CPOV

I breathed heavily in the dark alley as I scrambled backwards. The three figures loomed towards me, hungry snarls erupting from their throats.

I shook my head, moving as far back as I could, but I never got any further away. They only got closer. Their laughs echoed all around me as I scrambled to my feet and attempted to run.

No.

No.

Alec. Where was Alec?

That loud, sinister laugh bounced against my back as his cold hand caught my ankle and dragged me forward. He crouched, resembling a cat as his teeth glistened in the light and his eyes glinted like lethal rubies with hunger. I tried to move, to back up, but I was frozen in place. My muscles locked in place with an impossible immobility, and a sinister grin stretched across the scary, but handsome vampire's face.

The only thing I did was scream as he pounced for my throat and let out a hungry growl.

I shot straight up, hearing myself scream as cold hands gripped my shoulders, and my hands flew to my throat as I cried. My body shuddered as my neck felt cold from Liam's touch. No, no, it wasn't real.

But it felt so real.

His hands were so cold...so icy cold and so firm on my neck.

"Cheyenne," Alec's voice pierced through the darkness, and two stone cold thumbs wiped my tears away, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. "It was a dream. You were dreaming."

I shook my head as I shuddered at the realness of it. I covered Alec's icy cold hands with my own almost on instinct, like they were the only thing keeping me grounded. My right hand rested on his arm, which I discovered was right in front of me. I couldn't see where he was in the darkness, but without thinking I launched myself into his arms and held onto him as tightly as I could while sobbing into his shoulder. This dream had been the realest one of them all since I've been here, and it shook me to the core. The unexplainable tangibleness of something that was supposed to be unconscious and unreal, frightened me. I didn't want to feel those hands on my throat, to see those teeth glisten, for that smile to sicken me. I didn't want to see it, hear it, feel it. I wanted it away from me.

Alec stiffened, and gingerly placed his hands on my back after a moment, slowly and cautiously. I hardly noticed.

"He was there," I choked out, taking gulps of air. "I saw him, and he...I couldn't...breathe, and..."

I shook my head as I shuddered again, allowing the dream and memory to clash into one. Alec said nothing else, but shushed me as his hands moved in circles across my back, the chill seeping through my Alec's-sweater-clad body. I took in his scent, the tart, sweet explosion of berries in my nose, and it calmed me instantly.

"You were dreaming, cara," he told me stiffly. "You do not have to worry about him anymore. Do you hear me?"

"But it was so real," I whimpered as another trail of tears leaked out of my eyes.

A click and a soft warm glow came from my left, making me blink. A low rumbling sound came from Alec's chest as his hands moved to the tops of my arms.

"Look at me," he ordered quietly in a nonthreatening way. I obeyed, pulling myself away from his shoulder. He was too heartbreakingly handsome for words, but the second thing I noticed was that his eyes were sporting their usual crimson once again. The purple shadows were gone from underneath his eyes, and he surprisingly had the slightest flush in his cheeks. When did he feed? Lastly, his face was hard, but his voice was the complete opposite as he ran his thumb over my cheek to catch the tears. A delicious spark was left in its place as my heart skipped a beat at his touch.

"He is gone," he said with such conviction that it hit me. It was more than enough to make me nod. "You will never have to see him ever again."

"Did you..." I trailed off, my breath catching in my throat when I thought of what I think he was saying. "He..."

Alec just smirked, his eyes lighting up with mischief. The strange warmth and tingle that kept making its appearance distracted me, and I forgot all about the fear that had just paralyzed me. I didn't say any more; I just averted my eyes down and nodded, blinking back more tears. My eyes landed on ancient-looking, but still perfectly conditioned gold chain around his neck with an intricately designed pendant at the end, encasing a ruby letter V. He changed back into his Volturi clothing, I realized, and he let me keep his sweater.

"You should go back to sleep," he suggested in a detached voice, gently placing me back in my spot under the covers with as little contact as possible. My heart sank when he did that, but I was relieved when the buzzing didn't subside.

He pulled the comforter over my lap, and I shook my head, looking down at it.

"I can't," I said, rubbing my left wet eye. I nearly freaked out in an instant, remembering that I had makeup on, until I saw that the back of my hand was clean. What?

"It is late," he said. "You need to sleep."

I shook my head again, forgetting my hand. Even though I just cried up a storm, I didn't feel tired at all. There goes my sleeping schedule again; not like I would want to be sleeping again, anyway. Not after that dream.

