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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 381 Alicia
The next morning…
The daylight already lit up the room when Alex opened his eyes. Abigail was in his arms and she was sleeping so soundly.
He smiled at the sight of her, recalling the wild session they shared last night. This little lamb in his arms was so innocent and pure and cute when she was sleeping. Well, she normally was like this but seeing her looking so peaceful and innocent like this could fool even the most perceptive person. They would never think that she was a wild and intense little beast in bed, something that he definitely loved although, he of course, loved her meek side as well.
His smile widened and he bit his lips before he moved and kissed her forehead. He couldn't wait for the next night to come so that they could do it all over again.
He was smiling like an idiot when suddenly, a thought popped in his head causing his smile to fade.
That image that flashed in his mind started to bug him along with the feeling of déjà vu and that moment she had called herself his wife. All these things swirled inside his mind and he didn't know what to make of it. Were these things connected somehow?
The blissful look on his face was replaced with confusion and his mind was filled with many questions. He knew he couldn't ignore this anymore because he felt that there was definitely something going on. He needed to find out what this was all about.
Turning towards Abigail, Alex caressed her cheeks. He opened his lips but he closed them again, as if he refrained himself from speaking and waking her up.
He wanted to wake her up and ask but he knew he was the one who exhausted her throughout the night. His gaze then fell to the ceiling, looking serious, as if he was trying to solve a puzzle in his head.
The next moment, he closed his eyes and he carefully peeled Abi's grip off of him before he slowly climbed off the bed. After planting a soft kiss on her forehead, Alex got dressed up and left the room.
He checked the house and when he was certain no one was hiding inside, he stepped out.
"Witch," he called out and something moved in the bushes. Alex waited for a while until the silver-haired witch appeared before him.
Alex glanced at her. "Cast a spell on the room first. I don't want anything to disturb my sleeping Abigail. She needs to rest," he ordered her and the witch could only nod and do as he said. 'This dictator is really treating me like his servant!' she complained inside her but she knew she had to endure this. In fact, she didn't expect that it would be easier for her to approach this king than that vampire prince. She knew that Alexander was stronger but that Ezekiel was too shady even for a witch like her to understand. In fact, she had also watched his movements and she couldn't believe that she actually didn't witness anything interesting about Ezekiel Reign.
Since she started spying on him, all she ever found about him was the fact that his life revolved around Alexander. He didn't do anything worth watching aside from his job of babysitting an immortal for so many years. That was why she felt that he was a shady character.
Last night was the first time she met him and it made her realize one thing; that he was not as simple as she thought. He was definitely not just the man she had called a babysitter all this time. He was more than that. The moment their eyes met, she knew those icy eyes were filled with many, many secrets and she couldn't fathom just how he managed to hide those secrets from her. It was incomprehensible, in fact.
Once she was done with her task, the devil that she was just thinking of suddenly materialised as if she had conjured him. He was already standing next to Alexander. He glanced at her as she approached. These two most powerful creatures were standing in front of her. She could finally approach them and talk to them and ask for their help, all thanks to Abigail. But… could she tell them about the deal she made with Abigail? She didn't know and because of that, she looked a little hesitant.
"I am done with the interrogations, Alex." Ezekiel reported, not worrying about her existence.
Alexander's gaze at Zeke was sharp but there was no doubt in them. It seemed what she saw in the crystal ball was still the same. This Alexander fully trusted this vampire prince.
"And? Why are these rogue vampires here, Zeke?"
"They're here to catch that silver-head," he pointed at her.
'So rude!' The witch popped a vein in her thoughts.
"My name is Alicia," she introduced herself, even though none of them were paying her any attention.
"And why would they want to catch…" Alexander glanced at her. "this Alicia?"
Alicia couldn't believe how rude these two were. She understood Alexander's actions at least, since he was usually rude to most, except for Abigail. But this Ezekiel... she remembered how polite he was to human women. Was it because he just hated witches?
"Perhaps so that they could use her, since she is a little powerful."
'A little'? Did he not know that she was the next witch queen?! She was the second most powerful of all witches! Alicia sighed, trying not to be affected. She couldn't possibly go against any of them or she would just lose her life.
"And who wants her?" Alexander's gaze on Ezekiel seemed to have intensified.
"Shouldn't you be asking this Alicia?" was Ezekiel's answer as he turned to her.
Alicia shook her head. "I don't know who is behind this. I can't see anything in the crystal balls. Whoever is behind this has a witch with them, blocking my vision."
Alexander tilted his head slightly. "And how can you prove to us that you're telling the truth?" he asked her with narrowed eyes. It was obvious, both of them didn't trust her at all.
How… how could she convince them that she was telling the truth?
"Speak," Alexander ordered, and Alicia suddenly felt the aura of threat and danger coming from them.
This wasn't good.
As Alicia was about to tell them the first thing that her frightened brain could come up with, a soft voice piped up behind her, the voice of the only person who could save her.
"I believe her, Alex…" said Abigail as she emerged from the door.
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Chapter 382 Catch some fish
Alex immediately approached Abigail when he saw her.
"You're awake," he leaned in on her, moving so close as he smiled at her. "Good morning, Abigail," he whispered and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Abi flushed because of Alex's sudden PDA.
"Good morning, Alex," she replied as she pushed her hands against his hard abs to keep a little distance between them. Craning her head sideways, she looked at the silver-haired witch and Zeke. She smiled at them both, a wordless gesture of hello.
The witch smiled back while Zeke just stood there, expressionless.
"Uhm… Alex, please don't harm her. She meant no harm to me," Abi then told Alex, causing the man to stare at her for a while. His gaze fell on her neck and saw that the bruises were still there.
Abi immediately realized what he was looking at and her hands moved to cover her neck. "I'm fine. Stop looking at them," she told him.
Alex just tucked her hair behind her ears before he turned to look at Alicia.
"Witch. Give me some powerful medicine for bruises," he ordered and Alicia frantically went to comply.
Once she was gone, Abi leaned in on Alex and whispered in his ear. "Don't be like that to her. She's a good woman. Be nicer to her, okay?"
