Chapter Twenty

"No. No. No. No!" My hand trembles, the phone threatening to fall into the tub. "He said… he always warned me. He always did, Rhett. He said he'd kill Minnie and Milo. He said… oh my God." I can't breathe. My stomach turns. My breaths become shallow and short.

Rhett slides his hand over mine to keep me steady. "Look at me, Mickey."

I shake my head, tears falling rapidly into the water. My body shakes and bile creeps its way up my throat.

"Look. At. Me."

His demanding tone holds a soft quality to it still that has me peeking through my wet lashes.

"Call your siblings. We will go to them now. Ty is probably bluffing."

I shake my head. "He doesn't bluff. He doesn't do that. Every threat he ever gave was a real one. It's why I have these scars. It's why I have nightmares of him. Everything he says, everything he threatens, he does."

"And when I get my claws on him, he won't ever do them again." He wraps his arms around me, picking me up easily out of the tub. His strong arms wrap me in safety.

I'm not afraid when he holds me. Now that I think of it, when he is around, nothing and no one can touch me. I've always felt like that, ever since I saw him in statue form in my yard.

"Call Minnie. Milo just left. He is okay. I'll dress you."

I don't think about how ridiculous it sounds for him to dress me. I can do it myself, but as he dries me with a towel, I realize I don't want to do it myself.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I dial Minnie. Rhett is combing my hair as the phone rings.

And rings.

"She isn't answering. Oh God." I sob, hanging up when I hear her voicemail. "Please, please," I beg, trying for Milo next. As the phone rings, I hold my breath, hoping he'll answer.

Rhett is using his vampire speed to get us ready, blurring through the bedroom to find my clothes.

I think about why I'm not more angry at him, why I'm not disgusted, and so many other reasons why I should not want to be with him.

He did everything out of love and not hate. He didn't hurt me. He didn't punish me and while he is unconventional, I love that about him.

Milo doesn't answer either, so I redial, releasing a breath before holding it again. Rhett holds out a bra and I slip my arms through it. He clips it in the back as if he has done this a hundred times.

He probably has.

My phone vibrates and it's Milo.

"Milo! Milo, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I just pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. What's wrong? You sound upset. It's the solarium, isn't it? It wasn't a tree branch like you said."

I ignore his statement completely. "Minnie isn't answering her phone."

Rhett slips on one of my oversized T-shirts.

Short sleeves.

I can't focus on that right now. It doesn't matter. Only Minnie and Milo matter.

"She's probably asleep. She hasn't been feeling well, Mickey. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" I yell at him. "Ty called me. He said he hurt one of you. You're talking to me, so it's Minnie. Milo, please."

Rhett helps me slip on a pair of leggings. Wind and rustling cause white noise on the other end of the line. Milo is running. I can hear his footsteps. He climbs the steps, and all the chaos stops. His breathing is the only thing that can be heard.

"Milo?"

"The door is open," he whispers.

"Don't go inside," Rhett says out of nowhere. "Stay there. We will be there soon."

"I can't stay here. Minnie could need me."

Rhett braids my hair with fast fingers, snapping my hair tie at the bottom.

The door creaks open. "Minnie? Minnie!" Milo shouts. "Oh God," his voice shakes.

"What? What is it? Milo!" I stand from the bed, covering my mouth with my hand and then Rhett is there, wrapping his arms around me.

"The apartment is trashed. Everything is broken. Minnie! Oh my God, Minnie!" he yells, the phone clattering to the ground. "Mickey," he sobs. "There's blood everywhere."

A blood-curdling, "no" escapes me. My knees buckle. Rhett catches me and brings me to his chest.

"Is she breathing?" I dare to ask.

"Yes, she is. She has five stab wounds and… God, Mickey. There's a message for you. I have to call 9-1-1. Meet me at the hospital."

"We'll be there," Rhett says before ending the call.

"She's going to die because of me. She's lost blood. He said… he said he would kill them. I should have listened. I shouldn't have been so stupid!"

Rhett grips my shoulders and gives them a shake. "You are not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid. Nothing about this is your fault. This is on Ty. This is because of him. Don't you dare take the blame for someone else's actions. You are smart because you found a way to escape. No one should be bound to anyone because of fear. Your life is just as important as anyone else's. You are not stupid!" He raises his voice at me, his eyes softening. "Do you understand me? I don't ever want to hear you say that again. Now, let's go to the hospital."

"We can take the new car—"

"I have a quicker way."

My phone dings, notifying me of a picture sent from Milo. I click the message to open it, heaving broken sobs that make a stabbing pain rip through my heart.

Written in blood, it says, "Stupid Girl."

"We need to go. I want us to be there for Minnie."

I nod constantly, freezing where I stand, and stare at my hands that won't stop shaking.

