Mixed Worlds

Chapter Twenty One - Hunter’s Brain

    A short while later, Jack and I return to the bunker. When we get inside, he walks to the kitchen and I find my way to everyone else. I need to talk to Anna. We haven’t really had much time to do that since she got here. I walk in to the living room, and Alex and Lucas are on the couch watching the football game, and Anna is on the loveseat on the phone. I walk over to her, and sit beside her. She says a quick goodbye to Tyler, and hangs up.

            “Hey, how did it go?” She asks. 

     “It could have been worse, but it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. I broke things off until we can figure a few more things out.” I pull my knees up to my chest, and rest my chin on my knee. “I cried, which made him cry. Then we just kind of sat there for a bit and drove back here in silence.” I sigh. “I don’t even know where to begin now. I feel like a slut too, because first I had my kiss with Lucas, then a couple days later I’m involved with Jack, and shortly after I wake up I have this ‘mate’ thing with Alex. I don’t know what to do about that either. I was hoping you’d have an idea?” 

    Anna turns herself towards me, and copies my position. “Well, you can start by either talking to Alex, or you and Lucas go and talk to Christian. You can’t mope around Ally. Maybe you and Jack will figure things out, and if it doesn’t work out, then it wasn’t meant to be. And with Alex, I’d follow your gut. From the beginning you said that you felt drawn to him, so maybe he’s right and there is a bond between you two. If not, then you have to decide where to go from there. If it were me, and I wasn’t married, I’d jump his yummy bones in a heartbeat.” She smirks. I roll my eyes and push her a bit.

     “Oh God Anna. I’ve missed you so much. Once all of this is done, however it ends, I’m gonna be on the first flight to New York and I’ll visit you guys for a while, if that’s okay?” Anna smiles at me, and pulls me in for a hug, 

    “Of course babes.” Alex and Lucas cheer at the TV, and I’m assuming their team is doing well. 

    “I think I’m gonna start by talking to Alex. See what he wants to do about Christian, and find out more about this whole mate thing. It kinda freaked me out when he said that, but at the same time it made a lot of things make sense. First, I didn’t kill him the first chance I got. Second, I felt bad when he was hurt. Three, I literally untied him and didn’t freak out when he was standing in the corner when I came back, and last, I think he’s actually a nice guy.” I pull back and fix my hair. I rub my face and stand up to go get Alex. “I’ll talk to you later and fill you in. Until then, make yourself at home. The garage is down the hall, the truck keys are mine. My room is the third on the right, and you can help yourself to anything in there if you need it.” Anna stands up and heads down the hallway.

    “Good luck Allycat.” She smiles. I walk over to the couch, and Alex gets up to meet me halfway. 

    “Hey, can we talk?” We say in unison. We both laugh a bit, and he holds his hand out in direction for me to speak first.

    “Let’s go to the library.” I turn and he keeps pace beside me, our hands occasionally brushing against each other. “So, how are you feeling?” I ask. 

    “I’m actually doing okay. Luke and I chatted for a bit, and he filled me in on a bunch of hunter stuff. Half of the monsters he told me about I’ve never even heard of.” He looks over at me. “You guys deal with some pretty messed up shit.” 

    “Yeah, you have no idea.” I laugh. “There was one time we came across a pack of goblins, and one of them literally climbed Lucas and gave him a wet Willy. Weirdest thing ever. When I shot it, he got soaked in blue goo. Those fuckers are weird, angry little creatures, but man are they fast. By the time we were done, we were all soaked in goop. We found a nearby pond and started to rinse off, when Lucas shoulder checked me into the water. I ended up pulling him in with me, and we all started laughing. We both looked at Jack, and dragged him in too. It’s probably one of the best memories I have. Things went silent in the monster world for us for a little bit, and I actually got to travel.” I smile as I get lost in my mind. “My life is messed up, and gets more complicated as time goes on, but I don’t think I would change anything. The only think I wish was different was if my family was still alive.” My smile turns into a frown, and Alex stops me right as we reach the library door. 

