Davy Harwood in Transition (The Immortal Prophecy) by Tijan (2)

Brown stood tall and straightened her shoulders. She seemed miffed. "Excuse me? I am not a Wiccan. There is a big difference between a Wiccan and a witch. Wiccan is a way of life for normal humans. It's a religion, but they're not born with magic. Witches are. I was. There's a difference."

Emily fought back a grin and glanced sideways to me. "I'm sure you are."

The air instantly sizzled around us and Brown lifted a hand. "You don't think I'm a witch?"

"What?" Emily was at a loss for words. "Davy?"

I jerked a shoulder up. "So what if she's a witch?"

Pippa melted to the floor and Brown perked up. "That's right." The air lost its sizzle. The witch had been appeased. And then something came over me. I picked the sizzle back up, but it was louder.

Emily glanced around. "What's going on?"

Pippa stood up and looked around me.

Brown glowed as she looked around.

My body hummed. I felt it all over and remembered when I had changed Lucan back to being human. My body had hummed at that time too. I had snapped my fingers then, but this time I merely narrowed my eyes and the microwave exploded. Sparks flew from it and Emily jumped back, screaming.

Brown clamped both hands to her cheeks. "Oh my gosh. I don't even know how I'm doing that."

Emily swung horrified eyes to her, but I grinned. "What were you saying about the difference between Wiccans and witches?"

Then I glanced at Pippa from the corner of my eye and stopped cold. She wasn't amused. My stomach dropped. She knew I was more than empathic.

CHAPTER NINE

I made a quick dash for the shower. A half hour later, I found our room sparkling with cleanliness. I sighed internally as I dropped my shower caboodle. Emily only cleaned when she was nervous. And she seemed immersed with the microwave.

"Did the witch leave?"

Emily's eyes shot to mine. "Do you believe in that stuff?"

I shrugged as I pulled a shirt on. "Our microwave is kapoot. I think we better." It was meant as a joke, but when her eyes widened and she paled, I thought better of it. So I sighed again, pulled on some jeans, and quickly combed my hair. "Come on, let's go out."

"What?"

"Let's go out. I know somewhere we can get some drinks, maybe even free drinks."

Slowly, she stood. "We're going for a drink?"

"Yeah. We went before."

"That was with Kates. I met Bennett that night." Something flashed over her face and Emily crumbled in front of me. Her face fell. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped like a stone on my bed.

My mouth dropped with her. "Hey. Come on. It'll be good for you."

"I haven't seen him since that horrible night, when we were kidnapped. I know the police said there was nothing we could do about it and that he skipped town. I know you said that Kates was working undercover and went after him, but I still feel like I lost him. I constantly have this sense of being cheated. It's like he died and I felt it." She stopped and a few tears came to her eyes.

One, he had died. Two, you're better off. Three, Kates hadn't been working undercover. None of that was going to make her feel better, so I patted her shoulder instead.

"I feel like I'm grieving for him." She turned and started to sob in my shoulder.

Awkward.

I kept patting her shoulder and then switched to brushing her hair from her forehead. That was always soothing.

"I still think we should go out." I tried to sound cheerful. The wolf would've been handy in this moment.

"Why am I like this?" She kept crying and pulled away to stare at her hands. She held them up with her fingers spread out, and stared down at her palms. "I feel so dirty. I feel like I'm going crazy. I know you said it had something to do with the full moon, but I still don't feel right. I keep up a good front in front of Pippa, but I'm a basket case."

"Oh come now." I shook her shoulder. "You're normal. The guy did a number on you and you have to go through what every other girl does. They're called crushes for a reason, Em. This is the time you jump back up and keep going. Hell, let's invite Pippa. Maybe the witch too? We have friends. We should celebrate."

Her eyes popped out. "Not the witch. Do you believe in that? Really? I couldn't believe it, but then there's the microwave. She's loony."

"Ah. She's harmless."

Emily dropped her voice to a whisper, "I think she's actually a witch. She seemed sure of it and I don't think she's crazy. She said there are vampires. Do you believe in them? Maybe she's delusional. I don't believe in that stuff, but then I never believed in witches." She shuddered.

I laughed on a forced note. "Vampires? Next thing you're going to say that werewolves exist, maybe even were-cats."

"Davy." Emily stood and stared down at me. She was too serious. "I think she does have magical powers. Our microwave is destroyed. We have to get a new one because of her."

I stood and patted her hand. "It'll be okay. Promise. Witches can't hurt humans."

"Really?"

"Really." I smiled at my lie and toed on some sandals. "Are you going like that?"

"We're really going out?"

"Why not? Neither of us have early classes. Let's go. Did you want to invite Pippa too?"

"Really?" Emily stood uncertainly in the middle of the room. Then she gasped and dove for her closet. When she pulled out a red shirt, she stopped, and glanced at me. She looked at my simple white tee shirt and took out a green one of hers. Then she reached for her khaki capris, but veered to her jeans instead. We now looked like twins. Super.

"I'm going to see if Pippa wants to come." Emily darted out the door.

I took a deep breath, but it wasn't long before I heard a knock at our door. Pippa popped her head around the door. "Emily said we're going out? Is it okay if I come?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Emily went to the bathroom. I wanted to make sure it's okay with you if I come. I don't really think you and I get along?"

"Which is funny because we're both lying to the same person. You'd think we'd be best friends." I tried not to sound so bitchy, but I failed.

Pippa cringed.

"Sorry. That was unfair. I don't like lying to her, but I have to. I'm taking my stuff out on you. I know you said that her kindred will tell her, maybe then neither of us will have to lie to her."

Pippa narrowed her eyes. "I don't really know what powers you have or what you are, but I know you're more than empathic. If she finds out about me, why would that mean you're caught too?"

I opened my mouth and then shut it. The wolf had a point, which was irksome. Emily might not ever find out about me. That should be good news, but it was then that I realized I wanted my roommate to know about me. I didn't want to lie anymore. I didn't want to hide anymore.

So I closed my mouth. 'Well. Fuck me.'

Pippa kept winding a finger around one of her braids. "Where are we going? She mentioned Buds before? That's a vampire bar. I don't want to go there."

I cringed. "You're not the only one. I want to stay as far away from vampires as much as you."

She flashed a relieved smile. "Oh good. I didn't know. I mean, I assumed, but you smelled like vampires so much before. Nevermind. That sounds good to me."

Then Emily came in, excited and scared at the same moment. I knew Pippa sensed it too because her nostrils flared and she shot me a look. "Looking good, roomie."

She flushed, but she was happy. That was all I cared about. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. You guys?"

Pippa nodded, dressed in her overalls and a pink shirt this time. I was starting to wonder if she ever changed her outfit or her hair. She still had the same two braids that hung over her shoulders as she had the first time I met her.

"My pick?" I took my car keys and purse. I started for the door.

"I was wondering if we could go to the Shoilster? Some girls on our floor told me it's supposed to be awesome."

Pippa and I both froze.

"Please?"

The wolf and I shared a shaky look. "Sure."

"I call shotgun!" Emily bounced out the door and we followed at a sedate pace. This night was definitely going to be interesting.

The drive over was tense. Emily fully welcomed the idea of going out so she couldn't sit still in her seat. Pippa and I were much less excited. As we got out of the car and headed towards the bar, I saw Gregory at the door in all black with sunglasses over his eyes.

"They have bouncers?" Pippa looked at me.

I shrugged and burst ahead of the girls. Gregory saw me and froze. I felt suspicion and caution come over him as I slapped a hand on his huge bicep. It twitched under my hand and my hand shot away. I felt scolded somehow and let out a nervous giggle. "Hi! So, I'm Davy. I had a friend that used to come here all the time. Kates? Do you know her? She said we'd be welcome to get in. This is my roommate, Emily, and her friend, Pippa."

They drew beside me as Gregory's gaze slid over both girls and then back to me. He sniffed the air as Pippa was trying not to and turned back to me. I felt his meaningful look. Oh yes. He was aware I had a werewolf in my company. So my fake smile spread wider. "Can we get in? We go to school here and want a fun night out. My roommate heard a lot about this place." My smile slipped.

There was no reaction from the giant vampire, but his mouth flattened into a small frown. "You girls need to stay on the main floor. No one goes into the basement."

Emily was gleeful and skipped through. "Thanks!" Pippa hung her head and dragged her feet behind. Once they out of hearing distance, I murmured, "Please don't kill me."

He harrumphed. "You wait till Roane hears about this."

"Davy! Come on. What are you doing?" Emily called from inside and I hurried ahead. A sense of doom washed over.

As we went in, waves of vampires rushed over me. They were everywhere. Before they'd always stayed to the basement, but this time they were in each corridor, in every booth, and on the dance floor. And these weren't normal vampires that went to our university. I glanced around and my eyes went wide. I didn't know what type of vampires they were, but they weren't the normal kind. If they were at the Shoilster and Gregory let us in, they must've been loyal to Roane.

Two vampire males strolled by and eyed us up and down. I scowled at them as Emily gushed. "This place is amazing. The bright lights. Is that smoke on the floor? And what kind of music is that? Is that techno? Don't they listen to that in Europe? Where did all these gorgeous guys come from?"

"It's not smoke, Em. It's dry ice."

It was supposed to make the club more mysterious and it worked. I kept eyeing all the nooks and crannies. I wondered what was happening in those shadows that no one could see. She was right about the guys too. Most vampires were good looking, but these seemed to be the crème de la crème. Some of them were tall and lean while others were a little stockier, built like Gregory. The females resembled Wren, complete with the hooker outfits. They wore lace corsets and leather. A few of them narrowed their eyes at us, and watched us with something that resembled hatred.

Pippa shifted beside me. Her hand touched mine. 'I can't be here. A werewolf can't be here.'

'You're with two humans. They won't say anything.'

'I can't risk it. I'm sorry, Davy. I have to leave. Make up an excuse for me, please?'

'But…'

But she was already gone.

Then Emily looked around, wide eyed. "This was the best idea you've had, Davy. Wait. Where'd Pippa go?"

"Her cousin was sick." It wasn't my best lie.

"Really?" But then Emily was back to basking in the glow of the vampires.

"Excuse me, misses. I have a table ready for you." A server appeared with a black buttoned down shirt tucked in black slacks with two menus in his hand. His hair was slicked back in gel, giving him a smooth Casanova look to him.

A smirk appeared on his face as his eyes shifted from Emily to me. At first he looked at my roommate in anticipation, but then he saw me and read my eyes. 'Back off, buddy.'

He looked away as he led us through the crowd. We kept going upwards, which was surprising. I knew the Shoilster. Customers didn't get preferred seating unless they called ahead for reservations. It was the type of club where VIPs got private boxes, but we went past even those. He took us to a back corner where the music could barely be heard, but we were tucked at an angle where we could still see most of the activity and dance floor.

As we sat, Emily took the offered menu and leaned across the table. "This place is so pretty and we got a great table. It's everything the girls were saying. Oh, thank you so much."

The server took our order and left quietly.

Emily whispered after he'd gone a few steps, "He's cute."

"He's off limits," I growled and opened my own menu.

I hated the Shoilster. The food was made to look pretty on the plate, but the quality wasn't taste-worthy. However, what do you expect from a club/bar/restaurant that's geared towards the vampire customers. They didn't care about the food. As long as it looked pretty, appeased the humans they brought with them, and allowed a lot of drinks to come in dark colored glass, they were satisfied. They could consume their blood in front of any stupid human.

Emily gaped. "What? Why? He's cute."

"You're fragile right now. You need to go out a few more times before dating again. Bennett did a number on you."

"But," she sputtered. "Didn't you say the best thing was to go out and get over him?"

