"Pansy's blood?" I didn't mean to say it out loud, but my thoughts were buzzing around like bees, swatting themselves at my brain. It was just so remarkable how fast he figured out it was her blood. We only just saw it a minute ago.

Hopefully I could do this someday, even if it takes forever and a day. I just knew so little about my abilities and how to use them that it seemed impossible; it seemed hopeless.

"If Adam hurt her, I swear I'll..."

"What makes you think he hurt her? What if the hunters came and took them?"

"He is a hunter, Saige!" Deacon said. "If anything, he caused our fight just so he could kidnap her."

I was trying to think of every possibility that didn't result with Adam as the culprit, because I knew my heart wouldn't be able to handle it. He was too good of a person, too good of a friend, to do something so wrong. But the evidence was staining the walls of pearl white and teal flowers right before my eyes. There was no changing that it was him.

"Hunters?" Worry filled Alex's blue eyes as his hands trembled at the mere thought of them.

I pulled him closer to my side, attempting to stop the panic in his heart that sounded like a rabbit's foot tapping on the ground, but his hands only shook more. "Don't worry, they won't get us."

Deacon was too busy feeling the scratches and touching the blood to even notice that my brother was scared. The only thing important to him right now was Pansy's safety as he sniffed the air once more and latched his eyes on mine to say, "I smell fear."

He then turned back towards the wall and moved his fingers along the scratches as if to get a better sense of what happened. He stopped when he reached the blood. "I think I can find them."

"How?"

"Her blood is all over these walls. If I can lock down her scent, I might be able to track them." He sounded a little uncertain, but if it meant finding her alive, we should do it. I'm just worried Adam took her to the very people trying to kill me.

"I don't want you to go. Sis, don't make me go." Alex was tugging at my shirt and I couldn't help but think about the danger I would be putting him in. It would be like giving him his own death sentence with a certificate and everything. It's just too dangerous.

"As much as I want to find Pansy, it isn't safe. If the hunters or Adam took her, they might just be using her to lure us into a trap."

"And that's why I'm going alone."

Guilt settled in. "No, you can't."

"I have to. Pansy is the closest thing I have to family and if it weren't for me, she wouldn't be in this mess." He spoke up with sincerity. "I'm going."

There were no words to express how badly I wanted him to stay. I couldn't stop him from leaving, because he was practically out the door already. Pansy needed saving and it's best that he goes than no one at all, so I gave him the biggest hug I could give and kissed him goodbye with so much emptiness inside that I felt my heart sink in my chest. For a minute, I thought I losing air.

...

After locking every door and window in the house, Alex and I hid in the living room where barely any sunlight had shone through. We shut the blinds, bolted the door, and put out the fire in the furnace to show that nobody was home in case the hunters were to come for us. And although we didn't speak, our hearts were. Adrenaline was rushing in our veins. I could feel every heartbeat, every single pound against my chest. I not only felt them, but I heard them. I heard them in Alex's chest too. I tried to block out the sounds, but my ears wouldn't let me. I could still hear and feel every beat, thump, and pound as if it were music playing.

When Alex sat down on the couch beside me, the sounds started to drain away. It was finally quiet and then Alex said, "What do the hunters want?"

How was I supposed to answer him when I barely knew the answer myself? I only knew what my mother told me in the letter and even that left me clueless.

"Is it because you're special?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Do they want to hurt you for being special?"

He was asking so many questions, causing my mind to go blank as I struggled for answers in this dark and dank room. "I don't really know. Mom and dad said they want what I have, even if it means killing me for it."

"But you can't die. You're my sister." There was a little croak in his voice that I couldn't avoid. I couldn't imagine the pain he was in, because I was living it.

He took a hold of my hand, squeezing it with every ounce of strength and said, "Please don't let them take you. I don't want you to die."

"Mom and dad sent Pansy and Deacon to protect me. As long as I have them, no one can take me." I guess what I said gave him reassurance, because he removed some of the pressure he had on my hand and slouched his back with relief.

"Where did mom and dad go?" He sat up straight again, his back no longer slouched. "Did they leave us? All I remember is being sent to live with Auntie Cordy, because mom and dad had business to take care of. Is that true?"

There was another question I had no answer for. He didn't know what really happened. He hasn't even seen the obituary section of the newspaper or had the talk with Auntie Cordy about it to know that they died. And a part of me doesn't want to tell him.

"Sis, is that true? Did they leave us for work?"

I think telling him would bring some closure. It's best that he finds out from me than someone else. I remember what I said before and I meant every word. This just wasn't his world to involve himself in. He should have stayed with Aunt Cordelia where she could protect him and keep him safe. Just telling him what I know could put him at risk. But telling him could also save him.

"No, Alex, they didn't. They passed away four years ago trying to protect us. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't have me to take care of you."

He removed his hand from mine. "But you didn't take care of me, Auntie Cordy did. She said you went out of state to live with an uncle. If that was true, why didn't you visit? Why were you always traveling around instead of staying in one place? Why are you so special that the hunters want to hurt you? Tell me the truth!"

"It's a long story." And that was the truth.

"We have time."

I let out a sigh. "I was there when our parents died. I came home one day from school and hid in a closet when a man came to the house looking for me. He killed both of them and never found me, because I ran. I didn't with an uncle out of state, because I ran. Aunt Cordelia made sure I was safe and gave me money to travel. She only kept things a secret to take care of you just in case the killer or hunters ever came back."

