Marcus slammed the door shut and stalked into his house, the hair at the back of his head growing and withdrawing with his rising temper. Britney watched him through wide eyes from the couch, the smile she'd put on dropping the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Dad?" she asked slowly.

Marcus wanted to lash out at her, scream, maybe. But he looked down at the blood on his shirt and rained his anger in enough to first turn around and head to the bathroom.

She's just a kid, he begged into his mind.

A cold laugh came as an answer, hissing into his mind with enough venom to make him shudder.

He barged into the bathroom and pushed the door shut with his shoulder, a growl ripping out of his throat without him meaning to.

"Stop it!" he snarled, hands dropping to clutch at the sink. He looked into the mirror and tried to bring down the smile on his face; it didn't even budge.

"You're forgetting yourself," his reflection said, and he felt his own lips moving to the words. The red of his eyes, the one he'd so proudly wanted to show off before, now only worked as a reminder. Power was a curse, and there was nothing he could do to go back.

"I'm trying," Marcus panted. "My wolves are out there looking but the witches lost her. What am I supposed to do?" he yelled.

He punched his fist onto the sink; it cracked under the force. "YOU LOST HER!"

Marcus tried to pull his hands away and cover his ears but he couldn't move them. He cried out, knees wobbling from under him. He felt, before he saw, the crimson liquid flowing down his ears.

"They are hiding her," he choked. "They must be working with witches, it will take more time to—"

The marble of the sink broke but he still couldn't let go. He swallowed back a cry of pain when his fists clenched around the cracked ends and they sliced through his flesh. "It took you long enough to find her," the voice hissed into his mind, "and she'd been hiding right under your nose."

"She didn't smell li—"

"Shut up!" Marcus dropped to his knees, hands tightening. "Seems like I've given you too much leeway."

"Please—" he gasped. He forced his body to rise and released his hands, let them drop by his sides as the broken marble, too, fell, bloody, at his feet.

Coughs racked his body, and Marcus knew, even through the hold he had on him, that he was growing weaker.

"Make good on our deal, Marcus," he growled, "or I'll be taking back what's mine."

