

Cascades of Moonlight

The Parker Harris Series

Book One

Written by: Amy McClung

Copyright 2012 Amy McClung

Smashwords Edition

Written by: Amy McClung

Published by: Create Space

Cover Design by: Daniel McClung

Contact pages:

www.facebook.com/AmyKMcclung

www.facebook.com/CascadesOfMoonlight

©This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my amazing husband, Daniel, who taught me what true love really is, a mixture of fairy tales and reality. He inspires me every day with encouragement and praise, and I would be lost without him.
About the Author

Amy McClung grew up in Nashville TN. She currently resides just outside Nashville with her husband Daniel. She graduated from Father Ryan High School in 1996. In 2002 obtained her general certification in medical coding and billing and 2009 she obtained a specialty certification in Hospital medical coding and billing.

Amy and her husband are both fans of fantasy novels as well as avid movie collectors. Her love of writing is new and came about as a result of reuniting with her love of reading. Cascades of Moonlight is the first book in The Parker Harris Series. It was written during a difficult time in Amy's life and used as a means of therapeutic release.
Chapter One

Vampires and Werewolves have been myths turned into movies, books, and screenplays for many years. Practically everyone has heard of them. Everyone has their interpretation of what they are and the ways you can kill them. Some people say that Vampires are creatures of the night that can't walk in the sun, are killed by wooden stakes, burned by holy water, or torn apart by other vampires. Some say vampires can't go out into the sun, because their skin sparkles like diamonds. There are stories of vampire slayers and werewolf hunters that spend their lives chasing these creatures to rid the world of them.

There are so many stories that one would think more people would believe these creatures are real. How else would there be so much information about something that never existed? How could there be so many ideas that are closely related? Perhaps some people don't want to believe because they are scared of the possibilities it could bring, scared to face the reality that monsters are real. Of all the myths, the part of how to kill a vampire is quite limited. There's no easy way to kill a vampire unless you are a master vampire or a werewolf. Luckily, I'm a werewolf.

Ok, lucky may not be the best way to describe it, after all it's a curse. In fact, I guess you could say, I am one of those monsters that people are scared to admit into reality. When I was fifteen, I was bitten in the woods behind my house. My parents and I live at the end of our street, and that allows for a fair amount of privacy. The house is a light blue Victorian-style home, two stories, with a wraparound porch. Even though we have neighbors, their houses are hidden naturally by the surrounding trees. There are woods that go on for miles in our backyard and it's common knowledge that wolves live in them. Regular wolves, as far as the people in town knew, and as far as I knew prior to being bitten. Never would I have imagined werewolves existed any more than anyone else.

As a fan of fantasy novels, my secret hope had been that fairies were real; that is what I would like to be. The fairies that I have read about are beautiful beings with wings that spread love and kindness and feel no physical pain. To a lot of people that may sound mushy and disgusting. To me, it sounds amazing especially compared to my life these past couple of years. If someone had told me two years ago that I would be a werewolf, I'd have had them committed.

The physical pain that comes with shifting into a wolf is almost inexpressible. No one can comprehend how truly agonizing it is unless they experience it. I have no one to blame but myself for my predicament. I was repeatedly warned, by my parents, to stay close to the house and away from the woods. This warning was not simply because of the wolves themselves, but the hunters as well. However, I am not always the best listener. Some have called me stubborn, and I resemble that comment, but I have never been someone that is scared easily.

One day, I strolled into the woods to read and enjoy some quiet time to myself after my parents had been driving me batty with their sometimes overbearing and smothering ways. There are times I feel as though my other curse is being an only child. My dad travels for work a lot. My mom gets bored at home is always trying to bond with me and butt into my life. That has eased off a bit over the years though. Now she travels with him, and I get time at home alone, which is nice.

Back to the day I was bitten; I was strolling along looking for a nice place to sit when I came upon an injured wolf. At first I froze petrified where I stood. The beauty of the animal mesmerized me; the light grey wolf with pale blue eyes looked harmless. My body grew rigid as I stood there staring. Then, like a dummy; I walked towards it. The wolf's eyes seemed to display kindness, warmth that was humanlike. I had no control of my body as though I couldn't resist moving closer. The wolf seemed more like a sick puppy than a dangerous wolf to me. Well, being the queen of dumb ideas, I knelt down to try and help.

Everything was fine at first. It was as though I had knelt to stroke the fur of a household pet. It nudged me, and whimpered, even licked my hand, and then it bit me. My hand jerked back in pain, and I stood up, stumbling backwards afraid it would continue to attack. Instead, it laid there licking its wounds. Once able to get to my feet, I ran towards my house without looking back. Adrenaline poured through my body as the fear kept me moving. Although the wolf was so injured I knew it couldn't follow me, yet I didn't stop running until I was safe inside my house.

