Bound By Blood - 12. Chapter Twelve

I took a step forward, wanting to reach my hand out to the woman who could only be my Annabella. Her eyes widened like she just realized who I was as well, and during this moment, I thought that dream of seeing her again finally came true.

“Annabella?”

She took a step back, and with crossed arms said, “I’m not Annabella.”

I stopped my approach towards her, and after blinking several times, I said, “But you look just like her. Like…exactly like her.”

“You’re right, I do look exactly like my twin sister, obviously,” the woman stated before sighing. “My name is Alexandra, and unlike Annabella, I have a fundraiser to host right now. If you can step aside, so I can enter my office, that would be most appreciated.”

Suddenly the realization that this woman wasn’t Annabella all came crashing down on me. This woman, Alexandra, was wearing her blond hair in a tight bun when my wife always wore her down, always giving her a carefree look that strongly opposed to the strict look that emitted from Alexandra. And with her sharp makeup and stern posture, I saw that despite her looking like a spitting image of Annabella, she didn’t she exude the same warm aura my wife did way back when. This cold, hard soul wasn’t Annabella, and I felt like a complete moron for thinking that for even a second.

Alexandra passed me before opening the doors to her office with a keycard. She stopped at the doorway and then turned around to me, looking at me coldly.

“You’re Damien, correct?”

I nodded.

“Well, I assume you have some questions you want to ask me. So, stop staring at me like you’ve seen a ghost and come inside. I don’t have the whole evening.”

I cleared my throat and followed Alexandra to her office. I looked at Will who just showed that he needed to make a call before patting my shoulder and walking away. I actually wanted Will to be with me inside the office, not for my safety, but to save me from making another stupid move. The way this woman looked and even the way she walked all looked planned and controlled, unlike Annabella who lived in the moment every single day. And the way she looked at me like she was unpleased by my very existence, made me nervous. Hopefully her distant look wasn’t personal, yet she was my wife’s sister, so everything was personal.

Closing the doors behind me, I saw that the office matched Alexandra’s appearance, from the monochrome colors of the walls, floor, and ceiling to the modernistic, almost cold look of the furniture like the bookcase and the desk. This was contrasted by the few artifacts that hung on the walls that must’ve came from various time periods based on their different color schemes and styles. They were the only things that brought life to this area, especially since there was no windows and the only light came from a dim light on the ceiling and the computer monitor that shined on Alexandra’s face as she typed rapidly on the keyboard.

“Well, Mr. St. Paul?” Alexandra said, her stoic face peeking from the monitor.

“Sorry.” I walked to the only other chair that wasn’t occupied and sat down on the hard cushion. Fumbling with my thumbs, I then said, “Nice office you got here. Especially those artifacts hanging on the—”

“Mr. St. Paul, I’m a very busy woman, and I’m fairly confident you didn’t come here to my office just to feign interest on my choice of furnishings. So, may I ask that you cut to the real reason you’re here?”

Alexandra, a name that even sounded similar to my wife’s, turned the monitor away and looked at me with impatience. However, it appeared that they shared very little in common with either her vampirism or just the way she was born that contributed to cold, distant personality she was displaying to me right then in her cold-temperature office.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Alexandra and said, “I’m sorry…Alexandra. I’ll cut to the chase. I was informed a couple of days ago that you, Annabella’s sister, were in the area, and I thought it was only right that I’d come see you for the first time.”

“And did I send out an email or a handwritten invitation to you, asking whether you could come and see me, out of all times, at this museum whose future is on the line and one small mistake or distraction can cost me everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish?”

My mouth was open, but I was completely floored by the woman’s direct animosity towards me that no words came out.

Alexandra sighed before directing her attention back onto the monitor and her fingers on the keyboard. Her desk was immaculate with no other décor in sight, with the exception of a small picture frame, which I took from the corner of the desk. In the frame were two young twin sisters, about high-school age, and the way they smiled together reminded me of my own twin girls who were rarely apart. And it seemed that these two girls were the exact same judging by their bright smiles that could only belong to Annabella and—

The picture was swiped from my hands, and I looked up to see Alexandra holding the item close to her and looking at me like I just committed a heinous crime.

“I’m sorry, Damien, but I must ask you to leave now. It’s one thing that you came here and are indirectly sabotaging my efforts to expands this museum’s influence, but to invade my personal space by taking something from my desk without asking—”

“That wasn’t at all my intentions, Alex. I just wanted to—”

“And don’t call me that. Only one person called me by that nickname and now she’s gone!” Alexandra turned her back towards me and for a moment, I thought she was going to reveal a side of herself that wasn’t the cold, stoic person she displayed so far. However, that moment then disappeared when she opened her desk drawer and dropped the picture inside before slamming it closed. “Now if you don’t mind, please leave… Now.”

