Alive // bxb

Chapter 18

Milo's POV:

Adriel's silver car was parked right outside the entrance to the woods when I finished walking the trail that Monday morning.

Just like it always was.

"Good morning," my best friend greeted me, not even trying to hide the mate mark on his neck. I blushed and looked determinedly away from him, planning to ignore it and pretend that my best friend didn't have his soul entwined with Sage Thompson's.

The same Sage Thompson that was sitting in the back of the car, doing something on his phone. When I looked back, I could see his own mark just peeking out from the collar of his shirt and decided that I just needed to stare out the window. Juliana was also in the back seat, I noticed, but she looked like she had a headache so I ignored her too.

"Good morning," I replied, leaning my head against the cool glass of the window and fluttering my eyes closed. I didn't question where Liam was because his mom had said that he had to drive Paisley to school, and then offered for him to drive Sage's siblings as well, so really he got the short end of the stick in this situation.

Still, it felt slightly weird to be in the car with all of them, considering Adriel and Sage had been gone for the past week on vacation, doing... mating things. So Daniel had driven me to school instead. Liam offered but I would have rather have gouged my own eyes out than be in a small, enclosed space with Paisley and Caleb (both of whom I'd met and seemed okay) as well as Sage's younger sisters (who I was honestly pretty scared of).

We arrived at school ten minutes later and all walked together into History, minus Juliana who had gone to the nurse to get medicine for her headache. The room was empty when we walked inside, so our little group made its way back to our desks before Sage started rambling about one thing or another. I wasn't really listening; I was watching as more students flooded in, most with tired, disgruntled expressions. But just a second before the bell rang, when Julie finally entered, I turned to Sage with a confused expression.

"Where's Liam?" I asked. Sage hesitated for a moment, pursing his lips, before pointing to his head in a gesture that I assumed meant 'tell you over the mind link'. I nodded.

He's probably about done with the vampire hunting by now, Sage's voice said over the link, checking his watch with a frown as Mrs. Barnes entered the room and began to lecture about the importance of getting homework done. I frowned.

What?

Yeah, I mean, they left at like five so I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up in fifteen minutes with some excuse about feeling sick. But knowing Liam, he's just gonna bunk off for the rest of the day and force me to give him my notes, the little fucker.

I froze, prompting Adriel to shake my shoulder a little with a confused expression. I knew he could hear the words Sage was saying just as well as I could, so I didn't bother to explain the fear that was seizing my gut.

They're going... vampire hunting?

Yep, Sage obliviously replied, popping the 'p' over our link. I think they found something about the coven that, um, killed your family a while ago.

I couldn't move.

My dark eyes were wide with horror as Mrs. Barnes passed out some papers I didn't read, said something I didn't hear. Adriel was the only one in the room who could even come close to guessing the sheer amount of fear that had gripped me in its claws, and his leg was already entangled with my own under the table in a comforting way.

Breathe, his voice said though our link, low and soothing. Take a breath.

I copied his movements, burying my head in my hands.