The drive to the airport was awkward, to say the least.

The air was tense with angry silence. Declan insisted on driving without music and Camila found herself squashed between Zora and Alex in the backseat of a black Toyota Camry. The drive was over an hour and the air conditioning had stopped working, so they sat, sweat collecting on their foreheads, caught up in their own thoughts.

She missed Spoon. She'd left the corgi with Eliana, a friend of Serena's who owned a veritable palace for pets, complete with organic food, new dog toys every week, and daily walks.

She hoped Eliana was trustworthy. Declan had assured her that the Vindicators would keep an eye on Spoon, to make sure the corgi didn't come to any harm and, she suspected, to make sure Eliana didn't give up their location to any third parties.

The airport was busy, filled with lines that inched forward every two minutes and screaming toddlers that always seemed to end up beside Camila. After a few whispered words from Zora, an officer waved them through security without checking their bags. They found their gate beside a bustling Starbucks and Camila pulled Alex aside.

"I need to talk to you," she whispered, risking a quick glance at Declan. He was staring blankly at the messy family two seats down, his eyes distant.

Alex nodded.

"Hey, Declan?" Camila said.

"No." Declan scowled.

"I just want to go buy some snacks. I'll bring back some popcorn?"

"I said no. I'm not going to change my mind because you asked nicely."

"We'll take Zora?" A drop of sweat trickled down the back of her neck. Camila wondered if she had permanently overheated from the sweltering car ride. She sat down across from him so Declan had no choice but to look her in the eye. "C'mon. It'll be safe, good for morale, and Zora can watch us."

Alex, wisely, stayed quiet.

Zora sighed. "Okay. Declan. She's going to be fine. I'm a badass witch warrior and I can handle any evildoers who want to bleed your mate dry. And I'll be there to awkwardly stand in the background to prevent any fondling or personal confessions. It'll be fun."

Declan clenched his jaw. "Fine. Camila?"

"If I do anything you don't like, the alliance is at risk? Yeah, I knew that already." She grabbed the backpack Zora had lent her as a carryon, already heading away. His words stopped her in her tracks.

"I was going to say-" Declan paused, running a hand through his hair.  "Just be careful." 

The family nearby had spilled a cup of tomato soup over the airport floor and he glared resolutely at the sloppy mess seeping into the carpet. 

Camila didn't know what to say. She nodded briefly and gave him a polite smile. Zora and Alex had reached a small café with a snack food section. They stood several feet apart from each other, not talking, as if each of them wasn't quite sure what to make of the other.

Camila jogged to catch up. "Hey," she breathed, "Do you think- Are we out of werewolf hearing range?"

Zora nodded. "We should be. Hey, trail mix or chocolate?"

"Chocolate, obviously. Actually-" Camila studied the candy section. "Maybe we should get both."

"Practical and efficient. I like it." Zora grabbed enough chocolate bars to feed an army and a single bag of trail mix. "So, are you going to tell him or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Alex asked, grabbing a bag of trail mix off the shelf.

Zora snatched it away from him.

"I buy the snacks," she snapped. "And then I eat the snacks and you're all indebted to me for sharing."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "As long as you buy that extra bag of trail mix, I'm good." Something in his expression softened when turned to Camila. "Hey. What's going on?"

Her throat suddenly felt very dry. "Zora? You mind buying the snacks?"

"No, I want to see his reaction." Zora had scavenged a bag of chips from a lower shelf and promptly ripped the bag open, chewing loudly on a crunchy chip.

"Really?" Camila sighed. "Come on. Two minutes of privacy. You already know what I'm going to say."

Zora rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I want details afterwards!" She waved a hand, accidentally dropping five chocolate bars to the ground. "Shit," she muttered.

Camila bent to help her pick them up.

"No, no, go talk to the vampire guy. Hey," Zora pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Do you think he'll propose?"

"What- No! That's ridiculous." Wasn't it? Camila gulped. They were technically mated. That implied marriage or, at the very least, a long term, exclusive relationship.