“Alexandra,” I said as I stood up from my seat, “I don’t want to end our first meeting like this. I just want to get to know the only family member Annabella ever mentioned to me from her past. I’d love for you to meet our kids, three of them. One eighteen-year-old boy and a pair of twins. This is what Annabella would’ve wanted.”

Alexandra, with her hands pressed on her desk and head bowed, sighed and said, “If only that were that simple. I’m a vampire, Mr. St. Paul, and even if I weren’t, there’s too much damaged history between me and Annabella that getting to know her husband and kids wouldn’t be right.” Looking at the monitor, she tapped the screen a few times before saying, “Now I really must head to the fundraiser event and make sure I get the much-needed donation for the new section to be constructed… If you want to be there, I won’t stop you, but any hope you had to rekindle the warmth that Annabella gave to you and your family is lost on me.”

I wanted to say more, much more, but it seemed that this conversation was over since Alexandra turned off the screen of her monitor and walked to the doors where she waited for me to walk out first. I felt defeated as I stood up and walked out of her office. After locking the doors, she strutted passed me, not even looking back at me until she and the clicking of her heels disappeared. I didn’t want to give up on forging a connection with this woman, but I knew she was under intense stress right now, and I didn’t want to cause her to lose her chance with the fundraiser, which she would understandably never forgive me for.

I thought the best thing to do right then was to just enjoy the rest of the evening with Will somewhere else, more specifically a place that also required formal attire to enter. However, when I looked around the hallway, I didn’t see Will anywhere. I first assumed that he must’ve went to the restroom after making his call, but I then wondered if vampires even went to the restroom and how their bodies processed what they consumed if they didn’t use the toilet.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed, and I answered it without looking at who was calling first. “Hello?”

“Damien, it’s me,” Will said.

“Oh, good. Where are you? I think it would be best if we left this place now. My talk with Alexandra didn’t go well and—”

“No, no. We can’t yet,” Damien asserted before a moment of silence broke between the line.

“Will?”

“Damien, there’s another reason why I took you to this museum. It wasn’t confirmed yet until I got the call from the king’s knights when you were in her office. There’s an attempt to eliminate Alexandra, and the people involved are using the fundraiser and the renovations to the museum as a chance to do that.” Another moment of silence occurred before a loud noise was heard through the phone. “Shit!”

“Will, are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just took down a man who’s mostly a lycan… Listen to me, Damien. They’ve sabotaged the lighting fixtures at the section where the fundraiser is taking place. When activated, the lights are going to blind everyone in the area, and Alexandra is going to burn in return. And since she is still a young vampire, she’s going to burn into a crisp within seconds.

“I’m currently trying to find where the breaker box is for the entire museum. While, I do that, I need you to go to Alexandra and just be as close to her location as possible. Don’t warn her yet though. There could be lycans disguised as security there, and I don’t want you to alarm them if I reach the breaker box first, okay?”

“I got it. But what if—?”

“If the worst-case scenario happens, the lights will flicker a few times before shining ultraviolet lights that will kill Alexandra in an instant. You need to get her behind something before that happens, all right? I’m counting on you, Damien.”

“Don’t worry. I got this. Just don’t get hurt?”

“You too. See you later,” Will said before ending the call.

I sighed heavily, not believing the evening I was having as I started my walk to where the fundraiser was happening. I was lost for moment, but I then found a few people also formally dressed and followed them until I entered the Aztec portion of the museum.

The area, of course, contained many Aztecan artifacts in large display cases and glass frames. The fundraiser also seemed to be hosting a dinner party, large round tables covered with red cloth and fancy dishware were set up throughout the exhibit.

As I look around the area, I accidently bumped into a servant who dropped their platter that was luckily only carrying crumbs. However, the clattering sound signaled to everyone to look at my direction, and I could tell that Alexandra was at least slightly annoyed as she stood a short distance away while talking with a guest. I apologized to the servant who looked pissed, picking up the platter for him. As I extended the object out, I saw the reflection of the man, and he was a lycan.

The servant snatched the platter from me before walking away. I cursed to myself as I looked around the area and noticed that there were at least two dozen possible lycans disguised as servants who were offering refills and appetizers to all the fundraiser guests. I wanted to call Will and notify him about the alarming situation, but he was possibly in stealth mode, and I didn’t want to interrupt him. So, instead I just tried to act casual, taking a small appetizer from another passing servant and eating that.

