Chapter Twenty Nine ▪︎ The King's Queen

Thank you so so much for three thousand reads. You don't even know how happy I am that there is someone who appreciates my work. Thank you. If I could, I'd hug you so tight you'd pop like a grape. *wink wink*

he road to Brisbane was a long one. They were thankfully going along the coast rather than driving by the highway. The view was beautiful but soon became generic, so Dahlia switched her eyes to the male sitting in the seat next to her.

He had his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top few buttons unbottoned. Dahlia could tell he was trying to look good for her and it made her heart swell with warmth.

It has been two days since they arrived to Sydney, making it December 28th. They have visited many museums, a zoo, the Sydney opera house (where they soon got bored of the snobby rich vampires and ended up in a cheap restaurant eating junk food and telling stories) and even went to an art gallery.

Dahlia was loving the adventure. It was so liberating, like a breath of fresh air after being chained up in a basement for decades.

Her former life and feelings towards the strange vampire next to her feel like an old dream, a distant memory. She sometimes wonders if something bad is going to happen because her life is so good. She isn't used to it, the feeling of happiness and having no worries, being able to buy anything she wants, wearing whatever she likes without worrying about what others might think, or having someone on her side- someone who cares about her deeper than her body or her bloodline.

"Thank you." She spoke suddenly to him.

"For what?" He smiled at her.

"Everything." She wiped a tear.

"Anytime." He smiled brightly at her.

As for Alexander, no one could explain what he was feeling. Dahlia had human emotions and could barely feel a bond to her mate, but Alexander felt everything. Every time her eyes travelled to him, her breath ran over his cheeks while she spoke to him, every skin contact was like fireworks of emotions in his head.

The bond was so strong it could make him a bit dizzy sometimes, like the time she kissed him on the cheek at the gas station.

But Alexander was also scared, it all sounded too good to be true. Thanatos was hidden away or was trying to claw his way out of his cage. He wanted Dahlia badly, and the feeling was growing every day.

Alex could feel his gums throbbing for a taste of her blood just by thinking about it. He could hear her heartbeat and it drove him insane. He had to stop several times to cool down.

He wouldn't admit it, but it wasn't just Thatos who was thirsty, it was also him.

He didn't have any problems with the bond making him sick now that Dahlia and he were at such good relations, but he was love-sick.

He ached to hold her in his arms one more time after Christmas. He wanted her to kiss him again, even if it was just a peck on the cheek.

He hoped she felt the same way. Her spirits were high ever since he mentioned her brother being alive and he was using it to his advantage.

"How much more?" Dahlia asked.

"About an hour. How are you feeling?" He asked, aching to hear her voice more.

"I'm good, happy. I don't think I have ever felt this way." She smiled once more.

"Your cheeks are going to cramp up if you keep smiling so much." He laughed happily.

"I think it might be my new resting face. I feel like that man from the comics, god, what is he called? The man dressed like a clown with a permanent smile on his face. I used to read those in the library as a child." She smiled more at the rare happy memory from her childhood.

"Do you mean Joker?" He glanced at her puzzled.

"Yes! I was always more of a Marvel type of a girl, but DC was also awesome." She shrugged.

"You like comics?" He glanced at her once again in wonder.

"Yes. I loved them. I mean, I grew up to be a warrior, so it's not too surprising. I always wanted to be like Black Widow. She was human, but was so strong and went through so much but was still good. God, I adored that woman!" She spoke in retrospect, seemingly clouded over by memories.

"If it helps, I liked The Hulk a lot." Alex added.

"I'm not impressed. I thought you were more of a 'I'm Batman' type of a guy." She said while imitating the deep voice of Bruce Wayne.

"What can I say, I'm a softie at heart. Also, we both switch people and destroy everything when we get angry." He shrugged as he pulled over. He went to unfasten his seat belt but Dahlia took his hand in hers.

"No, you can control yourself. You don't always destroy everything. Don't think of yourself in that way. I like you just the way you are, which is why we are mates. Do you really think of yourself as being so bad?" She spoke with emotional eyes, searching his face for the answer.

She got it when he looked down at his hand and examined the glowing red ring.

"No, look at me. You two are different-he is a the plus and you are the minus, you balance eachother out. He has saved you multiple times. Think of it as a gift, you get to live this life with me because of him. You don't need to hate him. He is also a creature like us, the goddess created all of us. We cannot hate someone because they are different from us. What would you do if I had the same situation as you do? What if I had a beast as well? Would you hate it? Would you want me to hate myself for the actions of someone else?" She ended her speech breathless.

"It's not just him. I've also done some bad things. I've told you already, it was me who started the killings, I started the revolution, I was the one who let him do the other things, and I hate myself for it more and more every day. I can't forgive myself for it, no matter what I do."

"Alexander, you are like Deadpool- now, is he bad?"

"Yes, he actually is." He chuckled.

"Well, it depends on what way you look at it, but to me he is a troubled man with a troubled past, doing what he thinks is right. He is an anti-hero, but still a hero no matter what. You may have killed all the villains, but you still saved the innocents."

"I... I guess I'll try. I promise, for you, I will try to think about it that way."

By the end of the conversation, Dahlia had her seatbelt unfastened and was holding Alexander's face in her hands.

She forgot about every warning he told her about it, and kissed him.

It was like their hearts were burning up. The fire went through their veins and lit up every nerve in their body as they felt electrified, like there was nothing else around them apart from endless heat.

But the heat was too much for Alexander. He got the dizzy feeling and Thanatos took the moment of weakness as an opportunity to come out.

Dahlia didn't see Alexander's eyes shift from blue to red in less than a second because her eyes were closed. Thanatos kissed her back and pulled her closer and closer until she was sitting on his lap.

This time it was Alexander trying to claw out and stop him, but the beast had full control.

He kissed her passionately and started leaving kisses down her neck. Dahlia was lost in the moment and forgot everything about the man who was the source of her heat being a vampire. He sucked and kissed a spot on her jugular vein and elongated his fangs before sinking them in deep.

The moment seemed to snap Dahlia out of it, but the heat only intensified as he drank more blood. She didn't know how, but the bite was awakening a dark part of her that enjoyed the slight sting and loved the pleasure after it.

He extracted his fangs and licked the drops coming from the bite. He healed her using magic, which took him less than a thought due to his true form being stronger than Alex ever could be.

She was drowsy and sleepy, not from the blood loss but the newly forming bond between the two, or should she say, three.

This wasn't Thanatos feeding from her, this was him marking her.