Alex raised a brow. "Are you serious, Abigail? You want me to be nice to someone else other than you?"
"O-of course. What I mean is don't be too –"
"Not possible," he cut her off and leaned in once again, pinching her chin. "I have learned my lesson Abigail. If I don't want my beloved running away again, I better not do anything that could ignite her jealousy," he smirked, making Abi bite her lips.
Abi cleared her throat and was about to speak when Alicia returned.
"Here's the medicine," Alicia said as she held out her hand that was holding a small white bottle. She politely gave the bottle to Alex with a slight bow.
Alex took it and surveyed it closely.
"This is for humans, right, witch?"
"Yes."
His eyes locked on hers as if he was giving her a warning and then he opened the bottle and smelled the contentm before giving the bottle to Zeke.
Zeke sighed as he lazily took it. He simply took a quick glance inside and gave it back a second later. "It's safe," he said but Alex glared at him, obviously unsatisfied with how quick Zeke had decided that it was safe.
"Shouldn't you be testing it on yourself first?"
Abi's lips parted. Watching these two somehow made Abi feel a little sad for the silver-haired witch. She could now see why the witch had approached her instead of them. They didn't trust Alicia at all, even after saving her many times yesterday.
"Alex…" Zeke looked like a vein just popped on his forehead. "That's just natural oil."
"Just to be safe, Zeke."
"Alex..." Abi held onto Alex's arm and dragged him away from Zeke. "It's okay. She already put some oil on my small cuts yesterday, and it was fine. So don't worry too much about it. Besides, Zeke's not human. He can't possibly test it for me," she told him and when she thought that Alex was finally going to give in, she saw him pour some of the oil into his hand and rub it on his forearm before he put the bottle in his pocket.
"I will use this on you later once I'm certain," he said, making everyone speechless. But to Abi, that simple action made her heart swell and before she knew it, she yanked Alex and hugged him tight, burying her face on his chest and gripping his waist as tight as she could.
He was always looking out for her, making sure she was safe, not even hesitating to use his body to protect her. This man… he was making her emotional again.
Alex looked extremely pleased. He didn't know why she was suddenly hugging him but this action of hers… this meant that she finally fell for him right? She was hugging him like she didn't want to let go!
Alex was oblivious to how he looked at that moment. The jellyfish was shining so damn brightly that it could have lit up the entire ocean.
"You two, are we going to talk or do you still need more hours to yourselves?" Zeke's voice made Abi move away from their embrace which of course, displeased Alex.
"That's right, Zeke. You two should go and catch some fish first for my Abigail's breakfast," he told them, causing Abi to almost choke.
"Hahaha. No please. Don't listen to him," Abi forced a laugh as she said those words to Zeke and Alicia.
But at that moment, the silver-haired witch suddenly didn't know what to do. Whom should she listen to? 'Alexander? Or Abigail? Wait… Even though she wanted to listen to Abigail, she couldn't possibly defy Alexander. Who knew what he might do to her?' she thought.
Alicia looked at Zeke anxiously, thinking that she would move once he did, but when the man remained unmoving, she could only listen to this dictator's ridiculous request. 'Does Abigail like fresh fish? He could've just asked her to go get some food for her from White Falls village,' she could only murmur inside her again.
Seeing that Alicia took Alex's words seriously, Abi was fast to move from Alex to Alicia, catching her wrist.
"It's okay. You don't need to go. We should probably start discussing things now," she said but then again, the stubborn Alex would have none of it.
"No, little lamb. Your stomach has been growling since last night," he told her. He knew this because that was the reason why he finally stopped last night.
The witch immediately got the message especially when she saw how serious Alexander looked. This man was not going to give in if it concerned Abigail's well-being.
"It's okay, Abigail. I won't take long," she smiled and she finally disappeared.
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Chapter 383 Serious enough
Letting out a sigh of surrender, Abi turned and looked at Alex. She didn't protest anymore because she knew that Alex was just worried about her. But then, she thought about what would happen once Alicia came back with the food. She could just imagine him asking everyone to try the food out first and she could only scratch her nape.
"Come, Abigail. Let's have a seat," he said as he settled himself on a chair. Abi walked towards him and was about to pull out the chair next to him when Alex caught her wrist. "On my lap," he said shamelessly. The corner of his lips curved up.
Abi hesitated for a moment but in the end, she granted his request which made the man look extra happy. Even though Zeke was around, Abi wasn't that uncomfortable anymore. She thought that Zeke was probably already used to this PDA because even on the first day she met him, Alex had made her sit on his lap then too. Alex was not afraid to show some PDA since she first came to live in his mansion. Besides, she could tell that Zeke didn't care one bit; his blank expression was clear evidence of that fact.
As Alex happily cuddled her, like he had found the fluffiest lamb he didn't know he had been looking for, Abi didn't reject any of his advancements. She was going to let him do what he wanted with her as long as it made him happy because he deserved it. She was completely his anyway.
"Abigail…" Zeke spoke and Abi lifted her face at him. "Why do you trust that witch?"
Alex, who was busy tucking Abi's hair to her side, halted. He, too, wanted to know the answer to that, after all.
"Because she saved me from those rogue vampires. When she had me all alone, she didn't do anything to hurt me when she clearly could have."
"She must have done that because she needed something from you."
Zeke was right. Alice had done it because she needed her help. But Abi also needed Alicia's help and she had trusted Alicia first; trusted that she would help her find a way to bring Alex's memories back. Alicia had shown her what she wanted to know when all she had to go by was Abigail's promise. If Alicia had doubted Abigail, she would have asked for something in return first.
But she didn't and that was why Abigail believed her as well. Besides, Abigail really didn't think that she was evil.
"That's true, but… I know she is a good woman."
Zeke sighed quietly, as if he already knew that that was what she would say.
"Zeke…" Abi then called out. As their eyes met, she continued, "I am going to tell Alex the truth now."
Zeke's expression didn't change so Abi couldn't tell whether he approved of it or not, while Alex's face immediately turned dark and sour.
Alex's gaze towards Zeke was sharp as he narrowed his eyes.
