CHAPTER 18: THE POISON
1167 Words
**ALEXANDER'S POV**
The smell of antiseptic wafted into my nose first, followed by a pinch in my elbow. My vision was dark, but I could make out a faint hint of light from above. I groaned as I tried to block it out.
"Alexander," a distant voice called to me.
There were only a few people in the kingdom who called me by my name without any title: Desmond, my parents, and Jorge. Although Jorge preferred to call me Lord Alexander, him addressing me without the title wouldn't be offensive or disrespectful. At this, I knew that the person calling me must be between the four people I mentioned.
"Alexander," the voice called again.
All I wanted was to sleep. Why couldn't they let me?
"Alexander," the voice called for a third time, now sounding closer and clearer.
It was Desmond.
What was he doing in my Royal Bedroom?
Beneath the antiseptic smell that hit my nose earlier, there was another scent. It was the scent I had grown addicted to in the last few days.
Natasha.
She had been here. She had been in my room.
Then my eyes snapped open.
Everything came flooding back to me at once. Natasha running away and the wolves that tried to attack her in the forest.
My eyes were assaulted by the bright fluorescent light above me. I quickly shut my eyes and slowly opened them again, giving them time to adjust.
A hand descended onto my shoulder from my right, and I was greeted by a sorry-filled Desmond. He looked as if he had aged twelve years since the last time I saw him. As he stared at me, his worried expression turned into a smile.
"You f*****g bastard, I knew you were too stubborn to die," he joked, starting to laugh.
"So that I can leave the Kingdom in the hands of Jorge and you? Never," I joked back, trying to laugh but feeling pain in my side. I hissed in pain and looked down at my torso.
There was a bandage around it, and I could feel the ache in my right side.
"You lost some blood. You came in with blood coming out of your mouth and a gash on your right side. I was able to close it and make sure there were no internal injuries. The f*****g wolves' claws were coated with garlic. Garlic is a poison used by the wolves to weaken the vampires, and that's why your vampire was having a hard time healing. Your body has basically been poisoned. If not for Natasha screaming for help, it could have caused problems for you."
Deep inside me, I knew that death was afraid of me. I knew I would never die. No vampire lord has, except for those who died during the war between the three factions: vampires, humans, and wolves. Other wicked and cruel lords were killed, or should I say put to sleep. Most of them were locked in the grave, and a drop of blood on their mouths would wake them up, but that wouldn't happen as I have my patrol team, David and Jorge, to protect those chambers.
I leaned my head into the pillow. "Great, how long until I heal fully?" I asked Desmond.
"Well, we're flushing out your system, so within 24 hours, you should be fine. You just need to give your vampire enough time to rest. We moved you to the Lord's wing."
I nodded in understanding. I hated being immobile, but at this moment, I knew I couldn't argue with him on this. I didn't feel the usual strength my vampire gave me. The Garlic must have taken a lot out of him.
"Where is she?" I asked Desmond.
I could smell her, but I knew she was nowhere nearby.
The last time I lost sight of her, she crossed over the border and went into Lord Cyrus's territory, which almost got her killed. I wanted nothing else than to be with her. I wished I could spend the rest of my life with her.
All I couldn't understand was why the wolves were moving freely in Lord Cyrus's kingdom, and his patrol team seemed to do nothing about it. I really needed to recover so I could call him and ask him everything I needed to know.
"I asked her to leave. She was scared and felt guilty. She blamed herself for what happened to you. I needed some privacy to look into your matter without any disturbance, so I asked her out of the room. Last I checked, Zoe took her to get a shower and fresh clothes since the ones she was wearing were wet and muddy."
My eyebrows furrowed. "The maid?"
Desmond nodded. "They've taken quite a liking to each other. I'm sure she took her to get some food. She'll most likely go back to your house and come see you in the morning."
He sneezed and got up. "I'm going to leave you now to get some rest. Your body has been through a lot, and it needs time to regroup."
He turned to leave the room, but I stopped him.
"Can you keep an eye on her for me, Desmond? She tried to run before, and she might try it again. I need someone I can trust to look out for her. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course, brother," Desmond nodded, giving me his word. He left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
My anxiety about Natasha eased for a moment, but not entirely. I wouldn't be satisfied until she was standing in front of me, and I was able to hold her in the flesh.
When I found out she had left, I felt a pain in my heart as if it were bleeding. The thought of losing her or not being able to see her terrified me.
The hours of searching for her had been torturous. I never wanted to relive that experience again. When my Vampire was healed, the first thing I was going to do was to tell my mate that I love her, tell her how beautiful she is, and kiss her beautiful lips.
My eyes grew heavy as sleep tried to overtake me. I resisted, as I didn't want to sleep in case Natasha returned and saw me awake. But the sleep was stronger than I was, and I finally gave in, darkness enveloping my eyes as I fell asleep.
*****
When I opened my eyes again, I was met with an unfamiliar scent. It was the kind of smell you would expect when entering a perfume store.
I felt a hand resting on top of mine, but it wasn't the hand I wanted.
My eyes opened slowly as I turned to my side. Sitting beside my bed with a look of concern was none other than Cynthia, Lord Cyrus's daughter.
What was she doing here, and why was she in my private hospital room?
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