“No. I got my powers back. I’ve been trying to figure it out. The only possible explanation I can come up with is… uhm…” Manlius said. “He had two souls living inside him. Do you remember what he turned into right before we closed the veil?”
“Yes. He turned into that demon,” Boaz said, remembering how he had gone on a rampage afterward. “Are you saying the infection was a real being inside him?”
“It’s possible,” Manlius said. “Vampires turn humans. They might need the human to be close to death, but that doesn’t mean other creatures follow the same rules to reproduce themselves.”
“If the demon is the one that paid the price, why isn’t he waking up?” Boaz asked.
“I don’t know,” Manlius said. “We’re going to have to wait and see.”
“Okay,” Boaz said quietly. He ended the call and dropped his phone onto the bed.
The door opened again, and Drago returned with a young vampire behind him.
“This is Slove. He’ll take your blood,” he said.
Boaz nodded as Slove stepped closer. He quickly inserted the drip into his vein and placed the bag on the bed.
Drago remained in the room while they waited for it to fill. When it was done, Boaz removed the needle from his arm.
“How do you feed him?” he asked.
Drago took the bag from him and moved to the head of the bed. He removed the syringe from the tube and placed it atAlexander’s mouth, holding the bag up and gently squeezing it every so often as the blood flowed through.
“I hope this works,” Drago said, staring down at Alexander.
“Me too,” Boaz replied.
Drago left as soon as the feeding was done. Boaz stayed behind with Alexander, his hand moving slowly over his arm, as if his touch alone might bring him back.
Later, he went downstairs to check on Michael, only to find he didn’t need to worry. The baby was being cared for by his grandparents.
“I hope he hasn’t been a bother,” Boaz said as he stepped into the waiting room.
“Not at all,” Alexander’s mother replied, patting the couch beside her. “Come, please tell me about yourself. Alexander never told us he had someone.”
Boaz rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed as he sat down. Michael immediately lifted his arms toward him, reaching.
“Oh, do you want to go to daddy? Okay,” Alexander’s mother said, smiling as she handed him over.
Boaz settled Michael in his arms as he sat. “How did you two meet?” she asked.
“Uhm…” Boaz hesitated, trying to decide where to begin. In the end, he decided the beginning made the most sense. “After we managed to close the chasm, he went a little… crazy, and we had to subdue him…”
Alexander’s mother nodded, fully invested in every word.
Chapter 36
Boaz
Amonth later.
Hansel wouldn’t stop calling.
Boaz stared at his phone and groaned, letting it ring. His brother’s name flashed across the screen again, and he had no idea what to say anymore. Last week, he’d promised he’d only stay one more week but that week had come and gone.
And Alexander wasn’t awake yet.
His excuses were running thin, and Hansel wasn’t the type to just let things go. Boaz exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn’t stay here forever. His pack needed him.