At first, I had no clue that there would be lasting effects, so I cared for the wound myself. It was not a terrible bite; just a nip. Of course, I was oblivious to the fact that it was a werewolf; my only thought had been it bit me because it was scared. If it had bitten me based on animalistic nature, then it would have done worse damage. It was the type of bite you would get when you tried to take something away from the dog, and it snapped its teeth at you. I couldn't let my parents find out and have them, or anyone in town, get even crazier over the wolves. Just the fact that one bit a human would make them gung ho to hunt them.

Hours after being bitten, I developed a dangerously high fever that incapacitated me. The wound healed after little more than a day; that was the first odd thing to me. During the full moon of the next month, I changed for the first time while walking home from my best friend's house. Looking back now, I'm thankful that I didn't feel good that night and ended up leaving her home before dark. The first change was painful and scary. As I was walking, I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach, and I lurched forward and screamed out. The pain was unbearable as my bones cracked and broke and began to shift in opposite directions. My face contorted, I could feel my teeth elongate in my mouth, and eventually I even blacked out from the pain.

The memories were foggy, I could remember being frightened thinking I was going to die in the woods, and no one would find my body. My mind ran wild with images of my face on missing posters around town and my parents crying with worry over me on the evening news. I'm not sure how long I was unconscious. I vaguely remember waking up, then standing on all fours and staring at my paws unsure of what was happening to me.

This shifting went on for two days, human during the day and wolf at night. On the third day, I woke up naked in the woods. Between the fever and not getting medical help, I felt I may be losing my mind. With my knees pulled up to my chest, covering myself as best as possible, I stayed cowering under a tree until nightfall. There was no way I could go home until I made sure I wouldn't change again. When nothing happened, I made my way back to my family.

There were flashes here and there, and certain things will cause memories to surface, but for the most part my shifting time is a blur. Even during the time I was human, I was so fatigued that I slept through most of the day and usually woke up in time to experience the pain again. The way my parents reacted when they saw me made it obvious a good amount of time had passed. It may also have had something to do with the fact that I was stumbling, naked, and covered in dirt and grime.

At the side of the house, there was a trellis that led straight up to my bedroom window. I attempted to make it there to avoid seeing my parents until I cleaned up and dressed. That plan failed when my knees gave out from exhaustion propelling me forward onto the sidewalk. When my bare skin hit the hard concrete, I cried out in pain. My father ran out the door. The moment he saw me, he yelled for my mother just before he lifted me up and carried me into the house. My mother was an emotional basket case, and my dad demanded details of where I'd been.

He laid me down on the couch, and my mom threw a blanket over me. They fussed over me, checking for scrapes and bruises, both crying and telling me they loved me over and again. They thought I had been kidnapped and raped, and it was difficult to convince them I hadn't been, based on my appearance.

My parents were frantic because they didn't know where I had been for three days. I tried to say that I was at my best friend Jackie's house, but they had called her, and she didn't know what happened to me either. Once I saw her again, she gave me a pretty good once over as well after she laid into me for making her worry. The best I could come up with was to tell them I ran away because some kids were picking on me at school, and I needed time to think. They didn't believe me and wanted to know why I was so dirty and where my clothes were.

My story became that I was staying in the woods and didn't have a change of clothes when the ones I was wearing became torn. They didn't believe that lame excuse. They took me to the hospital and made them use a rape kit on me and, of course, it came back clean. My parents begged the doctor to run a second test. They were positive that a violation of my body, my innocence, had occurred. The doctor finally explained to them it was entirely accurate, because I was a virgin. No doubt they were super thrilled to learn that. Two birds one stone in their minds I'm sure. They grounded me for a month for running away and for being dishonest with them, which I couldn't blame them for either.

I could have come up with a better story if I'd known how long I'd been missing. If they knew the truth they couldn't fault me, since I spent two nights in the woods experiencing the worst pain imaginable and hadn't had a bite to eat in three days. Situations like mine made it hard to think clearly and come up with plausible stories. They forced me to see a psychiatrist for the next two months. They downright threatened that if I didn't they would send me off to boarding school. They even tried to do family therapy a couple of times, but found that they didn't get the results or answers they wanted.

That was two years ago. Now, I'm seventeen and have been dealing with this werewolf secret all on my own the entire time. When it came to the full moon cycle, when I shifted, I tell my parents I will be spending the next few nights with my friend and I have her cover for me. Then I spend two nights in the woods all alone.

The one good thing was I found an abandoned cabin I could stay in for those days. It's a little more home-like than sleeping in the woods. There's no furniture or anything inside it to break which helps. On the front side of the cabin, there was a wooden window box that I kept a sleeping bag and non-perishable food supplies in to keep my human self comfortable. After the first couple of months, I would get bored during the day, so I brought books to read. It's a one bedroom cabin with a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. There's no running water, but it has the comforts of a home.