I closed my menu. "No. I said going out, but not going with a guy. It is okay to go out, let yourself soak up the fun, maybe even some attention from some guys, but that's it. Guys are dangerous. You need to get your head on straight in order to handle them."

My roommate made a disgusted face. "You make them sound like they're predators."

If the shoe fits.

Then she added, "What happened to you? You were crazy about Adam before and he wasn't a good guy."

"Adam was a cheater and a douchebag."

"Oh." She fell silent because we both knew she agreed with my sentiments about him. She'd been the first to tell me. Eyeing my roommate, I saw the confusion in her eyes. Maybe if she knew about vampires, about what they could do? Maybe if I told her?

Just then someone appeared at our table and Emily gasped, "Luke?"

My stomach fell and I looked up. Sure enough. There he was, glowering down at me. Emily just smiled at him. I realized she still had her crush for him from before.

"Um, hi."

"Emily, right? You're in one of my classes?" Roane put on a polished façade and seemed happy to see her as he pushed into my side of the booth, shoving me over. As his arm touched mine and I felt how tense he was, I knew he was pissed.

When he continued to chat with my roommate, I tried to sense inside of him. I hadn't gone far before he lashed at me, 'Get out! You shouldn't be here.'

Oh yes. He was pissed.

I hung my head for a moment because he was right. I shouldn't have been there, but I couldn't even deny it. I had wanted to see him. I wanted to go there to maybe see him. When Emily suggested the Shoilster, I hadn't argued, at all. Then I looked back up. My eyes skimmed over his chiseled features that seemed more mysterious from the shadows dancing over his face and I caught a glimpse of Gregory in the background. He'd taken point behind a post with a drink in hand. His eyes met mine for a second before he shifted and looked away. I knew he agreed with Roane, I had been stupid to go there.

I also knew he was our bodyguard for the rest of the night.

It was then that I felt Roane's hand grip mine underneath the booth and he squeezed tight. I didn't know if it was to convey how angry he was with me or if he was trying to warn me about something. Either way, I was fearful of sharing thoughts with him. Other vampires were too close, they might hear them. So I was forced to sit there as Luke talked with Emily because I knew what he was doing. He was making her feel like she was the focal point of his arrival so she wouldn't suspect a thing. I saw how her eyes lit up. She was eating it up and lavishing in it.

I was in hell.

CHAPTER TEN

Roane never spoke to me as he sat with us. And once he left, Emily gave me a dreamy smile and sighed. "He's a great guy. Doesn't seem to like you much, but he's nice."

I cleared my throat and sat up straight, but she stopped me with a wave. "Don't worry. I'm not going to chase Luke Roane. He's way out of my league. I'm not completely stupid. Besides, he's probably already devoted to some beautiful creature."

"What do you mean by that?" What did she know?

Emily shrugged. "That's the fourth time he's ever talked to me, but he never once flirted with me. He's always been nice, polite, and stand-offish. Trust me; he's one of the good ones."

"Right." I breathed easier. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but our food came at that moment. Roane had been there when our orders were taken so the server was the epitome of professional now. I caught him glancing over his shoulder at Gregory too.

I ordered a salad. Emily ordered chicken. Then our drinks started coming.

Emily's face lit up again. "What is this?"

"They're on the house." And he placed two fruity cocktails in front of us, followed by our own pitchers of the same liquid.

Roane had done this. He sat us where we were and he was paying for everything.

Then the server slipped me a note. I slid it on my lap and opened it to read. 'If you're going out, stay here where I can protect you. Enjoy. Don't come back here again. Why are you keeping company with a werewolf?'

Talk about being blunt and hurtful at the same time. I ripped it to shreds and dropped the pieces in our candle through the rest of the evening. Anybody with magic could've put them back together, but I made sure each piece was destroyed when Emily went into dreamland or to the bathroom.

A few hours later, I learned that alcohol had no effect on me and that Emily was the same giggling drunk as before.

Still giggling, she slapped a hand on the table. "Thank you for this. It means a lot. I don't have a lot of friends. My close friends are all home but then I met you. You're a close friend now too, Davy. You were right. I needed to get out. I needed to this."

"I did."

"You're right. I feel like a new woman. I feel like I can go to all my classes alone now. Maybe I'll even tackle this feeling of grief I have. I know—" She snapped her fingers. "I'll go to a grief counseling group. That's what I'll do. It'll help me get Bennett out of my system."

I froze with my straw in my mouth.

"What do you think?"

What did I think? She'd have a place to talk and an outlet for her emotions. A smile spread on my face. "I think that's a great idea."

"It's decided. Tomorrow I'm looking for one on campus." She bent over, giggling. "How in the world are we going to get home? I can barely sit up."

"Ladies." Gregory materialized at our table. "There is a car ready for you downstairs. We will give you a ride home."

"Oh!" Emily was taken aback. "That's so nice of you. Is there money you need? I mean, do we pay? How much is it? I'm sorry. I'm a little drunk." Then she giggled a bit more, blushing behind a hand over her mouth.

Gregory swept his detached eyes over us both. "It's free of charge. It's a part of the service."

"That's wonderful." She clapped and then frowned. "This isn't normal? We're getting such great service. Why? Davy, do you know?"

I smiled and patted her hand. "The owner is a friend of Kates. I dropped her name before."

"Oh!" Then her eyes narrowed and disgust flared over her face. "I think I'm going to throw up." And then she scrambled out of the booth and to the bathroom.

Gregory's face twitched and then cleared again. He sat in her seat. "I don't think she'll be coming back soon. Her levels of intoxication are massive for a human."

I sighed and threw the last piece of Roane's note in the candle. Gregory studied me as I watched it go up in smoke and a small smile appeared on his face. He looked softer for a second. "You came to see him."

My heart sank and I shook my head. "Emily suggested this place. I couldn't say no. This night was about her."

"His office overlooks this table."

My head shot up. "What?"

He nodded and gestured upwards. "You can't see through the glass, but he hasn't moved from that spot all night since you'd been here."

Hope flared in me for a moment, but I shook my head and turned it off. I couldn't get excited at the idea he might have feelings for me. Talia still remained in his heart. He was just confused.

I looked where he had pointed and saw glass mirrors. At one section of the wall, they jetted out and around, framing an office above the entire club. I could tell Roane stood on the other side of them. Able to make out his silhouette, I pushed through and it opened up to my eyes. Gregory was wrong; I was able to see through them. My eyes met Roane's, his narrowed as he mouthed the word, "Stop."

I narrowed mine in defiance and sensed into him. It was so easy to slip in him now and I was met by his same boiling anger. He snarled at me in his head, 'What are you doing? You're not supposed to use your powers.'

'I'm in your head, your head only. No one can hear our thoughts here.'

'My shields are too hard. You're right. No one can read my mind, except you.' And I felt how he hated that.

I sparked back at him, 'Sucks, doesn't it? When someone might be more powerful than you.'

'Shut up. Return to your table. Gregory is annoyed that you're ignoring him.'

'He'll get over it.'

'He's grown a soft spot for you. He wanted to be the one to take you home tonight.'

'I like Gregory. He's nicer than Wren.'

Roane bit back a laugh. 'Go, Davy. Emily is returning to the table.'

I looked and saw her approaching. 'I'm sorry for bringing her here. I wanted to see you. I'm sorry again.' Then I slipped out of him and saw that Gregory had a perturbed look on his face. I was afraid to ask what that meant, but Emily had arrived.

She was pale with a green tinge and held a hand to her stomach. "I just threw up eight times. I don't ever want to drink again. Davy, don't let me drink again."

I stood and held a hand to her back. "You can still drink, just not that much next time?"

Gregory led the way out the club. As we followed behind, Emily groaned and clutched her stomach. I saw how the other customers turned and stared as we passed. Some of them were interested because we were humans. They knew Gregory protected us. A few others smelled Emily's nausea and turned away in disgust. Still others watched and their eyes lingered on the right hand of Lucas Roane.

As we climbed into the backseat of a car, I caught sight of my own car parked not far away. I could've driven, but Emily thought I was drunk. I had as much as her. I should've been affected. If I told her the truth, that I was stone cold sober, she would've wondered why. So I burrowed in to my seat and waited as Gregory drove us back home. When we got to the dorm, she stumbled out first and headed in without a second look.

I remained in the car and looked out my window.

Gregory got out and closed Emily's door, but then returned to his seat behind the steering wheel. He tilted the rearview mirror, but then turned in his seat.

A wave of sadness swept over me. "I finally realized and accepted tonight that I am completely alone. I've been fighting it, but I have to accept it now."

I didn't see his reaction, but I felt his acceptance. It was okay to speak to him about this.

I stared out the window, but I wasn't seeing anything. Saren told me to stay away from Blue, so I did. Roane told me to stay away and I tried. My roommate thought I was something I wasn't. The witch was too alarming and new and Pippa couldn't ever know.

I was supposed to be normal, do normal things, and that's what I had wanted in the first place.

"I feel like I'm in a prison. Every lie I tell is another door that I've shut around me. I can't talk to anybody about this."

Gregory didn't say anything for a moment. "Roane is building an army. All those vampires have declared their loyalty to him. He is going against the Roane Family line."

"What?"

"The Roane Elders are coming with their Family of vampires. They know the Immortal is here and they're going to fight their way in. Roane has declared war against them. He is no longer a part of the Roane Family. He is doing this to protect you."

"I'm the Immortal. No one can hurt me."

Wariness flashed in his eyes. "Yes, they can. They can torture you. They can imprison you with magic. No one knows how powerful you are, even us, but there's always a way to contain something. Roane fears that Lucan is with the Mori, that he is studying their ways to find a way to take the thread from you."

"Who are the Mori?"

"The ancient vampires. They have magic in them. Roane said you had an encounter with them earlier. He thinks his brother is with them."

"The ones who can have baby vamps. Oh—oh! That's not good."

I didn't know how magic could affect me, if I was immune, or if there was something that could be used against me. I knew that the Immortal thread no longer existed. It had dissembled when my body molded to the Immortal.

"Why are you telling me this? Why didn't Roane?" And could I still call him Roane if he wasn't with that Family anymore?

Gregory smiled. "You talk out loud sometimes. You should not do that so much."

Oh, yeah. My smile felt a bit foolish. "Why did you tell me this?"

"Because you should know. Roane chose not to because he is trying to let you live as normal a life as possible. If he needs to take you away from this place, you would never be able to be a normal human again. You would be on the run for the rest of your life."

Which would be forever. I shuddered.

Then he continued, "You can always call him Roane. His given name is Lucas, but he prefers his Family name even if he is no longer associated with them. He has their standards in his blood. It is why he is making this stand against them."

I felt his trust and belief in Roane again. It was so powerful; it was almost stifling to me, but I could sympathize. Roane had a way of pulling that loyalty out of everyone, human or not.

"Okay." I nodded and reached for my door. "I know what to do. Be normal. Right?"

"It's what he wants for you."

"Then I will do that." And I needed to put a cork in my self-pity talk. Seriously. People had worse problems than mine, like Brown. Everyone would think she was crazy.

As I got out of the car and walked around, Gregory wound down his window. "If you really need to talk to someone, here's a number you can reach meat. I warn you that Roane will be told every detail that we discuss, but I can be a sounding board for you."

I took the piece of paper he offered and tucked it away. "Thanks, Gregory. And tell him thanks too. I know he said you could do this."

He jerked his head in a nod, a sign of respect from him. "He cares more for you than you might think."

When I finally went inside, I was a mass of emotions. I'd been rejuvenated, but when I heard Emily in the bathroom, guilt flared in me too. Pippa rushed out of the bathroom. "What's wrong with her? She won't stop puking."

