Silas leaned against the counter, pretending to pour himself a cup of coffee, which he wouldn't drink. Mom was making breakfast, her body tense, and she had refused to make eye contact with Silas the entire time. It would have been funny to watch their interactions if only I knew I wasn't the cause of it all.
The morning after Mom had walked in on Silas and me having sex was the most awkward moment of my life. I had lain in Silas' arms last night, too uncomfortable to even think about what I was going to tell Mom today. There was no excuse I could give that would make this any better. I was fucking my stepbrother. That was not normal. "Have some bacon." "Thanks, Mom." Mom gave me a nod and took the seat beside me, digging into her own plate of bacon and toast. Okay, now would be the best time to speak out. But what the hell was I going to tell her? That I'd fallen in love with Silas despite knowing that his dad was married to Mom? That I planned to move away with him, maybe even get married one day? Would she think I had lost my mind? Would she feel disgusted by my actions? "Sweetheart," I felt Mom's hand on mine. "You don't have to be so nervous. I...I should have reached out to you yesterday, but I didn't want to interrupt your..." Her gaze shifted to Silas, who was still leaning on the counter, pretending he couldn't easily pick up on what we were saying. An amused smile crossed her face. "I've suspected this much. Silas was never subtle about how much he cared about you. It's just so weird walking in on my daughter and stepson having..." "Mom! I think I get the point. No need to say it." Mom grinned at me, and I could hear Silas's amused chuckles behind me. "Thanks, Mom." "What's the plan? I know that look in your eyes. You've already thought this whole thing through. You wouldn't want to stay here if you chose to be with Silas." "That's right. I've decided to move somewhere else for college. Silas is graduating soon. I'm not sure where yet, though." "Maybe Hawaii." It wasn't even a question. Mom mentioned it like she already knew that was where I wanted to go. For the better part of three years, I had always told her how much I wanted to move away to Hawaii to find my dad, even though I wasn't sure if he was even there. Now, however, I had another reason for wanting to move. I wanted to find somewhere safe to settle down with Silas. I was damn tired of this small town where everyone knew everyone. If we stayed here, we would never be able to be together fully. "I'll tell you when we decide." "I'm happy for you, sweetheart. You make me so proud." "Thanks, Mom." "But know this, Silas: if you dare hurt my baby, I'll make you regret it." "Don't worry." Silas gave Mom a warm smile, then winked at me. "I wouldn't dream of it." --- When Mom left the kitchen, Silas attacked my lips with a passionate kiss. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me flush against his chest. I was breathing hard when he pulled away from me. Unlike him, I actually needed to catch my breath. "I told you she would understand," he said with a grin on his face. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly at his words. "Yeah, I get that. But it was still fucking traumatizing that she caught us having sex! I would have told her eventually. There was no need for you to pull off something like that." "Yeah, I apologize." Silas didn't look very apologetic, but I decided to let him off. At least things worked out well. It would have been a different story if Mom hadn't taken it well. I couldn't imagine having to break off my relationship with Silas. Not after we'd finally gotten together. "That reminds me, I found your dad." "What?!" I stared at him in disbelief. "You found him? How?" "Just some digging. He's in Hawaii. You were right after all. And the good thing is, I can get you into a good college there. I've also got some friends. Moving there should go smoothly." "This is unbelievable. Thank you so much." "You know I would do everything for you, baby. Anything. Maybe even murder." "Silas." "How about that friend of yours who set you up? The one who messed around with your ex? Do you need her gone?" "Cut that crap out." "I was joking, mostly." I barked out a laugh. Silas smirked in satisfaction and wrapped his arms tighter around me. I leaned into him, burying my face in his chest. His sweet scent assaulted my nose, and it caused me to moan in satisfaction. This was where I was my happiest. Being with him felt like a dream, one I wished I would never wake up from. But still, I couldn't bring myself to forget the deal I had made with that damned vampire. The guy wouldn't even tell me what he wanted from me. Let's just hope I will be able to overcome this challenge.Moving to a house with the woman he loved seemed almost too good to be real. Silas had to remind himself countless times that he wasn't dreaming; this was really happening. Kerry had agreed to move in with him, and she had agreed to be his girlfriend. It didn't even bother him that they would be moving halfway across the country. As long as he had her beside him, he didn't care where he went.Besides, starting off with a clean slate seemed like the perfect boost to their flourishing relationship. No one would know about their stepsibling identities in Hawaii, and they were free to show affection in public without constantly worrying about who saw them. He felt happier than he had in years."Wow, you really went all out in getting this house," Kerry said as she stared at the bungalow. She hadn't gone inside yet, but she was already in love with the beautiful yard and glass windows. It gave off a homely vibe. Plus, there was a beach a short distance away. It would always be a good way t
