Marcus was a great distraction for Mila, everything she needed him to be in that moment. The problem was, once the moment was over, the distraction was over and her mind wandered back to the things her father said to her.

Too much. Overdramatic. Selfish. Delusional.

It wasn't true and Mila knew that. At least, most of her did. She knew she wasn't delusional. She tried not to be selfish. Most of her life was living for Stella, anyway, how could she be selfish if everything she did was for someone else? Overdramatic. Mila sucked in a breath and turned off the water once the bath was full. Clipping her hair up, she climbed in and sunk under the water, hating the tears coming down her face.

I'm not that overdramatic, am I? Mila shook her head at her own thoughts. Her father was an ass. He was just trying to hurt her. Those words didn't deserve to still be occupying her mind. Nothing he said held any truth or significance.

...Or do they?

She was often too much for people. Her father wasn't the only person to have ever said it. Mila was a lot to be around. You're too much for everyone. Mila closed her eyes, pushing more tears out and trying to push the pain out with him. It wasn't fair that he could make her cry. She didn't want him to have any power.

Mila jumped when she felt contact against her shoulder. Her eyes opened and she saw Marcus back in his human form, crouched next to the tub, hand on her shoulder. Mila quickly wiped away the tears and smiled. "Okay, it hurt more than I let on, but I don't regret a second of it and want it again when I'm not sore anymore," Mila said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss against Marcus's lips. "It was perfect, so don't go thinking you went too hard on me."

"I don't think that," Marcus said, lifting his hand to her chin, brushing his thumb over her jaw. I just think you're lying to me about why there's tears.

"You don't have to stay," Mila said, leaning back in the tub, sinking under the water up to the base of her neck.

"Do you want to know what happened when I killed the pure soul?"

TW: Below mentions domestic abuse, please skip to the stars if needed ❤️

The question had Mila looking over at him with wide eyes. She asked him several times what happened but he was adamantly against telling her. "I thought you didn't want to tell me."

It wasn't something Marcus wanted to tell her, to tell anyone, really. Except she kept resisting being soft with him, being vulnerable with him. The only way he could think to get her comfortable enough around him to talk was if she wasn't the only one talking.

"You belong to me, don't you?" Marcus asked, dragging his finger up and down the length of her neck.

"If you say so," Mila said, rolling her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

"Don't you?"

Mila sighed, the teasing smile falling away as she nodded.

"I was summoned by a woman in the middle of the night," Marcus began, resting his arm along the tub and tapping his fingers against the ceramic, his other hand still lazily trailing along Mila's neck. "She had bruises on her face, tears in her eyes, told me her husband had been hitting her and her kids."

"Holy shit." Mila frowned, turning more towards him and leaning into his touch.

"I went into their room, the kids," Marcus said, hips lips twitching down at the memory. "They were covered in bruises as well, sleeping in their closet because it was one more barrier between them and more pain."

"Marcus," Mila breathed, reaching out and running her hand through his hair, getting it wet as the water dripped from her fingers.

"I sort of... Snapped," Marcus admitted, setting his hand on hers and lowering it down, turning his head to press a kiss against her palm. "I should've looked into it more, but the idea that he..." Marcus sighed and shook his head. "She told me he wasn't home but I used his clothes to find a scent and hunt him down. He was walking down the street, hood up, I didn't get a good look at his face. I just killed him. Fast because I figured I'd do the slow, painful torture in hell. I'd have more ways to make him suffer there, so I made the mortal death fast. Except when his soul left the mortal world, it didn't go to hell." Marcus looked over at her. "It went to heaven. And it was then I actually looked at him and saw the deep scratches down his face, like someone dug their nails in. It was then I realized my mistake."

"Oh my God," Mila whispered.

"He wasn't the one hurting the kids, she was. He was on his way to turn her in, and she intended to set him up and make it look like she was the one hurt so when the police showed up, they wouldn't just take her in. But her plan changed I guess, she decided to summon a demon instead and just get rid of him. And I... Was so lost in rage when I saw the kids sleeping in that closet that I didn't pay attention. I should've smelled the lie, I should've realized what was happening but... When I looked at that woman, I saw my mother in her and it clouded my thinking."

"Your mother?" Mila repeated, frowning.

"My father wasn't kind to her," Marcus admitted. "He had her killed because he said she made me weak. Sent her off to a camp he knew was going to be attacked and told her it was the safest place to be."