Abi then positioned herself so she could see Alex's face. She knew that what she just said was something that would shock and confuse him so she wasn't surprised anymore at seeing that look on his face.
"Alex…" she called his name. She cupped his face gently with her hands before she took a deep breath, preparing herself to speak. She was nervous about how he would react to the news.
However, the moment she opened her lips to say more, something distracted them.
Zeke suddenly moved before them as if he was blocking them from what was coming. A strong gust of wind came and in the next moment, something appeared before them. It was the silver-haired witch.
"T-there's trouble!" she said, panting. "An army of rogue vampires are here."
"An army…" Zeke repeated. "Why would you call that trouble?"
"Because they look and feel different. These ones are strong, stronger than normal vampires. Normal vampires should be a little weakened during daylight, right? Their powers are as strong as if it was nighttime."
Zeke's eyes slightly narrowed and he didn't say anything for a long while.
"And why are they here? Still to catch this Alicia?" Alex asked. He was already standing, his one hand wrapped around Abi's shoulders, pulling her close to his chest in such a very protective manner.
"I don't think so," Zeke responded. "They must have realized that something was going on. Iam certain that they saw the three of us enter this forest."
"So they're here to fight us?" Alex smiled mockingly. That was just unfathomable. What kind of brain did these vampires have to actually still come here when they knew he was here?
"We don't know that, Alex. But I don't think their real aim is to fight us. Unless the one sending them is a complete idiot."
"But the witch just said that they're strong. What if they're here to test their strength?"
"Stop getting excited over this, Alex. Don't forget that Abigail is here too," Zeke reminded him and Alex's eyes, which had already turned gold, immediately turned black again. He looked down at Abigail and pulled her even closer.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly whispered in Abi's ear. "Don't worry, I'm not going to go berserk again." His voice was hoarse and apologetic as his grip on her tightened. Did he think that she was afraid of that? Oh, geez… Alex…
Abi was about to say something but Zeke spoke first.
"I think they are just curious to know what is happening here. On why we still haven't left this place."
"If they're just curious, why would they send a bunch of those weirdly powerful rogues?" Alicia butted in. "I don't think they would send powerful soldiers just because they are curious. They must be here to cause trouble! What else could it b-"
"Vampires and witches forming some secret alliance…" Zeke cut her off. "Wouldn't that be serious enough to be curious about?" Zeke mused.
Abi and Alicia looked at each other. Did he already know about their plan?
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Chapter 384 The only way
"I believe that's what they want to find out. Something like that has never happened before. Vampires and witches just can't stand each other but if that actually happened, that would be problematic, of course, to whoever is controlling the rogue vampires."
"Because that person is trying to create a war between vampires and witches?" Abi asked.
"No. Vampires and witches have been enemies for many centuries. What they want is for vampires and witches to remain in this status quo."
"Because if vampires and witches joined forces, it would be very interesting. That's a lethal combination. Imagine combining the witches' visions and the vampires' strengths," Alex finished Zeke's words. "It makes me very curious to know what kind of creature could stand against the vampire-witch alliance once that happens. Back then, vampires, humans, and witches came at me separately and they all failed. I wonder if they could defeat me when they came together as one back then. Of course, with the addition of Zeke, they just might be able to –"
"Alex!" Abi immediately scolded him to make him stop while Zeke sighed.
"Don't give anyone ideas on how to defeat you, idiot!" he murmured at the same time so Alex didn't hear him.
Seeing Abi's frown and worry, Alex changed gears and he bent down, kissing her cheek. "That was a joke. Humans don't even know about vampires and witch actually existing in this world presently. Wars like that are now just a thing of the past," he coaxed her. But Abi knew that wasn't impossible, because humans, even in this modern day, still had wars and the possibility of war breaking out in the future was not impossible.
"So, whoever sent these rogue vampires here wants to know if anything like that has happened. And they made sure to send an army because, with their strength and number, someone would definitely manage to leave the forest alive and make it out to report back to them. That's their aim. They know we are here, after all," Alex returned to the topic at hand.
"What will happen if they find out that witches and vampires did decide to help each other?" Abi asked, curious.
"They will, of course, do something about it. Or they could change whatever they are planning to counter it or break it up. Right now, I would prefer that nothing like that happens. If they realize that we now have the upper hand, it will become harder for us to sniff them out if they put their guard up," Zeke explained. "They must not see us standing in the same place and being in good terms with this witch. In short…" he looked at Abigail. "We will need to hurt her."
Abi and Alicia's eyes widened and before Alicia could react, Zeke caught her hand and locked it behind her back, immobilizing her.
"Wait!" Abi was perplexed.
"This is the only way. We will make this look like we stayed here because we were busy torturing this witch the entire night. This is the only way we can get out of this without the enemy becoming suspicious."
All of them knew that what Zeke said was the truth. Abi tried to think of an alternative but she couldn't think of anything more convincing than his suggestion. But… Alicia didn't do anything to them! This was just way too cruel.
Abi bit her lips. She was starting to become emotional. Alicia saw her expression and she smiled at Abigail.
"It's okay, Abigail. I understand that we have to do this. Even though we don't heal as fast as vampires, I can cast a spell on myself so I don't feel the pain," she tried to console Abigail, whom she saw was struggling with the current plan. After she spoke to Abigail, she then looked at Alex and turned to Zeke. "Just promise me that after this… we will help each other," she said evenly to the two vampires.
"Alicia…" Abi teared up as she held onto Alex. Was there really no other way?
"Don't worry. We will help you. That's a promise," Alex suddenly said, surprising Zeke. The only time he ever heard this man make a vow, other than the promises he made to Abigail, was when he vowed to protect his family and that time at the hospital.
Promises were the rarest phrases a vampire would ever say because that works almost like a curse to them, they couldn't easily break them.
Zeke could only pinch his brows but then seeing how the man comforted his emotional wife, he realized that Alex had done this because of her and there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing he could do when it came to Alex doing things for his wife.
Upon hearing a vow coming from this almighty Alexander, Alicia smiled with great relief. This sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. In fact, this torture would probably not be enough to pay for their help. Even their queen never managed to make a single vampire make a vow to her. But Alexander actually vowed to help? She knew this was only possible because of Abigail.
