38. Liam
Chapter 38
Liam
“ Y ou have got to be fucking kidding me. Is he in there?”
I hear the sounds before I register what’s going on.
The door bursts open and in walks my mother and father.
I blink, thinking I’m dreaming.
That is the only explanation there can be.
“ Mom!” I groan. “What the fuck?”
Selene is just as startled.
I quickly realize that I am still knotted inside her, meaning we haven’t been asleep for very long.
Fuck!
I quickly pull the comforter higher to cover us better, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“We need to talk, Liam,” Mom responds, hands on her hips, anger etched on her face. My father looks more shocked than angry.
“Mom, c’mon!”
Her mouth opens, but before she can say anything, she spots Annie, Selene’s roommate, standing there too.
Great! Who else is coming to join the party?
She shoots Annie a look, then turns back to me, all serious-like.
I clench my teeth, feeling Selene tense beside me. This is not how I wanted my parents to meet her. Not like this.
“I can’t right now,” I mutter, barely able to get the words out.
Mom’s eyes flick to the comforter, then back to Annie. “Annie, honey, could you give us a moment? We’ll talk in the living room.”
Annie nods, her eyes wide, like she’s watching a soap opera unfold right in front of her. She scurries out, my mother quickly following her.
My father is left behind, his heavy breathing filling the room. The place must smell of sex.
Why the hell are they here?
Dad’s gaze drills into me, making me squirm. “How much time do you need, son?” he asks, his tone clipped.
My knot is still lodged in her, and I need some time before I will be able to pull out of Selene.
I glance at her, feeling my cheeks burn. “Uh, maybe about thirty minutes?” I mumble, wishing I could disappear.
Dad nods, his expression unreadable. “Alright. We’ll wait,” he says, then locks the door behind him.
I turn to Selene, who looks like she’s about to bolt. “I’m sorry about them,” I say, reaching out to touch her arm.
She flinches, trying and failing to pull away from the knot, and I curse under my breath.
“They’ll kill me. You know they’ll kill me.”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I murmur, trying to soothe her. “They won’t hurt you.”
She looks at me, fear shining in her eyes. “What the hell are we gonna do?” she whispers, her voice trembling.
I stroke her hair, trying to calm her down. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Just relax,” I say, my own heart pounding in my chest.
She’s still tense, but she leans into my touch, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
We’ll get through this together, somehow.
I just need to figure out how!
Maybe it’s the anxiety of my parents barging in, or maybe it’s the fear of what this means, but the knot goes down faster than we expect. In fifteen minutes, I spill on her thighs, and a moment that we should relish is now just clouded in shame. I walk into her small shower, where I clean up and get a warm towel to clean her up. Then, I help her dress. She hasn’t spoken in the last fifteen minutes, and it’s scaring me.
When I get dressed, I run a hand through her messy black hair. Even her makeup is smudged. I take her hand, feeling it shake. “Come on,” I say softly, trying to reassure her. “I won’t let anyone harm you. If we just talk to my parents, they’ll understand.”
But Selene pulls away slightly, her eyes filled with doubt. “Then why didn’t you tell them about us before now?” she asks, her voice trembling.
I freeze, realizing I don’t have a good answer for her. Why didn’t I tell them? Why did I keep this secret from my own family? I have no excuse, and it weighs heavily on me as I lead her out of her bedroom.
As we walk back into the living room, the tension in the air is palpable. My parents are sitting on the couch, waiting for us. They both look at us expectantly, but there’s a hint of concern in my mother’s eyes.
“Sit down,” my father says, gesturing to the empty chairs opposite them. Selene hesitates for a moment before reluctantly taking a seat. I sit beside her, feeling the severity of this moment bearing down on us.
Annie comes in, holding a teapot, her hands shaking like leaves in a storm. We all sip on peppermint tea in silence, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
Then, Mom speaks up. “We need to head home to talk.”
Annie mumbles something about getting sugar for her tea and scurries to the kitchen but hovers near the door, obviously listening. Selene stays quiet, her eyes fixed on the table.
I start to stand up to grab my shoes, but Mom grabs my arm. “I mean both of you,” she says, her tone brooking no argument.
Selene looks up, startled, and I can see the fear in her eyes.
Dad chimes in, “We can’t have this conversation here.”
And he’s right, of course. We can’t risk being overheard.
I shoot a glance at Annie, who seems completely clueless to what is really happening. Bless her heart.
“I’ll go grab my coat,” I say to my parents, trying to keep my voice steady.
They nod, and Mom mentions they brought their car, so we’ll all go back to the house together. Selene’s trembling beside me as we head out of her room. She keeps looking toward the window like she’s searching for an escape route.
“You’ll be okay,” I tell her, trying to sound reassuring even though I’m not sure I believe it myself.
She shakes her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t know that,” she says, her eyes wide with fear. “If other vampires see me with Council members, I could be in danger.”
I hate that I’ve put her in this position, but I know we have to face this head-on. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” I promise. “You’re mine, baby , and I’ll protect you.”