During the first few months, I even brought cleaning supplies to spruce up the place. When I was human during the day, I would pass the time by cleaning. It turned out to be pretty decent looking. The stone fireplace in the middle of the living room was useful in winter months. The cabin had a lot of potential and I felt really safe there, like a sanctuary.

Unfortunately, during one of my last shifts I went to the cabin to prepare and someone now occupied it. Smoke billowed from the chimney as I pulled up in my car. Sneaking up to the window, I peeked in and saw a man stoking the fire. It looked as though he had fixed the place up and made it home. He appeared to be my age, and I couldn't help staring because he was stunning. He turned toward the window, and I ducked out of sight. Afraid of confrontation, I ran off and spent the moon cycle sleeping in my car during the day; parked in the woods where no one could drive by and see it. Staying in my car is not ideal; I suppose I will need to find a new place to spend my shifting nights. The thought that someone invaded my safe place saddened me.

Another conflict about my shifting time that I have to figure out is my friend Jackie. Who knows what sort of theories she has come up with about what I do each month. She has no idea what goes on and could not possibly guess the truth. She's been my very best friend since childhood, and she trusts me implicitly. Once I get up the courage to do so, I will explain everything to her. One day she will grow tired of lying for me, and I will have to tell her the truth or find someone else to help me. Of course, I can't tell my parents either. Of all of the people in the world, hearing 'I told you so' from your parents was the worst. Besides that, I am afraid of how they will react, and I'm getting used to dealing with it on my own.

After my first shifting, I researched werewolves in hopes that I wouldn't have too many more surprises. Mostly, I read the different myths and legends online and tested certain aspects for myself to determine the truth from myth. During that time, I came across information about vampires and was shocked to find out that it was my obligation now to kill them. This revelation would be the hardest to comprehend. It was difficult enough dealing with the fact that I was a freak and all alone with no one to talk to about what was going on with my body. Now I had to deal with the fact that there are vampires, and I was one of the few creatures who can kill them. No pressure.

Initially, I didn't want to believe it was true. It's hard to negate the fact that Vampires exist based on the fact that I hadn't seen one. I mean, hello...I'm a werewolf! I ran into my first vampire in the middle of winter about six months after my first full moon. It was the last day of my shift, and I have slight recollections of seeing him. He was pale as the snow and ran so fast I couldn't decipher what I had seen at first. There was an odd sweet smell to him, not a bad smell, just different from regular human smell of cologne or soap. The stench made my nose burn, and it made me feel angry inside. He was hungry; you could see the desperation on his face. I watched as he viciously attacked a deer. His teeth ripped at the skin as easily as biting through butter. Images flooded my head of what he would do to a human. I can remember being frightened and then I felt this urge to attack. In the blink of an eye, he was dust in the wind.

Since that day, I have only killed one other vampire, and it was only two months ago. My memories became clearer each time a shift happened. Now I only lose bits and pieces instead of only remembering that much. As my memory improved, it helped me learn more about my wolf side as well. That day I wish my memory would escape me completely. I came across two of them in the woods; it was a male and female hunting together. The man escaped my clutches because I wasn't quick enough to take down both at the same time. I crept up on the female, catching her off guard and was able to kill her. When he saw what happened to his companion, he was gone in the blink of an eye.

Once I saw them; this feeling took over, and it was like being threatened. Adrenaline washed over me, and I attacked with barely a thought. Afterwards, I could remember bits and pieces such as the way they looked ravenous and desperate. They were holding hands, almost as a lifeline as they frantically searched for food. They only let go of each other for a second, and he stepped away from her just enough for me to pounce. After she had turned to dust, I looked back and the male stood there with a stunned look on his face that became a mixture of anger and grief.

If it was possible that Vampires could love, I was almost certain they were soul mates. I felt pangs of guilt, but I couldn't let it overcome me. If I didn't kill her, she could have hunted some of my friends or family in town. I was afraid he would come after me for a moment, but he disappeared in the other direction. The look on his face has haunted me though; I wouldn't be surprised if we crossed paths again one day. If he killed someone I loved, I know I would be hunting him down. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

As a wolf, if you're fast enough, it's rather easy to kill a vampire. The bite of a werewolf is deadly, to a vamp that is. It causes the vampire to perish immediately; it's an infection that travels through their blood stream so rapidly that it reaches their heart in seconds, causing them to explode into dust. It's kind of cool to watch actually. They are demons after all, should I feel bad when they die? Surely there is no such thing as a good vampire. The mere thought of it seemed insane.