"She had too much to drink. I should've stopped her." But I'd been distracted.

Pippa rolled her eyes. "She's actually green from vomiting so much, but she still says she had fun tonight. What did you guys do?"

"Nothing. We stayed there and drank. That was it."

"I can smell vampires all over both of you. It's disgusting." She wrinkled her nose and then went around me. "I'm going to grab some medication for her."

When she left, I went into the bathroom and found Emily in a back stall. She was bent over the toilet and gave me a weak grin. "I feel horrible."

"I'm sorry, Em." I patted her back as I sat beside her. I drew my knees against my chest.

As she felt another spell coming on and bent forward over the toilet again, I closed my eyes and drew some of her illness into me. It was there—ugly, slimy, icky stuff. Along with it remained some of her lovespell from Bennett. It still hadn't fully left her system. As it flowed into me, I felt Pippa's presence and then I felt her surprise. She knew what I was doing and I could sense that Emily was starting to feel better. After a few more minutes of drawing the illness into me, Emily was able to sit up straight and she sighed.

"I feel much better." She panted and gave us a stupid grin. Sweat soaked her hair. Some of it clung to her forehead in clumps and she brushed it back. "Much better."

I smiled and squeezed her hand before I stood up.

Pippa helped me up and met my gaze for a brief second. She studied me hard. Then she murmured, "You're not even affected."

I turned away from Pippa. It wasn't any of her business. "Emily, you want to watch a movie to end the night?"

"Pippa, you want to watch too?"

The wolf stood with a dazed look. Her mouth opened and closed. "I…uh…"

"Grab your blanket. We'll crawl in our beds and fall asleep. You can have the couch." I made sure there was a welcoming tone in my voice, but my eyes sent their own message. She knew not to say anything.

Then she closed her mouth and nodded in surrender. "I'll get my stuff. I have a stuffed animal."

"You do?" Emily mumbled as she cleaned her mouth.

"Let me guess? A little wolf?"

Pippa grinned before she went out the door.

"How'd you know that?" Emily asked, but she didn't care. Now that I'd taken the illness away, the exhaustion was evident in her. She was going to be asleep before her head hit her pillow. And as I put the movie in and she crawled into her top bunk, she was snoring before I even curled up in my own blankets. Pippa came through the door and stood in the doorway with her hand on the doorknob. "She's already asleep?"

"Yeah."

She fidgeted with the door handle. "Do you think should I go?"

Emily's snores roared through the room.

I gestured to the couch. "I already put the movie in. If she wakes up and doesn't see you on the couch, she'll wonder why you didn't come. She's going to swear that she never fell asleep and watched the whole time."

Pippa grinned. "I guess I can stay a little bit."

Then I pressed play and nestled back.

Twenty minutes into the movie, she asked. "What are you?"

I'd been tired, but I jerked awake now.

She hesitated. "I mean, you're not just empathic."

"I can't tell you and if you ever find out, you can't say a word to anyone."

Pippa didn't comment for a while. "The wolves know you exist. They know there's something different about you. I'm sorry. We don't have an open channel for our thoughts with each other, but we're highly in tune with the other wolves. The matriarch knew about you. She sensed my unease."

At her words, everything froze inside of me. I knew about the mother wolf, but I hadn't given her enough thought. First Brown had distracted me, then Roane came, and then Saren.

"Are they going to do anything?" My heart stopped.

She shook her head. "No. They're just waiting and watching right now. If you do something against us, then they'll act. They're protective of Emily, you know. Her kindred is important to the pack. They consider her one of us already."

I grinned at that thought. "Can you imagine when Emily finds all that out?" I whistled under my breath. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall that day."

She giggled. "I think everyone in the pack will feel her kindred's emotions. I'll tell you how it goes."

I shook my head. Emily's world was going to split wide open. She was still uneasy about the possibility of witches. I had quieted her questions about vampires, but all the folklore was going to become real to her soon. Except me. I wasn't in the folklore.

I settled back and tried to watch the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

Wren paused in his doorway and saw Roane with his back to the desk. He gazed over the club below him. She couldn't see from below, but she knew he'd be there and he was.

Gregory had passed the message that Davy was there. The ones who knew what she meant to Roane felt her presence immediately. They understood why a sudden intensity swept around the club and most of them waited. They watched warily to see what might happen next. Wren knew that her master wouldn't be leaving this spot for the rest of the night.

"Are you going to stand there and watch the whole night?"

Roane didn't turn around. He'd known she was there before she opened the door.

When he didn't answer, she took a seat on one of his leather couches and swung a leg over the armrest. "So what's the plan? Are you going to kick her out? She's here with her roommate and a wolf. She's here under her cover. Sneaky little bitch."

He tossed his drink back. "Gregory is going to watch her."

Wren snorted. "I bet he loved that assignment. Let's all watch the Imm—"

Roane was in her face before she finished. He grabbed her jaw in one hand and lifted her in the air. "You do not say that word. Ever."

Wren's eyes flashed in anger, but she managed a tight nod. She couldn't speak.

Roane placed her on her feet, but he didn't let go. "I get that you don't like her. I don't care. You will treat her with respect or you will be sent away. Let's not forget the last time you tangled with one of them. Talia wasn't as forgiving, was she?"

She shrugged of his touch. "That wasn't about you. Let's not forget that either or what I lost to be loyal to you."

He rolled his eyes and moved to refill his drink. "If that's how you think of this, you can leave. You made your choice long ago."

She growled, but didn't move. Her hands remained against her sides as she clenched and unclenched them into fists. With fevered eyes and a tight jaw, she struggled not to lash out and then gave up the fight. She burst out, "Tracey's coming here! She's marching with the new Roane hunter. I found out from some soldiers who defected to Gavin's Family. What are you going to do when they get here? We aren't ready for an entire army."

Roane glanced back. "Am I supposed to be surprised by this? We've known they would send an army. We've always known. They already captured you with a small clan, but Davy released your bonds. Did you know that?"

She froze for a second, and then shrugged. "So what?"

He turned back to the window and found Davy below; laughing with the girl who'd had a crush on him. Then he murmured as he sipped his drink, "I'm sorry that Tracey is coming here. I truly am. I know what she meant to you."

With those words, her anger was gone. She groaned. "Why do you do that? You make me so mad and then, nothing. It's all gone. You're a dick sometimes."

Roane grinned, but didn't look back. "We will deal with the army. Look around, Wren. Everybody here has come to join us. We're not powerless."

"She should be testing her powers. She should be figuring them out so she can control and use them. We will need her in the end. We won't win without her."

His jaw hardened. "She's living a normal life. That was the deal. We stay and hold this off as long as possible and she can be normal. It's what she's always wanted."

"We should be running."

He whirled back to her and pinned her against the wall. His face was inches from hers. "You didn't want to run before. You wanted to fight. Wish granted. This is what we're doing. Now you're going to bolt? Are you going to go to Tracey when she gets here?" He waited a beat. "Are you going to betray me, Wren?"

"NO—I—" She closed her mouth and looked away. "I don't think we'll win, Lucas."

His eyes softened and he let her go. "Trust me?"

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and hung her head. "I always have."

"Then please continue."

It broke her and she lifted her eyes back up. A renewed determination was in them. "Until I die."

Roane didn't respond, but clenched his jaw. It meant more than he had expressed to her, but he knew that Wren was terrified. She wanted to fight, even when the odds were against them. For her to come and request for them to run meant others were scared as well. Fear was dangerous. It was intoxicating and maddening. And he knew he'd have to do something to diffuse it.

"For the record, the reason why I don't like her isn't because she took Talia's place." Wren moved to the door.

He lifted piercing eyes to her and waited.

She finished, "Because you don't think clearly when it comes to her. And for god's sake, if you want to see her, just go! Make up some excuse."

Roane didn't tell her that he already had.

As Wren shoved through the door, it swung open and revealed an athletic looking vampire with golden curls. His blue eyes smirked in amusement. "You don't have to knock me unconscious, Wren. I'm yours for the taking."

She brushed past and growled, "Get lost!"

Gavin chuckled as he walked inside and helped himself to a drink. He cast a cursory glance over the vampire at the window. "Hope you don't mind, Lukey dear. I was a bit parched. I haven't fed in a long while with how fast we were urged to get here. Really, Luke. It was breakneck speed. I think I should earn some points for being the bestie I am to you. How many other complete armies have gotten here? What's that? Oh, right. One. Me."

"No welcoming hug? No hello? No, 'what's up mate?' Nothing? I'm hurt."

A grin teased the corners of Roane's mouth. "You can have Wren for the night."

Gavin burst out laughing. "Oh yeah. I can imagine her reaction at that order. Even if you did try to enforce it, I wouldn't make the night alive or with my balls intact."

"You're interested," Roane shot back.

The blonde vampire shrugged and poured a second drink. "Who wouldn't? She's hot under all that black leather. Has no one told her the vampire cliché look is outdated? Look at me; most humans think I'm a professional athlete. I get more pussy looking like this than I ever would wearing leather chaps. No vampire magic needed."

"You did wear leather chaps. Assless."

"Still." Gavin shuddered and crossed to stand beside Roane. He looked out the window. "What are we looking at? Is that her down there?" He gestured with his drink and Roane glanced down.

His eyes fell on Davy, who was bent over laughing with a hand over her mouth. Her mate had been telling a story with hand gestures that grew bigger with each drink she had. By the look in Davy's eyes, she knew her roommate was properly drunk, but she didn't mind. Roane knew that had been Davy's intention, to make her friend forget her troubles. And he wondered if she had wanted to do the same thing.

Gavin watched the two in the booth and then watched his best friend of five hundred years. When Roane's eyes shifted and a darkness replaced the shimmer of emotion that had been too brief to be caught, he already knew what the real story behind this war was.

He decided to change the subject. Further investigation would need to be had. "Tracey's coming, you know. What are you going to do about that?"

"She's the enemy."

Gavin choked on his drink. "The enemy? Are you dense? Tracey's not the enemy. She's Talia's sister. Oh no no no. She is not the enemy. She'll never be the enemy."

"She defected to the new Roane hunter. She's coming with their army."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "And you have Wren. She's the ace up your sleeve. Use her to get Tracey back with us. They were bosom buddies for years. Best friends, right?"

"I won't use Wren that way." Roane's voice was hard. "If she chooses to pursue a relationship with Tracey, then so be it. If she wants to bring her to us, then that is her choice."

"Oh fuck, buddy." Gavin sat down his glass and grabbed the bottle. "You still have that stick up your ass, huh?"

A smile flashed over Roane's face. "I've named it. It's called 'Gavin.'"

"And your humor is piss poor. You know what your problem is? You're too noble. You need to not be so damn noble. Fuck up, once in awhile. Make a mistake on purpose."

"I did make a mistake."

"Not that, you didn't. You had to leave. You were ordered to leave." Gavin sighed as he saw how Roane's eyes hardened. There was no getting through to his best friend now. "Leaving Talia wasn't a mistake."

"She died because of it."

"There was more to it and you know it." He swung his eyes and watched the girl below. She had an aura around her. Gavin understood why Luke was captivated. "No one really knows what happened to bring that about, do we? It probably would've happened even if you had been there and you might've died because of it."

"Or I might've saved her life."

"Lucan found this one, didn't he? He would've found Talia. He would've bit her and he would've gotten her powers. This one stopped it. She was supposed to get the thread when she did."