Marcus's eyes widened, and he looked toward the door, the girl behind it. "I'll find her. I swear it, Elijah."

~~~~~

It smelled like copper and rotting flesh.

That was the first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes.

Had the smell not been enough indication, the walls were splattered with blood, enough for her to know that no one could have survived whatever ravaged them.

She quickly got to her feet and looked around the small room.

It was mostly bare, with the bed and closet taking up the majority of the space. But it felt familiar, somehow.

It took her by surprise when she realized how tall the bed looked from that close of a distance, and she looked down at her small feet, her tiny hands.

She turned to the mirror by the door and her eyes widened. Brown curls framed chubby cheeks, still too young for the matured features she'd been used to; and her eyes, the lightest shade of blue she'd ever seen, were wide with terror.

"Mommy said she'd scare off the monsters under my bed," her reflection said, and even though her lips moved, the voice was foreign, coming from somewhere deep into her consciousness. "She said they'd go away but I could still hear them," she whimpered, her voice high in the way children's voices always were. She raised her hands and Val found herself copying the movement, bringing it up to her temples and squeezing. "They still came!" she cried and dragged her fingers down. Deep, red gashes were left in their wake.

Val wanted to gasp and cry out in pain, but she had no control over her body.

The little girl's mouth twisted in the mirror when the first growl rang into the house, her smile an ugly, wicked thing. Fangs dropped down from her lips, and bright red eyes blazed like fire. They churned and melted the flesh around them, and her face drooped in the same manner a candle did, weeping crimson onto her clothes.

Val snarled and clawed into her mind, desperately trying to shake whatever hold she had on her, desperate to be free of the pain.

"The monsters are here!" she cried, the lump of her mouth moving unnaturally with the words.

Val was allowed to turn toward the snarling at her back. Under the bed.

She gasped, control finally rushing back to her. A leg; human, small, lay at the foot of the bed; the flesh ragged and shredded beyond human capability.

"NO!" the voice screamed when a dark paw reached out and dragged it under. Red splattered across the wooden floor, and the sound of teeth shredding flesh filled the room.

Val turned and ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Cold laughter filled the corridor she found herself in, startling her enough to trip on something in her way and fall. No, not something, someone, she realized to her horror.

"No—" Val gasped.

Daphne was sprawled on the ground, no color on her skin beyond that sickly grey that'd taken over. Her face was twisted in terror, and she was looking up, unseeing, unmoving — dead.

"You see now, stupid girl," chuckled a deep voice. Val pulled away from Daphne when the buzzing started.

Hundreds of tiny insects began to crawl out of her mouth; her eyes popped the same way they'd seen and laughed in one of those splatter movies they always watched, and the buzzing of the insects increased as more came out; through her nose, her ears. Val whimpered and started running again, path ridden with the corpses of familiar faces; friends, family. Bile rose in her throat as she passed Zack, his body swarmed and in the same state as the rest. Alex, Ian, Sam—

"You see," the voice said once she stopped and turned to the room at the end of the corridor, "you are but a plague to them." A tall man stood at the center of the room, Evan and Damian at their knees by his sides. "Death will follow you no matter where you go. I will follow." She had the faintest feeling of the ground quaking under her feet.

"Elijah," she whispered, eyes frantic between the two men at his feet. Her head swam, and the room seemed to be spinning. She pressed a hand to the wall for support but pulled it back just as fast, feeling the wetness of the blood still there, the warmth. "Leave me alone!" she screamed. "Why can't you just leave me alone."

The man laughed, his chest rising and falling with each breath, but she still couldn't see his face clearly; only the red of his eyes, glowing; the eyes of an Alpha. The room was shrouded in darkness, the lighting from the window barely reaching his chest. "Let's end this, then." He sounded all-too-excited. "Stop hiding. We can finish this once and for all."

"And how would that work," she sneered. "You kill me, and I come back. Then you kill me again. There's no end to this!"

There was a white gleam, and Val suddenly regretted speaking. Her head throbbed, and even though she was sure he hadn't moved, Elijah's body seemed to stretch taller, looming over her with hungry eyes.

"I can assure you, this will be the last time," he said, and she felt, somehow, that that was worse. "I'm giving you a choice." He wrapped his clawed fingers around Evan and Damian's throats. "How many more will die because of you? Who will it be this time?"

Two pairs of grey eyes pleaded with her; such different shades, she realized, but both full of that agonizing pain, that devastation she never wanted to see again. The one she promised he'd never feel again. None of them, ever again.

They squirmed and choked as he pulled them into his chest, claws already making a bloody mess of their throats. They clawed and fought to no avail.

"Who will it be?" he yelled.

The wood cracked from underneath her and exploded into dark grains of sand, blending and swarming about like a living thing. It pulled her in, swallowing her legs, her torso.

"Who will it be?" he asked again, a deranged edge to his voice. Val reached with her hands, tried to claw at her surroundings; but whatever she touched fell apart, pulling more of her under. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

A crazy laugh echoed through the house, the sound warping and distorting as the sand entered her mouth, her ears.

Her scream was muffled when, with a last, wicked grin, Elijah pulled at their throats and ripped them clean off, letting their bodies drop, lifeless, to the floor.

