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chapter Twenty-eight

Enzo

T he next morning, I wake up with the conversation I had with Michaela the night before still running through my head.

Climbing up from the couch, I crack my back. I really have to find another sleeping method. That couch is not the answer.

I make my way down the hall toward the bathroom I shared with Michaela. Rapping my knuckles on the back of the closed door, I wait for her to reply. When I don’t hear any noise, I push the door open. The bed is made, and Michaela is nowhere in sight. Noise from the bathroom has me heading in that direction.

The moment I make it to the door, it swings open. Fog and humidity hit me, letting me know she just got out of the shower. She has a towel wrapped around her head, and she’s wearing one of her long sleeve shirts with a pair of those tight pants she and Luna love.

“You may want to give it a few. Let the hot water build back up,” she says, stepping around me.

“Thanks for the heads up,” I say, walking into the muggy bathroom to take a leak. After taking a piss, I wash my hands and brush my teeth. When I walk out of the bathroom, Michaela is sitting on the bed, brushing out her curly hair and scrunching the ends.

I take in her appearance once again, noticing the bags under her eyes and the way her arms move slowly as she rakes through her hair. She looks exhausted. Funny, I’ve been the complete opposite the last few days. I feel as if I could lift a house by myself.

“You need to feed soon,” I say, going into the drawer and grabbing some underwear out.

“I know,” she replies. “Deer are getting scarce. There are too many predators in the area. If I hunt down the few that remain, it will decimate their numbers and will cause them not to return. I’ll take a trip to Lexington soon.”

I look back at her, leaning against the dresser. “Are you going to make it that long?”

She stops messing with her hair and gives me her full attention. “Relax, Beta. I will not snap and start feeding off your pack.” She chuckles. However, I don’t see the humor.

“That’s not why I was asking you.”

“Sure it isn’t,” she teases.

It irks me that she doubts my concern, but I guess I can’t blame her. That’s all my concern has ever been about in the past.

I don’t argue my case. Instead, I head into the bathroom to take a lukewarm shower.

When I come out of the bathroom fully dressed, Michaela walks back into the room. Her curls lay flat down her back. I’m assuming they aren’t dry yet.

“Heads up, Marley plans on cooking you a big breakfast this morning. If you plan on avoiding eating it, you better head out before she gets out of the shower. I’m too tired to think of another lie to get you out of it.”

Damn, have I really been that much of an asshole? The kid has been trying to break bread with me since the dinner at Chayton’s when she made us lemonade. We both refused to take a sip. Had Miko taken the time to make something for dinner and two vampires refused to eat it, Chayton and I both would have flipped that fucking table. Yet, we did the same thing to Marley. Shame washes over me and disgust fills my belly.

Without saying a word to Michaela, I head into the kitchen. I pull some bacon out of the fridge and place it on the counter. Not long after, Marley walks in. Her excited energy is buzzing again. She stops when she notices me. Her brown eyes scanning over me.

Her shoulders immediately fall. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

Although I’ve noticed how young she is many times before, this is the first time I look at her as just a young girl and not a young vampire.

“Actually, I was wondering if you’d like to cook breakfast with me? We can have our first official family breakfast.”

The excitement that fills her face is worth spending my morning cooking.

“Of course we can.” She heads over to the sink and washes her hands. “I can make some scrambled eggs. Do you like eggs?”

I chuckle. “Yes, I like eggs. I like anything that has protein.” I explain.

Marley talks my ear off as she dances around me, getting her part of breakfast ready. I enjoy her energy, so I don’t complain.

I pause when I feel Michaela in my head.

“Thank you,” she says.

I look up and find her leaning against the door frame in the hallway. Even though she looks tired and like she needs to be fed, she is still absolutely stunning.

“For what?” I ask, even though I know what she’s thanking me for. I just like hearing her voice in my head.

“For including her and making her happy.”

“What about you, mate? How can I make you happy?”

Her brows pinch as she stares back at me. I know this is probably a huge difference for her. One minute I’m finding every reason to remind her she’s not wanted, and now I’m asking her how to make her happy.

She looks away before looking back at me. “Just make my sister happy. It’s enough for me.” With those words, she turns and heads back down the hallway.

“Enzo, did you hear me? Do you want lasagna for dinner?”

I tune back in to Marley. Sending her a smile, I say. “Yeah kid. We can have lasagna.”

