Page 32

Gio

“...would that work?” Carter asked. Gio didn’t catch the beginning of Carter’s question. That didn’t really matter because Carter was talking to Mila, but she didn’t seem to be listening to him at all. She was staring out the window of the car, deep in thought.

She’d been like this since they left the Dapper Dog. It made Gio worried about what the women had talked about. Briar was there, and she was the renowned trouble magnet of the group. Had she said something that upset Mila?

“Mila?” Carter said. “Mila!”

She finally pulled her attention away from the window. Instead of looking at Carter, she focused on Gio. “What?”

“Carter was asking you something,” Gio said with a chuckle.

Mila gave him a vague smile, then looked at Carter. “What did you say?”

“What’s going on, Mila?” Carter asked. He glanced over at her before turning his attention back on the road.

Mila frowned. “I’m thinking.”

“About what?” Gio asked.

“If I should be upset that you didn’t tell me you’re a vampire, even after I found the blood,” she said.

Carter jerked the wheel a little, making the car swerve a bit over the double yellow line. Thankfully they had the road to themselves.

Gio drew back as if she’d slapped him. How had she found out?

“What are…? How did you…?” Words tumbled out of Carter as if he didn’t know what question to ask first.

“Goddamn Briar,” Gio cursed. It had to be Tobias’s human that did this. “I’m going to call Tobias and tell him to control his flock better!”

“Are you trying to blame Briar for keeping secrets from me?” she asked, her tone sharp, making Gio wince.

Carter didn’t slow much to make the turn into their driveway. He came to a screeching halt, shoved the vehicle into park, and shut it off with inhuman speed. Turning in his seat, he gave Mila a beseeching look.

“Please, let us explain!”

Gio didn’t need a bond to know Carter was panicked that Mila was going to leave them. He was fighting the same emotion.

“I’m not dangerous,” Gio said. “I don’t hunt people and kill them like the legends or movies.”

Carter nodded his head violently. “And I’m not a mindless beast. I’m in control of my wolf.”

Mila huffed. “I’m not scared of either of you! Come on, I want some tea.”

With serenity, she got out of the car and headed into the house. Gio exchanged a look with Carter.

“Did that happen?” Gio asked.

Carter looked as stunned as Gio felt. “Yes?”

“Are you guys going to spend all night out there?” Mila called from the open front door before disappearing inside.

Gio exchanged a look with Carter, then both of them scrambled out of the car. They bumped shoulders trying to follow Mila into the house.

She was in the foyer, crouched down to greet Babette. The dog was dancing around her, too excited to stand still for pets.

“I missed you too,” Mila said, holding her arms out and waiting for Babette to calm down enough for cuddles. The dog backed up, then ran at Mila and leapt into her arms. That put her in the perfect spot to cover Mila’s face with kisses.

She stood up with Babette in her arms and grinned at the guys. “If Babette liked you both, then you couldn’t be evil. She's a very good judge of character."

Gio didn’t know what to say yet, and Carter was still fumbling his words.

“Dogs, uh, love wolves. No, I mean, uh shifters,” he said, haltingly. “We smell good to them.”

Mila shook her head at him and headed into the kitchen. They followed her and sat at the island because that was what they always did when they were in the kitchen with her.

Holding Babette with one arm, she put the kettle on the stove. With the water heating, she then turned to look at Gio. “Are you hungry? Would you like some blood while Carter and I have our evening tea?”

Gio mutely shook his head.

Carter finally exploded. “How are you so calm?” His voice was loud enough to startle Babette and make her whine.

“Carter, not so loud,” Mila admonished, soothing Babette with long strokes down her back.

“Sorry, Babette,” Carter apologized to the dog before returning to his question. “Mila, you know what we are, and you're still calm. How?”

“Probably because it’s so obvious I should’ve realized it sooner,” Mila said with a shrug.

“It is?” Gio asked.

She stopped petting Babette to point a finger at Gio. “Who keeps blood in their house?” Then she pointed to Carter. “I’ve lost count of all the people that referred to you as a wolf or alpha. It wasn’t only today while we were shopping, but almost every time we went out.”

“I was the only outsider, and they kept messing up,” Mila continued. “But I wouldn’t have figured it out if it wasn’t for all the other clues, like Gio never going outside in the daylight. When I confronted the women and demanded answers, they didn’t have a choice.”

“I’m going to talk to all their vampires,” Gio growled, upset.

“No, you’re not!” Mila said, finally sounding upset. “Those ladies didn't want to lie to me, unlike you guys.”