"Maybe." Roane tossed the rest of his drink down his throat. Gavin handed him the bottle and soon the two were going back and forth, sharing drink for drink. When Luke excused himself, not long after the two girls left, Gavin resolved to meet this new Immortal. She had too much power over his best friend, more than he was comfortable with.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Over the next weeks, Pippa and I became friends. Emily started attending a grief counseling group, plus I persuaded her into taking over my hours at the hotline. Heaven forbid. I shuddered at the thought of spending more time in that building. Everything seemed normal until Emily left Pippa and me at the library.

"Hi, guys!" Brown drew next to our table. She panted and brushed a chunk of her sweaty hair off her face. She wore a bohemian dress that clung to her, all the way to her little toes that were in brown leather sandals. "Man, it's hot. Are you guys as hot as me?"

Pippa looked at me for a second. "I'm actually a little cold."

Brown laughed. "You're so funny. Werewolves aren't ever cold. At least, I didn't think they were."

We both sat up straight at that statement. "You know what she is?"

"Of course." Then she looked alarmed. "Wait, you didn't know? Oh my gosh. I am so sorry." She looked at Pippa and bit her lip. "You aren't going to eat me, are you?"

The wolf's mouth hung open. Not only did Brown know who she was, but she just blabbed it like it was the weather. Then she slammed her with a stereotype right after.

I laughed.

"I can't do this." Pippa gathered up her books and left. Her back and shoulders were rigid at she went to the door.

Brown took her seat. "I did something wrong, didn't I? I have this problem. I speak without thinking sometimes."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I do and sometimes I overstep boundaries that I should know are there. I had no idea you didn't know. I'm sorry to you too. You're handling it really well. Do you know what that means, that she's a werewolf? They exist. Trust me."

"Brown." I leaned across the table. I wanted to make sure she heard me. "You need to stop talking about being a witch, or about werewolves, or about vampires. Ninety percent of the population doesn't believe in that stuff and the ones who do are going to be uncomfortable around you. A lot of people don't know about that world and you're here, just chatting away. You're either going to get a reputation as being crazy and no one will talk to you or someone is going to be hurt you." I leaned back. "So shut up."

Her eyes went wide. "Really? They'd think I was crazy?"

"I'm surprised it already hasn't happened."

"But it's just the truth. I lived in a community where witches and all that stuff were common. Everyone knew about it. People really don't know about it here?"

I shook my head. The girl was going to be an outcast.

"Oh my gosh. I have to tell you this. I haven't seen you since that last time I was at your room and by the way, here's the book I meant to take to you that day. Everything got so chaotic with my powers that day; I was in such a rush that I forgot to leave it for you."

"You brought that book to me?"

Then she produced it from her bag and it fell with a thud on the table. "Here it is! And don't worry. I did a little spell so you can walk through the door. The alarms won't go off. Promise. I've been in and out with this book many times since then." She caressed the tan dusty book in a loving gesture. "It has so many interesting tidbits in here. But you wanted it to learn about wolves, right? Probably because of the one that was just here, right?"

I shifted in my seat. Even I was uncomfortable. "You did a spell, huh?"

"Yeah." She tucked some of her curls behind her ears. "I know it's supposed to stay here, but that clerk really made me mad that day. I decided to take it with me and if he gets in trouble, he deserves it. Plus, I took it to my mom's business and made copies of it. I have three copies, just to be safe." She giggled. I could see she was proud.

"How illegal of you." I grinned and reached for the book. The cover had a velvety feel to it, but she was right."Thank you for the book. I have to head home now, though. Thanks a lot, Brown. Really." As I stood up and grabbed my bag, Brown stood in front of me. She looked uncertain and there was something swimming inside her. I could feel it. It wanted to come out at me, but I didn't know what it was.

Then she folded her hands in front of her. "Do you think you'd like to hang out sometime?" She laughed and her voice hitched higher. "You were right. I don't have any friends. I think it's because of what you said before. I talk too much, about things that I shouldn't. You're the only one who hasn't shunned me."

Oh goodness. She needed a friend.

"I thought, maybe, we could go for ice cream or something? Maybe coffee?" She gave me a tight smile. "I'll pay."

I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe I was going to do this, but there was something about her that I liked, even if she pushed the boundaries. "Okay. Maybe. I don't know. Tomorrow?"

She perked up. "Tomorrow would be great. Awesome! Thanks. I can't wait."

What had I gotten myself into? She flashed a radiant smile and grabbed her bag, which was filled to the brim with books. Then she waved over her shoulder as she ran out of the library. "Thanks, Davy! I'll see you tomorrow." A clerk appeared in front of her, but Brown turned and as she did, her bag bounced on her back and decked the clerk in the face.

She hurried away and he held a hand to his face.

I shook my head and strolled past him with the book in my own bag. No matter what kind of a hyper person she was, Brown was a witch. And she was right. Once that box inside of her that anchored all her magic was unlocked, she'd be a very powerful witch. Until then, I was glad it only let her do a little. She'd be lethal and out of control if it wasn't the case.

As I was walking to my dorm, a sudden wave of urgency washed over me. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gasped. I bent over until my head touched the tops of my knees. I gasped again and felt like I was drowning. Wave after wave crashed over me and I heard a small voice in the distance, "Tell him, please. Tell him."

I gasped against the onslaught of waves. "Tell who? Tell him what?"

Another set of waves rocked my body. The sense of drowning increased. As I closed my eyes, I felt as if I was in the ocean and something held me down. It kept me from getting to the surface. Then, in the break of the waves, I heard the same voice. It was weaker than before. "Roane. Tell him about my daughter."

"What? What daughter?" He had a daughter?

As sudden as it had come upon me, it was gone. I stood there, gasping, and blinked away tears as I felt the campus around me. The air was calm, too calm. There was no ocean. There was only the sidewalk, a few buildings, and green lawn all around me. Then I looked to the side and saw Irene watching me. The angel statue hadn't aged a day since I'd sat beside it. She gave me the same expression she had that day.

I flicked her off. She made me feel crazy and it wasn't any of her business.

When I got in my room, I had closed the door when a voice murmured behind me, "Would you like to tell me why my best friend has declared war against the very Family he has only declared his loyalty for the last five hundred years?"

My mouth fell open and I saw a vampire dressed in gym clothes. He had blonde hair that was cut short with tight curls. He had blue eyes that warned of depths and ominous promises and a lean build that professional athletes had. Something told me this guy wasn't a professional athlete.

"Who are you?" I shut my door with a bang. "Your element of surprise doesn't work with me. Nor do you scare me. If your best friend is Luke Roane, we both know he has no idea you're here because he wouldn't be okay with that. And the fact that I know that means that anything else you might try to scare out of me is useless."

He snapped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw. It was a very manly looking jaw, rigid, tight, but his blue eyes had taken on a lethal look.

Craig had instilled a loathing for all vampires in me. Some of them, like Roane, promised me they weren't all the same. This vampire was like Craig. He wanted to scare me. He wanted to make me quake in my pants. Hell no. I was not going back to that person.

I felt the room shake as my rage built.

He glanced around, but he still seemed nonplussed.

"Get out." My eyes snapped their own warning.

He watched me and studied me intently for a moment, and then something shifted in his eyes. "You're the reason why he's doing this. It's not because you're the Immortal, it's because he cares about you."

The room stopped shaking, but then I heard footsteps in the hallway. People were running. This guy didn't seem alarmed. He looked resigned.

"Who are you?" I clipped out and my eyes flashed. I knew he saw the Immortal's whites.

He scratched his forehead and shook his head. "You're not anything like her. I like that. That's okay with me." Then he held out his hand. "I go by Gavin. I'm Lucas' best friend. How are you?"

I stared at his hand like it was an alien limb that he extended. I had no plans to touch it. Since he knew who I was and didn't seem to be bothered with it, I smiled. "Wanna have a drink?" We both knew I didn't mean a normal beverage.

He drew his hand back in a heartbeat. "Ah no. I enjoy living how I am. That was a good one. Good trick." He bent forward as if tipping his hat to me. "You're a sneaky one. That's good. You've gotta be sneaky in this life. You'll do just fine."

The room started to shake again. This guy was pissing me off. He treated me like I was some newbie. Then it stopped abruptly as I realized I was a newbie. Still, some respect was granted, especially if he knew who I was.

Then the door burst open and Brown panted, "I had a premonition. Sorry, I can't breathe." She bent over and took deep breaths. Once she had, she looked back up and smiled. "Why do you have a vampire in here?"

His eyes shifted again and he drew back. "You're a witch."

"Really?" I was dumbfounded. "You're scared of her?"

Brown hissed and then frowned at me. "Why shouldn't he be?"

Gavin withdrew to the window. "You won't hurt me whereas she could. Plus, I don't like witches."

"Only because you loved one once," Brown snorted and then clamped a hand over her mouth. "How did I know that? It must've been my powers."

All of this was annoying. I rolled my eyes and flicked a finger so the windows locked. I didn't want Gavin to escape so easily. Then I turned to her. "What was your premonition?"

"That you were drowning. But you look fine? Did you take a shower?"

"No."

Gavin's eyes darted from her to me. "You know her?"

I nodded.

Then he turned to her. "You know what she is?"

Her eyes leapt. "What? What is she?"

The room shook again, but he smirked back at me. Brown bounced around in a circle. Her eyes were wide as she looked around.

"She's dating my best friend." He smiled. "Luke Roane. Do you know who he is?"

"No." But she frowned. "Should I? I should, shouldn't I? You said it like I should've."

"Ah. No." I was starting to believe I lived in the insane asylum.

"You're dating Luke Roane?" Emily asked from the doorway. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

Oh…shit.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Emily stumbled forward, but grabbed Brown as if she were about to fall. "You know Luke?"

I closed my mouth and glanced at Gavin, who winked at me.

'Bastard vampire.'

"Ooh, I heard that!" Brown squeaked.

Gavin looked at her, surprised. So did I, oh hell. If she could hear thoughts, this wasn't good.

"I just heard a thought! Someone thought, 'Bitch?' Is that right? Who would—" Then she jumped and looked at Emily, whose hand was now fisted into her sleeve. "Oh. Nevermind!" She sent us an impish grin. "My bad."

"What's going on?" Pippa stood in the doorway. Her hand stayed on the frame as if she was going to bolt any moment.

Emily turned to her. "Davy is a liar and a cheat. And a backstabber."

Pippa looked at me. Her mouth fell open and the questions flew over her mind. 'What happened? What is Davy lying about? I didn't know she was dating anybody—wait—she's not dating Emily, is she? That wouldn't be good. Oh no. Davy's looking at me! I forgot she can hear my thoughts. Davy, don't listen to me!'

I heard Gavin chuckle behind me and glared at him. I couldn't do anything to Emily or the other girls, but I could hurt him and before I realized what I was doing, a surge of power burst through me. My eyes shifted to the Immortal's whites.

'Get out!' I roared in my head.

The window flung open behind him, the screen disappeared and his body flew backwards, through it. It happened so fast, no one gasped before the screen had reappeared and the window was closed again.

A beat of silence filled the room. Then a thud was heard behind me. I whirled to find Emily on the floor.

Pippa screamed and dropped to her knees. "She fainted! Oh my goodness." Then she glared at me. "This is your fault."

Brown bounced up and down where she stood. "Did you see that?! That was amazing. I'm way more powerful than I thought!"

Pippa's mouth fell open and then closed it with a snap. "I cannot believe any of this."

"Is she okay?" I asked. I hesitated before I crossed the room and knelt beside my roommate.

"She fainted. She's not dead," Pippa snapped at me and stroked Emily's cheek. Then she went still and gasped again.

