Mia sighed heavily, her heart heavy with sorrow and trepidation. It had been a year since her grandmother's passing, and now the storage company was insisting that she collect her grandmother's belongings before they disposed of them. The thought of stepping foot into the small building filled Mia with a sense of dread she had been avoiding for far too long.

It was difficult to accept that her grandmother was no longer with her, and the mere idea of facing the remnants of her existence only intensified Mia's grief. All that remained of her beloved grandmother were the belongings salvaged from the wreckage, a stark reminder of the void left behind by her absence.

The Merge had brought chaos and upheaval to the world, with portals of all sizes springing up unpredictably across the globe. One such portal had manifested just a few feet from her grandmother's home. Mia still remembered the day vividly – returning from a routine grocery run to find their home ensnared by a sinister black sludge. The smell of death lingering in the air.

Mia shook her head, she needed to avoid those thoughts if she was going to get through her day. The past couple of weeks had been wonderful, she was starting to adjust and conquer some of her fears and actually have another friend who she trusted and connected with. Apea was a great friend. She made her laugh; she understood when Mia was having a hard day; she pushed her to try new things yet didn't rush or force her. It was also great that Apea and Skyler got along so well. It was like she was a new person, and she didn't want to go back to being that scared women.

But she did have one regret and it kept nagging her like a fly on the wall– Cyrus. That man was a constant thought in her mind. She thought about his smile and his kind eyes. She thought about his disappointment that hurt her more than she thought it would. The last time she saw him had been at the restaurant, and she couldn't even look him in the eyes for too long. Now that she had a friend who was a fairy, she had become protective over her and now understood why he had been offended. Cyrus probably had plenty of friends who were fairytale creatures, and she had offended them. His reaction at the time was valid. She knew she owed him an apology.

Grabbing her jacket from the hook, she slipped on her sneakers and grabbed her wallet and keys from the little fish bowl. As she walked down the hall she tried to think of a fitting way to apologize. Maybe a text message? No. That was to informal and wouldn't seem genuine. But she really didn't want to talk to him because what if he didn't forgive her?

Walking to her car she got in and fixed her mirrors. Just as she twisted the rearview mirror a certain way she swore she saw someone. Was that Cole? Looking over her shoulder, she glanced around and laughed. "Gosh, I must be really tired if I'm seeing people," she laughed and stared the engine. It was early in the morning and the only people outside where lawn spirts and a werewolf who loved to jog.

***

Mia Shrieked and frantically waved her hands around as she tried to shake the disgusting feeling of spider webs from her skin. She had cleared out most of the storage unit already. It was a lot of small boxes of trinkets and various heirlooms and collectables. She had started to get to larger boxes towards the back corners. They were heavier with clothes or accessories. Not to mentioned they were covered in new and old spider webs. It was a disgusting feeling. Mia did everything she could to get them off of her hands.

After she was finished looking insane in the storage unit due to her little freak out dance, she went back to moving boxes. She put them in her back seat carefully. There was room for the last box, thankfully. Mia did not want to make two trips. Grabbing the last box, she picked it up from the bottom and grimaced as she set it back down. Looking at her hand, she almost gagged at whatever was on her hand. It looked like oil but smelt like death. The liquid was thick and shiny. As hard as she tried to wipe it off on something else, it wouldn't come off.

It was irritating as she even tried to scrap her hand against the rough brick wall. Even then he substance didn't budge. "I'll just clean it when I get home," she said to herself frustratedly. It wasn't coming off but it didn't look like it would stain, either, so she could wait. Mia grabbed the box again and put it in her car, shutting the door.

With a solemn look, she stared inside the unit. All of her grandmother's things were in her car, now. It was an odd and unbearable feeling. Not wanting to deal with it any longer, she closed the unit's door and got into her car. She gripped the steering wheel tight as she left the large storage unit lot. When she was back at her apartment building, she made the decision to go wash her hands before touching the boxes any more. She felt grimy and sticky ever since that black goo got on her hand. Her plans to go inside where thwarted, though, as what wasn't a grief and exhaustion induced hallucination of Cole appeared. He wore jeans and a loose t-shirt as his motorcycle purred in the parking lot.

"Hey, stranger. I thought we had a date today at The Valley," he spoke up over the engine.

Mia blinked a couple times before remembering. She had a date with Cole to see that live band where they had first met. She forgot since the storage unit called which she took priority. "Right. Are we leaving now?" Looking at him, she couldn't help her swirling thought of how stupid it was to not wear a helmet since road conditions always seemed like trouble. Though her other thought of how attractive he looked quickly flooded her mind instead.