The serenity she’d had since leaving the Downward Dog bled away to reveal how hurt she felt.

“We can’t tell everyone,” Carter said. “If humans found out about vampires, they might try to wipe them out. Gio is powerful, but no vampire can survive the sun.”

Mila shook her head. “No, Carter, that excuse doesn’t work. Not after we all started sleeping together. Not after I shared all my trauma. Not after all the nights we slept in each other's arms.”

Tears filled Mila’s eyes. Gio could see she was trying hard to keep them from falling. Babette snuggled under Mila’s chin, trying to give her emotional support.

“We were scared,” Gio admitted.

“Scared of me?” Mila scoffed, her voice thick with unshed tears. “What’s there to be scared of?”

“You have the power to destroy us,” Gio said, reaching over to wrap his arm around Carter’s waist.

Mila scoffed. “I’m human, what could I do to you?”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about yet,” Gio said gently.

“Shifters like Carter have fated mates. Vampires have something similar, but we call those people our flock. The moment we meet these people, we know, but humans don't feel the same thing. They might sense a pull, but there’s no deep sense of connection at first sight.”

“First smell,” Carter countered. “We shifters know the moment we smell our mate.”

To his relief, Mila’s tears didn’t keep building. She looked calmer, although still upset.

“None of that explains why you waited so long,” Mila reminded them.

Gio sighed. “As long as we kept the secret, nothing changed. Telling you would risk losing you. If extreme situations hadn’t happened to many of the women you met, their vampires might’ve kept the secret as long as we did.”

“I guess so,” Mila said, giving Babette a last hug before setting her down. The little dog tippy tapped to the back door and scratched. Mila opened the door to let her out, then left it open so she could come back when she was finished in the backyard.

The kettle whistled, and Mila busied herself making tea for her and Carter. A mug of herbal tea in the evenings had become their nightly ritual.

No one talked until she turned back and slid one of the mugs across the island to Carter. She stepped back to lean against the counter behind her. It hurt that she was so far away, but Gio could understand that she needed space.

“Does that mean you don’t trust me?” she asked, staring down at her steaming mug.

“No, we absolutely trust you!” Carter protested.

“I’ve never trusted another human as much as you,” Gio said at the same time.

Mila shook her head. “If you trusted me, you would’ve known I wasn’t going to run.”

Carter looked at him. “You need to tell her about Coraline.”

Gio absolutely didn’t want to talk about the woman who’d betrayed him. The human who almost killed him.

“Please, Gio,” Carter said when Gio didn’t respond. “It’s the only way she’ll understand.”

Carter set his mug down and scooted his stool back. Gio wasn’t surprised when the shifter grabbed him. Within a second, he was settled in Carter’s lap.

“Tell her,” Carter urged.

Geo sighed and focused on Carter’s mug. He couldn’t look at Mila’s face. He couldn’t bear to watch her love for him morph into hate.

“Do you remember the painting of the woman wearing the suit?” he asked.

“The one with the 1920s hairstyle?” Mila asked.

“Yes, that’s Coraline.”

She nodded her head. “I remember you saying her name now. Who was she to you?”

“First, you need to know that I was only two decades into my vampire life when I met her. She was human, but wise beyond her thirty years. She was smart, sophisticated, and charming. I fell in love.”

Mila’s expression turned sympathetic. “I know how that goes.”

Right, she’d experienced something similar with Brad. Except her ex had stolen her possessions, not tried to sell her body.

“I was in love, but I knew she wasn’t meant to be flock,” he said. “Vampires instinctively know when we find a person who we’re meant to share our soul with. But Coraline was good at making me believe love was enough.”

Gio paused, trying to put his memories in a sensible order. “My maker warned me that humans couldn’t be trusted. She told me to only reveal myself to my flock, no one else. I dismissed that advice. Coraline wanted to know all my secrets. I told her.”

He remembered the night perfectly. All the time before that night was a blur of fun and passion, but that night was distinct.

“She said,” Gio had to stop to breathe. Even now, so many years later, thinking about it made his chest tighten. “She didn’t believe me at first. After I convinced her, she acted…different.”

Mila tilted her head. “Different?”

“She said all the right words with smiles and laughs, but something was missing,” Gio sighed and rubbed his forehead. “It’s hard to describe. I told myself she was adjusting. That everything was fine.”

“But it wasn’t fine?” Mila asked when he was quiet for too long. He looked up to see sympathy on her face.

“She was a manipulative monster,” Carter said, hugging Gio.