The playlist Ashley and I created together, containing mainly Billie Eilish songs, blared as we drove along the highway. Ashley belted out the songs, knowing every lyric like it was written on her heart, while I drove and occasionally laughed at her antics. Wind ripped through the windows and I was sure my ears would be permanently damaged by the end of this trip. I reached my left hand out the window while my other stayed steady on the steering wheel. Sunlight danced on my fingertips and reflected off of the thin glass ring that now adorned my left thumb. I wanted to remind myself of my failure. 

The air got warmer and warmer the farther south we went. So far the road-trip to Mirion had been a pleasant one despite having to drive through the mountains. Niko's cabin rested on 70 acres of land tucked in a valley in the mountains. The only time I remembered seeing people besides our group of five was the rare trips to the grocery store that Eldris would let me accompany her on. It always took us at least 45 minutes to get there and Eldris would let me pick out a candy bar as long as I didn't tell Otets. I smiled at the memory.

"Look, we caught up to the boys!" Ashley yelled and pointed to Nathaniel and Xavier on their motorcycles a few car lengths ahead of us. Niko owned a van, truck, and two motorcycles. We shared everything with his permission. Today, Ashley and I wanted to take the truck to be able to talk on the long trip. The boys obviously wanted the bikes, so Niko and Eldris were in the van somewhere behind us.

I tried to make the old, blue ford truck go faster but it seemed content with 60 mph so before we knew it the boys had disappeared again. We both sighed at the same time and then laughed at each other.

"Hey!" Ashley yelled and then said something else but I couldn't hear her over the music and wind.

"What?!" I yelled back. She smiled and cranked up her window so I followed suit. She then turned down the volume and the space suddenly felt empty without all the noise. We both tried our best to smooth down our hair.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Do you wanna talk?" She smiled.

"I guess so." I grinned back.

"I knew it." She said and then she punched my arm.

"Ow! Geez you're stronger than you look!" I exclaimed.

"You and Xavier kissed and made up, didn't you?" She asked.

"Are you a psychic now?" I asked, but I had trouble hiding my smile. I did not want to admit how nice it was to have the moment we did last night. A real moment.

"I've just known you forever. Your good mood said it all." She replied smugly.

"We didn't kiss, but we did make up. I realized I was being dumb, and avoiding him for no reason. Losing my parents was hard, and I don't want to lose anyone else. You of all people know that tends to make me push people away." I admited.

"Oh, wow." Ashley stated.

"What?" I asked, and my face started to heat.

"You actually like him. Don't you?" Ashley asked.

"N-no, of course not. I care about him, but nothing romantic could ever really happen between us. We're supposed to be dedicated to being hunters and that's it. There's no time for anything else." I felt my face burning red hot now and I knew Ashley noticed.

I looked away from the long stretch of highway and turned towards my friend. She gave me a worried look and then shook her head before she said, "whatever you say, girl." She gave me another small smile and I returned it with one of my own. 

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence I spoke up. 

"Why do you think we're trained to kill both vampires and werewolves? We seem to always be targeting vampires." I voiced. She was the only one I could present questions like this to. She wouldn't shame me for ever having doubts about the way we did things. I glanced at the ring on my finger quickly before looking back at the road. 

"While both species are monsters, I've overheard Niko say that werewolves are better at blending in with humans. I don't think they cause as many problems especially since they don't need human blood to survive. Although, if you ever do come across one don't forget that you have to cut off their head to ensure they're dead." She responded very matter of factly. I winced at the last part.

"That seems rather extreme." I murmured. I knew it was a mistake as soon as the words came out of my mouth. Ashley whipped her head towards me. 

"What's extreme is when a werewolf can't control itself after shifting for the first time and kills anything in sight. Including children. Belle, I know you have a good heart, but you need to make sure it stays beating in your chest. If you ever come across one of these vile creatures you need to kill it without hesitating." Ashley grabbed my hand to emphasize her point. I had never seen her so serious.

"I know...I just don't get why we have to kill them on site. What if they aren't as bad as Niko claims them to be? What if they aren't all evil?" I asked while squeezing her hand back, keeping the other one on the top of the steering wheel. I shifted in my seat, a bit uncomfortable now.

"Belle, you lost your parents like the rest of us, but you didn't have to see them killed. My family was ripped to shreds by a werewolf right in front of my eyes. It was the size of a horse and its eyes were dead. As a child there was nothing I could do to stop it. I'm only alive today because my parents, and older sister hid me when they did. Every night I relive that moment and their screams echo in my head. I don't know what's going on with you, but if you see a werewolf you better fucking kill it. If anything else for what their kind did to my family." Ashley gritted out and pulled her hand from mine. I looked over to her in shock at the violent emotions she was displaying. Gone was my funny, easy-going, quirky friend. The girl next to me was a hunter through and through. I didn't blame her for wanting her revenge, it was something we bonded over very early on. Her display of hatred was just very out of character for her. I guess I shouldn't have brought up my thoughts. If I couldn't stop being so naïve it would get me killed. It almost did with that vampire George. I doubted werewolves were any different.

"I've obviously upset you. I'm so sorry, Ash. I was just talking out loud. I didn't mean anything by it." I said. I glanced over to her again to see that she was visibly shaking with tears streaming down her face as she turned away from me to hide it. I pulled on her arm trying to make sure I didn't drive us into a ditch at the same time.

"Ash, please." I whispered. She turned to me and leaned her head against me. She suddenly seemed completely drained.