"Yeah, let's go," he encouraged her with a charming grin.

She walked over to him. She supposed putting the boxes in her apartment could wait. Something to distract her sounded better than reopening her wounds of unresolved grief. His voice was sharp and stopped her motions of getting on the bike behind him.

"What's that?"

The two looked down at her hand. "Oh, just some oil, I think. I was going to go wash it off but..." she trailed off.

Cole stared at it long and hard. The smell was familiar. He looked at Mia, studying her face. Clearly something had clicked in his mind, but Mia didn't get a chance to ask.

"Wash it off later, we gotta get good seats at the restaurant," he tells her. "Hold on tight, okay?"

Mia got on the back of the bike, finding a way to sit comfortably. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, internally nervous about riding a motorcycle for the first time with no helmet and a seemingly reckless driver. Once she was comfortable, Cole hit the road, driving them across town.

***

While the live band played for all of the customers and employees of The Valley, Mia and Cole sat in a booth far enough away from the speakers so they could still talk. Mia laughed as Cole told her a funny story about the time he had flown into a tree because he was distracted by a shiny object.

"No way, you're just pulling my leg," Mia said while swirling her straw inside of her peach iced tea. Cole gave her a big smile and leaned in closer across the table. "Of course not, doll, I wouldn't lie to you. I have the scar to prove it. But I don't want to flash any unsuspecting strangers." He winked and took a sip of his beer.

Mia chuckled awkwardly and sat back in her seat, slightly overwhelmed by his obvious flirting. Throughout their entire date, Cole had been slowly getting closer to her and openly flirting with her. He was never pushy or rude but Mia quickly realized that she wasn't attracted to him. Yes, he was dreamy with his dimpled smile and dazzling blue eyes, but that was all she could say attracted her to him in the first place. Mia quickly realized that they would make great friends but not romantic partners. The realization struck her after the fifth song; Cole was fun, he made her laugh, but that was all. He didn't give her butterflies or make her mind go blank with just a smile– like another man she knew and swore not to think about.

Finishing off their drinks, Cole offered to give her a ride back home. She accepted the offer as Cole has been nothing but friendly the entire night. As they walked to his bike that was parked around the back of the restaurant, Cole slings his arm over her shoulders and pulls her close.

"Did you just sniff me?" She laughed awkwardly, looking up at him.

His eyes flashed sliver then returned to their normal blue before Mia could notice. He shrugged. "You smell nice."

"Oh, um, thanks. It's a vanilla based fragrance," she said as she ducked under his arm to pretend to search her bag for something.

Cole chuckled low and deep. "I don't think it's the fragrance," he said, stepping behind her. "I really had a great time tonight." He smiled down at her while lifting his hand to slide it along her curls.

"I did, too. The music and food were great. Next time we get together, I'll pay, and maybe Apea and Skyler could join?"

"Mhm, maybe. So, how about we keep the night going and you come to my place? I could show you some of my guitars or cook you my world famous breakfast?" he asked, smiling and leaning forward. His minty breath fanning across her nose made her grimace at how strong it was.

"Uh, I think it's best if we're just friends!" Mia blurted out and mentally slapped her forehead at her bluntness. "I mean, you're awesome, and I enjoyed our time together! But I don't think we should move forward with anything else. I don't want it to get messy with Apea since you're her friend."

"Messy?" He asked, glaring at the ground in anger. "I don't understand. We had a great time. If you don't want to spend the night at my place it's fine. But we're past just being friends... I thought I made my intentions clear?" He explained through gritted teeth, looking around the lot for any witness.

Mia paused and bit her lip. Okay, so this wasn't going well. "Cole I know you're disappointed, but I think we can have a great friendship. Tonight was nice, so let's end it on a good note? No hard feelings," she said while holding out her hand.

Cole scoffed and grabbed her hand dragging her forward. "You are all the same." He hissed out. His eyes flashing silver with rage. "You're just confused. It won't be like the last one." He talked to himself as he began pulling her towards his bike. A dark slimly substance started to emerging from under the sleeve of his coat.

"Let go of me! What are you doing?!" Her scream carried across the parking lot as she panicked. Mia did her best to get away from him, but the substance that looked like the goo on her hand was holding her tighter than a human could. But wasn't he a fairy, Mia thought to herself in her desperate attempts to escape. Why would a fairy have some black slimy substance coming from their skin?

Her thoughts of concern were cut off when she saw Cole's expression of mild anxiety and false confidence. Naturally, she turned to see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened as she saw a fuming Cyrus approaching. He looked completely pissed. If looks could kill.

