20. Mylo

Chapter 20

Mylo

H is lips peeled back in a silent snarl when he couldn't scent her desire despite the way his kitten thrashed beneath him, so wild with need her eyes practically lit up the whole fucking room.

Between the two of them, even a human would be able to see despite the lack of light.

Evidently, it didn't matter that she possessed no scent, Mylo could still feel the thread between them after she'd forced him to, which he couldn't fucking stand. It only made him hate her more.

It didn't seem to matter that he hated her though because all he could truly feel was the thirst. Mylo still wanted to feast on every mark she'd carved into her body.

The way he craved her didn't make any rational sense.

His feral kitten had told him he was hers – that she wanted him even if he didn't want her.

She really was a breathtaking, monstrous little thing, wasn't she?

Vix was damaged in a way that even he couldn't fully understand.

Mylo had spent years and years being experimented on, nothing but a plaything to those people.

The entire time he'd been there, people would come and go. They never left alive, and the things that had been done to them…he'd been so sure he'd seen every horror that could possibly exist.

If not him, then where he'd found Rune.

But that place was a little different. It had been more of a menagerie where people could come and collect what they couldn't find on their own. The torture done there couldn't hold a candle to what Mylo had experienced.

Rune had been a special case though, and that still wasn't anything like what he was seeing beneath him.

His feral vixen could shatter his wrist and make sure he didn't feel a single flicker of pain. It was truly horrifying how much agony she suffered if he took into consideration his, hers, and Rune's—exactly how much she could endure?

It bothered him.

What would his monster do with a creature like this? Would he torture her just because he could? Would he make her feel unimaginable pain just to see exactly how much she could take? Maybe he would endlessly search for her threshold and force her to endure even more pain than she already had to.

Such conflicting emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

His tiger wanted her body so badly the only thing he'd been able to do while she teased him was hold completely still and hope the lust went away before he lost control and fucked her to pieces.

All he could think about was how she would smell if he fucked her hard enough his cum would become a part of the blood pulsing in her veins, altering her essence to smell more like him .

For the first time since discovering she had no scent, Mylo felt grateful instead of disgusted. If he'd had to endure the scent of her desire on top of the emotions he could see so clearly…

Would he have been able to tolerate her skin against his?

Maybe…maybe it was a blessing she didn't possess a scent. It made all this a little easier, and Mylo mentally opened the door to his tiger's cage, curious what that monstrous thing would do with their mate.

The scent of alpha leaked from him then and her nostrils flared.

Instantly, the thrashing creature below him stopped, but her entire body trembled as his alpha scent sliced into her.

"So sharp," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist to hug him of all things. "Such a strong alpha."

His eyes closed as he tried to resist the overwhelming need to possess her sweeping over him. It happened every single time she called him that.

How she could recognize this scent as alpha was a different problem altogether and he didn't have the wherewithal to worry about it when she was naked beneath him, and his cock was ready to fuck her into oblivion.

Those golden eyes and black claws were really shredding though his sanity, weren't they?

Mylo didn't want to fuck a corpse though, so he waited to see what his monster would do, hoping it wasn't the biggest mistake of his godforsaken life.

It was disturbing just how breathtaking she was, almost like she wasn't real, more of a phantom than a person. His claws pricked the delicate skin of her throat and he watched as blood welled, proving she was very real even if her blood didn't possess a scent either.

Even one of Morgan's charms couldn't do that.

Whatever this was…it reminded him of the kind of magic no mortal possessed – magic tied to the universe that allowed the impossible for demons and gods.

Maybe even angels.

"If you don't fuck me, I'm going to fuck you," Vix warned, her eyes flashing dangerously at him, taunting his monster, and still, he didn't want to tear out her throat. "I need you to hold down my wrists. Don't let me hurt you, Mylo. Tie me down if you have to, because I might not be able to keep myself from claiming you. I need it and I can't wait anymore. Why aren't you making me bleed? "

The rational, logical part of him he'd worked so hard to cultivate disintegrated at those words, and he just barely managed to hold back.

What the hell was she doing to him?

Every single fucking thing she did made him want to beg her to erase the touch of other hands until the only reason he existed was to carry out her will, not theirs.

It didn't matter what his body wanted. He had to know if he could do this without killing her before she pushed him into something so incredibly dangerous.

This dark creature made of chaos and pain was his mate . That meant something to him, even if it were just to keep Rune from descending into madness. She was his to take care of if he wanted…

His to destroy.

