Nora couldn't move. She was too weak but she could hear them. They were fighting.

"What are we supposed to do, pretend that she is human and let her go?" Ryker was talking. "I think she would just turn around and kill us. Look at what we do. We kill monsters for a living. She is a monster."

Ryker wasn't trying to be a jerk but this was his job and his life. He was trained for killing monsters not getting saved by them. What was he supposed to do?

He couldn't kill Nora because that would hurt Soren. He couldn't do that to his brother but he didn't know what the right thing was here.

"Ryker, she isn't a monster. She just saved our lives. Both of us and it cost her. I'm still not sure she will live." Soren was really worried. He didn't want to lose her. He wasn't what would happen to him without her.

Nora felt someone put a hand on her face. She needed to phase. She could heal quicker. Soren was right, Nora was going to die if she didn't phase. She had to and she couldn't warn them. She took the last of her energy and phased.

Both men pointed handguns at her. Soren recovered quicker.

"Sorry! You okay?" Soren was watching his woman floating in the air as he put his handgun away. He wasn't going to shoot her. He could actually see through her. She was gorgeous.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I had to phase to heal. I am so sorry. Shooting me won't do anything but waste a bullet so you will have to wait until I phase back. Thanks though." Nora glared at the guys.

"For what?" Ryker asked. He looked confused as he put his weapon away.

"Thanks for saving my life." Nora paused. "Oh, wait. That was me saving your life!" Nora felt like being sarcastic.

"Oh, right. Thanks." Ryker said. She glared at him and he smiled. "Thank you, Nora. You could have let us die."

"I wish that was true, Ryker. I really do. I'm not a monster and I couldn't let you die. Even if you are going to kill me." Nora was sad.

She couldn't stay with them and she knew that. She had to go. She would miss Soren. She shouldn't want to stay.

"So, you okay, Nora?" Soren asked. He watched her float above the floor. He looked at her marks. She had a lot of them.

"Sure. I'm feeling better. I think it's safe now. I can't feel it here. Where are we?" Nora looked around. They were in a hotel.

"A couple of towns away. We had to make sure it was safe. What did you do to that demon?" Soren took a step to her. He had bruises and cuts and his eye was swollen.

"And how did you get us to the car?" Ryker finished Soren's question.

Nora placed a foot on the floor and slowly became human. "First, I, uh, froze it a little. I should have tried harder, I think I could have killed it and second, I transported us, like ghosts do."

She stopped talking because Soren wrapped himself around her and kissed her. She was still waiting to die but it never came. She came up for air. "Okay. You talked me into it."

"What?" Soren looked confused. He wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"I will help you kill that thing. I kind of can't wait. You said it kidnapped people? How do you kill it?" She was curious.

"Marry her." Ryker said out of nowhere.

Nora laughed. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, we have to figure out why it's here. Why it is taking people. Who is behind it. There is someone controlling it and if we find that person then we can stop it." Soren explained. He was ignoring his brother comment.

"Do you think that it was what took Willem, Hyde's brother?" Nora was thinking out loud.

"It's possible, Nora. Maybe. So, does it hurt?" Ryker asked.

Nora just stared at him. "What?" It sounded like the beginning of a pick up line or he was going to kill her now.

"Sorry. Being a ghost, phantom. Does it hurt to change? We didn't find a whole lot on this subject and we only found three of those symbols."

"Oh, no, it doesn't hurt. I could only find one. Which ones did you find?" Nora was excited.

Soren touched the three on her arm. "Just the ones I saw."

Nora almost melted again. Now, she knew four symbols. She found a different one. "Could you tell what they mean?"

"Help us and I will tell you." Ryker blackmailed.

"Nice. Classy. I would help you anyway, Ryker. I found this one." Nora pointed at one on her ankle. "It means courage. I just don't know why."

"You had to do something to get that one. I read that placement means something as well." Soren said.

"Right, I read that as well but I don't know what the placement means. I have been searching for information for a long time.

The first one I got." She pointed to the one on her ankle. "I was in a foster home with several other kids. The house caught fire and I pulled the parents out and all of the kids were safe. I could have let them die."

"They were horrible people. There was an investigation and the police found out that there was a Meth lab in the basement. The kids were taken to safe homes and the adults were arrested."

"I got that mark that day. I ran off after that house. I was sick of the system. I lived on my own and worked. Saved every penny for school. I lived in shacks and hid from people. I spent my life hiding from everyone." Nora stopped.

