He looked at her again, “You okay?”

She shook her head again. Her words didn’t make it out of her throat.

“That was bizarre. Why couldn’t it get in the house?”

“I don’t know. It was in the alley, behind Lawts Hardware. It attacked me then but then, uhm, well- I got away.” She didn’t want to tell him about the six ghosts that had looked exactly like her. She didn’t know what to say about any of it.

Jake put his hands on her bare arms. His touch made electricity run up and down her arms. She remembered his lips pressing against hers. His tongue was roaming her mouth. She blinked trying to focus on him and let go of the daydream that seemed to be taking over her mind.

He frowned, making his dark blue eyes almost black, “You okay?”

Her head shook back and forth, before she could even register what he’d asked.

He pulled her in to his chest. He kissed the top of her head, “Me either.”

She hadn’t imagined he could be weak or tender. She definitely never saw him as vulnerable. She also never imagined a massive wolf would be chasing her around town or that her house would magically keep it out. She didn’t even want to think about the ghosts in the alley or the fact Jake had been frozen in the car. The broken windows at school suddenly felt a lot less serious.

“I am sorry for kissing you when you were saying no. It was like I couldn’t stop.”

She closed her eyes, “It’s okay. This has been a weird night.”

The front door opened suddenly making them both jump. Abbey raised an eyebrow at her, “You didn’t even make it there huh? Did you even leave the yard or just wait for mom and dad to leave?”

Jake shouted, “CLOSE THE DOOR ABBEY!”

She frowned, "Don’t yell at me in my house Jake. You two are wankers. I can't believe you never came."

“We did but a huge wolf chased me, and Jake had, like, a seizure. Close the door.”

Abbey looked back poking her head out of the door, “I don’t see anything. Maybe it was a love wolf.” She snickered.

"CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR!"

She slammed the door with a red face, “Asshole. You don’t have to shout.” She turned and stormed out of the room and up the stairs.

Jake sighed and tried to call to her, “Abbey I-I-I’m sorry. It was there. I didn’t want it to get you.”

Her angry footsteps on the stairs drowned out his voice. He looked at Ophelia and shrugged, “Sorry.”

“No. She never saw it. Better she's pissed at us than eaten by that friggen thing.”

She climbed off the couch and took his hand. Her body felt alive, like energy flowed between their grip and sparks flew from where their hands met. She pulled his massive body from the couch and dragged him from the front room. She walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Chapter Eight

Sam

The elder's meeting was boring. He couldn’t even pretend to care about the numbers of deer and bears in the woods. He wanted to get to the point. He felt his leg starting to twitch.

He looked at Luke, who gave him a subtle headshake. Sam sighed and pulled his phone out. His heart sank when he saw no new texts or missed calls. Hanna was going to be the death of him. He was glad the scouting trip to Alaska was over but he was terrified of her being in Greece without him, and without an explanation. They would pollute her. He felt a slight ache in his chest, imagining her pulling away. They would tell her he was bad. He was cursed.

“Sam.”

He looked up to see the room staring at him. He cleared his throat, “Sorry.”

Lucas laughed, “They found his scent. It’s a little north of here. Want to flash some of us up there?”

“Sure but I can’t do many. Maybe three others.”

Sam stood feeling the eyes of the ever-watchful females on him. Janine licked her lips and looked directly at his groin. He felt it twitch. It had been a long time since he’d satisfied himself and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a shifter. They were like forbidden fruit. They hated his kind. His kind hated every kind. He tore his gaze away from the sultry mouth of the blonde shifter.

“Let's go.” He spoke in a quiet voice.

Lucas strolled over nonchalantly, “You need to see Hanna dude. You need something, because even I can feel what you’re giving off.”

He felt his cheeks flush, “Yeah well that’s not going to happen. She’s gone to Greece. I’m not welcome there.”

Lucas winced, “Well your tension is all the better to kill a wolfman with.”

“I would probably rip him to pieces from fifty yards right now. Who all is coming?”

Lucas pointed to the two men and Janine, “The elders. Two trips for the other three?”

He nodded and clenched his jaw at the thought of Janine constantly around him. He would need a picture of Hanna in his mind constantly.