It bothered him she didn't seem to care which he chose, and Mylo honestly didn't know what to make of it. Even Rune wasn't immune to his monster's need to destroy everything that touched him when he lost control of his humanity.

"I'd rather not kill you," he confessed, knowing it would cost him more than he could bear for her to grasp the depth of his inner chaos, but it didn't really matter. His kitten seemed to know things about him even his alpha didn't, and all without him ever having to say a word.

"Mylo, please ," she whispered, back to the begging now.

It didn't quite ache to hear the same way it had when she'd begged him not to abandon her, the kind of panic in her eyes that he was all too familiar with – like her skin and bones were smothering her.

No, he liked this kind of begging. He liked it very much.

"I'm going to bite you," she whispered, almost sounding afraid. "Tie me up, hold me down— please . I don't want to force it."

All her threats were so delectable.

He watched as her canines extended, forcing the bones in her face to shift just a fraction to accommodate them. It made her look almost vulpine, and Mylo couldn't believe it had never occurred to him she could be a fox despite her golden eyes.

It explained why she was so much like Valentina and yet not.

Scavengers .

It was disgusting how he'd been so willfully blind.

"I don't want to kill you," he reminded her, the echo of his tiger in his voice.

For whatever reason, the sound of his tiger seemed to calm her down and she nodded, tears still spilling from those ancient eyes full of so much pain, and yet he couldn't smell the salt of her tears. It was so bizarre when he could feel the wetness of them, the warmth of her skin, and the way her pulse fluttered against his grip.

"This alpha you like so much?" Mylo rubbed his nose against her cheek to mark her with more of his scent, licking the tears from her skin. "He's a monster, kitten. I don't want to fuck a corpse, so just fucking wait ."

Her shiver could have been fear, or maybe revulsion, but the look in her eyes told him it was desire if he combined it with the way she was panting beneath him.

Mylo shouldn't have crawled into bed with her. He shouldn't have reassured Rune he'd be fine alone, but his tiger had threatened to destroy Rune if he got any closer. It had alarmed him enough he'd nearly begged the other tiger to leave.

Even Samuel wasn't allowed back in until whatever this was settled between them and he knew his place— her place.

Why they'd trusted him alone with her…it concerned him.

Rune wouldn't want him to kill her, but Samuel…the other alpha might not care if he did, because if Mylo's monster couldn't fucking stand her, then this would never work out in the long run.

If she'd touched Rune like she'd touched him, he would have cut her hand from her body. Or at least, he'd thought so until he'd climbed in this fucking bed with her.

"I wasn't born an alpha," Mylo told her, not sure why he felt the need to explain, but maybe he'd feel less guilty if she understood why he'd rip his mate to pieces without meaning to. "They forced it to take root and bloom – gave me pieces that weren't mine. Pieces I never wanted."

Her shaky exhale still didn't trigger him despite how fucking cold her breath was against the throbbing scar on his throat where they'd beheaded him once.

"Every time they put me back together, they used silver thread," he murmured against her skin, feeling the heat in his body rise as the memories pounded against his skin and bones. "That's why I look like this – Frankenstein's monster."

"Frankenstein's monster was beautiful too," she whispered.

Those words settled into the scar on his throat, and it was unnerving to feel the throbbing ease ever so slightly.

"That creature only became a monster because he wasn't loved by his creator," she reminded him, her lips brushing against his jaw. "All he wanted was to belong, and humanity rejected him – his father rejected him. The reason he went after Frankenstein was because he lied. He'd promised his creation he would give him someone who could love a monster…someone who was made for him, but it was all a lie ."

Mylo pulled back, staring into those deep blue eyes. It didn't bother him they weren't glowing anymore, but her tears did. She wasn't just giving him a pretty allegory he could relate to, but a truth— her truth.

"Is that why you're hunting angels?" Mylo asked, licking more tears from her face.

It fascinated him that he could taste the salt, even if he couldn't smell it in the air – more proof she was real .

"Did you know Frankenstein's monster has a name?" Vix held his gaze as she breathed in his scent like it somehow wasn't hurting her. "But no one calls him by his name. They only call him a monster or his father's name – not his own."

"It's been a long time since I've read the book, kitten." Mylo tried to understand what he was seeing in her eyes, releasing her throat so he could brush his thumb over the gentle curve of her eyebrow like the shape of it would somehow help him figure it out.

