- 3 hours ago
The Snake I Saved Loved My Best Friend - Complete Episodes Fantasy Drama
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Five years ago, my best friend and I took a trip out to Arizona and got caught in a dust
00:04storm.
00:05We ducked into a cave where we found a badly wounded little snake curled up in the dry grass.
00:10Is it hibernating?
00:11I'd never seen a snake before. Scared but curious,
00:15Chloe smacked the back of my head and pointed at the wounds.
00:18In the middle of summer? Are you serious?
00:21Look at it. It's dying.
00:24Hot weather like this, it's brutal out there for wild animals.
00:26Snakes will eat their own kind when they're starving. Survival of the fittest.
00:30Look at the bite marks. That's another snake for sure.
00:32I stopped hearing her after that. One sentence kept echoing in my head.
00:36They eat their own kind.
00:38So you got thrown out by your family too, huh?
00:41Yeah, same here. Tell you what, come home with me. I'll take care of you.
00:46Chloe tried to talk me out of it. I picked up the half-dead snake and brought it home anyway.
00:50Then I blew a month of my paycheck on the best heated terrarium I could find
00:55and spent hours setting it up just right.
00:57Why are you wasting your money on this thing?
00:59Even if it shifts someday, it's gonna be a lesser shifter.
01:03If you want a shifter that bad, just go to the black market and buy an alpha tier one.
01:07I traced my finger along the glass, over the snake still recovering inside.
01:12It's not the same. I want this one.
01:16When I look at him, I see myself.
01:18Maybe what I'd saved wasn't the snake. Maybe it was the version of me from years ago.
01:24The one my family had broken into pieces.
01:26The second I mentioned my biological family, Chloe went quiet.
01:31Okay, whatever makes you happy.
01:34Then she changed into a tight little dress and went out to have her fun.
01:37I stayed home alone and looked after the snake.
01:40Every day after work, I stopped at the butcher and brought home fresh poultry to drop into the terrarium.
01:45And one morning, two years later, it finally happened.
01:49My snake shifted.
01:51I opened my eyes that morning and met a pair of deep black ones.
01:54They looked cold, distant, but to me, they pulled like a magnet.
01:58I swallowed hard.
01:59My eyes drifted down without permission.
02:02Naked male body.
02:03Technically, he wasn't 100% shifted yet, but all the human parts were there.
02:08Add a face that hit every single one of my buttons, and my own face went tomato red.
02:15The scream woke Chloe in the next room.
02:18She came running.
02:19When she pushed the door open, she saw me with my head buried under the covers and a man stark
02:24naked, fresh out of his shift.
02:26She got the picture instantly.
02:28I was mortified.
02:29Chloe was not.
02:30She looked him up and down, head to toe.
02:32No shame at all.
02:34Then she started rating.
02:35Face, 100%.
02:36Pecs and Ams, 85.
02:38Working equipment down there looks about a 95.
02:40Damn, Emma.
02:41Lesser shifter or not, that face and that package, worth every penny.
02:46You've got an eye.
02:47Saying that kind of stuff out loud, in front of him, was that legal?
02:51I quickly tossed a blanket over him.
02:53Looking back, if I'd kept my head for two seconds, I would've noticed how weird he got around Chloe.
02:59Not like the cool, blank face he gave me after I'd seen everything.
03:02While Chloe rattled off her commentary, my snake boy actually blushed.
03:07But I was too busy being thrilled and embarrassed.
03:09I missed it.
03:11Once a shifter takes human form, the hardest part is fitting in with the rest of the world.
03:15I took on the role of teacher, walking him through every rule of human society.
03:20Then I dropped half a paycheck on a class for new shifters, so he could pick it up faster.
03:24You'll need a name to enroll.
03:26You don't have one yet, right?
03:27I can give you one.
03:29How about you take my last name?
03:30You could go by-
03:31I won't lie.
03:32There was a tiny selfish part of me that wanted him to take my last name.
03:36I kept my eyes on the floor, too chicken to look at him.
03:39I had the surname.
03:40I was working on the first name when he cut me off.
03:43I have a name.
03:44It's Simus Thorne.
03:46I closed my mouth fast.
03:47A little disappointed, but I shoved it down.
03:50Simus Thorne, that's a great name.
03:52The days went by.
03:53Adding Silas to the apartment didn't make anything weird.
