by Maggie Walsh
He loved the times he got to sit with Josh and talk to him. Josh may have only been seventeen, but he lived such a painful life that it was most likely what matured him beyond his years. He was so amazingly hot and talented. He showed Milo a few of the tattoos he had done, and some of his sketches for new tattoo ideas.
During their many talks, he told Josh that over the years he thought about getting a memorial tattoo in his parents’ honor, and since he lost Frankie, he wanted one for him too, but he wasn’t sure what he exactly wanted yet. He didn’t think you should get tattoos just for the sake of getting them. He believed a tattoo should be something very personal that meant something to the individual. So until he was sure of what he wanted, he would wait.
He and Josh sat in the kitchen at Evan’s place many times and just talked about everything. He found that he could open up to Josh like no other, well except for one of the other boys that lived at Evan’s. A few times, as he sat waiting for Josh to come home from his job at the tattoo shop, or while he was taking a shower, Matthew had come in to keep him company. Milo felt really guilty whenever he spent time with Matthew. He knew he had the hots for Josh, and Josh had explained to him all about mates, and how they were mates. He explained about what that meant and how he would go into heat. Now that was fucking mind-blowing.
One person made just for them by fate, to spend eternity with. Their perfect match. The yin to their yang. It was all too much, but Milo found himself wanting that. He wanted to belong to someone and have them belong to him. He wanted someone to share his life with, his forever with. And the more time he spent with Josh, the more he wanted it to be him. He wanted to hold Josh and kiss him. Milo wanted to feel him in his arms again, but this time in his human form. He dreamed of them sharing their bodies and making love to Josh. Funny how he had never thought about making love to anyone before in his life. It had only been fucking and playing around, but with Josh, he wanted to make love to him.
But he felt guilty because the more time he spent talking to Matthew, the more he had those same thoughts about him. Matthew had told him that he was a troublemaker, a fuckup, and everyone eventually gave up on him, but Milo saw someone who wanted to fit in. When he looked at Matthew, he saw a lot of himself. Who he had become since losing Frankie. He wanted a family again. He wanted his life to mean something and have people care about him and what happened to him. He wanted someone to love him and need him. And Milo saw all of that in Matthew.
As they sat and talked, he saw a pain in Matthew’s eyes that looked like something he had been seeing in his own eyes. The look of longing. Longing for things he didn’t think he would ever have again. He wanted to reach out and comfort Matthew. To wrap his arms around him and kiss the pain away. But whenever those feelings grabbed him, he pushed them away because he was destined to be with Josh and he shouldn’t be having these feelings for someone else.
God, he was so confused. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him because of those poor innocent souls he destroyed, but whatever the council deemed his punishment would be, he would take it. He deserved to suffer for what he had done to those paranormals. God’s creatures, just like him. They deserved a life too, so he would do whatever the council said.
“Hey, buddy. You okay?” Lexi asked as he walked into the room.
He really liked Lexi. The man was honest, brave, and really funny. It had been years since he had a friend, other than Frankie that is. “Hey, Lex.”
“So what has you looking like someone kicked your puppy?” Lexi asked as he sat on the stool next to Milo, at the window.
“Just thinking.”
“Everything will work out, Milo,” Lexi said and patted his shoulder. “So far the council has found no family members for the ones you…well, you know. So it may not be so bad.”
He knew Lexi was trying to make him feel better about the situation, but he just couldn’t. Whether those paranormals had family or not, he had still taken their lives and they hadn’t deserved that. “It doesn’t matter, Lex. I still took their lives from them. I should be punished for what I did.”
“Not exactly,” Micah’s deep voice came from behind them. Lexi and Milo turned to face the alpha. Micah and the rest of the council stepped into the room, along with Jesse, Taylor, Raffy, Bastian, and Josh.
Milo stood up to face them. “What do you mean, Alpha?”
“What he means is that from what we have been able to find out so far, it looks like every one of the paranormals you killed, have no connections to anyone. Not a family member or a pack, pride, coven, or cast,” King Dante explained.