Even if it was an accident.

"What's ridiculous?" Alex asked, frowning slightly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, no, everything's fine." Camila assured him, blood rushing to her cheeks. "Zora, will you be okay without us?"

"I've got enough chocolate to survive the apocalypse, Cami. Have fun." Zora winked. Arms wrapped tightly around her cluster of snack food, she headed to the register.

Camila gestured to a small coffee table by the window. "Want to sit? It's uh... unexpected news."

"I'll try not to fall over." Alex deadpanned, sitting down across from her.

Whoever had used the table before them hadn't bothered to clean up. Crumbs covered the sleek metal table and Camila brushed them aside without thinking. She tapped her fingernails against her thigh.

Where should she start? She glanced towards the cashier. Zora was still waiting in line, the packet of M&M's atop her towering snack pile dangerously close to slipping away.

"Camila. What's going on?" Alex reached for her hand.

She pulled away but not quick enough. The tips of their fingers brushed.

The touch was electric. All consuming. Like her very blood was on fire. Camila had the sudden urge to pull him closer, to kiss him, to run her hands down his chest.

"Yeah, um-" She shrugged, her cheeks tomato red. "Apparently a vampire can mark a werewolf."

Alex didn't seem to hear her.

His hand shook. The chair shrieked against the floor as he jumped to his feet. His hands folded into fists, the muscles in his forearms flexing.

"Alex?" she asked. "You okay?"

He looked up. Camila gasped, her feet scrambling for purchase against the smooth floor. Her heart leapt into high gear, pounding against her ribcage, the blood whooshing through her veins.

His eyes were black pits. The whites, the pale blue irises, they were both gone, swallowed up by an inky blackness. Alex braced his hands against the table. In an instant, it snapped in half, clattering to the floor. He stumbled backwards.

Camila leapt up. The crowd of bored airport travelers whispered among themselves.

She stood in front of him, shielding him from view as best she could. "Alex?"

His chest rose and fell in short, panicked breaths. She watched as his breath slowed and evened out. "I'm good." He didn't meet her gaze. The black in his eyes had receded and Camila could see a hint of blue peeking through.

Zora hurried towards them, her snacks strewn across the floor, one hand resting on her sword, but Camila waved her away.

"What happened?" She whispered. Her voice had deserted her. She knew Alex would never hurt her, but—for only a moment—when she'd seen his eyes, Camila had been afraid. She'd heard stories about a vampire's bloodlust. Captive vampires, held for months without blood, could rip a whole town to shreds and still crave more.

She'd heard it described as an addiction. The more blood a vampire consumed, the more they wanted.

Alex buried his head in his hands, staring blankly at the broken table at his feet.

He looked lonely. Devastated. Camila wanted to reach out, to touch him, but she didn't want to make him feel worse.

"I'm sorry." His voice broke. "That wasn't- I don't know what happened."

"Did you catch what I said earlier? About us being... you know."

"Mates?" He sighed. "Yeah. I caught that."

"...What do you think we should do?" Camila asked, fiddling with the broken table. Maybe if she balanced it upright, no one would notice.

The moment she let go, it plummeted towards the floor. Camila barely managed to catch it before the metal clattered against the floor.

"Well- Get rid of it." His eyes flicked up to hers. "Isn't that what you want to do?"

Camila frowned. "I don't know if we can."

"Fuck." He dug his hands into his skull, pulling at his hair.

"Is it-" Camila winced. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know, but her tongue had a mind of its own and the words slipped out on their own accord. "Is it really so bad to be mated to me?"

"No, Camila, no, of course not. I just-" He paused. "I don't deserve you. Besides, it wouldn't work."

She took a deep breath, leaning forward to look him in the eye. "What if I thought it would?"

How will Alex respond?

a) Yes. Absolutely. Let's do this relationship thing.

b) Goddess no, how inappropriate!

c) Yeah, I'm actually in love with Zora... Sorry?

d) I've got to think about this for at least two months

Thank you for reading!

-Harley