Chapter 20

Milo's POV:

The vampire waited for me to respond before tsking when I didn't. "Not going to grace me with an answer?" he asked, his grin becoming wolfish despite the fact that he wasn't... a werewolf. "Well, that's okay. I must say, I really don't like small talk."

"What?" I breathed out in the loudest voice I could muster.

"I'm here to finish what I started eight years ago," he replied, "and kill you like I did the rest of your family."

My blood ran cold.

Of course I knew there was no other reason a vampire would be inside my house, other than to take my life, but there was just something so threatening about the way he said it, as though he was going to take his time killing me. As though he was going to enjoy it.

Liam, I called desperately through our link. I got an answer within seconds.

Milo, he sighed in relief despite probably being able to sense my fear.

Liam, there's- there's a vampire- Goddess, Liam, he says he's going to kill me. Please.

Liam didn't answer for a second and my traitorous thoughts ran wild as the vampire's eyes stayed on me. He probably knew I was contacting someone, but he didn't care. Like he wanted to cause Liam pain.

Give me three minutes, stall, okay? I sent Sage, he's on his way too. Adriel's in town but heading back. Ask him to tell you his life story. Despite the joking voice he used, there was a very real undertone of fear lacing through his words. Liam was scared. For me.

Despite everything happening in that moment, my heart softened, just a bit.

"Please don't kill me," I said in my quiet, trembling voice, looking up to meet the vampire's red gaze. He was thirsty. "Please, I- I have a mate, I can't die."

He laughed once, a short noise I immediately knew to mean he didn't actually care. "Pity. Pity I don't care about soulmates, ever since your father led me to believe we were soulmates."

"...What?" I asked, my words laced with shock. "What... what do you mean?"

"Your father and I immigrated up from Mexico together. Did he ever tell you and your sister about me?"

I silently shook my head, slowly beginning to raise myself to my unsteady feet despite the fact that he still towered over me. He was a head taller, at least.

"I'm unsurprised. I don't believe he ever told your mother, either. His own wife." The icy words were like bullets shot into my heart. I would be dead in seconds if words could kill.

Kill.

Goddess, how could I be so stupid?

I had to... to try to kill him.

Not necessarily for me. For Liam, for Adriel, for Sage, for Julie... for my family, both living and dead.

Kill him, or he'd kill me.

Or I could wait until Sage and Liam undoubtedly showed up, but by then, it would probably be too late.

My heart pounded in my chest as I took a few stumbling steps back. The vampire watched me lazily.

"Your father was a werewolf, obviously, but I was a mere human. I knew about his... affliction only because I met him as a wolf, then later, he accidentally transformed in front of me. We shared a dream, so we joined forces and began travelling together. While we did, he told me about his world.

"Diego-" that was my father- "confided in me one night, a few months after we first met, that he had never met anyone like me before. He told me that what he felt for me, the affection, was unlike anything he'd ever known. He said he was sure it was the mate bond, that we were... meant to be together. And I, naively, believed him."

"Until he met my mother," I breathed out, watching him with wide eyes. He was lost in the memory, words flowing freely, so I slowly picked up my pillow and reached into the fold, where I'd kept a small piece of pointy wood ever since my family was killed, drained of blood. The wooden stake, being one of the only things that could immediately kill a vampire, had always eased my nerves to have so close nearby while I slept.

"Until he met your mother," the vampire nodded. "He told me that he was mistaken and then he left. My heart was broken and I had to get my revenge. I sought out a vampire, asked him to change me, and when I knew how to kill, I came back and had my revenge. Or most of it, anyways. I did not know that you survived until word got out that you are the future alpha of the Lightfoot pack's mate. Then I began planning for this day, the day where you die.

"The day where I finally get my revenge."

He grinned at me through half-lidded eyes, seeming like a young child getting ready to murder for the first time. My heart pounded in my chest and I felt dizzy, but I couldn't faint or I would certainly meet my death.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as my fingers closed around the end of the pointy stick in the pillowcase. "I... didn't know."

"Don't you see? That's the problem here," the vampire hissed at me. "You didn't know because he didn't tell you. Not only did he lie to me and leave me in the dust, he then proceeded to pretend I didn't exist, that I never existed!"

"I don't think he meant to hurt you," I said even though I was trembling so badly I wasn't sure if my words were audible. "I think he was... confused."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" the vampire snapped at me, his eyes glistening as his lips curled. "I came here to kill you, finish off the bloodline, and I don't need you making this difficult for me. Just stand still and I can finish my revenge already."

"Isn't killing an entire family as revenge for one person's actions a bit much?" I asked in a shaky voice.

The vampire shrugged. "Maybe."

Then he lunged for me, fangs bared as his lips curled up in a menacing smile.

My hand whipped out in a last-ditch effort to save my life. My right hand, the one holding the pointy stick that I was still limply holding on to, held in front of me as though that alone could save me. My eyes were closed- I didn't want to see my death as it approached. I felt it as the vampire reached my hand, the feeling of fabric against my fingers, and his body weight pressed onto that one area of my body before something warm and wet dripped down my arm.

"Shit," the vampire muttered before his body weight collapsed onto me, shoving me to the floor.

I pulled my hand free from the vampire's chest and blinked once, twice, before beginning to struggle to get free. It was difficult because the body was heavy, but I was small and light and I managed to get out a few seconds later.

What did I do?

I spotted the end of the stake through his back and gasped. I had held it out... had he, in his desperation to kill me before my friends arrived, accidentally impaled himself?

