A feathery tickle below the sternum. Such a familiar feeling, and yet when Aidan reached out, it was like clutching at a projection, visible yet intangible. The feeling came and went, but every time it did, he would reach out for it, only to be disappointed over and over again. Aidan sighed in frustration as he leaned against the large kitchen island, a glass of water in hand.

Ever since he'd gotten the splinter of his soul back, Aidan had realised something. He could feel but not use his Talent. He'd tried opening a portal but the Talent refused to latch on to his grasp. The young man sighed deeply, and although the loss of something so precious left him dejected, all he could do was keep trying and hope for a miracle.

After their lengthy discussion hours ago, everyone dispersed to various parts of the condo, either to rest or to think of a plan that would make sense for his admittedly grandiose idea of breaking the curse of the sun. Even though he was tired, restlessness won over sleep, making him wander aimlessly about while lost in his thoughts until finally ending up in the kitchen. After having his fill, he washed and dried the glass before heading out.

Aidan ambled past the sofa where Charlie and Byron were sprawled out on their recliners, eyes glued to the enormous screen fitted on the wall. Charlie had his thumb permanently on the channel switching button, constantly surfing through them at five second intervals. Byron didn't seem to mind, cradling his head in one hand while propping his elbow on the armrest. The screen flicked from a rom-com to gladiators fighting in an arena. Charlie paused, thumb still hovering over the channel button before side-eyeing the vampire.

"Have you seen this one?" The werewolf suddenly asked Byron.

The vampire blinked at Charlie, not expecting conversation. "Yeah, I've seen Gladiator. Snuck into the cinema with my mates while no one was looking. Nabbed the best seats during the afternoon matinee." He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he broke into a grin while reminiscing, "I miss those crazy, carefree teenage years."

Aidan continued to head towards his room but was still within earshot to hear Charlie say, "Is it any good?"

"Yeah it's got some awesome fight scenes and the main character's a cool bloke, although I find it hilarious that they made the villain's name sound like a toilet."

Aidan made an immediate about turn, heading back towards the vampire.

Charlie said disbelievingly, "You serious?!"

"Yeah, that's him right there, the emperor Commodus." Byron was pointing to the screen as both men burst out in guffaws.

Aidan had had enough.

He walked to stand before them, "Byron, stop feeding Charlie nonsense." Turning to Charlie, Aidan had to correct, "The Latin name Commodus predates the word 'commode' which derives from French origins, and originally meant a chest of drawers, or a cabinet where you could store your personal items.

"The word changed in meaning in later years, and it's only in recent history that the word 'commode' describes the modern toilet that we know. The change in meaning is known as a semantic drift, where a word evolves over time to have a different meaning to its origin."

Charlie gazed blankly at Aidan while Byron said, "Huh. Didn't know that. But I guess you'd know, considering your age and all."

Aidan pinched the bridge of his nose. "My age has nothing to do with it. I just read a lot. Maybe you should too."

Byron stretched lazily on the recliner. "Yeah, nah. Reading isn't my thing."

Charlie kept glancing at him, curiosity written all over his face, and Aidan had a feeling he was going to have to answer some random historical questions but then again, he'd brought it upon himself, when he could have just pretended not to hear their earlier conversation to begin with. Sure enough, Charlie meekly asked, "So... was Commodus real?"

"An emperor by that name did exist."

"Did you ever get to meet him?"

Aidan thought long and hard about his answer and settled for a simple, "No." It would probably confuse the poor wolf if he pointed out that the emperor reigned centuries before supernaturals found Earth.

Charlie was genuinely disappointed, "Aww. Too bad." Changing topic abruptly, the werewolf then turned to Byron to ask, "Hey, did you say you went to an afternoon show? You, a vampire?"

"I was still human back then." Seeing their looks of surprise, the vampire elaborated, "I was dying when Lannetta found me. She gave me a choice, and I made a decision. I was lucky the transformation worked." Byron was in fact the only one among the scores of other dying humans Lannetta had tried to help who survived the transformation.

Charlie asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm thirty six heading towards the big four-oh."

The answer made the werewolf cheer, "Oh thank god! I was beginning to feel like I was surrounded by old farts."

Aidan was flabbergasted, "Charlie, I'm twenty five!"

The werewolf deadpanned, "But you were also seventeen, seven hundred years ago."

