It’s been 8 years sihen…

  I had just fiying my boots, Nora boung impatiently beside me, when my mother’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “Markus, wait.” Cassandra’s tone was soft but firm, the kind she used when she wasn’t about to let something slide. I sighed, gng at Nora, who pouted dramatically.

  “e on, Mom, we’re just going out to py,” I protested, standing up straight.

  Cassandra approached me, a small, pin looking broo her hand. It gleamed faintly, with a metallic sheen and an indicator for how long it’ll work.

  “You ’t fet this,” she said, fastening it carefully to the inside of my shirt near my chest.

  I frowned, feeling the slight chill of the brooch against my skin. “It’s not like anything’s going to happen out there. It’s just the field behind the house.”

  She straightened my shirt, her hands lingering for a moment as she gave me a pointed look. “Markus, we’ve talked about this. You’re starting to release your pheromones now.”

  That made me wince. “Mom…”

  “You’re a growing boy,” she tinued, ign my disfort. “And as a half-incubus, your st cause trouble if it isn’t suppressed. You’re lucky I had brought this beforehand. Do you know how rare these are?”

  I sighed, my face heating up. “You don’t have to remind me every time.”

  She wasn’t done, of course. Cassandra was nothing if not thh when it came to this topic. “Males are rare in this world, Markus. You know that. And with your heritage-”

  “I get it,” I cut in, though my tone cked bite. “Be careful. Watch out for trouble. Don’t let a too close.”

  Cassandra’s antewitched slightly, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. “It’s for your own safety,” she murmured. “And for theirs.”

  Nora tugged at my sleeve, her wings fluttering impatiently. “Mom, stop hogging Markus! We’re just pying!”

  Cassandra gave her a gentle smile, brushing her daughter’s cheek. “I know, sweetheart. But your brother has to be careful, eve’s just the two of you.”

  I watched her fuss with the brooch, her hands lingering a little lohan necessary. Her antewitched, a nervous habit I’d learnize over the years.

  She kept saying it like a mantra, “half-vampire, half-incubus.” She always said it with fidence, almost like she was trying to vince herself as much as she was me.

  But I khe truth.

  I washer of those things. I’d known ever since I overheard the whispers when my medical records came back. The way my father hesitated, stammering as he read the papers to my mother, was burned into my memory.

  “Healthy,” the father had said awkwardly. “pletely healthy... Just… unusual.”

  At the time, I didn’t uand why it mattered so much. But the way my parents froze, the way my father’s usually rexed expression hardeold me it wasn’t something I could ignore.

  And then there was my mother who’d returned from the tests, clutg those papers like they were about to fly away, her wings trembling. She wouldn’t let anyone else see them after that, not even me.

  Now, standing here, with her adjusting the inhibitor on my chest like it was some sort of shield, I couldn’t stop the thought from surfag.

  I’m not like them. No matter what she says, no matter how much she tries to hide it, I know.

  “Markus,” her voice cut through my thoughts, soft but firm. “I need you to remember what to say if anyone asks. You’re a half-vampire, half-incubus. Nothing else. Do you uand?”

  I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I studied her face, the way her pale eyes avoided mine just slightly. The weight of the sileween us felt heavier than ever.

  Finally, I nodded. “Yeah, Mom. I got it.”

  But in my mind, it didn’t matter how many times she said it. I knew what I was.

  I didn’t really uand what the inhibitor did exactly. My mom always said it was for my own good, and that was enough, at least for now.

  Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what it was hiding. What about me needed suppressing so badly?

  Nora tugged at my sleeve, bringi of my thoughts. “e on, Markus! You promised to py!”

  “Alright, alright,” I said with a chuckle, letting her drag me outside. The field behind our house was still damp from the m dew, the air carrying the faint st of wildflowers.

  Nora immediately darted toward the old tree swing, her wings fluttering with excitement.

  “Push me!” she demanded, hopping onto the swing and kig her legs in anticipation.

  I rolled my eyes but obliged, giving her a gentle push. The creak of the rope mingled with her ughter as she swung higher and higher, her moth-like wings catg the sunlight.

  “Higher, Markus!” she called, grinnio ear.

  “Yoing to fall off if I push any harder,” I warhough I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

  After a while, she hopped off mid-swing with an acrobatic leap that I could never hope to match. Landing lightly on her feet, she turo me with a mischievous glint in her eye.

  “Tag! You’re it!” she shouted, tapping my arm before darting away.

  I sighed but gave chase, my feet pounding against the grass as I tried to keep up. Nora’s ughter rang out, bright and carefree, as she darted between trees with an agility that put me to shame.

  “Slow down, Nora!” I called, panting. “Give me a ce!”

  “Never!” she teased, stig out her tongue as she dodged another of my attempts to grab her.

  Finally, I mao er her he fence. She squealed as I lunged, grabbing her arm. “Gotcha!”

  But before I could even catch my breath, she twisted effortlessly, flipping me off bance.

  “Whoa, hey!” I yelped as she pinned me to the ground, her small hands gripping my shoulders with surprising strength.

