Back at the sofa, Bethalie found that Mace had removed the blood stained coat and laid it on the floor at his feet.

"He's one of them?" Mace asked. "He's a...a Vampire?"

"He is," she answered him.

"Are you...one of...them?" he questioned, eyeing her.

"No. I'm as human as you are," she told him. "Do you think you can make it upstairs? You should probably take a shower while he's gone." It would be safer, although she wouldn't mind having to beat Noah senseless if he tried to attack Mace.

"I think I can make it," Mace told her, getting to his feet.

Bethalie took Mace's arm and led him across the space and up to her sleeping loft. She stopped outside the bathroom door, noting the ashen pallor of the man's skin. "There's a bench in the shower so you can sit down if you need to. Just throw your clothes out here and I'll get rid of them."

"Uh, what should I put on when I'm done?" Mace asked weakly.

Good question. "Just wrap up in a towel, I guess. You can rest on the bed until your clothes get here."

Mace nodded and shut the door, handing everything out to her a few moments later, keeping only his boots in there with him. The soiled clothing in hand, Bethalie stood for a moment, scanning the room for anything that Mace might use as a weapon. The poor guy didn't seem to want to escape, but she didn't want to take chances and wind up having to put him down herself.

Seeing nothing that he could use to stab her or beat her brains out with, she turned and took the man's things down stairs, snatching up the coat on her way to the front door and going through the pockets to ensure there was nothing that the man might not want to lose. Finding a few bits and bobs that she quickly placed in a drawer in Evyn's desk, she hurried into the elevator and took everything down to the garage, tossing all the items into the furnace.

Back upstairs, she tried to figure out how to secure the loft area so that he couldn't call for help or arm himself, but she quickly realized that it was impossible. Aside from her weapons cupboard, which had no lock, there was a kitchen filled with cutlery, hand-held weights in the work out area, lamps and wrought iron candle sticks sitting around the living room space. A person could use almost any of those items to fight with or perhaps use to bludgeon someone to death in their sleep. Not to mention the fact that Evyn's desk was heavy with all sorts of technology that couldn't be locked away and that could be used to summon the human authorities.

All that given, there were only a few options available to her. She could tie him up at night, which seemed a little harsh, or she could try to stay awake day and night to keep an eye on him. She certainly couldn't ask Evyn to take turns staying up because she could easily be overpowered by Mace Donovan. Or...damn it all...she could ask Noah to help, since he was going to be in the loft anyway.

She didn't want to, but it seemed like the only option. Of course, there was then the issue of what to do with Mace while she went out looking for a vigilante Vampire killer. That, she had no idea how to deal with. It might actually come down to having to truss him up like a pig on a spit.

She prattled around the loft for a while, trying to find something to do, but since she wasn't exactly domestic she quickly gave up that attempt. She did go up to her sleeping loft several times to check on her guest, wanting to make sure he wasn't plotting some sort of escape attempt by trying to fashion a weapon out of her toothbrush. But, he was just lying on her bed with his eyes closed, a towel wrapped around his waist, allowing her to admire his long legs and lean, muscular physique. Not to mention the decided bulge beneath his towel, which seemed...more than admirable.

Mercy, the man was hot. Yum.

Evyn eventually returned to the loft and Noah came in right behind her, both carrying grocery bags and Noah toting a large, army green duffle bag along with a couple of other bags, black leather of course. Clearly, Noah Grey was moving in. Bethalie met Noah halfway, taking the keys and the duffle bag and heading upstairs, thunking the heavy thing down on the bed and causing Mace to jerk awake with a start.

"Here's your bag," she said as he sat up, looking confused and unclear. "I have to go through it, though."

"It's alright," Mace shrugged, pulling the bag to him and unzipping it with unsteady hands. "I have a lap top and some other small equipment in here somewhere." He removed some clothes and a shaving kit and went into the bathroom, graciously allowing her look through the kit first.

While he was dressing, Bethalie emptied the bag, removing his lap top, voice recorder, mini video camera, and a couple of other instruments that she couldn't identify. Confiscating the equipment, she made her way down stairs, grabbing his wallet from Evyn's desk and taking the lot down to the garage, locking it in the trunk of Mace's BMW. Back upstairs, she hid the keys in her weapons cupboard by burying them in her box of Witch Balls and then she went over to the kitchen.