Cyrus came between them, blocking Mia from Cole the best he could even though the two were connected via that substance. His large hand gripped Cole's in a death grip. "You let her go." His voice was low but it was evident that he was ready to tear Cole to shreds.

Mia couldn't process what was going on. Why was Cyrus here? What was Cole? Did Cyrus get hotter? Whatever was happening, she just knew she wanted to leave.

"No. She's mine, damn it. I won't let you take her. I earned her fair and square, you lizard!" Cole was determined to win the fight against Cyrus, even if his arm was being burnt to a crisp by the beast.

Cyrus took a breath, his skin growing hotter the more he thought about what was happening to his poor mate. "As if I'd let you take her. You're nothing but a lowlife shifter, a thief! You know she's not yours!" Cyrus's voice roared in the open space.

Mia swore she saw smoke coming off of his skin. She was nervous to speak up but wanted clarification. "Shifter? Cole's a fairy, isn't he?" Her voice was quiet compared to the two men before her.

"No, he's a shapeshifter. The lowest kind of vermin from fairy tales. They shift and lie to steal others' mates," Cyrus briefly explains.

His steely gaze never left Cole. Even as Cole let go of Mia, he watched as the alleged fairy morph under the substance he oozed. Mia watched in a mix of shock and horror. The sounds of bones popping and flesh squelching make her feel nauseous. Cole had shown himself. The spot of goo on her hand was gone and before her was a confusing reality. Instead of Cole's usual self of dark brown hair and pretty eyes, he was almost a silhouette. His body was a mix of fog and ever morphing ooze. His eyes were pure white and just sockets, as was his mouth. They stood out against his entirely pitch black figure. It was as if he was a shadow, now. He wasn't Cole anymore. He was a monster.

"I was so close, too! She would've been mine. But you had to come back to save her. She doesn't want you, Cyrus. Can't you see that?" Cole was clearly taunting him, but Cyrus wasn't budging. He wasn't about to traumatize his mate even further by showing her who he was; what he could become.

"You would've gone without a mate, it would've been wonderful! No need to carry on dad's legacy, right?" Cole boldly took a step closer to Cyrus, his form morphing like a wild campfire with the movement.

Cyrus did his best to compose himself. Not only did Cole insult him but his family as well. It hurt like a bitch since family was such a strong value for him and his brothers. His attention was pulled elsewhere when he heard his name.

"Cyrus?"

He turned to face a horrified and confused Mia. "It'll be okay. Nothing will happen to you. I won't let it. I promise."

The expression she wore hurt his heart. To see her so scared and vulnerable. To not be able to do a thing about it. It made him ache. He turned back to face Cole, irritated but rational. "So what? So what if she doesn't want me? I'll still love her company and keep her interests in mind and protect her until I die! She doesn't have to want me or choose me for me to still appreciate her and care for her."

The three then stood there in silence. Cole, accepting the reality that Cyrus would fight for Mia no matter what was thrown at him. Cyrus, in shock of what he admitted. And Mia, surprised that Cyrus would do such a noble thing for her even without asking. In the back of her mind, Mia couldn't help but feel like properly apologizing. But now wasn't the time.

Eventually, Cole scoffed with a laugh. "Then let her choose. She can choose you– a temperamental lizard. Or me– someone who can be anything she wants. But I'll tell you. I couldn't get her a year ago like I wanted. But I didn't let some old hag stop me and I certainly won't let some overgrown lizard stop me either! You're not so tough without your brothers, now, are you? Saving face in front of her. It won't help you, it'll only hurt you!"

At that moment, the world fell silent. "What?" She whispered as her ears started to ring and the rising feeling of disbelief started to wash over her. It was like white noise had entered her mind, and she was quicky losing her will to focus on the threatening situation at hand.

Cyrus looked over at Mia and saw that she was quickly falling into a dangerous head space. He needed her to stay present in this moment and not fall apart, especially when this monster was preying on her downfall. Cyrus warmed his hand just enough so it wouldn't burn her but instead help her focus on that warmth– not the feeling of realization, depression, and shock that her grandmother's murderer was right in front of her.

Mia felt the warm pinch on her wrist as Cyrus warmed her somehow. Looking at Cole, she realized that he didn't intend to just let them just leave. But she didn't want to be anywhere near this monster a second longer. Lacing her fingers with Cyrus's, she pulled him backwards. "We need to leave. I can hear people coming."

Cole hissed and looked behind them, noticing that they had drawn attention to themselves with all their yelling. He would have to try again when their were less people around. "Don't think you've won, lizard. I'll be seeing you around, doll," he told them as his form wavered and flattened to the ground. The black goo slithering away into the shadows, leaving Mia and Cyrus alone.