I kept my eyes on Alexandra who then walked away from the man she was talking to, and I followed her. She then stopped and was offered a microphone, which she tapped a couple times, signaling to everyone to her presence. I knew I stood out, literally, and I decided to sit down at a table close by and ignored the people who were displeased with me intruding into their space.

“Hello, everyone!” Alexandra greeted, her voice stretching throughout the entire exhibit.

I kept my eyes on Alexandra, while also analyzing my surroundings and trying to pin any suspicious behavior coming from the servants or anybody else. She gave a speech that was very eloquently said and very informative about what the money raised was going to fund which was a new exhibit dedicated to the life of Jesus Christ and the era that he lived in.

After finishing with a biblical quote from Jesus, the crowd all started standing up and clapping. I too did the same and expressed my approval for her ambitious goal of expanding the museum. Alexandra did a light bow, and she gave back the microphone. Several of the guests approached her, and I wanted to join the small crowd to make they sure weren’t holding a dinner knife or any sort of weapon in their hands.

I was about to do so when the lights above started flickering. My duty to protect went on overdrive as I looked at Alexandra who was still surrounded by the fundraiser guests and there was no reliable place for her to take cover. I then looked at the large, red tablecloth and without hesitation, I pulled the fabric from the table, causing dishware and other items to fall on the floor in the process.

I then made my way to the Alexandra who looked shocked, but she was going to thank me when…

Suddenly the lights went out, and the entire exhibit went dark. Several of the guests lit up the area with their phones before the light returned to its original state a few seconds later. Everyone then directed their eyes on me, and I swallowed a lump in my throat, knowing I definitely stood out now. Someone started shouting, and I turned just as a heeled shoe struck me on the shoulder.

Then came Alexandra who was fuming as she started yelling at me and demanding what I was thinking when I pulled the tablecloth and took down the guests’ dinner along with it.

“What is wrong with you?” Alexandra shouted, shoving her hand against my chest.

“Alexandra, I thought the lights would—”

“Would what? What possible explanation do you have to ruin this event for me?”

I knew I just completely screwed any possibility of getting to know Alexandra as family, and I opened my mouth to apologize when the lights once again started flickering. I didn’t take them as seriously this time, but when they started flickering at a more rapid rate, I looked at Alexandra who was looking up and was completely oblivious to the servants applying shades over their eyes. Then when loud mechanical sounds were heard, I had no choice put to lift the tablecloth from behind me and wrap the cloth around both me and her. We fell to the floor, and that was when I heard screams coming from the entire area.

“What’s happening?” Alexandra exclaimed, trying to squirm out of the cloth encasement.

“DON’T MOVE!” I shouted back. “If you don’t want to burn to death, you’ll stay where you are!”

I heard Alexandra whimper before stopping her movements which allowed me to look through the weaves of the fabric. I only saw pure white through the fabric threads as screams and cries for help continued to pierce into my ears. Then everything went dark again, and I told her to stay under the cloth. She said she would, and I pulled the cloth off my body, stood up and looked around the darkened area that I could barely see.

Right then I dodged an attack from my side, the person’s fist just grazing my cheek, and I performed a barrel roll to move out of the way. My eyes then adjusted to the dark, and I saw that several of the servants were coming towards me, baring their teeth and looking very menacing. I looked down to see a dinner knife, and I grabbed it before jumping back onto my feet. This wasn’t the most ideal weapon, but it was going to have to do as the men came towards me with their fists.

The normal lights returned, and with my sight back I realized that among the many guests who were on the floor and still covering their eyes, there were also more lycans then I previously saw before and I was completely outnumbered. However, I was still able to quickly take down each of the servants with quick slashes of the knife. Blood sprayed from their wounds as they fell to the floor. Some attempted to stand back up and resume fighting, but with a few stabs on their neck and shoulders quickly took them down. I treated the knife like it was a sword, and with my years of training, I was able to defeat all these lycans without breaking a sweat.

One more lycan attempted to stand back up, and I moved towards him to deliver the final attack when the man punched me so hard in the chest that I hurtled back against a table. I groaned and tasted blood in my mouth as I tried to refocus myself. I looked at the man who beginning to shed, no, burn away his human skin. His servant uniform also started to burn away as fur began covering his body and his face started to twist into the face of a true lycan. A loud growl came from the creature, and all I could do was brace myself as this monster ran towards me in a fiery rage.

So, I was surprised when the creature suddenly collapsed onto the floor, only a few feet from where I was standing. I then looked at the beast’s back and saw what looked like darts. I looked to see Will again who held a small tranquilizer gun in his hand and had a smirk on his face. I was glad that I wasn’t the receiving end of those darts this time as I fell back against the collapsed table and sighed out in relief.

Out of all the dates I’ve been in, this one was surely the most unexpecting and exciting of them all.