I briefly wondered what time it was, and then decided it didn't matter. I was going to be up either way. I heard Alec mutter something to himself and out of curiosity, watched him do it. He stared back, his eyes in slits as the little crease appeared between his eyebrows.

"What?" I asked.

"So frustrating," he mused. Then, I watched as his hand reached out again, slowly and cautiously like always, and brushed his fingers across my cheek. My heart responded, while I forced my eyes to blink and flutter instead of closing; the warm, humming, electric feeling spread through my skin as his fingers passed over it, and then his hand was gone. He muttered once again, unintelligibly. His face was blank, and as I searched it, Heidi's words echoed in my mind.

It is terribly obvious that he is taken with you. You know he watches you and spends the majority of his time with you? Now, at least.

Alec has been pining over you for weeks. You clearly do not see the way he looks at you.

He never even once glanced at Camilla in that way; ever.

"How is your leg?" he asked in a businesslike tone, bringing me out of my thoughts. I averted my eyes, forgetting about the cut, and reached under the comforter. Now that he'd reminded me, I realized that it actually hurt, a lot. I was all over Alec just a minute ago, and forgot that my legs were sort of tangled in the process.

"It really hurts," I admitted, my face scrunching up slightly at the pain. The wound felt warm, on account of all the blood working to from a scab underneath the bandage. It throbbed with pain, and I felt it deep in my nerves. I was too afraid to even move it.

"I tried waking you, but you were deeply unconscious," Alec informed me matter of factly. "I will be right back."

A million things were swirling through my mind: the dream, the deep pain in my leg, but mostly Alec and his strange behavior. Again.

Alec left without another word, his black cape billowing behind him. I watched him leave, and sighed quietly to myself.

I took the opportunity to to check the time, and looked over my shoulder. The red numbers beamed 3:39 at me. I fused my brows together; when had I gone to sleep? How long did I sleep?

I let it go, and rubbed my eyes, knowing my face was blotchy and my eyes were puffy. I went to the bathroom before Alec returned, checking out the bandage while I was in there. The gauze was covering the huge band-aid, so I couldn't see underneath, but I wouldn't doubt that I probably re-opened that wound when I jumped all over him. It sure hurt like a bee sting to walk to the bathroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror when I was done, and nearly stumbled back at what I saw.

The clock had apparently struck midnight, because I looked like the complete opposite of what Heidi made me up to be hours before.

My cheeks and nose, as I expected, were flushed pink and my eyes were a little puffy from crying. The redness of my eyes made my irises look a piercing green, and no traces of makeup were left on my face, allowing the haunting, dark circles under my eyes to be on display Who took it off of me, anyway? And who was this girl in the mirror?

What shook me most was the faint shadows around my neck, in the shape of someone's fingers.

Liam.

Seeing the evidence on my neck made the fear wash over me all over again, holding me captive. My heart accelerated when I thought about the fact that Liam actually touched me, and I would be reminded of it every day for God knows how long. I looked like I'd been strangled half to death, and when I touched the shadows, I winced at the tenderness. My stomach did flips at what Aro was going to think of all of this. God, I hoped I wouldn't get in trouble.

My hair was a mess, the beachy waves resembling a literal haystack, and I ran my fingers through it. I picked up the hairbrush on the counter and ran it through my hair, picking up the hair tie I left from my shower to secure a bun on top of my head. I didn't want to deal with it right now. I shoved the extra bobby pins sitting on the counter in my hair to hold it in place.

The only thing that was all right about the way I looked in the mirror was Alec's black sweater hanging over my body. The sleeves went well past my hands, and the lack of pants on my legs made me look like I had just...

My cheeks flamed as I thought about that. No way would Alec even consider being like that with me. Not even if I was turned. But would he treat me different if I was?

Probably.

I wanted to knock myself because I wasn't a vampire like Camilla, and she'd already had her body all over his for a hundred years. Me? I had zero experience with anyone. I felt a twinge of jealousy, and copious amounts of low self-esteem, until Heidi's voice floated into my mind once again.

Never has he even gazed upon a woman, human or immortal, the way he looks at you.

He never wanted Camilla; not in the way he wants you.

Did Alec clean up Camilla's wounds?

No. It was impossible for her to be injured.

Did he offer to buy her an iPod?

Highly doubtful.

Did she spend as much time with him as I have been?

From what I've heard, nope.

Did Alec even bother to contact her?

Nope to that, too.

And he most certainly probably never saved her life from a vampire attack, and protected me the way he did. The image of him pushing me against the wall, holding me defensively against his body, growling so lethally...