OK, I suppose I should explain a little about the human side of me. I'm Parker Harris, and I'm seventeen with red hair, blue eyes, and rocking body. Ok, so that's not exactly correct. I do have naturally curly and sometimes naturally frizzy red hair and blue eyes, but my body is not that rocking. I have a full figured body, not overweight really, think Kate Winslet in Titanic. Oh yeah, and freckles, lots of them.

Despite the freckles, that I hate, I have pretty good self-esteem, and I'm a people person. Sounds great, right? Well, not so great when you're a werewolf. One thing you have to do is stay away from people as much as possible for a couple of reasons. For one, you can keep the secret easier, and people don't get hurt if you shift in front of them by accident. I know, everyone thinks werewolves only turn once a month at the full moon, etc. and so forth. That is partly true; the full moon is the only time you cannot control the change. However, if someone made you mad enough, you could turn any time you want. Some of the snotty girls at school have gotten pretty close to seeing my wolf side.

So far, I have never bitten a regular human being, only vampires. In two years, I have killed...two...that I can remember clearly. Yep, that's right, two. What did you expect, Buffy? I am dealing with this on my own. I can't be expected to end the population of vampires all by myself.

Somehow, I needed to find out if there were other werewolves around. The vampires I met had a unique smell about them that made me recognize they were different, so surely I can smell another wolf. The only way to figure this out is to find another werewolf and learn from them. It would have been easier if I could meet the one that bit me, but I haven't seen that wolf again. I avoid the woods except for full moon cycles, and if I have run into one, while in my wolf form, then I have no memory of it. I'm going to find a way to figure this out though. Hmm, wonder if I can Bing it?
Chapter Two

Summer was over, and school was about to start again. My most recent moon cycle just ended. The daytime hours were spent sleeping in my car once again. My back was killing me, and I have begun looking for a new spot to spend those days. Before heading home, I stopped back by the cabin and crept up to the window to take a peek. The new tenant was in there. Tall, dark and handsome was putting it mildly. He sat so still on the couch reading one of my books. Great, he's a klepto. As if taking my haven wasn't enough for him. For some reason though, I was totally mesmerized by him.

He glanced up from the book and looked as though he was sniffing the air. He stood up and walked toward the window. In a fit of panic, I ran around the side of the house. He stepped out on the porch and peered around turning his head slightly in my direction. Before he made eye contact with me, he gave up and went back inside. Making my way around the side of the house, I glanced inside once more.

For someone who just moved in, he didn't have a lot of stuff with him. One would expect there would be boxes everywhere. Most people don't unpack everything immediately. I never even knew this cabin was on the market, it always appeared abandoned. It had been more than a month since I was there, and the place looked like a million bucks. A lot of remodeling had been done to make it livable. When I said I cleaned it, I removed cobwebs and dust. The place looked like it had been painted and spruced up, like a real residence.

My phone went off with a text, and it was my friend Jackie asking where I was. A quick glance at my watch let me know I was going to be late for school. I changed quickly in the car and freshened up with deodorant and body spray before heading to class. I couldn't stop thinking about how odd that guy seemed and wondering why I had never seen him before. I live in Cascade, Idaho; there are barely a thousand people that live here. So far, I have yet to meet any other freaks like me other than those few vampires, and that was during a full moon and on the outskirts of town. Who knows if I would even recognize a vampire in my human form? For all I know, I've seen dozens without realizing it.

Keeping a secret like mine is not easy, in a small town, where people are so nosey. It doesn't help that people around here are not too keen on wolves. In fact, there is a place not far from here that has a sign that states 'Tag a wolf, get a free pizza and a pitcher of beer.' And believe me, people love pizza and beer. Once in the middle of hunting season, I was running through the woods and was skimmed by a bullet, it was quite a close call.

So, as I was saying, school is starting up again. It's midway through September, and I'm in my senior year of high school. There are only thirty in my senior class, and I grew up with all of them. We rarely get new people in our small community. In all my years of school, I think we have had four new people. That can be a good thing, for me at least because new people tend to want to ask a lot of questions. Getting to know someone is not easy for....Wait...who is that?

My train of thought went right out the window when I spotted him. The most gorgeous boy I had ever seen walked into my classroom. He was not from around here that was obvious. There's no way I would have missed that hair, that smile, that body. At that moment, I swear everything was in slow motion, and I could hear music in my head. For some reason I hear Corey Hart's I Wear My Sunglasses at Night, I've been listening to the 80's satellite radio channel in my car too much. In my defense, he was wearing sunglasses. He was at least six foot; maybe a few inches taller, had short wavy dark hair, and built like a rock from what I could tell. My nose caught his scent, slightly sweet with a hint of musky cologne, as he walked in the room, and it smelled like heaven.