"Why?"

I gulped. I was about to tell him what started it all. "They think I'm a threat for being what I am...both a witch and a werewolf."

"I thought they weren't real."

"I thought so too until I read a letter mom left behind explaining everything." I'm surprised he had nothing to say about our parents, especially their death. I would think he'd shed a tear or show some kind of compassion, but he just sat there with an emotionless glare.

...

The silence between us was unbearable. I felt like I wrecked his whole world apart and he's just sitting there silently with a blank look on his face. I didn't know what to say or do; I was scared for him. Telling him what I know could get him hurt and he doesn't seem to care that I'm scared for him. I'm terrified.

"What if he doesn't find her?"

"Who?"

"Deacon," he said. "What if he doesn't find her?"

"He should be able to. After all, he is a vampire."

"Really? That's so cool." Wow, he finally shows emotion when I mention the word "vampire", but mentioning the word "die" doesn't affect him. "Do you know any magic spells?"

"Well, I haven't really practiced that much, but I do know how to light a bunch of candles with my mind."

He smiled delightedly. "Let me see, let me see."

His eagerness brought a smile to my face. Making him happy meant that he could still be a kid and not have to fret about the dangers of the future. I wanted that for him as much as I wanted that for myself.

I left the room and grabbed some candles from a box upstairs in my room. I walked in the door to a messy bed and immediately thought about Deacon. The moment we shared last night...that kiss; it was so meaningful to me that I wanted it to last forever. I was able to let out my feelings and set them free. I didn't have to think about my future or possibly my death, because I was perfectly content.

Alex was still on the couch when I returned. He was still smiling as I laid them out on the floor in a straight line facing us. I sat down, crossing my legs, about ready to close my eyes.

Suddenly, the windows around us shattered as men in jeans, black boots, and coats jumped in from all corners of the room. I quickly rose to my feet and picked up Alex, hoping to get away, but it was too late. We were surrounded by them.

There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of men standing around us. Their eyes never wandered from our presence, making it hard to move without any of them noticing.

"I'm scared," Alex whispered as he wiggled his head into my arm, covering his eyes to avoid their blank stares.

"Don't worry, they aren't going to lay a finger on you."

"I'm scared for you."

"Well, don't be." I put him down on the couch and said, "We're getting the hell out of here!"

I turned around and punched the first guy I saw. He was so close that I could see the blood drip from his nose. As soon as he fell over, others started to charge at me. I tried to hold them off as much as possible, but I wasn't strong enough. I backed up until the back of my legs hit the couch and squinted my eyes. I was regretting my decision to fight until I heard another man, a familiar man, come through the window and start dropping bodies. A sense of relief was like a gift for Christmas. I honestly thought I was done for.

It was Bones who saved me, who saved us. As his claws and canine teeth came out, more bodies began to drop. He scratched one guy's face and bit another's leg and continued to claw and bite his way through the crowd one by one. It was when someone shouted "retreat" that the men cleared out, escaping through the windows they broke.

Alex ran up to Bones, hugging him. "Thank you, sir."

"It was nothing, kid. Your sister is a good friend of mine."

"Are you a wolf like Saige?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, he's still adjusting," I said, removing Alex from his waist. "But really, thank you for that. It means a lot that you came."

"Yeah, I didn't think you could handle a group after just sucker punching a guy in the nose."

I laughed, maybe a little too much. "You saw that?"

"And I also saw some guys tackle Deacon in the alleyway by a grocery store. I'm pretty sure they were hunters."

"Now they have both of my protectors," I said.

"We'll look for them later. But for right now, you and Alex need to come with me. I overheard some men talking and it didn't sound good."

I turned towards Alex. "Go upstairs and pack some clothes. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," he said, running off.

Bones was admiring me when I turned back around. I didn't know what to say, so I decided not to say anything at all. It was best that I kept quiet and civil with him. I mean, he did just save my life as well as my brother's. He at least deserved some respect.

"Do you know where they took Deacon?"

"I only saw them drag him away. There were too many of them to get close. If I followed them, I could have got caught and my pack wouldn't have a leader, so I stayed back. But I heard them mention coming here and thought I should help you."

"Well, thank you."

I raced upstairs to find Alex in the hallway stuffing his favorite toys into a bag. I decided not to say anything to that either and went over to my room. Bones followed me in and the first thing he saw was the wet towel. I wanted to get rid of it immediately after he saw it, but there was no use hiding it.

"I'm sorry for the mess. I'm not much of a clean freak." I thought making him laugh would suffice, but still nothing.

The closet was at the other end of the room as well as something else. "I believe you want this back."

I handed the hoodie to him only for him to give it back and say, "You can keep it."

"Why?"

"Because hiding my face is pointless. The hoodie was a reminder that people only feared me. But as soon as you saw the man behind it, I knew I could be loved."

I smiled, but it was more of an awkward smile than it was anything else. I didn't think I showed him love when I saw the face of the man that killed my parents. Yes, he was astonishing to look at, but it didn't change what he did.

"I know it's wrong to have these thoughts. I know you love him more. But if it means anything, I won't try to ruin what you have with him. I just want you to be happy."

Yet again, I decided not to say anything else. It was a heart-warming speech that could have landed him any girl in the world, just not with me.

Alex yelled in the distance. "I'm ready!"

"Okay, I'll be right there."