“So what do we do now?” Josh asked as he came to Milo’s side and clasped his hand. He had to smile at his mate’s show of solidarity, quiet comfort, and loyalty.
“What Dante just said makes us very suspicious of the circumstances around those killings,” Storm added.
“What do you mean?” Josh asked in a panic.
“I swear I told you everything. I haven’t lied or held anything back from you,” Milo said nervously.
“We know that, Milo,” Micah spoke calmly. “We are not questioning your honesty. But with what you have told us about the mysterious phone calls you were receiving from some unknown man, and now there is no connection for any of your victims, it makes us wonder who exactly was calling you.”
“This person gave you explicit directions to those paranormals, and then to Sanctuary. So we are thinking that it may have been Malachi, or one of his followers, on his orders,” Ryland said.
“It sounds exactly like something Malachi would have done,” Phenex added.
“So what does this mean for Milo?” Josh asked nervously.
“Well, that depends on the final outcome of what we have come to ask you, Milo,” Dante said.
“Ask me anything. I swear I will tell you whatever you want to know.”
“We have no doubt about that, Milo. But before you agree to what we have come to ask of you, let me tell you what it is,” Micah said with a friendly smile.
“Okay. What would you like from me?”
“We have spent weeks telling you all about our world, mates, and everything you can expect now that you are a part of it. You know that Josh is your mate, and although you have free will to walk away and not be a part of our world, I don’t think you want to do that. I believe you want to be with Josh as much as he wants to be with you.”
Milo looked at Josh’s worried face and gave him an encouraging smile as he tightened his hold on his mate’s hand. “Yes, Alpha. I know all about your world now, about mates, and what it all means, and I choose to be a part of it. I want my mate, and I will do whatever is required of me to be able to have him. So even without knowing what you want me to do, I will do it, if it means I can live in your world with my mate,” Milo said calmly and proudly.
“You are a good man, Milo. An honorable man. Just your answer alone is enough for all of us to see that. We have all gotten to know you over the past weeks, and we are all confident that the person you are would never have done those things. You had the perfect opportunity to kill Josh and Lexi, but you didn’t. From what you told us, you felt something stopping you. That you fought with yourself over pulling the trigger. We believe that was your conscience fighting you from going against who you really are. Even with the pain you were in from losing your brother, there is no way you could have killed anyone.”
Chapter 2
Josh couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did this mean the council didn’t think Milo killed all those paranormals? Josh had wondered many times how Milo could have done those things. The man didn’t have that kind of personality. But when faced with the amount of pain he was in, it was possible to go against one’s own personality. Especially in the name of vengeance.
“I don’t understand, Alpha,” Milo said in confusion.
“We believe you were manipulated by Malachi to either commit those murders, or to believe you had,” Phenex answered.
Milo’s ey
es went wide in shock. “What?”
“Do you remember us telling you that we all have special gifts?” Micah asked. Milo answered with a nod. “We asked Bastian, Raffy, Taylor, and Jesse to come with us because of their gifts. With your permission, we would like them to use those gifts on you, so that we can find the truth.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? You don’t even want to know if it will hurt?” Ryland asked in surprise.
“No, King Ryland. If what you are all saying is true, that it’s possible I didn’t do those things, then I want to know. And if it turns out that I did actually do those horrible things, then I want to know as well. I deserve to pay for my crimes. Do whatever you need to do.”
Micah and Dante shared a look, and then looked back at Milo. “I don’t even need to see this. I know the truth already. There is no way this man killed anyone,” Micah declared.
“How do you know this, Alpha?” Josh asked in astonishment.
“Have you ever heard of the hypnosis theory? That it doesn’t matter what suggestion you are given under hypnosis, if it goes against your personality, who you really are, then you won’t do whatever was suggested. Clucking like a chicken isn’t something against your personality, but murdering people is,” Micah explained. “Even though I believe that Malachi could have made you kill those people, even against your true personality, I don’t think he did. I think he just made you think you did. Bastian can look inside you and see what you have seen, feel what you have felt. He can see conversations that you have had. So can Jesse. Jesse can go deeper into those memories with Raffy’s help, and hopefully take it back to the true origins. And with Taylor’s ability to amplify anyone’s gift, maybe he can take us to what really happened to those souls, and then project it for all of us to see.”