“Stupid Siren sex vibes. Stupid full moon.” He muttered. His half angel half Siren situation was brutal, unless he kept it under control. He remembered the feeling of Hanna in his arms. The delicious feeling of her lips brushing against his. The soft noises she made.

“Dude, Jesus.”

He looked at the faces of the shifters and smiled. They were loosening their collars and trying not to pant.

“Sorry. Anyway, shall we?” He put a hand out. Everyone touched him. One of the taller men held the picture of a small town. Sam nodded and flashed them their instantly.

He was back at the lodge and flashing the other members instantly.

The small town was silent. The great hall with the voices and people surrounding them and the smell of campfire was suddenly gone. Replacing it was silence. His senses became heightened. He looked around watching the shifters turn their noses up to the wind.

He could smell something but he wasn’t entirely sure it was what they smelled. He could smell Annabelle almost but different.

He frowned seeing Lorri walking toward them. Her fiery red hair was spiked more than normal giving her a feisty look.

“What the hell are you two doing here?”

Sam smiled, trying to ignore the bodies surrounding him tensing.

Lorri nodded to the elder in front of Sam, “I am sorry for your loss. Ben was like a son to me. We have shared a loss.” Her eyes glowed with an inner fire, “Want to share revenge?” Her plump lip turned up slightly.

He nodded, “Yes. We want our kill.”

Lorri nodded, “I will allow you to kill the man responsible. His name is Daniel.” Her eyes lit up even more, glowing with evil, “He’s a vampire.”

The elder grinned, “Whatever you need that we may offer is at your disposal until such time as we may kill him.”

She turned to Lucas, “Why are you here?”

Lucas’s face flushed, “Aleks’s dad.”

She raised an eyebrow, “What the fuck?”

He shrugged, “Look you wouldn’t let us come to Alaska so we decided to find our own entertainment. We’ve tracked him.”

She shook her head, “Dorian gets this one.”

Sam laughed, “We can catch him and hold him until Dorian gets here.”

Lorri laughed, “If he was so easily caught do you not think he would have been already.”

Sam sniffed the air, “I can smell him.”

Lorri nodded, “I don’t give two shits Sam. Lydia said there is someone here we need. A girl. She’s been missing for eighteen years, human years. Her father is Jonathan.” Her tone dropped on the name.

Lucas looked sickened, “Jonathan?”

Lorri nodded.

Lucas shook his head, “He had all his daughters murdered.”

Lorri shrugged, “Lydia says she is the girl. She sensed her about forty-eight hours ago. It was like a switch turned on. I have no clue but Lydia wants her now. We don’t have a minute to spare.” She leaned over to Sam and smirked, “You smell nice Sam. Maybe you can convince her to come with us.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”

Lorri grinned and pointed across the small downtown square, “It’s this way.”

The shifters phased instantly and spread out. Any normal human would have lost them in the dark night, but Sam’s exceptional vision made it easy.

He walked along behind Lorri, the only two still walking on two feet.

She looked back, “You pissed at me?”

“Yup.”

“You know she needs to meet them. She’s alone in the world. They can teach her to tame it down.”

He felt his rage building, “She isn’t alone. She has me and Roland and the Roses. They will teach her things she doesn’t need to know.”

Lorri looked almost softened for a moment, “You know she will always love you right? You’re the one. No one can replace that.”

Sam growled, “I’m not worried about her not loving me.”

Lorri snorted, which was odd for Lucifer to do. “Sam she isn’t going to hook up with some Greek just because they tell her too.”

He sighed, “So you concede they will try to make her experiment? That's their way.”

“It’s their way. If they teach her to pull to ease the tension and the need then all the better for us.”

He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He wanted to smash things and destroy people that stood in the way of him and Hanna. It had been all he could do to not make an attempt at killing Marcus.

Lorri turned onto a street and walked up to a large country house with a beautiful front porch.

Sam froze as he felt it. He felt the cold in the air. It sparkled around his body.

He looked at Lorri who growled, “Guards.”

Sam nodded. He looked up to the window with the light on. He could see movement in the window. He flashed himself to the roof below the window. He peeked inside. He looked back at Lorri and pointed. She nodded and looked back the wolves surrounding the yard.

“Aleks’s dad has been here Lorri. I can smell him. It’s fresh.”