I am updating today because, for the next week, I will not be at my computer... at all. The next update will be next SATURDAY!

Thank you Ashton15 for the picture!

Happy New Year (in advance)!!

***

It's a sixth sense feeling when someone's watching you. And that's how I was woken up. I felt someone watching me, and when I saw a dark, hooded figure looming over me, I almost screamed.

It wasn't Mikko; the figure seemed to have a human shape. It wasn’t Nikki either, because the figure was too short.

Looking out the window I saw that it was still very dark, so I didn't get any light from outside.

"Who are you?" I asked terrified. Someone had to be on their way if my guards were taken out.

The movements were deliberately slow. "I don't mean you any harm." The woman's voice was familiar. "I'm here to offer you protection."

"Protection?" I pressed the button on my lamp. "Protection from whom?" Once the light hit her face, I recognized her. "You're that witch from the restaurant."

She nodded once. "I am. Though I am surprised you recognize me so quickly."

Her face was beaten. Bruises littered her eyes, jaw, and even a huge one on the right side of her forehead. She had bruised swelling under her left eye, suggesting that she had taken a few hits to that spot. It looked like she had stepped into the ring with a boxer.

"I want to protect your children." She tried to smile, but the motion hurt her bruised face. "This is the only chance I may get to perform the ritual on you."

"You can't do a ritual on me. I don't know you and I don't trust you."

She held her hands out. "I don't want anything back for this. I know my sister would've wanted me to protect Mikko's children. I won't live to see what they look like, so I need to protect them like I can."

"Your sister?" I was confused. "Who is your sister? Why would she want to protect Mikko's kids?"

She shook her head and pulled out a vial. "I don't have much time." I scooted away from her when she reached in her cloak and pulled out a book of matches. "I told you I'm not here to harm you."

I scooted away from her to the opposite side of the bed and quickly pulled out the gun. I had one in each side table. "That's not exactly reassuring. You were with Marshall."

Her brows rose momentarily as she set the matches down. "No one wants to be held by Marshall Alexander. No one gets away from him alive."

I kept the gun pointed at her. "You look like you're doing just fine."

She shook her head. "I'm not free from Marshall. What you see now is a very strong spell. Once I'm gone, I'll be right back in Marshall's captivity." She reached into the cloak again. "This might get a little messy." She pulled out a vial of blood. "This is what Marshall took from you."

Her index finger was wrapped up. "Your finger," I blurted before I could stop myself.

She looked at the bandages for a moment. "Hurt like hell when they took it. I suppose it's what I deserve for the life I've lived."

A small bag of hair came out next. "This spell isn't exactly sunshine and rose petals." She opened the bag and pulled out the hair. Then I realized it wasn't just a bag of hair. The hair was still connected to a chunk of skin, deep enough to cause some serious problems for the victim. "Our donor today is the bastard that cut off my finger." She smiled like the Cheshire cat. "No one will miss him."

"What?" I looked towards my door. "You should just go. Wolves will be in here any moment."

She shook her head and started drawing on my end table with some green chalk. "No one knows I'm here except for you."

I didn't recognize the symbol, but it was beautifully drawn.

She emptied the contents of the vial in the center circle of the drawing and gathered it up into a small mound before making a well in the center of it. She uncorked the vial of my blood and poured it in the center.

"I warned you it's messy." She looked at me and smirked. "The spell would be stronger if I had their blood, but this will work too." I stepped away from her, flexing the grip I had on the gun. "If I wanted to cause you harm, I would've done it for Marshall. Unfortunately, protection spells need to be invoked next to the intended individual." Her voice dropped down to a caress. "I'm going to have to touch you, so don't go far."

She looked back at the mound and started chanting. The blood pool started to ripple. She struck a match and dropped it into the blood.

I expected it to go out, but the whole mound sparked into flames, angry, red flames. She chanted some more and grabbed the flesh. She held it over the flames while she chanted. She repeated her phrase over and over again as the flesh started to burn. Then she dropped it into the fire and it slowly went out.

Her face was serene as she slowly waved her hands around the smoke, collecting it. Then she turned to me. "This is it. This is what's going to protect those babies."

She stepped closer with a trail of smoke following her hands. The smoke wasn't dissipating into the air or flowing like normal smoke. She extended her hands and pushed the smoke onto my bump. When her hand touched my stomach I had the sensation of licking a battery. When she took her hand away, the feeling lingered.  The smoke flowed around my belly until it all absorbed. It only took seconds.