Recognition hit me like a ton of bricks; it was the cabin guy. I had not seen him as clearly as this, but I recognize the scent of his cologne and the shape of his bu... uh profile. He sat down in the front of the room. I couldn't stop staring at him, and he must have felt it because he turned around and glanced right at me. Immediately, I put my head down, hoping that he would think he imagined it.

Trying to be sneaky, I rolled my eyes upward to make sure he had looked away. He smiled at me, and my face turned beet red, but I smiled back as best I could, and then dropped my glance to my desktop. My heart was racing so fast I thought my chest would explode. I have never felt this way from seeing a cute guy. Of course, the word cute did not do him justice at all.

After class was over, he took his time getting up by fumbling with his books and gathering his stuff together. Christine Randall, the most popular girl in school, stopped to flirt with him as he was standing up. She twirled her hair, batted her big doe eyes at him, and shoved her unnaturally large padded hooters in his face. I rolled my eyes and said "Excuse me" as I tried to push past her. She huffed and stuck her foot out, tripping me. As I fell forward, the new guy reached out and grabbed my arm to steady me. Our eyes met, and his gaze sent shivers down my spine.

Once I was back in a standing position, he held onto my arm. He turned to Christine and said, "Excuse me; Justine isn't it?"

She looked annoyed. "It's Christine," she said, emphasizing the Chris.

He smiled, sincerely stating, "My apologies, Christine...it was nice meeting you, but do you mind leaving us alone?" She huffed and walked away swaying her hips and made the loudest steps possible with her knee-high boots with stiletto heels. It was amusing how utterly ridiculous she looked in her diva attire as though she lived in Hollywood, California instead of a small town in Idaho.

In Cascades, she looked more like a hooker. My friend and I secretly called her Kit, as in Kit Deluca from Pretty Woman; the trashy hooker that no one wanted to be. Julia Roberts was the type hooker that every girl dreams of becoming; the girl who lived on her own trying desperately to survive and ended up meeting a rich, handsome man who swept them off their feet. Ok, just kidding about wanting to be a hooker, the rest is true, but Kit is the trashier of the two. Christine's display of childishness at this moment was pathetic. I have a feeling she will be going somewhere like California or New York for college next year.

A hand came up in front of my face, waving to get my attention and awoke me from my thoughts. My head turned, and I was instantly captivated by his deep voice. "Hi, my name's Quinn."

So, I said, "Hi, uh Parker, yeah that's me." I have such a way with words.

He apparently didn't mind my inability to converse, because he went on to say, "I'm new in town." Big duh, I thought, but I let him continue. "Would you like to have lunch with me today and kind of fill me in on what goes on around here? Tell me who the cool people are, what's fun to do around town, that kind of thing."

Of course, I said yes, what would you have said? Alas, this is my problem, I don't think first before speaking. I should've known someone that freaking beautiful would not pick me without an agenda. He was not only striking, but he smelled so delicious that bad thoughts were running through my head. The last thing I wanted to do was turn down an opportunity to get to know this man.

Oblivious to the reason that he chose me over Christine, the rest of the day dragged on due to my excitement about lunch. An assortment of fantasies ran through my head of how it would go. One consisted of him showering me with roses and telling me how I was the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. In another fantasy, he fed me the jello-type substance that is served in the cafeteria as we gazed into each other's eyes. One fantasy even consisted of me being Cinderella, and he was my Prince Charming. Any romantic scenario I could dream up, while plagiarizing Disney stories.

Anxious to see what would happen, I went to the lunchroom looking for Quinn and found him sitting all alone in the back of the room. Trembling with anticipation, I checked my hair in the cafeteria window and hoped that my face didn't have anything on it.

I walked over to his table and used the lovely opening line of, "Hey Quinn, I see you tried the meatloaf; you're a brave man."

He smiled as he took his fork and stabbed it. "I don't eat this stuff normally, but you already knew that I'm sure. We gotta keep up appearances at school though."

How would I know what he normally eats? That was weird to say, but he continued, "Look, I could sit here and beat around the bush, but it seems pointless when we both know what is going on between us. I knew what you were as soon as I walked in that classroom. I wanted to meet and see if there's going to be a problem with the two of us being here." He motioned to a seat across from him. "So, sit down, kid. Let's talk." I pulled a chair out and took a seat.

"I want you to know that I came into town for a change. I'm not here to cause trouble or anything. I want to have a normal life, maybe make a few friends along the way. If you're ok with that, maybe we could even be friends. If you feel it's possible based on...well you know." I'm almost positive the confusion was written all over my face. He gazed at me skeptically, "You look confused."

See, I told you. "I'm not sure what you mean...you knew what I was?"

With a satirical smirk, he said "So, I take it you haven't been one that long? You probably haven't told anyone close to you, trying desperately to keep it all a secret...does that about sum it up?"

