A Twist of Fate: Chapter 5, Part 2

The sun trickled in through the cracks of the closed blinds, signaling the start of a new day. Alexa woke up to a ray of light shining on her eyes. She sat up instantly, realizing Nick was gone. As she arose from bed, the stinging pain in her neck became noticeable. She went to her mirror, walking much faster than usual, and examined the bite mark holes. Flashbacks of the sensation coursed through her body again. Alexa walked downstairs to go to the kitchen. She would be home alone for the majority of the day. Upon entering the kitchen, she became aware of a man sitting at the island: Nick. Excitement of his presence sent her heart into overdrive.

Nicolaus’ eyebrow rose in wonder. He detected the increase of her heart rate at the sight of him. Strangely enough, he felt her emotional state within himself as if he were connected to her. He observed her neck and the marks he had left. Her blood was like nothing he had tasted from a human before. It had a very unusual aftertaste that seduced him to drink more. Only when he realized she was unconscious did he pull away.

Alexa sat on a stool across the island from him. "How long have you been here?"

"I never left," Nicolaus revealed. "It’s easy to be unseen by humans and their uneducated minds."

She remained unbothered by his reference of people as humans which emphasized the fact that he wasn’t one. She was caught off guard by Nick’s sudden quick movement, leaning across the table and gently holding her chin in his hands. She stared into his brilliant blue eyes and placed her hands on the sides of his face.

Nicolaus savored the contact of her skin against his. Her body heat did not burn as it had the first time he shook her hand. This time, it seemed mildly warmer than his own. He could hear Alexa’s thoughts more clearly and they were desperate for him to kiss her. A smile grew on his face and he smashed his lips against hers; kissing like tomorrow would never come.

Their lips burned as a fire raged through their veins. Alexa could barely breathe as she clung to Nick. She wanted to climb over the kitchen island that was restricting their full body contact. When the kiss ended, it was nearly impossible to bear the separation.

Alexa sat down and tried to turn her attention elsewhere. She was still in awe that she was dating a real live vampire. Or were they dead? The most she had ever learned on the subject was from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

Nicolaus chuckled after hearing that thought. "Sarah Michelle Gellar would not know a true vampire if it bit her in the neck."

Her eyebrows rose. "You can read minds?"

"Yes, among other things," he replied. Nicolaus knew she would hold an inquisition after discovering his secret.

"Well, that explains a lot." Alexa thought back to the many times Nick had responded to her thoughts and played it off. "You were really born a vampire."

He nodded. "But, only the noble line can give birth to vampires. The most recent watered-down version of vampires can only create more by biting humans."

"So, why am I not…a vampire? You bit me." The last memory of Nick on top of her with his lips on her neck flashed in her mind.

Nicolaus watched as she played the scene in her thoughts. "It is a bit different than the movies. I didn’t bite you with venom. If I had, then you would have turned. But, I did feed you some of my blood afterward because I took too much from you."

"But I don’t remember that," Alexa said in bewilderment.

"I cut open a part of my wrist with my teeth and placed it up to your mouth. You drank it subconsciously. Very eagerly I might add."

Alexa was mortified by the discovery. She blushed and took her eyes away from Nick.

He heard her mind and drew her face back to his. "You should not be embarrassed, Alexa. Everyone in the world needs blood to live." Nicolaus gazed deeply into her eyes and realized they had changed; the gold, which once appeared in speckles, had formed a solid ring around the brown iris.

Alexa somehow sensed the emotion change in Nick, as if it had altered her as well. "What is it?"

"Your eyes. They’re different," Nicolaus replied with a puzzled appearance.

"What do you mean?" she asked, equally baffled. Alexa stood from her stool and walked to the mirror above the fireplace mantel in the family room. She examined her eyes and turned around to face Nick in the kitchen. "What’s happening to me?"

Nicolaus was very concerned about the situation. He never heard of such happenings after sharing blood with humans. He should get back to the castle and do some research in the archives for an explanation.

"Don’t leave."

Nicolaus looked at Alexa unexpectedly. "Who said I was leaving?" He had only considered the idea for a second.

Alexa stared back at him. "No one. I don’t know. I felt that you were going to leave."

He took an involuntary step towards her. "You felt? Explain yourself." Could she sense his desires? Was she able to read his mind?