"How old were you?" Soren asked.

Nora cleared her throat. "Thirteen. I faked some papers, I faked parents. The school never asked or looked into anything because I was a straight A student. I never missed a day of school."

"So, no family? What happened to your parents?" It was Ryker that asked. He sat on a bed.

"I don't know. I began getting these marks." She pointed at two on her arm and one on her calf. "and I phased while I was asleep one night. They both saw it. They played it off and one day I came home from school and my parents were gone."

"I mean the whole house was packed up and empty. They weren't kidnapped, they left me. I was in second grade. I bounced around the system until I was thirteen. I was better off alone."

Nora gave a weak smile. She was sick of being alone. "I was alone my whole life until college. I have Poppy and Hyde. They are my family."

"That is sad. What kind of people would leave their daughter like that?" Soren asked an almost rhetorical question.

Nora shrugged. Soren realized he didn't want to put Nora in danger and they needed more information on phantoms. Talk to a few people.

"Why don't we hunt for it and call you when we find it?" Soren said as if he was in the middle of a thought.

"What?" Nora was a little lost. That came from nowhere.

"Sorry, Nora. I was thinking. Why don't we do our thing and hunt the demon down and call you again when we corner it. Then you can help."

Ryker added. "You can help us from school. We may need some more research on this creature. How does that sound?"

He was on the same page. He didn't want to see Nora hurt either. He kind of wondered what kind of power she held over them. He hated to admit it but she was perfect for Soren. No one else would put up with him.

Soren was grateful that his brother understood. She would be safe at the school. Safe. He had to keep her safe.

"I hate doing the research." Ryker was playing off the fact that he liked Nora.

"Really? I would love that, Ryker. Oh, I love doing research and searching for stuff. I have a lot of resources at school!" Nora was excited. "I actually started doing some research while I was haunting. I found a lot of creatures I didn't know existed."

"Right. We figured you would love that." Soren smiled. He still hadn't let go of her.

"Right. Phantoms love to study and they love research. I know. I probably read the same article you did." Nora smiled. "I can do something for you, if you trust me." The guys looked awful. They were pretty beat up.

"What?" Soren asked.

"Trust me. Hold on." Nora smiled and changed. She was floating and Soren just smiled. She took his hand and closed her eyes. He was surrounded by a shimmer of blue light and it was gone. Soren felt better. Nora let go and floated to Ryker and did the same. She landed and was human again.

"What did you do?" Ryker asked. He felt better. Healed.

"Healed you. It's a little draining but I feel better knowing you don't hurt." Nora smiled.

Ryker walked to the mirror. His face was fine. Normal. He was a good looking guy. "Marry me?" Ryker asked and smiled at Nora.

Nora knew he was teasing her. She laughed. Soren wrapped himself around his cool girlfriend and held on.

"Thanks sounds lame." Soren said and kissed her.

Nora's phone rang. She walked over and picked it up. Hyde. "I'm fine." Soren followed and was wrapped around her again. He didn't want to let go.

Hyde took a breath. "I was freaking out! I have not heard from you since yesterday! Where in the hell are you?"

"Uh, you aren't going to like this." She pointed out the obvious.

"Oh, please say you aren't doing something stupid!" Hyde knew she was somewhere with the phantom killers.

"Of course I am. I'm fine. They didn't kidnap me. I promise. I am heading back..." Nora paused. One night with Soren would be heaven "In the morning." Soren was biting her ear. She was having a tough time talking. "Maybe a little later."

"Probably later." Soren said into the phone with Nora's ear in his mouth. He was still nibbling.

"Don't do anything else stupid! I don't think I could take it. And was that Soren? I had three new gray hairs today!" Hyde was freaking out still. "I will lecture you when you get back. Don't be stupid and get back here!"

"Okay, Dad. See you tomorrow." Nora started and Soren interrupted.

"Later than that." He was keeping her a little longer.

"I will call when I get there." Nora promised.

Hyde smiled. "I will be sitting in your room, waiting!" He threatened. They better not kill her or he will find a way to kill them both.

Nora smiled at the phone and hit the end button. "He is worried." She sounded casual. "I should have called him earlier. I forgot."

"He'll be fine without you for a couple of days." Soren promised. He kissed her and motioned for Ryker to leave the room. Ryker knew this was something he didn't want to see so he left. 

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