PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 421 Mist
Alex gritted his teeth. His gaze fell on that empty land again and the blaze in his eyes wavered. He knew what disturbed his mind might be a certain witch’s mind manipulation and he knew that Zeke and his men were watching over that place but... seeing just how many of these creatures there were, Alex just couldn’t ignore the feeling of unease in his heart.
His fists clenched and he finally leapt again, but not to that place he had finally discovered. He leapt back, as fast as lightning, toward the glass house where he had left his sleeping Abigail.
It didn’t take him long before he reached the forest, which was between the foot of the mountain and the glass house. His heart was troubled. As he landed on top of a tree, where he could just make out the edges of the glass house, Alex was about to leap again when his head snapped to his right - towards the middle of the forest. What was that? Was there something there?
Alex disappeared in a blink of an eye and he landed on the ground. The mist surrounding him was thick but it only covered the ground up to his knees and were not climbing up higher at all. It was very strange.
He walked closer towards what looked like a well and eyes narrowed and then they instantly became wide open as he realised who he was looking at. It was a sight that shook his entire being.
He gripped the lip of the well and his grip crushed the bricks into rubble. His heart seemed to have stopped beating and his eyes blazed intensely because the person he saw was none other than his Abigail. She stood there in the middle of the forest, unmoving, facing him. Abigail?What was she doing here all alone? Why did she leave the house? Why didn’t she wait for him to get back?
However, her eyes were blank, unseeing, almost as if they were dead.
"Abigail..." Alex called her name as he slowly walked closer to her. His senses were on high alert. He was trying to feel if any enemies might appear out of nowhere and at the same time, he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her because with just one glance, Alex knew something was off. He had never seen his Abigail with blank and lifeless eyes like that. Her eyes had always, always, shone like the stars.
Alex’s heart couldn’t help but tremble in fear. He couldn’t stand to see those eyes become so lifeless. because as he looked at her more closely, he noticed that she was covered with blood. Was she...?!
That thought alone made his body want to crumble. His mind was telling him that she had been injured because of the blood all over her and that lifeless look in her eyes. But no... She couldn’t be... She was alright... she had to be alright. She had to be... that was just someone else’s blood...
Alex kept repeating those words in his head. He told himself anything and everything he could to get this feeling of dread to leave his body. He didn’t want to think about it. There was no way that his Abigail was... Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! NO!
One part of him wanted to go to her and shake her out of whatever this trance was - he desperately wanted to believe that she was just in a trance - but another part of him wanted to close his eyes from it, to pretend this was just a dream, afraid to find out the truth in case it wasn’t the truth that he wanted.
He would never forgive himself and the whole world if... if Abigail was...
Finally reaching her, Alex slowly lifted his hand to touch her face. His hand was trembling as it got closer to her face. "A-Abi... Abigail... I’m here," he said softly, his voice full of fear and despair mixed with hope. But she didn’t move, not even to blink. "Abigail... please... come back to me," he whispered to her.
His trembling hand paused in mid-air as he hesitated but then his hand moved forward again and the moment he touched her skin, she blinked. Her eyes began to go back to normal and she looked up at him. "A-alex!!" she called his name and she jumped on him, hugging him tightly.
Alex hugged her back, much tighter than her grip. He breathed again. He didn’t realise he had been holding his breath from the moment he saw her standing out there, all alone. He felt like he finally broke to the surface and inhaled some much needed oxygen after being underwater for a long time. She was alive! Oh god. She was alive! Alex hugged her like he was never going to let her go. He buried his face on her shoulder as tears of joy escaped from his eyes. Thank god she was alive.
He didn’t know what he would have done if she had actually... No, he could not bear even just the thought of it.
He closed his eyes as he kissed her head and then, he spoke. "Are you o–"
Alex, even though he was feeling very emotional at that moment, was shocked out of his painful thoughts. He couldn’t even finish his words because when his eyes looked down, he saw that the mist had completely disappeared. There was nothing, not even a little trail of it was left. But that was not what shocked him. Now that the mist had disappeared, Alex saw the amount of dead bodies lying on the ground around them.
"Alex... where have you been? I have been looking for you. I thought... I thought..." Abigail started crying and her body began to tremble from both her fear and the cold. It was only now that he realised that she was out here in the freezing cold wearing so little; just a thick, white robe and her nightgown.
Her words and her trembling body pulled Alex’s attention away from the dead bodies. He looked at her face and he realized just how pale she was. Her lips were trembling as well and they were colorless.
Alex was quick to wrap his jacket around her but he knew that it wouldn’t be enough. He had to bring her to a warm place or she might freeze to death!
Abi was about to look around them but Alex pressed her head to his chest and he lifted her up, not giving her a chance to see all the dead bodies. He leapt away towards the glass house and noticed that there seemed to be a fight happening quite close to their house. He leapt closer to the disturbance, wanting to make sure that it would be safe for him to take Abigail back to the house and when he landed on a high branch and looked down, he saw Zeke’s men fighting the hybrids.
He saw Raven as well, who seemed to have gotten past the first enemy line, but it looked like he too had been ambushed not too far from his men. Alex made his presence known to the elite vampires and Raven leapt from the crowd of enemies to follow Alex. Raven’s men made sure that none of the hybrids went after the trio.
Alex and Raven landed on top of the glass house. "Make sure no one approaches this place," was all Alex said and Raven immediately nodded and left to stand guard as Alex jumped down to the back of the glass house.
Alex immediately went into the cupboard and took a few thick towels and then he went into the sauna and turned the temperature all the way down, but still kept it at a warm enough temperature to slowly warm Abigail up. He slowly took off her cold, wet clothes. He then took the chance to see if she was wounded anywhere and he was utterly relieved to find that there she did not have a single scratch on her.
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Chapter 422 His goal
Abigail didn’t protest. She was too cold to care. All she could think about, now that Alex was with her, was to get warm again to stop the shivering.
Alex removed his shirt as well to give her more warmth and he used the towels to wrap around her and himself to keep her warm. He sat on the wooden bench, cradling her tightly. He rubbed her shoulders, took her hands in his and blew on them, trying to get her blood circulating again.
