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Harlan rolls his eyes. “And that’s Cassius, our leader. But he’s a sweetheart.”
My eyes fall over Harlan's shoulder to find Cassius giving me a gentle nod before passing us and opening the fridge.
“Milo.” Xander reaches for the quiet vamp and pulls him into a hug.
For a moment, Milo tenses under Xander’s arms but eventually wraps his around Xander’s waist. They exchange a few words too quiet for me to hear, but Harlan snatches my attention.
“So, Noah. Tell me everything. How did you two meet? When did he tell you his secret? And explain that absolutely massive love bite.” He points to my neck and I clap a hand over the site.
A growl permeates through the house from behind Harlan. Peeking over his shoulder, I find Xander’s gaze locked onto the little vampire before me. “Treat my mate with respect.”
Harlan rolls his eyes and smirks, “Treat your elders with respect, child.”
I can’t wipe the grin from my face as the two bicker like an old couple. It’s nice to see how alive the house becomes with more people. With Xander’s people.
I watch as each vamp makes themselves at home. Ambrose shuts his eyes and throws his legs over the arm of the couch while Cassius pulls apart the kitchen searching for something to eat. Yet, as my boyfriend and Harlan keep bickering, my gaze meets Milo’s.
He’s about the same height as I am, maybe an inch or two shorter. But as we watch each other, I notice the way his shoulders rise and he slowly backs away to the front door. A striking resemblance of fear washes over his face as his boot scrapes the threshold and the floorboards creak.
“Milo,” Cassius calls from behind me. “Noah won't bite. Come, say hi.”
Milo tenses and he’s speeding out the front door before I can even get up from my seat.
The house grows quiet, and Xander sighs. “He’s still skittish?”
“Does he not like me?” I ask as Xander reaches me and grasps my shoulder while giving me a gentle smile.
“It’s not that he doesn’t like you,” Cassius replies. “Milo just doesn’t trust humans.”
He doesn’t trust humans? What vampire doesn’t trust its own food source?
Seeing my confusion, Xander supplies, “We don’t know what happened to him. He doesn’t talk much about anything. But over the years we’ve pieced together his fear for humans and water.”
“He’s just sensitive, ignore him,” Ambrose’s angelic voice carries through the air like a hymn.
“No compassion,” Harlan tuts, and takes a seat on the stool beside me, his legs swinging back and forth like an excited child.
“So, besides introducing us to your mate, why have you called us here, Xander?” Cassius asks, shutting the fridge door with a look of disappointment on his face. “And where is your blood?”
The air in the house grows heavy, and a drop of dread seeps into my splendid bubble of happiness. Despite the pleasures of last night, and meeting Xander’s family, my mind has managed to distract itself from the real-life problems.
Like the fact that I'm still cursed to die a gruesome death and something attacked Xander yesterday. Something that’s clearly stronger than a vampire.
“My mate is in danger,” Xander begins. “A creature has broken through the wards and has killed two civilians and is hunting Noah. It’s scent-bound to him.”
Ambrose sits up, his attention now captured. “A creature?”
Xander nods and mindlessly massages my shoulders. “Part hound, part human. But it’s rotting and can manipulate its own body and bones. I barely managed to fend it off…”
“But you did.” I look up at him, feeling the way my stomach churns uncomfortably.
The look that crosses Xander’s face has me gasping as his head drops and his features turn grim. “If it wasn’t for Nyx, I'd still be in the forest.”
All eyes, including my own, turn to the large ball of fluff that sits at Ambrose’s feet. She licks at her paw while Pumpkin grooms the side of her face.
“The Hellcat fought the creature?” Cassius asks.
“Yes,” Xander responds. “I have no clue how she did it. Or what the creature is, but we need to kill it. It’s hunting Noah. His scent is imbued into its soul.”
