at him intently then without another word, she turned away and walked back to hers and Michael's room.
Now he was sitting here, trying to stay awake. He stood up and tried walking around a little to see if that helped. As he walked past the mirror, he caught a glimpse of himself. He still had on the same clothes he had been wearing when Kraven had tried to kill him. Both bullet holes and silver nitrate could be found on most of the material. Sighing he walked over to check on Alexandra.
She was flushed and moaned slightly when he reached over and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. She was warm, but not seriously so. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat back down. He watched her move in her sleep. She was uncomfortable, murmuring about being cold. Michael had insisted the pants she had on earlier, needed to come off because they were rubbing up against the wounds on her lower back. So, Michael had grabbed her around the waist and held her while he had slowly tugged off the tight jeans. It had been difficult to take them off without moving her too much, but they had somehow managed. Now, she was lying there on his bed in nothing but a very small pair of black silk panties. He leaned over and grabbed hold of the sheet and blanket at the foot of the bed. Then he pulled them up to just below her waist, making sure they didn't touch the lacerations on her back. After a few moments, she warmed up and stopped moving around.
Fairly confident that she would be okay while he took a shower; he grabbed a clean shirt and pair of pants. Then he walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open, just in case Alexandra needed him.
Once inside he quickly disrobed and looked over his own injuries in the mirror. The wounds were completely closed up. They would leave scars, but the silver hadn't killed him. Wouldn't Kraven be disappointed. He had a surprise in store for the vampires, in fact he had three, Michael, Alexandra and himself. They just needed to work out a few things before they could confront their enemy.
He pulled his hair out of the rubber band and grabbed a towel. Then he stepped into the shower and turned on the water. The ice, cold blast served two purposes. The first one was to help wake him up. The second reason was to tamp down the sexual attraction he felt towards the woman lying virtually naked on his bed.
He knew he had no business thinking of her in those terms. She was seriously injured and he had unfortunately played a major role in that fiasco. She was rightfully angry with him for that, as well as other things. Disgusted with himself, he leaned his head against the tile along the wall and let the cold water run over him.
But the cold water wasn't able to cool his ardor. His thoughts quickly jumped right back to the woman asleep in the other room. She was strong there was no question of that. She was sleekly muscled, her arms and legs stronger than what he would have thought at first glance. It was her other attributes that led a person to believe she wasn't any kind of physical threat. With everything that had happened since Alexandra had found him, he had never really gotten a good look at her. But the glimpses he had received were enough to fuel his fantasies for a while. Her breasts were full and looked as though they had been dipped in strawberries. And when he had helped undress her earlier, he noticed how her hips softly curved out from a small waist, leaving her with a nicely rounded backside. But he felt at a complete loss when she looked at him with eyes the color of amethysts and a mouth that begged for long, deep kisses. She was driving him mad. He hadn't felt this conflicted since Sonja had died.
But his thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard a moan from the other room. He quickly soaped up and washed himself from head to toe. Then he toweled himself off and threw on his jeans and grabbed his shirt. He walked back into the bedroom, to find Alex was talking in her sleep.
"I don't need your help, I can do it myself", Alex said outloud, to whomever she was arguing with in her sleep.
"She's probably talking to me", Lucian thought to himself as he pulled his clean shirt on.
He reached out and touched her cheek, and found she felt normal. Then with a tired sigh, he dropped himself into the chair, slouching down so that his head rested against the back. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he settled in ready for a long night.
He was tired, but he did not believe he would fall asleep. There were so many things running through his mind. The situation with Raze and the lycans, Kraven and the vampires, the Council; and now, both Michael & Selene expected answers to questions he wasn't sure he knew the answers to. And it would only be a matter of time before Alexandra had recuperated enough to begin demanding answers herself. And as he watched her sleep, he wondered how he would answer those questions.
She had finally stopped tossing and turning, and seemed to have settled down for the night. She was laying flat on her stomach, with her face turned so that she was facing him. The bruising on her cheek was fading and the swelling had already subsided. He imagined that with the rapid healing, these wounds would be gone completely by tomorrow evening. Now all they had to worry about was her back.
