Chapter 18: An Angry Roar

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: An Angry Roar

That red stain was another reminder...another confirmation that last night had truly happened. Life had changed remarkably fast for her. Twenty-four hours earlier she had imagined loosing her virginity to Jason, but instead...she had ended one Chapter of her life and unexpectedly begun another.

Whether her decision had been wise...she couldn’t yet say. But she knew she doesn’t regret it. A faint blush crept across her cheeks again but she quickly looked away before collecting her dress and shoes.

Several minutes later she finished dressing, smoothing the black fabric over her hips before glancing toward the elegant clock resting on the nightstand.

A few minutes before seven, and she gasped. "I really have to go."

She didn’t know the time that the big guy normally wakes up, but she needed to disappear before he actually wakes up.

She took two steps toward the bedroom door, then stopped. Looking back at the sleeping man, she hesitated. It’s true that she only wanted one night with him, but leaving without a word somehow didn’t feel right.

Walking back to the bed, Iris noticed a leather-bound sketchbook resting on the nightstand beside an expensive fountain pen. She hesitated only a second before opening to a blank page. For several seconds she stared at the blank page.

What exactly did one write to a man they’d met only hours earlier? Eventually she smiled faintly and began writing.

When she finished, She stared at the words for a long moment. And then tore out the pages she wrote and carefully placed the sketchbook exactly where he’d find it.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, though she wasn’t entirely sure whether she was apologizing to him....or to herself.

Picking up her heels, she padded barefoot through the enormous penthouse, making sure not to wake him and quietly left the bedroom.

The living room looked even more breathtaking in daylight.Glass walls overlooked Seattle’s skyline and modern artwork lined the walls. Even elegant furnishings that had seemed almost hidden beneath the night’s shadows.

Everything about the place spoke of impossible wealth.

She had almost reached the front door when a large mirror caught her reflection and she stopped abruptly.

"Oh my god..." She looked like a wreck. Her hair looked as though she’d walked through a storm, her lipstick had vanished completely, courtesy of the intense kisses she got from Alexander last night.

And more noticeably....several dark marks bloomed against the delicate skin near her collarbone, disappearing beneath the neckline of her dress while others remained painfully visible..

She stared at herself in horror. "There is absolutely no way I can leave looking like this."

Anyone who saw her would immediately begin making assumptions, and guess how exactly she’s spent her night. And judging by the evidence that’s plain to see...they wouldn’t be wrong.

She looked around desperately, trying to find something to cover herself with and as luck would have it, she noticed Alexander’s suit jacket lying neatly across the back of the sofa from where he dropped it last night.

A relieved smile spread across her face. "Thank you." Then she looked apologetically at it, knowing that she would never get the opportunity to return it to him.

But then she figured that since he looked loaded....he probably wouldn’t mind and has many more.

She slipped it over her shoulders, and it practically swallowed her whole. The sleeves hung well past her hands, and the expensive fabric carried the faint scent of his very expensive cologne.

Oddly...It made her smile.

She quickly smoothed her hair with her fingers, and reapplied a lipstick. Then she took one last glance in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Much better."

With one last glance toward the hallway leading back to his bedroom....Iris quietly opened the front door and closed the penthouse door behind her. The soft click echoed through the silent penthouse, and then she disappeared.

********

Several hours later, Alexander stirred in his bed. A contented breath escaped him as he stretched beneath the sheets, every muscle unusually relaxed.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so deeply or so peacefully. Not for decades....not for as long as he could remember.

A faint smile appeared on his face, highlighting his handsome face. "So..." His voice was rough from sleep. "...I’ve finally found you."

The bedroom still carried her fragrance, it lingered in the room, in the sheets, in the pillows....in the very air itself.

With his eyes still closed, he inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to settle the restless beast inside him. Hey scent surrounded him so completely that another smile tugged at his lips.

"I’ve really found you." The words barely rose above a whisper.

For a long moment he simply lay there, allowing himself to enjoy a peace he’d believed impossible for so long.

For the first time in centuries...he found peace and contentment.

Without opening his eyes, his hand reached instinctively toward the other side of the bed. But his hand only met a cold and empty sheets.

His smile faded and he frowned. Alexander’s eyes opened immediately and he sat upright in alarm.

"Iris?" He called for her, hoping that she might be in the showers and will answer him, but silence answered him. He looked toward the bathroom, and the door stood wide open.

His expression slowly hardened. His heightened hearing sharpened instantly, reaching beyond the bedroom, through the penthouse, searching for footsteps, running water, the rustle of clothing... anything to prove that she was still in the house. But he heard nothing...She was gone.

The smile disappeared from his face completely. His gaze swept across the room until it landed on the sketchbook resting on the bedside table.

He reached for it, and with a cautious hand, he unfolded it and read the scrawled message:

‎"Forget me, and forget last night. This will be better for the both of us. I had a great time... thank you."

His jaw tightened and the paper crumpled effortlessly beneath his tightening grip. Something inside him snapped.

"No."

The single word echoed through the bedroom, his breathing deepened, and his eyes, once calm, darkened into something far more dangerous.

"You don’t get to walk into my life....and disappear before morning like it was nothing....not after searching for so long."

The air inside the room seemed to grow heavier and every muscle in his body tensed. Then the beast inside him roared to life.

A deafening furious roar ripped from his chest, powerful enough to echo through the entire penthouse. It shook the entire penthouse, rattling windows and sending crystal glasses trembling inside their cabinets.

The silence that followed felt almost alive....Alexander stood beside the bed, the crushed note still clutched in his hand.

His expression was no longer that of a man who had been left behind. It was the expression of a man who had just decided that no matter where Iris ran...he was going to find her.

"Run if you want to, little mate." Alexander said, his voice frighteningly calm despite the fury burning beneath it. Then his eyes flashed bright red. "I’ll find you."