  “Gotcha back!” she decred triumphantly, her antewitg in delight.

  I struggled, but it was no use. Her grip was like irorength far beyond anything I could match. “Alright, alright, you win!” I said, ughie myself.

  “Say ‘Nora is the stro,’” she demanded, grinning as she leaned closer.

  I groaned. “Fine. Nora is the stro.”

  “And the best!”

  “And the best,” I repeated, rolling my eyes.

  Satisfied, she finally let me up, though not before ing me in a bear hug that crushed the air from my lungs.

  “You’re mine now!” she decred, rubbing her cheek against mine in a gesture that was more affeate than I repared for.

  “Okay, okay,” I said, patting her back awkwardly. “You’ll get snot on me again.”

  She giggled, unbothered, and instead of letting go, tightened her grip around me like a vice. “Nope! You’re not going anywhere!”

  “Nora,” I said, trying to squirm free. “We ’t py like this. e o go.”

  “This is pying!” she chirped, nuzzling her cheek against mine. Her anteickled my forehead, and her wings fluttered lightly, sending a faint breeze ay face.

  “It’s not pying if I ’t move,” I groaugging at her arms, but it was like trying to wrestle a stone pilr. “Yoing to crush me at this rate!”

  She just giggled again, pletely ign my protests. “No way! You’re fy!”

  “fy? I’m not a cushion, Nora!” I said, exasperated, though I couldn’t stop the ugh that bubbled up despite myself.

  “You’re my brother, and that’s eveer than a cushion,” she insisted, her grip loosening just enough for me to catch a breath, though she still refused to let me go.

  I sighed i, resting my head against the grass. “Fine. But don’t bme me when we don’t have time to py because you’re too busy being a koa.”

  She tilted her head, her antewitg as she gave me a sly grin. “What’s a koa?”

  “It’s like you,” I muttered. “gy and impossible to shake off.”

  Nora burst into ughter, her wings fluttering with delight. “Then I am a koa!” she decred proudly, snuggling closer.

  I groaned, but a small smile tugged at my lips. Despite my disfort, I couldn’t bring myself to push her away. Moments like these were exhausting, sure, but they were also… kind of nice.

  Still, as I y there under her monstrous strength, I was reminded once again of just how different we were.

  Something caught my eye as I y uhe oppression of my sister. A flicker of movement just beyond the garden’s edge.

  My movements slowed, and I turned my head, my gaze log onto someone half-hidden behind a gree trunk.

  A girl, not much older thaood there, her dark hair draping over her shoulders like a shadow. Her skin ale, almost translut, and her wide, violet eyes shimmered with a straensity.

  She was watg us, no, watg me, with an uling stillness, as if she hoped I wouldn’t notice her.

  But I did.

  Our eyes met, and she flinched, half-turning as if to flee. But something in her hesitation stopped her, and she stood frozen, clutg the bark of the tree with delicate, cwed fingers.

  It wasn’t until I looked closer that I noticed the details. Segments along her arms, faintly glinting like polished chitin, and her legs, faintly inhuman, tapering into an eerie elegance.

  The faint impression of tipede-like features made my skin crawl, though I couldn’t quite pce why.

  I blinked, unsure if I was imagining her.

  “What is it, Markus?” Nora’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  I turo her. Her antewitched, her brown-striped wings fluttering in agitation. She had noticed my lingering stare and followed it to the girl by the tree. Her expression immediately darkened.

  “That girl,” she said, her voice low, “she’s weird.”

  I frowned. “Nora, don’t be rude.”

  She grabbed my hand, holding it possessively. “We don’t know her. What if she’s dangerous?”

  I sighed, croug slightly to meet her gre head-on. “She’s just a kid like us,” I said. “You o be nicer.”

  She huffed, her cheeks puffing out as her grip on my hand tightened.

  Ign her protests, along with my mother’s earlier warnings that I had long fotten, I turned back to the girl by the tree. At that age, I didn’t think too much about those words.

  I was young, i, and saw no reason to keep my distance from someone who looked as lonely as she did.

  “Hey!” I called, raising a hand in a friendly wave. “Do you want to e py with us?”

  She hesitated, her violet eyes flig to Nora, whose gre could have melted stone. Slowly, the girl stepped out from behind the tree. Up close, her features were even more striking and uling.

  Her limbs moved with an unnerving fluidity, her segmented arms flexing slightly, dispying how nervous she was.

  “I’m Markus,” I said with a smile, holding out my hand.

  She stared at it for a long moment before finally reag out, her cwed fingers brushing against mine. “Yuki,” she whispered, her voice so soft I almost missed it.

  “o meet you, Yuki,” I said warmly. “This is my sister, Nora.”

  Nora crossed her arms, her wings fluttering irritably. “Hi,” she muttered, her to.

  Yuki flinched, pulling her hand bad looking down at the ground.

  “Don’t mind her,” I said quickly, shooting Nora a pointed look. “She’s just a little shy around new people.”

  “I’m not shy!” Nora snapped, her antewitg with indignation.