Evyn and Noah were in there, chatting away and acting all chummy, while Evyn flitted about, chopping this or stirring that. "I'm making an early lunch," Evyn said as Bethalie joined them. "Mr. Donovan could probably use some food."

"Are you eating, Bethalie?" Noah questioned, eyeing her from his place by the sink. He was dutifully rinsing a head of lettuce under the tap.

"I dunno. Maybe," she shrugged, plopping down at the table. She would have offered to help, but cooking wasn't her area of expertise. She'd try to chop a tomato and probably wind up burning the building to the ground.

"Can I come down?" a deep voice called, drawing everyone's attention across the space.

Mace was standing at the top of the stairs of her sleeping loft, dressed in faded jeans, a grey cable knit sweater, and his hiking boots. Again, the word yum came to mind. The Vampire cool factor had nothing on Mace Donovan's human sexy.

"Come on over," Evyn called, waving to him. "We're making some lunch."

Mace made his way down the steps and across the space, taking a seat at the table, looking self-conscious, uncomfortable, and more than slightly concerned for himself. But, even through all that he still looked...hot. His sandy hair was damp and combed back, his sandy stubble neatly trimmed, his icy green eyes bright and twinkling. He indeed was a tasty looking morsel. Even Evyn was eyeing him with a measure of overt interest.

"Do you eat animal protein, Mr. Donovan?" Evyn asked politely.

"Uh...I-I do. But, if...no one else does then...I won't," Mace fumbled.

"It's no problem. I bought some meat products, just in case," Evyn chirped. "I bought some juice and sodas, as well. I thought you might need the sugar."

That was something even Bethalie could do, so she got up and walked to one of the cabinets, grabbing a glass and going to the counter where the cans of soda were sitting. She picked up a can and headed to the fridge to get some ice cubes, passing Noah on the way.

"I'm choking on all the hormones in here," Noah muttered as she walked by.

She ignored the remarked and filled the glass with ice before returning to the table and handing everything to Mace. "I don't think I even introduced myself," she said, taking her seat. "I'm Bethalie. That's my assistant, Evyn." Evyn wriggled her fingers at him, smiling widely.

Seeing that no one was going to introduce him, Noah turned toward the table, giving Mace that cool guy chin lift. "I'm Noah Grey, Bethalie's defender."

Bethalie shot Noah a nasty glare, which he completely ignored. Defender! Bah! He was nothing more than her pest, that's what he was!

"I would say that it's nice to meet you all, but..." Mace shrugged, looking rather overwhelmed.

"We understand," Evyn told him amicably, chopping a cucumber with surgical precision and almost inhuman speed.

While Evyn whipped up the food, Noah came over to join them at the table, dropping into a chair next to Bethalie, even though there were several others available, and setting his gaze on Mace.

"You'd better drink up while you can. You never know when They will be coming for you," he said in an off-handed way and Bethalie shot her boot out and struck Noah's shin, causing him to let out a pained growl. "Ouch! What was that for!" he demanded, looking wounded.

"Don't listen to him," Bethalie told Mace. "You shouldn't spend time worrying about it. It won't help anything."

Mace opened his soda and poured it over the ice, taking a long gulp. "Just exactly how worried should I not be?"

Noah opened his mouth, but Bethalie landed another blow to his shin, causing him to double over with another pained yowl. "I really don't know," she answered the question. "This usually doesn't happen. But, you're still here...so it might actually work out for you." It didn't exactly feel wrong to give him that bit of hope.

"What usually does...happen?" Mace wondered uneasily.

She didn't want to tell him, but lying was a useless exercise. "Well, usually when a human gets attacked by a Darksider—"

"Darksider?" Mace cut in, curious.

"That's the term for those who dwell in the shadows. Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Demons, those types," she explained.

Mace, listening to her, looked like he might be ill.

"After a human is attacked or fed on by a Darksider, if they don't die right on the spot...they're usually...put down. But, only because we can't have anyone talking about what really happened to them," she explained gently, as if that would lessen the blow.

Mace's mouth formed a silent, "Oh."

She gave him a sympathetic smile that felt more like a grimace. "It's not my job to ever harm a human, so as long as you're here, you're safe. But, if you try to get away, They'll only kill you sooner. And They will find you, so don't try to fool yourself into thinking otherwise."