Then she smiled at me. "Normally that spell would protect someone until they died, but this one was split three ways." She let go of my belly. "Nothing's wrong with them, they're perfectly healthy, and they're going to stay that way." She looked back at the mess. "Sorry, but I don't have time to clean that up."

She walked to the center of the room and put the oversized hood over her head. "The babies should be safe for twenty to thirty years. I'm not sure about that. This spell hasn't been split like this before."

I felt the babies get really active, without thinking about it I up my hands on my belly. "What's your name?"

"Clare." She smiled as she looked back at the bedroom door. "Daddy's home."

When the door opened, she was already vanishing into the air like the smoke was supposed to. She looked back at Mikko with a sad smile.

He was instantly furious. He tried to stop her, but she disappeared just before he could reach her. "What did she do?" he roared. "I'm going to kill her."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Mikko went to the side table and stared at the symbol drawn there.

He wiped his finger over the residue from the spell and brought it to his nose. "It smells like defensive magic." He pulled out his phone and took a picture of it. "Did she say anything to you?"

I slowly say back down on my bed. "She said they were going to be safe," I whispered. "She said the three of us were going to be safe."

Mikko rumbled like a wolf as he pressed things on his phone. "If this is anything but protection, I'm going to make sure she begs for death."

I shook my head. "Marshall's doing a good enough job of that on his own." Mikko's brows creased. "Her face was covered in bruises. She looks like they've been slapping her around."

Mikko turned to the bed. "Lay down. I need to check for anything harmful."

I complied and rested my head on a pillow. He flattened the shirt against my belly then brought his ear down to it. He closed his eyes and listened.

After a couple of minutes he stopped. "It sounds like normal I suppose."

His phone went off. He immediately checked it. "She doesn't have to worry about dying just yet." He let out a relieved sigh. "It was a protection spell, a powerful one." He looked at the chalk drawing again, before his eyes started scanning around the room. "Did she hurt anyone here?"

"Not here. She brought a chunk of hair and skin with her. She dropped it in at the end of the spell." I could tell by the distant look in his eyes that Mikko was doing something. Maybe he was checking on everyone around the area. "She said it was from the one who cut her finger off."

He instantly looked less distracted. "So then it wouldn't be anyone from this pack," he thought out loud.

"Why did she need the flesh?" I asked even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"The spell was the powerful kind that requires a sacrifice."

"S-sacrifice..?" I stuttered, "As in human sacrifice?"

He smirked. "Yes, as in human sacrifice."

"So, someone is dead out there right now for the protection of the babies?"

He nodded once then went to the dirty hamper, and grabbed a towel.

He wiped off the spell. "Yes, someone is dead right now. It's not something done normally by witches, for that reason."

"Why would she do that?" I didn't know her. She didn't know me. I didn't understand why she would do this. Who had she mentioned before? Who would've wanted her to do this for Mikko? "Her sister." I thought aloud.

Mikko stopped scrubbing the chalk, freezing in place. "She talked about her sister?" He growled.

"Not really," his reaction interested me, "more like she mentioned her. All she said was that her sister would've wanted your kids to be safe."

Mikko shook his head angrily. "I need to take a walk." He slammed the door too hard behind himself.

Who was Clare to Mikko?

Why was he so pent up about her sister?

It sounded like Clare's sister was dead since she talked about her in past tense. If her sister wanted Mikko's kids protected, wouldn't she do it herself if she were alive?

I was getting into bed when one of the guards walked in.

I cocked my head in confusion. "What are you doing in here?"

He gave me a small smile. "I'm to remain within five feet until Mikko returns."

I rolled my eyes and patted the empty side of the bed. "It's this or the floor. Your decision."

I laid down on my side and watched the werewolf entertain himself by playing on his phone. It took a long time to fall asleep. It felt like an eternity. All I could do was think about who this woman was and why she had such an effect on Mikko.

I didn't sleep well either. When I woke up I was surprised to see Mikko lying next to me. He was staring up at the ceiling. He didn't even blink as I watched him for a few seconds.

"Who was she to you?" I asked quietly. Even though Mikko was here, there would be other wolves within hearing distance.

Mikko didn't react at all. He stayed as still as a statue for minutes as I waited for a reaction.

"She must've been either really important to you, or she crossed you."

Mikko's chest rose in a sigh as he blinked rapidly. His eyes changed as he focused. He turned his head and looked at me. He didn't say anything. He just stared at me.

His features were serene as he watched whatever his mind was showing him. Whatever he was remembering was a good memory. This wasn't the Mikko I knew. It would've been nice to know him when he had some peace to hold on to.

It was a couple minutes before his mind came back from whatever memory he had been in. His eyes hardened and the Mikko I knew was back.