"Come on in." Maybe I wasn't the only one wanting to make a good first impression. Silas was acting the nicest I had ever seen him. There was a kind smile on his face as he led our guest to the living room. I walked behind them, my legs feeling a bit too heavy, and I had to drag them.This whole scene would have been lovely, just neighbors getting to know each other, if only I didn't know that our neighbor was the main reason why my life was a mess. He was the one who had single-handedly changed the world into a horrible place. And yet here he was, pretending to be a normal human who attended the same college as me.I was confused about how Silas wasn't able to recognize him as a vampire. Surely their scent wasn't something they could just hide so easily. But then again, this was the Devil we were talking about. I sat beside my boyfriend on the sofa, despite the fake smile I forced on my lips as I watched the two of them talk. The tension was bleeding from my shoulders. Silas was quic
Despite all the excitement she had felt yesterday at the prospect of starting college, Kerry woke up sick. Her head felt like it had been slammed against the wall multiple times, and she was very nauseous. She managed to make it to the bathroom before throwing up into the toilet. Silas must have heard her frantic movements from downstairs because he was beside her in minutes. He placed a hand on her shoulder as she struggled to catch her breath."What happened?" he asked worriedly. Kerry shrugged as she pushed herself to her feet. She swayed slightly due to how lightheaded she felt. Silas supported her."I don't know, it must be something I ate. I feel like my stomach is a fucking war zone. Maybe I should go to a hospital or something."She didn’t think it was anything serious. It could just be a reaction from the eight-hour flight yesterday, or maybe she had eaten more than she should have. But she didn’t want Silas to keep fussing over her for the rest of the day.Silas hummed in ag
"See me after class," the Professor said to her before turning around and stalking back to the front of the class. Kerry watched his retreating back in shock; she still couldn't believe that she had found her dad. She knew he was in Hawaii, but she didn't think finding him would be so damn easy. He was a college professor, something she had never imagined he would be interested in. But then again, Kerry didn't know much about the man—he left her when she was a little girl. All she had were fragments of memories she had to constantly piece together. If it weren't for the resemblance between them, she might have mistaken him for someone else."Do you know Professor Shane?" Ruby asked curiously. She wasn't the only one who had grown interested in the short conversation between the usually cold yet handsome professor and her new friend.Usually, Mr. Shane didn't even address students directly unless they had questions. Due to his youthful and incredibly good-looking appearance, many girls
Kerry woke up with a headache. It wouldn't be the first time, and she was already starting to get used to it at this point. She expected to wake up in a strange room, tied to a chair or something. Or maybe Asher might decide to mess with her head, make her forget things. It all sounded like the kind of thing the messed-up bastard would do. But no, she woke up in the familiar bedroom of her Hawaiian house."How do you feel?" Silas was beside her. He hadn't left her side since he brought her back home. He had even thought about taking her to the hospital, but he had been assured she would be alright. Just stress—it was normal for someone in her condition. "Kerry? Talk to me.""I feel fine," she said with a sigh. "Apart from the headache, that is.""Do you need me to bring you something for that?"She thought about it for a second, then shook her head. She already felt like she was going to be sick; she didn't need anything bitter right now. Maybe if the headache didn't go away in half a
I didn't have the guts to attend my dad's class again. If I could, I would have skipped school completely, because I no longer found joy in studying when I knew that something much bigger and dangerous was hiding around the corner—something I couldn't uncover no matter how hard I tried. I thought that the biggest mystery in my life would be figuring out why my dad had left me or what he was. But then came Asher, and now even Silas—whom I was sure I could trust—was keeping something from me. I had no idea what to do.My dad tried reaching out to me, but he must have noticed the amount of effort I was putting into avoiding him. He stopped seeking me out a week later, and I didn't know whether that made me feel better or worse. It hurt how easy it had been for him to give up on me again, but I guess he thought he was only doing it to protect me or make me happy. I felt neither safe nor joyful. But at least Asher hadn't appeared to me in a while. That could only mean he was off planning h
I felt like crying, but I think I had already shed all my tears earlier that day. I lay curled up on the bed, feeling worse than I ever had in my entire life. To me, no situation could ever be worse than the one I found myself in. I had been hurting so badly for the past week, and to think Silas knew about my pain and chose to keep the reason behind it to himself. Did he hope I would never find out I was pregnant until I was pushing a baby out of me? I thought he loved me and had promised to always protect me no matter what, but now he had decided that he would rather protect his unborn child than me. That was a betrayal on a whole different level.I was mad at him, and honestly, I wish I could hate him enough to just fuck off entirely, maybe move away somewhere I could get my thoughts together. But the thought of how hurt Silas would be at my actions made me discard the idea immediately. I'm such an idiot; I always thought of him first despite everything that had happened. Despite ev
