Part 6 (2/2)

”Milo?” I repeated, trying to decipher how my little brother had become this rather stunning young man before me.

”The one and only,” Milo tried to keep his tone playful, but I knew my reaction made him nervous.

His voice still sounded much like his own, but it was deeper and more velvet. It lacked the squeaky insecure quality that had once been so distinctly him.

Before I could think to stop myself, I reached out and touched his face. His skin felt soft and temperate, but before I could register anything more, something flicked across his face and he jumped back from my touch.

”What? Did I do something?”

”I'm just not strong enough yet.” Milo shook his head and back closer to the wall, but stayed in my room, bathed in the soft lamp glow that I'm sure didn't do his new features justice.

”For what?” I asked quizzically.

”You're the first... human I've been around.” His face contorted, looking confused and torn. ”I could smell you when I was in my room, and I thought I had a handle on that. But I wasn't prepared for how your pulse would feel on my skin...” He looked guilty at finding me tasty, so I hurried to erase it.

”I'm sorry. I should've known better. I'm always doing the same things to Jack, and you think I would've learned by now.” I forced a smile at him, but his expression only got more sour. ”What?”

”So... you know?” Milo asked quietly, and I wasn't sure how to answer it.

35.

”You mean... that they're vampires?” I replied carefully.

”I knew that you must.” He looked pa.s.sed me, staring into the darkness as he tried to figure things out.

”As soon as I could start to understand what was happening, and Mae started to explain to me...

She told me that you knew, and I knew that you must. But still, I guess I didn't really believe until I heard you say it.”

”Why wouldn't you believe it?” I furrowed my brow, trying to understand what he was getting at. If he could believe that he was becoming a vampire, how would it be a stretch to believe that I had known about them?

”How could you not tell me about this?” Milo sounded more angry and hurt that I had ever heard him before, and I flinched. At first, I didn't understand, but then I remembered what Jack had said and what I had just read in Peter's book.

When vampires first turn, all their emotions are right at the surface. Everything is so much intense then it used to be before, making it harder to control. Admittedly, self-control had always been Milo's strong suit, but that's probably how he was able to even be in the same room with me after being so newly turned. It had been less than 72-hours since he drank Jack's blood, and Ezra had claimed the change would take several days. Everything was really moving so quickly.

”I-I didn't know how to tell you,” I stuttered. ”I even tried to once. But... you would've just thought I was crazy.”

”You should've tried harder!” Milo snapped, his voice harder than I had even known it was capable of being.

I stared at my brother, at the new exquisite hard contours of his face, and I couldn't distinguish how I felt about him. There was an immense sense of relief and love, but there was this feeling that I didn't really recognize the boy a man, really a who was glowering at me from the shadows of the room. I imagined this was how the dad felt when that creepy little boy came back from the Pet Semetary. As soon as the thought popped in my head, it was followed by the thick Maine drawl saying, ”Sometimes, dead is better,” but I did my best to stifle the chill running over me.

”I'm sorry,” I apologized earnestly. ”I should've. You're right. But believe me, it was so hard to keep this all from you. I never wanted to keep anything from you. I just...” I sighed and shook my head. ”It was a hard decision. Just like this one.”

”What one?” Milo's eyes flashed with confusion, and I wondered nervously how much Mae had told him. Maybe he didn't know that it had been my choice to turn him, and maybe he would hate me for it.

”The one... to turn you,” I swallowed hard and studied his face for his reaction. His eyes were hard, then dropped from mine, and he softened. ”Did they tell you what happened?”

”Jack did,” Milo nodded grimly. ”He said it was his fault, and I was dying. So you asked him to turn me. To save me.”

”I didn't know what else to do.” Tears stung my eyes, but I didn't know why. Milo was alive and he was fine, or something close to it, but just remembering how close I had come to losing him made me want to sob.

36.

”I'm not angry with you,” Milo absolved me gently. ”I'm sure I would've done the same thing in your situation. I just wish there had been some kind of heads up about what was going on around here.”

”I'm sorry,” I repeated, blinking back tears.

Milo s.h.i.+fted against the wall, and I noticed for the first time the way his clothes fit against his body. Even in that simple movement, I could see the way the muscles moved subtly underneath his s.h.i.+rt. He had never been fat before, but he'd never been trim either. Soft would be a good way to describe him, but now he looked a like jungle cat recoiled before an attack.

”You're a vampire,” I announced breathlessly. To know something is entirely different than to see it so obviously in front of me. Everything about him had changed, and only time could tell how much of him was still my brother.

”I am,” Milo agreed with a wry smile.

”How do you feel?”

”Pretty amazing actually.” His smile widened and his stance broadened, making him look proud of this achievement. ”At first, it hurt like h.e.l.l and I was sure I was going to die. Or at least I hoped I would. But now... it feels better than I've ever felt.”

”Really?” I asked hopefully.

Naturally, I wanted him to feel good and be happy. But more than that, I wanted to know what was in store for me. With him turning, my own change had to be in the very near future. There was nothing holding me back anymore. I had been waiting through his turn to make sure that he got through it okay, and he had. So it was my turn next.

”Yeah.” Milo nodded, but his smile faltered. ”Well, except for the hunger. It's hard to get used to, but eating... Wow. There aren't even words for it.”

”So... you're eating?” I felt cautious, even though I knew the answer. It was still too weird of a thought to completely reconcile, though.

”If I wasn't, I couldn't be here with you.” There was a strange threatening sound to his voice, and I involuntarily shrunk back in the bed. ”I'm not even supposed to be out of my room now. But I woke up hungry, and there were some blood bags in the room. Mae was completely pa.s.sed out in the chair, and I was sick of being locked up.”

”Why aren't you supposed to be out?” I'd been scrutinizing him as soon as I could see him, and as far as I could tell, he looked perfectly fine. Better then fine, actually.

”Because.” Milo s.h.i.+fted again, looking pained, but I waited for him to explain. He looked at me like I was an idiot, and shame washed over him. ”They think I'm going to eat you.”

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