"‘I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed,'" she quoted so perfectly it made him wonder. "Angels weren't made to love, Mylo. They were made to exact divine wrath, giving humanity the false promise of protection. When angels fall…"

She reached up and slid her thumb across the scar on his face again which still didn't enrage his monster, and for the first time since he'd felt the desire to touch her, Mylo thought he might know why.

"Angels fall from grace when they learn to love," she whispered, like it was a perilous secret. "Love reminds the angel they were born with free will, just like the rest of us."

His kitten sighed and traced a scar on his cheek she shouldn't be able to see, but she was a fox and Mylo fully understood then just how futile it was to hide anything from her.

They'd been so foolish to think they had the upper hand – so careless .

It was sickening that he'd truly thought his own mate would be someone he could manipulate just like he did everyone else. Somehow the universe had given him exactly what he needed even if he fucking hated it.

Mylo hated it so much he considered killing her all over again, but his monster refused. The damn thing even tried to take over just to make sure he wouldn't.

Protect what is ours , that hellish tiger roared, rattling his bones.

"All the monster wanted was someone to love him exactly as he was," his vixen told him, as if she had the wisdom of a thousand lives. "That book was a tragedy, not a horror. Frankenstein deserved to die for what he did, and if your monster thinks I deserve to die…then I suppose I do. It would mean he doesn't think I'm capable of loving you the way you need to be loved, and I'd rather die by your hands than fail you."

Mylo gritted his teeth, hating that he'd been right.

He knew exactly why his monster needed this dark creature full of chaos and pain. She didn't care if he was falling apart or just barely human. No, this vixen somehow understood exactly what he needed like she'd been made for him.

He saw the same need he had reflected in her eyes – the need to be loved for the monster she was after she'd been tossed aside by the man who'd created her, the man who'd made her into this horrible thing who didn't belong anywhere, stuck in her human skin when she had no humanity.

His vixen had been cast out of heaven, but not even hell would claim her. She had nothing and could give him nothing.

A shifter who couldn't shift.

A fox without fur.

A raven without wings.

A witch without a coven or clan.

Despite all that, she'd been made to withstand his pain and violence. She'd been made to love him …the monster they'd turned him into.

That truth threatened to pull him apart until he was nothing but a pile of perfectly cut meat, ready to be devoured by hungry little goblins who didn't care if he tasted a little off. It shook him all the way down to his soul, or what was left of it.

All that remained of his doubt was the fear of what she would make of all his extra pieces.

Mylo wasn't positive he could handle this evolution that would alter his entire body and mind just as those people had done to him when they'd forced him to become a true alpha, just to see if they could.

But she didn't push or pull at him while his thoughts devoured him, like she could see everything he'd rather she didn't. Despite how feral she'd been earlier, she seemed content to bear his weight, her arms back around his waist to hold him together.

Her slick heat still taunted him though, and his cock flexed at the reminder of how badly he wanted her, but she didn't react to it this time other than her pupils dilating until they'd nearly eaten up all the blue.

Vix was holding back for him , waiting to see what he would decide to do with her and completely satisfied with his choice because he was an alpha – her mate. The power she gave him so willingly was almost as unnerving as how easily that horrible creature they'd made him into purred just for her.

Mylo had been positive they'd somehow removed his ability to do so.

What was he supposed to do now? His human compass had been smashed to bits and even his monster didn't want to destroy her. Every time he searched for it in the darkness, he found her waiting to guide him.

She was his north star.

Help me , his wildness whispered to hers. What am I supposed to do?

There wasn't a single drop of judgment or disgust in her eyes, and Mylo felt the overwhelming urge to claim her right then and there. It hit him so hard and fast he nearly lost himself to it, but her soft voice slipped into his mind like a gentle caress.

Does your monster want to kill me? she asked, sounding so serene despite the topic.

No . Mylo closed his eyes so he didn't have to see her smile when she realized she'd won. He wants to protect you. I don't…

He didn't know what to do with such an unusual response. That horrible thing had only ever been a creature of death and destruction. Mylo had never felt this —this need to belong to someone.

"I was made for you," she reminded him, the arms around his waist disappearing. It forced his eyes open again just to see what she planned to do next. "There is nothing you could show me that would disgust me. There is nothing you could do to me that I wouldn't want. Tell me what you need, and I'll find a way to give it to you."