"Don't. Ever. Touch. What's. Mine."

"She is mine."

Recalling the words in my mind, I swear I almost heard them in the air, and it made my heart skip. He said that to Liam. No, growled it, actually. He was claiming me as his own.

My body grew warm, and my face did as well.

He thought of me as his, and he made that clear.

Did he ever claim Camilla as his own?

Something told me absolutely not.

I turned out the light, and exited the bathroom. I felt a stab of pain with each step I took, and I was just about to wonder where Alec was, when I saw him already standing there by my bed. He was watching me with that look again. I've seen that look three times now, and it was beginning to bother me. When I reached him, his palm opened to reveal two Tylenol, and his other hand balanced a cup of steaming tea.

Involuntarily, a smile crept onto my face, and I forced that thing back by popping the pills into my mouth. A warm rush of gratitude came over me, as I blew on the tea before sipping it down my throat. I hadn't asked for medicine, and he gave it to me anyway. It was too sweet of him, and I couldn't think of any way to express it to him.

I swallowed, recognizing the taste as chamomile, and glanced awkwardly as I saw Alec watching me still. He half smiled.

"Better?" he prompted.

"Yeah. Thanks."

I stared at the cup of tea, feeling the steam breathe over my face. I didn't know how long I could go without talking about what happened hours ago, and I needed a clear head if Aro was going to make me talk about it. I dreaded that last part very much.

"Go to sleep now," Alec ordered me again, taking the cup from my hands. "You need to rest."

I looked up at him, knowing that trying telling him once again that I couldn't go to sleep wouldn't work.

"You didn't even let me finish that," I argued. He handed me the cup back without a word, his face expressionless, though I couldn't help but feel he was annoyed. I took it into my hands, not intending to finish it, but using it as an excuse to keep talking.

"I apologize. Your throat must be irritated," he said quietly, and I almost choked on my sip at his words. Did Alec just apologize?

"For what?" I choked out, genuinely confused. His face became as hard as his skin, his eyes falling to my neck. I suddenly wanted to apologize for questioning him.

"Did you catch a glimpse in the mirror?"

"Yes," I said slowly, insecurely covering my neck with my hand. "I'm fine to talk, but the...bruises hurt."

He frowned.

"And you are fortunate that is all you got out of that," he said callously. "He nearly killed you."

"But he didn't," I said quietly. "You were there."

"I told you to stay inside the club," he said coldly. "You went against my order. Again. And you ran yourself into trouble."

For that same unknown reason, the strange mood swing feeling came in again and sparked anger within me. He was blaming me again? He wasn't even there!

"I didn't, actually," I snapped back. He narrowed his eyes at me. "I left because...I saw someone in there. I had to get out."

Well, there went my flare.

"Who?" he urged more seriously. I half-lied, leaving out Ned. He wouldn't know who that was, but I couldn't tell him who he was, anyway.

"The girl I got into a fight with."

"You didn't speak to her, did you?" he asked lowly. I looked him right in the eye.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" I asked exasperatedly. Normally, I was used to people underestimating me, but for some reason, when Alec did, it just set me off. Again, I needed to look into these mood swings. "You think she would even look in my direction after I broke her nose?"

"After what you did to her, I imagine she would want to kill you," he seethed.

No, Alec. Actually, you see, we're pretty much best friends by now. You should have seen it! She even kissed me!

"That's just your wishful thinking, isn't it?" I retorted, the flare rearing its ugly head again. My face fell right after the words flew out of my mouth. I froze, not knowing what to think. Alec's face became a hard mask, incapable of showcasing any emotions.

"You do not want to know what I'm thinking," he said dejectedly.

"I think I do," I managed to answer, matching his volume. His eyes were stoic, unchanging, but his face thawed in the slightest as his eyes moved over my face. My heart beat with anticipation, because we were standing so close, and the warm current floated between us, waiting for one of us to close the distance. I couldn't tell, however, if it was just my spark in anger that was making me feel like the air was being increasingly charged with something...electrically delicious. Magnetic.

"I think if you wanted me dead, you would have done it already," I added, my voice dropping. "And I think you wouldn't have saved me."

His eyes stopped on my chin, and slowly, almost hesitantly like always, he lifted his hand and ran his finger over my jaw like he was contemplating something.

"Maybe I did, so I could do the killing myself," he lilted slowly, suggestively, leaving me gobsmacked at his change in moods, again. My heart sped up, but not out of fear; I was enjoying way too much the tingling, electric trail of warmth from his finger. Despite his words, I was somehow confident that it wasn't true. I didn't believe his words one bit; I felt safe with him standing close to me like always.