03:56If anything, it made things warmer.
03:58I taught him to cook, and he picked it up.
04:00Eat more, Chloe.
04:02Silas made all of this.
04:03I beamed across the dinner table, hyping him up.
04:06Silas sat there like a good kid, waiting patiently for the praise.
04:09He cooked this?
04:11It's actually edible?
04:13I kept giving her looks until she finally gave in and tried a bite.
04:16She chewed.
04:17Her eyes went wide.
04:18Then she went all in.
04:21Not bad, Simus, baby.
04:23Look at you.
04:24Cooks like a dream.
04:25You're gonna make some lucky girl a great house ham in one day.
04:28Chloe wagged her eyebrows at him.
04:30Silas' face burnt.
04:31He felt his body doing something it shouldn't.
04:34He slammed his fork down and walked off to his room.
04:38I called after him.
04:39He was probably mad.
04:41I rushed after him to smooth things over.
04:43Silas, don't be mad.
04:45Chloe didn't mean anything by it.
04:46She really did love your cooking.
04:49You can't be teasing people like that.
04:51Now look, you upset Silas.
04:53I put on the fake mad face and scolded Chloe.
04:56My bad.
04:57Silas finally answered.
04:59I'm not mad.
05:00Leave me alone.
05:01What I didn't see was the scales on his body.
05:03The ones that hadn't fully shifted away.
05:05They were flickering with a strange light.
05:07After that, Silas threw himself into cooking like his life depended on it.
05:11And me, like a complete idiot, I taught him every single thing I knew.
05:16Then, a year later, the quiet life shattered.
05:18I came home from work that day to find every light in the apartment off.
05:23Silas?
05:24Did he go out?
05:25My stomach started doing something nervous.
05:27I pushed his door open, and by the moonlight I saw him on the bed, restless, agitated.
05:32Why are the lights off?
05:34I stepped closer.
05:35There was a strange smell in the air, and it sent heat through my whole body.
05:39Silas was twisting on the bed, like he couldn't get comfortable.
05:43Simus, what's wrong?
05:44Was he sick?
05:45I leaned down to feel his forehead, burning up.
05:47I turned to go grab medicine, and his hand shot out and caught my arm.
05:51It's so hot.
05:52I'm so hot.
05:54Help me.
05:55Please.
05:56Simus?
05:57I swallowed.
05:58The smell in the room was getting stronger.
06:00Then, he had me pinned against his burning chest.
06:03He had no clothes on.
06:04I could feel the shiver of skin meeting scales, hot and cold all at once.
06:30There was nowhere to run.
06:32I lost track of time.
06:34When it was over, the whole room was a wreck.
06:36The next morning, Chloe found me in Silas' bed.
06:40Damn.
06:41The boy's first heat and you sealed the deal.
06:43That's my girl.
06:45I couldn't help it.
06:46My face went bright red.
06:48I turned to look at Silas and walked straight into his ice cold expression.
06:52The smile I'd been hiding died before it could land.
06:55I couldn't read him.
06:56Was he embarrassed?
06:57Pissed?
06:59I told Chloe quick, before she said anything else he wouldn't like.
07:04Chloe didn't care.
07:05She didn't have to walk on eggshells around Silas the way I did.
07:08Simus?
07:09Sweetie?
07:10You're bonded to my girl Emma now.
07:11No cheating on her, you hear me?
07:13Bonded shifters and their keepers get the mate bond.
07:16Telepathy the whole thing.
07:17You're hers for life now.
07:19The more Chloe talked, the colder Silas' face got.
07:22His eyes had gone arctic.
07:24After that night, I could tell Silas was going through something.
07:28After class, he'd rather stay at school than come home on time.
07:31He'd roll in late at night, often reeking of liquor.
07:34I'd text him.
07:35Five, six times a day.
07:37Calls too.
07:38He never answered.
07:39I knew he was pulling away.
07:40I didn't have the guts to ask why.
07:42Same as when I was a kid.
07:44Quiet, scared.
07:45I told myself the same thing I always did.
07:47It's fine.
07:48As long as Silas is still here, I can deal with this.
07:52Chloe had been out a lot too lately.
07:54Barely home.
07:54She finally suggested we all do dinner that night.
07:57So Silas actually came straight home from class for once.
08:00Chloe didn't show up till past seven.
08:02And she walked in with a bombshell.
