Page 102 of Blood Sport

“I should’ve taken you out when I had the chance,” Miles seethes, ignoring my question. “I’m not going to hesitate this time.”

I step away from Jaylen and move around him to get a better look at Miles. I almost don’t recognize him with the hateful look in his eyes.

“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, looking between him and the gun in his hand. “Put the gun down, Miles. This is a little dramatic, even for you. You need to move on from the accident. It’s done now.”

Miles finally flicks his eyes to me and a chill runs down my spine at the darkness swirling within them. “Evie, it’s more than that. This motherfucker is a vampire who needs a stake through his heart. And I’m going to be the one to deliver it. Ironic, right?”

I stumble back a step as his words hit my chest. Did… he just say what I think he said? No. It can’t be. I refuse to believe it.

My brother isn’t a killer. The same brother who would patch me up when I would scrap my knees or would help me with my maths homework when I couldn’t understand an equation. The same brother who has been by my side through thick and thin after our parent’s murder. This isn’t the same person I have known my whole life.

Whoever this is… I don’t know him. He’s a shell of the brother I know.

I swallow the sour taste in my mouth, my eyes locked on his. “Miles…”

“Save your words,” he snaps. “You already know the answer.”

“Evie, you need to leave. Now,” Jaylen says, his eyes staring straight ahead.

Miles's face twists with anger as he slams the gun into the back of Jaylen’s head. “You shut your fucking mouth, you abomination. I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

Jaylen grunts as he holds the back of his head, his face twisted in pain. Miles doesn’t let up on his stance, keeping the gun close to Jaylen’s head, his finger resting on the trigger.

My mind is moving in slow motion and I’m finding it hard to catch up on what the fuck is happening.

“You’re… t-the hunter,” I say, my words almost failing me.

Miles scoffs and shakes his head. “You knew about him, didn’t you?” When I don’t answer, a humorless laugh escapes his lips. “I should’ve known that the two of you were sneaking around behind my back. I was too busy to see the signs. The motorcycle accident should’ve been a dead giveaway, but I was too busy chasing the fuckers robbing the hospital of blood bags.”

“Why are you doing this?” I plead as tears spring to my eyes. It feels like my whole world is spinning on its axis, ready to freefall at any second. “Why, Miles?”

“To avenge our parents,” Miles simply replies, his eyes moving to look at where the gun is pointed at Jaylen. “It’s too much for you to understand, Ev.”

The connection I had made between all the murder cases is finally starting to make sense, although, some details of the puzzle aren’t as clear yet. Like why our parents were targeted and the reason behind their connection to the other cases. A lot of the details don’t make sense yet.

“How did you find out they were killed by a hunter?”

Miles frowns, flicking his eyes to meet mine. “They weren’t.”

“What do you mean?” Now it’s my turn to frown.

“They were killed by a filthy bloodsucker,” he explains. “After their deaths, a woman came to me after practice one day and told me the truth about what happened. She explained that vampires do exist and that they were the reason my parents were dead. She asked if I wanted to avenge their deaths, and it was a no-brainer.”

“So, you became a vampire hunter?” I ask, trying to connect the dots. Surely, there has to be more to the story he isn’t sharing with me. Which doesn’t fucking surprise me. He’s pretty damn good at keeping secrets.

Miles presses the gun against Jaylen’s skull again. He hasn’t moved an inch, his body rigid as he stares ahead. “I am yet to find the person who killed them, but I will. Until then, I plan to take out every fucking vampire I can.”

My mind races through the memories of the past few months, trying to find a time when Miles would’ve been acting differently or not his usual self. The times when his clothes were a little dirty or he appeared tired spring to mind. Each time I had brushed them off, not paying any mind to it. But now…

“So, Cindy—”

“Is real,” Miles interjects, his tone screaming boredom—of this conversation, no doubt. “Well, it’s a fake name for a real person—the woman who helped me become who I am. I needed a cover for all the nights I went out hunting.”

I wrap my arms around my waist for comfort as I realize my brother had been lying about the truth of our parent's death for years. Why wouldn’t he have just told me? Why did he go at this alone? I had every right to know what happened considering I was the one who found them dead.

“Evie, you need to go,” Jaylen says quietly, his hands reaching toward me. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Miles growls and holds the gun above his head, ready to bring it down on Jaylen’s skull again. “Did you not hear when I said to shut the fu—”

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