"Nick, what’s going on? Why are you looking at me like that?" Alexa grew nervous and scared as Nicolaus approached and stared back at her with concern.

He stopped a few feet short from her. "You will be fine. I will return later tonight."

Alexa trembled at his words. "Please, don’t go," she whispered.

Nicolaus smiled weakly and reassured her with a kiss. "I promise." With a puff of black smoke that shimmered away almost instantly, he was gone. Alexa sat down in the nearest chair and curled into a ball. Hopefully, they would figure out what was happening, and fast.

…

Lucas entered the Great Hall of the grand New Zealand castle, where the rest of the Throckmorton family convened. A blazing red-headed, green-eyed female addressed him first. "It is nice of you to finally join us, Lucas."

He lazily glanced indifferently at his sister Danika, completely ignored her response, and took his seat at the table. "I assume the Purcells failed their mission or else the tie would not have become as strong as it did last night."

The auburn-haired boy beside him snickered. "Of course that arrogant family failed. What else is new?"

"Octavio is right," began Jana, a young strawberry-blonde-haired voluptuous vixen. "If we want something done correctly, we must do it ourselves."

"Remain calm, my children," Felix declared. "The spark has barely reached the oil well, without starting the fire we fear. It would be unwise to attack without a plan."

Ismene swirled the goblet of blood around deliberately, watching the crimson fluid churn against the glass. "Now that the Purcells have made their move, Alaric and Vesta will surely realize the threat they are unknowingly facilitating. They will practically do the job for us."

"But if they do not," Danika announced, "I will be more than willing to finish the deed myself."

…

Nicolaus rushed through the halls, down to the catacombs. He finally reached his destination in the archives. His mind scanned through the thousands of scrolls on the shelves until one had caught his attention. With a flick of his fingers, it flew towards him and he grabbed it: the Scroll of Prophecies. Nicolaus took it to the viewing table and searched for answers. There was nothing about eyes changing colors or sudden heightened perception. Then, he saw it. The necklace with the ruby pendant. He read the passage:

"The heart of the lost love. The necklace was believed to originally have been a diamond turned red from the blood of Dracula’s victims. It was given to the only love of Dracula’s life, a human, whom he later killed. The necklace vanished after Dracula’s disappearance and a resurfacing of the jewel could mean the end of another human life."

Nicolaus could not believe he had forgotten reading about this. The only people who could decipher what this means are his parents, but they would be furious once they learned of his actions.

Unfortunately, Pogue entered the archives, sent to call for him. "Your mother and father wish to speak with you in the main chambers."

After closing the scroll, Nicolaus followed Pogue to the main chamber. The atmosphere inside felt somber and serious: The elite guard lined the walls, Maximilian and Seraphina were present, and his mother and father were extremely disturbed. Nicolaus walked to the middle of the room and kneeled to the ground, head bowed.

"What have you done?" Alaric spat fiercely.

Nicolaus kept his head down. "I exchanged blood with Alexa." He could feel Max’s and Phi’s eyes on his back with absolute shock at the revelation.

Alaric’s eyes narrowed in fury. "You have exposed us. The human knows of what we are. She must be silenced."

No! Nicolaus thought as his head shot up towards his father.

"No?" his father questioned. "You dare disrespect me after risking the safety of this family? For a human?" Alaric stared viciously at his shameful son. "You have endangered her life as well. Your concentrated scent on her will attract nomadic vampires. She will die by a hand worse than ours."

Snarls and low grumbles shook within Nicolaus. Alexa may be dying for all he knew, and he could not be there for her. He was going to lose the intriguing human who infuriated him to no end, who captivated his every thought, and with whom he fell in love.

Vesta heard the thought and straightened in her throne. "Love? You love this girl?"

Maximilian, outraged, finally spoke out. "She is a HUMAN, Nicolaus. How could you fall in love with your food?"

Nicolaus spun onto his feet, facing Max and emitting a ferocious growl. Max hissed and lowered into an offensive crouch.

"Enough!" Vesta was on her feet. "My sons will not turn on each other!" The two boys bowed their heads respectfully at her command, still wary of each other. She sat back down on her throne. "Nicolaus, I sense another problem is ailing you."

He nodded miserably. "Something is happening to her. The color around her iris is changing to gold and she can sense my emotions. And then the prophecy—"

"What prophecy?" Alaric interjected.

