Mia's POVI smiled at Sol as he walked up to us and rolled my eyes when I noticed Kyrin made himself comfortable at a seat by the bar in the corner, far away from his brother.Sol stared down at his younger brother for a moment before turning to me with a raised brow."What was that about?" Sol asked me once he reached where I stood. He took hold of my arms as he pulled me close to him. A smile played at my lips as I thought about what the old man said and welcomed the embrace.I shook my head. "Just Kyrin complaining about his love life, or lack thereof," I mumbled into his chest and heard a rumble in it as he laughed."Kyrin was complaining about his love life? To you and an old human male he had never met before?" I shrugged my shoulders in his arms and stared up at him."Maybe he had it bottling up deep, deep, deep inside of whatever container he has in his chest instead of a heart." I felt Sol's fingers snake their way to the bottom of my chin. He lifted my head to mee
Mia's POVMy deep breathing was all I could hear for a moment as I looked into Sol's eyes. He was staring straight back at me with a large smile spread across his face. The people around us continued to dance as we stayed in place for a moment. Sol allowed me to catch my breath.I had never danced like that in my life. A small part of me wondered how or why I had never tried or had so much fun when I did dance on occasion. A bigger part of me knew that it was because I wasn't dancing with Sol.I could feel the blush forming on my face as I stared at him, not knowing whether it was from the heat of dancing or because the way he looked at me affected me that much. "I told you that you could dance," Sol whispered to me. I had to stifle the laugh that would have come out of my mouth loudly. I leaned against his chest for a moment and hummed. My feet were beginning to hurt in my shoes. I stepped from one foot to the other to try and relieve the pain before I answered him. "Te
Sol's POVI saw it happen before Mia did. As the smell of the blood moved through the room, I saw almost every vampire react. Even if they didn't all turn to us, I saw them shift almost imperceptibly. They became just a little more alert. It was like Mia had become the true north to each of their compasses. I knew that it could only mean trouble.The few that didn't react at all had probably just eaten, and they had no need to take notice of any fresh blood right now. Even if they didn't react, it didn't mean they weren't aware of what was going on. It just wasn't important to them immediately.But that could change at any given moment.However, those who didn't immediately react to Mia's blood were few and far from. Most of the vampires turned. The humans didn't even seem to figure out what had happened just yet. They didn't have the senses to pick up on fresh blood that wasn't immediately near them. They didn't gain sustenance from it, and it didn't drive them int
Sol's POVNo matter how much pressure I applied to the wound, it just would not stop bleeding. The blood kept coming no matter what I did. I knew that I couldn't keep this up for long. If Mia fainted because of loss of blood, though that would take a long time to happen, then I was literally going to have to fight off vampires just to keep her alive.A bleeding prey was one thing for a vampire to ignore. A bleeding and incapacitated prey were just out of the question. It would be difficult to let half-bloods fight back, and that was more than enough temptation for a pureblood to attack. If Mia was unconscious, it would trigger their predator instinct even more than the blood had.I knew that the bleeding had to stop. I had to get it to stop if I wanted any chance of getting her out of there safely.I watched as Serin came over to us. I trusted my cousin absolutely, so I knew not to move. It was a challenge convincing my body to stay still. My instincts were still te
Sol's POVAs soon as that problem was dealt with, and I wasn't stuck in survival mode, I was able to process what had just happened. My brother had wounded Mia, and my father had just stood by and allowed it to happen.He didn't even seem all that perturbed that she was hurt or even bleeding. He had just told me not to take her out of the room right now because we might be attacked, and his human guests would be in danger. There had been no sign of remorse. And where even was Kyrin? He had just hurt Mia and then taken off. He hadn't even checked to see what had happened to her.I felt my anger rise as these thoughts pulled through my mind. Now that Mia was no longer in danger, I knew that I could give reign to my anger. The vervain had essentially poisoned her blood, making it undrinkable to any vampire. It wouldn't hurt her because her human blood protected her. But no vampire would be able to digest that, not to mention how revolting it would smell to all of them now.