His massive palms cover mine, stopping me from trembling. "She'll be okay."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that." He swings me up in his arms and cups the back of my head so I'm resting my cheek against his chest. "And if she isn't, I will find her soul to bring her back to you. I'll search the stars for her for you." He jumps out of the broken solarium and parachutes his wings to bring us down steadily. "I want you to shut your eyes and trust that I have a hold on you, okay?" He kisses the top of my forehead. "Close them, My Brave Little Flower."

"I'm scared to."

He wipes my tears away. "I know you are, but I won't allow anything to happen to you."

I press my face into his chest, shut my eyes, and blow out a breath before the air whips around us as he sprints to the hospital. Every second I don't talk to Milo, the pit in my stomach becomes worse, somehow deeper and heavier.

I'm not sure what I would do without either one of my siblings. I only stayed alive for them when I was with Ty. There were so many times I nearly killed myself, so many times when I asked myself, "What's the point?" But I thought of them and seeing them one day.

They kept me going.

My sadness, my guilt, it all turns to rage. I want to kill Ty. I want to watch him bleed and beg for his life. I want his skull on my fucking mantle. I want a part of him to be stuck watching me living my best life with someone who isn't him.

I want him cursed to see my happiness for all eternity.

"We're here," Rhett says, easing me to my feet. "How do you feel?"

"A little unsteady, but I'm fine. Keeping my eyes closed was a good idea."

We are in the parking lot of the hospital. The building is giant outside, with so many windows, and so many halls. Minnie will be in one of those rooms if she got here first.

"How long did it take us to get here?"

"Ten minutes, maybe? Probably less," Rhett replies.

"She might not be here then."

"That's okay. We're here, that's all that matters."

Sirens wail in the distance and as they approach, I bounce on my heels, bite my thumbnail, then peek at my phone.

Nothing from Milo.

The ambulance stops in front of the emergency entrance and the driver jumps out of the rig, running to the back.

Milo jumps out first. His eyes are red, tears dripping down his face, and his clothes are soaked in blood.

They pull the gurney out, one paramedic over her doing chest compressions.

"Oh my God! Minnie! Minnie, we're here. Oh my God, please. Please, no," I sob, watching as they take her into the entrance.

"Female. Twenties. Multiple stab wounds. Extreme blood loss. We lost her pulse just a few seconds ago."

"No!" I scream my agony, launching forward to be close to her, but Milo pulls me back.

"Listen to me. Listen. The doctors have it now." He pushes my hair out of my face, but I can see the worry in his eyes. He doesn't believe that. "She's a fighter, Mick. She's just like you. She'll pull through this."

Milo's attention finally lands on Rhett. "Who are you? Why are you with my sister?"

"He's my ma— boyfriend," I correct myself, not wanting to give Milo a reason to have a heart attack by explaining that the paranormal is real.

I took it in stride because I've always believed. Milo? He's more of the world is black and white. He doesn't believe in shades of gray.

"I'm Rhett." Rhett holds out his hand and Milo takes it. "I'm sorry about your sister." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, tugging me to his side. "But this one is safe with me."

"Yeah." Milo narrows his eyes, his wet lashes sticking together. "I've heard that before." My brother tucks his hands in his pockets and rushes inside the hospital.

"Why didn't he freak out?" Rhett asks. "About how I look?"

"I don't know. Others don't mind Creed. Maybe this town is used to it?"

"I don't believe that."

"Oh my God, Mickey!"

Demi's voice pierces the air. I look around and see her pink hair walking fast toward me with Creed by her side. Their child, Storm is on a leash, running to fly, but Creed yanks him back.

"You know what I said about flying. Not here, Storm."

Storm hisses at Creed.

"Hiss at me again and I'll make sure you don't fly for months."

Storm growls, hanging his head as he accepts defeat, then climbs up Demi's body to perch on her shoulders.

That kid is wild.

"Milo called us while he was in the ambulance. Is she okay?"

"No," I answer honestly, gulping down my reality. "They lost her pulse when they arrived. She lost a ton of blood."

Creed and Demi finally notice Rhett. Creed steps in front of Demi and snarls, Rhett takes the same stance.

"What the fuck are you?" Creed asks.

"I could ask you the same," Rhett growls. "I'm patient zero from the facility. I'm assuming you were there too."

Creed straightens, his defenses down, and his eyes are wide. "I didn't… I didn't know that." He truly seems perplexed. "I thought I killed them all."

"I was before you.

"I wasn't what they wanted so they tried to kill me. It didn't work out."

"Okay, we can unpack all of that trauma later. We need to go inside and focus on Minnie." Demi loops her arms through mine and helps me inside.

The men trail behind us. Storm on the other hand jumps onto my shoulders.

"He must like you because he hates everyone else. He always bites them."

"He's fanging right now, Demi. You know it can't be easy for him. Those fangs hurt coming in."

