Page 17 of Blood Loss (The Obscura Saga #2)

K Y LO

Grinding metal creaks as Kylo pulls the sliding patio door open. Dressed in jeans and a baggy T-shirt, he rubs his eyes with a large yawn, passing through the threshold and into the house. His ears perk up at the sounds of chatter and he pauses in place, his stomach dropping to the floor when he opens his eyes and slowly lowers his hand from his mouth. His shocked expression is clearly captured by everyone in the room, who all go equally as still, as if caught participating in a staring contest none of them signed up for.

Not again. Not here, not now. Gods , not again.

The dread of intruders overstepping in his safe space causes his limbs to lock, freezing over with fear until a familiar voice cuts through his tunnel vision.

“The beast has awoken!” Patty chimes with a smile, cheers-ing her mug at him before taking a sip.

“Come, come,” Maria says, ushering him into the room, “eat something before it gets cold.”

“Or before the others get here,” Chloe adds with a tip of her head .

The others…

Looking to his mate, Lathan’s eyes are soft, calm—surely thanks to Mateo’s presence on his lap—which fills Kylo’s heart with an abundance of warmth, defrosting his muscles. And honestly, he looks kind of hilarious nestled around a group of werewolves. Especially after yesterday’s events.

Lathan nudges his head to the empty seat on the other side of him, but it’s inviting, not pleading, which is a welcomed sense of reassurance.

“Didn’t expect this for today, but okay.” Kylo kicks off his shoes and walks over to the empty seat, smiling. While this was an unexpected surprise, he’s glad he didn’t wake up to another disaster.

Despite being a bundle of anxiety and whirling emotions, seeing his pack being friendly, chatting amongst themselves—Lathan included—helps Kylo settle into the room. The calmed atmosphere gives him enough relief to focus on the full trays of food filling the table—he makes sure to serve himself a heaping portion of everything available. His body is in dire need of nutrients from shifting, having his blood drunk, and from skipping dinner last night.

But the peace is short-lived. Halfway through his pile of goodies, the doorbell rings; the source of his life-long stress has returned. And it’s as if the door’s cheerful song sucks the colour and joy from the room, turning it hollow and grey.

Kylo can barely swallow the macerated bacon in his mouth, his stomach now sour and hard with the inevitable chaos enroute. Even Lathan becomes rigid, holding Mateo a little closer, protectively, even as the unaware toddler licks his syrupy fingers, still preoccupied with picking up bite-sized pieces of waffle with his bare hands.

Maria gives David a look, and it’s clear she isn’t comfortable getting the door herself, so he does. It takes a while for him to return, everyone anxiously holding their breath as time passes, but when he does, there are several more bodies flooding into the house.

Beside Kylo, Lathan looks up—face a stone wall—as if making sure Ethan and Leonard see his bruises. See what they’ve done, without the satisfaction of emotion—no anger, nor consideration. Kylo’s jaw tenses, his posture hardening to stand his ground against those persecuting them, warning them to stay in line. But when Elder Pedro canes into view Kylo catches Lathan duck his head in his periphery, and it makes him burn .

You shouldn’t have to make yourself small. You’re my mate. You belong here.

His hand drifts to Lathan’s thigh, squeezing gently in solidarity.

Leonard, Ethan, and their wives stay across the room, away from the food and majority of the pack. It goes unsaid if it’s their own decision or that of an elder’s.

The disgruntled look on Pedro’s face is the same as yesterday. He’s offered a seat by David, but it’s dismissed entirely when his eyes fixate on Kylo .

“I see you have gained control over what occurred,” he says, as though choosing his words carefully. There’s no regard for his grandchild’s wellbeing, only ridicule. “You best keep it that way. Your display yesterday was abhorrent. It put us all in danger. I do not think you understand the impact of your actions— any of them. ”

Kylo’s nostrils flare as he tries to reign in his anger, bubbling up in a rapid boil. After a few seconds of silence, he replies, cool and steady, “I regret nothing.”

He and this grandfather have never seen eye-to-eye. Pedro’s ideals are strength, tradition, and prioritizing the pack and its lineage—none of which Kylo adheres to. He’s too weak, too nice, too reckless with his partying, he’s majoring in the arts, and he’s gay. His parents have received most of the flack from the old geezer over the years, especially David—for being his son—but they’ve done their best to protect Kylo from his scrutiny, since their own ideals don’t exactly align with his old ways.

Glancing behind his grandfather, to the archway dividing the dining space from the living room, he narrows his eyes at Ethan. His cousin stiffens at the silent threat— coward —but he keeps his mouth shut. His wife, Carissa, on the other hand, clutches their baby closer to her chest because of it.