"They are close by. You should start now," Alicia told Zeke and she knelt down on the ground.
Her minions had also appeared one by one. They had to be tortured as well to make this realistic.
"Bring Abigail inside the house, Alex. I'll call you once everything is over," Zeke told Alex and Alex didn't hesitate to take his beloved inside.
The spell that Alicia had cast earlier was one that would stop Abi from hearing anything coming from outside.
Alex could see her being worried so made her sit on a couch and he brought out the bottle of oil he got from the witch.
"I'll put this on you now," he told her.
"Mm." Abi nodded.
Alex started to put the oil on her neck carefully. His fingers were hot and gentle.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine," he assured her. When Abi just nodded. She believed what he said but she still couldn't help but worry.
Seeing her worried expression, Alex leaned in on her with his eyes becoming a little intense. "Do you want me to distract you more?"
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Chapter 385 Brazen
Abi's lips parted at his words. She couldn't believe that he could still act like this in this kind of situation, but why was she even surprised anymore? Hadn't she already learned how shameless this man could be?
"P-please stop being naughty, Alex." She held his wrist to move his hand away from her nape. "This is not the time to –"
"Naughty?" he cut her off, his lips curving up mischievously. "I was going to tell you a story to distract you, little lamb. What did you think I was going to do?"
Abi's eyes widened and she couldn't help but feel her face heat up. Seeing his grin made her feel even more embarrassed. But really? He was going to distract her by telling her a story? This Alex?
Realizing that Alex was teasing her, Abi retorted. "Don't lie, Alex. I know you were thinking about doing something else."
"Something else? Like what? Tell me, little lamb."
"Like doing naughty thi…"
Abi bit her lips, stopping herself from saying anything more, while Alex's throaty chuckle echoed inside the room.
He leaned in and pinched her chin. "You're getting naughtier by the day, Abigail." He licked his lips and moved even closer, whispering in her ear. "And I so very much like it when you're thinking naughty things."
Speechless, Abigail could only puff her cheeks. "I… I am not the one thinking naughty things, Alex," she protested but Alex simply chuckled.
This sight of him laughing made Abi momentarily forget about anything else. He was laughing. His eyes were bright and he was genuinely happy.
Abi couldn't help but smile and reach out. She held his face, cupped it and planted a kiss on his cheek before she hugged him. This was all she wanted to see, a happy Alex, a smiling Alex. After all the pain he had gone through, she just wanted him to be enveloped with love and happiness and she hoped she would be able to give him the love he deserved. No, she would make sure of it.
"Abigail…" he called her name. Abi didn't notice how that simple kiss and her hug made Alex stand frozen for a while. "Tell me…" he pulled away and looked at her, eyes glimmering with anticipation and nervousness. "You finally… fell for me, right? Your heart only beats for me now, right? You love me now, don't you?"
Abi pressed her lips tightly. Silly… silly Alex!
She watched his expression for a while and she couldn't help but want to squeeze him in her arms. Judging from his expression, he must have felt a little like she did when she first confessed her love for him; a mixture of a fear of disappointment and rejection as well as hope.
Somehow, she felt thrilled thinking about how he would react if she told him that she loved him before they even met in that ball.
Finally opening her lips to speak, Abi held his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Alex…" she started, but before she could continue, the spell broke.
They were both jolted from their own fantasy land and were immediately teleported back to present. Abi looked in the direction of the opened door. She could hear the sound of heavy breathing and nothing more. There were no cries of pain coming from any of the witches. She thought, with relief, that Zeke must not have been too harsh on them and that he didn't really hurt them.
"Alex… let's go," Abi tugged at his sleeve and Alex's shoulders could only drop in displeasure. Holding his wrist, she didn't wait any longer and pulled him with her towards the door.
However, the moment they stepped out, Abi froze by the door. The witches were lined up in a row on their knees, their backs torn open, drenched with blood. Zeke held a whip in his hand and she could see that each witch had at least three whiplashes on their back.
Abi slightly stepped back. This was not what she expected. She looked at Alicia and it looked like she suffered the same cruel punishment. No, she suffered the worst. She had many more lashes on her back then the others! Her damp silver hair stuck to her face and her back was covered with blood and sweat.
Covering her mouth with her hands, Abi looked at Zeke. He didn't say anything and his expression was as unreadable as usual, as if he hadn't just tortured this group of witches. Did he really need to go to these extremes?
Alex pulled her and buried her face on his chest. He didn't say anything as well and just caressed her hair.
"Alex… I don't think this silver haired witch will speak anytime soon," Zeke told him. "We have been at this since last night. It seems this kind of punishment is not hard enough to make her talk."
"What do you want us to do?"
"Take her back to the castle and imprison her there. She needs a more severe torture to coax her into spilling her secrets," Zeke said in a menacing tone.
Alex was silent for a while before he finally nodded.
"And these minions of hers?"
"We have no need for any of them."
"That's true."
Zeke picked Alicia up and tied her hands behind her back. "You can run fast, right? Witch?" Zeke asked while Alex carried Abigail, princess style.
"Let's go," Zeke signaled and in the next second, all four of them leapt into the dark forest.
In no time, they reached the entrance and finally got out of the forest. The car was still sitting in the same place where Abi had left it.
They were approaching the car when suddenly, Zeke dropped the witch on the ground and he leapt in the air. The next second, he kicked a log away from its original trajectory - it seemed like it was aimed towards the car - towards the ground to the left. The log dug itself into the ground as it landed, creating a slight earthquake.
Zeke smiled as he landed on the ground.
Alex held Abigail in his arms, with his hand over her head in a protective manner, as they looked behind them. It seemed that the rogue vampires had caught up to them.
"How brazen of you to come after us," Zeke spoke at the shadows within the dark forest, nonchalantly putting his hands in his pockets. "I wonder what you guys are after," Zeke goaded, standing in the middle between Alex and Abi and the vampires, with Alicia still kneeling on the ground right next to him.