"You won't do it," I replied, more so to myself. I wasn't trying to convince myself, however; I was certain he wouldn't, and I was merely repeating that to myself.

"And how do you know that?" he mused, showing his teeth. "You do not know me at all."

It was difficult for me to think straight at this point, but somehow I was able to give my reasoning, partly thanks to the velvet, tinkling voice in my mind.

"Sweetie, I think if you actually annoyed him, you wouldn't be sitting here right now."

"Vampires don't protect their food. So, I don't believe you at all."

I waited for his face to change, for him to get mad at what I just said, to glare at me, but he just smiled so charmingly that I wanted to fall to my knees. He slowly moved his face towards mine, and pressed his cold cheek against my blazing one, leaving my skin searing with tingles.

"But you see, I like to play with my food," he enunciated slowly, and my breath caught. For once, I was aware that I wasn't breathing. His words washed over me, and I only half believed him because he was practically doing what he said now; but, I still knew he wouldn't hurt me. He just wouldn't. This was all just a rouse.

I shook my head against his cheek, tightening my grip on the mug I temporarily forgot was in my hands. Oh, he was playing with me, all right. He sounded terribly convincing, but my body just told me different. And was I going to deny my own body?

Of course not.

"Okay," I sighed resignedly, playing along. "I'll just count my days, then."

He suddenly stood straight up, and looked at me with blazing red eyes. Did I really just convince him?

"What?" I asked, making use of the cup in my hands and taking a drink. My throat had gone dry.

"You would allow me to kill you," he stated slowly, narrowing his eyes.

I tapped my fingers against the mug, glancing away. No, I actually wouldn't allow him to do it, but I would all the more tell him to do it because I believed he wouldn't, even though my blood apparently tortured him. I wasn't sure if any vampires had actually killed their singers before, but I hadn't heard any stories. The only one I've heard is the relationship between Bella and Edward Cullen. I wasn't very unsure that Edward had probably had a taste or two of her blood before she became like him.

"Well, wouldn't you?" I asked. "You have open opportunities every day. And there was an opportunity in that alley."

His finger slowly turned my face so I could look at him, resting it on my cheek. The blazing look in his eyes had simmered down, but he stared, searching my eyes.

"Did you believe for one second that I was going to allow him to kill you?" he asked so quietly that I almost missed it. I barely shook my head, forcing my eyes to stay open as his thumb moved across my cheek. My body screamed at me to launch myself at him again like I did before, and I had to keep my feet planted into the carpet to keep from doing so. I wasn't sure how much longer I could deny myself his full touch or the urge to plant my lips anywhere on his face.

He definitely wouldn't do this with Camilla.

"Why do you frustrate me so much?" he whispered as if to himself. His thumb dragged across my bottom lip, and I shivered, my pulse erratically increasing.

"I'm sorry," I whispered back dumbly, secretly apologizing for everything I could have possibly done; make him mad, frustrated, not listening to him, causing him this inner turmoil for my blood, singing while he was around. That, and he was switching moods faster than I could shuffle a deck of cards, so I was once again thrown off and a little short on words. Looking at him like this, he looked almost...vulnerable.

I watched him watch me, and he watched me watch him. I saw it, the inner battle he was fighting; the urge to just take one bite out of me, versus to keep me alive because apparently he liked me, too. I couldn't imagine how he felt, how it was to smell someone so enticing and delicious, while trying not to kill them every second of every day; or, to have to be so mindful of your strength because one wrong move could kill them, but I was fighting my own little battle. I was fighting this battle and pretty much losing. This electromagnetic pull between us, whatever it was, just grew stronger every day, and I wasn't sure how long I would last in resisting it. His smell, his face, his eyes, his voice, and most of all, his touch intrigued me, and made me feel sparks of things that I had never felt before, even with my biggest crush in school.

Never, not once in my life, when a crush happened to brush his skin across mine for any reason, did tingling warmth spread through my body or fire ignite in my stomach; nor would my body call out to me to step closer, to be right next to whoever it was, until we were touching. My heart would beat faster, yes, but never had I also simultaneously felt safe like I did now. This was different, so incredibly different, that I had no other words to describe it. The side of Alec's mouth turned up for a second before he moved away from me in a flash, a good five or six feet.

