The Empath : The Alterealm Series Book 3
Chapter Twenty

Despite much grumbling from the men, Daxx and Crissy came back after their breakfast. Our guards, more guards, and the brothers, were all scrambling to get to the island locations so they could transport there in a hurry if needed. I didn’t understand it entirely, but knew they had to have been to a location previously to pop back there again. I personally wouldn’t have been able to keep them all straight in my mind and get to the right spot every time.

Daxx wasn’t happy she was removed from the playing field, but they still didn’t know who team bad planned to kidnap to hold against them, so she begrudgingly worked at hunting down names on the internet.

“So, what’s the game plan once we replace people we think are part…” Daxx turned and looked at me, “whatever it’s called, Alterealmy?” She rolled her eyes at her own words.

I looked at the screen and frowned. “I’m not entirely certain. Children will be the easiest I’d imagine, those that have been left without parents, but I don’t know about just walking up to an adult and saying, ‘hey I know what you are’…” I glanced to Crissy, “except with Crissy, I don’t see it working.”

Crissy laughed. “It doesn’t really work like you think it would.” She looked at me. “You didn’t listen.”

Nodding, I gave her a soft look. “I did, by running when you told me to.”

She frowned and then nodded. “Yeah you did, too.” She sighed. “Then I lost you again for weeks.”

I checked at the time and realized it was way past my bedtime, but I would be too anxious to sleep until I knew there was something in place for my boat trip. I stood up and stretched stiff muscles. “I’m going to put on the kettle, would anyone like some tea?”

Crissy shook her head.

Daxx held up her hand. “I’ll take one. I think I might be onto something here.”

Crissy got up and went over to her screen. “Oh. You found one… I think.” She scrolled the screen. “Just let me see if…”

“I’ll be right back.” I turned to quickly go out and put the kettle on. If we’d found one in a day, imagine what a few weeks would yield. Just as I reached the kitchen everything went blurry and started spinning, I grabbed for the counter to steady myself and missed. My head connected with the hard surface and I landed on the floor. Putting my hand to my head and then looking I saw blood. “Wonderful.”

“Alona, we think— Alona?” Daxx was suddenly in my face. “What happened?” She pressed her hand to my head. “Crissy, grab a towel or something.”

I heard the tap turn on and then a towel was in front of my face. Daxx took it and pressed it to my head.

“How bad have I damaged myself?” I asked feeling completely ridiculous.

Daxx was on her knees, she moved the towel then pressed it back in place. “It’s not pretty.”

“Perfect.” I murmured.

“What happened?” Crissy asked sitting behind Daxx.

“I got dizzy.” I held my hand over the towel, so Daxx would remove hers.

She leaned back and looked at me. “Is this a normal thing?”

I huffed out a breath.

“Did you eat today?” She tilted her head. “I mean like feeding, kind of eating.”

I glanced at her briefly. “Not since before we went to the tunnels.”

She looked at Crissy then back to me. “Isn’t that kind of something you need to do at least once a day?”

I sighed. “Generally. I’ve skipped days before.”

Leaning closer again she nudged my hand and looked under the towel. “It’s not slowing. I guess you don’t heal fast like the guys do.”

Holding the towel again and shook my head carefully. “No, it seems my human blood prevents that.”

“Oh. Uh… neither of us have magic blood and… going to get stiches would be…”

“I don’t go to hospitals, they tend to disapprove when the name you give them doesn’t really exist.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I figured. So…” She pulled out her phone and then frowned. “I don’t know where the guys are, and don’t want to call in case it’s a bad time to receive a phone call…”

“What about Leone?” Crissy offered and then she shook her head. “Oh, no that would be bad with her having part human essence…”

Daxx sighed, “He hasn’t been here before either.” She bit her lip and gave me a hesitant look. “Only one reachable is Chase, I know he’s not out with the guys because he was busy getting some kind of tracking device for you…”

“Can’t we just put a bandage on it?” I looked to Crissy who shook her head and then to Daxx.

“Uh, no this is more than a bandage can handle, and you need to feed.” She gave me a look of apology.

“He’s going to rant. There will be I told you so’s…”

She grinned. “Tell him your head hurts too much for yelling.”

I snorted, “pray it works.”

“Okay, here goes.” She tapped the screen of her phone. “Hey brother-in-law…” Her blue eyes were looking at the towel I held. “Slight problem…” She winced. “No, we’re at Alona’s and haven’t gone anywhere.” She cleared her throat. “She sort of fell and bumped her head…” She frowned. “Hello?”

Before I could turn to look, Chase was beside me, picking me up off the floor in one move. “Were you ladies drinking without me?” He asked, carrying me to the sofa.

“Uh, no.” Daxx said following along behind. “She hasn’t fed and got dizzy.”

Making sure to hold the towel in place, I glanced over his shoulder and gave her a wide-eyed look. She mouthed ‘sorry’.

Chase didn’t say a word. He sat down, with me in his lap and then moved my hand so he could see what the towel was covering. “Unless you can lick your own head, duchess, you’re going to have to take my blood.” His eyes locked to mine. “I don’t have healing saliva.”

“We can’t just tape it up?” I winced. The shock of it had worn off, and my skull was now throbbing.

He shook his head. “Not unless you want a bald spot on the side of your head where we’d have to shave your hair.”

I jolted and then looked to Daxx. She nodded, still giving me an apologetic look.

“We’ll go,” she pointed to the hall, “back and double check that name.” She spun and grabbed Crissy’s arm, practically running out of the room.

“I thought,” he reached and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, “that you had some sort of arrangement with Arius for feeding assistance.”

