Could he last that long? He doubted it.
The hunger gnawed at his insides like a caged beast desperate to be fed. Growing with every passing second.
Still… searching for them now would be useless. He didn’t know where they lived. Didn’t even know which direction they’d come from.
He exhaled, forcing the hunger back down where it belonged.
“I’ll let you live because I need your help,” he said flatly.
“Thank you… thank you,” the human cried, folding to his knees. “I’ll do anything.”
“I need a place to rest,” Alexander said, turning back to the trembling human.
“The monastery… where you were kept,” the man said. “The cellar is—” At Alexander's stare, he swallowed, quickly backtracking. “Father Daniels' room is big and clean. I’ll change the bedding right away.”
“Good. Lead the way,” Alexander said.
The human staggered upright, wincing as he shuffled ahead of him.
“What’s your name?” Alexander asked as they walked.
“Lacus.”
“Lacus, what year is it?”
“2026.”
What? They had kept him locked in that coffin for nearly two centuries. Why? Why had they kept him alive?
Why wasn’t he dead?
The memories trickled back slowly, filling his mind.
The war. The veil tearing open between worlds. Drago. He had lost his brother.
And after that… everything had gone to shit.
The wild, irrational rage. It had spread through him like wildfire, burning away reason until he’d felt himself going mad.
So, what the hell had happened?
Alexander frowned in confusion as they stepped across the threshold of the building. The moment he stepped inside, the oppressive heat of the sun faded from his skin, only then realizing he had been standing outside.
His gaze dropped to his arm. Then slowly lifted toward the blazing afternoon sun high in the sky.
He should have burned.
Any vampire exposed to sunlight like that would have been reduced to ash in seconds.
But his skin remained unmarked. Alexander stared at his hands in disbelief. That was impossible.
How the hell was he immune to sunlight?
He shook his head slowly, his mind struggling to make sense of it before finally shoving the thought aside. There were too many unanswered questions already. He would deal with that mystery later.
“This way,” Lacus said, motioning nervously as he led Alexander deeper into the building.
Alexander followed, though every step made him more aware of how terrible he felt.