Lathan bumps his knee against Kylo’s and leans into him subtly. “Relax,” he whispers, but Pedro’s glare moves to him next. He eyes the child in his lap—the very future of this pack, being handled by a vampire—and the hand he has gripping the top of his cane shakes.

“This is what you should be aspiring for,” he says, directing his spite to his grandson. “Growing the pack. Keeping our lineage strong. How are you meant to do that with a man ?”

You son of a—

“I want children, sir,” Lathan offers matter-of-factly. It catches Kylo off guard, heart palpating with heat at the sentiment as he, and everyone else in the room, turns their attention to him.

Lathan wraps his finger around one of Mateo’s curls and hides it behind his ear again. He didn’t speak up yesterday, not to the elders, and it’s obvious the short string of words have made an impact. Maria tries to hide the smile creeping across her lips, but Kylo catches it just as Kianna pokes the belly of her son, causing Mateo to giggle amid the awkward silence.

He would make an amazing dad—unlike the man in front of us.

Pedro’s eyes narrow further—any more and he’d shut out light completely. “Clearly you cannot provide that for my grandson.”

“There’s more than one way to have a family, Grandpa,” Kianna says, and this time she doesn’t give in to his glowering, allowing Mateo to stay situated with his favourite person.

“She’s right, Pops, and you know it.” Patty’s leaned back in her seat, enjoying the show. His intimidation has supposedly worn off on her long, long ago, becoming more of a nuisance than anything.

Leonard snarls at his sister’s comment, as if he, too, will join in on the conversation. But he doesn’t. Kylo assumes it’s because of potential words had yesterday from the elders.

Pedro flicks his wrinkled wrist. “And you expect me to accept vampire children as the future of the Garcia pack? How blasphemous that’d be.”

“Vampire or werewolf, surrogate or adoption, it doesn’t matter. Our children will be a part of this pack,” Kylo bites. His grandfather’s words have always been like an iron maiden, trapping him into his strict ideologies, spikes of shame, disapproval, and discipline shredding his skin, embedding into his muscle—but this time, he’s pushing back against the rusted contraption.

The room clenches and reverberates with the sounds of understanding, of Kylo’s statement, but Lathan sits quietly, looking down at Mateo. And where his hand meets his thigh, with the aid of their bond, Kylo can feel his heart beating fast.

“You’ve always had to be different .” Pedro’s eyes isolate Kylo, like no one else exists around them, no one else can hear his words. “Different doesn’t get you very far, son. Not in this world. All we have is each other, yet here you are, straying from the pack.”

The room falls still.

Pedro’s words dance around the threat of being exiled, excommunicated. It’s one of the worst fates that can befall a werewolf. Being stripped from your pack is like being stripped of your identity—your place in the world. All the while, your family must obey the elder’s decision for fear of the same fate, or punishment.

It hasn’t happened within the Garcia pack before, but they’ve all heard stories—tales you tell to your children to get them to behave, tales you tell to friends in hopes to guide them away from living through that nightmare.

It cuts Kylo deep.

The hand gripping Lathan’s thigh goes limp, his eyes softening from anger to sadness, to utter betrayal. That his elder—his grandfather —hates him and his life choices so much that he would rip him away from everything, everyone, he knows and loves.

I’ve tried for years to be who you wanted me to be, to live up to your standards, but I truly mean nothing to you. Am I that expendable?

“That’s enough,” David interjects firmly, a bitterness lacing the calmness he’s forcing. “Must I remind you why you’re here, or can we get on with the urgent matter at hand?” He can’t cross his father, but he can certainly draw a line, and this has gone too far—in his own home this time.

As the tide settles amongst the bodies in the house, Lucas thumps down the stairs, dragging his heavy footsteps into the dining room, as if the arguing has woken him. Everyone watches as he grabs a waffle and a couple sausages from the table, reaching over his aunt to do so.

“I heard back from Odetta,” he says, and then shoves the food in his mouth. It’s his way of helping, even if it is unsightly.

“Oh, good, what news did she share?” Maria asks.

David stands with his arms crossed as he waits for his eldest to explain. Keeping his arms hugged tight along his chest seems to displace some irritability.

Kylo waits with bated breath, but Pedro’s words still circulate within him like a parasite, latching on and not letting go.

Lucas takes his sweet time to swallow down the dry waffle. “Her nephew is fine, but his friend got a notice like Kylo. He was arrested.”

“What?” The word falls from Maria’s mouth in despair as her eyes widen. “ Lucas Andre Garcia, explain right now. ”

Arrested .

Kylo’s heart ticks into a race like a metronome being pushed to its limits, hand slinking away from Lathan altogether. It finds its place in his own lap, picking at the skin around his nails on his other hand.

They arrested him for murder? Oh, my gods, I was forced to fucking kill someone and now I’m going to jail.

Lucas’ mouth is full with another large bite of food, and he motions to it, unable to speak, causing Maria’s face to go red.

