He reappeared in Manlius’ house beside the staircase, just out of view. The sorcerer was speaking with Boaz and Killan. Alexander only half listened, his attention caught by the werewolf.
His chest tightened at the sight of him.
He wanted to go to him. To hold him, stand there in silence for even a moment and forget everything else.
Just for a second.
But he didn’t move.
Boaz might think he was only using him as a distraction. When the truth was far deeper than that. Alexander needed him in a way he didn’t fully understand himself.
For two hundred years, Boaz had been there in his dreams, his scent wrapping around him, comforting and familiar. Even in the darkness, he had made the long sleep feel less empty.
He had always been there.
Alexander stared at Boaz, and he realized that it had always been him. Not Lyla. He might have seen Lyla in his dreams but it was because Boaz was seeing her. He saw everything that Boaz saw and felt Boaz felt because they were somehow connected on a deeper level.
It had always been him.
Alexander took a step toward him, but Boaz walked out of the house. Manlius turned and stared at him, stopping him in his tracks.
“Your Majesty, I don’t like people coming into my house unannounced.”
“Sorry, I’ll remember that next time,” Alexander said, walking closer to Manlius. “And I have some bad news. Ten vampires have been infected, and I can’t find them.”
Manlius paled. “Do you think they’re on their way here?”
“They might already be dead,” Alexander said. “And there might be more. I got hurt while training a few weeks ago, and…”
“Dammit. Is there more bad news? Because I can’t take it anymore,” Manlius asked, throwing his arms up helplessly. He pressed his fingers into his temples, groaning.
“Is everything okay?” Hansel asked as he walked into the foyer, his gaze moving between Manlius and Alexander. Alexander waited for the werewolf to say something, but to his surprise, he stayed quiet.
“No, nothing is okay, Hansel. The damn world is ending, and it seems we can’t do anything about it,” Manlius said in frustration.
“Calm down, Manlius. We haven’t lost yet,” Alexander said, though he didn’t feel calm himself. They couldn’t fall apart before the war had even begun. “We need to assess the situation first. Have you taught Blade what he needed to know?”
“Yeah,” Manlius wiped his face with his hand, pushing his hair back. “He needs sexual energy so I was going to…”
“Sexual energy? What do you mean?” Hansel asked, frowning.
Manlius stared at Hansel for a moment, scanning him from head to toe. Then he grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway.
“It’s all sorted now,” Manlius said as he dragged Hansel away. “We’ll see you in an hour or so.”
Alexander stared after them, one brow raised. He shook his head and disappeared.
He reappeared at the monastery. It was already busy, teeming with supernatural beings setting up tents and lighting fires. The fae stood in a circle across the field where Alexander remembered the war taking place, their hands glowing with blue light.
Killan stood to the side, his gaze fixed on the sky. Alexander looked up as well, but he couldn’t see anything.
“How did we manage to see the veil before?” Alexander asked, stopping in front of Killan.
“Manlius. He used his powers. He wanted everyone to be able to see it so no one would be left behind when we closed it,” Killan said, a sad look crossing his face. “I wish I had the power to make it visible again. If we can’t see it, we’re fucked.”
“And there’s no one else who can do it,” Alexander said.
“The High Priestess said she’ll bring as many witches as she can and try. We’ll have to wait and see,” Killan replied, thenwalked back to his people. A few seconds later, his hands began to glow blue.