“See why he’s the alpha?” Lexi said happily. “Brilliant, right? Gods, I love our new council.”
“Suck up,” Taylor teased.
“Assface,” Lexi teased back.
“Butt-licker.”
Lexi gave him a big smile. “Duh?” He and Taylor burst out laughing.
“Enough, you two. As amusing as I find you, this isn’t the time,” Phenex chastised, while struggling to keep a straight face. From next to Phenex came his mate, Ryland, clearing his throat. Phenex looked at him. Ryland raised a brow at him. “What? Oh come on, dearheart, they’re funny as hell.” Phenex lost his battle and laughed right along with Lexi and Taylor. Ryland threw his hands up in the air as he rolled his eyes and turned from Phenex.
Jesse grabbed his arm and smiled at Ryland. “You should be used to it by now, Ada.”
“I know, but this poor man is standing here, worried about his future. It is not a time for this,” Ryland huffed.
Lexi calmed himself and straightened up. “Ryland’s right. I’m sorry, Milo.”
“Me too,” Taylor agreed.
“It’s okay. I think you two are a riot, too,” Milo said with a chuckle.
“Can we get to this now?” Dare asked.
“Okay, so what do I do?” Milo asked.
“Come over here and have a seat,” Jesse said and led Milo to the couch. Milo took a seat and Josh sat next to him, holding his hand. Jesse, Bastian, and Raffy sat on the table in front of him. Taylor stood behind them. “Okay, Milo, just relax and we’ll do our thing.” He nodded at Jesse and tried to relax.
Bastian stared into Milo’s eyes, and Josh looked back and forth between them, trying to see if could figure out what was happening. Suddenly Bastian drew in a quick breath and his eyes went wide. “Oh, Milo, man. I am so sorry for all the pain you have been in. Even if it turns out that you did kill those others, I understand. I would have done the same thing if someone had taken someone I love away from me the way Frankie was taken from you.”
Milo nodded at Bastian as he swallowed hard, and Josh could see tears forming in his eyes. He squeezed Milo’s hand, trying to give him comfort. Bastian stared at Milo again. Everyone was quiet as they just watched Bastian and Milo. After about ten minutes, Bastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked at Micah. “I can’t find one actual memory inside him of Milo committing those murders. I found thoughts in his head that he had, but no memories,” Bastian explained.
“What does that mean?” Josh asked in confusion.
“If Milo had killed those paranormals, or anyone for that matter, I would have been able to see those memories. Like a movie playing. I would have witnessed it. But there are no memories like that inside his brain.”
“So then what we suspected is true,” Micah stated. “Milo didn’t actually kill anyone. Those memories were planted in his head.”
“Yes. I’m positive of it,” Bastian said and stood up.
“So, I didn’t kill them?” Milo asked hesitantly in astonishment.
“No, Milo. You didn’t,” Bastian answered and reached out, laying a hand on Milo’s shoulder and giving him an encouraging squeeze.
“I can’t believe this,” Milo whispered as he shook his head and looked down. “I didn’t do it? But I…How?”
“As we explained to you already, Malachi was an evil manipulative demigod, who would do anything to anyone to get what he wanted,” Ryland said.
“So what happens now?” Josh asked.
“Now we let Jesse and Raffy do their thing as Taylor amplifies it and projects it for us to see,” Micah answered.
