My feet pound down the stairs as I race to open the front door. Everyone that should be here, is here. So, I have no idea who could be knocking at our door this early in the morning. I swing it open, prepared for basically anything to await me on the other side. You never know what to expect around here.

What I don't expect is a teenage boy I've never seen before to be standing on my doorstep with an old torn backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. His messy reddish-brown hair stands in every direction proving he's run his hands through it countless times, and his ice blue eyes study me warily as if I'm the one who knocked on his door less than an hour after the sunrise.

"Can I help you?" I ask, my tone guarded, and my body tense. There are so many possibilities to who he could be, and most of them aren't good.

"I'm looking for Everett. Is this the right place?" He asks, looking unsure, but then his eyes meet mine and widen in shock.

"The Gorman prophecy," he whispers to himself, and I nod, opening the door further.

"Keith, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, that's me," he responds, and I wave inside.

"He seems to think that you can help us find the coven," I say doubtfully.

"I can try, but I'm not promising anything. They're well hidden. Always have been. That's why they're still alive. I do like a challenge though," he pauses, glancing at me curiously. "But if you're the one from the prophecy, you're a Gorman witch. Why don't you know where your coven is?"

"Let's just say we're not on good terms."

"Why are you looking for them then?" He tilts his head, those unusual eyes of his seeming to try to peer into my soul to find the answers to all his questions. It's creepy, and sends an unpleasant shiver up my spine.

"They took something from me. I want him back, and I'll get him one way or another," I respond truthfully, anger seeping into my tone.

"Is he a vampire?" He asks, and I nod. "Well, you're probably wasting your time then. He's probably already dead."

I grit my teeth as pain tears through me at his words, blinking furiously to fight back the tears. "I won't accept that until I see a body. Will you help us find them, or not?"

He nods immediately. "Yeah. That's what I'm here for. I've known Everett a long time, and he's never asked for a favor. So, I'll do my best. Even if it does run the risk of pissing off some very powerful witches."

"Would you rather piss off them, or me?" I ask with a raise of my eyebrows, and his lips twitch, fighting a smile.

"Definitely them if that prophecy is true."

Micah comes jogging down the stairs, wearing only a pair of basketball shorts, and Keith glances that way, doing a double take when he catches sight of him. I watch, wondering what the stare is about until he glances back at me.

"You have wolves here?" He asks, clearly surprised.

"The normal rules don't apply in this house. Witches, wolves, vampires, and humans all reside here," Micah says with a little laugh as he passes by us. "You must be Keith. Nice to meet you. I'm Micah, and I'm starving," he continues, not even pausing in his hasty steps to the kitchen.

Keith and I both chuckle, watching Micah's retreat. Once he's out of sight, Keith glances back at me strangely.

"How do you get all the species to get along?"

"I haven't done anything except put them all under the same roof. They were a little hesitant to be around each other at first, but once they got over that, they seem to get along fine without any help," I say with a shrug, and his eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. He eyes me up and down for a moment.

"That's never happened before. You definitely have something to do with it. I just don't know what," he says, still eyeing me. "How did you happen anyway?"

"What kind of question is that? What do you mean?"

"I mean very few people believed that prophecy could come true. One person can't hold that much power. So, how can you?"

"Oh," I say, understanding where he's going, and remembering what Lucien had told me. "Because I'm half vampire."

"You mean someone turned you... Like with the Lockton family. You're a vampire that still has it's powers from when you were a witch. How did you make it to this age before they turned you though?"

I shake my head with a little smirk, kind of looking forward to his expression when he hears this next part. "No, I mean my mom was a Gorman witch, and my biological father is a vampire."

His face goes completely blank as he stares at me. "That's not possible," he mumbles, and I chuckle a little.

"Yeah, that was my reaction, too."

"I have... so many questions," he says excitedly, and I shake my head, remembering Everett saying that this guy loves knowledge. Especially about supernaturals.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm guessing I can't answer most of them. I haven't even known that long, and we know very little about me."

"Leave her be. Come on, let's catch up," Everett says, suddenly appearing at the top of the stairs.

Keith's eyes dart back and forth between us before he reluctantly follows Everett to his room on the second floor. He's clearly unhappy about having to walk away from such an unknown species.

"Find me later. I'll try to answer some of your questions," I say, wanting to lift his suddenly sour expression. His eyes light up with elation, and we hear Everett chuckle from the second-floor landing.