Confused again, and a bit irritated this time, I clenched my teeth and spat out, "What are you talking about?" He sat down his fork and leaned in toward me, his breath smelled like roses.

Softly he whispered, "I know you're a werewolf, hon. When did you first turn?"

I gasped glanced around to see if anyone was listening, and said in a loud whisper, "Werewolf? Are you crazy? I'm not a werewolf; there's no such thing!"

Panic rose in my chest; I could feel my legs shaking. My heart raced, wondering how he could know that from meeting me. Quinn sat back, folded his arms across his chest and said, sardonically, "Really? You're going to play it like that?"

Getting angry now I scoffed, "Look here, I don't know what you think you know, but if you're trying to say I smell like a dog or even look like one... Well, you're not making a friend here!"

He covered his mouth to hide his grin, and said, "So I suppose that you haven't been spending the full moon cycles in a cabin, my cabin actually? And that wasn't you watching me through my window the other day?"

Embarrassment flared inside me; I hadn't realized he saw me that day.

Stumbling over my words, I said, "So you're calling me a stalker now too? Oh and a squatter? Nice!" Feeling outraged, I stood up, gathered my tray and belongings, and turned to him once more. "I think it's best that you stay away from me. You may think you're funny or cute, but I don't. Good luck making friends, but here's a suggestion...you may want to try a different approach." And in a whisper, filled with irritation, "The whole werewolf idea makes you seem a bit crazy."

He looked stunned, and a bit perplexed, so I just turned and walked away. As I reached the doorway, I turned around to look at him again, and he had vanished from sight.

As I left the lunchroom, the thoughts rushed through my head. How does he know that I'm a werewolf? No one knew that. When he saw me at the cabin that day, did he follow me? Did he see me change? Could it mean he is one too? He sniffed the air when he came out on the porch, maybe he caught my scent. He said that he wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a problem with both of us being here, and he does smell a little different than most humans. What does that mean? Maybe I should've admitted it, but to say it out loud to someone at school would be scary. What if it is a trick, and he told everyone and I became an outcast, or worst.

Or, what if he was sympathetic and we became friends? Could he be someone I confide in and trust? No, I couldn't take the chance that he would tell someone; I couldn't let my parents find out like that, it would kill them. I wonder if I convinced him with my denial. If he knew when he walked in the room, then I probably didn't. Great, it's my senior year and now I am probably going to be hunted down like, well, a wild animal. My reputation is non-existent now; I don't need this kind of recognition.

My best friend Jackie called out my name. With my head reeling over Quinn and what happened, I almost missed her completely. She ran up to me, smacked my shoulder, and I about dropped my lunch on the floor. As I balanced myself, I blurted out, "Ow, geez you could speak, and it's just as effective, if not more so, as smacking me!"

Jackie laughed, "Um, hello, I said your name like five times already and that wasn't working."

I mumbled, "Oh, sorry about that, guess I was somewhere else."

Jackie scoffed and said "Yeah, ya think! Were you lost in fantasy with that new hunk? You know the one whose table you just left! What's up with that? You looked pretty ticked off when you walked away from him. What did he say? Do I need to beat him up?"

I snorted, "Don't worry about him. He thought I could help him with something, but I turned him down." She grabbed my arm and dragged me back toward the lunchroom to eat with her.

We had barely sat down when the questions began, "So, where did he come from? He is freaking gorgeous! What would make someone that looked like that, come to a tiny town in Idaho?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "How should I know?" I picked up a hamburger on my plate, shoved it in my mouth, hoping to use the excuse that I was chewing so she couldn't pursue this line of questions any further.

She was quiet for a minute, probably trying to think of more questions to ask or different ways to phrase them. The silence did give me a chance to brag a little. "Maybe you should ask Kit what you want to know, she was all over him after class," I said and then giggled, "of course he called her 'Justine' and blew her off to talk to me, which you know made her so mad."

Jackie spit her coke out when she laughed and stuck her hand up to give me a high five. We both had been the objects of teasing from Christine "Kit" Randall over the years. She was a blonde bombshell that had always been popular in town. Rumors are she was popular with more than just the boys in school, but, again, those were just rumors.

Enough about Christine, let's talk about someone I like, my best friend, Jackie Martin. Jackie has long, straight, brown hair and blue eyes, and she is almost supermodel thin. We have been best friends since birth, practically. Our parents were best friends so we'd been somewhat forced to be together, but that's a good thing. We were exactly alike, well, all but the wolf thing.

We've been through a lot together. A few years ago, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and we spent every night together while her mom went through chemotherapy. Some days we tried to have fun and take our minds off things to stay happy and other days we sat holding hands and crying. That was probably the hardest thing we've experienced in our friendship up to this point. Her mom pulled through, and she has been in remission for a year now. The whole experience not only brought Jackie and I closer, but now my mom spends more time with Jackie's mom and leaves me alone when dad goes out of town without her.