"Damn stubborn woman!" he muttered to her sleeping form. If she had changed she would have saved herself a lot of pain and would have healed much faster. She also would have realized she was no mere lycan. But in an odd way, he could understand why she had refused. She was trying to control her beast, so to speak. She didn't want to acknowledge that part of her. Sure, she was smart enough to take advantage of the changes she had already discovered, but that was as far as she was willing to take it. Which left him wondering, how much of a help would she be in a fight against the vampires? Granted, right now, she didn't care very much for either species, but she was less likely to form an alliance with the vampires, seeing as how she thought she was a shapeshifter. More than likely, she would return to the Council as soon as she had the answers she sought. Lucian wasn't sure he was willing to let her go so easily. Which left him wondering, whether or not he would give her the answers she so desperately wanted. Granted it may buy him some time with the Council, but he wasn't sure that was worth the cost of losing her.
His mind was too tired to think rationally anymore. Determined to at least rest, Lucian tried clearing his mind of everything. As he sat there, looking into the darkness, his thoughts drifted to Sonja. His sweet and beautiful wife. Michael's transformation and Alexandra's presence created had brought about feelings of guilt and confusion. He thoughts kept slipping into the distant past, back to memories he had tried so hard to keep buried.
Sonja. Even though it had been hundreds of years, he still remembered her laugh and the way she had always smelled of night blooming jasmine. He also remembered how he used to watch her brush her hair every night before bed. They had both been thrilled with the thought of a child and had been so happy when she became pregnant. These memories were poignant and always left him sad. He hadn't been able to protect her or their child; and it had eaten away at him, leaving him emotionally scarred and distant.
Guilt again tore through him, as he realized he hadn't done a very good job of protecting Alexandra either. He briefly wondered what his wife would think about the independent, strong-willed woman occupying his bed. He spent the rest of the night, thinking of Sonja and watching over Alexandra.
At some point he must have dozed off, because the sound of knocking woke him up. He glanced over at Alex and saw she was still asleep. He stood up and walked over to the door, admitting Michael and Selene into the room.
"I told you we would be by first thing this morning", Michael reminded him.
"Yes, so I see", Lucian, remarked. "Selene, good morning to you. I trust you both slept well?" he asked allowing them entrance into the room.
"Fine thank you", was Selenes' somewhat stilted response.
Michael had already walked over to his patient and began examining her. Lucian walked over to Michael's side, watching him gently checking the lacerations.
"They appear to be healing already, that's a good sign", Michael stated outloud to no one in particular. "Did you notice any sign of fever last night?" he asked Lucian reaching over to feel Alex's face.
"She was a bit flushed right after you left, but she didn't feel too warm. I check on her several other times, and other than moaning and moving around some she was fine", Lucian told him. He realized that Michael was really a good doctor. He was one of those people that genuinely cared about their patients.
Once Michael was satisfied with Alex's progress, he turned his attention back to Lucian.
"So, what do you plan to do about this?" he asked Lucian.
Sighing, Lucian looked to Selene to see if she would help him explain this. But he soon saw Selene had no intentions of backing him up on anything. She had walked over to Michael's side the moment he asked the question, showing Lucian she was standing by her man, so to speak.
"Michael, there is nothing that can be done. What has happened is beyond a simple fix. Let me try to explain our current situation to you, maybe then you'll understand ", Lucian replied. But, before he could utter another word, Michael spoke up.
"We're not staying here another minute, not if this is how things are going to be done, Lucian", Michael warned him. "I will not put Selene in that kind of position nor will I allow it to happen to Alex again either", Michael promised Lucian, his voice steadily growing louder.
"Do not threaten me Michael", Lucian hissed loudly. He understood Michael's anger, but he couldn't afford to lose the three of them. "Selene, surely you realize the danger you are in. Make no mistake; the vampires will be after you. Kraven walked away from this scott free. The only ones that could have told Marcus the truth died in those tunnels. Which means Kraven went flying back to the Coven, and they're gathering their forces even as we speak", Lucian spat out.
"Both of you lower your voices", Selene admonished when movement could be heard coming from the bed. She grabbed Michael's hand and motioned to Lucian to follow them; then she dragged them out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
Glaring at the two men, Selene waited a moment before she answered Lucian's question. "Yes, I am aware that the death dealers will be looking for us. But that doesn't mean we are any safer with the lycans. Alex is proof of that."