"Abigail... are you, okay?" he asked her.
She nodded, but her eyes were closed. She was still trembling.
"I’m so sorry... I shouldn’t have left you." His arms around her tightened and he kissed her head, his face filled with regret.
"I-I’m f-fine..." she stuttered softly and thankfully, her trembles started to die down. "Please, don’t leave me again, Alex... I wouldn’t be able to take it if you disappeared from my life again. I... I can’t live without you. So please... never leave me like that again..." she cried and Alex’s heart squeezed in pain.
"I’m sorry. I promise. I will not leave your side again," he vowed as he kissed her lips, trying to warm it up so it would become pink again. Regret was evident in his voice.
He had acted too rashly. He had been too desperate to regain his memories, to find the witch queen and solve this problem all at once. He couldn’t bear seeing her trying so hard just for him to remember and he couldn’t accept that despite everything she had done, she still remained invisible in his head. But it seemed his decision ended up hurting her like this again. All he wanted was to make her happy but the world just kept on getting in the way, making Alex feel even more aggravated. That feeling of wanting to destroy everything was starting to bubble under the surface, getting ready to overflow if he let it. This time, Alex felt that he would destroy the world, not to conquer it. He wanted to destroy it so that he could create a place for the two of them, a place where no one would ever get in their way again, a place where nothing would ever cause this girl to cry in pain again.
That was his goal. From here on out, that would be his aim and if the world refused to give him that, then he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy everything once again. If that was what it took, he was willing to become that monster again.
Abi kissed him back before she buried her face on his neck, feeling his warmth, before she whispered weakly at him.
"Alex... I am seeing nightmares again. And a woman is calling to me."
"Nightmares?" The worry in Alex’s eyes was momentarily replaced with curiosity. And what did she mean by ’again’? Had she had nightmares like this before? What kind of nightmares did she have?
Abi’s grip on his neck tightened a little. "I never told you this but the things that happened that night... that night when you made me stab you... I had been having nightmares about it beforehand. It was as if... as if I saw the future, Alex. And it’s happening again. That’s why... I’m scared. I’m scared that something might happen to you again."
"Shhh... nothing like that will happen to me again so don’t think about that anymore," he consoled.
The words she said made Alex frown hard. He now remembered what happened in that room except that Abigail was still not in the picture. He now knew that she was the girl in that prophecy; the one who was born to kill him.
That truth never bothered him at all. What bothered him was what was currently happening to his Abigail. What he saw with the mist and the litter of dead bodies in the forest was an utter mystery and it seemed that she was also able to see the future through nightmares?
Alex rubbed her back and when he felt that her body temperature was getting closer to normal, Alex lifted her up and brought her to their room. He was quick to do so and he helped her get changed. Alex also changed his clothes in haste before he carried her and tucked her in the bed, wrapping her with thick, warm blankets.
He grabbed the blow dryer and dried her hair patiently. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that the others were fighting just outside this house. Well, it was useless even if he was to take her away. The enemies would surely go after them no matter where they went.
"Do you need something else?" Alex asked gently once he was done drying her hair.
Abi shook her head and just stared at him.
"Where did you go?" she asked.
"I’ve found their lair," answered Alex as he moved behind her and leaned on the headboard.
Abi just quietly bit her lips. "Your nightmares... what did you see?" he asked her this time.
"I saw a woman in a black dress. She also wore a black veil. She looks to be the queen of the hybrid vampires."
"Was she the one calling out to you?"
"Yes. And there are so very many of those creatures worshipping her. There’s just too many of them, Alex."
"What else did you see?"
Silence reigned between them for a few seconds as Abi hesitated. "I saw... myself bathing in a pool of blood. And... me calling out for you..." she said weakly as she gripped his fingers. "And I also heard another voice telling me not to go. Telling me to leave. That woman in black veil wanted me to come to that forest –"
Suddenly, Abi paused as if she just realized something important.
Alex silently asked her through his eyes to spill what it was and Abi swallowed. "H-how did I... I don’t remember going to the forest. How did I end up there?" she asked, her brows knotted and her eyes round and big with confusion. "After I woke up... I looked for you but, I never decided to leave the house. So how come I..."
Seeing the questions and confusion in her eyes, Alex pulled her and buried her head on his chest. His eyes turned serious as he looked through the glass wall. "Don’t worry about that, Abigail. Some witch must have hypnotized you and brought you there. Gladly, I was able to find you in time," he said, not telling her about the mist or the dead bodies. "Get some rest now, I won’t leave your side."
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Chapter 423 Water and oil
The chaotic fight outside the glass house slowly halted because it seemed the enemy had finally stopped sending his minions, or did that someone finally run out of minions to send?
The elite vampires and Alicia were still in the forest, surrounded by many dead hybrids, looking exhausted but standing strong. Almost all of the elite vampires were wounded and some wounds that were inflicted on them didn’t heal. Alicia knew that those were the wounds inflicted by the hybrid witches that used poisonous spells to stop the vampire’s self-healing abilities.
Zeke’s men were used to combat. They were powerful but fighting a mob of zombie-like hybrids took quite a toll on them. That was their first time fighting this kind of battle, not to mention that the witches were casting spells as well. If Alicia was not around, one or two of them would have probably died in this battle.
"Whew! That was... extreme... haha..." Riev was the first to fall on the ground and he sat there, exhausted.
"Yeah. There were so many of them! I didn’t see that coming at all," another one sat down as well.
"Where the hell did they all come from? It was like they kept multiplying. And these corpses... what the heck are we going to do with them?"
"Well, I think we’ll let the snow bury them... wait!" Riev suddenly straightened. "What about the miss?!"
Before everyone could panic and move again, Raven landed before them.
"She’s with Alexander in the glass house," he said and everyone sighed in unison. They thought that the hybrids must have abducted the miss and that was why they stopped coming.
Raven’s eyes then fell on Alicia and he found her pouring out droplets of a pink potion on one of the vampire’s wounds. The other vampires surrounded her, eyes filled with wonder and amazement.
"That witch princess..." Riev started. "She’s a badass. I didn’t know witches could control trees!"
