16. Mylo

Chapter 16

Mylo

D elicious chaos was sleeping in his bed.

Mylo stood at the foot of that bed and tilted his head, staring down at her as she slept with all his blankets yanked off and piled up like some kind of nest around her. She was curled up like a little housecat and fucking purring .

He pushed his glasses up his nose with a single finger, inspecting the magic carved into her skin that he hadn't been able to see before. The scars were still there, but he could see there were different kinds of power in those marks with the glasses on.

One peeked out from the neck of his sweatshirt, almost covered by Rune's coat. The way it glimmered made him want to touch it, poke at it a bit with that unholy piece they'd given him— forced him to take.

Reaching out, he felt the sudden urge to wrap his silver-covered fingers around her throat and squeeze , just to see what she would do. Crush her windpipe until that purring died so it would stop tempting him.

A feral kitten slept in his bed, and he couldn't decide if he wanted to kill her or wrap his body around her so he could feel that aggressive rattle of hers in his bones.

This thing she did to him…it drew on pieces of him that desperately wanted to beg her to take him apart one last time so she could put him back together the way she wanted – erasing the touch of other hands…destroying their motives with hers.

It sickened him.

Absolutely disgusting that he would be so interested in a person he couldn't even scent. She didn't exist – a body without a soul. A walking corpse.

His hand brushed a silky lock of black hair from her face instead of choking the life from her. No magic on her here, but the freckles were devastating. A sharp grin spread across Mylo's face so fast it could have been made by a blade.

Revolting.

Pulling the glasses off his face, he tucked them into his blazer pocket as he towered over her like some ghastly monster waiting for the perfect moment to rip her to pieces. Considering how good her instincts were, Mylo found it odd that she slept so peacefully with his shadow hanging over her like a guillotine.

Tilting his head the other way, he eyed her long black hair, wondering why she trusted him not to kill her when he'd conned her into coming here, lured her into the monster's den with sweet promises he had no intention of keeping.

He supposed he had let her borrow his scent, but he definitely didn't want her.

Not the way she assumed anyway.

Mylo breathed in Samuel's scent and the familiar way it mixed with his and Rune's. There was another scent under there, subtle. He leaned down and carefully picked up a lock of her hair with a claw, bringing it up to his nose.

Samuel had used his special oils on her? Those oils cost a fortune and could only be made by the vampires…Mylo sighed. It made sense, he supposed. Those oils were the only thing that would cling to her skin like a scent would.

Underneath that though?

Nothing.

He dropped her hair and lifted his lip in a silent snarl, feeling the urge to destroy the soulless creature sleeping in his bed.

She wasn't a small woman by most standards. This Vix was about the same height as Morgan, but curled up like this…she looked fucking tiny. Mylo froze when he realized he was tucking the fur blanket up higher over her bare feet.

He snatched his hand back like he'd been burned and ignored the snarl of protest from his tiger.

Sickening.

Before she could make him do something else he couldn't fucking stand, he turned on his heel and followed the trail of irritation and conflict into the alpha's bedroom, which was empty.

Tucking his hands into his pants pockets, he walked over to the bathroom door where he'd left her and all her delicious skin a few hours ago. The sound of squeaking made his eye twitch, but otherwise Mylo kept his expression blank and his scent free of emotion.

He leaned against the doorframe to watch his alpha cleaning the glass wall in the bathroom in nothing but a pair of black pants. Mylo raised an eyebrow and ignored the scents lingering in this godforsaken cavern.

There were water droplets on the glass wall and all Samuel's precious soaps were disorganized. A robe and towel were on the floor near the sink, along with combs, brushes, and the same dryer he used on Rune.

Chaos.

It made Mylo's hands tremble as he resisted the urge to cackle and indulge in the mess she'd left behind – the mess that had Samuel ready to tear his hair out no doubt. Or her throat.

If things became disorganized…

Well, that monster under his alpha's skin was a lot worse than the one slamming against Mylo's blood and bones, roaring to be let out when he scented a tiny hint of desire.

She'd done something to fuck with Samuel's head, and he had to know what it was. If she'd touched his alpha without consent, he'd rip every finger from her that she'd used to do so. Once that was done, he'd make her earn them back by cutting off the others herself.