"She doesn't matter anymore. Clare's sister has been dead for a long time." He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. "With everything that's happened, you need to move to my pack's land. The risk of you being here is too great."

"I think you're right." I couldn't be stubborn anymore. "I'm putting everyone I know at risk."

He nodded and got up. "Plan to leave tomorrow," he said as he walked out of the bedroom.

I was stunned momentarily. I was going to leave my childhood home, tomorrow? Everyone I had known my entire life, I wasn't going to see for a very long time. Everything was going to change so quickly, but I had to do this. I couldn't fight it anymore.

I tucked myself into the blankets and curled up as much as I could. I would allow myself to have the morning to processes. I was going to miss everyone here.

When noon came around I hopped in the shower and got ready for the rest of the day. I tucked away all the self-pity I had. I wanted to say goodbye to everyone I'd miss the most. I spotted Mikko out of the kitchen window. He was on the phone with someone.

I felt his eyes on me as I made something to eat. He was outside until I was finished with my food.

"Change of plans," he said as he walked in. "Philip has located Marshall. I'm leaving as soon as my things are packed."

"What does that mean for me leaving?"

Mikko sat down across from me. "You're staying here until I come back. I can't handle Marshall if you're in the open."

"So I'm just staying here then?" He nodded to answer my question. "Do you know how long?"

He shook his head. "No."

I didn't have any choice but to accept what was going to happen. I couldn't change it anyway.

***

"A witch?" Nikki asked in disbelief as she sat down on her couch. "The one from the restaurant?"

I nodded. "That exact one."

I looked over at the guards I had. They still had to stick close. Mikko wouldn't let them have any leeway with that. They were compelled to stay near.

"What did she do to you?" she asked with concern. "Did she hurt the babies?"

I shook my head. "As far as I know she's protected us. She said it would last for years Nikki."

The shock was still written on her face. I had told her what happened yesterday. She knew I had originally planned on leaving today or tomorrow, but with Philip finding Marshall, she was glad that Mikko took off after him. She hated Marshall with a passion and I couldn’t fault her for it. I hated Marshall just as much as she did.

"The sooner Mikko kills him, the sooner this can become a positive experience for you."

I smiled as I felt the babies start kicking. "I can't wait for this to be a good experience." I looked over the protectors, knowing there was nothing I could do to make them go away. "I know what happened is partially my fault." Nikki started to protest, but I stopped her. "No, Nikki, it is. You got hurt because of me, because of the baby." Nikki looked around the protectors, surprised that they didn't know about the multiple babies in my womb. "I think we need to put some space between us, literally and figuratively."

Nikki sighed. "I don't blame you Em. Mike's still a little mad, but you know he just needs some time. He doesn't really blame you. He's just shocked and overwhelmed."

"That's how he should be reacting Nikki. I know you two need your space. It's too dangerous to be around me. I'm just going to hold up in my house until Mikko comes back."

Nikki looked at me regretfully. "Does that mean that I can't come visit you?"

"Nikki, I don't know what to do." I sighed, frustrated and confused. "I want to see you, but it's not safe. I want to stay here, but it's not safe. I want to raise my kids here, but there's no way that'll happen."

I wanted to cry, so I just shook my head and looked down at my shoes. Nikki's arms wrapped around me and rocked us side to side. "This guy isn't going to split up the friendship we've had for years, Em. No guy is ever going to get in between that."

"Except for Mike," I added jokingly.

She scoffed. "Like he would be so stupid. Then he'd have to deal with me every second of the day. It's easier to ship me off to you when he's tired of entertaining me."

I sighed, pulling myself together before I became a fountain. "We'll be okay once this is all over, right Nikki?"

She nodded. "Of course. And until then, we have each other."

Nikki and I kept talking for a little while longer. We had dinner together (with the protectors near of course) to make it official that we wouldn't be seeing each other for a few days. She needed time with Mike. Mike needed his mate and he wasn't exactly happy Nikki was hanging out with me.

I spent an uneventful five days in my house. It was nice to relax and hang out, but by the fourth day I was incredibly bored. I tried to talk to the protectors, but they couldn't share any entertaining stories with me. I knew it was because they probably told not to get close. They would be reassigned anyway.

I texted Nikki a lot every day, we even played every game we could on our phones to keep me entertained. My life slowed way down, not that I could have complained about that. At the time, I could've used some slow down.

I was down the hallway, going to my room when I heard a thump coming from it. I looked around for the protectors to come running, but that didn't happen. I grabbed the gun hidden in the closet and slowly made my way to my room.

