Alex was sitting on a chair next to the bed in the infirmary where Michael lay. When they had cleaned up the encrusted blood, the many cuts, burns, bruises, cracked ribs had been highlighted... Seeing him in that condition had made her heart clench in an excruciating grip.
It had been there since they had returned. She had never left it, not even when the doctor had examined him. She had even helped to medicate him. She felt no tiredness, only a strange apprehension that would not let her sleep.
Christopher had told her to go and rest, that he would stay, but she had not wanted to move. She wanted to be there when he woke up. She wanted to see the look on his face, to know he would be OK.
She had never cared about anyone, not even herself. Those new feelings frightened her, made her feel exposed and vulnerable. The fear she had felt when Michael had not returned from his rounds in the city had chilled her. The idea that something had happened to him, that he might never return, had suddenly filled her mind. The rest had lost its importance.
At that moment, however, she was too tired to reflect on her feelings. Her brain seemed to be jerking along in its reasoning, jumping from one thought to another and constantly returning its attention to Michael. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, as did her muscles, now that the adrenalin was gone. But she couldn't leave him. She didn't want to.
***
In the late afternoon his eyes slowly opened. Michael felt every muscle in his body scream in pain. The first thing he saw was Alex. She was sitting at his side. Her face dirty and pulled. When he realised she was looking at him she smiled and her hand lightly caressed his hair. "Would you like to drink?" she asked, handing him a glass.
He had not noticed his own thirst until he saw the water. He felt his throat dry and it was as if his vocal cords had stuck together, preventing him from speaking. He nodded and she helped him, bringing the glass to his lips and lifting his head a little. He drank greedily. "Thank you," he managed to croak at last.
"How do you feel?"
As if I had been put through a meat grinder. He didn't say it, tried instead to sketch a smile, but his face twitched with pain at that brief hint of movement.
"Don't strain yourself. Fredrik said you will recover quickly, but you need to rest."
"How did you find me?"
"Your brother and Markus have infinite resources. I just put in my experience as a cat burglar." She smiled at his quizzical look. "I guess I forgot to tell you. It was only for a short time. One of the times I had escaped from the institution. I was fourteen I think. A thief taught me to be quiet and not to leave traces, and to pick locks, of course. That's something that can always come in handy."
Michael nodded, not at all surprised by that new revelation. What had struck him was the fact that she had risked her life to get him out of there, and that she was now beside him. "Thank you." In that one word he tried to concentrate all the gratitude he felt for her, and more.
She squeezed his hand, then moved closer and leaned over him. Her lips lightly brushed his. "Don't ever do that again," she told him.
Michael did not allow her to pull away. He reached out his arm and his hand pressed on the nape of her neck, bringing their mouths together again. The kiss he gave her was not light but strong and passionate. "You're not leaving then?" he asked her when their lips parted.
"Looks like you need a guardian angel," he replied with a grimace.
He smiled and pulled her back to him.
***
The news reported the explosion of the railway carriage factory on the outskirts of Oldgrove as a terrible accident, fortunately without casualties. The werewolves had covered all traces of their work. It could be considered a victory, but Christopher knew that until they had also killed Nereus, that story would not end.
After their raid on the mansion, Nereus and his men had abandoned the ancient residence. Not that he hadn't imagined it, but Christopher had hoped to have more time to bring him some lead in person. In any case, Markus had immediately set off in search of him.
The pack leader's fists clenched at the memory of what Michael had told him, the torture he and Andy had endured. Moreover, the news about the vampire trap had only confirmed Anthony's suspicions that Nereus' pack was hunting his own. The reason still remained a mystery. He was going to talk to the vampire that night, hoping he had come to terms with the situation. This, however, did not bode well. Vampires and werewolves had never fought a common enemy, and Christopher had no intention of finding out if they were capable of doing so.
Someone knocked on the door. It was Markus.
"Did you find it?"
The blond warrior shook his head. "Not him, but something else."
Christopher waved him to take a seat in one of the armchairs and joined him shortly afterwards with two glasses of Macallan.
"Needless to beat around the bush," he said. "Your ex has stolen a good chunk of your wealth."
Christopher squinted his eyes. "How the hell did he do that?"
"Did you give her access to your private accounts?"
"My mother had entrusted her with the control of some of the Barclays' business."
"Now it has become Nereus' business. I lost track of him in a multiplication of micro-businesses and foreign accounts, but I think he is the beneficiary."
Christopher stood up, clutching his glass tightly. "That's where he got the money to set up his army," he growled.
"Yeah."
"How is our financial situation?"
"There is no need to worry. The investments you have made over these decades - decades - are solid. The part affected by Sabrina will not affect your family or the pack. I managed to block the last actions the she-wolf had set in motion. So a few million will be coming home soon."
"Good."
"I've also started to do a check on real estate. Who knows whether Sabrina has made any transactions in that field as well."
"It would be the safest hiding place for Nereus. Who would think of looking for the enemy on their own property?"
Markus stood up and placed the empty glass on the table. "I'll let you know as soon as I find out something."