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Chapter 386 Different
The rogue vampires were indeed strange. Their eyes were not as red as normal vampires. They were a lighter red in color, almost orange, which was absolutely unusual. There had never seen vampires with such pale red eyes before.
Their skin was also very strange. They were as pale as a vampire's but something was off. Their veins were visibly bulging out and their color was dark gray, as if their blood was black. It made Abi shiver just looking at them.
But the worst thing was that they didn't seem to understand what Zeke was doing, as if they had no thoughts of their own and were only acting on the orders they were given.
None of them responded to Zeke's words. None of them trembled in fear at the sight of them. Maybe they weren't sent there to spy on them after all if they couldn't even understand what was being said.
Zeke scratched his nape and turned to Alex.
"I think you better leave these creatures to me, Alex. Take this witch with you and go back first," Zeke said. "Use this witch's power to hide your whereabouts, just in case these things are after you and not the witc –"
Before Zeke could even finish his words, the rogue vampires started to attack, causing Zeke to turn his full attention to the horde. A group of them came at him at once and he caught the first vampire who reached him by the face and slammed him on the ground with just one hand. He was strong enough that he created a dent on the ground with the vampire's face and the dust rose up around them. He then punched the next one in the face and the vampire flew backwards towards a tree trunk. He rolled to the side and caught the arm of the next vampire and flipped him to the ground before smashing his foot on its face.
Alex just sighed, itching to fight as well but he had a more important mission to accomplish. He needed to get Abigail and the witch away from here to safety. "Get inside, Abigail," he told her and Abi immediately nodded and did as he asked.
Once she was inside, Alex walked towards the witch, picked her up and put her on the backseat, tying her securely before he sat on the driver's seat.
Abi's eyes were on Zeke. She could see that Zeke was not losing at all despite the fact that he was outnumbered. It looked like there were about thirty rogue vampires, maybe more. It almost looked like that scene she saw when Alex fought with the rogue vampires alone in that castle. However, she could tell that Alicia was right. These vampires seemed stronger than the ones Alex fought which was unheard of because the sun was out, shining so brightly.
She saw that not one of the rogue vampires was able to touch Zeke but she was still worried because there were too many of them and Zeke wasn't an immortal.
"Will he be alright?" Abi asked Alex, sounding very worried. But Alex just smirked as he glanced at Zeke and started the car.
"Don't worry about that man, Abigail. I am the only one who can kill him," Alex answered confidently and with that, he put his foot on the pedal and left without even looking back at Zeke.
"Witch…" Alex called out. "Activate the spell or I will kill you right now," he threatened, his voice cold and menacing.
But Alicia didn't listen so Alex stopped the car and brought out a dagger. Alex's eyes burned fiery gold as he gazed at her with real warning and danger, freezing Alicia.
Still, she didn't give in. "You don't care if you die? Don't be such a martyr. I wonder what will happen to the witches if their next queen dies," he uttered as he lifted the dagger.
Alicia closed her eyes and finally, she chanted the spell.
Once they felt that the spell was cast, Alex put down the dagger. "Nice acting, witch," Alex told her and Abi let out a deep sigh.
She felt so tense being in this situation. Alex and Alicia's so-called acting felt so real that she actually thought for a second that Alex was actually going to hurt Alicia to make her obey.
"A-alicia… are you okay? Shouldn't we take care of her wounds first, Alex?" Abi asked Alex with a worried look on her face.
"Once we reach the palace, Abigail. We'll get there soon," Alex responded.
"But –"
"It's okay, Abigail. I'm fine." Alicia smiled at her to reassure Abigail but she looked like she was suffering.
Abi was a little hesitant because the last time they traveled, it took hours.
"I'm faster and a better driver than Zeke, Abigail." He smirked and once Abi looked out the windows, her jaw could only fall. It seemed that his speed when they last traveled here was the snail version and she was now getting the bullet train version.
"Those vampires… they looked strange..." Abi then uttered with a frown.
"That's right. I never saw a vampire like them in my entire life," Alex replied. Abi and Alicia were surprised. If Alex, who had lived for thousands of years, had never encountered anything like them before, did that mean those vampires were a new kind of species?
"Abigail," Alicia butted in. "Did you hear their heartbeats?"
Her question made Abi fall speechless. Her brows creased as she thought about it. She did hear it, their heartbeats but…
She shook her head.
"I don't know," she answered. "I heard them but it confused me. It's like… I couldn't figure it out because their heartbeats are so messed up. It's just different from vampires' or witches' or humans'," she explained, confused as well.
Alex pulled his brows into a knot. That was quite intriguing, he thought, and then something seemed to pop in his head, causing him to smile a smile filled with malice.
"It seems those creatures are not natural. I am certain they didn't exist in this world before. Meaning, they were created in this modern age," Alex said.
Alicia and Abi looked at him with surprise.
"Are you saying someone created these vampires?"
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Chapter 387 The only logical theory
The thought that someone was able to create a new species of vampires was a big shock. However, with the technology advancement in the modern world, many tools and procedures may have been created and enhanced to make this possible.
Alex and Alicia knew about Princess Mira's case. Mira now couldn't be classed as a witch and she could not be classed as a vampire also. A witch with a vampire's heart was not something anyone had ever seen before. She was in between both of these species. She was an anomaly, something that was created for a purpose. But she was living proof that a new creature like her could be created. It was not an impossible thing anymore.
This revelation was very shocking, even for Alex. Even he never imagined that something like this could actually happen one day. Just who was this person who actually thought of this kind of madness?
"Alexander…" Alicia looked at Alex with a grave expression. "Our queen has been missing for three months now. Our queen is definitely not the one behind this, right?" she asked, shaking her head at her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she was doubting the witch queen.
"Your queen…" Alex narrowed his eyes. "What's her name again?"
Abi: ". . ."
Alicia: ". . ."
"It doesn't matter. I always called her witch queen, anyway." He glanced at Alicia through the rear view mirror. "So? Do you think it is your queen who is behind all this?"
His gaze was intense, as if he was challenging her.