Jesse took Raffy’s hand in one of his and Milo’s in the other. Josh released Milo’s other hand so Raffy could take it in his free hand. They both closed their eyes. Taylor laid his hands on their shoulders. Suddenly Taylor’s eyes turned white, and a vision formed next to them. It showed Milo sitting in a motel room. He looked at his watch and then stood up. He walked to the door, opened it, stepped out, and walked down the corridor. When he reached the end, he saw a dark figure kneeling down on the ground, hovering over something. Milo’s foot made a noise on the pavement, and the dark figure turned in his direction. The man had red glowing eyes, long sharp fangs with blood dripping off them, and claws on the ends of his fingers. Milo gasped from the sight as he opened his eyes wide in disbelief and horror. Then he saw his baby brother, Frankie, lying on the ground lifeless. His eyes were open, but there was no life inside them. His throat was ripped open and blood slowly trickled down.
Milo yelled at the vampire, and the creature smiled at him and then took off into the woods faster than Milo could see. The vision showed Milo run to Frankie’s side, drop to his knees, and weep over his brother’s body as he held him against his chest. The vision shifted and showed Milo standing in a kitchen. He looked like he hadn’t changed or showered in weeks. His hair was all disheveled, he had a beard, and his eyes looked dead. The phone on the wall rang and he answered it. They watched as the vision Milo’s eyes froze, like in a trance. He didn’t say a word, only nodded. Then he hung up the phone, walked back to the couch, and lay down. Over and over, the vision showed the same thing. The phone would ring, and Milo would get off the couch, answer it, nod, hang up, and go back to the couch. Each time he did this, they could see that he and his clothes were worse than the vision before, and his clothes weren’t always the same.
Then the vision happened again, but not the same. Milo got off the couch, walked to the kitchen, and answered the phone. He nodded and then said, “I understand.” He hung up and went to the bathroom instead of the couch. He shaved, cut his hair, and showered. Then he got dressed and left the house. He got in his car and the vision showed him driving across country. The only stop’s he made were to get gas, eat, and use the facilities. Then his car drove into Sanctuary.
He found the abandoned house that he had stayed at. Then the vision showed him walking around the town, watching, and observing everyone. At one point, it showed Milo standing on a corner just as dawn was approaching. The sky was still dark, but light began to glow in the eastern sky. His cell phone rang and he answered it. Again, all he did was nod and then hang up. He walked to the gazebo in
the town square and climbed up to the roof. Milo pulled a can of red spray paint from his jacket pocket and wrote “Death to All Paranormals” across the top. He put the can back in his pocket and sat on the roof. People began to step out of Sanctuary’s one hotel and walk toward the square. They stood there with blank faces as they looked up at Milo. Then the vision showed over a hundred rogues of different paranormals surround the gathered group. The rogues attacked before the people could even shift and fight back. It was a bloodbath. The rogues ripped them to pieces and then just walked away into the dark woods.
Just as the first rays of the day broke, Milo climbed down off the gazebo, walked back to his car, and drove away. He pulled up to the abandoned house and stepped out of the car. His cell phone rang and he answered it. He nodded, and then said, “I understand. I will stay until they find me.” He hung up and went inside.
The vision shifted to Milo sitting out on the back steps of the house drinking coffee. “What the hell am I doing here? I haven’t been able to find one piece of evidence that these beasts are here and the jackass on the phone hasn’t called me in weeks. One more day. If I don’t find anything in one more day, I’m out of here.” He sighed and stood up, going into the house.
The vision disappeared and Taylor blinked his eyes, his vision coming back as he stared at Milo. The look in his eyes turned to horror and he looked at Micah. Josh looked around at all the faces as everyone remained quiet. Finally, King Dante broke the silence as he stepped forward and sat next to Jesse in front of Milo. “First let me start by saying, you’re innocent, Milo. You didn’t commit any of the crimes you were led to believe you had. You didn’t kill anyone. And second, I am so sorry. It is all my fault,” Dante said in defeat, his voice filled with guilt and pain.
His mate Dare stepped next to him and wrapped his arm around him, holding him tight. “It is not your fault, my love. You had nothing to do with any of it. It was all Malachi. We know now that he manipulated everyone, even Christoph. Although Christoph was evil all on his own before you even met him,” Dare said soothingly.