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep my traitorous eyes from roaming all over his now naked, muscled chest. “I hadn’t thought of it.” I finally said when I realized an answer was required.

“How can you not remember to feed?” He asked, titling my chin up so I was looking at his eyes instead. He shook his head before I could open my mouth. “Never mind. I know.” He gave me a soft look. “I forget what it’s been like for you.” Leaning down, he pulled a knife from under his pant leg. “Let’s get the bleeding stopped before you pass out.”

I made a face at the mere thought of drinking his blood.

He actually smirked at me. “Three choices. Go back with me and get stiches in your beautiful head, we shave it and patch it up here… or a little blood to heal it.”

I glowered at him, knowing I didn’t have a choice.

“Thought you’d see it my way.” He said softly.

I inhaled slowly and gave him a slight nod. He didn’t make a sound as he cut into his chest, I flinched for him. Dropping the knife to the floor, he put his hand over the towel I held and with his other, pulled me closer.

“Before it heals and closes or I’ll have to cut myself again.” He reminded me in a hushed voice.

I looked at the blood running down his chest and leaned closer, licking it up, before closing my mouth around the mark in his flesh. He hissed out a breath as I sucked. I could feel him taking deep breaths and picked up enough of what he was feeling to know it wasn’t causing him any sort of pain. This time I wasn’t sexually excited, and yet the taste of his blood didn’t repulse me. I wouldn’t admit it aloud, but assumed it must have something to do with being mates. Yes, I acknowledged it was a fact, but that didn’t mean I would tell anyone else. When it healed, I still licked over it to make certain and then lifted my head.

He looked at me for a moment, before lifting the towel to look at my head. “It’s closed up.”

“Don’t suppose you have that bottled, and I could put in my medicine chest?”

Glancing back to me, his hazel eyes looked amused. “Afraid not, duchess, you get personalized delivery only.”

“Mmm, I figured as much.” I took the blood covered towel from his hand and tossed it onto the coffee table. I intended to get up as well, but he wrapped his arm around my waist and prevented me from doing so.

“Not just yet.”

I turned to see he was giving me a look that said he hadn’t forgotten how I’d landed in this situation to begin with.

“I know you…” he shook his head, “learned everything the hard way, but you have to know you can’t go without feeding.”

I leaned back as much as I could manage being draped across his legs. “I do.”

“You’re too young to skip feedings, Alona. Hell, I was almost two hundred before I could go past twenty-four hours.”

“Well, there’s good news,” I drawled, “another century of infancy.”

He grinned, his eyes moving over me. “Oh, I think your well into adulthood, and it’s never looked so damn good.

I couldn’t help smiling to that. “Feeding is just…” I sighed.

“I know.” With a gentle touch, he grasped my chin. “But you have to, it’s not optional.” His hazel eyes searched mine. “Even if you want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon, I will still be available to help you...”

“What is your fascination with eyeball violence?”

He grinned. “Don’t distract me. I’m being serious.”

I inhaled deeply and looked everywhere but at him. “Are you saying even if I’m mad at you, I’m supposed to just grab you and bite you when I need it?” I gave him a startled look.

He chuckled. “My every fantasy lately has to do with those fangs of yours.” He gave me a heated look for a moment then closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were turning yellow. “Hormones aside, yes that’s what I’m saying. You need to feed, daily, and you won’t get emotional backlash from me— okay, negative emotions, I can’t promise to remain completely emotionless.” He glanced at my mouth. “Now quit stalling. I have to get back and make sure the science geeks get this device right, because you insist on putting yourself in danger tomorrow.” He pulled me closer again, tilting his head, his eyes locked with mine.

Dragging my eyes from his, I looked at his neck. It wasn’t a hardship, to feed from him at all. My only concern were the strings that were twisting and knotting to tie us together, strings that I couldn’t see. I leaned closer and licked over where I intended to bite.

Chase hissed out a breath. “Dammit, woman, don’t make me beg like a horny teenager.”

I smiled and then bit him. He cradled me with one arm, pulling our bodies closer while his other held my head in place. When I could feel his desire, I remembered we’d have a blood bond now as well. Where he may have been trying to shield me through that, he wasn’t succeeding entirely. Licking over my mark, I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment. “I’m beginning to understand the appeal of feeding in ways I never had before.”

He grunted. “You can feed several times a day if you’d like to explore that more.”

I lifted my head and looked into his yellow eyes, he had a smirk on his face as well. “How generous of you.”

“I’m a generous man.” He grinned. He leaned closer and kissed my mouth softly. “I do have to get back. I’m the guinea pig so they can test it thoroughly before tomorrow.”

“How so?” I moved to get off of him.

“I port all over the place and they make sure it works, mostly, but we’re also checking to see if a spell can detect it.” Picking up his knife, he put it back in the harness around his ankle and grabbed his shirt. Getting up, he put it on. “Will you be at breakfast in the morning to go over the plans?” He shrugged. “we’re hoping we’ll have some by then.”

I got up and nodded. “Yes.” I touched my head, feeling no pain where there had been.

Kissing my forehead, he gave me a stern look. “Try not to break anything.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll do my best.”

With a grin, he motioned to the dining room table. “It’s actually a puzzle.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

He stepped back and after a quick once over look, he was gone.

Turning to the hall, I called out. “You can come out now.”

Daxx peaked around the corner. “All good now?”

I touched my head again. “Other than blood in my hair, I’m perfectly fine now.”

She grinned. “Good. We found one.”

I had completely forgotten. “Show me.” Later, we’d have to figure out what the next steps were, but it was a good start to replaceing others so they wouldn’t have to live through what I had.