She blinks once but does not question my statement, and I know it’s time.
After we talk to my parents, I need to come clean with Selene about everything.
We walk back into the living room, and there’s Annie, sipping on her tea like nothing happened. Dad gives her a nod, and she scuttles away, looking more frazzled than ever.
“Let’s go,” Dad says, and I don’t let go of Selene’s hand as we head out of her apartment and into the backseat of Dad’s car. Mom’s quiet, and Dad’s focused on the road ahead.
“We can talk at my place since it’s closer,” I suggest.
But Mom throws a wrench in the works. “Emmett’s at our house,” she says, and I feel my blood boil.
“What’s he doing there?” I demand sharply.
Mom sighs, her expression weary. “He was worried about you, so he reached out,” she explains, like it’s no big deal.
I growl under my breath, feeling Selene tense beside me. I shoot her a reassuring glance, trying to keep my temper in check.
The rest of the drive is silent, tension thick enough to suffocate. When we finally pull up to the house, Colt and Layla are waiting for us at the door, eyeing Selene suspiciously.
“Stop gawking,” I snap, feeling protective over Selene. We enter the house, and I spot Emmett and Grayson in the kitchen, their backs turned to us.
Grayson greets Selene with a polite nod. “Hello, Miss Black,” he says, and everyone turns to look at us. Selene’s cheeks flush red as she waves at Grayson.
Layla can’t help but make a snide comment. “Just how many people are friends with the vampire?” she asks, and Selene flinches, making my protective instincts kick into overdrive.
“You will call her by her name,” I say.
“Really? You really think that you have any right to speak to me like that after dishonoring our family?” Layla says, stepping up to me.
I take a step forward.
She does, too.
Colt is folding his arms, watching us intently.
“You don’t know what you are talking about, Layla,” I say through gritted teeth.
“What? That you ignored your duties as the Protector to shack up with a vampire? You reek of sex and bad decisions, brother. You should be ashamed!” she spits out.
I can feel all their eyes on me.
And then Layla adds, “What would Mariya think?”
Anger flares up in me. I am not sure when I let go of Selene’s hand or when my claws came out, all I know is my canines are out and I am charging towards my sister.
She has her hand outstretched, a ball of flame on it.
“Enough kids,” Mom shouts. “Gabriel, do something.”
“No, Dad. He thinks he is the big bad wolf. Let him come at me,” Layla says.
Then my father is stepping between us and pulling us apart like we weigh nothing. I almost crash on the table while Layla’s energy ball hits the ceiling.
We are all breathing heavily, angry as hell.
“I will not have you two fighting,” Mom says. “We are going to figure this out as adults. Grayson and Emmett, head upstairs, and the rest of you… let’s talk.”
“But Mom…” Grayson starts to protest.
That is when my father takes off his coat and drops it on the coffee table. “Okay, that is fucking it! You will not stress your mother any longer! Grayson and Emmett, upstairs NOW! And you two kids, you will act like grownups or I will be forced to make you act like adults. Do you hear me?”
Feeling properly chastised, I nod. I may be the alpha in my own right, but he is still my father and one of the strongest wolves I’ve ever met. I know Mom helps calm him, but the way he is seething right now, even I know not to cross him.
Grayson and Emmett quickly head upstairs.
Colt walks over to the kitchen counter and sits down.
I turn to look at Selene who still has fear in her eyes. She is in a room of wolves and she knows just how bad things could get if they turned on her.
She saw that with Mia and her pack.
As soon as she looks up, I mouth an, “I’m sorry,” which she shrugs off.
“Now that that is settled, everyone take a fucking seat and listen to your mother. She has questions. We all do. So, I don’t want to hear a single peep until she is finished. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Dad,” Colt, Layla, and I respond in unison.
“Jade?” Dad says, giving her the floor.
“Thanks, babe,” my mom says before sitting beside Dad. “Now, where were we? Layla, apologize to Liam before we begin.”
“What are we? Eleven?” Layla scoffs.
All my father has to do is clear his throat before Layla mumbles, “Sorry, Liam.” Then, my mother turns to me. “I know she was wrong for bringing up Mariya, but she is just concerned. We all are. That’s why she is here. Now, please, tell her you are sorry for almost attacking her.”
“Sorry, Layla.”
“No problem, bro, but just for the record, I could have totally beaten your ass.”
“Yeah, right,” I say as I try to control the smirk on my face.
And then my mother surprises me by addressing Selene who hasn’t said a word since we left her house. “I am so sorry, Miss Black, that you had to see all of that. I know I raised them better than that, but you understand wolves and their tempers.”
Selene looks to me, nods and then looks away.
“Now that we all have that settled, can I just ask one thing?” Dad says.
“Go ahead, honey, ” my mom responds.
“How long has this been going on?”
I look to Selene. I am almost tempted to take her hand once again, but I am afraid of scaring her even more.
“Not long, Dad.”