"What? What?" I reached out and clamped a hand on the wolf's arm. Instantly, I heard her thoughts and was in the swirl of her emotions. They were memories intermixed with images. I saw Pippa as a little girl with the same two braids and overalls. Then I saw her as a puppy. She had a coat of tawny-colored fur. She was running around, stumbling from paws that were too big for her. Then there was another image of a young man. His face was round in shape with brown hair that looked messily rumpled. His eyes stared straight at me, as if he could see me.

I ripped out of her, but not before I heard her shock, 'She's already met him. It's Pete!'

As I sat back on my heels, I knew Pippa was hurt that she hadn't been told this. Something in her had assumed she would've known right away.

She looked at me, dazed. "He saw you. He knows who you are. And he's going to tell her."

My throat had a knot in it. "Who is he? Who is Pete to you?"

"He's no one. He's another wolf. That's all." She jerked upright and grabbed our dresser for balance.

'Like hell he was no one to her.'

I stood, slower, and watched the wolf. A myriad of emotions were flashing across her face, one after another. I knew Brown saw it too and she came to stand beside me. Then Pippa shook her head again and muttered, "I can't handle this."

She rushed from the room. The door remained open behind her and a second later, hers slammed shut.

Brown jumped from the sound. "Oh wow. Geez." She looked at me. "Are all wolves like that? She's jumpy for how quiet she seems. They repress too much for their well-being."

"Werewolves repress a lot. They're very secretive."

"I know. It's not healthy. Humans have a better balance of their primal and logical side. Vampires are all about the primal and werewolves are all about the logical. It's not right. There should be something that fixes it and everyone can be happy. Hmmm. Maybe I could do a spell?"

I shuddered at the thought before I started to lift Emily to the couch. Brown picked up her legs and we placed her gently down. After I covered her with a blanket, I sat at my desk with no idea how to repair anything. There had been too much damage done.

Brown sat the edge of my bed. I felt her presence trying to comfort me. "Who is Luke Roane?"

What did I even say about him? "He's complicated."

"Are you two dating like that guy said?"

Hell. Were we? "No. We're not dating."

"But you want to?"

I glanced up and felt strangely vulnerable.

She smiled to reassure me. "It's okay if you said you want to. You wouldn't be the first girl to fall for a guy they couldn't have. It's common." Her eyes saddened.

Then I stopped thinking. I let it out. "It's not how Emily thinks. I didn't meet him through her. We met because, it's complicated, but it has to do with something that happened to me, something that no one knows about. He's been helping me with it or he did help me with it until recently. Things happened. We crossed the line, did things, but we haven't since—" I took a deep breath. "Since I found out that he's in love with someone else who is dead and who died because of—he still loves her and she's still dead. Then he has this other friend who hates me. Roane's come to see me a few times, but it's never just to see me. It's always to check on me. He wants to make sure I'm okay. He feels like it's his duty that I'm okay. And Emily knew him from a class. I knew she liked him, but I didn't realize how strong her feelings were until now."

"Who's Pete?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. She hasn't told me about him."

"Do you blame me?" Emily asked. She sat up, looking pale. "I fainted, didn't I?"

Brown and I nodded.

Emily rolled her eyes. "That's so embarrassing."

"It happens to me all the times, especially when I try a powerful spell." She shrugged. "Or when I do any spell."

My roommate caught my gaze. "Is that true? Everything you just said?"

I nodded. I couldn't shake that vulnerable feeling.

She groaned and fell backwards. "How am I supposed to be mad at you now? You sound like you're in love with him and can't be with him. I hate this. I hate it."

Brown sighed, "I think it's romantic. She loves him, but he loves someone else. He still wants to make sure she's okay."

"Shut up," Emily said at the same time I did.

We glanced at each other and both grinned. Then I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry about Luke. I really am."

Emily dismissed me. "Don't worry about it. I'm not even that upset. I'm hurt. I feel like you went behind my back, but it's not like you're the only one keeping secrets. You know about Pete?" She blinked then. "How do you know about Pete?"

Uh, hell. "Pippa knows him and she figured it out. Don't ask me how. I have no idea." I gestured towards the door. "She took off. I think she's pretty hurt you didn't tell her about him."

"Why would I? I wanted to keep him to myself for a little bit. I hadn't even told you and I would've told you first. You're my closest friend here."

Warmth spread through me when I heard that. I felt so touched, honored. I realized then Emily had become one of my best friends. She might not know as much about me as Kates did, but she'd defended me at times. "Thanks, Em."

"I want friends like you." Brown blinked back tears. "You guys are so awesome to each other. You both are so understanding. It's so much. This is so great."

Emily sat back. "Do you do drugs?"

"See. Like that! You're so honest with each other, with me too." Brown laughed to herself. "And I don't do drugs, but I can see why you might think that."

Emily asked me, "Was she hurt that I hadn't said anything? I didn't know she knew Pete."

"I think," I chose my words very carefully. "I think she feels like she's closer to you than you think you are to her and yes, it looked to me that she knew Pete. It looked like there was some history between her and him."

"Who is Pete?" Brown plopped down between us. Emily looked down at her hands. Then Brown added, "Don't be shy now. We all know. You heard about Davy and this Roane character. Your turn?"

Emily looked back up and glared. Then she gave up the fight. "I met him at the grief group I've been going to. It's so amazing. He's so amazing. He's funny and smart and nice and just wonderful." She smiled to herself with a dreamy look on her face. "He's there because he lost someone close to him and needed to talk to people who understood. He said no one understood. When I went in and sat down at the first meeting it was love at first sight." She sighed. "I love him, Davy. He's so amazing. I feel like a part of me is home now. It's like I'm complete with him."

I smiled. "That's wonderful, Emily. It really is." I kept the sharp retort that she'd felt the same with Bennett in the back of my mind.

Brown's head swiveled between us. "If you're in love with this Pete, why were mad at Davy about this other guy?

The dreamy look vanished.

I sighed. It was now awkward again.

Emily stood up. "I wasn't mad about the guy. I was mad because she lied to me."

"What did she lie about? I mean, she just didn't tell you, did you?"

"It's different." I placed a hand on Brown's arm.

"It's not different. She's falling in love with some guy and never said a word to you, but she's mad at you. You never told her about this guy you fell in love with even though he's with someone else? So you're not even with him. You met him separately from her."

I gave a small shrug. "There were different circumstances, but Emily feels I betrayed her because she knew him and I never told her that I did."

"But you didn't because it was too painful to say anything. Who wants to tell someone that you like a guy she knows too, but he's with someone else? What's the point then? That's humiliating. I'd keep that to myself too. I don't think you did anything wrong."

Emily stood in front of her closet. Her head was bent. Her door was still closed and she didn't move.

Brown looked at me. "You didn't do anything wrong. If Emily can fall in love with someone and not tell you, she wouldn't say a thing if she liked someone who loved someone else. She wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of you and she would be because you're the more—"

I clamped a hand over Brown's mouth. Whatever she was about to say did not need to be said. After she quieted and sat back on the couch, I let go and watched my roommate. What was she thinking and why was I so hesitant to read her thoughts?

Then I closed my eyes. I had to go in there. I had to violate my roommate. And I heard, 'Pete said she wouldn't understand. No one would. He said that she couldn't know. Am I wrong in not telling her? I didn't lie because—yes I did. Who am I lying to? Myself? That stupid girl is right. I wouldn't have told Davy if Pete hadn't felt the same as me. What do I do now? Pete, come help me.'

Suddenly the whole room shook again. The ferocity of it shocked even me and I stood. This wasn't me. This wasn't Brown. What was coming?

Brown gasped, excited and scared at the same time.

Emily looked around, but there was a waiting look in her. That's when I realized that she knew what he was. She had asked for him to come and she thought it was him coming.

Pippa ran to our door and braced herself. "What's going on?"

Brown screamed, "Something's coming."

Then it stopped and the air felt eerie. I had a moment to wonder what stood outside our door before three bursts of light exploded from the hallway. Pippa fell to the ground. Emily crumbled. And Brown dropped. All of them were unconscious.

"What?" I gaped.

Saren stood in the doorway, in blue leather this time. The fire in her eyes was blazing and it smoldered in the air. A burning smell filled the room. "We have to go. Now."

"What did you just do?" I couldn't look away from their fallen bodies.

"They aren't dead, but they will be soon if I don't get you out of here."

"But—"

She grabbed my hand and both of us teleported. The room wrapped around us and we were on our feet in an alley somewhere.

I threw down Saren's hand. "What just happened?!"

She ignored me and scanned our surroundings. "We're safe. For now."

"Saren!" I clipped out. "Fill me in on what's going on or I'm going back. I'll figure it out for myself."

A burst of fire exploded from her eyes. It zapped and burned me before she retracted it. "Don't threaten me. I am still your superior and you need me if you're going to survive the near future."

"What?!" My mouth hung open. Again. "What are you talking about?"

She stopped and turned to me. "Do you know what kind of wolf you're roommate is mixed up with?"

"Like Pippa? She's harmless."

"The girl is. He's not. Pete Young is the next leader of the werewolf nation. He's at your school to unite the werewolves for an uprising against the vampires."

"They're going to war with them?"

"The werewolves have laid low for thousands of years, but they're strong. Their power is ancient, more ancient that the vampires and it's rising again. Pete Young is meant to bring them together. They don't want to replace vampires, but they want to usurp them. And this guy is the equivalent of your vampire to their species."

A part of me was proud of Emily. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"She called him. He was going to her, fast. The second he got there he would've felt your power and tried to drain you from it. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself."

"Vampires can't sense my power. Why could he?" Pippa hadn't sensed my powers.

Saren sighed in frustration and paced up and down the alley. She was tense, ready for a fight. "We should be moving and not talking. He probably sensed your trail and could be coming after us."

"Stop!" I held onto her shoulders and made her stand still. "He's just a werewolf, right? Right?"

Saren shook her head. "He's not just a werewolf. He's got power, magic in him. He was created using the essence of the Immortal thread from a dead Immortal."

"Talia?"

"Her mother. The wolves took her mother after Lucan and Lucas had left her. They took the essence of the thread that was still in her body with magic."

I had no idea how to figure this all out. "What, huh?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. "It's like a boat that makes waves in the water. They caught the waves that remained after the boat had left. Does that make sense to your little human brain?"

"Hey! Back off, fiery witch from hell! You think I like this? You think I like running from magical beings?" I snapped at her and then ran a hand through my hair. She wasn't the only one on edge. "You said that my friends would've died if we hadn't left. Why? What would've happened?"

"When he tried to drain you, you would've defended yourself. You still don't know your powers. Your reaction would have been stronger than you wanted and would have not only killed him, but your friends too. I stopped it from happening. I stopped him from figuring out who you are, at least until we can figure out how to blanket your powers to him."

"Oh! So I can go back?" At her dark look, I added, "Sometime?"

Saren rolled her eyes. They looked like sparklers waving in the air. Then she stalked off with her leather-clad legs rubbing against each other.

I took in the sight of her black hair flowing behind her, sleek and shiny with her blue leather outfit. "You look like a superhero right now. Did you go for that on purpose?"

She sighed in disgust. The blue leather transformed into a black-colored outfit. The fabric was loose and seemed to flow behind her, billowing in the wind. She kept going.

"Can I do that? Can you show me how to do that?"

She barked over her shoulder, "We have work to do."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Not to be a nag, but where are we going?" I followed behind Saren as we walked down another set of streets. We'd been walking in circles for the last hour. I wasn't sure if she was aware of the attention she was attracting dressed like a rich person in the back streets that accumulated the back street type of person. A few homeless. A few drunks. More than a few illegal activities were going on around us.

Saren kept trudging around and cursed underneath her breath.

She whipped back to me now. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm mixing your scent with all these other things. He's good. He's going to be able to pick your scent out of all these places, but I want him confused."