Mia's POVThere was a white noise running in my mind. A sensation I had been wholly familiar with my entire childhood rushed through my body. It was the sensation where one was faced with an undeniable fear. Serin shifted beside me, and I wondered for a brief moment if he could smell the fear on me.I had stopped breathing, that I was sure of. Only when he shook me and tried to gain my attention did I take in oxygen again. But I didn't turn to him. My attention never once left the face of the man who had walked into the room just now.That man was Bristol Cainan—my father. There was a part of me, that pessimistic, wretched part of me that wasn't surprised. Ever since I had run away from him and my childhood home, there was always that nagging feeling of him finding me again. In some ways, I wasn't surprised at the situation that this had turned into now. The laughter I had held on my lips, the airiness and lightness as I danced with Sol, it was all lost now. I watched
Mia's POVI had my mother's last name.Maybe it was the shock of the entire situation, maybe I was using this new piece of information to waylay the fact that my father was now walking toward me, but I had her name. It brought an immeasurable amount of comfort to me knowing that."You–"I began to speak, my voice a ghost of something I did not know. "You're…" It was hard to wrap my head around. This man… He was my mother's father. He was my grandfather.I had known my mother was human. I had received that trait from her. But to see this human man now and actually regard him as part of my family was a different matter entirely. "I have good reason to believe that that man, Bristol Cainan, was behind the untimely death of my daughter." He wasn't wrong. "And I have spent years trying to uncover the truth from him.""Is that so?" Sol asked the man in a low mumble. I knew he knew the truth too, but could this man… Could Robert Rivera be trusted?I barely knew him, but fo
Mia's POVSol and I moved from the main area where everyone had gathered. I felt his hand on my lower back as I was maneuvered into an elevator and down a hall. We had left Robert, Serin, and Bristol Cainan alone downstairs to sort things out amongst themselves. A small part of me worried for Robert alone with my father because I didn't know what he may do if he felt threatened, but I was glad Serin was with him at the very least. "Are you okay?" I heard Sol call out to me. I didn't realize I had stopped to think about this fact until he called out to me.I looked up to him, eyes tired and droopy, and nodded my head slowly. I saw the look in his eyes as he stared at me. There was something there… It wasn't pitying or a look of distress but rather concern. Concern? Sol was worried about me, I could tell. That thought only brought only immense comfort. "I don't think so," I whispered to him honestly. "I think I'm going to faint." "Come here," Sol beckoned to me with his a
Sol's POVOnce I knocked down the heavy iron door of the room, I came face to face with a frightening sight. Mia was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, bound by her ankles and wrists. What set an enraged feeling throughout my body was the sight of Kyrin on his knees before her. His teeth were sunk into her neck. Her blood dripped down from her neck and spilled from his mouth."Kyrin!" I roared at him as I sped toward where he was sitting. Just as I thought he perhaps did not hear me or was too slow to react, he turned around just in time. I had to stop myself from barreling into Mia.Kyrin appeared from behind me and landed a kick to my back, sending me flying. A fight ensued, as it always did. I felt an enraged roar rip through me as I lunged myself at Kyrin. His mouth was dripping with Mia's blood. That fact only urged me to move forward even harder. I felt the crack of his skull beneath my first and his entire body shake and tremble as I got on top of him a
Mia's POVI awoke to chains around me—no, not chains, rope. Harsh, thick rope rubbed against my wrists' soft skin. They felt raw and bruised from the way they had been tied. I blinked my eyes open. The light of the bright lamp beside me lit up the entire area and cast an eerie shadow at the same time. There was no one around me. I could hear the faint dripping of leaking pipes, but no other sound was heard. Suddenly, footsteps echoed across the hard concrete of the floors. I was bound by my wrists and ankles. I was unable to see who was approaching me from behind, but I didn't have to wait long to figure it out.Kyrin Montgomery's face appeared in front of mine. His expression was wide and cynical. Speaking of all the evil things that were to come, he stared at me with eyes red and blazing. A gasp left me as I tried to look away. I tried to break free, but I couldn't. "Now, now," he purred as he rested his hands on either arm of my chair. "There's no need to act like that.
