The Tribrid's Mate

#7 Mimics

Lucas POV

It's been an hour since Milena had fainted. That unruly girl never stops amazing me. I have no idea why, but she dared to come here even after knowing it was a restricted area. She had these determining eyes that were full of questions.

Honestly, now that I am looking at her sleeping form, I am no longer sure what amazed me the most. That she made such a foolish move after such a long time, or if she did it for real after lurking around this place several times.

Milena is the most unreadable character I have met. At times, she puts everything she has to get out of the place. But at other times, Milena is warm and at the giving end for us. Sometimes, I even get the vibes, like she is beginning to understand us.

I looked at her calm, peaceful face. She looked prettier since she had come. Her round face, olive skin, sharp nose were strangely appealing to me, even though I shouldn't find her or any woman attractive. I wondered if she knew how refreshingly beautiful she was since mostly she would joke around about her ordinary appeal.

Her thick, dark brown hair fell all the way to her waist. She probably never had a fashionable haircut in her entire life. But the length suited her face, giving her a doll-like appearance now that she wasn't looking so malnourished. She was not tall. Nor too short. Just perfect. She was not too lean or fat. Just perfect, like many other things about her. Her deep brown eyes could hold me captivated longer than I was willing to allow it. It made me feel unsettled and guilty. But with each passing day, I was falling deep into the trap that her eyes had set for me.

Truthfully, she had some unknown impact the moment I laid my eyes on her. She was scared, fragile, and seemed broken, yet she made me feel alive after ages.

Originally I planned to drug her and leave her in her motel room. I even contemplated making her forget what she saw and bury it deep in my head that I had ever met her. But somehow, I could not leave her to her fate, knowing mimics could have seen me bringing her here. They might have thought I was related to her since I protected her or just out of curiosity to make it difficult for me. I could make her forget, but not to a mimic who could shapeshift to her.

I do not want to hold her as a hostage. She was a passerby in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she has seen more than she should have. The issue is not that she saw me killing him, but that she saw the mimic. There were others like him in the street then, and they would have seen her too. They would have taken her and done wrong things. Who knows if they were still looking for her now. That was my justification.

If a mimic would kill her, they could then take her form. They would try to trap me in human laws and make it difficult for me to come to the human world by involving the Human police. They would definitely give false testimonies or whatnots. We cannot afford humans to get involved in this and put their lives in danger.

The Mimics could only take someone's form after draining them fully. The Mimics are a mixture of shapeshifters and vampires. But they were not hybrids. They could shapeshift but only to that of their recent prey or their natural self. In order to shapeshift into someone, they need to drink the victim's blood to the last drop, which could kill them ultimately.

Since we can not make ourselves known to the human world, it is a rule that everyone from Lunasia trespassing to their world should obey human rules till their time on earth isn't over.

Hence, I decided to bring her with me. I simply could not leave her there.

The Mimics are not ancient creatures like us. They are abominations that have started popping out in our world not ages ago. But we are still yet to find how they discovered the portal to the other world. Ever since then, the Mimics have brought havoc on the earth. They are killing the earthlings for fun and taking over their victim's life. The only way we can protect both worlds is by killing them until we are able to find the root cause or a cure.

I was lost in my thoughts when I realized that Milena's eyelids were flicking. But before I could call the healer or someone, she woke up with a thud with the same questioning eyes. There was a hint of doubt and confusion, but mostly she was afraid. Perhaps, in her mind, she had already concluded something. She was too scared to believe it could be true.

I felt guilty. Milena shouldn't have discovered it like this. I wondered if she was more scared of me than Karl like Lucian had described, or that elderly man that Matthew keeps talking about from time to time.

Milena did not speak a word. Perhaps she felt confused since a lot was going on in her head, or she felt scared even to say anything after witnessing that. Seeing her like this, I did something I did not think I was capable of doing.

I took her one hand and placed it between both of my palms. I don't know what came over me, but I don't even remember when was the last time I felt this overwhelmed. I looked at her with a smile and assurance until her body relaxed and her breathing evened.