There was very little I didn't share with Jackie. I haven't told her about my wolf problem. Even though, I feel pretty sure that if I did she would be okay with it. At least I hope she would. It's just, well, how would you explain to your best friend that you're a werewolf? Not so easy when you think about it, is it? In fact, thinking about it gives me hives and makes me short of breath; it petrified me. The time will come where I will have to tell her. She had been patient for two years now, but she's going to want to know where I go every month. Jackie is great, but we mostly spend time together during school. She spends most of her time with her boyfriend, Mitchell. Usually the few times she isn't with Mitchell she spends with her mom, so I rarely get girl time anymore.

She and Mitchell have been together for about two years officially. Before that, it was a lot of flirting and crushing on each other. It seemed that everyone, but the two of them, knew they'd been dating since grade school.

Mitchell Davis was tall, with blonde hair and brown eyes, and he doesn't look very muscular, but he isn't skin and bones either. I guess you could say he's average size. He's a great guy, and I'm happy for the two of them, but I miss spending time with Jackie. We used to hang out every weekend doing girl stuff like painting nails and trying on clothes. I'm sure if I ever get a boyfriend I'll be the same way and completely understand. Yep, that's right I've never had a boyfriend.

It's okay though, again, how do you explain to a boyfriend that you're a werewolf? "Hey sweetie, you know how most girls have 'that time of the month' and they can get irritable. Well, during my time of the month I'm a real animal!" Yep, I'm sure that would go over fantastically. So far, I haven't had to worry about that part. Although I admit, I wouldn't mind having that problem with Quinn.

Back to Jackie, I think I'll tell her soon. After all, I shouldn't go through this alone, right? Maybe I'll do it on my eighteenth birthday. That allowed me a couple of weeks to practice how to tell her. After everything we have meant to each other, she would be the one to understand. If she told me that she was a werewolf, I would understand. Who am I kidding? First, I would laugh, thinking it was a joke, and then I would scream and run. One thing I love about Jackie is that she is not terribly nosey. If I tell her that I don't want to talk about something, she doesn't pry. She will wait until I am ready to talk and, even if that never happens, she doesn't push the subject. For two years I've had to run away for three days a month and hide and Jackie has covered for me, no questions asked.

As I was walking home, and thinking about all of this, I realized that I wasn't far from my...well, Quinn's, cabin. Taking a detour, I decided to go retrieve my things from him. When I reached his doorstep, I paused with my hand in the air ready to knock. Before my fist made contact, the door flew open, and Quinn stood there, shirtless. My fist landed square on his chest, because my body was still moving forward, and I couldn't stop. My palm opened up and pressed against his firm torso. Wow, he is hard as a rock. My heart began to race and my breathing became labored. All I could think was, 'what a body!'

He smiled at me, and I managed to squeak out, "Books...please."

His eyes squinted in puzzlement, "Books? What books, hon?"

Grow up, Parker, and demand this jerk give you your stuff back, I thought to myself. "My stuff is in the window seat. So, just let me gather it up, okay? You took over this cabin rather quickly. I didn't know it was on the market or I wouldn't have left my stuff here."

He smiled and replied with the utmost sarcasm, "Oh, you follow the real estate market closely? What kind of place are you looking for?"

Ugh, he is annoying. "Don't be a smart ass; the cabin appeared abandoned is what I meant. Can I get my things or not?" He looked down at his chest and I realized my hand was still there and pulled it back quickly.

He left me on the porch as he turned to go back inside. To avoid embarrassing myself further, I walked away. With my back turned, I heard, "Uh, hello, forgetting something?" I whipped around, and he held up my book bag.

I walked back to him and ripped it from his hand, "Thanks, butt munch."

The look of amusement on his face was aggravating as I turned and walked away. "Pleasure, as always sweetheart," he yelled as I was leaving.

He called me sweetheart, and I melted inside. Oh, get a grip Parker. Geez.
Chapter Three

"Mom...Dad...anyone home?" I yelled as I closed the door when I arrived home. No answer. Good. I had some things to figure out and needed all the quiet I could get. I hung my backpack in the closet and my keys on the hook by the door. I headed up the stairs to my room. I had just closed the door, sat down at my desk, and turned on the computer when my phone rang. It was at the bottom of my purse, so I had to dig to find it. I groaned and answered reluctantly. Another thing you should know about me, I hate talking on the phone. I despise it actually. I have a cell phone; it's a great phone and I love it...to play on Facebook and lookup things on the internet, occasionally texting, but I utterly hate to talk on it. It's weird for a teenage girl to say that I know, but I am not the typical teenage girl, obviously.