Then the scars on her fingers would match his.

"Is there a reason you aren't wearing a shirt?" Mylo asked, shifting his attention back to Samuel.

"She took it from me."

That made no logical sense.

How could that woman, who was nearly a foot shorter than him, just take an alpha's shirt?

He watched Samuel kneel down to clean the bottom of the glass wall. It was so very fascinating to see his ears were a bit red.

"She took it?"

"Stole it off my back," Samuel snarled, whirling around once the glass was clean.

His eyes were glowing gold.

Mylo felt that sharp grin return and he could almost taste the blood as it was carved into his face. "Did she?"

What had she done to force Sammy's tiger so close to the surface? Their alpha was always so careful to appear human – as non-threatening as possible, and yet his eyes were glowing gold and were those canines in his mouth?

Mylo narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd have to remove her fingers after all.

Then his alpha sighed and pink bloomed on his cheeks. That was…different.

Mylo watched as he started organizing the bottles next, putting them back where they belonged so the sun would shine through the curved glass and paint this dark cave with colorful light.

"Fine, she didn't steal it," Samuel muttered, turning the one with a diamond pattern just so. "She wanted it…so I gave it to her."

That explained how she was wearing a shirt that smelled like the alpha when Samuel was so very meticulous with his scent. He preferred to keep it to himself, just like Mylo.

And yet, they'd both given it to her.

It wasn't enough evidence to tell him what he needed to know, but it was definitely concerning.

Disturbing actually.

How many times had he touched her? How many times had he let her touch him? Even more alarming, Mylo was actively seeking out her touch when physical contact from anyone other than Rune or Samuel put him in a murderous rage.

Sometimes people died, sometimes they didn't, but either way it was their responsibility to bear for touching him after being clearly warned.

He didn't attend any pride events for the same reason. It was too risky to place himself in a crowd, and most didn't like the look of his scars anyway. They preferred Rune's bright red hair and blinding smile that had just a hint of madness. Most even assumed Rune was Samuel's second despite how often the alpha referred to him as his third.

No, Mylo was in charge of the administration and their pride as well as their businesses. His attention— obsession with detail made him perfect for the job…

Though he could dole out punishment if needed, reveled in it even.

"Did you talk to Valentina?" Samuel asked as he started the cleaning cycle on the massive bathtub made from rock.

Mylo stared as it filled up with all kinds of antibacterial liquid, remembering his sudden panic she might not be able to swim. All that naked skin, full breasts, and muscular curves hadn't tempted him once, but the fact that she might be in danger?

Those gorgeous runes all over skin that was as pale as death, and the horrific scar on her back…he'd felt rage at the sight of them, and once she'd explained, it had faded away to something even worse.

Thirst .

He craved her in a way that didn't make any rational sense.

Mylo wanted to feast on every mark she'd carved into her body. He wanted to feel her claws on his skin once more, and he was desperate to have her look into his eyes with her golden flames that were so goddamn cold they burned.

Every single breath she'd left on his body had felt like frost and her skin wasn't the least bit warm. It was cool to the touch, but not the same cold of dead flesh. No, it was like…smooth ice cream. Delicious and creamy, delivering excruciating pain if he ate it too fast.

His feral little mate had lived in an eyrie – a place where they made weapons.

And someone had tried to kill her.

He couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd covered the mark left by a bullet. Someone had tried to take her heart from him…

Might have even succeeded since she was soulless.

"Mylo?"

"Hm?" He refocused on Samuel and realized his alpha had asked him a question at some point, but he either hadn't heard it or he'd forgotten it instantly. She didn't even have to be in the same room as him to fuck with his head and that was infuriating . "What was the question?"

"Did you speak to Valentina?" His alpha didn't look worried exactly, but he was wary which was why he was still alive.

"I attempted to speak to Valentina," Mylo corrected. "She kept saying she wasn't allowed to tell me anything because I was an outsider. It tracks when considering what we know of ravens, but it is still…aggravating."

"Maybe they just don't want us to know there are ravens with golden eyes." Samuel sighed and picked up the towel and robe, tossing them over to Mylo to put in the hamper.

He watched as the alpha started washing the combs and brushes as he dumped the fabric in the container behind him, dissecting that sentence until he found what he needed.