08:07Emma's off the market, so I figured I should catch up.
08:10Everybody, meet my new wolf shifter.
08:12Chloe had gotten herself a bee shifter too.
08:15Hey Emma, so good to finally meet you.
08:17Chloe talks about you all the time.
08:19You're even prettier than she said.
08:20I greeted the cute wolf, warm as I could, and introduced Silas.
08:24Silas just glanced at him.
08:26Ignored the hand the wolf held out.
08:28Off to a great start.
08:29Don't take it personal.
08:30He's a snake.
08:31They're just like that.
08:32Cold.
08:34Emma, I know plenty of snake shifters.
08:35They aren't like that.
08:36He's just rude.
08:37But hey, no hard feelings.
08:39Lesser shifters can't really control their bodies.
08:41Makes sense they can't manage their manners either.
08:42I tried to cover for Silas, so they had ranking issues over in the shifter world too.
08:47The wolf kept stacking food on Chloe's plate, calling her babe every five seconds.
08:52Even I was getting secondhand awkward.
08:54Chloe, I thought you said he was bonded to you.
08:57Why is he not even serving you?
08:59A pet shifter that doesn't earn his keep, you should ditch him.
09:02This wolf knew exactly how to stir.
09:05I sighed, ready to defend Silas.
09:07Then a piece of shrimp landed in my plate.
09:09Silas had put food on my plate.
09:12First time.
09:12I sniffed once, fighting it back, and put the shrimp in my mouth.
09:16For the first time in my life, shrimp tasted sweet.
09:20Hey, we're all meeting for the first time.
09:22Let's keep it civil.
09:23Chloe stepped in to cool things down, signaling the wolf to back off.
09:27It backfired.
09:28Civil how?
09:29When this little snake is into you, how am I supposed to stay civil?
09:32The air froze.
09:33I felt the blood in my body turn to ice.
09:36My hands shook around my fork.
09:38Everything I'd been pushing down for months.
09:40Everything I'd been pretending not to see.
09:42A stranger said it out loud like it was nothing.
09:45Silas kicked his chair back and ran out the door.
09:49See?
09:49I called it.
09:50Embarrassed himself and now he's pissed.
09:53Ungrateful little snake.
09:54Chloe took in the wreck on the table.
09:56And this time, she sided with the wolf.
09:58Chloe brushed him off, careful for my sake.
10:01Emma, I swear I didn't lead him on.
10:03You're not gonna cut me off over some heartbreaker, right?
10:06I'm going to find him.
10:08It's pouring out there.
10:10Let me come with you.
10:11Chloe started to follow, but the wolf caught her.
10:13Babe, don't.
10:14The snake's already obsessed with you.
10:16You go out there, it'll just make it worse.
10:18When you bond with a shifter, you can sense roughly where they are.
10:22I could tell where Silas was.
10:24I followed the pole through the rain for a long time.
10:26It led me to a wild hill near the edge of town.
10:29Silas!
10:30The bond only got me close.
10:31The rest was on me.
10:33I pushed through brush and scrub with my bare hands, scanning every inch.
10:37I finally spotted him behind a big rock.
10:39Silas, come home.
10:41The wolf was just nervous about Chloe.
10:43That's why he said all that.
10:44Let's just go home and forget him.
10:46I reached out to help him up.
10:48He shoved me away, hard.
10:50Stop lying to yourself!
10:51It was the first time he'd ever yelled at me.
10:54He's right.
10:55I do like Chloe.
10:57I like how loud and bright she is.
10:59I don't like how you tiptoe around me, how you act small all the time.
11:02Is that a crime?
11:02How many times have I sat there wondering why she wasn't the one who picked me up?
11:06Why it was you?
11:07How many times have I regretted not locking the door that night, letting you touch me?
11:11I didn't want to bond.
11:12Not with you.
11:12I had a chance.
11:13She told me on the day I shifted.
11:15She liked my face.
11:15She liked my body.
11:16Why did I have to be bonded to you instead?
11:19She's into alpha tier shifters.
11:21That's why she doesn't want me.
11:23I don't want these scales.
11:24Get off!
11:25Get off!
11:25Get off my body!
11:27Heart.
11:27Blood started leaking out.
11:29Silas, stop!
11:31Don't hurt yourself.
11:33This is on me.
11:34I forced you.
11:35I'm the one who did this.