Lucian winced, knowing Selene was right. He hadn't been able to take care of Alex, anymore than he had been able to take care of Sonja. He had simply underestimated Alexandra's determination and had believed in the lycans far too much. This had proven to be a bad combination.
"Look, both of you, I will tell you all that I know. You can make your decision as to whether or not you wish to stay after I finish. Deal?" Lucian asked.
Michael and Selene looked at each other before shaking their heads in agreement.
"Kraven believes I am dead, what he doesn't know is that not only am I alive, but I have become what you are Michael. We are both a species of a crossbreed between the lycans and the vampires. What all that entails I don't know. As I told Selene last night, Sinje and I had several theories, but without proof, they mean nothing. What I do know is that I am still able to walk in the light of day, though my eyes and skin seem to be overly sensitive to the sun. I can drink blood, though I don't seem to crave it, and I'm pretty sure we can eat solid food as well."
At that, Michael interrupted, "We can. Selene managed to bring back some food one night, not too long after the attack. She had blood, and two steaks, one rare the other well done. I tried eating the well-done steak first, and though I had no problems eating it, it didn't satisfy my hunger. I soon left it and began eating the rare steak. It was much more to my liking, satisfying both my hunger and the need for blood."
Lucian responded, "That's good to know." He paused for a moment then began speaking again. "I don't feel the need to sleep while the sun is up, though I do seem to be a little bit weaker during the daylight hours versus the nighttime. But as a whole, I seem to feel stronger than I did as a lycan, and my healing has sped up as well. The gunshots of silver nitrate have already healed, but it did leave some scarring. Nonetheless, this is all I know about our species."
"That isn't much", Selene put in. "In fact, these are things we have already learned ourselves, so why should we bother staying?" she asked.
Sighing Lucian said, "Because I need your help."
"Are you serious?" Michael asked incredulously.
"Deadly", Lucian assured him.
"How can that be?" Michael asked questioning his answer.
"Look, as you can see, our numbers have been greatly depleted. The battle in the tunnels hit the lycans hard. And I know the vampires will be coming for us once they have regrouped. Marcus will be awakened as Viktor and Amelia are dead. So it is only a matter of time until they come looking for us. They will be out for blood; there is no doubt in my mind. Our only hope of defeating them lies in the lycans and the new breed fighting together", Lucian explained.
"What happened to your theory of bringing this war to an end?" Michael exclaimed in frustration. "You told me this was what you were hoping to accomplish by combining the species. Was that all a bunch of lies as well?"
Agitated and frustrated, Lucian snapped, "I've told you no lies Michael. From the very beginning I was honest with you. Yes, I was hoping to end this futile and ridiculous war. But with one elder dead at the hands of the lycans, and another by Selene, I do not believe the vampires would be willing to put aside our differences."
"He's right Michael", Selene said, agreeing with Lucian. Lowering her voice, in hopes that they would do so as well, she continued. "The vampires will be fueled on by Kraven and his lies and deceptions. They won't listen to reason; they will be out to destroy each and every one of us. And they won't stop until we are all dead."
Michael leaned back against the wall and ran his hands through his hair. Then looking back up at Lucian, "So, you really think that the three of us will make that big a difference in this war?"
"I'm not sure of anything", Lucian answered. "But I know we stand a better chance of surviving with the new breed fighting with the lycans instead of against them", he told them both honestly.
"What of Alex?" Do you think she will fight with us?" Michael asked.
Lucian sighed, "I don't know. She refuses to shift and will not ever do so willingly. I'm not sure if the full moon will bring on the change, seeing as how she is not merely lycan. And the woman is hard headed there is no doubt about it. I believe the only reason she is here now is because she needs some information that the lycans have on the council."
"What is this Council?" Selene asked.
"You have never heard of them", Lucian queried.
"No", she responded.
"They are a group of humans that have been watching, documenting, and eventually fighting the vampires and lycans for hundreds of years. They are an international group that is truly well funded and well equipped. They have only a handful of operatives that go out and execute any lycan or vampire that has taken or harmed a human life. They develop their own weapons and are highly trained individuals; and even though they are human, they can hold their own in a fight and have managed to dwindle down the numbers of both species", Lucian explained.