Bill and my mom arrived later that evening. The moment I opened the door, Mom rushed in and wrapped her arm around me tightly. "Oh, sweetheart, thank God you are alright." She must have assumed the very worst when I called her on the phone. I kind of felt bad for making her worry so much."I'm alright, Mom," I told her. I helped her with her things. Bill didn't say anything to me; he was saving the conversation for when we were all comfortable. Silas came to greet his dad and stepmom, and he and Bill seemed to be very tense around each other. Silas avoided eye contact with his dad even as he showed him around the house. I was worried that what I had said might have somehow messed up the relationship between those two. The last thing I wanted was to make things complicated. Being pregnant was a hard pill to swallow; being pregnant with a hybrid baby that might possibly kill me was even worse. But once I got over the fear of the danger my pregnancy would bring, I found myself excited at
Kerry's POVAsher doesn't return, and I doubt he will anytime soon. But his words keep echoing in my head. Something still doesn't make sense. It's hard to believe he would do all this just to get to my daughter."At the end, it's all about you," I say to my daughter with a sad smile on my face. The baby doesn't cry, not since Asher handed her back to me. I would have been worried about this abnormal behavior if she were... well, normal. I worry that she will get hungry very soon, and I have no idea what I’m going to do then. I don't think I can stand feeding her blood; it would freak me the hell out. It was one thing having to drink blood while pregnant, but a completely different case entirely to feed it to my infant child.She looked so human too, except for the unusual crimson eyes. She was a beautiful baby, and there was no doubt she would grow up looking like her father. There would be so many expectations. Asher would come back, no doubt, and he would create more problems for m
Sera stares at her ex-husband, the man whom she had given her heart to at one point. There were all sorts of emotions going through her, but the one that simmered under her skin and had her storming forward was rage. Pure rage! She felt like killing the bastard man with her own hands!Silas was quick to put some distance between him and Kerry's father before Sera flung a vase at him. The angel evaded the attack, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Sera reach out for something else to throw at him."Sera, please, we don't have time for this.""How dare you! How dare you show up here after all those years!""Sweetheart, please calm down," Bill, who had been stunned, finally reacted. He moved forward to stand by his wife. He looked at Seth with confusion—Bill didn't know what relationship the two of them had, but he'd never seen Sera this angry before. "Let him talk first.""Do you even know who he is?" Sera glared at her husband. Her vision was going blurry as she teared up. Her
"What the fuck!?" Silas is pissed—scratch that, he feels like fucking murdering someone right now. The only thing that feels worse than his anger is the fear that makes his skin crawl. "I've only been gone for a few hours!!"Bill doesn't say anything. The man hasn't even looked at him throughout the argument, and this only makes Silas more pissed. "I begged you not to do this! I was against this fucking abortion, and yet you went behind my back to do it! Now you have no fucking idea where she is?!""I am sorry, I should have protected her better," Bill says. The regret and shame are evident in his voice. He hadn't meant to let his guard down. One moment, he was by Kerry's side, and they were about to begin the procedure. The next moment, his vision went blurry, and he had no idea what the fuck happened. When everything cleared up, Kerry was gone. It happened so fast that Bill found it hard to believe.He had searched for her, of course. He had hoped that perhaps she had left on her ow
" Lay here, please.""This won't take long, will it?""It depends, sweetheart, but I assure you, you will be fine once this is over," the man says. I look over at Bill, who is standing in the corner of the room."He's an old friend of mine. Nothing will go wrong."I nod my head and push down my anxiety. I get on the hospital bed, the sickly smell of drugs and chemicals making me slightly nauseous. However, I tell myself that this is a one-time thing. Once this is over, I will never have to go through it again.I relax against the bed as the sedatives I had been given earlier take over. Soon, the room starts spinning, but I could swear I see a figure appear in the corner of the room before everything goes dark.When I wake up, I find that I am in an entirely different room than the one Bill had brought me to. I push down my panic, not wanting to overreact over nothing. Perhaps I had been taken to a different room after my... abortion. It’s strange, though... I don’t feel any different
I could hardly sleep that night. It didn't help one bit that Silas had insisted on us spending the night together. I was afraid that my wild thoughts would somehow reach him. Even though he had promised me never to read my mind, I was afraid he might go back on his word, especially in a situation like this. The weight of my decision kept me awake and tense. On more than one occasion, my hand had curled around my stomach. I had imagined how my baby would look, but now I was never going to get the chance to hold him or her in my hands. I had selfishly chosen myself over the innocent child."Kerry?""Hm?" My eyes pried open. I had given up on pretending to be asleep after the first two hours. Silas had simply stated, in an unimpressed voice, how he could hear my heart beating faster; he knew when I was awake or not. Even if he didn't have his enhanced hearing, I'm sure he would be able to tell I wasn't asleep by how tense I was. The room was dark enough that I couldn't make out anything.