"It’s just that princess. Normal witches don’t have such power," Raven told him.
"Oh. So she’s the only one who’s amazing?!" Riev’s eyes twinkled as he looked at her. "She’s really amazing! I like her already!" he declared, causing everyone to look at him with a shocked expression.
All of them knew that witches and vampires becoming friends was just impossible. They were like water and oil, not meant to mix together, since the beginning of time.
"What? Is it wrong to admire such a badass princess?!" Riev ranted. No one spoke and they just gazed back at the witch who was busy extracting the poison from the vampire’s wounds.
When she reached Riev, Alicia knelt before him and asked him to stretch out his hand.
"We have to remove all the poison because it will spread all over your body over time. This is enough to kill you guys in the next two days if left untreated," Alicia explained.
"You guys created this poison to go against us, right?" a man sitting at the back, asked.
"This poison is ancient. During the time of the witches’ slavery, some witches created this poison to silently kill their masters. It had been widely used during that time but as time passed, the previous queens ordered the destruction of all the books that contained information on the ingredients and processes for making this poison. They forbade its manufacture. Even I don’t know how to make this poison. This was supposed to have been long forgotten so I am very surprised that these hybrid witches actually possessed this poison in this era."
"Meaning, a book must have survived? Or could it be that your queen is the one who made these?"
What followed that question was a deep silence. Alicia couldn’t speak because no matter how much she hated it, that same thought also came to mind. It was impossible that one of those books had survived. The only possible thing was that they got the recipe from the queen. Witch queens inherited everything from their dead predecessors. All their knowledge - potion recipes, spells and everything else that had been created since the beginning of time will become known to them. And that was what made them powerful.
Alicia also knew that it was impossible for anyone to get that knowledge except if the queen spouted it out herself. Their queen would never do that! She didn’t believe that their queen would ever spill their secrets but... how else could they have gotten the recipe?
"Witch princess," Raven pulled her back to the present once she finished treating the last one of them. She looked at him. "Alexander asked for you to come. It seems that something happened to the miss."
"Okay," she immediately stood up. She wanted to see Abigail and she was really worried about her. She wanted to know what happened because she had failed to see much through her magic ball.
She was quick to follow Raven as they headed to the glass house. Alicia was a little exhausted and she was extremely grateful that the vampires protected her during the fight. The moment Reiv and herself found the others, they had formed a circle around her and didn’t let the vampires mob her. So, in her safe cocoon, she was able to safely support the vampires. It was a huge help because she was able to conserve energy and she didn’t suffer any injuries.
Finally reaching the glass house, Alicia was welcomed by Alex. There was an extremely troubled expression on his face.
Alex’s eyes wandered and he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling exasperated. Alicia had not seen Alexander looking so helpless and his expression made her heart thud nervously.
"What’s wrong? Is Abigail alright?" she asked him, eyes filled with worry as she quickly removed her cloak. She didn’t know what would happen if Abigail was... oh no, please!
Alicia started to panic. She hoped that she would be able to still save her.
"What happened to her?" she asked again as she quickly followed him inside the room when...
"She’s burning. I think she caught a fever," Alexander said, causing Alicia to almost stumble over her own feet.
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Chapter 424 Darkness
Alicia was speechless. Oh my but he had scared her! She actually thought that something really bad had happened to Abi, like she was on her death bed or something, because of how Alexander looked!
"Where is Zeke?" He asked her.
"I’m not sure. He went to scope out one of the potential areas by himself. He hasn’t come back yet, it seems," Alicia replied.
"Didn’t you see him in your crystal ball?" Alex probed.
Alicia had walked over to the bed and sat next to Abigail, with her hand on Abi’s forehead to check her temperature. When she heard Alex’s questions, she looked back at him. "After he left, I didn’t have the time to look for him because we were close to being surrounded," she answered and Alex’s lips twitched, obviously displeased and angry but his displeasure wasn’t pointed at her.
"She’s okay. She’ll be fine after drinking some medicine," Alicia assured him and his expression somehow softened. The deep lines on his head also became smooth again.
She then left the room and returned with a wet towel and a small basin with her. "Please use this. This will help lower her temperature," she told him and Alex took them from her.
Alicia thought that Alex would prefer using the more natural way to help Abigail. Besides, she too didn’t want to use magic on a human like her so she opted for this method. She would only use magic on Abigail if there was no other choice and thankfully, this was not a life or death matter.
"I’ll go prepare the medicine," she said before she left the room again.
Alex immediately moved to sit next to Abigail. He wringed the wet, cool towel then gently dabbed it on her forehead. He knew this was normal for Abigail to get sick and catch a fever. She wasn’t like them after all. But Alex couldn’t help but worry. He couldn’t stop thinking about that scene he saw in the forest. What if something actually happened to her at that moment? Was she really alright?
When Alicia came back, Alex woke Abigail up and made her drink the medicine that Alicia had prepared. Abigail was barely awake as she gulped the medicine down, and not long after, she fell asleep again. Her hand held onto Alex’s hand, as if she feared that he would leave again.
"I’m sure she’ll be fine once she wakes up," said Alicia and she was about to leave when Alex spoke.
"Did you see what happened to Abigail in the forest?"
Alicia halted and looked at him with a serious gaze. "Not really. A strange mist covered my vision. I couldn’t see much."
What she said made Alex frown again. It seemed there was no way currently for him to know exactly what had happened. Who killed those hybrid vampires and witches around her? How come there was not even a single scratch on her if a battle ensued around her?
The questions kept coming. Did somebody come along and save Abigail?
His eyes fell on Abi’s face as he removed the wet cloth and dipped it into the water again.
"What are we going to do next?" Alicia asked. Now that things were getting really serious, Alicia wasn’t sure about what their next move should be now that this had happened. Their plans had disintegrated within a night and what was worse was that Ezekiel, the mastermind, just disappeared into thin air.
"We’re not going to move until Abigail is better," Alex responded.
Of course, that was an answer Alicia had expected from this man. Ezekiel had tried to avoid something like this from happening when they were in Country V because he knew that if Abigail was in this kind of state, their trip would have definitely been delayed.