"I get that, but where are we going? Shouldn't we go?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are so human, it annoys." Then she grabbed my hand and we were whisked into another teleport. When we stopped, I looked around and saw only cement floors. There were no windows, just open areas in brick walls. A tree had grown in the corner of our room with vines that climbed up the wall and onto the ceiling. A few flowers intermingled among the vines.

"Where are we? Is this some magical place?"

"It's an abandoned castle, used by a coven that was killed off in the early 1800s." Saren left for another room.

I followed, wide eyed. "Castle? Are you serious? I didn't think we had castles in America."

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "We're not in America anymore."

My eyes went even wider. "What?"

Then she kept going, down some steps that looked like they had been put together with brick and cement by hand.

"Where are we?"

"It doesn't matter." She strode through another opening and then paused before an altar. A moment later, she lit candles on it. A banner hung from it with a sign that looked like a hand surrounded with weaving loops of rope. A tiny blade of grass grew out of the middle of the hand.

"What does that mean?"

Saren stopped and looked where I pointed. The hand seemed to turn till it was pointed at me. It looked like it was stretched for my hand to take it in a hold. Her voice was quiet. "It's the sign of the Immortal."

"The sign of me?"

"No. It's the sign of its creator, the true essence of the Immortal, what created it from the thread."

I swallowed. "You told me before not to talk to Blue. Then before that, I was told that Jacith wasn't the real creator. The vampires all think he is. They think he's some super powerful. I don't know, but Roane told me before that Jacith created the Immortal. What's the real story?"

Saren watched me for a moment and then the air circled around her. It picked up speed and her eyes gleamed. Dust picked up from her feet and moved upwards. It covered her entire body until I couldn't see her through it. Then it stopped and everything fell back in place.

Saren didn't look like Saren anymore. The black hair was gone. The fire eyes had been replaced with soft almond ones. The black outfit was now a white robe wrapped around her body. Her hair was a golden wheat color, braided in crowns on top of her head. She smiled and I knew then this was not Saren.

"My name is Sireenia. I am a sister to Saren and Stepianhas, your last guide."

"Are you my new guide?" I wasn't sure I'd miss Saren.

She smiled again. It was a tender look. "No, but I will help you along the way. Saren is your guide for a reason. She will fight when you are unable to. No one will harm you and many will try. She is here to help you embrace your powers because you are very powerful, but you need to become your powers."

"Who is Jacith? How is my old sponsor involved?"

"You are ready for some answers. We can tell that you know more than you think." She gestured to the side where a chair carved in rock appeared. Another was beside it and we both sat in them. Sireenia folded her hands in her lap. All her movements were graceful. "Your empathic sponsor was assigned to you for a reason. She came from a long line of witches that worshiped their original sorcerer Jacith. Her attributes matched yours. You needed someone who was motherly, but aloof. She was that, but she also had a sense of purpose that you respected. She had humor that met yours. She was picked for you and her assignment was to bring you to Jacith when the thread went into you."

My eyes were wide and my soul felt like it had a hole in it. It was gaping open. Everything she said was true.

Sireenia had been watching me and then took my hand. I felt her calm enter me and the peace soothed over everything, all my agitation, panic, and even seemed to lick other wounds inside of me.

"You're very beautiful." She held my eyes. "They've told me of your will, your spirit, but they haven't shared your looks. Do you know how beautiful you are?"

I looked away. Then she squeezed my hand and I looked back.

"You're not normally bashful. Why are you now? You know you're attractive."

I had no idea. "You're so direct. No one's told me like that." I knew I wasn't ugly, but I never thought about my looks. I wasn't known for them. I was the carefree, funny one.

"Oh. Maybe they should've." Then she winked and sat back. "But you're right. We're not here about your looks. I'm here because you wanted to learn about Jacith and Saren didn't want to be the one to tell you. She wanted me to explain it to you so here we go."

My fingers dug into the armrests of my chair and I braced for what I was about to hear.

Sireenia looked at me warmly. "Jacith used to be Jacob Withering. It's an old name with old roots and he wanted a new one. He didn't want ties to where he came from so he changed it to Jacith when he became a vampire. He lived and ruled under the normal hierarchy that each vampire does, with their Family that might be allied with other Families and so forth. This was all fine until Jacith met a witch one day. He fed from her and she turned him human. Jacith was fascinated by this. He loved the power it gave him and he had her turn himself back into a vampire.

This began his long fall into sorcery and dark magic, but he kept his darkness from his vampire Family. They thought he used his magic for good, but he didn't. Even then his Family strove to protect the humans; they felt it would restore their own humanity so they wouldn't forget their true beginnings. They knew if they did forget it would only be a matter of time before all was lost. Madness and chaos would ensue. The slayers were created for this reason and then the decree occurred and hunters now hunt their own. Jacith wanted to win favor with the ruling Queen. He wanted to use her power for himself. He could use it for more magic so he created the Immortal prophecy.

He had hoped the legend of the Immortal, which would balance all powers in the universe, would make her happy. It did. She fell in love with him and he's slowly been draining her of all her power. He only created the thread of the Immortal, which vampires could get power from. He thought this was the Immortal."

There was so much I didn't understand, but I asked the one question that burned in my mind. "Is he still alive?"

She smiled, saddened. "He is and he is protected still by the Romah Family, the most powerful of all vampire Families. The Roane family is second to them, but they protect the Romah Family. They are their guardians. It's an alliance that has never been broken. Your vampire is hoping to destroy that alliance, but it'll create a divide instead. The Romah and Roane Family will bind together against him and they'll never see reason. They believe to this day that Jacith is a good sorcerer. That he created the Immortal for balance and equality."

"Why does the thread only go from human to human?"

"The Romah Family felt humans were sacred so Jacith made the thread to remain solely in humans. If a vampire did take on the thread inside of them, it would jump to the first human they encountered. He didn't inform the Queen that once the vampire fed from an Immortal, that vampire would have enormous power. They found this out after the first human and then protected the Immortal from that day forward. Of course, Jacith said that he hadn't known it would do that. After a hundred thousand years, they entrusted the Immortal to be defended by the Roane Family, which is why Lucas, their best hunter, became Talia's protector."

But I was the Immortal. I didn't have the thread. Jacith didn't intend for a true Immortal to ever come. The first guide had told me that.

She held my hand and squeezed it. "Jacith thought that a human with the mere thread of the Immortal would be the Immortal. He never realized the thread would take a life of its own and become an actual entity. That is what you are. You have been infused with the essence of life; this is why you make the undead alive. You take away their death."

I shook my head. There was so much information. I couldn't understand all of it. Then Sireenia whispered, "You will in time. You will know all. You will understand all."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Her hand cupped my cheek. "You are so beautiful. You need to know this because Jacith is going to be your enemy. He is going to try and take the Immortal out of you. He will try to destroy it all."

"Why?" I felt gutted.

"Because you are not what he created. He cannot control you. He cannot control us. And he will fear you once the Romah and Roane Elders realize what you really are. "

"What do I do then?"

"You will fight him. You were created to destroy him. We were created to help you. He is too powerful for the world to have. He is the unbalance, not you."

When she put it like that, I wanted to crap my pants. "I'm not ready for that! I'm not ready for him! What if he comes tomorrow? What if he already knows? What am I going to do?"

My heart started to race and everything swirled around me. I tried concentrating on Sireenia, but she looked as if she were swimming around me. She flailed her arms at me. When I asked what was happening to me, my voice sounded in the distance and a baritone tone had taken root in my throat. Then my body felt like it was falling backwards…

I heard Saren in the distance, "Snap her out of it, Sire. We need her with us, not in the Orca."

"If she goes, then Stepianhas will calm her down."

A burst of energy zapped me. I felt like my insides had exploded, but I jerked upright from the chair, gasping and pounding my chest. My heart had stopped. When I didn't hear the constant beat again, I looked up, terrified. "What—what—what just happened?" I fell off my chair and scrambled to my feet. I pounded on my chest. "My heart stopped. My heart isn't beating. I don't—"

They stood before me. Sireenia had her hands folded in front of her. Saren had her hands on her hips. Then she snapped, "You're immortal. You're not going to die. Ever. Your heart is the least of your problems right now."

"Wha—but—my heart!" I gasped with each word. They didn't understand. They weren't human anymore. "I need to be normal. I need my heart to beat!"

They glanced at each other and a look was shared between them.

"Stop that! Stop looking at each other about me. Do something. You're all magical things. Make my heart beat again. Please." I nearly sobbed the last word. It felt like my world had changed. It was irreversible. Everything shifted in that moment and I didn't want it to happen. I didn't want to fight this guy. I didn't want to have to deal with the fact that my heart didn't beat like Emily's, Brown's, or Pippa's.

Then Saren stepped forward. She spoke with authority, "You're doing this to yourself. You stopped your heart. Only you make it start again. Calm down. CALM!"

Everything stopped.

I stopped and I felt my body jerk upright. I stood at my highest height.

She took my shoulders then in her hands and looked me straight in the eyes. Her fire was mesmerizing. "You stopped it. You can make it start." Then she kept repeating that until I found myself mouthing the words with her. After a few minutes, I felt my heart start again.

Thump…thump…thump

"It's okay!" I exclaimed. "I'm okay. I'm going to be okay." But I wasn't. I had so much more to do and I wanted to cry. I wanted to bury my head in a pillow and make everything go away.

"I think that's enough for sharing time." Saren released my shoulders and sat in my vacant chair. She threw a blue-leathered leg over the side and pursed her lips.

"Hey, you changed your outfit back."

She shrugged. "It's my favorite. I don't care what you think."

"Oh."

Sireenia watched me during our exchange and glided forward now. "Are you okay, Davy?"

I jerked my shoulders in a casual shrug. I could be casual about this. They were. I could be one of them. Then I broke. "No! No, I'm not!"

She sighed.

Saren waved her away. "She'll be fine. She's a fighter. Besides, I have to work with her now."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She seems fragile right now." Sireenia bit her lip as she watched me.

"She's fine. Go. Brood up something so we can disguise her power to that wolf. The sooner we can get her back, the better."

"Okay." But Sireenia glanced at me over her shoulder as she left.

"Catch!" Saren called out to me as I looked back at her. Something slammed into me and I flew against the wall.

I glared at her. "What was that about?"

She smirked and gestured at me. "Look at yourself."

I did. I was flat against the wall in mid-air. My mouth fell open. "Are you doing that?"

"You caught yourself. I bet you didn't dent the wall."

I let my body glide downwards. I asked as my feet touched the floor, "Was I supposed to?"

"Someone normal would've gone through three buildings. You barely touched the first wall. You're good, better than you think." Then she reared back to throw her power again. This time I saw it coming.

The power radiated from her toes and rose through her body. It built in power until she released it at me.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that your missing girlfriend's roommate down there? And is she sitting with a wolf?" Gavin glanced over his shoulder where Roane was sitting at his desk. Then he looked back down at the booth below.

Roane glanced up from his paperwork and stood beside his best friend. The view was massive, writhing bodies below, flashing lights everywhere, but he saw where Gavin had his eyes trained and there she was, Emily. She looked different, serious and gaunt, but there was a glow about her too. The guy next to her had a lean build with a round baby face, but his eyes weren't babyish at all. They had seen too much. He was scanning the nightclub, on the prowl with an intelligence that told Roane he wasn't there by accident.

Gavin grunted. "He's got balls being in your establishment."

Roane narrowed his eyes and watched how the wolf leaned over and placed a kiss on Emily's jaw. He lingered there, sending a possessive claim to the rest of the club. "He knows that he's being watched right now."

"Of course he's being watched. He's a wolf in enemy territory."

