Blood Purple (Blood Series) by Ashley Nemer
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
He hung up the phone in a slow daze. Nikole was alive. He had to go pick her up. He turned to Adara, blinking back tears he felt forming. “She is alive. She is alive!”
Adara wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He leaned into her embrace, his forehead lying against her neck, smelling her hair, her scent, and letting it comfort him. Adara stroked his head, letting her fingers run through his hair. “Do you want me to go with you to get her?”
Zayn shook his head no, lifting up his eyes and catching hers in his gaze. Blinking twice, he leaned into her and kissed her softly. “No, this is something I have to do on my own, but thank you. You will be here when I bring her home right?”
Adara brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “I’ll be here as long as you want me to be, Zayn.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm. The soft skin tantalized him. “It will take me two hours each way, so I will see you in four hours.” He kissed her goodbye and got out of bed to go dress for the trip.
Walking into his closet, he looked over his clothes, thinking to himself how close he’d come to losing her. She was the only person who had stuck by him through thick and thin, always. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Duty, it was his duty to be king, but weeks like this made him wish he’d never born into the title. Slipping into his outfit, he walked back out to see Adara laying in his bed still. Her hair was splayed out across the pillows, her body teasingly spread out on-top of the covers. Zayn growled in excitement at her beauty. “We will finish this later, my pet,” he said with a cocky grin before he left to make his way to Nasir’s office to inform him of the good news.
Seeing Nasir’s door closed, Zayn knocked twice, and then opened the heavy wooden door. Pushing inside, he saw Nasir staring at his computer; he appeared to be troubled by something.
“Fear not my friend, I have great news, Nikole just called, she is with Alec and we are going to go pick her up.”
Nasir’s shocked reaction was evident on his face, “Alec? I asked around about him. I was told he was still back in the home country. What is he doing back so soon? He was supposed to check in with us upon his return. Do you think he could be behind this?”
Zayn sat down, understanding Nasir’s relief mixed with doubt about Alec. “She said he saved her life and she is fine. It sounded like her; she didn’t say anything that would lead me to believe she is in danger. I want to get to her right away though. Do you remember where his cabin is? It will take a good two hours to arrive there.”
Nasir ran his hands over his keyboard and closed the picture he had open on the monitor. “I know I taught her how to defend herself, but Alec is different. He is a true Ghul. He was always out for blood, and I hate that she is there with him. Who knows what he has done to her? If you flash our way across the State we will get there faster than if we go on foot.”
Zayn nodded in agreement, but then with a twinge of sadness he shook his head no. “I am sure she is injured and can’t flash, or else she would be home by now. We have to foot this one the old fashioned way.”
Zayn stood up and started walking to the door. He heard Nasir start to move toward his side when he turned around suddenly. “I don’t want anyone to know about this. Let’s go bring my okht home, just you and me. What if we have a leak and someone tells Haydar what the plans are? I couldn’t live with myself.” Putting his hands on Nasir’s shoulder, he squeezed. “I know she is like a bent to you; I need you with me in order to do this. Come. Let’s go, my friend.”
Adara looked out of the window and watched them leave to bring Nikole home. She knew that as soon as Nikole was home things would be chaotic at least for a few days. Adara decided to go back to her house and grab a few more things that she was missing. Heading down the stairwell, she waved goodbye to the guards on staff and informed them that she would be back in an hour or so. Heading to her car, she felt the weight of this event on her shoulders. So much happened to her; she didn’t even know where to begin. She started the engine and took off, making the ten-minute ride to her house in six.
Pulling up to her house, she realized it has been about three days since she had been home. She and Zayn had been keeping each other company, and she hadn’t had time alone to stop and think about things. She decided to just take some time to rest and figure out what she wanted to do where the King of their race was concerned. Turning the car off and walking up to the front door, she just couldn’t help smiling when Zayn crossed her mind. Adara fumbled with her keys, trying to get them in the lock of the front door, when she heard a noise. Jumping and flinching, she turned around only to see her neighbor’s cat playing in the bushes. “Get a grip, Adara. Come on,” she said to herself. She unlocked the door and walked in.
She moved through her house, gathering a few items and putting them in a bag. She started to smell something foul as she moved closer to the kitchen. She paused a moment; she knew that smell. Blood. Why did she smell blood? She sat her bag down and walked around the corner. She stood there in shock as she saw the Ghul’s, body cut up and mangled on her table. Blood still dripping off the glass, her floor was now red. She slowly backed up and grabbed her bag, running out the door.
Outside in the car, she got out her phone and called Zayn, but he didn’t answer. Looking at the time, she realized he must have found the place where Nikole was. She decided all she could do was head back to his home to tell someone what happened. She tried to put the car into gear. Nothing happened. Adara slowly started to panic. Laying her head on the horn she put her arm around the steering wheel and began to cry. She realized she forgot to put the keys in. In her frantic state, she’d let them fall to the floor of the car. Pulling herself together, she turned the car on and drove away from her house. She had to find help. She had to tell someone there had been another murder.