"But what if they attack us again?" Alicia asked.
A short silence enveloped the room and then, suddenly, an extremely dark and chilling sensation roused Alicia’s defensive instincts. It made her want to step back but the moment she looked at Alexander’s golden eyes, her body stiffened. His gaze was enough to paralyze her entire being. "Let them come," he said, his voice as deep as a rolling thunder in an endless abyss. "I will destroy them all. No one is allowed to disturb Abigail while she’s resting."
Alicia subconsciously swallowed. Why was he suddenly exuding this terrifying aura? This was a completely different sensation, different from that time he was in his berserk state. It had the same menacing feel to it but there was a calculative, controlled emotion behind it. It was almost as if Alex had mastered controlling the berserker within him. It was like he was now able to summon up that side of him without losing his mind and that thought was terrifying. Alicia had never been so terrified by someone’s aura. She was a witch princess and she was immune to all kinds of mind manipulation. She had the ability to control her emotions, even fear, and that was how she was able to always stay calm in any situation.
But it seemed that the dark, ominous aura this man was exuding right then surpassed anything she had ever encountered before. When he was going berserk, he was like a terrifying, untamed beast. But this time, she felt like he was like the god of darkness, or darkness itself.
"Mmm... Alex..." Abigail’s moan was like a loud clap, waking Alicia up from her waking nightmare.
"Yes. I’m here," Alex instantly replied. The darkness that had enveloped the room disappeared like it never existed.
Alicia’s throat was dry and she almost staggered, utterly confused at what just happened.
"I... I’m going back to the tent," she said and without waiting for Alex to respond, she quickly made her way out of the house. She stopped by a tree just outside the house and looked back.
She knew that that feeling she felt was real. It wasn’t an illusion. Was that the extent of the darkness Alexander had been hiding within him? It seemed that the Alexander that she and everyone knew was just the tip of the iceberg. It seemed that none of them have seen the real him yet.
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Chapter 425 Before the storm
The morning sun streamed through the glass windows and ceiling and kissed Abigail’s face. Its warmth was a welcome feeling, giving the room a somewhat calm, warm and peaceful ambience; a stark contrast to the cold, icy darkness from the night before.
Abigail’s eyelashes fluttered like the soft wings of a butterfly, revealing her black eyes. She blinked a few times to adjust to the almost blinding brightness that surrounded her. She lay unmoving, looking out of the glass ceiling onto the bright blue sky. There was not a cloud to be seen up there.
Abi could only smile from seeing such a beautiful sight as soon as she opened her eyes. After taking a few more seconds to admire the beauty up above, she looked around the room and noticed the small basin and the wet towel sitting on top of the bedside table. ’Alex!’ she thought as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
Abi moved to leave the bed, only to discover that there was an arm around her waist, stopping her from doing so. Alex was lying next to her, spooning her, and her racing heart calmed down.
She adjusted her position so that she could look at his sleeping face. It was a rare occasion that she was able to admire him when he was still asleep so she took the chance to do so.
She looked at him closely, as if trying to memorise every curve, every angle, every contour on his face. Had his face changed much since three months ago? She tried to remember what he looked like three months ago to compare to this moment but she became distracted when his long eyelashes fluttered.
She smiled. She just couldn’t help it. Her heart felt so full, so thankful that she had found him again. She just felt incredibly happy that she felt like her heart wouldn’t be able to contain her happiness. She was back in this house again with the man she loved and regardless of whatever else was going on outside that, she was happy.
In the next moment, she was reminded of what transpired the night before. Alex had found her wandering around in the forest and she had seen Zeke’s men fighting a large horde of hybrids. The serenity and peace she felt at that moment was a stark contrast to the chaos and destruction that she saw last night.
Was the fight over? How come it felt peaceful again?
All of a sudden, Abigail felt a foreboding feeling within her. This peace, this serenity somehow felt like the calm before the storm. Abi’s snapped towards Alex again and this time, her black eyes were met by his bottomless, dark eyes.
Alex’s face showed his concern and worry over her condition and the first thing he did was put a palm on her forehead to check her temperature. It seemed that her temperature had gone down during the night and he instantly felt relieved. The next thing he did was replace his hand with his lips, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Good morning, Alex," she murmured as she looked into his eyes.
"Good morning, little lamb." he replied but then he frowned again when he saw that she still looked a little pale. "How are you feeling?" he added, his voice full of concern.
"My body feels a little weak but I think I am good," she said with a smile before she leaned into him and placed a kiss on his lips. "Thank you for looking after me last night," she added, successfully diverting his attention to her slightly less buoyant complexion.
"Is that all I get for all my hardwork?" he teased, a wicked smile forming on his lips.
"What kind of reward would you like?" Abi asked, knowing fully that this man was being shameless again. But she didn’t care. Whatever he wanted, she would willingly give.
He didn’t answer and instead carried her to the bathroom and started to fill the bath. As the bath was filling up, he gently put her down and started to undress her. Abi felt a little shy but she didn’t stop him. Once he had removed all her clothes, he carried her again and slowly submerged her body into the warm water.
"I want to bathe my wife," he said as he grabbed the soap.
He then started to rub the soap all over her body, trying to keep his little monster in check. As much as he wanted Abigail, she was in no shape to be doing those kinds of activities.
Once he finished bathing her, he dried her body and made her wear a warm robe before he carried her back to the room to dry her hair.
Abigail, who was getting this pamper treatment from her husband just let him be. She just enjoyed the attention he was giving her. This was nice. It was like they had cocooned themselves from the outside world for a while, as if nothing could burst the peaceful bubble they were in and she savored that feeling. She would just enjoy it and not worry about what was waiting for them out there. For now.
Once he was done, he carried her again to the kitchen and sat her down on a chair. He made sure that she was facing him as he went about finding ingredients, chopping and cooking her breakfast.
Alex re-enacted the exact same thing he did back then when he cooked for her. He used the same recipe, too.
Abi was shocked because she of course clearly remembered all of what he did during the last time they were here.
Did... did he finally remember everything?
"Alex..." she called out his name to get this attention. "Have you..." she started as she got up from her chair to go to him. She held his face, eyes welling as she slowly spoke. "Do you finally..."