"No!" Val gasped, hands outstretched in front of her. She thrashed against the weight on her chest.

"It's me. Val, It's me." She stilled. Damian was hovering over her, hands cupped around her cheeks. She thought she might have been crying, but her senses were still all over the place and few things registered.

She let him pull her in and breathed in his scent. Her wolf stopped trying to force a change onto her. the broken bones in her legs reformed, and she relaxed, further calming down when another scent mixed in with his, stronger than it was before, and Val was suddenly aware of all the people that had swarmed to their room.

Once she assured them she was okay and they cleared out to give her some space, she explained to the few that remained what had happened.

"Can't we block him, somehow?" Sam asked, handing her some clean clothes. She had only noticed the blood on her shirt after Damian had let go of her, but there was no wound. The scar on her collarbone tingled.

"There might," said Daphne, "but I don't know how well it will work, if at all. Whatever bond these two share is not the same you two have. It's not something I understand, and if I can't understand it I can't be sure of what might suppress it."

"But how did he know about Evan?" asked Ian, brows furrowed in thought. "Does he know where we are?"

Val shook her head. "I don't think he knows. He wanted me to stop hiding, if he knew where we were he would have already been on the way."

"And how do we know he's not?" asked Alex, and Val was sure she didn't imagine the shaking in her voice. "Maybe he's playing with you until he gets here."

"No," said Daphne. "He couldn't have known. It's possible that he can influence her dreams, but he's losing strength, day by day. He might be able to get a glimpse of her thoughts, if only the shallow parts that have recently occurred, and that must have already taken a lot out of him." She glanced at Val. "If he knew where she was, he wouldn't have bothered with it. It's a warning."

"Then what do we do?" Evan pushed off the wall, his eyes flickering between them.

"We prepare."

*****

Val panted, the necklace on her chest rising and falling with each breath. It was her mother's. She hadn't known Daphne had taken it before, but its slight weight felt comfortable on her neck, and she found that she was grateful to have it back.

She said she tinkered with it a little, and that it might help keep Elijah out of her mind, but they still weren't sure about how their bond worked. Effective or not, all Val could think about was how it had been protecting her for so many years, and how it still did.

Maybe her mother wasn't there anymore, but a small part of her would always remain, through that emerald crystal.

You're getting faster, Mark remarked, raising a large paw to lick at a wound on his leg.

Val resisted the urge to sit back on her legs and glared at the male circling her. Do the two of you come in a package deal, or am I just that lucky?

David observed the small cuts and slices on her body, already healing, in a somewhat satisfied way. You're growing stronger every day, he said matter-of-factly. One at a time is already a struggle, two will push you to your limits. That's the only way you can get stronger fast.

As if to prove him right, Mark barreled down at her from the left while David charged from her right. When he jumped, Val ducked under his belly and pushed her body up, putting as much strength on her upper body as she could to launch him behind her, and onto the incoming Mark.

The wolves clashed with each other painfully, and Mark nipped at David's leg to 'get his ass off of his head'. Zack winced from outside the sparring ring they'd drawn on the ground. "Been there."

Val dropped to her side the moment the pair got back up, an exaggerated groan pushing from her lips. Normal sounds like that always sounded funnier in that form, and it always amused her wolf when she stopped to laugh at herself mid-sentence.

Enoughh, she grumbled and rolled on her back. She swung a paw over her head for effect. Can't you see I'm dying here you immortal lupines?

The two males exchanged amused expressions but stalked forward all the same.

We've been at it for three hours, Val rushed, rolling away in exhaustion. Her wolf shook her head at her when she pulled at her injured leg more than she had to and hissed in pain. She seemed very happy to take over, and Val was starting to feel inclined to let her. She was about to perform another roll when a leg stopped her momentum and held her down on her back.

Aren't you glad I'm here? asked Erik, all mischief and swagger. When Mark and David reached them, Val let her tongue drop by her cheek like a dog and grinned widely. No one could resist this pair of puppy eyes.

Is he here to train? The look she gave them must have been very hopeful, because they were shaking their heads the next second, an eager smile telling her it wasn't over for her just yet.

He's here to improve and help you learn how to utilize your scout abilities better. David pushed Erik's paw away and rolled her onto her stomach for her to get up. The look she gave them was straight-up murderous, and her wolf was very tempted to come out for one last bite.

Alas, exhaustion won in the end, so she just lazily lifted her body back up, promising to herself that they'd regret it sooner or later.

Saved yet again by yours truly. Erik bumped her shoulder. Favors such as this don't come free you know.

Favor my ass, Val growled. I caught your scent a while ago, you were just waiting to make a dramatic entrance, you prick.

He gave his best wolfish grin and dashed behind Mark, poking his head around just enough to yell, Don't make me call pineapple just yet!

That won't work here, you idiot, she chuckled, but she was happy to see him all the same.

David was motioning for her to follow when her nose caught on a different scent. Her wolf tried to push out, licking her lips at the alluring smell.

Daphne was walking over to them, Evan at her heels. Val wasn't sure whether the happy wagging of her tail was because of him, or the tasty-looking deer swung over his shoulders.