Alicia slowly shook her head and Alex smiled again. "That witch queen isn't old but her beliefs are as old fashioned as the which queens before her. I know that your kind usually don't like chaos. You tend to keep to yourselves. You like peace and don't like disturbances."
"So if that someone is not a witch… it must be a vampire, right? After all, it seems there are more rogue vampires now than witches," Alicia said.
When Alex didn't respond, Alicia continued. "Have you encountered a vampire strong and powerful enough to conceal himself from us and is powerful enough to actually abduct our queen?"
"Those kinds of vampires only exist in the royal family. But someone powerful enough to abduct that witch queen and create those kinds of creatures... He should be on par with Zeke," Alex answered seriously. "The problem is, there is no other vampire that I have met who is stronger than Zeke in this world. Except me, of course," he smirked.
"May I ask?" Alicia looked at Alex with great curiosity. "Why do you trust Ezekiel so much?"
Abi also stared at Alex with anticipation. Since she entered Alex's life, Zeke had always been an enigma. She remembered how she feared Zeke more than Alex back then. But her view on him changed when he saved little Betty and then, her. Her views on him changed because Alex trusted him so much. He even trusted her life to this man so how could she not feel some degree of trust and gratitude towards him?
And that was why no matter how much Abi felt like Zeke was hiding something, she couldn't fully doubt him. She couldn't see him as an enemy because until now, he was always on Alex's side.
"I… also want to know, Alex," Abi supported Alicia. She didn't know much about their relationship and why Alex's bond with Zeke was so strong. So now that she had the chance to find out, she wasn't going to let that chance slip by.
Alex's lips curved the moment he glanced at Abigail. He looked amused. "I didn't know that such a topic would actually intrigue you, little lamb."
Abi almost wanted to scold him to be serious. This was a serious matter, after all!
"J-just answer our question, Alex. We want to know," Abi puffed her cheeks at him, causing Alex to let out a throaty chuckle.
"Well, Zeke is –"
A thud resounded on top of their car, stopping Alex from talking.
Alicia and Abi looked up with shock and a little bit of fear but Alex didn't even flinch.
"See? He already caught up," Alex said in an even tone as if he had expected this to happen. He stopped the car and someone jumped down. It was Zeke.
He looked disheveled. His hair was messed up and his shirt was ripped in some places. He didn't seem to have been wounded but there were blood splatters on his shirt and pants.
"Were they that strong, Zeke?" Alex asked him with his brow raised.
Zeke didn't answer. He quietly climbed inside the car and sat next to Alicia.
"They were somewhat troublesome," he responded as soon as the car started accelerating.
"And what's your theory this time?" Alex asked. "Speak Zeke, or my Abigail and this witch will think it's you who created them," Alex added, taunting him.
Abi and Alicia's eyes immediately widened and they looked at Zeke with a slight hint of fear in their eyes. But to their surprise, Zeke didn't seem to be bothered at all. It was as if Alex just said that the weather was looking very nice out there instead of the provocative statement. Zeke seemed like he couldn't be bothered answering so he simply rested his head back on the chair and closed his eyes.
The car fell silent for a while. Abi and Alicia didn't know what to say after that while Alex just concentrated on the road ahead.
"And what about you, Alex? Do you think that, too?" Zeke broke the slightly awkward silence and it made Abi and Alicia jump a little on their seats.
Alex smirked while Abi and Alicia just looked at each other, both with the same expression of confusion and disbelief. How could these two talk so casually about something like this? They couldn't help but feel tense!
"Actually, I am thinking that… that's the only logical theory I can think of right now," Alex answered him.
Abi and Alicia: ". . . !!!"
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388 Achilles heel
Abi's eyes immediately flew to Zeke's face and there it was. An expression finally broke through his normally unfathomable face but before Abi even had the time to decipher what it was, it had already disappeared, as if it was only a figment of her imagination. At that moment, she felt like she was reaching out for an intriguing paper plane that was finally falling closer towards her. She was so close to finally grasping it but a strong wind suddenly blew it away from her reach before she could even jump to capture it and all she could do was watch it disappear from her eyes.
The next moment, a chuckle echoed inside the car. It was soft but it sounded like a rolling thunder from a deep, endless abyss. That was the first time Abi saw and heard Zeke laugh. It was a strange sound because she just couldn't tell whether his laughter contained any buried emotions or any meaning in them. This man was still such a mystery even after he saved her life, even after she teamed up with him to try and get Alex's memories back. She still couldn't quite figure out what his real agenda was.
"You don't sound like you're really thinking about it though," he said once his laughter faded. He opened his eyes and stared at Alex through the rear view mirror. "You sound like you're hoping for it to be true, Alex."
A small smile played on Alex's lips and his expression became unfathomable as well.
Abi and Alicia eagerly waited for what Alex would say next but unfortunately for them, he didn't say anymore and just continued smiling, as if he was amused at some private joke inside his head while Zeke simply shook his head.
Abi and Alicia both felt a little disappointed that Alex hadn't rebutted Zeke's comment. They were both really curious about the relationship between these two so they had wanted the conversation to go on so that they could maybe find out something, anything that would give them an idea on why Alex seemed to listen to Zeke.
The car halted in front of an inn. Alex looked out the window, narrowed his eyes as he zeroed his gaze through the open door.
"This inn is owned by humans," he mumbled before he turned to Abigail. "Little lamb, you can take her inside to clean up. We'll wait for you two out here."
Abi was quick to nod. Even though she really wanted to be there to listen to more of their conversation, taking care of Alicia's wounds was more important. She climbed out of the car and then helped Alicia out before covering Alicia's back with her jacket as they both headed inside the inn.
Zeke and Alex also climbed out and leaned against the car, facing opposite directions.
"The flesh, human, the heart of a vampire and the blood of a witch," Zeke started, causing Alex to smirk and throw his head back.
"Because unlike vampires and witches, the human body thrives under the sun," Alex replied, looking amused. "That's why my Abigail couldn't identify the heartbeat. The human body seemed to have altered the pace of the vampire heart."