Alex stared into her eyes.
"Yes, my wife," he answered and Abi broke down from utter joy. "I remember almost everything now, Abigail."
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Chapter 426 My everything
Tears began to flow from Abi’s eyes. She was in a trance, utterly surprised.
Seeing that tears were already flowing down Abigail’s face, Alex’s gaze softened and he slowly cupped her face and wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.
"Shh... don’t cry anymore, Abigail. Please," he begged. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead, as Abi sobbed in his chest.
"T-this means you’re finally alright, right? Alex?" she asked him, looking up.
Alex nodded, flashing a gentle smile at her. "Yes," he answered, kissing her eyes this time. "You did well, wife."
His words were like soothing music. This single piece of amazing news was more than enough to erase all the confusion and fear she had felt last night. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t describe how happy and relieved she felt.
"Oh god, Alex... I’m so happy... I’m so glad..." she cried, hugging him tightly.
"So you shouldn’t be crying now, Abigail."
"These are tears of joy, Alex."
With that, Alex could only let her cry in his arms, rubbing her head and back. When she finally calmed down, Alex made her sit on the chair again. "You have to eat breakfast now. Let me finish this so that you can eat, okay?" he said and Abi obediently let go. Her smile was wide and her face was bright and filled with joy which belied the tears that were falling down her face..
Seeing that expression made Alex’s heavy heart lighten up tremendously. This was all he needed, to see his wife smile like this. He would do anything and everything just to make her smile like this.
After some time, Alex finally finished preparing her breakfast. The spread of the dishes were made up of all the food that Alex had learned to cook. And just like that day, he did a perfect job.
"Yummy!" she exclaimed as she looked at all the food. She couldn’t help but feel emotional as she took her first bite. This taste...How long had it been since she last tasted food that had been cooked by Alex? She felt like it had been forever.
Alex put a spoon filled with food near her lips again and she devoured it. "Eat more, Abigail. You need plenty of nutrients for you to recover quickly," he told her as he continued feeding her.
The atmosphere inside the house was filled with nothing but bliss and love that morning. If anyone would see the couple at that moment, they wouldn’t have believed that things were actually very chaotic just the night before.
"Ahh, I’m stuffed, Alex," Abi leaned back on her chair, unable to take in any more food. She took a deep breath, as if that would help expand her full tummy.
A satisfied smile flashed on Alex’s face. "Good job, wife," he uttered, sounding like a proud husband, before planting a kiss on her cheek. That made Abi flush red and she too moved.
She rose from her seat and sat on his lap.
"Thank you for the food, Alex," she told him before she planted a sweet kiss on his lips.
"My pleasure, my queen," he responded, grinning at her and Abi kissed him again. All this bliss just felt so unbelievable, like it was almost too good to be true, but Abi was determined not to waste a single second to show him her love. She wouldn’t waste any opportunity, no matter how short it was and no matter what situation they were in. She decided to enjoy this bliss while it lasted.
"I love you so much, Alex," she whispered, causing Alex’s gaze to turn serious.
He cupped her face and stared deeply into her eyes. The next second, he rose as he cradled her. He made her sit on the sink, with her hands on his shoulders. His gaze smoldered through his thick eyelashes and then he held her hand and stared at her wedding ring.
He lifted her hand and kissed the ring, not averting his intense gaze from her.
"You are my life, Abigail," he uttered. "My everything."
His words were like a magic spell that made Abi’s entire being feel like it was enveloped with nothing but pure love.
"I love you," he then added and he kissed her passionately.
Their kiss deepened. Both of them were aware of where they were and what had happened just last night. They knew they were in an unsafe place and something not so pleasant was definitely waiting for them out there. They could both feel it, but that didn’t stop them from letting themselves get lost in each other’s embrace.
...
Outside the house, Alicia and Zeke’s elite men were gathered outside the tent. Alicia had used the tent last night while the vampires slept against the tree trunks, on guard in case of another enemy attack.
Alicia had been looking for Zeke in her crystal ball but there was no sign of the man, not even a shadow of him.
She had to know what their next move would be so she could start making preparations but without Zeke, who would know what to do next? Would Alexander now be the one to decide this? She wasn’t sure if she quite liked that idea. It wasn’t because Alicia didn’t trust Alexander. It was just that she knew that Alexander’s methods were almost always reckless. He didn’t play mind games, never dabbled in complicated and strategic wars. He had used brute force ever since he first took his revenge against the family that cast him out, relying on nothing but his own power. He was the complete opposite of Ezekiel, whose every single move was calculated.
But they had no choice now because that prince just disappeared into thin air. And during some very important turn of events, too! He basically left them after he brought them all to this place.
Alicia didn’t want to doubt him but she couldn’t help it. Even though she believed that he was on their side, she was still unable to shake this niggling suspicion she had since the first time she met him in the Dark forest.
Letting out a sigh, Alicia put away her crystal ball and left the tent. She had to speak with Alexander now before the enemies returned to attack them again
__________
Chapter 427 Take over
"Uhm... Alex," Abi started as she cupped Alex’s face after their long and heated kiss. "What about you? Don’t you feel hungry? Y-you have to eat, too."
Alex blinked at her before he held her hand and entwined their fingers.
"Don’t worry, I am still quite satisfied from Zeke’s blood," he said, smiling at her.
Abi was relieved after hearing that, but a part of her wanted to insist for Alex to have a meal just to make doubly sure.
However, before she could speak again, Abi looked up and spotted Alicia through the glass wall. "Alicia!" she called out and Alex turned as well. He finally put Abi down so she could get to the door to open it for the witch princess.
"Alicia!" she exclaimed as she took Alicia’s hand and led her inside.
"How are you?" the witch princess asked as she sat next to Abigail.
"I’m alright now."
"Glad to hear that."
"Uhm... where is your crystal ball?" Abi asked when she saw that Alicia didn’t have her crystal ball with her.
"I left it in the tent. Why?"
"I..." she paused and glanced at Alex who was sitting across them. "I wanted you to show me what I did last night; to show me how I ended up in the forest."
