Zone Zero: Redemption (Book 2 of 3)

Chapter 23

We drive for hours on end and finally stop at a tiny village with small farmhouses lining a long dirt road.

Giselle stops the car and makes her way towards one of the small houses as I turn in my seat to face Alex.

He is sitting up surveying his surroundings silently.

"Hey." I barely whisper to him.

He ignores me completely and exits the car, following Giselle inside.

I quickly exit the car as well and follow them both.

"There are clothes in the bedroom down the hall and clean towels in the bathroom. The fridge should also have some more blood bags in there." Giselle talks to Alex as we all stand around in the tiny kitchen. This house looks barely big enough to have one bedroom.

"I'll leave you to it then. There is also a disposable phone in the bedside drawer if you need it."

Giselle heads for the exit but I am quick to stop her.

"Where are you going? Aren't you staying with us?"

"I'll be right next door. Most of these houses are only one bedroom." She places a hand on my shoulder while the other grips the door handle. "Call me if you need anything."

The door closes behind her leaving Alex and I alone for what feels like the first time in eternity. I look over to him but he is too busy looking around the small kitchen that houses a table barely big enough for two.

I take a seat at the table and watch closely as he opens the fridge and pulls out two blood bags. He then reaches into a cupboard and pulls out two mix matched glasses before emptying the contents into them and passing me a glass.

He still hasn't so much as looked at me and I can't help but feel there is tension there. Is he angry with me? Have I disappointed him beyond repair?

I guess the fact that i was so easily controlled by Cail must be a hard thing to forgive from his view point.

I look at the glass in my hand and take a sip expecting him to sit opposite me at the table but instead he makes his way to the small couch in the adjoining lounge room.

I stay where I am for a few minutes before moving onto the couch next to him. We need to clear the air. I need him to know being turned into a vampire hasn't changed my feelings for him.

I slide into the worn couch and face him, waiting for him to break the silence. When he doesn't I decide I will have to.

"Alex, I..." I begin but he cuts me off.

"Don't. You don't have to say anything." He speaks with words of ice as they slice into my heart.

He still hasn't looked directly at me and I can't help but feel a sense of rejection wash over me. He has closed himself off from me as though I were no one to him. As though I mean nothing to him.

He stands up and finishes off his glass before sitting it down on the kitchen counter and heading down the small hallway.

I push down the urge to cry and know that I have to do something. I have to tell him what happened and how I still feel about him. Just because the bond we shared has all but disappeared physically since I was tuned doesn't mean that I don't still feel a strong connection to him each time I look at him. Each time I even think about him. I love him. I will never stop loving him.

The sound of water running can be heard from the bathroom and I decide that I need to fight. I need to fight for the man that I love and show him how much he truly means to me.