11:36But he didn't hear me.
11:37He just kept going.
11:39He didn't stop until his arms gave out.
11:41Until he lost too much blood and passed out.
11:44I looked at his torn up body.
11:45And I was so numb.
11:46I couldn't tell if my face was wet from rain or something else.
11:50I pushed the dirt off his face and pulled his unconscious body into my arms.
11:54My chest hurt so bad I couldn't breathe.
11:56I always thought we were the same kind of person.
11:59I was dropped at a group home the day I was born.
12:02When I was six, a couple adopted me.
12:04For a little while, I thought I'd finally found a real home.
12:07Then I figured out the deal.
12:08I was a living medicine cabinet for their daughter.
12:11Every time their daughter got sick, they hauled me to the hospital to test for matches.
12:15Blood transfusions, bone marrow.
12:17It was just routine.
12:18Then she got better.
12:19I thought I was finally going to be a normal daughter in a normal family.
12:23They took me on a road trip and dumped me on the side of the road.
12:26Silas, I really thought once you opened your eyes, you'd love me back.
12:30We'd been through the same things.
12:31Bitten by your own kind.
12:33Thrown away by your own kind.
12:34We were so alike.
12:35But I get it now.
12:36It's because we're alike.
12:38Both of us grew up small, scared, scraping for scraps.
12:41People like us, of course we'd fall for the loud, sunny ones.
12:44They feel like daylight.
12:45I love Chloe too.
12:46Falling for her isn't your fault.
12:48I just don't get what why you hate me so much.
12:50Falling for you isn't mine either.
12:52It was the middle of the night by the time I got home.
12:56Emma, why are you soaked through?
12:58Chloe was still up.
13:00Her eyes filled with worry the second she saw me.
13:03Where's Simus?
13:04Why isn't he with you?
13:05She scanned around me, then spotted the wounded little snake curled up in my arms.
13:10Wait.
13:11Why is he back like that?
13:12That's lesser shifters for you.
13:14Hurt them bad enough, they revert.
13:16Total dud.
13:17Wolf hadn't left.
13:18He was still there, throwing fuel on the fire.
13:21I ignored him.
13:22I went to my room, plugged in the terrarium I'd kept around for a year just in case, and
13:27put Silas back inside.
13:29What are you gonna do when he shifts back?
13:31Yeah.
13:32What was I going to do?
13:33I don't know, Chloe.
13:36He doesn't love me.
13:37What am I supposed to do?
13:39Silas' body did its job.
13:41In less than a month he was healed.
13:42Except for a few ugly scars on his stomach where the scales used to be.
13:46The day he shifted back, Chloe sat him down and shut him down clean.
13:51Told him there was no version of reality, with or without me, where they happened.
13:55To my surprise, Silas didn't cry.
13:58Didn't argue.
13:59He just took it.
14:00After that, by some unspoken agreement, none of us mentioned what had happened.
14:04Life went on, day after day.
14:06The only thing different was Silas himself.
14:09What's up with the snake?
14:10He's clinging to you all of a sudden.
14:12He finally see the light?
14:14Chloe leaned over at dinner, while Silas was up pouring some juice.
14:18Drop it.
14:19I've got someone looking into how to break the bond.
14:22A month had been enough time.
14:23I'd worked some things out.
14:25It was time to let go of Silas.
14:27When are you going to tell him?
14:29Not yet.
14:30Don't set him off.
14:32Once he's a little stronger, I'll let him go.
14:34The air shifted right after I said it.
14:36I looked up.
14:37Silas was standing behind us.
14:38He was holding his glass.
14:40His lips pressed in a thin line.
14:42I had no idea how much he'd heard.
14:44But honestly, I didn't care anymore.
14:46So what if he heard?
14:47He was leaving anyway.
14:49Don't just stand there.
14:50Sit down and eat.
14:51So what if he was upset?
14:52Not my problem.
14:54Chloe waved him over.
14:55Things got weird.
14:56But Silas didn't ask about what we'd said.
14:59Same as the past few days.
15:00He just quietly put my favorite shrimp into my plate.
15:03I didn't push it away.
15:04If there was food, I'd eat it.
15:06No need to waste.
15:07If you like it, I can make it every day.
15:12Don't bother.
15:14Hey, we haven't been to the mall in forever.
15:17Come home early tomorrow.