Mace nodded, taking another sip of his soda. "Exactly what is your job?"

"I am a Ward," she said plainly. "It's my job to put down any and all Darksiders who break the laws by harming humans."

"You...put down...things like the one that bit me?" Mace asked, looking at her somewhat dubiously. "I mean, she...or it...was as strong as an ox. And you're so...so small."

Bethalie thought she should be offended, but she wasn't. "How did you manage to fight her off for as long as you did?" she posed the question.

"I-I'm trained in Krav Maga," he answered with a shrug.

"I train, too," she said. Since she was five years old. Not to mention that kicking Darksider ass was in her DNA.

"Here's lunch," Evyn said, bringing stacks of plates to the table. "Why don't we talk about something that won't make Mr. Donovan nauseous, shall we? Like maybe his line of work." That so stated, she hurried away to grab the food from the counter and Noah jumped up to help her.

Bethalie wasn't terribly interested in what Mace Donovan did for work. She understood the gist. But, she also didn't want him to be nauseous. "Um...so, you were working on a story about Vampires. Is that what brought you to Port Angeles?"

"How do you know what I'm working on?" he asked, a little dazed and slightly suspicious.

"Evyn hacked you," she told him.

"Oh. Uh...well, I-I'm based in L.A. and I was looking for a place to shoot that was close to home because my crew was complaining about traveling all the time. I did some research and found out that there have been reports of Vampire attacks here ever since the town was settled."

"Really?" Bethalie asked, a bit stunned.

If The Big Guys tried so hard to keep it hush-hush, then how did the stories leak out? But, then again, The Big Guys probably hadn't always been around.

"Really. And then I learned that Port Angeles has one of the highest rates of disappearance on the West Coast. Nearly two people a month vanish from the city and the unexplained death rate is even larger."

That sounded about right, considering the number of Darksiders she put down every month.

"Finding out all that...this seemed like a good place to do a piece for my show," Mace said, a look of derision crossing his handsome features.

"Did you really expect to capture a Vampire on video?" she wondered, thinking that he had actually come pretty close. If he'd only had a camera in his hand or his cell phone at the ready...this could be an entirely different situation they'd be in.

"Not really. Most of our hunts end with very little evidence. We've caught some pretty good proof of ghosts on video and EVP recordings, but I figured we'd just come here and take the audience through the dark and seedy streets, give them the thrill of the hunt, and then be our way. Just like usual."

It was too bad it didn't turn out that way for the poor guy.

Evyn and Noah brought lunch to the table then. A big salad, a platter of sandwiches for Mace, chickpea salad sandwiches for Bethalie and Evyn, a bowl of salty chips, and a lovely store bought chocolate cake. Noah carried his own lunch. A bottle of Stat.

"Your work sounds interesting," Evyn said, filling Mace's plate for him. "Chasing ghosts and hunting for Big Foot and the Chupacabra. I'll bet you have a blast."

Mace tried to grin. "I thought my job was interesting. But, I think you guys have me beat."

"Oh, I don't have you beat. Bethalie is the muscle of the operation. I just run the house," Evyn said, putting the over filled plate before Mace and taking her own seat. "Eat up. Don't be shy."

"Do eat, Tuck. And enjoy it," Noah said darkly, leaving the while you can unspoken.

Bethalie aimed for his shin, but he was too quick and dodged her attempt, giving her rather a snotty look as he did so. "Stop speaking," she warned, irritated by his rude behavior.

"My name is Mace," Mace pointed out rather stiffly.

"I know your name," Noah answered coolly.

Grrr! Noah was acting like an ass! And if he didn't stop she was going to beat him into a bloody pulp, despite Evyn. Vampires calling humans Tuck, an old slang term for food, really pissed her off! She was technically Tuck, so why didn't Noah call her that offensive name?

"Noah, why don't you have your food?" Evyn suggested, a bit too civilly. "You, too, Bethalie."

"I don't want to feed in front of Tuck. He might not be able to handle it," Noah said, smiling easily.

Mace picked up a sandwich and took a bite. "Don't worry about me. Go ahead and eat."