Holding my breath, I pressed two fingers to the spot on his neck right under his jaw, shivering when I saw the two fang punctures that were from when he had been turned. There was no pulse, not even the slow, steady beat of a vampire's undead heart. Nothing.

Goddess, I... I killed him.

I sunk to my knees on the floor, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.

The front door opened but didn't close, two sets of feet running, pounding up the stairs and stopping when they reached the top. I didn't look up, refused to meet the gazes that I knew were on me. Instead, I curled tighter into myself and let out a strangled sob.

Soft hands picked me up from my place on the ground and placed me on Liam's lap, where he began to wipe my tears and murmur soft things that I didn't really hear. I couldn't see much through my haze of tears, even as they started to subside, but I could smell his distinctive scent surrounding me and that alone was enough to begin to calm me.

"Milo, did he hurt you?" Liam asked, his fingers tracing my cheek where the tears had already run paths.

I shook my head. "I-It's just... a lot."

"You haven't had to kill before," Liam nodded. "It's okay. You're okay."

"But I killed him," I cried out, burying my face in my hands before he could pry them away. Liam sighed and began rubbing my back instead.

"You did what you had to do to stay alive," he corrected, "and I'm proud of you."

I tried not to show how much those words meant to me.

Sighing, I looked up, meeting his gaze for barely a moment before looking over to the floor near the bed where the vampire had fallen. Sage was standing over him, having rolled him over, and had a terrifying expression on his face. As I watched, he took another stake from his pocket and impaled the vampire's chest once more, next to where my stake was but a little bit higher. To make sure he was dead.

"Dead as a doorknob," the ginger commented, his expression melting away to reveal a sliver of the Sage I knew. "Thank the Goddess. The fucker had it coming."

For once, I didn't bother 'language'ing him.

"I killed him," I whispered, feeling guilt consume me again.

"You did what you had to do," Liam corrected me.

"Go bring him somewhere else. I'll figure out how to get the body out of here, but I doubt he'll want to sleep here tonight," Sage commanded, kicking the vampire as he mentioned the body. I shivered.

"Okay," Liam agreed, not even straining as he picked me up, despite my weak protests, and started down the stairs. When I saw Bubbles, still asleep on the couch as she had been when I went upstairs, I tapped his shoulder and pointed. Obediently, he walked over and lowered me down until I could pick her up.

"Thank you," I mumbled when I was comfortably in his grip again as we left the house.

"What for?" He actually sounded confused, not sarcastic. "I didn't do anything. You..." were the one who killed him, he meant, but I appreciated him not saying it.

"Keeping me calm, I guess," I sighed, leaning to rest my head against his chest, feeling the gentle sway of the steps taken. "I didn't mean to... kill him."

"I know you didn't.

I nodded against him. "And I'm sorry I was mad at you."

"I deserved it."

"You keep saying that, but... you didn't."

Liam just hummed, which I took to mean, we'll talk about this later. "Where do you want to go?"

I hesitated. "Can we go to Adriel and Sage's house?"

"Of course. They won't mind."

Adriel and Sage had moved into a house the weekend after they mated. The woods were in their backyard but they didn't live as far out as I did, considering they had a driveway that was still connected to the road and everything. Liam put me down upon my request when we entered the town part of the pack and we walked silently, side-by-side, until we were stopped by an older lady who I knew to be one of the elders of the pack. "Liam!" she called as she stood off of the porch of a quaint looking blue house, hurrying down the steps. Liam stopped with a sigh, offering me an apologetic smile before squeezing my hand.

"Grandma Adeline," he replied.

The woman took me in, causing me to curl into myself slightly. "Is this your boy?" she asked with a thumb pointed in my direction.

"Yes, this is my mate, Milo."

"Hi," I whispered with a little wave.

She regarded me for a moment before grinning broadly. "You need to put on some more weight, child- come on in, Grandpa made cookies and they're still warm."

"Grandma, now isn't really the best time," Liam sighed, but we were both powerless to stop the woman as she herded us inside and sat us down at the dining table. A plate of warm cookies and glasses of milk were sat in front of each of us before she sat down between us and began to grill us with questions.

When we finally got out of her lair an hour or so later, the sun was high in the sky, signifying that it was already noon. Adriel had made lunch for us when we arrived at his house, immediately wrapping me in a hug.

"You alright?" he asked quietly, his gray eyes searching my expression for any signs of lies.

"Shaken," I tried for a smile.

"I'll bet," he muttered, tucking me into his side and leading me further into the house I'd toured the week before while helping move their things in, leaving our mates standing by the door. "Do you want to talk about it, or do you want lunch?"

"I just got force-fed thirteen cookies," I shuddered, "I don't know if eating is the best idea."

"What?" he smiled confusedly.

"I think Liam's grandma is a fan of killing her guests with a mixture of kindness and cookies. And questions."

"So you met the in-laws' parents."

"Yeah."

"Sounds fun."

I nodded, and Adriel didn't say anything after that, just offered me a plate of sandwiches and smiled a bit when I took a small one made of peanut butter and bread. Then he gathered the sandwiches and a pitcher of juice and ushered me into the living room, where I sat next to Liam and tucked my legs up to my chest as I nibbled on the sandwich. He rested an arm around me and Sage began talking about something or another, sufficiently distracting me from the morning's events.

And, for the first time in what felt like years, I felt more than happy. I felt loved.

--

happy tuesday everyone!

:)

-bloom