15:18I'll get you some new clothes.
15:19Call it a parting gift.
15:20Are you giving up on me?
15:23I know I screwed up.
15:24There's never going to be anyone who treats me the way you do.
15:27I figured it out.
15:28I won't make you mad anymore.
15:30He came to the mall with me anyway.
15:31I took him straight to the designer floor.
15:33It was a parting gift after all.
15:36I'm not cheap.
15:36He was getting the good stuff.
15:38I held a few outfits up against him and finally picked two.
15:41At the register, he tugged on my sleeve.
15:44I don't want them.
15:44So snakes weren't always cold after all.
15:47I peeled his hand off and paid anyway.
15:49Chloe was clearly thrilled by how unbothered I looked.
15:52She dragged me up to the fourth floor to check out an exhibit.
15:55In a great mood, Silas trailed behind us.
15:58That's when it happened.
15:59A loud bang.
16:00The crowd erupted.
16:03Stay with me.
16:04Someone's stealing a painting.
16:05Silas was the first to notice.
16:07He tried to get us out.
16:08We were already in the middle of the chaos.
16:10Too late.
16:11Something tore through the air toward Chloe and me.
16:14Fast.
16:14Trying to grab us.
16:15In that split second, Silas's tail shot out at us.
16:19Long and snapping.
16:20There was no time.
16:21He could only save one.
16:23He chose Chloe.
16:24So even now, in a crisis.
16:26On instinct.
16:27Chloe was still the one he reached for.
16:29I clenched my fists.
16:30My nails cut into my palms.
16:32I didn't feel any of it.
16:33The feeling of being thrown away again still ate me alive.
16:36I couldn't breathe.
16:37The dark figure seized me.
16:40I'm not going to hurt you.
16:41I just need a favor.
16:43Then the mall security.
16:45Don't follow.
16:46He's got a hostage.
16:47The next thing I knew, my body went weightless.
16:50I was airborne.
16:51The man who'd grabbed me was a bat shifter.
16:53His goal was clear.
16:54He was after a painting.
16:55I don't know how long we flew.
16:57He landed at a manor out in the middle of nowhere.
17:00Looked like it was his place.
17:01Is the painting that valuable?
17:05I looked at the canvas in his hand.
17:07A girl chasing butterflies.
17:08Nothing famous.
17:09Nothing worth a fortune.
17:11I didn't get it.
17:12Why was a guy with a manor this big risking his neck for a painting like that?
17:17It's not.
17:18But my dad gave it to my mom.
17:20As a love token.
17:22The girl in the painting is my mother.
17:25My mom's not doing well lately.
17:27If I can't bring her to it, I had to bring it to her.
17:29I followed him up to the sunroom on the top floor.
17:32The second he opened the door, I saw his mother.
17:35She had to be pushing 60.
17:37But she still wore her hair in two pigtails.
17:40Just like the girl in the painting.
17:41She looked dim until he handed her the canvas.
17:44Then her face lit up.
17:46Adrian, you're back.
17:48But the second she said it, he turned and walked out.
17:51Your mom's calling you.
17:52Why are you walking away?
17:54Adrian was my father's name.
17:55I'm Dorian.
17:55Then where's your father?
17:57And why does your mom think you're him?
17:58Same as you.
17:59My mom got dumped.
18:01Hold on.
18:01Me?
18:02What did I have to do with this?
18:04I'm a bat.
18:05I can see in the dark.
18:06I saw the whole thing.
18:07Your bonded snake.
18:08When I was about to grab you and your friend, he chose your friend.
18:10You're his keeper.
18:11And he picked her.
18:13He had a gift for finding the soft spots and stabbing them.
18:16Honestly, after getting that wound ripped open one more time, I think I'd gone numb.
18:21He saw me go quiet and figured I was still drowning in heartbreak.
18:25He started trying to comfort me.
18:29Let me tell you about my parents.
18:32You can see this place.
18:33This whole estate belongs to my mom's shifter family.
18:36She was supposed to marry into another shifter family.
18:38But one day, by complete bad luck, she found my dad in the woods, hurt.
18:41She brought him home, took care of him.
18:43To thank her, my dad painted her portrait.
18:45And my idiot mother fell in love because of that painting.
18:47He felt like he owed her, so they got together.
18:50Then they had me.
18:51But you can't fake love.
18:53When I was six, my dad walked out anyway.