    “I’m really sorry you had to lose your family like that. I know it probably doesn’t mean a lot, but I promise that I’ll make Christian suffer for the pain he’s caused you, and everyone else he’s ever met.” I give Alex a warm smile, and I walk into the library. We sit on the couch in the back corner, and we sit in silence.

    “So, where do you want to start? There’s Christian, or you can explain more about the fact that you think I’m your… your mate?” I say the last part softly. Alex clears his throat, and adjusts his position so he’s facing me better.

    “Well, maybe we start with the simpler topic first.” I wait for him to continue, as both are pretty complicated for me. “When I was fifteen, I started having cravings for something more than just food. My mother and I were living with Christian in an abandoned hotel in downtown New York. The nest did the place up pretty nicely, so we were comfortable. I went to school, and I was one of the first vampires to be able to do it. No one thought I was a vampire, because I didn’t have black or red eyes. One day I had gotten into a fight at school, and I punched a guy so hard he got a nosebleed. I saw the blood on my knuckles, and my throat became really dry and my heart started racing. I knew what vampires were, as I would regularly see the ones I lived with feed. I hated the idea of being like them. I never wanted to be the reason someone’s life ended. 

    As soon as I realized what was about to happen, I took off running home and cried to my mother about what happened. She went over to the fridge and got me a bag of blood, and I drank up the whole thing. My mother and father had slept together, back when he wasn’t such an evil person. After I was born, he turned my mother because she was dying after giving birth to me. Once she turned, they realized they were mates. After that, Christian began turning more people to make his nest stronger, and he was deemed King of the Vampires. My mother hated the fact that he was taking advantage of his power, and wasn’t being more stern with his people.  She was what’s known as the Ace, which is the Alphas mate. Her title means just as much as the Alphas, so she tried to convince her people to start behaving better. Christian didn’t like that, so he started beating her into place.” I found myself wanting to cry, so I reach out and place my hand on his leg. He smiles at me, and continues his story.

    “Over the years, my mother kept quiet about her thoughts. I would constantly bicker with Christian, and a few times it had gotten physical. He would beat me down, and make fun of the fact that I was a hybrid. He said that my emotions made me weak, and that beating me would toughen me up. I would beg my mother to run away, and it wasn’t until I was 21 when she had finally agreed. The morning we were getting ready to leave, Christian caught us trying to sneak out. He locked me up, and stuck a stake in my stomach so I’d be weak.” 

    “One day I woke up, and everyone was gone. The stake in my stomach was removed, and I was starting to heal. I screamed for my father, and when he came in he explained that he sent my mother away. Shortly after that, I ended up getting away from him and I took off trying to find her. I came across about a hundred nests, and no one knew where she was. When I went back to find Christian to get more answers, he was also gone. Everyone in the nest was lost, and looked to me for leadership. I didn’t want any part of it, so I left on a mission to find him. Flash forward a bit and I’m sitting on the couch with you.” 

    I say nothing, unsure of what to do. I look down after feeling a shock and see that his hands are holding mine. I squeeze his hands, and look back up. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through all that. I can’t imagine what it must have been like. All I know is I hurt for you.” I feel a tear roll down my cheek. Alex wipes it away, and pulls my chin up. 

    “I would have done it all again and stayed with him if it meant that you could still have your family.” I lock eyes with him, and we both start to lean in. My heart is racing, and I feel like my stomach is going to explode. Alex shifts his hand to the side of my head, and pulls my lips to his. He kisses me softly, and I place my hand on his chest. He pulls me closer to him so I’m sitting on his lap, and runs his hands through my hair. With each moment becoming more passionate, we both pull apart gasping for air. My hands rest around his neck, and his arms are wrapped around my waist.

    “I’m sorry, I- I don’t know what came over me.” I go to get off, but he holds me in place.

    “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” He rubs my back. “It was nice. That should have been our first kiss.” He smiles. I blush and look away.

    “Yeah, sorry about that. Y’know, hunters brain.” I chuckle.

    “Have you ever done that before? Be the bait like that?” He asks.