Bill and my mom arrived later that evening. The moment I opened the door, Mom rushed in and wrapped her arm around me tightly. "Oh, sweetheart, thank God you are alright." She must have assumed the very worst when I called her on the phone. I kind of felt bad for making her worry so much."I'm alright, Mom," I told her. I helped her with her things. Bill didn't say anything to me; he was saving the conversation for when we were all comfortable. Silas came to greet his dad and stepmom, and he and Bill seemed to be very tense around each other. Silas avoided eye contact with his dad even as he showed him around the house. I was worried that what I had said might have somehow messed up the relationship between those two. The last thing I wanted was to make things complicated. Being pregnant was a hard pill to swallow; being pregnant with a hybrid baby that might possibly kill me was even worse. But once I got over the fear of the danger my pregnancy would bring, I found myself excited at
I felt like crying, but I think I had already shed all my tears earlier that day. I lay curled up on the bed, feeling worse than I ever had in my entire life. To me, no situation could ever be worse than the one I found myself in. I had been hurting so badly for the past week, and to think Silas knew about my pain and chose to keep the reason behind it to himself. Did he hope I would never find out I was pregnant until I was pushing a baby out of me? I thought he loved me and had promised to always protect me no matter what, but now he had decided that he would rather protect his unborn child than me. That was a betrayal on a whole different level.I was mad at him, and honestly, I wish I could hate him enough to just fuck off entirely, maybe move away somewhere I could get my thoughts together. But the thought of how hurt Silas would be at my actions made me discard the idea immediately. I'm such an idiot; I always thought of him first despite everything that had happened. Despite ev
I didn't have the guts to attend my dad's class again. If I could, I would have skipped school completely, because I no longer found joy in studying when I knew that something much bigger and dangerous was hiding around the corner—something I couldn't uncover no matter how hard I tried. I thought that the biggest mystery in my life would be figuring out why my dad had left me or what he was. But then came Asher, and now even Silas—whom I was sure I could trust—was keeping something from me. I had no idea what to do.My dad tried reaching out to me, but he must have noticed the amount of effort I was putting into avoiding him. He stopped seeking me out a week later, and I didn't know whether that made me feel better or worse. It hurt how easy it had been for him to give up on me again, but I guess he thought he was only doing it to protect me or make me happy. I felt neither safe nor joyful. But at least Asher hadn't appeared to me in a while. That could only mean he was off planning h
Kerry woke up with a headache. It wouldn't be the first time, and she was already starting to get used to it at this point. She expected to wake up in a strange room, tied to a chair or something. Or maybe Asher might decide to mess with her head, make her forget things. It all sounded like the kind of thing the messed-up bastard would do. But no, she woke up in the familiar bedroom of her Hawaiian house."How do you feel?" Silas was beside her. He hadn't left her side since he brought her back home. He had even thought about taking her to the hospital, but he had been assured she would be alright. Just stress—it was normal for someone in her condition. "Kerry? Talk to me.""I feel fine," she said with a sigh. "Apart from the headache, that is.""Do you need me to bring you something for that?"She thought about it for a second, then shook her head. She already felt like she was going to be sick; she didn't need anything bitter right now. Maybe if the headache didn't go away in half a