THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR

Chapter 7: Alessandro's Kingdom

Maria was attentive to every word as Alessandro spoke. Her eyes never left his face.

"The first and only time I killed was during the invasion." Alessandro's voice grew gravelly as the physical strain of remembering the day settled in. "The Daywalkers had been growing overconfident for a while, and they felt superior with their ability to walk among humans while we stayed hidden away until night."

He had a biting tone at this last remark. Maria glanced at the tightly drawn curtains. How painful it must be for him, all these centuries, to see life happening all around him, yet never being able to live it.

"When they found out about the family and, more so, about the prophecy, they wanted nothing to do with it. Not only that, but they wanted all evidence of the prophecy destroyed. You see, without it being in writing, they could continue to ignore the fact that our powers were slowly depleting. But my Kingdom took the prophecy to heart, and as I've said, the most steadfast way to ensure that our people would once again thrive was to make sure the reuniting among enemies was permanent. In other words, for me to marry their daughter Desdemona."

"Was she pretty?" Maria didn't know why she asked. Of all the things she could have asked him from what he'd told her so far, THIS was what she chose. Hot with embarrassment, she waited for his answer.

"She was ravishing," Alessandro's voice was breathy in recollection. Maria's heart panged at the faraway look in his eyes. She once again reminded herself that this shouldn't matter, and she shouldn't have asked the question in the first place.

"But she was my best friend," Alessandro finally added, "Never my lover."

Maria shouldn't have felt the thrill that ran through her heart upon hearing this, but there was no denying it. Alessandro turned his head towards Maria, giving her a soft smile. At that moment, she could have leaned in, rested her head on his shoulder, stroked back his silky dark hair...or once again ran her fingers across his lips. Instead, she returned his smile, hoping that her expression wasn't giving away how she truly felt.

"Even without a wedding, we started to see the prophecy come to fruition in our day-to-day lives." Alessandro continued, "More Transporters began to stay in the Kingdom, drawn merely by their curiosity of watching this new family. But the longer they stayed, the more our powers began to rebuild themselves. As enemies became friends: children developed their abilities sooner, Transporters saw hints of shapeshifting abilities, and one Shapeshifter even managed to transport themselves across the castle. It was all coming true. We couldn't help but think that if this was merely through friendship, what would happen for us when the marriage made the union permanent?"

"I bet the Daywalkers weren't too jazzed about all that."

"You're catching on quick," Alessandro leaned an inch closer to Maria so that she could now feel his breath warm against her skin. "They wanted to be superior, and if a marriage between enemies could permanently make us all equals, then the Daywalkers wouldn't stand a chance. There were whispers that they would come for us, and we couldn't allow ourselves to be taken by surprise. Even with our powers slowly regaining, we were in a vulnerable position, our walls creating both a shield and a trap for our people. The community was scared and restless—a dangerous combination. Combine that with the rumors the Daywalkers continually tried to spread: that the prophecy was all propaganda from the royals hoping to stay in power… that didn't leave us much time before our own began to waver as to who's side they were going to believe. And so we attacked first."

Alessandro's eyes became stormy, and Maria noticed a slight tremble in his hand. She reached over, allowing her fingers to entangle in his now clammy hands.

"I wasn't prepared to marry. I wasn't prepared to go to war. I wasn't prepared to watch so many people I cared about perish. I never loved Desdemona as more than a friend. But I would have married her a million times over to prevent the m******e I saw that day from happening. To this day, I don't know if she was killed or if she's still somewhere out there waiting to fulfill the prophecy."

"And the Daywalkers?" Maria's voice came out gently as she rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand.

"The battle annihilated the majority of them. The Daywalkers who were left fled, much like those of us from the Kingdom who survived and couldn't bear to live surrounded by the bodies of our loved ones. Since that day, I haven't come across any more of my kind. I'm sure they're out there, and I'm sure some still cling to the hope that the prophecy will be fulfilled and we'll regain our full potential. But for now, I wander from place to place. Even if I could find my Kingdom again, there is only heartache for me to return to."

"I'm sorry," Maria knew that those words were probably not enough, but they were all she had to offer. Alessandro's leaned his head against the headboard, his hold on her hand growing firmer.

"What happened to your Kingdom?" She asked gently.

Alessandro shook his head. “Before the battle, Desdemona's family cloaked it in a secrecy spell so that the children and elderly could stay behind safely. That spell in itself took so much of the collective energy that I often wonder to this day, if we'd only left it exposed, would we have been able to win the battle instead of both sides being decimated? Her family was the only one with the power to lift the spell, but once they disappeared, the Kingdom seemed to go with them. No map, no clues as to how to raise the cloak. Just an empty field and a broken home I was never able to find."

"And your parents..." Maria's voice faded off, not wanting to push Alessandro further into the darkness of his past.

"They died in battle. It's a funny thing when you're supposed to live forever... death becomes a figment of your imagination, so when it is forced upon you, nothing seems to make sense anymore."

Maria allowed the silence that fell between them. Alessandro seemed momentarily lost in a past he could never change. The man whose hand she held had endured and lived with more burdens and guilt than she could imagine for so long, with no hope for an ending. And yet, here he was, somehow able to keep persevering. She looked into his eyes, both tormented from his past, yet hopeful that someone would see him for who he is.

"You are so strong to have overcome all of that," Maria finally said.

"I didn't overcome anything," Alessandro leaned his head towards hers, "I simply keep moving."

Maria nodded, relating to the sentiment he spoke of. She allowed the weight of her head to fall against his, their hands staying entangled in each other's warmth.

He'd had to lose all the people he loved in his life. However, she wasn't planning to let go of him any time soon.

***

ALESSANDRO'S POV

Maria had fallen asleep about an hour after they stopped talking. Of course, he'd made sure that she hadn't actually fainted again after hearing his full story, but she was indeed in a restful and probably much-needed sleep.

The night was young, but Alessandro had no urge to go anywhere. He could have lain beside Maria all night; however, he feared that might appear creepy come morning.

Decisively, Alessandro walked to the hall closet, where he pulled out a spare comforter he planned to sleep with on the couch. With his bedroom door open, he'd be able to keep an eye on Maria should she wake up disorientated regarding her whereabouts.

As Alessandro settled into the living room, he saw movement outside his sliding glass door. It could have been a small animal or a trick of the eye, but his instincts led him towards the doorway.

Stepping out into the silent night, Alessandro just barely caught sight of a purple laced gowned figure with long dark tresses disappearing beyond his gate. His body stiffened as his heart was simultaneously filled with love and fear. Without even seeing their face, he knew who it was...Desdemona.