Normally people would have raced towards each other, holding themselves in a tight hug as relief swept through. To him, I was a ghost. And now, I was alive, almost completely unscathed. We were not normal unfortunately, though it would have felt damn nice to have someone familiar hold me and smooth my hair. Just for a little bit. Just until I felt like the world stopped spinning. Instead, I offered an awkward smile and ambled up to the front door. Milo kept his attention focused solely on me, but eased the door shut behind himself.

"I'm surprised to see you," he choked out, seeming far more than surprised.

I wanted to tell him everything. I needed to tell him that he was standing right beside a werewolf who fully intended to take him in to the king and queen. The words were right there, waiting in my mouth. but I was suffocating. The smile stayed on my face and I sucked in each breath as easily as ever, but I was drowning on dry land.

"You look good," I said, gesturing at him with my unhurt hand.

"You are looking good," he shot back, a little too quickly. I knew what he meant. I looked alive which is more than anyone expected at this point.

"I'm Ryder," my mate blurted, thrusting a hand towards Milo who only blinked at it.

I went entirely rigid at the movement, half expecting Ryder to have thrown him to the ground already. "He's with me," I added, but I didn't know why. I should have been screaming. I should have been waving the largest red flag I could find covered in caution tape. The last thing I should have been doing is trying to make Milo more comfortable with the threat.

At that, Milo finally shook Ryder's hand. "Ah, I'm assuming that you're the distraction," he greeted.

"The distraction?" Ryder repeated.

"Yes, this is him," I interjected. I don't know why, but I wrapped a hand around Ryder's thick bicep, like I was staking some kind of claim on him.

Milo sucked in a low breath. His gaze had found my crudely missing fingernails, but he forced his attention to my face, smiling at me. "Georgia, you should have texted. I was just on my way into town and don't have time to catch up with you or your...partner. But we should definitely catch up soon."

It was all beautiful code that I knew so well. How are you alive? You need to come back and tell me everything, but come back alone.

He was offered me a beautiful way out. I didn't know what Ryder's plans were, but so far he was being more cordial and patient than I anticipated. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe Milo wouldn't be the target. I had to steer him away from here before he decided to change his mind again.

"Well, if you're busy—"

"She told me everything," Ryder stated. To his credit, Milo didn't even blink in surprise. "I know about werewolves and the whole operation. Georgia confessed it all to me after she was attacked and held hostage by the royals. She asked me to bring her here so she could talk about it with you. She said the others have left town already." Ryder reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. For a brief second, I allowed myself to believe that he cared.

Milo was as stone-faced as ever. He didn't spare a second, just studied me. I wished I could scream the words that were trapped within me. I wanted him to run. To flee. But I just gave him a nervous smile.

"Come inside. It seems we have a lot to talk about."

I shuffled into the home behind Ryder. I watched his silver eyes flicker over the home, taking in the surroundings that I had once been so comfortable in. I focused on keeping my breathing even, but every time Ryder stared at something too long, every time his mouth turned down into a frown, I was ready to lunge. I didn't doubt that if he spotted anything that resembled a weapon, the feral part of him would make an appearance. Even if I was not able to get through wretched words into the air, I would never allow Ryder to physically attack Milo. I hoped.

Thankfully, we made it to the living room with no issues and we were seated while Milo used his own personal coffee machine that put all the café machines to shame. He returned with a caramel latte for me and a plain tea for Ryder.

"How much does he know?" Milo wondered warily from across the living room. He sipped his mocha while giving Ryder the blatant side eye.

"Everything," Ryder said.

"Now I sincerely doubt that my friend," Milo purred back. "This line of work forces all of us to have our secrets."

"He knows enough," I sighed. I hated that I was helping. I hated that I still couldn't say anything that would save Milo. It felt like there was some little creature within me begging me to lay on the floor and wail, pulling my hair out until he finally understood that something wasn't right.

"I know about the king and queen and I know about what happened to her hand," Ryder pushed when Milo remained quiet.

The hunter perked up at that, a single eyebrow raising. "Right. I'm mostly just shocked that you're alive, H. I know they called you Huntress for a reason, but when I heard that you didn't come back for a few days, I assumed that you were dead. We all did. Are the king and queen finally dead? How the hell did you get out of there alive? They sent you into their land with practically nothing."

"Ajax and Keiko are very much alive," I admitted. "You were right, I couldn't kill the kid. I shot Ajax, but when I heard the little girl, it threw my shot off. I ended up wounding him, but nothing life threatening. Keiko wanted to peel my skin off though. She's the reason that I'm missing certain parts of me." I held up my hand and wiggled my injured fingers.

"I need you to back up and start from the beginning."

Ryder then jumped in. it was like he was trying to save me from subjecting myself to the horrors all over again as he tucked me against his side. He told a perfect story, following the truth fabulously. He talked about how I shot, how I had gotten caught, how my fingernails had been ripped out by some weasel named Noah. Then, he spun it, claiming that I had escaped while Keiko had started playing good cop, allowing me into their home to eat and shower. I had apparently climbed out of a window in the bathroom and raced into the forest, running and running until I ended up on the edge of town and a café patron had picked me up after spotting me beside the road. It was an awkward ride, but all that mattered was that I was alive.

"Why didn't you come to me right away?" Milo demanded at the end.

"What if they were still coming after me?" I shot back, melting right into the lie. "Do you think I could bring them to your doorstep like that?" But I could. I had. "And I was barely alive at that point, much less coherent. I had barely eaten or drank anything in days. I fell apart at home and called Ryder to come take care of me."

"Seeing her like that—" Ryder trailed off, pulling me tighter against him.

"So everyone is still alive?" Milo asked.

"All of them. I know it's unfortunate. Very, very unfortunate."

"Fuck," he hissed, falling back against the armchair. "I'm happy that you're okay, really, I am. Knowing that I turned down the job and that they send you in, then knowing that you didn't come out...it almost killed me, H. But knowing that they saw your face, knowing that all of them are alive and well, that's shit."

"I tried—"

"I'm not mad at you," Milo added immediately. "I'm mad at Dawn and Armond for dumping you in there, then leaving you to rot. If they were still in this fucking town, I would have beat their asses when I got a call from the home, telling me that they stopped paying for your parents' care. It's all been such a nightmare since we thought you went down."

"What?" I blurted, jerking out of Ryder's hold. "They couldn't have, they would never do that. They promised to take my parents with them when they moved cities. How could they just leave them behind?"

"The same way they left Cassey behind when she got wolf-drain."

"Cassey," I repeated. "Like Cassey from the café, annoyingly sweet Cassey."

"There is only one Cassey," Milo said.

"She has wolf drain?"

"That's what I've heard. Apparently, she got sloppy and got too close for too long."

Cassey, the kind little hummingbird who fluttered around with too much enthusiasm and too much naivety. I felt like I couldn't suck in a proper lungful when I thought of her pretty face with vacant eyes and drooping lips. Was it even possible to sap that much sparkle and zest out of someone?

"George?" Ryder murmured, tracing my arm with tentative fingers. "Are you alright?"

"I want to go home," I managed. So much needed to be said. So many things needed to be sorted.

I didn't care.

"But, we need to talk about everything. Those wolves are still out there. The king and queen have seen you. They are coming after you!" Milo protested.

"Ryder," I croaked, tears flooding my eyes. "Please take me home."

~~~Question of the Day~~~

Where would you build your dream house?

I would build my dream home on a handful of acres just outside of a decent sized city. Have space to myself (and some horses maybe) and convenience.