Zeke's heart quivered at the sight of a silver-haired woman standing several steps away behind Ruka. His entire being froze at the sight. It was like he could not believe what his eyes were seeing. For a moment, everything in him – his heartbeat, his mind, his every sense stopped working and was in stasis.
Until he blinked hard a few times to clear his vision. It cannot be… this was… just not possible…
He believed that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. He must be missing her so much that his mind had conjured up a very life-like image of her, to the point that he was even hearing her voice! That was the only logical explanation he could think of right now. And yet… everything within him seems to start trembling. Just the sight of her rocked his entire world in an instant. It was like an explosion of a myriad of emotions filled him up. Wonder. Excitement. Shock. Confusion. Doubt. Anxiety. And… overwhelming love.
His feet then began to move before his mind could even register it was doing so. His gaze never left her figure. Never blinking even once, for fear that she would just disappear in a blink of an eye. Even if this was such an amazingly life-like illusion, he wanted to see her even for a bit longer. Just a bit longer. He would be satisfied with that.
Holy hell… she looked so perfectly like his Alicia. And she looked so… real. What kind of sorcery was this?
Zeke fought not to quicken his pace. The fear that she would vanish once he reached her and stretched out his hand to touch her, grew so strong within just a few moments that his heart was shuddering in his chest.
Everything seemed to cease from his reality. It was now just him and his goddess right there.
And at that moment, he wished and pleaded desperately in his heart that whatever this sorcery was, it would not end just yet. Gods… just be merciful to him and allow him this moment of fantasy for just a little while longer.
"E… Ezekiel…" The Alicia look-alike opened her mouth and called out his name again, her voice so identical to his wife that it was giving him palpitations. And he watched as her expression changed. Tears began to pool in her eyes as her lips trembled, causing Zeke to widen his eyes in disbelief.
"A… Alicia…??" he finally uttered her name, allowing that tiny spark of hope to believe that she was real and here with him. And then she rushed towards him, crushing herself into him.
Zeke had shut his eyes tightly in a mixture of anticipation and anxiousness. He thought that he was going to get struck by reality once her body went through his like a mirage. But he was wrong. She crashed into him, causing him to take a couple of steps back from the force of her running to him. Her body… her… holy hell…!!
His hands moved and seized her shoulders, pushing her away from him to look at her face.
Utter disbelief was still clouding his widened eyes. "Are… you for real? H-have I gone mad?" he stammered. All the while, his hands ran up and down her arms, stroking her head and caressing her cheeks - trying to reconfirm the fact that Alicia was truly here with him, in the flesh!
"I'm real, Ezekiel…" she smiled and then laughed, her tears falling quietly down her cheeks. "I'm real… oh heavens… I'm finally seeing you again, my dearest husband."
As soon as those words left Alicia's lips, Zeke yanked her against him, wrapped his arm around in a biting grip. Holding her with a grip that seemed gentle but could not have been broken by anyone else but himself.
"Oh, Alicia…" he muttered in a hoarse, desperate voice as he buried his face into her hair before nuzzling into the crook of her neck and greedily breathing in her scent that he had missed so damn much. "Don't disappear… please… let me see and hold you a little longer… please…" he continued in a shaky and low voice that made Alicia's heart tremble. She too, was wishing and pleading for the same thing he was. She too, wanted to be with him a little longer, to hold onto him and reassure herself that he was fine.
"Ezekiel…" his name was all that she could utter as she gripped him back. She could not believe she was actually holding him now. How many times had she imagined and dreamed about the time when she could finally touch him like this again? And now, in a bizarre twist of circumstances, she had her wish granted to her.
With difficulty, Zeke slightly drew back from their heart-melting and tight embrace. His gaze scoured every inch of her. Now that he had confirmed she was not a figment of his imagination nor an extremely realistic illusion, other matters started to surface in his mind. Like what was she even doing here in the first place. As much as he was ecstatic in being able to see her, worry and questions were now flashing across his eyes.
Alicia immediately noticed the physical changes in him. It felt like he had grown tougher, harder and even felt a little taller from before, if that was even possible. He looked and felt like a rogue but regal ruler who was feared by all creatures. No… all that description was actually an understatement. Her Ezekiel no longer looked and felt like the half vampire prince who was the epitome of calm and grace. He now gave off the feeling like he was the most deadly and dangerous lord of darkness.
"My wife… how did you… how did this happen? Have you been hurt?" he asked in a desperate tone. His voice and expression in this moment reflected nothing of the dark and savage power lingering around him.
"I'm fine, my love." Alicia answered him quickly, wanting to alleviate his worry as she lifted her hand to cup the side of his face. "Please don't worry, I am not hurt. I'm stronger than that." And her smile widened.
His gaze searched hers before a long deep breath of relief escaped his lips. Zeke took her hands and brought them to his lips.
"God… I can't… believe this. Please tell me this is not a dream…" he whispered as he kissed her hands one after the other. "No… I don't even care if this is a dream…"
Taking her head in his hands, Zeke pressed his forehead against hers and then his mouth seized hers in a shocking and intense kiss.
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