I stopped outside the door, but I didn't go into the room. I listened for a sound, any sound, but I couldn't hear anything.

I checked down the hall once more for a protector, but I didn't see or hear one coming. There would be no point in yelling for one either. If I tipped off the intruder they could hurt me before a protector could get there. But if it was nothing, I'd look like a paranoid psychotic.

I cracked open the door, keeping the gun ready for shooting. As I peaked in, I could see a woman, stomach down lying on the floor. I kept my gun on her as I opened the door to get closer.

She hissed as she looked up and opened her eyes. "Emily."

I recognized her voice immediately. "Clare."

She nodded with pain etched on her face. "I got away from Marshall." She pushed herself up to sit on her ankles. Both of her hands were wrapped in bandages. Since I had seen her, Marshall had done some serious abusing to her. But that doesn't matter, I reminded myself and I kept my gun on her. Mikko didn't trust her. The protection spell didn't even earn her any brownie points with him. "I know you don't trust me and that's fine."

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Marshall poisoned me and it's too late for any kind of help for me." She tried to stand up and stumbled for a second before slowly sitting on the end of my bed. "Marshall wants to raise those babies as his own." For a moment it looked as if she was going to puke, but she slowly shook her head. "Mikko's the only family I have left." She got tearful. "My sister would've wanted me to do his for him." She blinked hard. "I need to do this before I die."

She took an emerald pendant necklace from her neck and held it in her hands. A black haze surrounded her hands as she spoke in another language. It looked like she was casting a spell on the necklace. She breathed into her hands like they were cold, causing the black haze to soak into the pendant.

She waved me over, but I resisted. "Come on girl," she snarled. "Time is precious. I don't have much time."

"If you try anything, I'll shoot your head off." I warned.

"I understand." She closed her eyes. "Keep that gun on me if you wish."

I did keep my gun on her. The barrel was pointed at her with each step I got closer.

She held out the necklace for me. "Take this."

I grabbed the chain, careful not to touch her skin. "What is this?" What I had noticed as an emerald was now a solid black stone. Regardless of the color, it was beautiful.

"This is death magic." She said weakly. "It only has a one-time charge. Keep your eyes on the one you wish to be dead. Say: Bás a thagann dó." She inhaled deeply, before locking her eyes with mine. "It will only work if you say it in Irish. It translates into death comes for him. Mikko knows some Irish; he'll help you with the accent."

The color started to leave her features. All this talking wasn't going to keep her alive any longer.

"I see why he's afraid of you." She looked me over with a sense of peace overcoming her. "You look like her."

"I look like whom?" I sat down next to her on the couch. I could see the strength flow out of her body as she nearly fell off the foot of my bed. I reached forward to stop her from face planting.

She smiled as her eyes avoided mine. "It's not my place to tell you if Mikko hasn't already." Her eyes found mine again. "That pendant was my sister's. It would be my suggestion to convince Mikko to let you keep it until the magic within it has been used."

She looked over my face one last time. Her breathing became labored. "So where do you want to do this?" She tried to get off the couch. "I don't want to traumatize you by dying on your bed."

I helped her stand. I couldn't help but feel bad for the woman.

"What about a tarp? They're going to wrap me up in one anyway."

I shook my head. "I can't let you die on a tarp."

Against my better judgment, I switched the safety back on and tossed the gun onto my dresser. I pushed the dying woman backwards. She wouldn't do much to fight me in her current state. She fell back with a sharp exhale, followed by a relaxed one.

"You should throw me outside. I don't deserve to be comforted as I die." She tried to get up again, but I held her down.

"And I can't throw you out into the cold to die alone. I'm not that kind of person." I picked up her legs and heaved them on to the bed.

She smiled weakly. "You are far too nice."

I positioned her so she wasn't lying awkwardly on the bed. "I'm not sure anyone's accused me of being too nice lately."

"When things calm down, you should ask Mikko about Jess. I don't recommend you ask any time soon. He's too wound up to talk about her. He'd just snap and do something he'd regret." She lolled her head to the side to look at me. "People with kind hearts are too rare to be abused."

Pain crossed her features. "It's not going to be much longer," she said breathlessly. "You should head out. You don't want to witness the death of a dark witch."

"I can st--"

"It's not really a suggestion," she cut me off. "I've heard rumors. It may not be accommodating to a pregnancy."

I nodded and got off the bed. I grabbed my gun and looked back at her. "Can I bring you anything? Call anyone?"

"Nothing and no one." She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I came here, I just wanted to see her face one more time."

I walked out of the room confused. She wanted to see whose face? Her sister's? Did I look so much like her sister?