When I was sure her anxiety had reduced, I gave her some water to drink. With my other hand, I tucked her hair behind her ear. I gently smiled at her questioning, confused eyes.

She was skeptical. She wasn't expecting this from me. So, it was natural for her to feel puzzled. I had been mean and cold to her. So, she might be feeling flustered.

She seemed more bewildered by my action. Honestly, I was astonished too. But that brief exchange kind of helped both of us calm down a bit and settle. We were much more comfortable than before, at least I was.

Milena gulped down the saliva she was holding back out of uncertainty and emptied the water glass she was holding. She tried to speak, but I noticed she was still hesitating. I squeezed her hand, comforting her a little more. She was taken aback, but soon I could see the improvement when she met my eyes for the first time without flinching.

Milena looked at me with those innocent eyes that made me feel guilty to hold her here without her permission. I wanted to apologize to her. But I also had trouble even thinking about letting her go. I was scared she would become more adamant about leaving this place after knowing the truth. But after some debate between my head and heart, I decided if she was staying here, she needed to know a little more.

She would face more such barriers and supernatural creatures. I can't stop it forever, even if I tried. She wasn't someone I could lock up, too. I made up my mind to tell her about us. If she overreacts, I could always make her forget.

"Do you want to ask something? I won't avoid it this time." I looked her in the eyes and assured her. It kind of made her feel more confident.

"Are you sure you wouldn't do that?" She whispered, looking at our entangled palms. She was surprised, too, that she wasn't pulling it away. And I had a similar feeling. Why were we so comfortable? It was odd.

"I promise if that's what you want to hear." I chuckled a bit, blinking my eyes in reassurance.

She lowered her eyes timidly. It made my heart flutter. But I immediately felt guilty about it. But I was helpless, anyway.

"Why did you change?" Milena questioned.

It was a good one. But I had no answer to that.

"Let's say I am in a generous mood." I smiled. I didn't want her thoughts to go wild when I was unsure about these strange feelings myself. It should never happen. I cannot like another woman.

"What is that barrier?" She blurted out suddenly, her eyes popping out in curiosity. I flinched a little. But she wouldn't have noticed it. I could not apprehend if I felt relieved because she wasn't pursuing the previous topic or was surprised by her direct approach. Well, she never failed to make me feel stunned.

I wanted to lie, but I decided against it. I had to stick to my decision. I knew Milena was already suspicious about the barrier when she had tried the second time, to be just sure. I repeated in my head that if something went south, I would make her forget everything.

"You might not believe what I say. It is beyond what you see or believe." I warned her. But she still seemed determined to find the truth.

"I want to know the truth, no matter what it is," Milena mumbled. Her voice was dying towards the end, but not her thirst for the truth.

"I am warning you once again. It is..." I had a hard time explaining it to her in a subtle way when she interrupted me.

"It is something to protect whatever or whomever you have kept in that room. I know here many things don't make sense now that I think about them. You would know about other matters without ever talking about it. They make just too many weird potions throughout the day, and strange people keep coming. The loyalty these people have for you is itself questionable. And that dream! The dream where we fell on the cliff. Why does it feel real?" Milena gasped. Who knew she had so many things buried inside her. At that rate, she would have deduced the truth herself sooner.

"You are smarter than for what I give you credit." I smiled. She knew she was right about them. Her eyes became more enlarged as if it was possible.

"It is an invisible barrier keeping everyone at bay than the selected few who are allowed to enter it without getting hurt," I said honestly.

"Is it some invisible ray? Like electromagnetic fields or something?" She asked seriously.

"Something like that. From where you are, you call it science. But here we call it magic since here we can do things we can not justify with your or our science." I replied as patiently and persuasively as I could. I ensured to fixate my eyes on her for the entire time to read her reaction. I didn't want to make her feel too anxious or scared.

"Magic?" That was all she murmured in surprise.

I gulped hard, preparing myself for a long night of interrogation and explanations. At least she was not freaking out already!