Later that day, I'm doing everything I can to avoid the newcomer. He was not exaggerating when he said he had so many questions. I'd spent hours answering as many of them as I could. We covered everything from strength, speed, and sense, to diet and aging.

The aging, none of us are sure about. I've aged normally so far, but who knows if it would slow down at some point like Micah told me werewolves do, or if I'd just continue aging. If Dante's right about me having to turn at some point, we may never know how a half vampire ages. I didn't have the heart to tell Keith that part though. He's so excited for each and every tiny detail he can get that it's fun to watch his reaction to each answer. For a while anyway.

Catching the scent of something burning, I shake my head with a smirk. Uncle Ben's been steering clear of the stove recently, and I'd gotten use to not having to smell this particular pungent scent. I jog into the kitchen to see if he needs help, but stop in my tracks as soon as I'm through the door.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

Lawrence spins around form his spot at the stove, a pair of tongs in his hand. "Trying to cook you dinner. It's not going so well though. I haven't actually eaten in a very very long time, and I don't remember if I ever even cooked when I did."

With a soft smile, I climb up on a barstool. "If you want to have a conversation, you could have just asked. You don't have to cook me dinner," I say, seeing through his attempt to get me alone and spending time with him.

With a sigh, he drops the tongs, flipping the eye of the stove off. He drops onto a barstool across from me, and stares into my eyes, chewing his bottom lip.

"Were you cheating on me when we were together?" He asks hesitantly, as if he's not sure he wants to know.

"I've never kissed him, or even held his hand. I did meet him while we were together though, and he did hang out with me and my friends once. Just as friends though."

"Is he why you wouldn't get back with me?"

"I'm honestly not sure. I told myself I didn't know if I could trust you again after how you turned your back on me without even giving me a chance to explain, but he might have played a part in it. I've been confused ever since I met him. I asked my uncle and Lucien about it after I met him, and they told me to take my time and figure out what I was feeling before I made any decisions. I still haven't had much luck figuring it all out."

"So, you don't know what you feel for either of us?" He asks, and I shake my head in denial. "But you obviously feel something for him."

Reluctantly, I nod, deciding to be completely honest in this moment. He deserves that. "I'm attracted to him. I know that. Beyond that though? I have no idea."

He nods, swallowing thickly. After sitting in silence for more than a minute, I can't take it anymore.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, sounding just like he had a few minutes ago. Like maybe I don't really want to know.

"I'm wondering what stopped you from being with him once we broke up."

"He did," I say without thinking, and he tilts his head, eyeing me curiously. When he raises an eyebrow, clearly wanting more, I continue with a sigh or resignation. "There are obstacles in our way. Obstacles he's not willing to climb apparently."

He blinks at me blankly. "So, you're hung up on trying to figure out your feelings for a guy that doesn't even want you."

I flinch slightly from the impact of his words. "I didn't say he doesn't want me. I said there's obstacles in the way."

He stands from his barstool, walking around the bar to stand directly in front of me. He places a finger under my chin, making me crane my neck to look up at him. Leaning down until we're nose to nose, he looks directly into my eyes.

"Obstacles he's not willing to climb. If he wanted you, and I mean really wanted you, nothing else would matter. He'd climb any obstacle to be with you. If he's not willing to do that, he's not worth it, Ari," he says dropping a peck on my nose like he'd done the night of our first date. "Whether we get back together, or not, don't forget that."

I nod silently, feeling his words settle deep into my aching heart.

"Now, while you figure out your feelings, I'm going to work on figuring out my own," he mutters.

"What do you mean? I didn't realize you were confused," I respond.

"I wasn't until I found out there was another guy in the equation. I know that I love you, but I need to figure out just how much. I need to decide if what I feel is strong enough to fight for you when I'm not sure how you feel about me at all," he says softly, his thumb stroking my cheek gently. I sick in a shocked breath when he casually drops the 'L' word like it's no big deal. How does everyone else know exactly what they feel when I find emotions so utterly confusing.

With a quick, searching glance, he leans forward. His lips press softly to mine for a fraction of a second in what feels a whole lot like a goodbye.

In what I'm quickly realizing is just my luck, Keith and Everett stroll into the kitchen in that one fraction of a second that his lips are pressed to mine.

"Oh, sorry," Keith mumbles, backing back out the door quickly. Everett shoots me a quick scathing look before turning to walk out the door, Lawrence following behind him.

I chew my lip anxiously, my chest aching as I watch them both walk away from me. Lawrence's words echo in my ears long after they're both gone.