“I knew that you had to.” He stared past me into the darkness. “As soon as I could understand what was happening, and Mae explained it to me… She told me that you knew, and I knew you had to. But, I guess I didn’t really believe it until I heard you say it.”
“Why wouldn’t you believe it?” I furrowed my brow. 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 so angry and hurt, and I flinched.
I remembered what Jack had said. When vampires first turn, all their emotions are right at the surface. Everything is so much more intense, making it harder to control. Self-control had always been Milo’s strong suit, but that’s how he could be in the same room with me so soon.
“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.
I stared at my brother, at the new exquisite contours of his face. I felt an immense sense of relief and love, but I had this feeling that I didn’t really recognize the boy 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. That thought was followed by the thick Maine drawl saying, “Sometimes, dead is better.” I stifled the chill running over me.
“I’m sorry, Milo. You’re right. And it was so hard keeping this from you. I just…” I sighed and shook my head. “It was a hard decision. Just like this one.”
“What one?” His eyes flashed with confusion, and I wondered how much Mae had told him.
“The one… to turn you” I swallowed hard and studied his face for his reaction. His eyes dropped from mine, and he softened. “Did they tell you what happened?”
“Jack did,” Milo nodded. “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.”
“I’m not angry with you,” Milo absolved me. “I’m sure I would’ve done the same thing in your situation.”
He shifted against the wall, and I noticed for the first time the way his clothes fit against his body. In that simple movement, I saw the way the muscles moved subtly underneath his shirt. Soft would be a good way to describe him before, but now he looked like a jungle cat recoiled before an attack.
To know something is entirely different from seeing it so blatantly in front of me. Everything about him had changed, and only time would tell how much of him was still my brother.
“You’re a vampire,” I said breathlessly.
“I am,” Milo agreed with a wry smile.
“How do you feel?”
“Pretty amazing actually.” His smile widened and his stance broadened. “At first, it hurt like hell and I was sure I was going to die. Or at least I hoped I would. But now I feel better than I’ve ever felt.”
“Really?” I asked hopefully.
“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 asked, even though I knew the answer.
“If I wasn’t, I couldn’t be here with you,” Milo said with 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, so I had some blood bags in the room. Mae was completely passed out in the chair, and I was sick of being locked up.”
“They think you’re going to eat me?” I tucked a tangle of my hair behind my ear and hoped my voice stayed even. He looked pained but said nothing. “Do… do you want to?”
“I’m not going to!” Milo insisted, but he dropped his eyes to the floor. “I want to. It’s impossible not to.
“Don’t kid yourself, Alice. They’re all thinking about it.” He looked back up at me, his russet eyes full of warning. “It’s really not safe for you here.”
“I think I’m pretty safe here,” I reassured him.
“You have no idea,” he said ominously, and then narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you let them bite you?”
“No.” I floundered under his judgmental gaze. “Well, it’s complicated.”
“Not Jack.” Milo’s voice had gotten small and plaintive and… jealous.
Definitely jealous. Everything he felt got more intense when he turned, including his crush on Jack. But more than his emotions were powerful. Physically, Milo was stronger, but just standing there talking to me, there was something menacing about him.
“Not Jack,” I answered quickly. “Once with Peter, but it was a very difficult situation.”
“What’s going on?” He stood up straighter and sniffed the air. “Something just happened.”
“What are you talking about?” I looked around the room.
“You. Something happened to you. You’re…” His eyes changed, and I recognized that burning hunger behind them. “Everything about you… It’s like… You want me to bite you?”