"Fanging?" I question, taking a seat, my eyes following my brother pacing a trench in the floor.

"It's what we call it. Like teething, but his fangs are coming in and he is so grouchy."

"Oh." I lift my hand and scratch under Storm's chin. "He's so cute."

She places her hands on her very round stomach and pats it. "He is. We didn't know how the children would be considering how Creed was tested on. Storm is a bit feral right now but we're hoping he grows out of it," she chuckles. "If not, that's okay."

"You're trying to take my mind off my sister."

Demi wrinkles her nose. "That obvious?"

"A little," I give her a small smile. "I appreciate it."

Storm flies off my shoulder, soaring through the waiting room, and Creed tugs on the leash, catching Storm in his arms.

"You are flight grounded, young man."

Storm bares his teeth. Creed growls back.

"Test me, Little One. My teeth are much bigger than yours."

I place a hand over my mouth, staring at Demi, but she just rolls her eyes.

"What happened?" Caden flies through the doors with Holt. "I just got your message. I shut down the diner. Is Minnie okay?"

My eyes fill with tears. My lips tremble. "We don't know."

Storm crawls over to me, the retractable leash buzzing to give him more slack. He climbs up my leg and curls in my lap. I pet him like I would a dog or a cat. He seems to like it.

"Can I ask why Milo didn't react to Rhett?" I whisper to Demi.

"Caden knows a witch. She put a spell on the rain, making everyone believe our monsters are normal. All the storms are because of Caden. He's a kitsune. That's how it recharges."

"So Rhett can show his face in town?"

"Oh yeah," Demi waves. "I don't think the spell works on mates, which is why you were able to see him for who he is."

The nurses freeze. The television pauses. Everything around us stops including the other people in the waiting room.

Milo too, but not Demi.

"Hey, Sidewalk."

I gasp, clutching Storm to my chest to protect him from a familiar shadow figure with skeletal features.

"I'm not here for the feral raccoon, okay?"

"Don't call my son a raccoon," Creed growls.

"Tomato. Tomahto. I'm Lorcan. Hello. Hi, everyone."

"You are not here for what I think you are here for," Rhett says. "There has to be another way."

Lorcan frowns, flipping a coin in the air before catching it. "There are many people here fighting for their life. I'm not only here for her."

"You're here for Minnie?" I stand, giving Demi her son. "You can't take her. What are you? How can you take her?"

"I'm a Void. I work for Death, one of the four horsemen," he sounds bored as if he has said this one too many times. "I take the souls of the dead and take them to Death. He figures out where they go. Her soul called to me, Mickey. She's not dying. She's holding on, but it's touch and go."

"There has to be another way. Please," I sob. "I'll do anything."

"I don't bargain. You're lucky your mate fed you his blood or I would have taken you too."

"You said you weren't there for her." Rhett steps beside me, pushing me behind him.

"Hello?" His hand runs up and down his body. "I'm a Void. My place of business is Hell. I work there. I lie. I was there for her and the other guy, but you saved her."

An idea clicks. "What if he gives Minnie his blood? That would work right?"

"I don't know, Minnie. I don't know what my blood or Creed's blood would do to her."

"It saved me. That's enough."

"Maybe because you're my mate. What if it isn't the same for her? Do you want her like me?"

"I don't care as long as she lives! Lorcan, would it work?"

"We don't know. Creed and Rhett are the only ones of their kind that we know of. We have nothing to say the blood wouldn't hurt your sister."

"What about your friend, Caden?" Demi asks from her seat. "You said your witch friend is mated to a vampire."

"Oh, the Monreaux's? You know them?" Lorcan asks Caden. "Aren't they just the best? I love their house."

"Read the fucking room, Graveyard," Rhett sneers. "This isn't the time."

He rolls his eyes dramatically. "You all act like she's already dead. I'll be back in a second."

And just like that he disappears, and time unfreezes. Everyone goes back to their tasks. The nurses on the phone, the doors opening, kids crying, TV playing, and Milo pacing.

"I hate that guy," Rhett and Creed say in unison.

And then time freezes again.

"Looky." Lorcan showcases a redheaded woman with a tall, pale man with bright blue eyes and a head full of thick black hair. "I brought them."

"You stole us from my coven," the vampire, if I remember correctly, says.

"Be nice." The redhead nudges her mate. "Caden. It's so good to see you. I hate to see it is under these circumstances." She hugs him tightly.

Her mate grabs Caden's collar and tugs him away. "That's enough. Why are we here? My house will be without doors if I'm not there. That damn werewolf," he grumbles.

Lorcan points at me and my brother. "Their sister is fighting for her life. She lost a ton of blood. She's on my list," he says softly. "They want a way to save her, but Rhett—" he points to my mate "—And Creed, their blood is unpredictable. It heals their mates, but we don't know how it will be for others because they are human-turned-monster DNA experiments. Wow, what a mouthful. I am so thirsty. I'm in need of a soul. B.R.B, friends." He vanishes before popping back in. "That means be right back. Okay, glad we covered that. Tootles."