Alicia fell silent. She glanced at Alex. It seemed this man didn’t tell Abigail that she too was unable to shed any light to what really happened to Abigail last night. Sighing, Alicia could only explain to Abigail.
"I am sorry, Abigail. I think someone blocked my vision last night because I actually couldn’t see anything clearly. And then after that, we spent the time fighting with those creatures so I didn’t really get to see what happened," she explained.
Abigail’s shoulders dropped but she didn’t look disheartened. "I see. Alex said someone might have manipulated me. It seems a likely explanation because I cannot remember anything."
Alicia threw another quick glance at Alex and what she saw in his expression made her realize that he didn’t want them talking about this topic any longer.
"That is a possibility, Abigail," was Alicia’s reply.
"Yes, it is. By the way... do you think someone is watching us right now?" Abigail suddenly asks. "I mean, is it possible for someone to break through your barrier?"
Alicia shook her head.
"No, Abigail. Rest assured no one is able to watch what we are doing right now. Even our queen wouldn’t be able to break through my barrier. The only way for others to break through is if they came to the area personally and overwrote my barrier. But I would definitely know if someone is doing that."
"Then, how did they find out where we are? Were they using the same strategy that you are using?"
"That’s the only reason I could think of."
"I see. That’s a relief then. At least they are unable to watch and hear us."
"Were you able to track where Zeke went?" Alex then piped up, causing Abigail to frown. Was Zeke missing?
Alicia shook her head as she sighed. "I’ve tried to locate him but I can’t find any trace of him. He seems to have disappeared into thin air."
Abi looked at Alex but his face didn’t darken as she thought it would. He just leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, let out a sigh before he looked at Alicia.
"I will take over this operation from him then. Where are his men?" he asked.
"By the tent."
Alex rose and Abi and Alicia also stood up. Alex was about to open the door when he looked at Abigail.
"I think it’s better if you stay here, Abigail," he said and Abi immediately puffed her cheeks.
"No! You promised you would never leave my side ever again," she argued.
Alex looked like he wanted to say something else but he decided against it. It would do him no good to upset his wife. Besides, she would be safe with him around. Alex rubbed the back of his neck and he walked passed Alicia towards his wife. He lifted her up, like she was as light as a doll, and brought her back to their room.
Alex put her down on the bed and he quickly headed to the closet and rummaged for some very warm clothes as well as socks and placed them on the bed. As Abigail was putting on the clothes he had found for her, he was busy looking in the closet for a thick coat for Abigail. In the end, he chose a thick, furry, gray coat.
Without a word, he helped her wear the coat when she was finished changing.
"This is too big. This is your size," Abi complained.
"No. This suits you. With this, you won’t catch a fever again," he said and he buttoned up the large coat. The coat was so big on her that she almost looked like she was wearing a gray-colored Spanish bread costume with a furry hoodie.
He even smiled mischievously at the sight of her.
"You’re cute," he told her and before Abi could complain again, he gathered her into his arms and headed out of the room. He put her down by the door and because she was having a hard time moving in her large coat, Alex knelt on one knee and helped her put on her snow boots.
Abi’s cheek turned red because of the warm clothes she was wearing and the fact that her husband was pampering her again. Her sweet husband was finally back. She giggled as she enjoyed watching him carefully put her snow boots on her. But he wasn’t done yet.
In the next second, he took a scarf from the small cupboard - yellow, of course - and wrapped it around her neck.
He looked at her and smirked sexily before he let the scarf go and asked for his reward.
"My reward, wife. Before we head out." he cheekily demanded. He leaned down and Abi was quick to plant a kiss on his lips.
__________
Chapter 428 Plan
Raven had gathered the men the moment he heard word from Alicia that Alex was coming to speak with them. The men were back to their best form. In fact, they felt a little stronger than they did the day before. Was it because of the healing potion the witch princess gave them? Or did she put something in the food they ate?
The men were not allowed to drink blood. They were not of royal blood so they were not exempt from the law. In fact, some of them, including Riev, had never tasted blood since they hadn’t met their lifemate yet. But despite that, the men were still quite powerful, something that made Alicia wonder how strong these men would be if they actually drank blood.
In no time, Alexander landed in their midst with Abigail wrapped from head to toe in a cozy, warm but large coat. Alex put her down on the bench next to Alicia.
Seeing that none of Zeke’s men was in a bad condition, Alex correctly deduced that this was most likely because of the witch princess. He had seen just how many of those creatures had attacked them last night and these men fought with all their might. Coming out unscathed from that horde of strong hybrids was impossible, even for them, unless, of course, if they had the support of a powerful witch. This was why Alex seriously thought that vampires and witches weren’t born to be enemies. If only these two races could join together, then they would be unstoppable. But then again, he thought that this probably wouldn’t be ideal. A pairing like that would mean that groups would end up becoming more and more powerful and they could go against the Reign family if they decided to. A civil war would break out for power and that was not something they wanted to happen. Of course, that would only happen if he and Zeke weren’t around but even then, it wasn’t a hand that they wanted to bet on.
"We are going to attack them today," Alex declared, causing everyone to look at him with surprise. Even Abi and Alicia were shocked.
"I have found their lair," he continued. His imposing aura was starting to blaze uncontrollably despite him just talking calmly like that.
"May I speak?" Alicia hesitantly rose from her seat.
"Speak." Alex said, causing her to sigh in relief.
"Are we not going to ask for help? Judging from the sheer number of those hybrid creatures, I believe we would need back-up. I can call on the witches living around this area to help," she suggested.
There was a short silence after that but it was obvious that Alex didn’t want any more people involved. However, he glanced at Abigail and surprisingly agreed with Alicia’s suggestion. It seemed he only agreed to lessen Abigail’s worries.
"Any more suggestions?" Alex asked.
Alicia took her seat, indicating that she didn’t have any more to say, so Alex glanced at Raven.
"We will follow your orders," Raven said. "May we hear about how you plan to attack them?"
Alex was silent. When he was still mortal, Alex was actually quite a renowned tactician. He was weak and powerless back then so he used his mind to fight his way up until he defeated all his enemies. He had an evil and monstrous mind that never hesitated to use anything or anyone to succeed.