"Seems like it. Or maybe it has something to do with the witch's blood running through their veins. The imposter, Mira, used a royal blood's vampire heart and that heart was much stronger than her blood, therefore the heartbeat remained indiscernible to our ears. But those creatures have been transplanted with a common vampire's heart. The heart is still stronger than a human's but the witch blood managed to affect it."
"To make the human body last longer as well. Witches can withstand severe injuries because of the permanent spells that they cast on themselves to make their bodies stronger. That's why, unlike humans, they don't die easily." Alex glanced at Zeke with a taunting look. "If it's not you who thought up this madness, then I worry that there is actually someone out there who managed to outsmart the most intelligent Prince Ezekiel."
Zeke nonchalantly fixed his sleeve. "I think you are worrying about the wrong thing, Alex." Zeke glanced back at him with a taunting comeback. "I'm worried someone out there might be mad enough to actually recreate what you did in the past; to create a powerful army to subdue you, the dragon, in order to kill you and take that immortal life you possess."
This time, it was Alex's turn to laugh. His chuckle was filled with amusement but they vibrated with challenging power. "Now that would certainly be an interesting development," he said, his eyes turned gold, burning with excitement. "It's ironic though. All these years I have been waiting for something interesting to come along to pique my interest but nothing appeared. I waited for many millennia then all of a sudden, Abigail shows up in my life - a very interesting development, wouldn't you say? And now that I have her in my life, I don't want for anything else. Just when I decide to settle down with her and perhaps live a peaceful life, fate finally throws me a curve ball. I guess that sums up fate or destiny or whatever this is, in a nutshell. It's a right old, grumpy b*tch."
"Hmm... Regardless, whoever this is has certainly chosen the best time to do this because you are in your weakest state right now, Alex."
"Weakest..." he echoed, glancing at Zeke with a challenging smirk. "Did I hear you correctly?"
"What I mean is... after thousands and thousands of years, your Achilles heel finally showed itself. There has never been a more ripe opportunity to take you down."
"My Achilles heel, huh..." Alex contemplated as he threw his head back. The next moment, his smile slowly faded. "Abigail..." he suddenly muttered and his head snapped to Zeke as he narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me their aim is to get to my little lamb."
Their eyes met. "That's definitely one of the biggest possibilities, Alex. If I were them, I would use Abigail against you. That's the easiest way to bring you down, after all."
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Chapter 389 Priority
Meanwhile inside the inn, Abi quickly paid for a room and brought Alicia there. They headed straight to the bathroom. Abi helped Alicia undress so that her back was uncovered and Abi carefully cleaned her wounds with a warm, wet cloth.
Abi looked at the damage Zeke had done and she couldn't help but flinch when she touched the open wounds with the cloth. She could only imagine the kind of pain Alicia was in.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" she asked. "Sorry, that was a stupid question. That bad Zeke… he should've at least been a little gentler."
"It's okay. Ezekiel actually held back a lot. Besides, he had to do that to make it look realistic," Alicia responded but Abi still felt bad.
After Abi cleaned Alicia's wounds, Alicia gave her a bottle with green colored oil inside it. Abi poured a generous amount onto a clean cloth and started to dab her open wounds with some of the oil.
"These won't leave marks on you, right?"
"Don't worry, they won't," Alicia smiled to reassure Abigail.
As Abi waited for Alicia to get changed - luckily she still had her backpack with her clothes in the car so she was able to give Alicia a clean shirt - she closed her eyes to listen to her surroundings. She also wanted to check on Alex because she was worried about what those strange creatures wanted. She couldn't help but think that maybe those creatures were actually after Alex too.
What Abi heard first was Zeke's statement about Alex's weakness, his Achilles heel - she, of course, correctly deduced that Zeke was talking about her - and then she heard him say that the easiest way to bring Alex down was by using her.
Those words made Abi's heart thud uncomfortably. She was reminded of the fact that she was the person prophesied to kill Alex. She was reminded that Alex was in danger once again because of her. What Zeke said was true but she thought she wasn't his weakness because of what he felt for her; she was his weakness because she was the one person in this world who could kill him. But why? Why her? Why did that person in the prophecy have to be her?
"Abigail, are you okay?" Alicia asked as she walked out of the bathroom when she saw that Abi had a faraway look in her eyes.
Abi blinked and was pulled back to reality. "I-I'm fine." She forced a smile as she stood up. "Are you ready?" Abi asked and when Alicia nodded, Abi held her wrist and both of them returned to the car.
Alicia continued casting a spell over them to make sure that nobody spied on them during their trip back to the castle. She was powerful enough to cast a spell over the entire castle and also within a five mile radius of the castle.
Zeke seemed to have sensed how powerful Alicia was. He said this was why he had made it look like they were taking the witch back with them to further torture her, because he knew that she was powerful enough to hide them from the eyes of other witches. Abi didn't even have the chance to keep her promise and ask them to take Alicia back because this man was already a step ahead, as usual.
The car finally stopped at the castle's entrance. Not wanting to create a commotion or cause suspicion within the palace, they tied up Alicia again and covered her head with a jacket, hiding her silver hair so that everyone else would think that they had caught a normal witch causing trouble.
The four of them headed into the underground dungeon where Mira's imposter was detained.
Zeke sent all the soldiers away and once they were the only ones left inside, Zeke took off Alicia's chains.
"Now it's time for you to speak, Alicia." Zeke didn't beat around the bush. "How did you manage to speak with Abigail?"
Alex also looked at her. That was right. How did Abigail end up in the forest?
"Through her dreams. I was able to speak with her through that," she confessed and Alex slightly creased his brows while Zeke just leaned against the wall, glancing at Abigail like he was calculating something in his head.
"You can speak with Abigail through dreams? How is that possible?" Zeke asked, seemingly curious.
"I don't know how that happened either but I was able to do it."
Zeke just stared at Abigail for a while before he returned his gaze to Alicia.
"I knew you were trying to approach her when we first visited White Falls Village. I just didn't expect you to actually be able to communicate with her through her dreams," Zeke sounded a little amazed.
"So that is why you put on one hell of a good show, Zeke? You made Abigail jealous so that she would run away, even fighting with me to give her enough time to meet with this witch. It was all part of your plan all along," Alex butted in, staring at Zeke sharply.
