Chapter 3 lexie
The next morning, I woke before the sun had fully climbed over the horizon, but the camp was already alive.
Boots pounded against the hard-packed dirt outside the tents. Metal clanked. Voices barked sharp commands into the chilled morning air.
“Form up!”
“Move it, move it!”
“Check your rifles!”
I groaned softly and rolled onto my back, staring up at the canvas ceiling of the nurse tent. Dust drifted through a thin beam of golden light slicing in from the flap. The war never really slept—but it did stretch and yawn at dawn.
“Morning. The changing is in the other tent,” Niche called as she passed by the entrance, her voice brisk but not unkind.
“Got it,” I muttered, pushing myself up.
I grabbed my small bag and slipped outside. The air smelled like smoke, sweat, and iron. Soldiers rushed past, some already armored, others tightening straps or checking blades. Beyond our camp’s borders, the forest loomed thick and shadowed—marking the line between demon territory and vampire lands.
I ducked into the changing tent and dressed quickly. Black dress. Tight stockings. Apron tied snug around my waist. Headband pinned into place to keep my hair back. The uniform of a battlefield nurse. Functional. Clean. Neutral.
I slipped on my shoes and took a breath before stepping back out.
Another day.
When I entered the nurse tent, Nancy looked up from her station with a dry smirk. “She survived another day.”
“Barely,” I replied.
“Lexie,” Niche called, clipboard tucked under her arm. “Can I put a guy in your section?”
“Sure.”
I walked over and took the clipboard from her hands, scanning the notes as two soldiers carried in a wounded man. He winced as they lowered him onto the cot.
“Easy,” I said gently, moving to his side.
“You’re lucky,” I told him as I began checking his pulse. “Broken rib. Busted collarbone. That’s it.”
“Yeah right,” he grumbled through clenched teeth.
I pressed the thermometer beneath his tongue and adjusted the sling holding his arm. “Yes, lucky. We sent one of your squad home yesterday. Lost too much blood.”
His eyes shifted, and the sarcasm faded.
I softened my tone. “You’ll be moved to recovery. Truck comes tomorrow.”
We relocated him to the recovery tent where a handful of other injured soldiers lay resting. Some dozed. Some stared at the ceiling. Some simply held onto the fact they were still breathing.
When I returned to my stool, Ashley pressed a water bottle and an apple into my hands.
“Thanks,” I said gratefully.
She nodded and sat beside me. For a moment, we just listened to the hum of camp life around us.
Then she nudged me lightly. “So… you really haven’t met your soulmate?”
I glanced at her. “No. Have you?”
Her expression softened immediately. She nodded. “I did. He’s back at the house with our baby.”
A small ache tugged at my chest. “That’s sweet.”
She noticed me glance at my wrist.
“Mine’s a vampire,” I said quietly.
Her eyes widened slightly before dropping to the mark on my skin.
The soulmate mark.
A heart with delicate fangs curling from its edges. A small crown resting above it.
“I’m sorry,” she said gently.
I shrugged. “I learned to keep it hidden.”
Across the camp, soldiers rushed past carrying rifles, preparing to reload and rotate positions.
“Ashley!” Nancy called.
Ashley stood. “Talk later.”
I nodded and took another sip of water.
After finishing my apple, I walked over to Niche. “Hey, can I take a break? Just a short walk. I’ve got my walkie.”
She studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Of course.”
I grabbed an extra water bottle and stepped beyond the edge of camp.
The forest felt quieter than usual. Almost peaceful.
I walked slowly, breathing in the scent of pine and damp earth. My boots crunched against fallen leaves. My mind drifted—far from bandages and blood.
I didn’t realize how far I’d wandered.
Didn’t realize I had crossed the invisible boundary.
“What do we have here, little deer?”
My heart jumped into my throat.
I turned.
He stood a few yards away, leaning casually against a tree as if he’d been expecting me.
“Just going for a walk,” I replied carefully.
He smiled—slow and amused. “I’m Alastor Valois.”
His accent was smooth. Elegant.
“Good to meet you, Alastor,” I said, trying to steady my voice.
He pushed off the tree and fell into step beside me.
Up close, he was even more striking. Red hair like fresh blood, streaked with black that shimmered under the sunlight. Pink skin—soft, warm pink. Not pale. Not ghostly. Alive.