"Are you finished with your tea?" he asks as if nothing just happened. I look down at the mug of greenish-brown colored liquid, pretending to decide, even though I'm really trying to clear the daze in my head. I force the liquid down my throat to give myself time to do so, and Alec waited patiently, something I was surprised to see.

As I nursed the mug twice more, my thoughts became clearer, and I felt ready to ask him the questions I originally meant to instead of questioning his thoughts about my breathing status. I decide to make him a little happier by getting back into bed, settling the comforter over my lap. Then, I took another sip to keep up appearances.

"Did you know any of them?" I started quietly, staring at my half-empty mug.

"Cheyenne," Alec said firmly, making my head snap up at my name. He hardly ever said it. His face said it all; we wouldn't be talking about this. But once again, I reasoned.

"I have half a mug left. Don't you think I deserve to ask questions?"

"No. There is nothing to discuss," he told me, although he didn't sound concerned at all.

"I take it more as closure," I said casually. I took another sip of tea, thankfully still warm. "If I talk about it, wouldn't I feel better about it instead of having all of these questions running through my head? I wouldn't have a nightmare, honestly."

His face was a look of pure boredom, as if he could be doing many other interesting things, and then he narrowed his eyes.

"You will only ask as many as I allow," he warned, borderline growling in the same way he did hours ago.

"Okay," I agreed easily, feeling strangely giddy about talking to Alec. That was good enough for me.

Reluctantly, I lined up the questions in my head, the three faces coming back into my mind. I mentally blurred out the one in front, and focused on the other two instead. When I recalled them, something caught my attention in that horrible memory; the blonde boy, Henry. His boyish face and smile flashed in my mind, and when I went over it, I couldn't help but think I saw him somewhere before. He was beautiful like all the other vampires, but something about his demeanor, the way he acted, the way his tongue ran across his lips, the look in his eye...

"Oh, look, it's lover boy. Come to share a meal with us?"

Somehow, that sounded familiar, that same tone, the boy's face...something about his features...

"Wanna slow down for me so I can look into those eyes? It's nice to make eye contact."

A terrible realization ran through me, and it felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on me. My mouth partially hung open, but no words formed in my throat, no sound came out, no words even ran through my head. I was merely having trouble processing the truth of who that boy was.

That poor boy that I cried over at the mall, because Alec killed him for doing something as harmless as flirting.

Or so I thought he killed him.

Now, the boy had wanted to kill me.

"You are not helping your cause, human," Alec said flatly. "What is it?"

I forced myself to speak, even though I couldn't speak; no words formed in my throat, and they sounded strange coming out.

"Him," I choked out. "The blonde boy. He..."

"You noticed that?" he asked, surprise barely evident in his voice. I just shrugged, too in shock that he hadn't been dead after all. Up until tonight, of course.

"Didn't you kill him?" I wondered confusedly, barely hearing myself.

"Yes," he answered dismissively, as if it didn't matter. "I did not expect you to recognize him."

I didn't even know how it wasn't all a blur to me. I always knew I had a good memory, apparently so good that people got freaked out when I remembered little things in school and they didn't. I never freaked out about it; it was just something I did. I was observant. I remembered things.

"Why does that surprise you?" I asked distractedly, forcing the mug to my lips.

"That is not a question relevant to this conversation," he answered formally. I knew he didn't want to answer anymore...sentimental questions tonight. I slipped that somewhere in the back of my mind to ask another day and moved on.

"You didn't know the other two, then," I concluded.

"No."

Now I was unsure if crying about Henry was even right. He came after me tonight, but who said he wanted to become immortal? Alec had to be angry about this, seeing as Henry wasn't as dead as he thought. I opened and closed my mouth twice, trying to form some comprehension of this.

"Yes?" Alec pressed.

After I couldn't find any words, I moved on. I combed through my ransacked questions again, and one that I didn't already have in mind popped up. Why hadn't I noticed it before?

"Weren't you supposed to be after one vampire?" I asked hesitantly, tapping on the mug again, a nervous habit I had. I took another sip of tea to wash out the scratchiness my voice had given.

"Yes," he answered after a moment of silence, like he was waiting the entire time for me to notice it. My stomach dropped. I had a feeling that these three were not one of the ones they were after, and it was my fault.

"What happened to him?" I asked, unable to keep the guilt out of my voice.

"He escaped. He was too far gone. But, I hardly expect him to return." Alec said with disdain.

"Why?" I asked automatically.

"He is afraid of me," Alec said darkly. I nodded as if it made sense. "And, seeing you clearly protected proves him no chance of getting to you."