18:55My mom lost it.
18:56She tried to overdose.
18:57Our staff caught her in time.
18:58My mom lost it.
18:59Brain went too long without oxygen.
19:01Now she's like that.
19:02Don't pretend I didn't see.
19:04When I grabbed you on that rooftop before I took off,
19:07you were thinking about jumping, weren't you?
19:09I didn't answer, so he kept going.
19:11You women are unreal.
19:13Always trying to die for some guy who doesn't love you.
19:15Like he's gonna feel bad about it after.
19:17I twisted my ankle, dude.
19:19I'm a grown woman with a college degree.
19:21I'm not killing myself over a breakup.
19:24Go now.
19:25I don't host lovesick women.
19:27After you leave, do whatever you want with your life.
19:29Just don't die in my house.
19:31So now he was kicking me out.
19:32If he was offering, I was taking it.
19:35I turned for the door.
19:36Right as I lifted my foot.
19:37You're not actually gonna do something stupid, are you?
19:39It's just a sprained ankle.
19:41Three hours into a forest hike,
19:44staring at a wall of green that didn't end,
19:46I broke down.
19:47How far out in the boonies did this bat live?
19:50Right when I was ready to give up, my body lifted off the ground.
19:53Oh, now you decide to take me back.
19:55He had no idea how exhausted I was.
19:57I'm doing you a favor.
19:58Don't get used to it.
20:00After I drop you, don't go talking trash about me.
20:02He really cared about his rep.
20:04Who out here even knew him?
20:05I got home the next day.
20:07I'd stopped by a witch on the way, and finally got the answer I wanted.
20:11I pushed the door open, and saw Chloe sitting in the living room,
20:14with two giant black circles under her eyes.
20:17Are you okay?
20:18Did he do anything to you?
20:21I'm fine.
20:22He's not a bad guy.
20:23My eyes landed on the figure crouched in the corner.
20:26I went straight to the kitchen, and grabbed a knife.
20:28You've lost it!
20:29You're gonna off yourself over him?
20:31Are you serious?
20:32So you're gonna kill him?
20:33Oh!
20:33The guy is heartless, ungrateful, I mean, but maybe he doesn't deserve to die?
20:37Calm down.
20:38The witch told me how to break the bond.
20:40He just has to drink three drops of blood from my hand.
20:43Why is it your blood that has to spill?
20:45She frowned.
20:46Then she remembered I was finally cutting Silas loose, and she relaxed.
20:50I walked over to Silas with the knife.
20:53You smell like him?
20:55Smell?
20:56The bat?
20:56When I didn't answer, he kept pressing.
20:59Did you touch him?
21:00Did he touch you?
21:03You don't want me anymore?
21:05He sounded like a husband catching his wife mid-affair, except he had no right to
21:09that tone.
21:10I didn't bother answering.
21:11I sliced my finger and held it out to him.
21:13Drink it.
21:14After that, we're done.
21:16When he saw I wasn't softening, he panicked.
21:18He grabbed my arm and started shaking it.
21:20Emma.
21:21The other day, I didn't mean to leave you.
21:24It was just instinct.
21:25I screwed up.
21:26The second I saw him take you, I knew.
21:27The day he took you, I tried to track you.
21:29The trail went cold.
21:30I lost you.
21:32Don't bother.
21:33Just drink.
21:34What was the point?
21:35Instinct doesn't lie.
21:37I shoved my bleeding hand at him again.
21:39It was my blood.
21:40I cared about it, even if he didn't.
21:42If he didn't drink soon, it'd clot.
21:44I didn't want to cut myself again.
21:46No.
21:46Drink it or don't.
21:48Silas, this is the first and last time I bleed for you.
21:50Shifters only ever bond with one keeper.
21:52Humans can bond with as many shifters as we want.
21:54You still don't get what you did wrong, do you?
21:56Fine, let me spell it out.
21:57Not loving me wasn't either.
21:58Your crime was sitting there happily your crime,
22:00taking everything I gave you while pining for Chloe at the same time.
22:03People who won't say yes and won't say no,
22:05who just want to keep all their options open.
22:06Those are the worst kind of people.
22:08The light finally went out of his eyes.
22:10He opened his mouth, expression blank, and took it.
22:13Knew it!
22:14Selfish little punk!
22:15Chloe ranted on my behalf after I fed him the blood and threw him out.