“Define ‘not long,’ Liam. Because I need to understand why you thought it was wise to knot a vampire in the same house as a human. How would you have even explained if the roommate had walked in?”
“You did what?” Colt asks.
“Dad…”
“I am asking the questions now. Liam, your job as the Protector is to keep the peace, but under your watch, there have been murders and disappearances. And then Emmett shows up at our door telling us that you were with a vampire that bit you? How fucking reckless?”
“Her name is Selene,” I say, feeling the tension begin to rise again.
“I don’t fucking care what her name is right now.” And he looks to Selene. “No offense, Selene.”
Selene is startled and just nods and looks down.
“All I care about is that you had a responsibility to your town, and you decided it was just not worth the trouble.”
“It wasn’t like that, Dad!”
“How was it then? Because I am only talking about what I saw. Was this the reason you came to ask me about interspecies relationships? Is that when this started?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Then when? Tell me when. And start from the very beginning…”
I look at Selene’s crestfallen face and know that I have to tell them everything. I have to come clean about Mia and the pack. It is the only way I can get them to understand.
So, I do that. I tell them about Mia and her pack attacking Selene that very first night. I tell them about burying the body, which earns me glares from everyone, including Selene herself.
I tell them about the attack on Selene again and how she had escaped.
That is when my mother stops me.
“Selene, did you kill the wolves?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Are you sure?” mom repeats.
“Yes. I only defended myself, but they were alive when they left me there to die.”
“What about the other bodies?” she asks.
“Mom, she does not feed on people,” I respond on her behalf, to which Layla scoffs. This time, I choose to ignore her.
“Let Selene speak for herself, son,” Dad says.
“I only drink from blood bags,” she says.
“Oh, and Liam. Am I right?” Colt says.
I stand up before I realize that I am letting my anger win again. I take a deep breath and sit down. “Not that it is any of your business, brother, but we have that under control. She has not fed on me unless I give her permission to.”
“We are getting off track,” my father interjects. “The reason we are asking is because there has been another body.”
I stiffen. Somehow, I know the answer before I even ask. “Who is it?”
“Marco,” my mother responds.
I feel my heart break in my chest. I knew that something bad must have happened, but I was holding out hope that he might be okay.
“ Fuck!” I whisper.
Selene instinctively reaches for my hand, a gesture that does not go unnoticed by my mother.
“How?” I choke out.
“Vampires. They found his body very near the edge of the forest. So, we want to understand if Selene is not feeding on humans, then who is? Who are the other vampires in town?”
I look at Selene, wondering if she is going to speak up. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding when she says, “Katya and Thomas.”
“Who are they?” Layla asks.
“I don’t know. They just approached me one day when I was leaving the hospital…”
“Stealing blood, you mean,” Layla mumbles, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Layla! Last warning. If you keep acting like this, I will send you up to Gray’s room,” Dad says before turning to Selene. “You were saying?”
“They had a captive with them, but I swear I never joined them. I don’t drink human blood, at least not like that.”
“So, when did you start with the blood bags? Because the records show that you were here for a very long time without any blood missing.” Colt asks.
“This year. After the attack by the wolves. I was scared that I was not healing as fast. But I have stopped. I haven’t stolen any new blood bags in a while.”
“Strange? Because I talked to the sheriff and blood bag thefts have almost tripled in number.” Mom says.
Selene gasps.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It is true then.”
“What is?” I prod.
“The attacks. The vampires seem to be planning something. I am not sure what, but Katya hinted that there was going to be some kind of revolution! They seemed pretty adamant about it, but I didn’t hear of anything for a few weeks, so I thought they were just bluffing.
“Jade,” Dad reaches for my mother’s hand.
“I know, babe. We need to alert the council,” Mom responds.
“No. We need more information, Mom,” I say. “You can’t go to them with half-formed theories.
“What are you talking about, son? If the town is in danger, then we have to all be on high alert. Everyone on the council needs to know how to protect their people. We cannot sit idly by and wait. We will go to them with the information and the eyewitness account.”
I sit up. “No. I am not letting her stand before the council. You know how well that will go, Mom. C’mon. They will probably have her arrested for treason or something…”
“Liam,” Dad stands. “Your mother has a point.”
“No. I will not allow it.”
“Liam,” Selene tugs at my hand. “I am willing to do it if that’s what will keep you and everyone else safe.”
I cup her cheek gently. “I promised to protect you, and this doesn’t feel safe. We’ll find another way.”
“It is not a trial, Liam,” Mom says.
“It might as well be. We will have to tell them everything, including the wolves and how I ended up with Emmett. I can’t do it, Mom. I can’t let Selene walk into that kind of danger willingly.”
“Liam!” Dad says.
“Oh, for Crescent’s sake,” Layla adds. “Don’t be such a baby. The vampire can defend herself.”
That’s it!
Teeth bared, I turn to face my sister. “For the last fucking time, her name is Selene. My mate’s name is Selene. Get that into your fucking head.”