“That basically means he was taken in for questioning,” Lathan says before anyone explodes. Lucas nods in Lathan’s direction and pours some coffee.

“And how would you know?” Ethan finally spits from across the room, challenging Lathan. Chloe rolls her eyes and shakes her head at her brother’s continuous bigotry.

“I’m studying law,” Lathan offers easily. “Was raised by lawyers. Police can only hold someone for a certain amount of time while they interrogate them. Being arrested doesn’ t mean any charges are laid. To be convicted, there has to be a trial. This wouldn’t go to trial. It wouldn’t hold up.”

“And you’re sure it wouldn’t go to trial? Even for manslaughter?” Uncle Marcus, David’s other brother, pipes up, curious. He’s been overwhelmingly silent this reunion, but he isn’t aggressive like Leonard. He actually looks intrigued to learn more, placing his elbows onto the table.

“It’d have no grounds. Anyone versed in Ether law would know that, and any potential charge would be thrown out. It would be a waste of time for the court. There are protections in place for these things—uncontrollable things—so it might as well have been a bear attack.”

“What about his record?” David inquires. “The email said that the autopsy report, his DNA, and the internal investigation would be handed over to police. It could be on his permanent record—or even be released to public records because to the size of the attack. If it is, how would we go about that? Or is scrubbing his record even possible for situations like this?”

The others in the room nod and mutter to themselves about the questions raised. Presumably also wondering for themselves—gods forbid they find themselves in a similar situation.

“It should only be permanently on his record if he’s charged. Otherwise, no one but investigators should be able to find the paperwork of his DNA being tied to the scene. DNA is evidence, but it’s not an answer.” He shakes his head. “Public records should only know the statistics involved, and anyone charged—such as the cambion and nephilim—should their identities be revealed. So far they haven’t been.”

“Odetta said her nephew’s friend was released the next day,” Lucas says, phone in hand. “So far she hasn’t heard anything else. Which is a good thing.”

“But…I killed someone,” Kylo breathes, looking down at the table. He still took a life; he still killed someone in one of the worst ways imaginable. Even if he isn’t charged, he still has to live with what he’s done.

“Not really ,” Kianna says, trying to make him feel better. “You weren’t aware. It wasn’t really you .”

“Since we’re talking legal stuff,” Lucas says, “the school could have a huge lawsuit on its hands for not fostering a safe environment for werewolves.”

I did it, but it wasn’t me. It was the school’s fault, but it was my hands.

“You should have better control over your urges by now,” Pedro scolds, rejoining the conversation. “You shouldn’t have been drawn to kill.”

Lathan scoffs with obvious disgust at Pedro, using a napkin to wipe little Mateo’s hands of syrup.

I’m not good enough.

Kylo’s stronghold begins to slip.

I’m not good enough.

His hands shake on the razored spikes of his elder’s words, piercing his hands .

I’m not good enough.

The iron maiden slams shut once again.

“If that’s all, then I’d like to be done here,” Leonard sneers.

David looks around the room, thinking, then glances specifically between Lathan and Lucas with a tip of his head, as if asking their professional opinions on whether or not this conversation is truly over.

Lucas nods. “I’ll keep you updated on anything Odetta says.”

“As long as he knows his rights, he’ll be fine,” Lathan says to David. But the word fine feels wrong, like hearing a lie. Because someone’s dead. And Pedro still disapproves of Kylo. And Trevor still lingers in the dark corners of his mind. So Kylo might not be exactly fine .

“Alright,” he breathes, looking over to the pack members and elders still condensed into the hall and living room, away from the group. “I’ll let you know if anything else of note happens. Otherwise—” His lips flatten into a line as he gestures toward the door, giving them permission to leave.

Susan, Ethan, Carissa with her baby, and the two other elders turn to leave. Leonard takes a few steps forward into the room. “Come on, Chloe, let’s go.”

“I told you, I’m staying with Patty,” she says quietly but sternly, embarrassed to argue in front of everyone, despite her father’s delight in that action.

“You can’t be serious. You’ve had your time to cool down, but we’re going home, so let’s go.”

“ No . I’m staying with Patty, end of story,” she defends a little louder before shrinking back into her chair, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Leonard grits his teeth and balls his fists, about to open his mouth when he’s cut off by Patty looking up at him with fierce disapproval.

“Leonard.” One word—his name—is all she needs to say for him to give up. Sending a dirty look her way, he turns, frustrated, and joins his family as they exit the home.

Kylo doesn’t react to any of it, knee bouncing quickly beneath the table as he tries to focus on breathing through the discomfort, the way he was taught in counselling.

“The rest of you are welcome to stay as long as you’d like, but this meeting is officially over,” David confirms, clapping his hands together in adjournment.