A Hymn of Snakes

THIRTEEN

Moonlight curled around the edges of the castle, I stood in the window as I felt the cool air touch my skin. We were an hour away from reaching the sunrise. Across the way, Alex opened the curtains. "Can't sleep?" I asked, he shook his head. I smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Never." He told me, I wanted to see him. I wanted to speak to him alone. I slightly motioned my head to the side, letting him know to come over. I unbuttoned my jacket as he laughed. Alex moved away from his window in a flash. I changed into a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt as a knock blistered at my door.

A smile curled at the edges of my lips as I studied his exposure, he didn't bother to button up his shirt. I should have let him continue before letting him in, "You sped here?" I asked taking his hand and pulling him into my room. His hands followed suit as they guided up the sides of my arms.

His touch felt like static and bitter cold, but I didn't bother to fight it. His words held up the stain in my heart as he whispered from his breath, the air under his lungs sucked from his life. "I wanted to beat the sunlight." Alex honestly told me, causing me to turn around and head for the window. Closing the curtains as he sat on my bed. "I like seeing you in normal clothes." He commented, making me feel self conscious about it.

My uniform hid all of my insecurities, it was my armor. Normal clothes made me feel so exposed. I hated it, but I wanted Alex to see me like this. That I wasn't just a soldier, that I could be normal. I shoved my nerves down, trying to hide how uncomfortable I was. "As opposed to no clothes?" I spiked, the red in Alex's eyes deepened.

His finger trailed up the side of my leg, goosebumps rose against my skin. "Is that an invite Delia?" Grazing his lips against my thigh as I stood against the edge of the bed. Ithe warned me, she told me Alex was fighting his bloodlust. That she didn't know what he would do if I allowed him to go any further.

I pushed off of him, "Not tonight, it's been a long day." I could hear the disappointment in his voice and it broke my heart a little. I wasn't prepared to deal with him after I had to handle the Theron situation. Something the Queen won't even let me talk to Alex about, "The Queen keeps me busy. It's nauseating." I excused my actions, his eyes looked down to the bedding. There was a thought that crossed his mind that scared me.

Then he started from the beginning, the strings that bound out hearts pulled. I've noticed how distant he's been, how distant I've been. "Do you ever wish that we were normal?" Alex asked me, my brows met the crease of forehead.

I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about it, but I didn't want to be normal. "Like just humans?" I asked.

Alex trailed off, it was clear what he wanted but would never get. "I would want to go to high school." I could imagine his Academy was nothing like a high school, just a place for young Vampires to go to attend to fill their boredom. "I would want to go to prom and graduate." He told me, I pitied him but then I didn't. He was an immortal royal, sure he's been betrayed and hurt by those he thought he could trust- but Alex had no idea how good he had it.

I sighed, "It's not as great as you think. It's definitely not like the movies." Then again what would I know, I didn't exactly go to a normal school. The Keeper's Academy was military involved, scheduled stations. History of witchcraft and Vampirism, the Study of Alchemy, and everything in between that. I had no right to judge if it was a good experience or not.

I've noticed that Alex was someone who was simply negative minded, sure I wasn't the most positive person in the world- but at least I listened to people. Alex was so damn stubborn it made me want to throw a rock at him. "I don't care. Anything is better than the now." He confessed but that didn't mean much to me.