Seeing him look at her with his scrutinizing gaze, Katie felt too aware of her face with his fingers still on her cheek.
Opening her mouth she began to speak, “This was-”
“I want to hear the truth,” Alexander interrupted her with a smile on his face, “No lies. Straight to the point.”
There were times, times like these when she wished not to see Alexander’s smile. It was a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. A smile that gave uneasiness to the person who saw it.
It reminded her of the time when they had got back from Mr. Weaver’s house, when she had denied the pain on her wrist which was due to the old man slashing her hand with a knife. At that time Alexander had pressed the wound gently yet deliberately to get the truth out of her.
“It happened in the town today. Two men came out of nowhere and- and hit me. They warned me to leave the mansion,” she explained while he listened to her.
“Wasn’t there anyone with you? Isn’t the groceries bought along with Mrs. Hicks and others? Where were they?” he questioned her as he stepped into her room and closed the door.
“We did go together. After completing the work with Mrs. Hicks I went out for an errand asking them not to wait,” she bit her lip nervously and saw him gesture her to sit down along with him on the bed.
“I see,” he murmured before taking the cotton from the box and dabbing it with the liquid next to it. Not waiting for her permission, he put his finger under her chin to raise her head, “Did you see their faces?” she heard him ask as he pressed the wet cotton against her cheek.
“No. They had their faces covered,” she saw him tend to her cheek tenderly, making sure he didn’t put much pressure on the skin. It made her smile.
Alexander caught her smiling and raised his brow to which she shook her head before lowering her eyes.
“Where else did you get hurt?” he asked her once he was done with her cheek.
“My stomach and my back,” she answered him.
“Take off your dress.”
“What?” she asked her eyes wide in shock.
“I need to see the wound. We wouldn’t want it causing any infection now, do we?” he asked her in a matter of fact tone before chuckling.
“T-that’s alright, Lord Alexander. I can do that,” she said hurriedly taking the cotton that was used and getting up from the bed to throw it in the dustbin, “And my stomach is alright now-”
“I’m sure your back hurts, with the way you have been walking,” he interrupted her.
Katie didn’t know if she had to praise or curse the Lord’s shrewd observation skills when it came to his surroundings. Her back did hurt every time a friction was caused due to her dress’ fabric rubbing the wound on her back.
As thankful as she was for the Lord’s gesture of kindness in helping her, she was too embarrassed to do what he had asked for.
“I will ask someone to help me with it,” Katie said with an embarrassed look, her eyes darting left to right.
“I promise I won’t do anything inappropriate,” he said seriously with an unwavering gaze on her, “Come here,” he said giving his hand to her while he got up.
It seemed that she was the only one was flustered with the suggestion. Alexander stood there with a composed face waiting for her to take his hand.
Many of her dresses had buttons in the front but the one which she wore tonight had buttons on both front and backside. She wouldn’t have to take it off completely. Shyly, she took few steps towards him and placed her hand in his making him smile like an angel with light.
“Turn around,” and she turned around to face her back to him.
She eased her nerves feeling the pounding of her heart as his hands touched her back, unbuttoning her dress one button at a time from the top. Once he had unbuttoned half of it she felt his fingers pull apart the dress to look at her back, his fingers touching her skin lightly in the process.
Even with the wind passing through the windows she felt her body grow hot. Clutching both her hands with the front of dress she quietly stood in spot.
“I can’t wait to find the people who did this to you,” there was a coldness in his voice as he uttered those words.
Just like her cheek, the skin on her back had turned bluish but the skin had broken leaving a long tear at the surface. The blood had dried up. Pulling out the cotton from the bundle and letting it absorb the liquid from the bottle, he brought it to place it on the wound to hear her gasp.
The liquid contained healing elements that avoided infection. When applied initially on an open wound, it could sting.
She felt Alexander’s hand working on her wound with careful movements.
He touched her skin, anger swirling in his eyes. Someone had dared to do such a thing, trying to tear his butterfly’s wing.
Feeling him button up her dress to the last one, Katie turned around to thank him but instead felt him pull her to an embrace, to hold her in his arms. And she buried her nose in his chest. The smell of a clean, washed shirt mingled with his masculine scent. He felt warmer than a fireplace in the cold winter.
Though she had confessed her thoughts, she still wasn’t certain what she meant to him.
“Alex?”
“Hmm,” Alexander hummed in response above her head and then spoke, “The previous Lord of the South has been creating fraudulent documents to pull down the vampire Lords out of the seating in the Council. Apart from that there have been arguments on dividing the Empires and creatures to avoid the future rise in conflict.”
“Divide?” she asked confused.
“Yes. Norman is a very clever man for a human. Even with him in his fifties he wants to sabotage and weaken the relationship between the vampires with the humans,” Alexander explained to her, “There have been too many human bodies lining up in the South Empire and he claims it to be the vampires’ doing. He wants an Empire free of vampires with only humans to walk the land.”
“But that would cause an imbalance,” she said making him nod.
“That is what he wants. A small spark in the forest can cause the entire forest to burnt into ashes. We are well aware of it; therefore the case is being investigated cautiously. I’m glad I didn’t stay back at the Council for a week more,” she heard him murmur the last sentence before he pulled back to look at her.
His dark red eyes were truly captivating. They were eyes that held power and dominance. Her hands slowly let go of the shirt he wore but he caught her hand in his.
“Never leave the mansion,” he said making her heart skip a beat. He was referring to the words the men in the alley had said to her.
“I won’t,” she whispered but the Lord didn’t seem to be convinced with her answer.
“I mean it, Katie. I want you stay here where my eyes can find you. With all these incidents happening with you, I don’t know if trouble follows you or you follow trouble. Makes me want you to lock you up in the high tower in the mansion with the key only in my hand.” He then saw the worried look on her face and laughed, “I was joking.”
“Ha ha,” she laughed along, wondering slightly if it really was a joke.
“I will not spare anyone who tries to hurt you. A limb for an eye,” Alexander said to her.
“But why?” she asked, her innocent eyes peering up at him.
“I will tell you this only once so listen carefully,” she heard him speak as his fingers went to tuck the strand of her hair behind her ear, “I know you are well aware of my previous flings with other women. I don’t know what it is about you but you intrigue me like no other. I feel you are mine to protect and care. While I have you I promise that I won’t touch another woman,” Katie could feel her cheeks flame upon hearing what he said.
She could die out of happiness right now. If she could, she would go out to the balcony and scream until her throat went dry.
Katie closed the first-aid box and went to keep it in the bathroom while Alexander took the used cotton to throw it in the dustbin. When he was about to throw it he found few torn pieces of paper in it.
There were writings. Curious he picked it out before placing them in his pocket.
“I won’t take anymore of your time. Sleep now. Night,” Alexander leaned forward when Katie was back from the bathroom, kissing her forehead softly.
“Good night,” she wished him and he left her room.