"And our Alex belongs to this group", Michael said, not questioning the reality, just stating the obvious.
"Yes, and from what I can gather, she is one of the best", Lucian told them. "She was the leader of a group that was sent here to find you Michael. Obviously, they learned of the incident in the subway when Raze and the others were trying to capture you. They had come upon me in the tunnels, and taking me for dead, she sent the others on to continue looking for you while she tried to figure out who I was. This was when I bit her, which I might add saved my life", Lucian added.
"And yet you repay her by allowing this travesty of justice take place", Michael sneered.
Lucian was tired of Michael's insolence. "I do not have to explain myself to you Michael. I don't like what happened any more than you do. But the difference between you and I is that I know that as a leader, sometimes you have to make decisions, even sacrifices, in order to do what is best for everyone. You can't make allowances for a select few. It just doesn't work that way", he said through gritted teeth.
"Enough, both of you", Selene ordered. She threw Michael a look of warning before glaring at Lucian. "Michael is the only reason Alex is here?" she asked.
"You are a bright one Selene", Lucian admitted ruefully. "No, the Council had an additional motive for coming to Budapest. But at the moment, I am unwillingly to share that particular bit of information with anyone."
"How are we supposed to trust you, when you won't be completely honest with us?" Michael shot back to Lucian.
"This is between Alexandra and I, it doesn't involve you", Lucian informed him. "Once Alexandra is recovered enough, she and I will talk. Then, and only then, will I let the rest of you in on the outcome. I owe that to her", Lucian added softly.
Silence reigned in the small hallway, during which Lucian could have sworn he heard water running. Needing to find the source of the noise, he looked over at Michael and Selene. "Have I answered your questions?" he asked them.
"For now", Selene responded for both of them.
"Good, then let me get back inside. I believe Alexandra should be waking soon", he told them. "You are free to go anywhere here in the compound. But I ask that you not leave until we have the chance to speak again." Which was his polite but oh so subtle way of saying they weren't allowed to go.
"I have no intentions of leaving my patient", Michael assured him. "But once Alex is well, I can't promise you we will stay", Michael warned.
"Please think about it, before you make any rash decisions", Lucian advised. Then he opened the door to his quarters and left them standing in the hallway.
He quickly walked across the room, and saw the bed was empty. Damn but that woman was obstinate. Knowing now that he did in fact hear the shower going, he strode across the room and into the bathroom.
Once he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of Alexandra standing under the spray, letting the water flow over her like a waterfall. The glass wasn't clear, it had a frosted design to it, but he was able to discern her shape through the door. He stood there watching her as she eventually grabbed the bar of soap and slowly began washing herself. To his chagrin, he was suddenly concerned with the fact that there was no shampoo or any other things, women used on their hair. She didn't even have a rag to wash with. But it didn't seem to deter her. She rubbed the soap along her body, bringing Lucian's blood to a boil. Her motions were slow and labored, the movement obviously causing pain in her back. But she finished up and began rinsing off, making little hissing sounds when the soap would sting some of her injuries.
Suddenly, he realized she was going to have to trouble washing her hair. It would require lifting her arms or bending over, neither which would be well accepted by the wounds on her back. He could see she was trying to figure out the best way to accomplish her goal, when he blurted out, "Is my assistance required?"
He heard her murmur something, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. He stood there waiting, watching. Finally, she told him he was supposed to knock before entering, or some such nonsense. He quickly explained that if she had stayed in bed where she was supposed to have been, he wouldn't have had to come looking for her.
"I've managed this far without your help. And I've done a damn fine job, thank you", she had shot back at him.
She had such fire; he liked that about her. She didn't take anything from anyone. But, she was hurt nonetheless and this part of her shower would require assistance. Which he quickly pointed out to her. There was no way she was going to be able to wash her hair without ripping open some, if not most, of the lacerations. He even offered to get Michael or Selene if that would make her more comfortable.
Concern drew his features taught as he waited for her response. But he didn't want Alexandra to know just how much she was affecting him. So, he leaned against the doorframe and tried to look as if he had not a care in the world.