He let the animal down gently and sent a grin her way before joining Zack behind the sparring line. She just looked at them questioningly, clenching her teeth to stop from jumping on the poor animal. David gave Daphne a nod and she crouched down to push two fingers onto its head, a quick mumbling of words leaving her lips before she had the chance of catching any of it.

The deer's eyes flew open, and it glanced around in alarm. It took approximately two seconds before it was up and running, its ears twitching to every sound around it.

"You must be hungry," David said by her side, already shifted and with some loose shorts hanging around his hips.

When she made a move to run after it, Erik blocked her with his body. Patience.

An hour passed, a whole hour of grumbling, bickering, and an especially loud stomach. Mark joked about how that was her break, but her wolf was really starting to get impatient when she was finally beckoned forward.

"Scouts have keener senses than most and are able to find their prey even after hours have passed from its passing. We are slightly different than the rest." David crouched in front of the slightly matted grass they'd laid the deer on. "As the original few who were granted this gift, we can see its movements clearer and are able to catch on its trails faultlessly. Come."

Val sniffed at the grass, the blades that had been torn by its hooves, and caught on its scent. She looked to the left, where it seemed the thickest.

"Don't just rely on its scent. Let it come naturally," Evan added from the back, his voice making her stiffen and relax all at once. She really had to find a way to control herself around him.

Do you remember what happened at school? Erik rubbed his shoulder against hers supportingly. This is probably easier than what you did then. Strong feelings leave an imprint; smell its fear and envision it in your mind, search for its movements.

Val closed her eyes and breathed in again, thinking about the last time it happened. She had wanted to know what was going on, willed it, in a way. When she opened her eyes and breathed out, small particles of iridescent dust flew out in a surging wave.

They billowed and swirled in the air, twisting and gathering in a single, glowing figure. A deer. She watched, awestruck, as each part reflected the sun differently. Colors mixed and merged in a way she'd never seen before.

Beautiful, she whispered.

Zack caressed the fur of her neck, somehow having reached her without her noticing. "Follow the trail but be careful not to cross the walls Moira raised. They are the only thing hiding our presence right now."

Val breathed out a puff of air on his face and took off after the glowing figure, its particles forming and dispersing with each movement.

They were everywhere, she realized the deeper she went into the forest. They formed bright thin lines, the way the sun did when it finally found an empty spot between crowding leaves, and paved the way for her. Val followed the shimmering dust with the wonder of a child first witnessing magic, turning and running down rocky paths without much thought.

There it is, Erik panted in her mind, struggling to catch up with her pace from the back. Can you — whoo — can you slow down a little? My lungs are ready to burst here.

Val slowed down to a slight trot and glanced at the deer. It looked around for a moment, its ears standing up on alert, but it soon dropped its head and continued to munch at the moist grass.

One look between her and Erik was all it took for him to start circling around them, careful not to make too much noise.

Val stalked steadily forward, legs bent so that she could remain hidden for as long as possible, and she recognized the sudden thrill of the hunt. Her wolf licked her lips, impatient. The moment the deer spotted them, they pounced.

It managed to veer away from her claws, but Erik was barreling down from the front, and it panicked for a second too long. Val got a hold of its rear leg with her jaws and clamped down, yanking back with enough strength to bring it down. She let her wolf take over for this, let her reach for the deer's neck and strangle it before the human in her took pity at its shrill bleating.

Erik pulled at the flesh on its back while she ripped open its belly and devoured its intestines. It didn't take long for them to clean the bones out, laying with a satisfied grunt by its side.

I think I could eat another, said Val, surprised at her own growing appetite.

Of course you could, Erik laughed. Damian did mention it was hard to satiate you.

She would have reached for the deer's bones to throw at him if she had thumbs. Should we talk about how you satiate yourself with Alex's presence instead?

I guess it was a pretty small one, he agreed. Val huffed and turned her back on him, repeating the process in her mind until she could see those small particles again. They seemed to be dropping now, the light slowly draining out of them. Did that always happen when the target was dead?

She ignored the poking of his paws at her back, her eyes catching on to a different light — different magic. She squinted her eyes as it slowly formed and revealed itself, a golden wall with ten times the amount of glowing dust she'd seen before, maybe more.

What's that, she breathed, walking over to it slowly.

Probably the wall Zack talked about before we left, Erik said lazily. She turned to see him lying on his back with his legs sprawled at each side, his tongue coming out to lick at some leftover blood from his chin. The interest in his eyes proved to be of little fight against the weight of his full belly. She rolled her eyes.

What happens if I cross it?

You could try, he said and sneezed, the sudden move turning him to his side. He looked as irritated to have had to move as she'd ever seen him. But an angry Alpha might come try and kill you again if you do.

Bummer, she decided, deeply immersed in the golden inside that swirled and twisted as if trying to entice her to the opposite.

This was the wall that kept them safe from Elijah. Kept her safe from him.

He'd be the one to have to hide soon, she promised to herself.

She'd be the death that followed.