Sol's POV"Did you know?" Those were the first words my father spoke to me on the phone call that changed everything. Of course, at that time, no, I didn't know. Nor would I have known unless he had told me in the coming moments of what he had learned. There was a rage in my father's voice, the likes of which I had never heard of before. It was like when he would scold Kyrin or me when either of us had done something particularly disgraceful, in his eyes, to the family name. I wasn't aware of how spot-on I was with that prediction then, but I was sure to find out. "Good evening, Father," I greeted him. "Know what?""Don't play coy with me, boy." Irritation quickly began to grow in me. Mia was missing from her own home with signs of struggle very evident at the scene where she was last found. I had no time to play games with my father or try to understand his twisted way of getting around things. "I assure you," I knew he realized I didn't by the way I spoke to him
Sol's POVSerin, Sarah, and I all made out way back inside the house. It was a lot colder than what we were used to. Despite the air not having a physical effect on me, I still moved to light the fire, knowing Sarah and Mia would appreciate the warmth. The night was colder than usual. The season was colder than it had been in the previous months. "Are you good?" I heard Serin ask his wife and watched as he draped a blanket over her shoulders. She was shivering slightly from the cold outside she had been in for so long. A part of me wanted to go back to Mia and bring her inside, but I knew she wouldn't want to leave her friend's side so quickly and for the last time. "I'll make some tea," I offered the human woman in front of me. She gave me a thankful smile. Her eyes were bloodshot and teary. She was Kaya's friend too. I supposed it was never easy for humans to lose someone they loved. For vampires, it was less… emotional. For us, it was just another stage in our life. We
Mia's POVSol's strong arms were wrapped around me as I watched Bristol flee. I growled from frustration and sank my teeth into him in my enraged state, trying to do anything to make him let me go and chase after my father. When my sharp teeth broke the skin on his neck, he only tightened his arms around me. His rich blood rushed into my mouth and invaded my senses, overwhelming my blood that I had taken in earlier and consuming me. I felt every single droplet of his blood that rushed down my throat as I swallowed it down in gulps. I could not stop as I drank from him and felt my mind slowly begin to soften and calm down. A particular type of haziness enveloped me, and I felt my body grow weak in his arms. My hands clutched onto the thickness of his arms, dragging him closer to me so that I could get a better taste of him. "Sh, sh," I heard Sol's voice hum as he stroked my hair. "It's okay, it's okay." He let me drink from him for as long as I pleased. Only after some mor
Mia's POVIt was a harrowing thing, fighting off the teeth and claws of someone who once was your best friend. I saw the look in Kaya's eyes just before she attacked me, swirling red with a bloodlust that even I could not manage. I knew my blood had the same effect on her as it did all other vampires. It was a sort of primal desire to just feast. Although my blood didn't smell like that to me, if the evidence of the events throughout my life said anything, it was that. Her jaws made a loud snapping sound as she shut them just inches from the skin of my neck. I managed to kick my leg up in time to catch her in the torso. She was knocked back for a moment, a wheezing breath leaving her before she realized she no longer needed air to breathe. It was insane. Watching Kaya come to terms with being a vampire and having her attack me as though she had been one all her life was something I found hard to comprehend. Just as I turned to run, Kaya grabbed at my arm and sunk her claw
Mia's POVEverything seemed hopeless at that point. Kaya's face was contorted into something different, something ravaged and savage all at once. Dark lines decorated her once the clear face. Her eyes were a searing red, something that bore into me wholly and completed. She stared at me, but it was like she was staring through me rather than at me. I remembered calling out to her, whispering her name in a shocking sort of trance, "Kaya, Kaya, Kaya," like a lament of some sort. But she couldn't hear me. She was too far gone from me now, in the thrall of a man who had enslaved me for the first half of my life. Like me then, like her now. "What did you do to her?" I ground out. A rage enveloped me where grief first made home, and the two danced inside of me to a beautiful anthem. The anthem's name was revenge. I wanted to hurt him in all the brutal and honest ways I knew how to."Can't you see for yourself?" He patted the top of Kaya's hair. The strawberry blonde locks loo
Mia's POV"What do you mean she's missing?" I managed to choke out through the ringing in my ears. The police officer was telling me something, something important, but I couldn't hear him. It was like a buzzing and a haze was covering my senses all at once. I couldn't get myself to fully understand the situation in front of me. Sol was the first one to notice this change. He was in front of me in a split second, knees bent in the same position I was on the floor. When did I get to the floor? Either way, I was here now. My legs felt too weak to stand up. I gripped onto Sol's hand as I forced my brain to fight through the muddled haze it was in. I came just in time to hear the police tell me they had found her phone on the corner side, just where she was supposed to get the candles. It wasn't even twenty minutes away from us. "Okay," I said once the officer had completed his rundown. "Is there anything else you can tell me?""Unfortunately, not. Due to the cases of mi
Mia's POVLaughs filled the air as the doorbell rang, indicating the last of the guests had finally arrived. Kaya was the first one here, apart from Sol and I, who had already been at my new house since the night before. He had taken a keen interest in sleeping in my new bedroom. In his words, he was making sure everything went smoothly for my first day. The house itself was surprisingly light-tight, shocking both Sol and me. But he quickly explained that it must have been because many of the houses in this part of the town were allocated to old vampire families. My family must have purchased it from one ages ago. It was a miracle in and of itself that the technology seemed to hold and gave me no little amount of anxiety for Sol's safety during the day. But all seemed well by the time the following night followed. I opened the door to see Serin and Sarah there, wide smiles and love-struck eyes as they stared at me. I engulfed them both, happy that they made it and were sa