After a few moments, she admitted he was right; she did need help. "Will miracles never cease", he thought to himself. But when she began speaking about him climbing into the shower with her, it left him speechless. Then he realized she was right, there was really no other way.
He knew she was having a hard time asking for his help. It hurt her pride to know she wasn't able to take care of herself, not yet anyway. Actually, Lucian was amazed that she had gotten this far without requiring assistance. She continually surprised him.
But he wasn't sure he would be able to be that close to her without it affecting his judgement. But he'd be damned before he allowed Michael the opportunity to help her either.
"Would you rather I call in Selene", he offered, trying to make things easier on both of them.
After another awkward silence she answered, "No, I'm more comfortable with you than with Selene", she told him. Then she went on about how old he was and how he'd seen plenty of naked women before. Did she have to keep reminding him about his age?
Then he noticed the nervousness lacing her voice. Was she afraid of him? No, his Alexandra wasn't afraid of anything. He mentally reached out to her and could feel her pain and shame. That wouldn't do.
Wanting to reassure her he said, "Alexandra, I promise that I am only interested in helping you wash your hair. I am your sire and I know when you are suffering. Let me ease that pain and help you."
When she finally spoke, it was a barely whispered, "Okay." Lucian was both shocked and honored that she trusted him enough to allow him in. Not giving her the opportunity to change her mind, he quickly undressed and then opened the door and stepped into the shower.
Alexandra had stepped further back, allowing him entrance into the stall. She was out of the water and shivering slightly; he could see the goose bumps running down her arms. But she refused to look at him. It was at that very moment, that Lucian noticed her hair. It was long, and even though she had it pulled over her right shoulder it hung straight to her waist. It was glorious.
"My God, I never realized you had this much hair", he commented, the words falling from his mouth before he could stop them.
"Yeah, it's like a long, stringy red mop", she replied, nerves still making her voice sound shaky.
He unconsciously reached out and ran his fingers through the dark, wet hair. The strands were soft and silky, and he knew that when it was dry it was a wonderful deep red with strands of gold running through it.
"No, it's beautiful; like liquid fire", he told her meaning it.
When she looked up at him, he felt like a fifteen year old getting caught looking at dirty magazines. Then he noticed her cheek, and remembered the fight that had taken place before the lashing. She tried to look away, but he firmly grabbed hold of her chin. He looked over the bruising on her cheek and lip and noticed they had faded even more so than last night. They were now a light purple and green color; but there was no swelling nor any open cuts. Good. He saw that she had closed her eyes, embarrassed he supposed. He glanced over her face and caught site of the very small bruise at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, he felt an enormous urge to kiss that area, as if to make things all better. He ran his thumb over her sensuous bottom lip. He fought his urges and quickly let go of her chin. Grabbing the soap, he began lathering up his hands, sorry that he didn't have anything better to offer her.
"Now then Princess" he said trying to clear his throat and his mind of the visions he had of kissing this woman. "I apologize for not having any shampoo available, but at least the soap will get your hair clean." He had to stop thinking of her naked body so close to his. Trying to push away the erotic images filling his mind he said, "Now be a good girl and stand still; and I will try to be as gentle as I can." That's it. Speak to her as if she were a little girl. That made things easier.
Then he heard her mutter under her breath, "Be a good girl my ass."
"What was that?" he asked, glad she was feeling less timid.
She tried to tell him she was talking about how long her hair was and that it hung down to her ass. Then she had the audacity to tell him to make sure he got it all. Her cheekiness brought forth a chuckle. He found her very amusing.
Ready now, he put the soap back in its dish and dove right in. He knew he wasn't very tall, but she was still a few inches shorter than he was. And she had bent forward, allowing him full access to the top of her head. He found that he was actually enjoying running his fingers through her hair, and rubbing little circles across her head and neck. And it appeared that she did too. Every now and then a contented sigh would escape between her full lips. She had begun to relax, and seemed quite happy with the current situation. He began making his way down her long length of hair. He wasn't really paying attention to where his hands were going; he was busy trying to get out the dried blood. When suddenly, he accidentally brushed the tip of her right breast.