Noah shrugged and picked up the glass bottle, twisting the cap off and tossing it onto the table. Humans couldn't smell Synthetic Blood Product unless it was right under their noses, but Vampires could. As soon as the bottle was opened, Noah's face swiftly took on its death mask, his eyes growing milky and pale, his cheekbones growing hollow, his lips turning colorless and his flesh going ashen. He made a particular show of his teeth, which was akin to a Vampire pissing contest, before turning his bottle up and drinking it down.

Bethalie was annoyed, Evyn was unfazed, and Mace, although his gaze was transfixed on Noah's face, went about eating his sandwich as if nothing at all was wrong. He didn't flinch or look away, which was his attempt at a human pissing contest.

And so, their cozy little lunch continued, with Evyn chatting to Mace about his investigations and Bethalie glaring at Noah and daring—no, begging—him to say another word. Just one. His new BFF would not be able to save him. However, much to her disappointment, Noah drank his lunch as quietly and complacently as a lamb. The fiend!

Once lunch was over, everyone rose and started the cleanup and it was while she was wiping down the table that Mace approached her, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Bethalie, can I ask you something," he said quietly.

"Sure," she answered, hoping it wasn't anything he really didn't want to know the answer to.

"I know I'm just an uninformed piece of meat—" Bethalie's gaze whipped up to his. "Yeah, I know what Tuck means. I read. Uh...but, if a person gets bitten by a Vampire, does that mean..."

"No. You aren't going to turn," she assured him. "Turning is a whole involved process. You're safe."

Humans had some strange idea that Vampires were out to turn everyone they crossed paths with. Which simply was not the case. Vampires liked the exclusivity of their club. Being the few elite among the masses upped their cool factor. If everyone got Vamped, the cool factor would be gone. Thus, the vast majority of people were safe. From being turned, at least.

"So, they can really go out in the sunlight?" Mace asked and she caught Noah's amused, sardonic glance.

"Yes. They can walk through the daylight and bathe in garlic juice and wear crucifixes. All that stuff is myth," she answered, finishing the table and heading across to the sitting area to get away from Noah's piercing gaze. Mace followed along beside her. "I'd reckon all that nonsense came about to make people feel safe, to give them the hope that they might be able to defend themselves. It probably made life easier, believing that monsters couldn't get you while you were walking around in broad daylight. No one wants to believe that the monsters are sitting right beside them on the beach."

"We wouldn't be on the beach, actually!" Noah called out. "None of us looks very good with a tan. It's a little too...Jersey."

Bethalie tried to ignore him, though it hurt her. "There is a little truth to the sun thing, though. Vampires and some other Darksiders have raised body temperatures, so too much heat can make them sick. Sort of like having a heat stroke."

"So, then Vampires would want to settle in cool climates. Like the Pacific North West. That would explain why I couldn't find very many reports of them in the hotter states. There were none at all in Southern Florida and Texas."

"There's nothing in Southern Florida but heat and senior citizens. Those people are way past their expiration date. It's rather like trying to get juice from a raisin," Noah explained as he sauntered over to the sofa where she and Mace were sitting.

"Don't you have something to do?" Bethalie asked, not looking at him.

"Not really," came the reply.

"Can I ask you another question?" Mace said, looking at her intently.

Uh oh. "Sure."

"Do these people you work for ever let anyone go...once they've been attacked?"

"Not that I know of," she answered, a sick feeling washing over her.

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. But, that was the way of things. No matter who the poor, unfortunate human might be.

*  *  *  *  *  *

The rest of the day was spent with Evyn entertaining Mace, no doubt in an effort to try and keep his mind off what was probably going to happen to him, so Bethalie didn't interfere. She had her eye on the clock, waiting for the time when she could leave and go hunt down Seth the bartender. She wanted to get started on trying to figure out who was putting down her targets.

She really didn't care about the motive behind it...too much. She just wanted to snuff them for doing her job for her. Sure, they were putting Darksiders at risk of being exposed, but she really wanted them because they were stepping on her toes.

Her day was spent mostly trying to avoid Noah, who seemed to want to hover over her like a handsome cloud. There was no need for him to do it. He just seemed to enjoy following her around and watching her with that intensely penetrating Vampire gaze. She had no idea what he thought he was doing, but it made it hard for her not to kill him.

Finally, as six o'clock neared, she went to Mace, who was sitting with Evyn at her desk, where they were discussing some computer geek thing that sounded like an alien language.

"I have to go out soon," she announced, causing them both to look up. "So, we need to figure out what to do about you." She leveled her finger at Mace.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking highly uncomfortable.

