“Yes, welcome, Dr. Abber, and congratulations.” Beverly Nyx tried a smile that looked more like a wince. Milo enjoyed herdiscomfort greatly. It was always nice to put arrogant snobs in their place.
“Thank you so much, Miss Nyx, Mr. Icebringer. It was my pleasure to immerse myself in those wonderful scientific works. And thank you for accepting me into the SBW. I’m looking forward to working with all the resources you can offer me.”
There, he could be diplomatic and polite, even when he was riding on the high of a glorious victory.
“The pleasure is all ours, Dr. Abber. And don’t forget the soiree we hold in honor of our new members. You should get an invitation in the next few days. We’re looking forward to meeting you personally.” Rasputin Icebringer actually managed to sound sincere. Milo was tempted to applaud him. After another round of meaningless phrases, Nyx and Icebringer cut the connection. As if summoned by it, Quirion returned into the lab, a huge smile on his lips.
“You shredded them.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Of course I did. Your preparation was perfect.” Milo grinned.
“It wasn’t just my preparation. They didn’t stand a chance against your brilliant mind,min Lichtbrunn.” Quirion dragged him into his arms, where Milo enjoyed the warmth only a demon could give. “I think we should maybe indulge in some non-scheduled physical experimentation once we get home. To celebrate.”
“Yeah. Yeah, we should. A celebration is definitely in order.”
Quirion opened another rift in time and space, and they were back in his—now their—bedroom. As it turned out, non-scheduled physical experimentation didn’t yield any new or groundbreaking results, but was nice confirmation of the data they already had.
Chapter Fourteen
The invitation for the soiree with SBW came a few days after Milo had passed their test and had recuperated from the mating party Sammy had organized for them. It had been a wonderful, intimate thing with close family and the book club, in a gorgeous mansion in France which belonged to Emilia, the vampire. The food had been excellent, the weather perfect, and the company simply great. He and Quirion had gotten back to the library sometime around four in the morning, drunk on happiness and the perfect selection of wines Emilia had taken out of the gigantic wine cellar underneath her lovely little holiday retreat, as she called it.
The letter from SBW was delivered to his lab at MIT, probably because it was now all nailed down. The dean certainly had gotten a highly official letter stating that Milo Abber was on the official funding list of the SBW, which had let to a lot of congratulations and bragging from MIT on their website, in the press, and on social media because apparently Milo was their first scientist to receive this honor. Of course, no apologies were given for cutting him off from their own funding in the first place. Also, nobody talked about his research being a dead end anymore. It was funny how even the minds of highly intelligent people could be swayed like flags in the wind when enough money was involved.
Milo wasn’t bitter, no, in the end, everything had worked out perfectly for him. He simply allowed himself some accurate and maybe, perhaps, seen from a specific angle, slightly sarcasticobservations of the scientific microcosmos which wasn’t that different from any other microcosmos in human society, even though scientists always claimed the contrary. Money and prestige dictated life, something Milo had learned early on in school, where he’d been bullied because he had neither. It was only thanks to Sammy and Quirion that Milo had found a way through this jungle.
He read the invitation, written in gorgeous calligraphy with more loops to every letter than Milo had ever thought possible, on thick, expensive paper and of course a wax seal he’d had to break before opening. The soiree would be held in a private mansion on Martha’s Vineyard close to Edgartown, and Milo was asked to report if he would be bringing a plus one. He grinned. Quirion wouldlovethat. He was just about to put the letter down when the door to his lab was ripped open and smashed against the wall with so much force it made the glass window rattle. Milo looked up to see Devon Merrybone standing in the doorframe, his broad chest heaving, his eyes glinting in anger.
“Abber!” He stalked into the lab, a mix of frustration and rage twisting his features.
For a moment Milo felt a stab of fear. Even though he had never harmed him physically, the way Devon was approaching him reminded him of the bullies in his past. Then he lifted his chin and met Devon’s gaze head-on. He was now the mate of a demon. There was nothing for him to fear.
“Merrybone. How can I help you?” To his own surprise, Milo realized the calmness in his voice was real.
“How can you help me? Help me? You weren’t supposed to get that funding! How did you do it?”
Devon’s voice had a frantic quality, almost hysterical. For the first time, Milo really looked at his nemesis. He went past the superficial, past the muscular build and the alpha posturing,past the perpetual anger and blustering, past the scorn and disgust Devon seemed to have for him. At the core he found a little boy who’d never had to grow up, never had to fight for a single thing in his life, never had to take responsibility for his actions. He recognized himself in that boy, from the time when he was desperate enough to try to sacrifice Sammy just to get what he wanted most back then—the acceptance of his peers. He also realized he was no longer that boy. He had grown up, had fought for all the good things in his life, had accepted help when he needed it but had also kept his pride intact, and he had taken responsibility for his actions. It was time he finally did what Sammy had told him all along. Milo forgave himself.
It was like a huge rock tumbling down from his shoulders, a weight he hadn’t even realized he was carrying all this time.
He was free.
“I worked for it. Hard, I may add. I deserve that funding because my research is absolutely worth it and because I spent my entire life bettering myself and I’m determined to keep doing it. This funding will help me broach new spheres and maybe find ways to make life better for humankind. And no, you don’t get a say in it because you have no part in my life or my work. Be happy about your own funding and use it the way it is intended.”
Devon looked very much like one of the reef fish he was supposed to be studying, if said fish had been thrown on land. His mouth opened and closed several times, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets while his arms flailed wildly. “How dare you… You can’t… You have no idea… You…”
Milo waited patiently for Devon to find either his words or composure. It didn’t happen and after a few more moments of spluttering, Devon made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, turned on his heel and left the lab the same way he had entered, only this time the door smashed back into the frame. The glass rattled and a fine crack appeared in one corner beforeit all settled again. Milo’s ears were still ringing from all the noise when he felt large arms snaking around his torso. He leaned back into his mate’s broad chest with a happy sigh.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Milo. Everything okay?”
“Yes. I just had a visit from Devon, which brought an epiphany.”
“I have trouble believing how Devon and the word ‘epiphany’ fit in one sentence.”
“Mmm, I can see your point, but I assure you, it’s possible. He came stomping in, screaming about how I shouldn’t have gotten the funding from SBW and all of a sudden, I was able to see to his core. The boy there—that was me, emphasis on was. I realized how far I’ve come, how much I’ve grown—and that being young and scared is an excuse when you’re indeed young and scared, but no longer when you’re old enough to know different.” He turned his head to snuggle his cheek against Quirion’s chest. Well, more against the end of his breastbone, because his demon had come in his full size. It didn’t matter. The close contact was what counted.
“I’m happy you’re finally seeing what we’ve all been telling you for so long.”