"The prophecy about the heart of the lost love. Alexa has it. I think it may explain what she is going through, but I assumed you could help me." Nicolaus watched his parents’ faces divulge concern momentarily. "Do you know what this is?"

Alaric, who appeared as if he had something to hide, looked at his son. "Are you absolutely certain that she possesses the necklace?"

He nodded. "I held it in my own hands."

"Then you must listen to me carefully," Alaric ordered. "You must not go near her anymore."

Nicolaus stared at his father in misunderstanding. "I cannot honor such a request, father."

Alaric spoke bluntly. "If you would like her to remain alive, then you will. If you—love her—as much as you say you do."

"Can you not tell me what I can do? Is there nothing we can do?" Nicolaus pleaded.

Vesta saw the obvious hurt in her son’s eyes. "You may see her one last time, but I am afraid this is out of your hands."

Nicolaus understood that if his mother agreed with his father, then it was final. He bowed his head in comprehension of his parents’ orders. With a quick angry glance at Maximilian, Nicolaus left the chamber and raced to his room. He searched and found the small pouch that he wanted and then shimmered into Alexa’s room, where she came barging into the second he arrived.

Alexa caught her breath. "I knew you would be here. It was even stronger that time."

He barely could form his smile. She was getting clearer senses, only a reminder of what he had to do. "Let’s sit down."

She sat beside Nick on the bed, waiting to hear an explanation for her weird changes. "So?"

Nicolaus pressed his lips against hers, overwhelming her with a passionate kiss. She gasped for air when it ended. "Marry me," Nicolaus said. "I don’t know when, but just marry me."

Alexa grinned enthusiastically and said, "Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Nick." He slid the most exquisite antique ring onto her ring finger and she brought his lips onto hers again in another kiss.

Nicolaus sensed that it was time to leave. "You should get some rest, Alexa." He laid her onto her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, always and forever, Nicolaus."

He forced a warm smile and then shimmered back to the castle. She had cut him deep; tonight was the first time he heard her call him by his real name…and possibly the last.

***

The next morning, Alexa played with the ring in her left hand as she lay in bed. All she could think about was spending forever with Nick. Explaining the ring or her unusual new appearance to her family and friends didn’t seem necessary. She rose from bed and stretched, seeing a definition of her muscles throughout her body, as if she had crammed a year’s worth of weight training during her slumber. Alexa moved to her mirror and observed her eyes. The gold had not consumed any more of her iris, but remained highly detectable. It made her look rather intimidating, yet mysterious. The urge to talk to Nick compelled her to pick up the Blackberry and dial his number. An automated machine answered, stating the number had been disconnected and to check the number, hang up, and try again. This can’t be right, she thought. Nick’s number had been programmed into her phone. It was not possible to dial the wrong number, if the right number in her phone had worked many times before. She tried again, receiving the same response. She decided she would stop by his apartment after cheer practice.

~~~

Alexa had tried calling Nick a few more times on the way to his NYC apartment to no avail. She parked across the street and walked up the stoop steps. She rang the doorbell, anxious to wrap her arms around him. A man in a fraternity shirt opened the door. Alexa was surprised to see someone else answer Nick’s door.

"Can I help you?" the man asked when Alexa stared back in confusion.

She found her words. "Is Nick here?"

The man was now just as puzzled. "Nick?"

"As in, the person who lives in this apartment?"

"Oh, you mean the Columbia kid? He moved out. This is a college-owned house, so I jumped at it when he left." He explained.

Alexa didn’t understand. "He…moved? Where? Why?!"

The guy in the door seemed impatient with Alexa’s questions. "Look, all I know is that he left to some other country and dropped out of Columbia. Pretty stupid move if you ask me. But I’m kinda busy, so…"

Alexa stood on the stoop, detached from her body, after the man closed the door on her. Nick proposed to her and then abandoned her, without any warning or explanation. Despite her attempts, the tears wouldn’t come to her eyes as she unthinkingly walked to her car. Once she reached her house, Alexa began to cry uncontrollably. Her heart broke and shattered into thousands of irreparable pieces.

Nicolaus, lying awake in his bed, suddenly clutched at his chest, which ached as if a dagger had been driven through his heart. "Alexa," he whispered breathlessly. He growled through the pain, knowing there was nothing more to be done but endure it.