Zeke didn't deny it but he didn't agree either. He returned his gaze to Alicia again as if Alex didn't just speak, but before he could ask her more questions, Abigail beat him to it.
"Alicia, won't it be better if you just showed the things you showed me to Alex?" she asked. Abi had been thinking about this right after they left the inn. While Zeke and Alex were talking about that enemy and Alicia was thinking about her queen, her mind was filled with how to bring Alex's memories back. She wanted to tell them to forget about the enemy for now and focus on Alex but she knew she can't just tell them that.
She could already tell that Alex and Zeke couldn't ignore whoever that enemy was but Abi didn't have the luxury to be distracted from her priority. She needed to bring Alex's memories back and ensure he was fine before that enemy came after him. So she thought that this would be the quickest way to bring back Alex's memories and bring her Alex back to her.
She walked towards Alicia and held the witch's hands in hers. "I believe that if Alex sees everything with his own two eyes, he will remember everything."
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Chapter 390 Easy
Seeing Abi's expectant look, Alicia could only look down.
"I'm sorry, Abigail. The crystal ball doesn't work that way on vampires," she told her, causing Abi to frown with confusion. "Vampires cannot see anything in the crystal balls."
"B-but I could look into it and see things and I'm not a witch."
"Humans seem to be able to see in them, Abigail, but vampires can't."
Her statement made Abi's heart sink. She thought she had finally figured out a way to bring Alex's memories back only to be disappointed. It seemed she had no choice but to tell him the truth. But will it even trigger anything? She didn't know but she would at least try and hope for the best.
Before Abi could turn to look at Alex, he was already behind her. He held her hips and pulled her closer towards him.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "What did you mean by that, huh, Abigail? What do you want me to remember?" he asked, eyes intense and prying.
Abi bit her lips to stop herself from becoming emotional.
She cupped his face, staring back at him with such longing and love that he couldn't look away.
"Alex… listen… I will tell you everything that you have forgotten," she started and Alex looked at her with confusion and anticipation. "Alex… I am…"
Abi couldn't continue her words. It was because the color of Alex's eyes suddenly turned gold and they burned. His body suddenly stiffened as his body temperature drastically dropped.
Oh no! This was all too familiar. This was what happened to him when they were up on the castle's roof, before he fell.
"Alex? Are you okay?" Abi's heart accelerated. Was that happening again? Please, no!
Alex started to pant like he was out of breath. The next moment, he fell on his knee, clutching his chest.
"Alex!" Abi crouches down, not knowing what to do.
"I'm… fine," he said but Abi was panicking.
"Z-zeke, this is what happened to him that time we fell from the rooftop!" she spoke to Zeke in a frantic voice.
Zeke crouched down as well but before Zeke could touch him, Alex lifted his hand. "I said I'm fine. I'm not going to pass out this time," he said, smirking, despite him gasping for air.
"Alex please! You're not fine at all!" Abi's eyes welled as she held his face. "Please stop making me worry," she pleaded.
Alex gazed at her. Her worried to death expression made him smile even in this situation.
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms and buried his head on the nook of her shoulders. "You know what, all you have to do is tell me you love me and I'll be fine," he whispered in her ear with his hoarse deep voice and Abi didn't hesitate to move his hand and make him look at her.
"I love you. I love you so much, Alex!" she told him with her still frantic voice without any hesitation, causing Alex to chuckle weakly and just like that, his body became limp and he fell on her.
His breathing, which seemed like someone was strangling him, slowly calmed down and the warmth began to melt the ice that seemed to enveloped his skin. Abi teared up from relief as she hugged him tightly, worried to death.
Zeke and Alicia watched them in silence. Alicia wasn't surprised by this because she had seen the first incident through the crystal ball.
"The spell is starting to run out," Alicia uttered, causing Abi to shake her head.
"It seems we can't delay anymore," Zeke said. Alicia was surprised as he looked at her because he didn't seem curious about the spell she was talking about. Did he already know something? But that's impossible! Was he just not interested?
"Now, Alicia," Zeke's gaze on her turned serious. "It's time for you to work," he told her, making the witch look at him with questions in her eyes.
"I brought you here for another reason. I want you to find out where the enemies are."
"H-how am I supposed to do that?"
"Easy. Just find the places that you cannot see in your crystal ball. The places that are out of your vision can only mean one thing, right?"
Alicia was silenced. What he said was pretty logical. And was actually easier. Why didn't she think of that before?! But even if she did, she and the few witches following her was not enough to save their queen.
"But I don't have a crystal ball to use."
"Wait here. I'll bring you one in a moment," he told her and then he crouched down to pick Alex up from the ground.
Zeke brought Alex to his room along with Abigail, while Alicia was left in the dungeon.
As Alex lay there, Zeke walked towards the door to leave but he suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
"Abigail. Once he wakes up, tell him to come to my study. We will have to talk about our journey tomorrow."
"Journey to find the witch queen or to find the enemy."
"Both. You and Alex already agreed to help Alicia anyway."
"But… What about Alex's memories? Don't you think that should be our priority right now?"
"You are right. But the answers we are looking for could be with them. And even if we prioritize Alex's memories, we don't really have a real lead on how to even start. It's better for us to move now than stay and hope that he regains his memories."
Abi looked down. He was right. They don't have any real answers. All they had were theories and hopes for the best but that wasn't enough. And Abi remembered what that witch queen had said to Alex before he chose this path - that there was one person who was able to get his memories back. If the queen could tell them what that person did, they could get a lead on how to bring him back.
But how long would it take until they find that queen? Was she really not capable of at least bringing Alex's memories back? Abi clenched her fists. She had said it was her turn to save him but she was unable to do anything, even now.
"Zeke, are you the one who blocked my entry to this country in the last three months?" she asked.
Zeke was silent for a moment but he eventually answered "yes."
"Why?" Abi's lips trembled. "If I have been here earlier, I could have had more time to try and bring back Alex's memories. Tell me, Zeke, why did you not let me enter this country for so long?"
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