But he had stopped doing that once he acquired his powers. He had changed entirely because his power had crushed everyone, whether they were strong or smart. He didn’t need to use any sort of tactic from that moment on and that was why he was fond of Zeke’s way of doing things, because Zeke somehow reminded him of his long forgotten mortal self, the person that he no longer was.
"There is no plan," Alex answered and the god of silence flew above them. Alicia was the only one who sighed like she already saw this coming.
While the men still looked dumbfounded, Alex’s voice jolted them back to present.
"All I want for all of you to do is protect my wife. I’ll do all the fighting."
Silence reigned once again. This guy truly was a lone wolf.
"Alex!" This time, Abigail was the one who rose from her seat. Her brows pulled together as she looked at him. "You’re not planning to leave me here again with them, are you?"
Abigail was starting to look upset. This couldn’t be happening again!
Seeing that worried and upset expression on her face, Alex walked closer to her and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
"Don’t worry, my wife. Didn’t I promise to never leave you again? Of course you will come with me," he told her and Abi felt like the hailstorm that started to fall on her immediately disappeared.
"I will not let you out of my sight, Abigail," he added, voice filled with reassurance as he kissed her forehead. Abi blushed because they were in the middle of all these people.
"So, as we advance, I want you to focus your attention on my wife. And Alicia, no matter what happens, stick to her. If your queen is in that place, I will be the one to retrieve her."
Alicia looked at him and she eventually nodded. "I understand."
"Good. We are going to move now before they come at us," he declared and the elite men immediately said yes. Nobody asked where Ezekiel was even if they were itching to know where their prince had disappeared to.
"Start preparing. We leave in an hour."
The vampires then dispersed, leaving the three of them by the tent.
Alex turned his attention back to Abigail. He lifted his hand and rested it just below her ear, cupping her face gently.
"Listen, Abigail," he began. His eyes became utterly serious. "I will be seriously fighting today. Once I start... No matter what happens, don’t ever come near me, are we clear?"
_________
Chapter 429 Shield
Abi’s brows knitted together as she looked at him.
"Are you going to go berserk?" she asked him.
"I don’t know if that’s what I would call it. All I know is I might go all out. If in case you see me being in an unfavorable situation, don’t come out and try to save me, understand?"
Abigail couldn’t respond. She remembered the scene from her crystal ball dream of that night he went to the old castle alone. She remembered that he was bombarded with arrows and bullets and she didn’t know if she could go through that again. Seeing him getting hurt was unbearable. If something like that happened again... she really didn’t know if she would be able to just watch and not do something. She felt like he was asking for something that she may not be able to do.
She looked down, unable to speak. She wanted to protest but she knew he wouldn’t say this to her if it wasn’t important.
Seeing her expression, Alex held her face and made her look at him. "It’s okay. Trust me," he assured her, caressing her cheek with his thumbs gently. "You don’t need to watch if it’s too hard for you. Do whatever you need to do to make this easier. I will try my best to not get hurt but in case something happens, please, please don’t come after me. I will be fine. I promise you that. Just trust me, okay?"
Their eyes locked for a long while before Abi finally nodded, placing her hand over his.
"I understand," was all she could say. She didn’t know if she could take it but she had to listen to him. She had to trust him and do her best to not become a burden to him.
The next moment, she wrapped her hands around his neck and hugged him, praying silently for Alex to be fine, that he wouldn’t get hurt so severely again. She prayed for him, for them, to win this battle so that they could finally go home again.
Once they pulled away from each other, Alicia arrived and was holding a silver, silk cloak in her hand. She had gone to the tent to grab this cloak while Alex and Abi were having their heart to heart conversation.
"Her clothes will be a hassle for her," Alicia said to Alex as she showed him the silk cloak she brought with her. "This cloak will be easier for her to wear and I have put a spell on it to protect the wearer from the cold."
Alex took the cloak from Alicia’s hand and it was indeed warm despite the fabric being light. He acknowledged that this would indeed make it easier for Abigail to move than the clothes that he had wrapped her in.
"This was my queen’s gift to me when I was younger. It can also repel weapons so this can serve as her shield too," she added.
Abigail’s lips just formed a small ’o’. She was quite impressed. Now that she thought about it, wasn’t this the cloak that Alicia wore that night when she first saw her?
"But Alicia, shouldn’t you be the one to wear this? This is yours," Abi protested but Alicia just smiled at her.
"It’s okay. I can protect myself with spells. You can’t. You need this more than I. Besides, it will help me keep you safe, so you would be doing me a favor," Alicia explained.
Alex, of course, was all for things that would help protect his dear wife so he was not going to take no for an answer. So before Abi could even accept it, Alex already started unbuttoning Abi’s oversized coat. He removed it from her shoulders and then helped her put on the cloak, like a doting, protective husband.
"Wow! It’s really warm!" she exclaimed, looking at Alicia.
"With this, we won’t have to worry about you even if a hailstorm comes," Alicia replied and Alex just nodded like an old monk.
"Thank you so much, Alicia," Abi gratefully accepted.
She moved around, even twirling around to try out her new cloak to see how it would move and handle. Alicia was right. The fabric was really light but very warm and she could actually move more freely than she thought. It was like this coat was pure magic. "I am going to try running with it."
"Oh yes, definitely try to get used to moving with it," Alicia encouraged.
Abigail then started running towards the open space. The silver cloak floated behind her and made her look like an ice princess, not to mention the striking contrast of her dark hair with the silver hood covering her head.
Alicia and Alex watched her run as fast as she could and Alex was surprised that his little lamb didn’t fall down or roll on the snow.
"And... Alexander..." Alicia spoke and looked at Alex.
Alex glanced at her and said "yes" before he immediately returned his gaze to his little lamb who was still running around like a little girl who just received the best Christmas present ever!
"Prince Ezekiel gave this to me."
She handed him a long package that was wrapped in gold fabric. Alex’s attention was pulled from Abigail for a quick moment. He didn’t take it from her. He just unravelled the fabric and when he saw what it was, his lips twitched.
"When did Zeke give this to you?" he asked her.