Roane walked back to his desk and grabbed a small dagger that he tucked into his pocket. "Come on. Let's get this over with." As they walked to the door, Roane held it open and then murmured in Gavin's ear as he passed by, "You know he's the Alpha, right?"

Gavin halted and wheeled around. "What? Why didn't you say something before?"

Roane shook his head with a small grin. He kept going and made his best friend follow at a slower pace. "He's here trying to get her scent. And I'm guessing that he knows who I am too."

"The roommate knows about you and Davy. I spilled the beans the last time I was there."

"You told me." And he had, followed by an apology every day since Davy had gone missing. It'd been three months and no one had a lead where she'd gone to. Gavin had included a detailed account of what had happened, but promised that she'd been fine when she shoved him out of her window. The roommate and a witch had been there with her, but no one could figure out what happened. Roane had listened to all the testimonies they gave to the police. Emily and the witch, along with another wolf, had been knocked unconscious. None of them could explain how Davy had gone. No vampire caught her scent. No wolf could either, but Roane had a very strong hunch that the Alpha had been persuaded to try again. If the Alpha wolf was in his club, he was at the end of the rope.

"You think he's here for a brawl?" Gavin asked in his ear, treading close behind him as they both weaved around vampires and drunken humans. Some were laughing. Some were drinking. Others were doing more.

"He might be the Alpha, but he's not stupid. He's outnumbered five hundred to one. Emily's desperate to find Davy." Then they turned one last time and the Alpha sensed them immediately.

He could smell Talia's blood, or the blood of her mother on him. It clung to the wolf like a third skin and it made his own stomach churn.

As they drew near the booth, Roane waited till Emily looked up. As soon as she did, she gasped and shrunk back in her seat. Gavin smiled brightly and slid in next to her. Roane sat beside him. They pushed the couple to the far end of the circular booth till the Alpha was directly across from Roane. Both of their gazes were locked on each other.

Emily glanced between them. She was nervous. Roane could smell it. He also felt her desperation. Her hand fell to the Alpha's lap and was gripped by his. He held them in a comforting hold and Roane grinned. "Should I give congratulations to the happy couple?"

Emily flushed and skirted further underneath the table.

He broke eye contact with the wolf and locked onto Emily who wanted to look anywhere, but at him. It was then, seeing a blush on her cheeks, that he knew she still had feelings for him.

The wolf's nostrils flared, smelling her desire, but he didn't comment. Both Gavin and Roane smelled it.

"Emily," Roane said softly, but with a twinge of authority in his voice. She shouldn't avoid this and he wanted to remind her of that. When she looked up and held his gaze, he knew she registered his meaning. She even sat up straight and squared her shoulders back. Her hand still held onto the wolf's hand with a death grip. "You know about Davy and me."

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Yes. Yes, I do."

Gavin looked between them and then at the wolf. He rolled his eyes. "This is boring and awkward. Someone start talking or I'm leaving."

"Uh…" Emily seemed at a loss for words. "I…" Then she shook her head and shrunk back in the seat.

Roane was taken aback. He remembered an assertive nerd from his classes on campus. He knew she'd taken a liking to him, but he also remembered how she was never at a loss for words. Davy had respect for her roommate, how she never feared tough situations or what to say, even if the truth was the hardest to deal with. This was not that girl. Then the Alpha held out his free hand and sat forward.

"My name is Pete Young."

Roane shook his hand, feeling strength and confidence. The Alpha was strong, the strongest he'd ever met in a wolf, but he was young. And he didn't know all the pieces, though he knew too much for Roane's liking.

"Lucas Roane. I own this nightclub."

"I know. We know. It's why we came here." Pete glanced around, a sense of unease teased at the edge of his surface. "I know that you and Emily know each other from college and that you were somewhat dating her roommate, Davy?" He looked to her for reassurance and she sighed and sat forwards again.

"Do you know where Davy is?" Emily asked in a husky voice.

"I'm your last resort, aren't I?"

She jerked her head in a nod. "No one knows where she is. I can't get a hold of Kates. I don't know Davy's family and that blue lady can't find her either. She was freaking out the last time I talked to her. She said that no one could 'feel her on this world's aura' whatever that means."

"So you came to me." Roane nodded and caught Gavin's eye in the same movement.

'What are you thinking?' Gavin thought in his head.

Roane spoke to Emily, "And you've called the police?" He looked at Gavin. 'We need to get the Alpha out of here. He has the Immortal essence in him, Talia's mother. He can't know what we know about Davy.'

Gavin's eyelid twitched, but no other muscle moved on his face. 'Didn't the police report say that he showed up at their room the day Davy disappeared? Do you think he has something to do with it?'

Emily frowned, playing with a napkin on the table. "The police have no idea what happened. Davy was in the room with us and then it's like she just disappeared. Our dorm has video surveillance on all the exits and she's not in any of them."

Roane knew all of this. He read over every document, every witness testimony that the detectives had gotten from the event. None of it made sense to him except one item. It was tied to the Immortal. It was the only thing that made sense. If a vampire had been able to take her, he would've known by now. If another supernatural species had found out about her, he would've known too. He was linked to her and he agreed with the 'blue lady'. Davy wasn't nearby, maybe not even in the country or in their time line. The Immortal had infinite powers. She could be in another universe and he had no idea how to find her.

He smiled politely. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard from Davy for awhile before she went missing. We'd called things off because of, well for various reasons."

Emily ducked her head down and sucked in her breath. Pete glanced at her, but then understanding dawned. He jerked his eyes back up and stared at Roane. Lucas knew it was coming, felt the wolf sniffing through every layer of thought and emotion he had in him, but he steeled himself against the investigation. Yes, Pete knew there was history between Emily and Roane, but he was just now starting to guess the true nature of that history.

Then with a distant smile, Roane thrust Gavin from his head and met the Alpha full force. 'She didn't tell you the truth, did she?'

Pete sat back, shocked and enraged. His lip started to quirk upwards in a growl. 'She told me you two were friends, nothing of what I'm getting from her now. Were you lovers? Did you throw her away once you were done as vampires always do? You discard people who care for you, treat them like garbage.'

Roane's eyes narrowed. 'Emily had a crush on me. That was it. Your mate has never had any sort of relationship with me other than that of a classmate. That is all. We were not even friends. Search her mind. You'll find the truth.'

'I don't go in her head unless she wants me to. I respect her privacy.'

A cruel smirk came over Roane and his eyes mocked. 'That's the biggest piece of bullshit I've ever heard a wolf tell me. You bulldoze your way through her head and heart, sniffing under every emotion she has, any memory from her past. You didn't find me because I'm telling you the truth. She had a school girl crush on me, still does apparently. And it means nothing to me.'

Pete's eyes went feral and he surged to his feet.

Roane stood to meet him, calm as he smiled in his adversary's face. Gavin followed at a slower pace, but grinned in excited anticipation. He had a cocky glint to his eyes as he waited for the wolf to pounce. He thirsted for it even.

Emily sucked in her breath. The blood had drained from her face.

Gavin winked at her. "Don't worry, love. The two baddies need to figure out which is the alpha and who's the loser." Then his eyes found Pete's and he said with more promise, "Because there's always only one Alpha."

Pete drew back his thoughts and his fury was quickly gone. He forced a smile and looked down to grab Emily's hand. After he pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, he laughed and forced a carefree note. "I can tell that Roane cared for Davy. If he knew where she was, he'd tell us. He misses her as much as you do." A sinister smile came over him as he thought, 'You're right about one thing. I can tell that Davy meant more to you than you want to admit. It's all over your thoughts. You're as desperate to find her as Emily is, but you're not as scared as her. You know more than you're telling. I intend to find out what that is.'

Gavin narrowed his eyes. 'Go and pee somewhere else. This isn't your territory. It'd be a shame if a vampire decided to sneak a little taste from your lover. You know how powerful those spells can be, don't you…or have you already tasted the last vampire that's been in her?'

Pete snarled and showed his teeth.

"Pete!" Emily gasped as she clutched onto his arm.

Alerted by the sounds of a werewolf, the vampires surrounding them dropped their conversations and turned. They squared off against the werewolf.

Gavin taunted, "Everyone here knows what you are. They stayed away because you seemed that you were under friendly terms. Those terms are gone and even a wolf as powerful as you can't take everyone here, not when there's a hunter in the room."

Emily squeaked and fell down. Pete caught her with one arm as he glared across the table at both vampires. "I could kill both of you in a heartbeat, then thirty more before any of them could touch me."

"They'd get her." Roane narrowed his eyes and watched as Emily seemed to swoon unsteadily on her feet. 'She doesn't know who we are. If you hope to protect her, you need to tell her everything.'

The Alpha drew back. 'You talk now as if you care for her. Before, you were disrespectful to her.'

"Not everything I do will make sense to you," Roane chose his words carefully. He wanted the wolf to feel unbalanced. He didn't want the Alpha to start connecting dots.

Pete stood at his fullest height. "I think we should leave. I've gotten the answer that we came for anyway." He watched the vampires around them cautiously as he edged out of the booth and then down the aisle.

Roane caught Gregory's gaze, who had been standing in a far corner. He nodded and then gestured towards the wolf. Gregory bent his head.

Gavin watched Gregory follow them and chuckled. "Let's hope the Viking can jump rooftops. That's the only way he's going to be able to follow that wolf."

"He can." Roane turned away and saw Wren in another corner. She was wrapped around another female vampire.

Both stopped and watched the display for a second and then Gregory burst out laughing. Wren looked up, but then bent her back to her lover's neck, sucking on it. The other vampire seemed unaffected, unaware that Wren had ever stopped and clutched the back of her head. She moaned as she pressed closer against her.

As they went back to Roane's office, Gavin helped himself to a drink. "What do you think of the wolf? He's a powerful young pup."

Roane went to his tinted windows and watched below. "He is strong, stronger than the old Alpha, but he's young."

"Human age, he's what? 30s?"

"At least." Roane frowned as Wren grabbed another female vampire and included her in their embrace. All three were quickly caressing, kissing, licking, and gaining more attention than Roane wanted his second right-hand vampire to obtain. When a male pressed into the group, Roane saw that Wren grabbed his head and shoved it against her breast. He latched on and kneeled with one of the other women.

Gavin stood next to him and lifted his glass in a salute. "Here's to Wren getting an orgy. She knows how to fulfill that need, huh?"

"Most of these vampires have crossed the world, pledging their loyalty to me. They came because of my reputation of an honorable hunter. That's not honorable. That's primal. We're above that."

"Oh come on. Looks to me that Wren's just stressed. She's letting out some of her tension. When's Tracey supposed to arrive?"

"You mean with my sworn enemy?" Roane couldn't stop a smile as he regarded his best friend.

Gavin opened his mouth, but it hung there, suspended. Then he laughed and shut it. "I forgot about that little detail. Sorry, mate. You know what you're going to have to do, right?"

"What's that?"

"Just rip the new hunter's head off his body and take his army as yours. It was yours anyway. The Elders forced a new hunter, because they want to kill the Immortal and you want to protect her. Such a trivial little difference, you know? I think all those vampires will be thankful that you're making them follow you. You're a much better leader than they could ever get and you know it. They know it. Hell, even the new hunter knows it."

Roane grew somber, but then a hard glint appeared in his eyes. "They chose what side they were on, as all of these vampires here have. They've chosen my side."

"Because they believe in what you believe in." Gavin finished his drink and spoke with gravity. "There's a civil war brewing in the vampire nation. Every one of us knows it and the Immortal is the reason for it. Half of them don't even believe she exists. They're here because you stand for the new age, for a different standard of our living. That's why they're here. For you, not for Davy. They don't even know who she is or why you've stood your ground against the Roane Elders."

