Extra Content 01: Alec's View of Love

Alec hadn't had the chance to speak about his feelings for Cleo and her choices for some time. Anytime, now that he has sat down to let it all settle in. The man had his legs crossed with a picture frame in his hands. In it was a photograph of two girls. The other, who was much younger, had long French braids and jade eyes. Aimee and Cleo looked so happy, frozen in time. It hurt to know that weeks later, the older of the pair would go missing. And then they would find out a sick bastard had murdered her. Shattering what little of an everyday life he had and thrusting him into a dysfunctional childhood. One full of failed relationships, destroyed lives, and bloody wounds that would ooze like his growing hate.

Cleo seems different these days. That was something Alec found himself remaking constantly when alone. She was always a caring person, even when she was under the eye of their parents. Killing was something she kept separate from her actual life and personality. Her moral compass may be gray, but her heart wasn't. The woman loved when she did and worked hard to ensure the person knew it. This is why he wasn't shocked when a foreign prince had fallen for her. It bothered him that someone so powerful was alone with his baby sister in another country. But he couldn't help but feel relieved that she was gone. A part of him always felt like he lived in her shadow. All their siblings did. He was happy for her, even if it scared him. He knew she could handle herself and he was proud of her for taking a chance, even if it was on a prince. He just hoped that the prince was worthy of her affections.

Being married to a wealthy man, never to be seen again, would lift the weight off of his chest. And her dying would make it vanish permanently. Thinking about this now made his stomach twist into a knot. He put the frame down and began to pace around the room. He couldn't sit around thinking about his mistakes when Cleo was home, safe from harm. The dark-haired girl acted like she had forgiven him for years of lies and cruelty. While he never hit her like Cale or went out of his way to berate her like the twins, he was a bystander. The depressed man had stood by while Cleo was pushed further away into her insecure, lovesick mind. Anyone else would spit in his grave for his cowardice. But after her betrayal, Cleo had fallen for him and desperately craved his attention.

Save for their encounter alone that day, the jade-eyed woman had never shown him rage. Only sadness at her situation with Ezekiel and the treatment she faced due to her failed engagement. The blonde coming up made Alec want to punch a wall or break something. That bastard was a snake who slithered his way into not one but two of his sisters' hearts. His mother had always told him that it wasn't Ezekiel's fault Aimee had died and that he was family now. But his father spoke what everyone refused to say out loud; a murderer like him could never be in their blood. He behaved as if he was sorry for what had happened. Every look they shared was full of regret and self-loathing that threatened to boil over. But his behavior said otherwise. And this was what drove the dark-haired mad with rage.

It did suck that he caught Cleo's eye. When they were alone before the attack, she lit up with joy at the sight of the blonde. They shared secrets that Alec knew he could never be told and acted like close friends. It hurt him deeply that someone had betrayed her once more. The blonde's actions confused Alec that night. The pair had been attacked and nearly killed with his sister unconscious. Ezekiel, who was conscious, looked as if he had been through hell being covered in bruises. Like a man possessed, he ranted and raved about Cleo confessing to him that she was an imposter. That the dark-haired man had to believe him, that she had been inside their heads, lying to them for months. Hearing these accusations made Alec want to slit his throat.

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With blown-out eyes, the man ran to Alec and grabbed his shoulders. Instantly, they became soaked in a disgusting mixture of blood and sweat. "She isn't who you think she is. On the bridge, she had me under some sort of spell. She uses dark magic. I swear she does."

The madman's words stung like needle marks healing along Alec's arms. Marks that the so-called magic user had helped him to take care of. It was a contrast to everything Ezekiel claimed she was. Besides that, Cleo's being capable of using magic was impossible. No one in their family had that sort of ability or power. His expression turned stony as he removed the blonde's hands from his shoulders and moved backward. Alec felt it was best that the two weren't face to face. With a small sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest. It was clear from the look in the erratic man's eyes that the guard knew he wasn't being believed. And that made his mouth form into a fearsome scowl. His shoulders tightened and his body hunched over as he spoke again. This time he sounded much calmer, to Alec's surprise. The sudden change in tone took aback Alec. His arms loosened from their defensive position and he slowly straightened his back. He could see the man was trying to explain himself, but he still wasn't sure he could trust him.

"Please. I wouldn't lie to you about this. The woman in that bed," With a pained groan he turned and pointed towards the bandaged girl who slept. "Isn't your sister, and she hasn't been for nearly a year. It's a monster."

Hearing this made Alec blink and take a moment to calm himself down. The Cleo he knew was anything but a monster. She had blood on her hands, but so did everyone else in the room. In the house, even. The dark-haired man couldn't stomach the insults being thrown at his injured sister. Ezekiel was acting like a hypocrite in his opinion. His sister had gone out of her way to treat him like a human being. The girl purposely ignored the identity of the man as a strange foreigner, an enemy soldier, and a slave. With her loving heart, she pushed that all to the side and kept him as her friend. And in return, the bastard dared to say that she wasn't even herself. That just made him want to throttle the blonde. His expression had chilled as he gave the snake a response.

"Ezekiel, I would like you to leave the room. Now." The calm tone he had adopted sounded alien to his ears. But he knew that a fight wouldn't be what Cleo wanted.

A golden eye twitched, full of untold pain. "Alec–"

The former friend was cut off by being shoved. It wasn't playful or light, but hard enough to cause a bruise. His upper right shoulder hit the frame of the wall. In her bed, Cleo moved around with her face disturbed. This was what ultimately stopped Alec from going any further. His body trembled with barely contained rage as the blonde looked at him in shock. His mouth was open as he struggled to process what had just happened. But the raven-haired man remained the same, with his old smoldering in heat that could only be hatred. It burned a hole in Ezekiel, no doubt making him feel completely and utterly alone. Alex continued to treat him like trash as he turned briefly. His body brushed against the man's roughly as he made his way to the only person in the room he truly cared for. Onto his knees, the killer went as he kneeled in Cleo's sleeping form. Slowly, their hands touched, and he squeezed.

Alec let out a breath and leaned down, placing his head on her chest. It felt strangely hollow. "Get out before I kill you."