"Before I left the dungeon. He told me to keep it. I think he wanted me to give this to you at some point during this trip and I think this is perhaps the most appropriate time."
Alicia saw Alex’s eyes glimmer at the sight of it. His golden eyes reflected in its golden sheath. She knew what this sword meant to this man. In the few of the important battles that she was able to see through the memories of the previous queens, this was the sword Alexander used to conquer the world. And this might even be the same sword he used to defeat that dragon. In almost all his battles in the past, Alexander didn’t fight like a vampire. He fought like all the other human kings did because back then, he watched how humans fought and it intrigued him. So, he had someone create a sword for him. He watched and practised and it had been said that he was almost obsessed with this sword.
"That guy. Didn’t he beg me for this sword when he was younger? Did he get sick of it and is now returning it to me?" he complained.
Abigail, by this time, had skipped over to them again and when she saw the sword, she couldn’t help but say something.
"Wow! What a gorgeous sword!" she exclaimed. Her eyes shone with stars as she looked at it. The handle looked like it was made from gold and scales. But these scales looked quite unusual. "Are these scales?" she asked curiously.
"Yes. I think that’s a dragon scale," Alicia blurted, causing Abi’s gaze to fly to Alex with disbelief as well as awe.
__________
Chapter 430 Something useful
Alicia was quick to look at Alex, afraid that what she blurted out might have displeased him. She wasn’t really sure how much Alex wanted Abigail to know and she had spoken before she thought about it.
Gladly, the man didn’t seem to be too bothered by it.
"D-dragon scales?!" Abigail still could not believe it and it was evident in her expression and tone.
"Yes. The grip and the scabbard are made of dragon scales," Alex replied.
Abi blinked at him and then she looked at the sword again. She noticed that its pommel and cross-guard were also made of gold.
She gazed up at Alex again and asked. "Is this yours?"
"It was. I gave it to Zeke but it seems it has come back into my possession yet again," Alex answered.
"Can I hold it?"
Alex didn’t expect that she would be so interested in the sword so her words caught him off guard. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that because that sword had killed countless lives. At first, Alex wanted to say ’no’, but his little lamb seemed to be so fascinated by it that he didn’t have the heart to refuse her request.
"Sure," he agreed. "Just be careful. Don’t take it out of its scabbard. The blade is extremely sharp," he couldn’t help but add especially because he knew his wife was somewhat lacking in coordination.
A smile broke on Abi’s face as soon as she heard Alex’s acceptance. She held the hilt first and then took it from Alicia.
"Wow! I thought it’d be heavy. I can lift it, Alex! Look!"
Intrigue and excitement were gushing from Abi’s eyes as she held the sword, while Alex and Alicia both had the same expression. They just looked confused and bewildered.
"Are you going to use this to fight, Alex?" Abi asked as she tried to swing the sword.
"Maybe," was all Alex replied. "Give the sword back to Alicia, Abigail."
His words made Abi halt and she faced him. "You’re not going to hold it?"
"No. I will only touch that if it’s absolutely required."
"Then, let me keep it for you, Alex. I can watch over it. I promise I will take good care of it," she said excitedly.
"No, I can’t give you any extra baggage," was his swift reply.
"It’s okay, it’s not that heavy. And I should probably arm myself with something useful, don’t you think?"
Alex’s brows pulled together before a sigh escaped from his lips. He held her arm and led her a few steps away from Alicia - not that it mattered as Alicia was a master at reading lips. But knowing that Alex wanted to have a private word with Abigail, Alicia turned and walked away from them to give them some space.
Facing Abigail, Alex leaned his face closer to her. "Are you planning to fight, Abigail?" he asked. His gaze was serious and probing.
Abi couldn’t answer for a moment. "If... if needed, I would like to be able to help too," she answered honestly. Abi had been thinking about this for a while now. She hated the fact that she couldn’t do anything; that she was just a mere human who could do nothing but watch and cry. Even before Alex had forgotten her, she had always wanted to learn how to fight for herself too, to save and help her loved ones, especially Alex. Or at the very least, she could learn how to defend herself. She didn’t like that she was always the damsel in distress that needed protection. She didn’t like it. She wished she could fight alongside them as well instead of being a burden.
But Alex didn’t seem to favor that idea. "So you’re saying you want to kill?" he asked her, his expression firm and serious. It was obvious that he didn’t like Abi holding the sword, let alone having her use it.
"I..." Abi stammered.
"If you want to fight, you will need to kill," he told her almost ruthlessly, but then his face became gentle as he held her free hand. "These hands of yours... I don’t want them to be tainted. Leave the fight to us."
Abi’s grip on the sword tightened. Her heart actually shivered the moment she heard him say that she had to kill. But...
"I will just use this like it’s a wooden sword then," she didn’t give in. "And at least I might be able to help by holding your weapon for you and to give it to you when you need it. I just want to help, Alex."
The willful look in her eyes made Alex bite his lips and he put his hands on his waist.
"Fine. Don’t ever remove the scabbard," he warned.
Abigail’s face lit up upon hearing him.
"And if I see that you’re having trouble carrying it, I will ask Raven to take it from you."
"I can carry it, Alex. Trust me. It’s not really that heavy."
Realizing that Abigail was determined not to let go of the sword, Alex could only sigh again in surrender. Why couldn’t he say no to his wife? He shook his head, making fun of himself but when he saw her smile at him like he was the best husband in the world, he stopped berating himself. He really enjoyed it when his wife was happy.
Abigail couldn’t believe it. She was finally going to be able to do something useful!
She walked a few steps away from Alex and she started to swing the sword against an invisible enemy. "We still have time right, Alex? How about you train me for a while?"
"No, conserve your energy."
"Just a few tips, then."
"No."
Abi puffed her cheeks and she looked away, eying the vampire men who seemed to have finished their preparations and were sitting idly by a tree. Of course, Alex immediately knew what she was thinking so before she could move, he pulled her towards him.
He placed his hands over hers as he stood behind her.
"This is the best thing I can teach you with the time we have so pay attention," he said, his lips so close to her ear.
In the next moment, he helped her lift the sword.
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