22:20Real talk though, you're not even a little sad.
22:22You raised him for years.
22:24Honestly, not a bit.
22:26I wasn't lying.
22:27That's my girl.
22:28You know when to walk away.
22:29Chloe pulled me into a hug, thrilled.
22:31While Silas was healing, Chloe had stopped bringing the wolf around
22:34because she didn't want to set him off.
22:36Now that Silas was gone, the wolf moved back in.
22:39He turned out to be the perfect shield against Silas, who kept coming back to bother me.
22:44Oh, you again?
22:44Here for Chloe today or Emma?
22:46Please, just let me see her.
22:48Which her?
22:49Emma.
22:50Wow, that was quick.
22:51Emma, the deadbeat couldn't find a new place to land.
22:53He's back.
22:54That's not it.
22:55I just didn't know my own heart before.
22:56I had to lose her to figure out who I really love.
22:59Shut the door.
23:01Okay.
23:03Snake, save the romance act.
23:05If you really didn't want to leave Emma, why'd you drink her blood and break the bond?
23:09Selfish, that's why.
23:11Silas didn't quit.
23:12He came back to bang on our door every day.
23:15I finally lost it.
23:16I yanked the door open, ready to threaten him with a restraining order, and walked into
23:21a face I knew.
23:22Dormian.
23:23What are you doing here?
23:26Are you hell-bent on getting rid of me because of him?
23:29You're the snake who turned on his keeper?
23:31Give her back to me.
23:33Just because he's an alpha-tier you suddenly don't want me?
23:35I had nothing to say.
23:37Backstabbers also got a smart mouth.
23:39Let me handle this for you.
23:41The second Silas got knocked around, I understood what an alpha-tier shifter could do to a lesser
23:46one.
23:46Turned out, Silas really was just a face.
23:49Nothing else.
23:50Silas got beaten back into snake form.
23:53I looked at him, half dead, and asked Dorian for one favor.
23:57Dump him back in the woods.
23:58Wherever I'd picked him up, that's where he was going.
24:01Dorian was 100% on board.
24:03He promised the job would get done.
24:05So that's why you came to me?
24:07For your mom's funeral?
24:08Are you sad?
24:09Sad about what?
24:10For her, leaving was probably a relief.
24:12And you?
24:13Are you free now?
24:15You're not going to end up like my mom, are you?
24:18Using death as the way out?
24:19Why are you looking at me like that?
24:21Don't go falling for me.
24:23Look at the wreckage you all left.
24:24I'm never doing love.
24:29When I got home, there was a group of people standing at my door.
24:33Even from behind, even after all these years, I knew them.
24:37My foster parents.
24:38I had no idea how they'd tracked me down.
24:40I had zero interest in being part of their lives again.
24:43Emma.
24:45It's me.
24:46My foster mom stepped forward, all warmth.
24:49I ignored her and went for my keys.
24:51She cut to the chain.
24:52Your sister.
24:53She's gotten worse.
24:54She needs a kidney to make it through.
24:57Wait, is your little blood-sucking daughter still alive?
24:59Don't that stop!
25:00What do you remember in any mean?
25:01My foster dad lost it the second she insulted his real daughter.
25:05Family?
25:06He had the nerve to use that word.
25:08My voice came out cold.
25:09What kind of attitude is that?
25:10We raised you.
25:11You owe us.
25:12Owe you what?
25:13For dragging me to the hospital those years to keep your daughter alive?
25:16For dumping me in the woods?
25:17Or for showing up now to take a kidney?
25:19Enough talking.
25:19You're coming with us.
25:21Donating a kidney to your sister, you should be grateful.
25:23When my foster dad realized words weren't working, he switched tactics.
25:27That's why he'd shown up with a crew.
25:29He'd planned it from the start.
25:30If I said no, they were dragging me out by force.
25:33Help!
25:33They're trying to kidnap me to harvest my organs!
25:37In the chaos, sirens started wailing downstairs.
25:40How are the cops here already?
25:42The second they heard the sirens, every one of those big tough guys panicked.
25:46I called them.
25:47I told them, smiling for the first time since they'd ever taken me in.
25:52Illegal adoption of a minor, illegal trafficking of blood and organs.
25:56We're going through every single one of those charges.
25:59My former parents, sending you to prison to retire is the most kindness I've got left of me.
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