He hung up the phone in a slow daze. Nikole was alive. He had to go pick her up. He turned to Adara, blinking back tears he felt forming. “She is alive. She is alive!”
Adara wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He leaned into her embrace, his forehead lying against her neck, smelling her hair, her scent, and letting it comfort him. Adara stroked his head, letting her fingers run through his hair. “Do you want me to go with you to get her?”
Zayn shook his head no, lifting up his eyes and catching hers in his gaze. Blinking twice, he leaned into her and kissed her softly. “No, this is something I have to do on my own, but thank you. You will be here when I bring her home right?”
Adara brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “I’ll be here as long as you want me to be, Zayn.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm. The soft skin tantalized him. “It will take me two hours each way, so I will see you in four hours.” He kissed her goodbye and got out of bed to go dress for the trip.
Walking into his closet, he looked over his clothes, thinking to himself how close he’d come to losing her. She was the only person who had stuck by him through thick and thin, always. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Duty, it was his duty to be king, but weeks like this made him wish he’d never born into the title. Slipping into his outfit, he walked back out to see Adara laying in his bed still. Her hair was splayed out across the pillows, her body teasingly spread out on-top of the covers. Zayn growled in excitement at her beauty. “We will finish this later, my pet,” he said with a cocky grin before he left to make his way to Nasir’s office to inform him of the good news.
Seeing Nasir’s door closed, Zayn knocked twice, and then opened the heavy wooden door. Pushing inside, he saw Nasir staring at his computer; he appeared to be troubled by something.
“Fear not my friend, I have great news, Nikole just called, she is with Alec and we are going to go pick her up.”
Nasir’s shocked reaction was evident on his face, “Alec? I asked around about him. I was told he was still back in the home country. What is he doing back so soon? He was supposed to check in with us upon his return. Do you think he could be behind this?”
Zayn sat down, understanding Nasir’s relief mixed with doubt about Alec. “She said he saved her life and she is fine. It sounded like her; she didn’t say anything that would lead me to believe she is in danger. I want to get to her right away though. Do you remember where his cabin is? It will take a good two hours to arrive there.”
Nasir ran his hands over his keyboard and closed the picture he had open on the monitor. “I know I taught her how to defend herself, but Alec is different. He is a true Ghul. He was always out for blood, and I hate that she is there with him. Who knows what he has done to her? If you flash our way across the State we will get there faster than if we go on foot.”
Zayn nodded in agreement, but then with a twinge of sadness he shook his head no. “I am sure she is injured and can’t flash, or else she would be home by now. We have to foot this one the old fashioned way.”
Zayn stood up and started walking to the door. He heard Nasir start to move toward his side when he turned around suddenly. “I don’t want anyone to know about this. Let’s go bring my okht home, just you and me. What if we have a leak and someone tells Haydar what the plans are? I couldn’t live with myself.” Putting his hands on Nasir’s shoulder, he squeezed. “I know she is like a bent to you; I need you with me in order to do this. Come. Let’s go, my friend.”
Adara looked out of the window and watched them leave to bring Nikole home. She knew that as soon as Nikole was home things would be chaotic at least for a few days. Adara decided to go back to her house and grab a few more things that she was missing. Heading down the stairwell, she waved goodbye to the guards on staff and informed them that she would be back in an hour or so. Heading to her car, she felt the weight of this event on her shoulders. So much happened to her; she didn’t even know where to begin. She started the engine and took off, making the ten-minute ride to her house in six.
Pulling up to her house, she realized it has been about three days since she had been home. She and Zayn had been keeping each other company, and she hadn’t had time alone to stop and think about things. She decided to just take some time to rest and figure out what she wanted to do where the King of their race was concerned. Turning the car off and walking up to the front door, she just couldn’t help smiling when Zayn crossed her mind. Adara fumbled with her keys, trying to get them in the lock of the front door, when she heard a noise. Jumping and flinching, she turned around only to see her neighbor’s cat playing in the bushes. “Get a grip, Adara. Come on,” she said to herself. She unlocked the door and walked in.
She moved through her house, gathering a few items and putting them in a bag. She started to smell something foul as she moved closer to the kitchen. She paused a moment; she knew that smell. Blood. Why did she smell blood? She sat her bag down and walked around the corner. She stood there in shock as she saw the Ghul’s, body cut up and mangled on her table. Blood still dripping off the glass, her floor was now red. She slowly backed up and grabbed her bag, running out the door.
Outside in the car, she got out her phone and called Zayn, but he didn’t answer. Looking at the time, she realized he must have found the place where Nikole was. She decided all she could do was head back to his home to tell someone what happened. She tried to put the car into gear. Nothing happened. Adara slowly started to panic. Laying her head on the horn she put her arm around the steering wheel and began to cry. She realized she forgot to put the keys in. In her frantic state, she’d let them fall to the floor of the car. Pulling herself together, she turned the car on and drove away from her house. She had to find help. She had to tell someone there had been another murder.