She gasped and jumped back, almost losing her balance. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, making sure she didn't fall. He wasn't sure who was more shocked, her or him. He had felt a spark, like a small jolt of electricity, when his fingers brushed against her nipple. He felt the sensitive bud go hard at his touch, which made him go rock hard at the same time. But when he looked at her face, he immediately felt guilty.
"Alexandra I apologize" he said quickly. He took a deep breath and continued, "It was purely accidental I assure you."
She wasn't having any of it though. She tried to brush it off like it was no big deal, but then she began babbling about how it was good enough and she would just rinse out the soap. She was looking down at the floor of the shower again.
But now that he had been able to touch her, he realized he wasn't quite ready to stop. "No, please let me finish", he asked quietly. Then to cover up the need in his voice, he went on to explain how there had been more blood down toward the end of her hair, and that he really needed to get it out. "I promise to pay close attention and to finish quickly", he promised her.
She finally agreed, but told him to hurry because she felt as if she needed to lie down.
She watched as he lathered up his hands again. Then he reached out above her shoulder, and gently gathered up the long strands of hair. This time he watched his hands as they made their way down the length of her hair, careful to make sure he didn't touch her anywhere else. As he made his way to the very ends, he caught a glint of gold in the corner of his eye. He looked more closely and saw a small hoop piercing the left side of her belly button. Without a doubt, it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. He inhaled sharply, trying to keep a tight reign on his urges.
Alexandra must have heard him though, because she immediately began asking what was wrong. What was he supposed to say? I'm sorry, I have this sudden urge to drop down to my knees and tongue that gorgeous belly button of yours. Oh and by and by, I love the little hoop? Wait a minute, that sounded like something Alexandra would say. God, she was beginning to rub off on him.
"Nothing, it was just a cold blast of water", he told her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, "But it's fine now, see" he said letting the warm water run over her outstretched hand. He needed to put some distance between them. "Now close those pretty eyes, and I'll rinse out that soap".
He was trying to hurry, so that he could get out of that shower as soon as possible, but when she winced he felt badly.
"Sorry Princes", he told her as he finished up. Then he turned off the water and stepped out. He didn't even bother drying off. He just grabbed the towel he had used earlier, and wrapped it around his waist, trying to hide his reaction to her. Then he grabbed one of the dry towels and held it out for her.
She was embarrassed again. He could see her blushing as she rushed out of the stall and into the towel. She took it from him and held it up against her, hiding everything in the front. He took up the other towel and as gently as possible, began to dry her hair. When he was finished he told her he would be right back and he hurriedly left the room.
Once outside the door, he took the towel from around his waist and dried himself off, noticing that he was still hard and throbbing. Pushing thoughts of Alexandra from his mind, he grabbed his pants and pulled them on. Then he quickly threw on his shirt. Not stopping long enough to even button it, he quickly exited his room and made his way down to Michael and Selene's room, hoping they were there.
Luck was on his side, not only were they present but they also had the bag that contained Alexandra's personal effects.
"Your patient, took it upon herself to get out of bed and take a shower", he said informing Michael of Alexandra's sheer stubbornness.
"And you found the need to join her?" Michael asked noting the wet hair and unbuttoned shirt.
Lucian flashed that lopsided grin and said, "Actually, I only helped her wash her hair. She was having quite a bad time of it", he admitted. "But I promise, nothing untoward happened. I was a gentleman at all times", he assured them. Well, they didn't need to know what had been going through his mind the entire time, nor did he feel it was necessary to let them know he had accidentally touched her breast.
"Anyway, I came down here to see if you had her bag, which I see that you do, and to let you know that she was awake. If you'll give her a few minutes, she should be ready for an examination", Lucian told Michael. He didn't want to have any more alone time with Alexandra, at least not right at this moment.
"Fine, we'll be down there shortly", Michael informed him, handing Lucian the bag.
"Good, just come on in when you're ready", Lucian said walking back towards his room.
One in there, he could hear Alexandra rummaging through the cabinets. He opened the bathroom door, and saw her looking at the comb in her hand like it was a foreign object. When she looked back into the mirror, he saw a light flare in those eyes as she caught a glimpse of him standing behind her. She looked him over from head to toe it seemed before she noticed her bag in his hand. She turned to face him, a huge smile lighting up her face. She had a dimple in her right cheek, he found it delightful.