There was no way he could take what he needed without hurting her.

It's been a very, very long time since I've fucked anyone without breaking bones, he warned her. Even if I don't want to kill you, I might just tear you apart. You may not mind, kitten, but I do.

She blinked and her blue eyes were suddenly warm gold once more. "Do you want me to tie you up? Or maybe…break your hands? They'd heal eventually, and I'd take your pain so it doesn't hurt."

Mylo felt his tiger panic at the thought of forcing more of his pain on her and he dropped his head, overwhelmed with the opposite of everything he'd expected.

This damaged creature they'd made him into didn't want to give her more pain if he didn't have to. He didn't want to test her limits or see what she could take. All he wanted was to give her what she could enjoy.

A small bit of pain from his claws marking her, the sharpness of teeth in flesh, all of that was just enough to give her pleasure as well, but not enough to ruin her.

She really was made for a monster, wasn't she?

"We don't have to fuck, vixen. I can just hold you until you go back to sleep," he told her, his voice actually hoarse with all the emotions she'd provoked in him.

It was mortifying how much she made him feel – so much so it was affecting his body like he hadn't spent the last seven years forcing it to obey him and him alone.

"Mylo." Her voice was so soft he wasn't sure if she'd said his name out loud or if she'd whispered it into his mind like they were both nothing more than a fox and a tiger. "It would hurt me more if you didn't fuck me."

That made no sense.

Forcing his eyes open, he studied her face and what it was telling him. Rune was right. Scent wasn't everything if she'd tell him what he wanted to know – if he could see what she was feeling…hear it in her heart and blood.

"I need you to want me," she whispered, her golden eyes nearly as haunted as her blue ones. "You're my mate. Samuel is too, but he didn't want me even after kissing me and I need to feel wanted. I know it's disgusting that I have no scent and I'm so sorry it's gone. If I knew how to get it back, I would. I'd even carve the magic from my body if it would work. I could try it again if you want— please , just tell me what to do."

His tiger was roaring inside to prove to her she was a very desirable creature, but he wanted to hear what else she might say given half a chance.

"Mylo?"

That small, scared voice was too much for him to ignore though, even if his tiger hadn't been tearing into his flesh from the inside.

"What is it, kitten?" For the first time in his godforsaken life, he felt the urge to comfort someone and Mylo didn't bother fighting it. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, humbly accepting his fall from grace.

Her shaky breath was like ice against his hot skin, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, claws tickling his back. "Do you want me?"

Clever fox.

Vix had already asked him this question, but now she hoped for a different answer.

"Do I want your body, or your bond?"

"Just my body."

He didn't dare ask if she still wanted to give him that bond. Mylo would have to earn it if it was even still available to him.

Though the thread between them no longer felt like it was going to snap. It was a bit thicker actually, and it pulled him toward her until all he could think about was how to make it even stronger instead of how badly he wanted to pull away.

It irritated him that Rune had seen so clearly what he could not, but the bastard had always been like that. He saw so much more than everyone else thanks to what they'd done to him. The other tiger had known she was his mate because he'd felt this thread and hadn't denied its meaning.

Mylo had been so focused on her lack of presence to his usual senses he'd ignored every other sign pointing him to the truth.

He sighed and brushed her hair back so he could see her slightly pointed ears with the small tuft of white fur on them. An arctic fox. It suited her so well, and he found himself wishing he could see her in her fur.

Maybe he could somehow get it back for her.

Even if this thread between them disintegrated, he owed it to her for easing so much of his pain. If she'd hoped he wouldn't notice, she shouldn't have taken so much of it.

"The reason I hate you is because of how badly I do want you, despite everything they did to me," Mylo admitted. "I've never wanted to touch someone before or have them touch me. Not my skin . It makes it difficult for me to trust you and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your lack of scent, even if it would help me understand you."

She grabbed his face then and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth like she'd die if she couldn't taste him.

It set his entire body on fire, and the urge to take her overpowered him.

There was no reason not to fuck her the way she wanted him to when his unholy monster couldn't stand the thought of breaking her beyond repair. That piece of alpha they'd forced on him wanted to ease her pain and care for her in the only way he knew how.

Mylo shifted his weight to his elbow and pulled back so he could watch his claws shift back to human nails, her small whimper of protest making his canines feel heavy in his mouth. "Don't worry, kitten, I'll ease as many of your aches as I can."