  “Then be nice,” I shot back.

  Nora scowled but said nothing, though her wings flickered with visible annoyance.

  “e on, Yuki,” I said, gesturing toward the yard. “We’re just pying tag. You join us if you want.”

  Yuki hesitated, gng nervously at Nora, who was still gring daggers, before nodding. She took a step forward, her movements graceful but stiff, as if she wasn’t sure how to carry herself.

  Her hands hovered awkwardly at her sides, the sharp tips of her cws glinting faintly in the sunlight.

  “e on,” I said with an encing smile, holding out my hand. “You’ll see, it’s fun.”

  She paused, staring at my hand for what felt like ay before finally, slowly pg hers in mine.

  Her segmented fingers were cool to the touch, and the delicate chitin made me wonder if they were as fragile as they looked.

  “Let’s start with something easy,” I said, releasing her hand and stepping back. “We’re pying tag, and you’re it!” I gently tapped her shoulder, then darted away with a ugh.

  Yuki blinked, frozen in pce as if she couldn’t quite process what had just happened.

  “You have to chase us now!” I called over my shoulder.

  At first, she didn’t move, her violet eyes darting nervously to Nora, who stood with her arms crossed, looking anything but inviting. I stopped and jogged back toward her.

  “It’s okay,” I said softly, croug slightly to meet her gaze. “You just o run after us and tag one of us. It’s easy, I’ll even go slow.”

  Finally, she hough the motion was small aant. She took oep forward, then another, her movements stiff and uain.

  “That’s it!” I enced, bag away to give her space. “Yetting it.”

  She started to pick up speed, her segmented legs carrying her forward with surprising smoothness. A small smile tugged at her lips as she made her way toward me, her hesitatioing away with each step.

  I let her catch up to me, pretending to stumble as she tapped my arm with her cwed fingers. “Gotcha,” she said, her voice so soft I almost missed it.

  “That’s the spirit!” I said, ughing as I turo chase her.

  At first, she squeaked and ran awkwardly, her motions still stiff and jerky, but as we pyed, something shifted. She started to move with more fidence, her legs carrying her faster than I’d expected.

  “Wait Yuki, you’re too quick!” I called, genuinely surprised as my body grew weary chasing after her.

  Her smile grew a fra wider, blushing, as she ducked her head shyly, though the hint of pride in her expression didn’t escape me.

  Nora, who had been standing off to the side with her arms crossed, let out an exaggerated huff. “She’s not that fast,” she muttered under her breath, though I could tell she was more annoyed by how much fun I seemed to be having.

  “e on, Nora!” I said, turning to her. “Join in!”

  She rolled her eyes but begrudgingly stepped forward, her wings fluttering irritably. Yuki froze again as Nora approached, her fidence shrinking like a flower wilting under a harsh sun.

  “Rex,” I said to both of them. “It’s just a game.”

  With some coaxing, we started running around together. Yuki’s initial timidness started with cautious ughter, then to genuine giggles as we chased each other around the yard.

  She tripped onding awkwardly on her hands and knees, but when I helped her up, she was quiile and keep going.

  As the minutes passed, her shyness seemed to evaporate, repced by a quiet joy that radiated from her in little bursts.

  She even started tagging Nora, muy sister’s annoyance, and ughed when Nora muttered something under her breath about “getting even.”

  “See?” I said to Yuki as we paused to catch our breath. “Told you it’d be fun.”

  She nodded, her violet eyes brighter than before. “It is,” she admitted softly. “Thank you.”

  Nora scowled from where she stood a few feet away, her wings twitg with visible annoyance. “You’re spending too much time talking to her,” she grumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear.

  I shot her a warning g said nothing, turning back to Yuki instead. “Ready for another round?”

  She nodded, her smile widening ever so slightly.

  But Nora’s mood only darkened with each passing minute. She watched from the sidelines, her arms crossed and her gre fixed firmly on Yuki.

  Every time I ughed or spoke to the new girl, Nora’s wings twitched, her anger practically radiating off her in waves.

  Nora had had enough. She stomped rabbing my arm and yanking me back. “You’re supposed to py with me,” she said, her voice sharp.

  I sighed, prying her fingers off my sleeve. “We’re all pying together, Nora. Stop being so selfish.”

  “I’m not selfish! Mom told you not to py with strangers,” she shough her flushed cheeks betrayed her.

  Yuki shrank back, her eyes dartiween us. “Maybe I should go,” she said softly, her antennae drooping.

  “No, you don’t have to leave,” I said quickly, shooting Nora a warning gnce. “You’re wele here, Yuki.”

  Nora’s gre deepened, but she said nothing, her wings fluttering in agitation as she stomped off to the other side of the yard.

  I sighed, turning back to Yuki with an apologetic smile. “She’ll warm up to you eventually,” I said. “Don’t let her scare you off.”

  Yuki offered a small smile, her violet eyes softening. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  As the sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the yard in hues of gold and e, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something signifit.

  Looking back…

  I wish I had just listened.