"Here, I thought you may be needing these", he said placing the bag on the vanity beside. He used the bag as an excuse to get closer to her. He watched her looking at the bag and could see a number of emotions racing across her face. She normally kept her emotions in check, and he found it odd that here lately she had been having a hard time doing that. He stood there, waiting to see if she needed anything else. When out of the blue, she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you", was all that she said.
Stunned, he found himself smiling as he turned and left the room.
He soon heard her digging through her bag, and the water turning on. She must be brushing her teeth. Then he figured she didn't need to be sleeping on dirty sheets. So, he rummaged around until he found a clean set, and then proceeded to divest the bed of the old ones and putting on the fresh ones.
Once he was done, he threw the dirty sheets over into the corner. Then as he started pulling on the pillowcases, he heard her cry out, "Damnit!"
"This ought to be interesting", he thought as he quickly strode across the room and threw open the bathroom door.
"Having problems", he asked. He saw that she was leaning forward and that she made sure her hair was covering as much as possible down both her left and right side before she faced him. Straightening back up, she glared at him with a thoroughly disgusted look on her face.
"I can't seem to pull up my pants", she stated before laughing.
He stood there, grinning like a fool he knew. But she had momentarily taken his breath away. She stood there wearing some kind of lacy undergarment thing. It hung low on her hips and came down to the very tops of her thighs; like really, really, really short shorts. He had no idea what this garment was called, but he really liked it.
"Well, I'm not sure that wearing pants is such a good idea anyway", he told her.
She didn't like that answer. She immediately popped off about walking around in nothing but her underwear for the next few days.
The thought of her running around in front of the entire pack in nothing but those lacey brief things, had him rock hard yet again. Then a sudden wave of jealousy rose up out of nowhere, leaving him on edge. There was no way he was letting any of the lycans see her any way other than fully clothed.
"As enticing as that thought is, I don't recommend it. Lycans have a huge sex drive and as you can see, women are fairly scare around here", he advised her.
He barely paid attention to what she was saying, she was talking about someone named Victoria and he thought she said that she had some sort of secret. All he could do was drink her in. She was a walking contradiction. She was both strong and soft, small but yet her presence seemed to fill the room. She could make him so frustrated he was ready to lock her in a room, and then the next moment she could make him smile. She exuded confidence and leadership, but she was self conscious of her body in front of him.
Mentally shaking himself, he brought his attention back to the conversation at hand. He grinned, the lopsided one that he knew drove her up the wall. He explained that he didn't know any Victoria or what her secret may be, but he was all for her prancing around.
She blushed. She stood there with her pants around her ankles her hair barely concealing her full breasts and a pink stain on her cheeks and he thought she looked absolutely adorable. He laughed at her; it was either that or pull her into his arms and kiss her. Laughing seemed much safer.
"Michael wants to take a look at your back and clean it up some more", he told her. Then he explained why they had taken her pants off earlier, as it was irritating the wounds on her back. So he was sure that keeping the pants off was necessary.
She blushed even harder. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Alexandra." He heard the outer door open and Michael and Selene enter the room. He told her they were here and that they needed to hurry.
She insisted on getting a shirt to cover herself with. Without a second thought, Lucian quickly shrugged out of his shirt and walked over, placing it up against her shoulders. She reached up to take it from his hands, and again he felt the same spark he had felt earlier when they touched. She gasped and jerked her hands back, but he had already let go of the shirt, so it fell between them.
She just stood there, looking at his chest. Slowly she reached out and brushed her fingertips across the scars that riddled his chest. There was no sign of disgust on her face. In fact, he watched her as she traced the puckered skin and she seemed fascinated. Unable to bear the sensations her fingers were causing, he grabbed her wrist, causing her to look up into his face.
"Michael is waiting for you, little one", he said, his voice low and husky. If he had let her continue a moment longer, he wouldn't have been able to stop her, or himself.
She mumbled something, then squatted down to retrieve the shirt. He watched her cover herself, and, then they walked out of the bathroom.