Genetics

Preview of Alex's Story, A Tiger-human Series Novella, Scarlet Blooded

After Alex loses his hand in the fight with Godiva, a vampire council member, he learns startling news. He was going through a change that would change who was. Alex refuses to tell April and after learning he has three months to live, Alex must decide what to do. Should he go see his parents or should he go live out his last three months away from them to save them from the horrors of his death?

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Prologue

"What do you think of one day being like them?" She whispered as we worked on getting everything situated for April and Luke's wedding.

I stared at her. Her brown hair was tied up with her pink ribbon and her blue eyes were focused on me. She was smiling at me, and I found myself smiling like an idiot.

"Is this your way of asking me to ask you to marry you when we're older?" I asked her.

"Maybe..." She spoke with a smile and a blush.

I chuckled and reached over to her. I kissed her and then rested my forehead against hers. She smiled at me and kissed me before returning to working on decorations.

We finished up the decorations and laid out on the grass, staring up at the setting sun. Tomorrow was April and Luke's wedding day. We had decorated ahead of time to be able to focus on the wedding itself tomorrow. She laid her head on my shoulder while I had one hand tucked under my head. My other hand was wrapped around her.

"Maybe we can get someone to help us build a home for us that has a few extra bedrooms." She spoke as she glanced at me.

"A few extra bedrooms for what?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"For children of our own, silly." She chuckled as she kissed my nose.

I stared at her for a while. This was the woman I had grown up beside from the age of ten and loved for so long. The first woman and the last I wanted to be with. I gave her such a foolish grin and kissed her.

Chapter 1

I was jolted from my dream by Marcus poking my eye. I grimaced and sat up, finding it hard to breathe correctly. After a few seconds I was able to manage and looked at Marcus. He had her face, but my dark brown hair. His light brown eyes were full of life like hers used to be.

I sighed and looked at the pink ribbon dangling on my wrist. It was her ribbon. The dark red stain on it had refused to leave and was a constant reminder that I had lost someone so precious to me.

Glancing outside I could tell it was still pretty early. The sky was tinted with pink and purple only. I was jarred from my thoughts as Marcus poked my side this time, staring at me with a pouty look on his face.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." He spoke.

I sighed and opened the door. My mind swarmed with the fight we had not too long ago here in this very mansion. My hand still tingled and as I moved the sling a bit, the pink ribbon slipped off of my injured hand. The jagged half-way healed scab along my wrist from where Godiva had chopped it off was visible.

I leaned down and picked up her ribbon. I tied it back on, using my teeth to help. I headed downstairs and spotted May standing there in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Marcus rushed over to her and pulled on her shirt.

"May, can you make me some poptarts?" Marcus begged.

May looked up at me and her eyes immediately flickered over to my sling. I went to speak, but the sudden feeling of something stabbing my lungs stopped me. I sat down and leaned my head on my hand.

The fact I had touched April's sword and then made the choice to grab my severed hand and touching where it had been severe, was a reckless and stupid move. At the time though, I had no other choice. I had to help her any way I could. Godiva had been so strong that all I could do was injure her.

"You should go get your hand examined and have Willow tend to you." May spoke up.

"Why? So, she can tell me that nothing is wrong and it's all in my head?" I asked as I leaned back, taking a deep breath.

"Because you aren't fine. You've been walking around having a difficult time since that fight. I'll get someone to play with your son, but you need to go get looked at now." May spoke in a commanding tone.

I sighed and stood. I didn't like the idea of leaving Marcus with a witch especially a Secluded Forest Coven Witch. The memory of waking up after losing my head kept appearing in my mind anytime I thought of them. I scowled as I left the kitchen and headed out to the tent Willow was operating out of.

Willow was standing outside checking on the herbs she had drying along rope hanging from her tent. She looked over as I approached and gestured to her tent. I walked in and sat down. She closed the tent up after and walked over to me.

"Is everything okay? You aren't supposed to come back for your check-up until tomorrow for your wrist." Willow noted.

"My wrist is fine, but I ended up getting that sharp pain again. May demanded I come see you." I muttered.

Willow nodded and sighed. She removed the sling and checked on my wrist even though I had told her not to. She then grabbed a needle and a small phil. I immediately tensed up as she went for my arm with the needle.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I tried to get my arm away from her.

"Getting a blood sample. I need to see if you have the VL-R2A in your blood." Willow spoke as she pinned my arm down against her side.

I grimaced and looked away as she stuck the needle into my arm. It wasn't until she placed the bandage on my arm that I bothered to look at the phil. My eyes widened at the sight of it. Most of it was crimson red, but there was some scarlet floating around.

Willow stared at the phil for a few minutes and decided to cast a spell on the phil. The blood in the phil began to rapidly turn scarlet and I began to feel sick to my stomach. I had April's blood floating around in mine.

Memories of Caleb's body being taken out of the room April was laying in with orange blood dried to his face raced up to greet my mind. I felt sick to my stomach. Willow seemed to sense it and immediately grabbed a trash bin. I threw up almost the second it was under my head.

"Willow, April is asking to see Alex. She just woke up and will be waiting in her room." May called out.

I stared at Willow. I didn't want April to know about what was going on. She didn't need to know I was going to turn into a VL-R2A Tiger-human like her.

"She can't know about this." I whispered.