And I should be afraid of you, but I'm not, I thought to myself. It was true. Sitting in this room, as long as he was here, I felt like nothing could happen to me.

"So, what would you do if you crossed paths if that's not the case anymore?"

"Terminate him," Alec answered darkly. "It is much too easy for him to break our laws, so his punishment is inevitable."

My stomach flipped at the thought of one of them being killed, ripped limb from limb, and thrown into the flames only to become a pile of ash. I never wanted to witness that, even when I was to become one of them. I couldn't handle it, enemy vampire or not. I no longer felt bad for Henry, but a small part of me felt remorse for his human life. His family. Henry didn't exist anymore, and his family probably already knew that if they assumed he was missing.

Just like my family.

After seeing Ned tonight, I had hope that Travis somehow knew I was alive and he was looking for me. My body went rigid; Ned. I could never tell Alec about that. I should have been questioning the reality of seeing him, rather than Liam.

"This does not seem to be helping you," he stated. I shook my head to clear it. I would be saving my thoughts about Ned for when I was alone; if I was allowed to be alone anymore.

"It's fine," I said dismissively. "So, does this mean he's going to continue being looked for or not?"

"For the sake of your nightmares, I will answer this question, but it is highly none of your concern. Yes," Alec said with a hint of amusement. My lips twitched at his consideration.

"Is that all of your questions?" he asked neutrally when I didn't go on. I had just one more that was bugging me, leaving me hoping that the answer was no. I tapped the rim of the mug with my thumb, weighing my options. Asking him seemed stupid, but I had no answer, and I wanted to know. If he was letting me stay up and ask questions that he obviously had no worry about, what's one more?

"Alec, do you hate me?" I finally asked, but it came out as if I was speaking to nobody in particular. I sounded like I was talking to myself. My heart hammered with uncertainty, and I swear that I could hear the blood rushing in my ears as I waited for what felt like a century. I didn't expect him to answer me, because he was smart about avoiding my questions and turning them on me. But, a smaller part of me did expect him to answer, because I very well wanted to know, dang it. He'd confused me long enough.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused. Becoming confused myself, I snapped my head to the left to look at him, my eyebrows furrowing. What?

His head was tilted to the right, with his eyebrows copying mine. He looked as innocent as any three month old baby, and it shook me that he was even capable of ripping a vampire's head off looking like this. He looked so angelic, that I nearly forgot what I asked in the first place.

"Huh?" I blurted in all my confusion. "What do you mean, 'What kind of question is that?'"

"You asked me if I hate you," he prompted, his eyes moving over my face like he was calculating something.

"Yeah..." I drug out, a slip of impatience peeking through my tone. I was more confused by the second. He knew what I was asking, didn't he? It's a simple question: Do you hate me? There was no way that Alec was incapable of giving me a simple yes or no, and he certainly wasn't incapable of sparking these bouts of anger in me, or whatever the heck these mood swings were.

By the way his head returned to its straight position and his prolonged calculation, it looked like I would get my answer. God, it felt like five years passed instead of five seconds. But, the more he stared at me like that, in his little calculating, studying way, the more my complaints dissipated. I completely forgot that I complained in the first place about how much time had passed and my little outburst. I felt my eyebrows soften, my face relax, while my whole body grew comfortably warm and electric.

His face never changed; he just kept staring, looking at me like I was a creature he'd never seen before. He didn't look displeased by any means, although any straight face of his made think the opposite. He just gazed upon me in his studious little way, and suddenly I didn't mind whether he gave me an answer or not. But, he finally did.

"I do not think you need to ask me that, cara," he answered simply, softly. He looked like he came to a conclusion now, but I saw nothing beyond that. I was shut out of whatever his conclusion was. He wasn't disdainful or rude, and he didn't sound angry at all; it was just a simple answer, like a multiple choice quiz. He obviously knew the answer, but I didn't. I didn't know whether to be angry again, or to accept it. I forced myself out of my little trance, and tried to nod casually, tearing my eyes away from his face. I took one last gulp of my tea, which was nearing a cold temperature, and thrust it out to him. This was getting old.

He took it without a word, and he didn't even need to tell me to go to sleep, because I turned right around to lay on my left side away from him. I ignored the light sting that came when my injured leg held all the pressure, and shoved the covers up to my chin, squeezing my eyes shut. I heard the click of the lamp, and actually hoped for once that Alec would leave the room.

I was unsure if he ever did, but I felt the cool brush of his fingers across my cheek once more, before the tea finally did its job and I sunk into a nightmare-free sleep.