Once again, I’m taken aback by her excitement. Marley and I work together to prepare breakfast. Once it’s done, we call Michaela to eat. She slowly makes her way to us. We all sit down and enjoy the food.

Thirty minutes later, all three of us silently clean the kitchen after breakfast. I glance over and notice Michaela leaning against the counter with her eyes closed. She looks worse than she did this morning. Before I can say anything, my connection with Chayton sparks in my head.

“We have a problem,” he says. “I’m going to need you and your mate.”

I honestly didn’t think she needed to be included in whatever we were about to see, but I know Michaela enough to know that she’d be pissed if I excluded her.

“On our way.”

What the hell is the problem now?

Stepping over a bloodied hand, I grimace. We were at another house in Jonesville. This one belongs to a single gentleman. However, the amount of body parts thrown across this place tells me he had to have had company.

Michaela squats down near a puddle of skin and blood.

“What can you tell us?” Chayton asks.

Me, Chayton, Michaela, Zyion, and Alarick were once again here together.

“Vampires. About three of them. They didn’t feed. This was a massacre.”

“No shit,” Zyion says under his breath.

We all cut our eyes to him. He shrugs.

“How many dead?” Chayton asks.

“Five. All men.”

That doesn’t make it better, but at least there were no women or children like in the other homes.

“They had to have come in and killed them swiftly,” Alarick says. “There is not a trace of a struggle here. There’s not even blood outside. It’s as if they made sure to keep it contained in this house.”

“But why? Why come in and kill these people if not for food?” I ask, tugging at my beard.

“They’re vampires?” Zyion says. “Do they need an excuse?”

Although I still believe some vampires are ruthless, mindless killers, I didn’t like Zyion saying that in front of Michaela. Even my wolf is pissed.

“Hey, chill out,” I tell him.

Zyion’s eyes widen as he stares back at me. He’s confused. I can’t blame him. Just days ago, I was right along with him. But that’s all changed now.

“Despite what you think, wolf,” Michaela says, looking up at Zyion. “Vampires don’t kill just because they can. There is always a reason. You may not like the reason, but it is still a reason. This…this is reckless.” She looks around at the carnage, her face softening.

“She’s right,” Alarick says. “During my time working with the council, I’ve come across many vampires. They can be brutal, but there is always a reason for them killing.”

I don’t add my two cents. I don’t tell them that even if they have a reason, sometimes innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire. Aurin being one, and my Ana being another.

“Exactly,” Michaela says as she goes to stand. “Vampires are…” the rest of that statement never comes out. She sways and then starts to fall.

I grab her before she can hit the ground. Her body is limp in my arms. I knew it. I knew she shouldn’t be out today.

“What’s wrong?” Chayton asks at my side. “Is she okay?”

“It’s the mating,” I explain, staring down at her face. Her eyes are closed, and her full lips are slightly parted.

“She needs to feed,” Alarick says. “I’ve heard a vampire mating can be taxing on their bodies. Usually, the night before, there are these big parties where the bride and groom feed all night to prepare. It's like the human bachelor and bachelorette parties.”

“What’s so different about it?” I ask.

From my understanding, I bit her and she bit me. Nothing seemed out of the norm.

“Apparently, vampires don’t just bond like wolves, they connect on a deeper level. Their power is in their blood. So, by giving you her blood, she gave you her essence, or her energy. There is even a bond that can connect their souls. If one person dies, the other dies too. Don’t worry,” he says after seeing the startled face I make. “It’s rarely done. And it would require both parties being aware.”

Good. I know for a fact I didn’t sign up for that shit.

“I need to get her some blood.”

Zyion gasps beside me. “Are you seriously going to supply her with human blood?”

“I’m not going to bring her a human, Zyion,”

He still doesn’t look any less disgusted.

“There’s a blood bank about an hour from here. You can get a few bags. I can take you,” Alarick says.

I nod my head and turn to Chayton. “Can you take her back for me?”

He holds out his arms, waiting for me to hand her over. I glance down at her sleeping face one more time. It takes more energy than I thought it would to hand her off to him.

My wolf growls at the exchange. “Mine to protect,” he says.

“We are protecting. We need to feed her.”

He isn’t happy when I turn away from her, but he understands. His attachment to the vampire was a lot stronger than I was expecting. Even before I got onboard, he was all in. I guess that should have been my sign that this thing between us should have been taken seriously.