Saints and Sinners

Forty-four:

Forty-four:

The stad watch officer that released him looked particularly displeased. "You're a fucking serpent, Morozova," he said, "I don't know how you did it, but The Apparat just dropped all of the charges against you. He's claiming that there is an imposter that is going around making orders and doing fake Blessing removals on his behalf. I don't want to let you go. I think you killed those people, and I think it's only a matter of time before they find something worth locking you up for."

Aleksander, from his place in the corner of the cell, locked eyes with the stad watch officer. "Well it's a good thing there are laws that prevent shit officers like you from calling the shots, Dubrov."

"There's someone waiting to take you home too."

The officer walked into the cell, forced him up, and made him walk through the prison. Then, when they got to the lobby of the police station, he saw Alina standing there waiting for him. Her eyes were blazing with fury, but he didn't care. She was there, and she hadn't left him to rot. She had not allowed herself to wither and die instead of being with him.

He strode forward to where she was, cupped her face in his hands, and then he kissed her, deeply. "Alina," he rasped, "Alina, Alina, Alina." He pulled her whole body against him, pressed his cock against her center. He had to remember that they were in a public place and to not fuck her there in the police station even though that was what he wanted to do. It had been too long. Too many days. He was weak with desire for her and needed to be inside of her.

Alina let out a moan and then, after a moment, she shoved him away, swatting him. "You fucking bastard. How could you? Do you know how fucking worried I was? I thought I was never going to see you again. I thought I was going to wither and die! I thought, I thought----" there were tears streaming down her cheeks, and he kissed her again.

Aleksander chuckled deeply.

"Are you laughing?" Alina said, pulling away from him, glaring.

Aleksander ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Starkov. I just didn't know that you cared."

"I care, Aleks," she said, "I care for you. I love you."

"I love you too, darling," he said, "let's go home. We've got a lot to discuss."

Alina shook her head. "We can't go home. We've got to go see Nina. She says that there's something strange going on."

Aleksander cupped her face in her hands. "I made Nina make that call. I know who the person is framing The Apparat, but I needed to lure them out. I thought they might make a move if I wasn't there. Did they?"

Alina nodded. "I think...and this sounds completely insane...I think it's your ancestor's lover, Aleksander. I'm not sure that the Blessings are what we think they are."

Aleksander squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. "Come on. Let's go somewhere to talk. I don't want to discuss this in a police station."

"Fedyors waiting for us outside. We should go."

The two of them left, and when they got outside, the car was waiting for them. Aleksander was quiet when they got inside. He had so much that he wanted to say to her, and yet when he opened his mouth, nothing came to him.

"What's happening?" Alina asked. "Why were you really arrested?"

"Because, it was part of the plan," Aleksander said, "to expose The Apparats imposter. But there were two more murders---Alexie and Pekka Rollins. They're both dead. The Alexie that was trying to say that Hanne was his soulmate was an imposter. The same imposter that's been posing as The Apparat. My ancestor is still alive, and it's his ex-lover that is doing all of this. She was upset because he was Blessed and she wasn't. And she decided to curse everyone that helped him, and they've been caught in a war ever sense."

Alina reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. "Does that mean that we're cursed instead of Blessed?"

Aleksander shook his head. "I don't know. My ancestor says that we aren't, because we're his descendants and not reincarnations. But I don't know that I trust him. The only way we can get rid of the imposter though is to release his soul, and his soulmates."

"Where are the souls being kept?" Alina asked.

Aleksander bristled. "That's the trouble. It's in The Darkling."

"That big, giant egg monstrosity in The Little Palace museum?"

Aleksander nodded.

"How are we going to get to that?"

"We're going to have to steal it," Aleksander answered.

"Steal it?" Alina whispered.

Aleksander nodded. "I know that you...that you managed to get me out of there, but if this is a line that you won't cross..."

Alina bit her lip. "If it means protecting you, I will do what I have to. I threatened The Apparat, I'm not so Saintly anymore."

Aleksander's lips twitched into a smile. "You threatened The Apparat?"

Alina blushed. "I couldn't leave you in there."

"I thought that was what you wanted. When you first found out that I was your soulmate, it seemed like that was what you wanted...to let me wither and die, so that you wouldn't have to be with me."

"I did, at first," she admitted, "but it aches without you, Aleksander. Everything. And I could not imagine this world without you now."

"Neither could I, darling," he said, "neither could I, malyshka." He took her hand, and he pressed a kiss to the top of it. "When I get you home, I am going to fuck you, hard, and then we are going to figure out a way out of this mess. I'm going to prove that there is not a curse on us. We're fucking true love, Alina. I don't care what the Saints say or not."