Mila didn't mean to gasp but she couldn't help it. She leaned over the tub and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It was a long time ago," Marcus said, running his hand up and down her back. "Clearly affected my judgement, though. I went back and killed the woman who summoned me. I was free of the bond the moment I killed who she asked. Those kids were better off orphans than they ever would be with her. My only regret was being so distracted by my anger that I didn't recognize her lies. I couldn't have killed her, but someone else could've and it would've released me from my bond to her. I'm not a good person, Mila."

"That's insane. You were tricked into something, it could've happened to anyone," Mila frowned, pulling back so she could look at him.

"No, Mila, you don't understand," Marcus said, cupping her face. "I'm not a good person. That wasn't the first innocent person I killed because I was too blinded by other things."

"You make my sister smile bigger than I've seen her smile in a long time," Mila said, shaking her head. "I don't care what's in your past. You can't convince me you're terrible."

"You're still misunderstanding." Marcus frowned, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I'm not a good person, except when I'm around you. You're what brings out the good."

Mila felt her eyes filling up again and leaned closer to Marcus, pressing her forehead against his. "I can't bring out something that's not there. You give me too much credit."

"You don't give yourself enough," Marcus said, bringing his hand under her chin, staring down at her in a way that left her feeling completely bare to him. "What happened today?"

Mila swallowed and shrugged, leaning her arms on the edge of the tub and resting her head against it. Marcus set his hand on her shoulder, running it down her arm and back up while she stayed silent.

The silence stretched and Marcus waited. Her face was turned away from him but he kept hearing her take in a deep breath like she was about to speak but then didn't. Until she finally did.

"I ran into my dad today," she muttered quietly.

Marcus's hand stilled on her arm, his thumb rubbing circles against her skin. "What happened?"

"He... He just said some stuff to me," Mila said, her voice growing shakier. "It's nothing compared to what you've been through," she laughed. "I shouldn't even still be thinking about it."

Sighing, Marcus stood. Mila looked up, watching him climb in behind her and push her forward a little as he sank down. He pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"It was nothing," she assured. Marcus didn't respond, only held her as her resolve to keep it to herself slowly started slipping. "I mean, why do we need to talk about it? Reliving it won't help, it'll just upset me again."

"It's upsetting you anyway," Marcus pointed out.

Mila huffed and sank back against him, bringing her knees up like making herself smaller would help the words come easier.

After a long silence, Mila relayed to Marcus what happened. Her needing her stuff and going in the house, thinking she'd made it out without being noticed only to be stopped on the street. Marcus listened with a calm anger, pulling her against him when her voice got shaky. Mila let him turn her in his arms and rest her cheek against his chest, embarrassed by the tears that came out when she told him the things Toran said to her.

Outwardly, Marcus just listened and held her, running his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe. Inwardly, Marcus wondered if one of his demon friends was around to do to Toran what Marcus couldn't do as long as he was in a blood bond with Mila. He could only scare Toran, not hurt him the way he wanted to.

As Mila told him the story he could hear the uncertainty in her voice. Like she wasn't sure if everything he said was wrong, like maybe she was too much for everyone. The fact she had to wonder made Marcus even angrier but he kept it to himself. She was finally being open with him and he wasn't going to interrupt.

By the time Mila finished the story, the water was cold and Marcus held her against him as he leaned forward and opened the drain to empty the water. He helped her dry off and didn't bother getting dressed, just went back to bed and curled up under the blankets.

"I'm supposed to work in a couple hours," Mila sighed, wrapping her arms around Marcus's waist, her eyelids feeling heavier with every passing second. Between the workout with Marcus, the emotional drain from what happened with her dad, she was about to pass out.

"Can you stay home tonight?" Marcus asked, pressing his lips against her forehead. "You had a shit day."

"No, Stella's medical bills are due again soon," Mila yawned, cuddling against Marcus, her eyes falling shut. "I need everything I can get."

Marcus inhaled deeply, glad Mila was falling asleep so she wouldn't see his eyes glowing red as the anger brewed inside him. He has the nerve to call her selfish after he walked away, when all she ever does is work her ass off to give Stella everything.

"Mila." Marcus brought the blankets tighter around her naked body. "You're not too much for anyone. Anyone that thinks so is just intimidated."

"I must intimidate a lot then," Mila murmured.

"Sounds like you spend too much time around pussies," Marcus countered, but Mila was already asleep.

Marcus waited until she was deeper asleep before he slid out from under her. He could've called on one of his friends but decided he could deal with Toran enough on his own, even if he couldn't really hurt him. He could still scare the hell into him.