"It's not your fault that I'm upset. I'm sorry for getting so emotional. Let's just focus on the view. I think we're getting close." She whispered back.

Ashley was right. We drove past a sign with a pale sunset behind the words: Welcome to Mirion. During our conversation I missed us getting closer. I glanced in the rearview mirror but the mountains were long gone. The empty fields and forest along the highway turned into civilization. Mirion was a large town with a well preserved historic main street, buildings that didn't go past 3 stories, and quaint neighborhoods surrounded by woods.

My google maps app on my phone came back to life after the 200+ miles of continuing straight, "In 2 miles turn left onto North Jefferson Street."

Ashley and I continued in silence as I listened to the Australian man in my phone tell me when to turn. We ended up at an old looking house a little outside of the town. The nearest neighbor was about a half mile away.

I parked the car in the driveway behind the boys motorcycles. It looked like Niko and Eldris had yet to arrive. Ashley and I gave each other a look before stepping out of the car. The look that we shared filled me with relief that everything was normal between us. The house was two stories with what was probably once white paint peeling off the sides. There was a wooden wrap-around porch that appeared to have some missing planks. I gingerly placed my foot down on the first step that was leading up to the front door and it creaked. I was worried about putting my weight on it. Ashley on the other hand was not. She bounded up the stairs and threw open the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" She yelled as she ran inside. It was good to see that she was back to herself so quickly. I felt my lips pull up at the corners. The boys were really in for it. She was going to have tons of energy after sitting in the car for most of the day.

I walked inside and was surprised to find it a much better sight than the outside. The living room was the first thing you saw once you walked in. It was already fully furnished with a leather sectional, a reading chair, and a bookcase with a colorful selection. I walked into the kitchen to find it remodeled to match a more modern look. The appliances were stainless steel, the cabinets were white, and there were gray granite counters. Hardwood floors with a dark walnut stain seem to be in every room. Also, on the first floor were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a half-bath. I heard voices coming from upstairs so I decided to check it out.

Upstairs there were four bedrooms. Two on one side and two on the other side of a single hallway. At the end of the hallway was a single bathroom. That would be interesting. I found Nathaniel and Ashley arguing in one of the bedrooms that had a bigger window than the others and showcased a nice view of the forest.

"There you are. Belle, tell Nate that age is not a factor when it comes to who gets the best room." Ashley told me as she crossed her arms and gave Nathaniel a pointed look.

Before I could respond Nathaniel jumped in, "It's called seniority Ash, and it absolutely is a factor. Go take the bedroom that overlooks the driveway. I'm sure you'll love it since you're so nosy."

"I am not nosy! I don't want to look at that ugly driveway. I want to look at the pretty trees and pretend that I am farther away from you than I am." Ashley sneered.

"Okay, Ash. I'll give you the room...if you'll admit you have a crush on me." Nathaniel smirked.

"Never in a million years..."Ashley started but I left before I could hear what she had to say. I've heard them bicker like this a thousand times. It always ended with Ashley angry and Nate happy knowing he had succeeding in bothering her.

I went to see which was the 'second best' bedroom so I could make my claim before it was every man and woman for themselves.

I opened the door across from Ashley and Nathaniel's now muffled voices and found it was the room that overlooks the driveway. Yeah, not much to see here. I went out and walked over to the room next to it and found Xavier changing. His muscled tattooed back was to me but I knew he heard me barge in. He turned, not even phased, and found me standing stuck in the doorway with my hand still on the doorknob.

"B, you know if you want to see me naked you just have to ask." He smirked.

"I-I um, sorry." I stammered and then quickly shut the door before speed walking into the last room I was in. God, why am I being so awkward? I've never been so flustered around Xavier before. I was going to have to have the crap room because there was no way I was leaving here soon.

I took a deep breath and then leaned against the door. I felt my phone vibrate in the pocket in my leggings. I took it out and read the message from Niko, "Meeting in the living room in 5".

The door to my new dingy room opened and I fell backwards. Strong arms wrapped around me to keep me from falling and then hauled me into the room. The door shut behind us. I turned to face Xavier.

"Sorry, that was weird. I'm just feeling weird today." I quickly said and then for some reason felt the need to move my body in an odd dancing way to convey just how weird I was feeling today. I cringed immediately afterwards.

"Did Nate give you some of his brownies?" Xavier asked with a chuckle.

"I wish." I muttered looking at the wood floors.

"Hey, for real though, is everything okay?" He asked while gently tilting my chin up. 

"Everything is fine. I am probably just feeling out of sorts being back in my hometown." I said while making sure to make eye contact so that he believed me. We didn't break eye contact for a full minute before he seemed to accept what I had said. He slowly looked me up and down and the atmosphere changed. His focus stayed on my lips as he started to stalk towards me. I backed up but he followed each step with his own. I felt my phone vibrate again reminding me of the meeting.

"We better get downstairs..."I whispered as he got closer to me. I backed up another step and my back hit the wall. He leaned into me. All I could think of was his hard warm body, and breath on my neck as he started to trail kisses along my jawline. I leaned my head to the side, allowing him better access to my neck which is where I wanted him to be. His hands moved from my waist to my stomach which effectively pushed my shirt up. My breath hitched as his fingers reached the underside of my boobs. A deep grumbling noise came from him as he pushed his knee between my legs to open them up. His hot kiss left my neck and then his lips found mine. The kiss started slow but quickly turned frantic with need. I felt a wave of longing wash over me. I started running my hands over his body and through his hair which was rewarded with a groan from him.

Neither one of us was quick enough to jump apart when we heard the door to the room smack open.