The sun was just setting as we walked into the clearing where the abandoned shack was located amongst the trees. In the rapidly increasing twilight, it almost looked like something from a fairy tale, that is if you ignored all of the weeds growing up the sides and the boarded-up windows.

Yeah, it was a real lovely place.

I liked it when we came out here, just the two of us. We had no worries, nobody interrupting us and no bloody paranormal shit to worry about either. Apart from my monthly problem, we used the shack as a bit of a getaway from everything.

Kian would cook for me on the little camping stove we had set up while he kept his blood chilled in the portable fridge. For a guy who didn't need to eat, and probably hadn't properly eaten in decades he made a damn good chicken curry.

And the good food helped to take my mind off the blood in the fridge.

I went inside while Kian stayed outside to start up the generator and I soon heard its distinctive low rumble, followed by Kian strolling in with a smile on his face, his blood-red eyes glinting with some untold joke.

"So, what's on the menu tonight?" I asked him as I switched on the lights and the TV.

"Something quick and easy." he replied "I thought we'd maybe get something in later... if that's okay with you?"

Odd.

We didn't usually like to draw attention to the fact that we were out here. Even with Victoria's spell keeping normal people away, magic wasn't going to keep out The Council if they found out that we had set up the cabin.

Kian was my Guide, and as far as The Council were concerned that was as far as it went. They had no idea that we were together. Not that it made a difference to us, but inter-species relationships were frowned upon by certain communities.

Yeah, that's how fucked my new life was. It didn't matter that me and Kian were gay. It mattered that I was a werewolf and he was a vampire. Somehow that point caused distress for the likes of Will Jackson's dad and certain high ranking members of The Council who, like him, believed that each species should keep to their own kind and never mix.

Well, I say to hell with them bastards.

"Drink?" Kian asked, grabbing a glass from the cupboard in the makeshift kitchen "I'm pretty sure we have a bottle of your favourite around here somewhere."

"I won't say no."

Kian searched around and eventually pulled an unopened bottle of brandy from the back of one of the cupboards. He poured out a measure then added some ice from the tiny freezer in the top of the fridge.

Seriously, that thing was fucking tiny. All it was good for was keeping our ice blocks topped up. Not that we used it for anything else.

"Here."

I took the glass from Kian after he had added the ice and took a sip. Immediately I felt the comforting burn of the alcohol as it went down.

"That's a good measure," I said heading to sit on the bean bags we had set up in front of the TV.

Kian smiled, his fangs showing, as he joined me on the bean bags. He had his own glass of brandy in his hand, darker in colour because of the blood he had mixed into it. Strangely, it bothered me less and less every time I saw him make it. At first, I thought it was a bloody waste of good brandy, but Kian did like a drink, even though it didn't really affect him.

"What do you fancy watching?" I asked him, indicating the pile of DVDs sat next to the unit the TV was on.

Kian frowned and looked at the pile, scrutinising each one before pulling out one of his favourites; The Greatest Showman. I smiled to myself as I took it from him and put the disk into the player. Hugh Jackman. Zac Effron. Brilliant songs...

Good choice, Kian.

I turned the lights down, pressed play and sat back down. Kian took my hand as I did, the coldness of his touch sent shivers down my spine. He held on tight as the first bars of the opening number played. I couldn't help but smile as he curled up and laid his head on my chest.

This was my happy place.

As the film chugged its way along I found it increasingly harder to keep my eyes open. I also felt Kian's head getting heavier as he also started to fall asleep.

Suddenly I couldn't keep it up any longer and I let my eyes shut.

After a second I jolted awake. Kian was no longer laying next to me, and the main menu was rolling across the screen. Damn it. I'd been asleep for a while.

Why the fuck had Kian not woken me up?

I sighed, picking up our glasses from where we had left them on the floor and headed to the kitchen. Maybe Kian had headed out to get some food. Still, he could have got me up before he left.

Ah, I loved the guy, but, sometimes he was so bloody frustrating...

I turned the main lights on and stopped as a ripped piece of paper that sat on the counter caught my eye. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at it. The writing was definitely Kian's, but it was scruffy and looked like it had been written in a rush. The worst thing though, the part that sent shivers down my spine as I looked at it, was that the note looked like it had been written in blood.

Get a grip, Colby!

Taking a deep breath I read the note, and it didn't do a bloody thing to calm the sense of dread that I was feeling.

Alec,

I've had some bad news. I won't go into details here, but, I will be gone for a little while.

Don't worry about me! And don't panic!

Kian x

I couldn't say how long I spent rereading the words on the page. They just didn't make any sense.

What news could be bad enough that Kian would up and leave in the middle of the night without at least saying goodbye?

Had somebody died? Possibly. Kian told me that he had never looked for his family, so that idea was out of the question. No. I had no idea.

Don't worry about me!

Bloody bloodsucking bastard! Fancy saying something like that... of course I was going to worry about him! Why wouldn't I?

The congealed blotches that made up the letters certainly added fuel to the fire in my mind. I was so sure that the note was written in blood.

I'd smelled it enough, every time Kian made himself a drink, pulling the bottles of blood from the fridge. Almost rust like. Debating for a moment, I grabbed up the note and put it as close up to my nose as I dared and slowly inhaled. Immediately I smelled it. Blood. Yeah, that smell was unmistakable.

Fuck. Suddenly I felt my insides churn at the realisation. I was so bloody glad I hadn't eaten anything since the pizza, or I would probably have thrown up.

Now was definitely the time to panic.