"She confirmed she's a raven?"

"I asked if she was and she said yes, but I'm having a hard time believing it," Samuel admitted as he put everything away in the box full of hair care and then tucked it back in the cabinet. "There was no sound of a lie in her pulse or heartbeat. Nothing in her voice either. Even her body stayed relaxed, like it was a boring fact."

"Then why don't you believe her?" Mylo demanded, feeling irritated, and the fact that he couldn't hide it made him even more irritated.

"I know ravens can purr, but she's more feline than avian in mannerisms." Samuel shrugged and gave the bathroom that was pristine once more a cursory look, like he might have somehow missed something. "I don't know, maybe it's just a feeling."

Mylo would argue that her mannerisms were very similar to Valentina's, but also…not. She had the same sort of stillness the assassin did and when she moved, it was more animal than human, but she was not emotionless. He could see them on her face as well as her eyes despite her lack of scent.

"I still think we should put her in the cage." He rolled his shoulders back, the suit feeling tight again.

"We're not putting her in a cage." Samuel grabbed his boots and pushed past him to the bedroom. "I promised her I would protect her while she's in this house if she agrees to stay for a while. I also told her she's not allowed to kill anyone, and no one in this house would try to kill her."

Such vague rules.

Mylo gritted his teeth as he considered all the ways she could slice them up without actually killing them. Just like those people had done to him over and over and over ?—

"I also asked her not to go anywhere without saying something to one of us, and to tell us if there's anything she needs since we're not mind readers." Samuel slipped a long-sleeved shirt on that was identical to the one Vix was wearing, but Mylo didn't bother commenting on it. "She agreed, so I suppose that's progress."

"You told her we're not mind readers?" He considered those words and decided they needed to be more careful with what they said. She was too fucking smart and would most definitely take advantage of any mistakes they made. "Try not to give her any ideas, Alpha. It's not difficult to deduce you know a mind reader if you specify something like that."

Samuel ruffled his hair and sighed, looking exhausted, which was to be expected after not sleeping at all the night before and then dealing with…her. "You think she'd put something like that together?"

"She's feral, not stupid." No, she was far from it actually. "You think she'd be able to quote ‘The Tyger' by William Blake to you so effortlessly if she was?"

It disgusted him how clueless his alpha could be about this woman he was so ready to believe was their mate just because a witch said she was. It was almost worse than Rune, who had simply decided she would claim him with no evidence to prove why he thought that.

"Poetry isn't the same as being able to read between the lines, especially on a subject so few even know anything about," the alpha said, the words more of a growl than anything. It was a clear warning that Mylo was about to overstep.

He was given a lot of freedom, and there were many things his alpha let him get away with. Mylo could push and challenge, but only to a certain point. How fucking annoying Samuel was choosing to be difficult about this .

"She's not stupid," Mylo snarled softly, feeling the flash of gold take over as his tiger rose to the challenge with psychotic glee. "Assuming she does not understand subtext will get us killed. Her mind is a chaotic mess, but she's extremely intelligent. Would you like to know how I'm so very sure of that?"

Golden eyes met his, and Samuel's alpha scent rose, forcing Mylo's to come out and play for the second fucking time that day.

"She doesn't touch me." The quiet words echoed like the tolling of bells warning of danger. "Not once has she touched me first, and yet…she is always reaching for Rune." The one who desperately needed someone to reach for him. "How do you think she knows exactly what to do when we're strangers to her?"

Stepping into the room, he headed for the door connecting to Rune's space. Then he paused and glanced back at his alpha who was breathing hard, like he was desperately fighting the urge to force Mylo to the ground and submit.

His sharp grin split his face and he tipped his head back, breathing in the fiery rage of alpha tiger, releasing his own sharp alpha scent that sliced through Samuel's blue flames like blades made of hell-forged iron.

It was an eternal dance – a constant balance between them.

"I assume she knows exactly how to play each of us, and so do you. Why else would you be so defensive? We don't know her or who she is – who she was ." Mylo stared up at the industrial lights hanging down from the ceiling over the nightstand. "What did she do to you, Alpha? Did she give you her name? Maybe she tried to take yours…funny how she never asked for it though."

Chaos sang and Mylo waited with bated breath for Sammy to accept the invitation to play his deadly game.