    “A couple of times. But I’m not proud of it. It was back when I was hunting alone, and sometimes it was easier to deal with whatever monster I was trying to take down.” I look back at him, and he seems hurt. “When I first kissed you, I was pretty tipsy and I didn’t know what else to do. Lucas was coming up behind you and I panicked. I didn’t know he was going to stab you. That wasn’t a part of the plan.” I drop my hands. “I don’t really know what my plan was actually... I didn’t want to hurt you, but I also didn’t want you to hurt me or Lucas.” I lean back. “I’m still sorry about that.”

    “Hey if I went though what you did, I probably would have done close to the same thing. I’m healed now, and that’s all thanks to you. It’s done and over with.” I give him a soft smile and just bask in the beauty that is his shocking blue eyes. “What are you thinking about right now?” He asks. 

    “I don’t really know.” I rub my face, and sigh. “I’m content right now. Confused as all hell, but content.” 

    “What are you confused about?” We shift so I’m sitting beside him again.

    “You and me. Me and Jack. Christian. How my life is a mess. I fix one thing and another issue comes up.” I lean my head back against the couch and stare at the ceiling.

    “Well, what’s going on with you and Jack?” He asks. I tilt my head to the right and look at him. He looks uncomfortable having to talk about it, but I also know he genuinely cares.

    “Up until yesterday, we were… not dating, but it wasn’t just a fling either. It wasn’t very long, but we had talked about it before a whole bunch of stuff happened and I kinda fell asleep for two months.” He raises an eyebrow. “It’s a long story, but I’ll explain it eventually. When I woke up, things were good, and then the night I met you I found out he did something he shouldn’t have. Like, something bad. We got into a fight and Lucas and I went to the bar. Then all the stuff happened with you and I couldn’t handle it. I officially ended things with him this morning after your trial.” I finish saying that, and suddenly I feel like a tramp, again. I lose my virginity a couple of days ago to the man I was starting to love, and now here I am. I just finished making out with a vampire hybrid who claims I’m his mate.

    “Then, there’s you and me. I feel this intense pull towards you, and I can’t explain it. We touch, and my whole body is on fire in the most pleasurable way possible. You say it’s rare for a vampire and a human to be mates, but then again, your parents found out after your mom changed. I’m also confused by how you would think that we are, because you’re only a half vampire. I know normal people don’t get feelings like that. Over time you fall in love and make a decision to be together, but that doesn’t always last for some people. It’s kind of frustrating really.” I chuckle.

    “That pull is the mate bond. You need to remember you’re not all human either. You’re half Goddess, half human. Maybe that’s why you feel the way you do. Do Gods get mates?”I’ve never read anything about it, but it would make sense. Especially since some gods find love with humans, and have children together.

    “I don’t really know. I’d have to ask Athena about that.” I stand up, and reach a hand out to Alex. “Come on, I think it’s time to meet my mom.” I pull him up from the couch, and we start to walk out of the library. “Head down to the living room, and wait for me there. I have to change.”

    Alex stops us in the hallway. “Do you think that’s a good idea? The son of the man who killed her partner, is hoping to understand if he’s destined to be with her daughter?”

    “I don’t know, but maybe we’ll hold off on saying that last part. I’ll come up with something. She’s a pretty understanding woman. When she came here last, she new Christian was here and didn’t do anything to him. She might have pity on you once she sees the kind of person you are.” We continue walking to the living room, and Alex sits down on the couch next to Lucas, who’s still watching TV. I walk over to the fridge and grab him a new beer as I see his current one is empty.“Hey Luke.” I say as I hand him the bottle.

    “Hey Ally, Anna wanted me to tell you she went into the city for a few things. But what’s up? Did you two talk?” He nods as he takes the beer from me.

    “Yeah, but I need to get ahold of my mom. I’m gonna go change, and then come out here to try and reach her. I hope she’s listening.” I turn and walk towards my room, and hear the two of them begin to talk. I walk right into my closet, and find a knee-length navy blue dress to wear its long sleeved, and it flows out from my waist. I pull my hair out of my face, and pin half of it back. I rub my hands on my face, and walk into my room to find her book. I hear a knock on my door, and go over to open it. 

    “Hey, can we talk?” Jack stands in my doorway, and looks like he’s upset. “There’s something I want to say to you.”