"Why do you need to go out?" Noah demanded from beside her.

She shot him a contemptuous scowl. "Because I have a job to do." She turned back to Mace. "And I mean that I can't leave you here with Evyn, but I'm not sure I should take you out with me."

"Are you afraid I'll try to make a run for it?" Mace wondered.

"Will you?" she asked.

Mace drew in a long breath, obviously thinking about it. "I might. I mean, I'm going to die either way, right? It might take them longer to find me out there."

She admired his honesty. And she noted that Evyn looked slightly hurt. "So, I can either restrain you here or—"

"Or I can immobilize you so you can't try anything," Noah offered, sounding hopeful.

"Or you can come out with me and hope that I don't get you into a situation that gets you killed anyway," she said, figuring those were her only options. "But, I have to stress, I never know what'll happen when I'm hunting and I might not be able to watch out for you."

"I'll take my chances. What have I got to lose?" Mace stated, getting to his feet and she gave him a nod. "Besides, if I go with you, I can watch your back."

Or, he could find an opportunity to stick the proverbial knife into it.

"That's what she has me for, Tuck," Noah put in coldly.

She did not need anyone to watch her back! But, she did not want to tie Mace Donovan up for hours and leave Evyn to deal with him. "Well, come on then, Mace Donovan, fearless monster hunter," she said, leading the way to her weapons cupboard. "You might get a chance to find some of the things you've been chasing."

"I think some of them already found me," he said, but without malice.

"Maybe you'll be lucky enough to see some different types out there," she offered. "I mean, you won't be able to tell anyone, but at least you'll get to see a piece of the world that most people don't."

It was lame. She was lame. Trying to distract him from the fact that he was doomed. It was like telling a kid that the sugar-free lollipops would take away the pain of the needle. It didn't. But, it did give them something else to focus on for a while.

She opened her cupboard, instantly seeing all the possibilities running through Mace's mind. Yeah, dream on, Donovan. "Evyn, while I'm out, find the cot for Noah and set it up here by my cupboard."

Noah gave Mace something of a triumphant smile. "I'll guard it with my life."

Mace didn't show any reaction, but she could feel his disappointment. "How are you with self-defense weapons? Ever used any?"

"You are not going to arm him!" Noah scolded, shocked. "He'll turn on you the first chance he gets, Bethalie!"

"He might. But, he needs to be able to fend for himself," she said, pulling out an old set of batons she used to train with sometimes. "Besides, isn't that what I have you for?"

That closed Noah's mouth and caused his shoulders to straighten in a very cock-of-the-walk sort of way.

"Maybe you shouldn't trust me," Mace said, taking the batons and looking pained. "He's right. Self-preservation is a strong instinct. I might be tempted to do something stupid."

"Well, you're just Mr. Honesty, aren't you?" she said, beginning to strap on her own arsenal.

"That's me," he said with a sigh.

"Then, I'll be honest with you. I can't let you run. So, try if you want, but I'll have to stop you. And I will stop you," she stated, shoving her Bowie knife into her weapons belt. "And, if you turn on me, I can't be responsible for what I might do. Self-preservation and all that. So, please, try not to make me do something I'll have a hard time living with."

Mace let out another breath, clearly struggling with that whole self-preservation angle roiling around inside of him.

"Maybe I should leave you here," she offered again. "I mean, being tied up for a few hours is probably better than...well, all the other things that might happen to you."

"You shouldn't give him a choice," Noah interjected.

Mace seemed to give himself a shake before finally stiffening his spine. "Let's just go. I won't hold anything that happens against you."

"If anything happens to her because of you, Tuck, I'll kill you before you can scream," Noah said easily.

Oh shit. This was going to be a long night.

"Can you use a Baton?" she asked, strapping her gun holster around her thigh.

"I've trained with sticks, so yeah," Mace said.

"Show me a move or two," she said, strapping her own batons on. "Use Vlad, there."

Mace lifted a brow at her and extended the batons with a hard flick. Over the next several moments, she found herself vastly impressed, and slightly turned on, by the way he pummeled poor Vlad. He was quick and efficient with his strikes and knew just where to land a blow that would devastate and damage a body. He had clearly been training with an amazing teacher. If things got dicey, which she wouldn't surprise her, he could at least put up a fight until she could intervene. On the downside, if he turned on her, she might have her hands full.