Rendered speechless for a few seconds, Aidan could only say, "Touche."

Aidan was about to say more when he realised Emilia had been watching the entire thing from a corner, a huge grin on her face. Abandoning the other two, he walked towards her but she deliberately sashayed away, sending sultry looks over her shoulder while heading towards their shared bedroom. He picked up the pace, catching up to her and trapping her between the room door and his body, arms resting on either side of her face.

She tilted her head, unleashing seductive looks from beneath her pretty lashes and enticing him to kiss her. Just as his lips brushed her own, he heard her say with barely concealed laughter, "Are you sure you want to make out with an old fart like me?"

"Emi, don't ruin the moment," Aidan whined before Emilia pulled him back into a passionate kiss, the two eventually stumbling into their room and slamming the door shut.

***

"What's the plan?"

Once again, everyone had gathered for a brainstorming session and Hailey was acting as coordinator, asking questions while seated in front of a laptop, ready to type out a master plan.

Gavin replied first, "The White Oak Clan has an intelligence vault in the outskirts of the city. The thing is, Andy's got access to the building but none of us have security clearance to the files in the server vault. Since Bran's the only one capable of hacking into the system, Andy and Bran will enter covertly, snoop about a little and see what we can find."

"I make no promises about actually getting anything useful," Brandon hastily added, "I'm a programmer, not a hacker."

Hailey gave him the thumbs-up sign, "Got it."

Emilia still looked uncomfortable with the whole curse of the sun idea but nevertheless said, "I know there's nothing of use from official sources," she exchanged glances with Samaira, "which is why Sam has suggested we get in touch with the Enlighteners."

Judging from the blank stares all around, Aidan wasn't the only one who looked clueless. He asked, "The what?"

Emilia wryly explained, "They're a discreet witch collective that gather and trade information for a price. The Committee has blacklisted the organisation, but that's just driven them further underground."

A self-congratulatory smile in place, Samaira confidently said, "Luckily for us, I know a guy, who knows a guy who can get us in touch with someone from the Enlighteners."

Hailey nodded, all business-like as she typed away. "Noted. How about the vampires?"

Maxim sounded mildly apologetic as he said, "We have no plans other than to lay low. Too many eyes looking out for the four of us."

"Understood," Hailey summarised, "so Andy, Bran, Emi and Sam will be away, which leaves the four vampires, Charlie, Gavin, Aidan and myself." She looked up from the laptop screen, " Anything proactive we can do while we're all stuck here?"

The vampires shared awkward glances before looking at Hailey almost shyly. "Actually Hailey, we need your help," Lannetta said quietly. "We're almost out of food and we need you to do a blood run. I have a dealer, he works at an abattoir. He's human, so there shouldn't be any issues, you just need to collect the blood. A deposit has already been made."

Alarmed at Hailey potentially being exposed to danger, Gavin interjected, "Why can't Charlie and I go?"

Flint eyed the werewolves, "Because wolves, especially those in the security task force, harass human blood dealers. I know a dealer with a metal plate in his arm because a wolf decided to shove him down the stairs. One look at the both of you and our man will bail."

It went against clan rules to harm humans unless they posed an actual threat, something blood dealers definitely weren't. Gavin was dumbfounded and more than appalled by the revelation. Turning to the other wolves, he saw the shock registered on their faces too. Andy, in particular, seemed hardest hit, with brows narrowed dangerously low. Between the four of them, he was the one who'd invested the most of his free time volunteering for the clan, especially in security and patrols.

While still processing the news, Gavin stubbornly replied, "I don't agree with Hailey going it alone," earning a glare from said human. Aidan was sure she was going to lose it and screech, 'oh come on!' but honestly, he didn't like the thought of his friend alone and vulnerable either.

Quickly butting in before she had the chance to react, he suggested, "I think it's safer if all three of us go. I'll be Hailey's backup." To Gavin, he said, "You could stay in the car while we pick up the blood unless something happens and shit hits the fan."

Gavin tapped his chin in thought before nodding, "Right, where's the pick-up point?" Lannetta gave them the details. Plans were made and put in motion. After a flurry of activity the three groups promptly departed, leaving behind four vampires...and a werewolf.

Charlie was left looking at the vampires in consternation, "So what the hell am I supposed to do?" Flint quietly handed the werewolf the tv remote.