And his eyes.
Ruby red. Deep and glowing.
“Wait,” I said suddenly. “Don’t you burn in sunlight?”
He laughed, low and rich. “That’s been a myth since I was little.”
“Oh.”
“And yes,” he continued casually, “we need blood to survive. But we can eat other things too.”
I laughed despite myself. “Good to know.”
We walked until the trees opened into a small field of wildflowers swaying in the breeze.
It was beautiful.
“I grew up being told our kind wasn’t allowed to crossmate,” I admitted quietly.
He hummed. “That’s a lie. My sister, Destiny—her mate is an angel.”
I blinked. “Really?”
“Really.”
I swallowed. “Mine’s a vampire.”
His eyes flicked to my wrist. “May I?”
I hesitated, then rolled up my sleeve.
He studied the mark carefully. “Cool. Have you met them yet?”
“No.”
We sat in the grass. I absentmindedly plucked at the flowers, twisting stems between my fingers.
Then my walkie crackled.
“Lexie? Report.”
I sighed. “I have to go.”
He stood immediately. “Let me walk you back.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “Of course.”
We walked side by side in comfortable silence.
When we reached the border, I stopped. “Thank you, Alastor.”
He smiled softly. “You’re welcome, little deer.”
Little deer.
The nickname settled warmly in my chest.
I returned to the nurse station.
“Lexie!” Alice shouted, rushing toward me and pulling me into a tight hug.
“Careful,” I laughed.
“They traded shifts. Ashley and Mary left,” Niche informed me.
“Where have you been?” Alice demanded, grabbing my arm and sniffing dramatically.
“Calm down.”
Nancy crossed her arms. “You smell like a vampire.”
Alice gasped.
“I may have… accidentally crossed over.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. “Sure.”
“I heard your mate isn’t even a demon,” she added with a smirk.
I scooped dirt and tossed it lightly at her boots. “Go away.”
Alice burst into laughter while Nancy stormed off dramatically, arms thrown wide.
“She’s not lying,” I told Alice more quietly. “My mate’s a vampire.”
“Can I see?”
I showed her the mark again.
“That is cool,” she breathed.
I smiled faintly.
“I did meet a vampire today,” I admitted.
Her eyes sparkled. “Tell me everything.”
I leaned closer. “He’s so hot. His hair is red—like blood—with black streaks like the night sky. His skin… it’s the most gorgeous pink. And his eyes—my God—ruby red.”
Alice smirked.
“And his voice,” I whispered. “I could drown in it. Soft and mysterious. But deep and—”
“Sexy?” she finished.
I shoved her lightly. “Shut up.”
“Sounds like you met your mate.”
“No, he’s not.”
But my chest ached.
I resumed my rounds, checking temperatures, distributing medicine, fluffing pillows.
“The truck will be here tomorrow,” I told the recovery soldiers. “You’ll be transferred to base camp.”
“Alright, doll,” one of them said tiredly.
I glanced at Alice again.
“Fine,” I muttered. “What if he is my mate?”
She grinned. “Then tell him.”
“I can’t. It’s forbidden.”
Nancy reappeared like a shadow. “What’s forbidden?”
“Lexie’s mate being a vampire,” Alice blurted.
“Alice!” I hissed.
Nancy’s eyes gleamed. “You know the rules.”
“Don’t crossmate,” I said flatly.
That night, after final rounds were done, I stepped outside alone.
The sky stretched endlessly above me, dark and filled with stars. The moon cast silver light over the quiet camp.
I sat in the grass and picked at a flower.
Red.
A rose.
How ironic.
“Lexie.”
Alice joined me and sat at my side.
“There’s only one way to know,” she said gently.
“I know.”
“What if he is your mate?”
I stared at the moon, and my chest ached again—sharp and persistent.
“Then you ask yourself,” she said softly, “if you’re willing to break the law.”
I twirled the rose between my fingers.
“Let’s do it tomorrow night,” I whispered.
She nodded.
We stood and walked back toward the nurse tent.
As I lay down in my cot, staring at the canvas ceiling once more, one thought echoed in my mind.
Alastor Valois.
And tomorrow night… I would find out if fate was cruel. Or if it had finally chosen me.