"He makes my head hurt," Rhett complains, rubbing his temples.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. I'm Alexander Monreaux and this is my Beloved, Maven."

"What does it mean?" Rhett asks. "To be a mate?"

"Right. You wouldn't know. I'm sorry you were turned into this. It must be very hard for you. A mate is someone Fate designs for you. You're meant to be. Forever. The other half of your soul. Your forever. You can't live without them and if one of you dies, the other will follow. You're tethered in every way of the universe."

"Wow," I whisper, wishing I could be happy, but I can't, not until I know Minnie is okay.

"Here is the thing, Mickey." Alexander sits next to me. "If I give her my blood, she could change into a vampire depending on how much blood she needs and how close she is to death. We call them changelings. She would have to feed on my blood willingly for a certain immunity to transfer."

"I don't care. Do it. Please."

"She would have to come back with me. To my coven. She would need to learn how to be a vampire. Her life here would be over. Is that what you really want?"

"But she could just heal, right?"

"She could."

"Please," I beg of him. "Try."

"Oh man, that is so much better." Lorcan is back, stretching his arms as if he just woke up from a nap. "What did I miss?"

"I'm going to go give her my blood," Alexander states. "And then we will take her back with us."

"Wait, we can't see her? What am I going to tell my brother?"

Lorcan snaps his fingers and time begins again.

"Bloom family?" A doctor in green scrubs announces from the double doors leading down a brightly lit hallway.

"That's us!" Milo and I jump to our feet, rushing over to the doctor.

"How is she?"

"It's touch and go. She's out of surgery. She is in critical condition. She might not make it over the next twenty-four hours."

"Oh God," I hiccup. "Can we see her?"

"Sure, but not for too long. I'll take you back."

Alexander steps in and locks gazes with the doctor. "You'll let all of us back. We're family. We're concerned and you won't notice anything if your patient goes missing. You won't remember a thing."

"Okay." The doctor smiles, dazed as if he is high.

"It's a little trick us vampires use. We call it mystifying."

"Oh, that's what that is," Rhett mumbles.

Walking down the hall is gruesome. I hate it. Everything smells too clean. The lights are too bright. Patients moan and groan from their rooms. The beeping from the machines is loud.

Minnie's room is at the end. Lorcan is already there at the door, looming like Death himself.

"She has minutes," he tells us, frowning. "I'm sorry, Mickey. She won't make it overnight."

"How do you know?" Tears are constant storms rushing down my face.

"I feel it. It's my job to know. If you want Alexander to do this, it has to be now."

Alexander pushes past everyone to stand at Minnie's bedside. "Oh, you're so young."

The coven master locks eyes with Milo. "I'm just a friend here to help. Okay?"

Milo nods, his eyes shining like glass.

"I have never sired anyone who has stayed with us. Maven, you need to be okay with it."

"If it saves her, I don't care," the redhead says. "The more in the family, the better."

Alexander removes the tube from her throat, bites his wrist, and presses it against her mouth.

"How much does she need?"

"Probably half of what I have. My mate will have to replenish me." Alexander's irises morph to the same red Rhett's does.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, Alexander licks his wound closed.

"It's working," Lorcan announces. "The tug of her soul feels further."

The machines flatline, showing that her heart has stopped.

"What is happening? Why is she dead?"

"Because she was already dying. My blood is healing her. I can sense it. She will wake up as a vampire now. It will only be a moment. It doesn't take long. I have to get her out of here and away from humans. She will be thirsty." He locks his gaze with Milo's. "Say your goodbyes. She is safe. She'll call you soon. Why don't you go and forget this entire thing happened? Go rest, Milo."

"Rest. Right."

"And burn your clothes."

"Sure." Milo walks out of the room in a trance.

I kiss Minnie's forehead and sob. "I love you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You'll be okay. I'll see you soon."

"We have to go. Now." Alexander yanks Maven to his side.

Lorcan touches them, wiggles his fingers, and grins. "Tootles. Bye, Rocky."

Rhett slashes his claws at Lorcan, touching nothing but shadows and then they are gone.

I bend down, wailing my soul into the empty bed that's still warm from where my sister was just a few seconds ago.

"I'll kill him. I vow, Mickey. I fucking vow to bring you his head."

"Really?" My question is muted by the mattress.

"Really. You'll love me anyway, right?"

"I'll love you even more," I answer the truth with all my soul.

Screams echo in the distance, terrible horrifying sounds followed by rumbles.

"Fuck," Creed curses.

"What is it?" Rhett questions, rubbing my back.

"The Hell's Harvesters are here."