Mace stopped his exhibition and turned back to her, barely breathing hard. "Good enough?"

"Good enough to buy you some time," she told him. "They're pure silver so they'll stall any Darksider. Aim for exposed flesh whenever you can and hit as hard as you can, aiming for the joints and skull, just like you did here."

"Pure silver works?" he asked.

"On every Darksider," she answered.

Mace's eyes flicked to Noah, who let out an amused snort. "You aren't that good, Tuck. And just remember, if Bethalie has to kill you, she'll be kind. If I have to kill you...there'll be no kindness. I have no such soft feelings for humans."

Maybe it would be better to leave them both behind. But, she was worried that Evyn might wind up getting caught in the crossfire.

She took her coat from the peg on the door of the cupboard and slipped it on, checking to make sure all the necessary items were in the proper pockets and adding her phone to its usual place on the left inside, insuring easy and quick access.

"Good luck, Bethalie," Evyn said, sounding sympathetic. She left the you'll need it bit undeclared.

Bethalie let out a sigh and headed for the door, noticing that Noah wasn't hovering at her elbow. Probably because of her coat. Hmmm. Maybe she'd wear it all the time.

"I'll be back," she called, making for the elevator with Noah and Mace both on her heels.

"So, just why are you going out?" Noah questioned, putting himself in the farthest corner of the space. "Do you have to put someone down?"

"No," she said.

"Then why all the hardware?" he asked stiffly.

"Because I might need it," she told him offhandedly, closing the gate and sending them chugging downward.

They stepped out into the garage space and the familiar scent struck her, stronger now that the body had been dissolving for longer. Mace's gaze swept straight to the trough across the way, where the slight hiss and sizzle of the Mix could be heard emanating from.

"What is that?" he asked, hesitating.

"That is what is left of my sister," Noah pointed out, his tone somewhat dull.

Mace opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind and snapped it shut.

Bethalie motioned for him to follow her toward the van. "It's a dry mix of silver and herbs that I use to dispose of my targets." She would have gone into further detail, but refrained because of Noah. She might not like him, but she wasn't that heartless.

They made it to the van and she opened the garage door with her remote before making to hop behind the wheel. But, to her surprise, Noah swooped in and brushed past her, snagging the keys from her hand and seating himself behind the wheel before she could blink.

"Hey!" she snapped, annoyed. "What the hell are you doing!"

"Let me drive. It'll give me something to focus on other than all the silver you've covered yourself in," he beseeched.

Huffing out a sigh, she slammed the door and stalked around to the passenger side, sliding in while Mace climbed into the small back seat. Silver did tend to make most Darksiders very uncomfortable, so she begrudgingly took pity on Noah. Begrudgingly!

"You'll have to navigate. I'm not familiar with these streets," Noah said, backing out of the building and into the grey evening.

"Hang a left two streets down," she said, feeling awkward just sitting there with nothing to do.

"Where are we going?" Mace asked, sounding as awkward as she felt.

"We are going to Stoney's Pub so I can speak with a bartender there," she said to him.

"Can I ask why?" he wondered.

"Well, there's someone out there who has gotten to two of my targets before me. They killed them, slit their wrists, drained their bodies, and left them right out in the open, where anyone could find them," she answered. "The bartender knew both of those people, so..."

"Oh, sure. You'll tell him," Noah snipped.

"So, someone is mudering...Darksiders?" asked Mace.

"Yes. But, just Vampires so far," she told him, suddenly realizing that, yes, what was happening was murder. 

Noah's gaze whipped around to her. "Someone drained two Vampires? Why? Better yet, how?"

She shrugged. "That's what I'm supposed to find out."

"What would someone do with Vampire blood?" Mace asked, sounding like he was thinking out loud.

She had no answer for that question. There was no Darksider she could think of that would feed on another Darksider. And among Darksiders, Vampires were very nearly at the top of the food chain. Killing them wasn't easy. For an average Darksider, say a Shifter or some breed of Demon, to restrain a Vampire long enough to bleed them dry was a stretch. Another Vampire might succeed, but to what point and purpose?

And all that aside, did she really want to meet up with whatever was strong enough to accomplish that feat?

Probably not.

And yet, it appeared she really had no choice.