"Don't forget the Romah Elders."

"Forget those old bastards. They're so ancient; I could snap them in half. They've grown rusty, gotten too used to being protected by the Roane Family."

"Jacith is aligned with them."

Gavin narrowed his eyes at his best friend, who stared at the club below. "Maybe it's time for Jacith to end, huh?"

Roane smirked and now looked at Gavin. "And who's going to do that? Jacith is old. He's powerful as a vampire and he's powerful as a sorcerer. He'd snap you in half."

"I'm not saying that I have all the answers. I'm just telling you my opinion of them. I'm sure I'm not alone. If you were to declare war against the Romah Family, I'm sure you'd have more than my Family behind you, maybe even every vampire Family in the nation."

"Not the Mori Nation."

Gavin opened his mouth, but snapped it shut. "They don't count. They're freaks of nature."

Roane barked out a laugh, but stopped. "Are you serious? You know that's where Lucan is hiding. He might even be one of them by now."

"The birthing baby vampire magic circus? No. He's not one of them." Gavin's eyes grew dangerous. "No, no. He's not one of them. He's human. And he wants them to kidnap Davy and force the thread from her. Everyone knows the lore. It'll attach to the closest human. Oh no. Lucan will stay human because he wants to be the next Immortal."

Roane closed his eyes as he heard his worst nightmare. Davy would die. His brother would become the Immortal and he'd have too much power than any being should have in a lifetime. There was a reason why it chose the next holder of the thread, but according to Davy, she wasn't the thread. She was the Immortal, a prophecy no vampire had been foretold about. And that was one of the reasons why his former Family's Elders refused to believe what he had told them. There was no prophecy stating the thread would become an actual entity. The thread was just there. It jumped from human to human and they were always protected by them so no vampire could obtain that power.

"They're stupid. They refuse to listen to me," Roane bit out. "You're right. A new order has to come in power. They refuse to hear what I've told them and it'll be the death of them. She's not a thread. She is something we know nothing about."

Gavin's finger clenched around his glass and it shattered. He was unfazed by the broken shards of glass in his hands. "She might be missing right now, but she's coming back. And something tells me that she's coming back with a vengeance. Your girl will be okay, no matter how long she's away."

Roane closed his eyes. He wanted to believe what he heard. "Let's hope."

"No matter what we think, we have another problem on our hands. That Alpha has to be dealt with."

"He's a complication that I didn't foresee," Roane admitted as he remembered Emily's haunted eyes. No, he saw how she had trusted him. He'd been her last resort and she thought he could produce Davy, no matter how unrealistic that wish had been.

Gavin chuckled and turned for another drink. "Takes a strong man, wolf or human, to bring your lover to a place and ask for help from someone she's got her 'knight in shining armor' fantasy with. I'm surprised he took it that well."

"He didn't know." Roane felt his stomach twist. "She lied to him about her feelings and she kept them hidden from him. He thought I'd had a few classes with her. He didn't know about her feelings or how she'd handled the truth about Davy and me."

"Which she still hasn't." Gavin turned back and looked out the window with Roane. They stood shoulder to shoulder. "She heard about it before Davy went missing, but she hasn't seen it. It's not a reality with her, not yet. And, mate, she had more than a crush on you. I think the girl thought she was in love with you."

"Most humans have stupid idealistic fantasies. They live in a delusional world."

"Regardless, the lass was hurt. I wonder how the wolf is going to handle that. It can't be easy, knowing that your mate has feelings for someone else and a different species too."

"They're not real." Roane turned away and grabbed a bottle of bourbon.

"They're not real to you, but they're real to her."

"Shut up."

Gavin grinned. "Oh come on. You've never had your heart shattered by someone that you only fantasized about? Fantasized so hard that you tricked yourself into thinking she was real?"

"Maybe when I was human?"

"She is human. So is Davy." Gavin watched his mate and saw that Roane gave nothing away. He never did. Then Gavin clinked his glass with Roane's. "Here's to us. Breaking hearts and breaking blood. There's going to be a load spilled with this war coming on."

Roane didn't comment, but gripped his glass tighter. Gavin was right, something that Roane tried not to think about every day, but he couldn't get Wren's voice out of his head. She told him that they'd need Davy and that they'd need her powers. He knew it was true. If they were going to survive the future, they'd need a miracle. They'd need the Immortal.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Saren was crouched in the corner of the room. I was on the opposite side and we stared at each other, waiting for the other to attack. My eyes were locked on her. I watched every breath she took, every twitch the hairs on her arm made, even how the iris in her eye widened a bit. When the skin at the corner of her mouth stretched out, I flung myself in the air and tucked my feet in to spring off the wall as I flew down to her.

She was ready. She ducked her head down and rolled over till she was on her back. Then her hand came up and zapped me, just as I was about to tackle her.

"Ouch!" I glared as I thrust my body through the air and back to my corner. I rubbed my stomach. "That one hurt."

"You were trying to hurt me."

"I wanted to tackle you."

"You wanted to overtake me." She stood, her body fluid, gliding upwards till she walked towards me. The fire in her eyes had vanished, but two small embers had been ignited. I watched, always amazed, as it built slowly at first until it was a rolling fire. Then she blinked and shook her head. "You can't think about how you're going to sneak up on me. It won't work with me. It won't work with Jacith."

"Why do I have to be the one who fights him? You're better than me. You should do it." I stood and brushed off my pants. The room we had been training in hadn't been cleaned from the animals that had been in there before. Piles of straw were everywhere and they clung to my pants. Not Saren's. Her pants were spotless. "Are you sure there isn't poop in here from before? You said animals were kept in here."

She rolled her eyes and led the way out the door and through a tunnel. "I already told you that it had been cleaned a long time ago. The straw was put in there for the same reason we use that room, training. It's an old castle. There's a lot of history. Knights used to go in there. And no, you're the Immortal. I am not. You are supposed to be better than me."

Just then we passed another hallway where a display of armor was hung on the wall. I could never stop the shivers when I went past it and I felt them again. The place was old. Saren was right, the history hung in the air. It suffocated me at times, but I missed my own history. I missed my old life. "When can I go back?"

Saren pushed open a wooden door with her back and glared at me. "I told you, when you can hide from the Alpha. He came earlier than we anticipated and you were supposed to be further along in your powers."

Sireenia looked up from a counter as she stirred something in a bowl. A bright smile lit her face and she tucked a long braid behind her ear. She left a trail of flour on her cheek. "How's she doing?"

"She's blocking me. She's blocking herself. It's like she doesn't want to progress," Saren grumbled as she hopped on a stool at the counter. "What are you making?"

"Chocolate chip cookies. Davy, you like these, don't you?"

My finger had been raised in the air, ready to swipe some of the batter when I was caught by the look in Sireenia's eyes. The uncertainty and eagerness shook me for a moment. Those were human emotions and I'd grown used to not seeing Saren or Sireenia as human. Magic oozed from them in every word, emotion, or look. They told me that they were once human and it surprised me when I saw moments such as this one that showed their humanity.

I smiled back. "I love these cookies. Kates used to buy the premade batter and that's all we would eat sometimes."

"The batter?" Sireenia paled. "You mean you didn't bake them? I thought you were supposed to bake them?"

Saren swore under her breath. "Don't worry about it, Sire. You're fine. You're being more amicable than she is."

"Hey!" I stole some batter and turned as I tasted it to glare at my trainer. It seemed that was all I did with Saren now. "What's that supposed to mean?" It felt like an insult…

"You know what that means. Why won't you transition? It's like you don't want to be the Immortal. Why don't you want to be the Immortal?" She shot to her feet and rounded the counter. Her body had stiffened, ready for a fight.

I stared at her. "Wha—huh? I don't want to be the Immortal? Why do you say that?"

"Because you don't! You hold back on every training exercise I've put you through. The only thing that you don't hold back is protecting yourself. I've sent missiles at you and you evade them. You've acclimated inside. Your power is complete, but you don't want to admit it. Are you blocking yourself? You must be. I don't understand you. This is why the Immortal should never have ascended into a human being."

"I don't agree with that." Sireenia put down the bowl and spoon. "Saren, please watch what you're saying."

"Why? It's true. We've done so much for her, fought so much, sacrificed, bled for her. And this is the end result? A human who doesn't want it? I lost my humanity for the thread, but—" Saren threw her hands in the air and bolts of fire slammed against the walls. A mural caught fire, but Sireenia waved her hand in the air and it was extinguished immediately.

"The Immortal chose her. Davy is the one who will stop Jacith. She can make everything correct. She will change it all."

With narrowed eyes, I watched as Sireenia held Saren's arms and tried to calm her, but Saren shook her head and broke free. As she walked to the door, I realized something that I had never even considered. "You guys had the thread before, didn't you?"

They weren't witches, but they came from witchcraft. Saren had told me before. And they weren't vampires or werewolves or anything else. She said that Roane wouldn't know who they were, but the way they talked about the Immortal, as if they had first-hand knowledge…that meant only one thing. They had been the humans who had held the thread before me and that meant…I gulped. That meant that I could meet Talia at any moment. And the idea sent my heart racing.

Both stopped and looked at me. It was like a blanket had been pulled off and I saw the relief in both of their eyes. Sireenia was the first one to respond. "It changes you, when you've had the thread in you for so long. I had it in the beginning of time. Saren had it in the 1800s. You go through a vortex when it leaves you."

"It feels like you're getting your heart pulled out of you through your throat when the thread jumps out of you."

"Or when it's forced out of you." Sireenia grew quiet as she looked down at her hands.

I saw the pain in her and wondered who had taken the thread from her, but Saren distracted me. "How did you know that? About us?"

How could I not, but then I realized that I wasn't sure how I knew it. "I don't know. It was just a feeling. You both talk about the Immortal as if you've had first-hand experience."

Before I finished talking, Saren zapped me. The bolt of power hurdled through the air, but I looked up and everything slowed in that instant. I saw it coming, but at a snail's pace. I deflected it and sent it into a wall. Then I looked up again and saw Saren in the air, soaring at me. Her hands were outstretched and ready to let loose two more bolts of power at me. I sidestepped her too. When she landed on the floor, her bolts shattered the floor beneath her, and I grabbed her collar. The floor crumbled underneath her while I lifted her in the air and kicked off the ground. I sent us both through the air to land in the opposite corner.

Sireenia watched where we had been. Her mouth hung open and her hands had lifted to her cheeks. Then it all stopped. Everything snapped back in place. They were no longer in slow motion and Saren stumbled backwards as she fell to the ground.

"Oh my goddess." Sireenia rushed to Saren's side. Both of them looked at me.

I grimaced as I saw the questions and shock in their eyes. Then I saw their mysticism and knew they had never thought I would transition, not completely. I swallowed that back. Their lack of faith in me shouldn't have been surprising.

"You have transitioned!" Saren shot to her feet. "When? How? Have you been like this the whole time? Has this been a waste of our time?"

Sireenia grew quiet.

"Are you kidding me?" How could she even think those things? "I didn't know until now. I had no idea when whatever happened. I just knew that something clicked in me and I knew both of you had been thread-holders. That was it and then you're throwing yourself at me. What am I supposed to do? I thought you wanted me to defend myself."

"Can you control it?" Saren stood with her hands ready at her side.

Sireenia stood beside her and tightened her robe. She glanced from Saren to me. Then she stepped forward. "Davy, it is very important to tell us, can you control your powers?"

"You mean: can I do this stuff at will? Not really, but sometimes. Sometimes I can do it and sometimes I can't." I shrugged. "When I really want something to happen, it happens. I wouldn't bank on it, though."