The call was from Jackie; she wanted to come over and hangout. I said, "Sure," although I was perplexed because she usually hung out with Mitchell. Jackie didn't live far from me, so I only had a few minutes to get ready for her. Maybe this is what I needed, fun girls day instead of alone time. Alone time was something I get a lot of these days; it will be a nice change. One thing I love to do is cook. My dad is a fabulous cook, and once I was old enough, he taught me how. Whenever he was out of town, I took care of my mom, since she can't boil water without hurting herself.

As soon as I hung up, I headed downstairs to the kitchen and made homemade pizza and stuck some Cokes in the freezer so they would be cold in time. I called Jackie back and asked her to stop and get some chips on her way over, and she said she was going to pick up a movie to watch too. Jackie and I hadn't had a girl's afternoon in a long time; this would be an awesome day. The crust was ready, and I had spread the pizza sauce on and sprinkled cheese all over the top, when the phone rang again. I grabbed it with my wrists and poked the answer button with my nose. This time it was Mom saying that she and Dad would be out late and to fix myself dinner. I told her that wouldn't be a problem, and it was taken care of already. They were happy when I told them Jackie was coming over; she was like their daughter as well.

Jackie arrived as I pulled the pizza out of the oven. "Good timing, Chickie!" I exclaimed when she walked through the door.

She smiled and curtsied. "It's a gift," she said as she sat her bags on the counter top. She pulled paper plates down from the cabinets for us while I sliced the steaming hot pizza. She brought over some chips and dip along with a good raunchy comedy for us to watch. It was one we had seen it in the theater a couple of months ago, and we laughed so hard we missed parts of the movie.

As I put us a couple of slices each on the plates, I asked Jackie, "Where is Mitchell this afternoon?"

She said, "He's tutoring the new guy."

"Quinn?" I asked.

She replied, "Yep, apparently his last school was a bit behind, so he needs to catch up to where we are. Mitchell called me earlier and said he would be tutoring him every afternoon for the next few weeks. It will be good for us though, you and me, I mean. Now we can have some much-needed girl time...right?"

I smiled and agreed with exhilaration, "Heck yeah! I can always use girl time." I get my best friend back for a couple of weeks, what could be better than that? Jackie and I took our plates and went into the living room to watch a movie. We were laughing in no time. At one point, I looked over at her, realized that this is exactly what I needed right now, and smiled.

Jackie was the closest thing I had to a sister. We used to have slumber parties on a regular basis. We went through phases together such as painting our fingernails all different colors or wearing scarves with everything. Neither of us is fond of fads. In fact, we usually liked trends once they were out of style. The only difference, besides the wolf thing, is that guys practically flock to her side. She has only dated Mitchell, but it's not because no one else was interested. She's always been the 'pretty one' and she has always been much more outgoing than I am. I think the only reason she never went out with anyone else is that her heart always belonged to Mitchell. She admitted to me once that she fell in love with him in kindergarten.

It was the first day of kindergarten and her mom and taken her to school. She walked her in and met the teacher and had turned to leave, but Jackie still clung to her, crying. Mitchell came over to them.

He introduced himself, looked up at her mom, and said "Don't worry I'll take care of her."

He reached out and took her hand in his. He stayed with her the whole day, making sure she wasn't scared. He had always been very protective of her. It wasn't until high school that he finally asked her out on a date.

When her mom became diagnosed with breast cancer, Jackie was a mess. She didn't tell anyone about it, only she and I knew basically. One day, I was at home sick, and she broke down in tears at school and ran to hide in the gym, for privacy to work through her emotions. Mitchell found her in there curled up in a ball. He sat down beside her, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and held her while she cried. She said she never even told him why she was crying until days later. He simply sat there with her, holding her and telling her it would be okay, and he would take care of her. Since that day, they have been joined at the hip. Their love story is so sweet; in a way I envy what she and Mitchell have.

Out of the blue, Jackie asked, "So, what's the deal with Quinn?"

I almost choked on my pizza, "What? Why would you be asking me?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said "Well you did have lunch with him today."

Being a bit of a smart-aleck, I responded, "If I remember correctly, I ate lunch with you today, and I was only sitting with him for a minute or two. Ask Mitchell what the deal is with him, he'll be spending more time with Quinn than I will."

"He's cute though," she said as she took another bite of pizza.

I scoffed, "Yeah, more like beautiful, but looks aren't everything ya know." We continued watching the movie in silence for a few minutes. Maybe the fact that Jackie gets time for me is a sign. Maybe now is the time to tell her the truth about me. Then, I could tell her what Quinn said, and she could help me figure out what to do about it.

"Why are you always so weird about new people?" Jackie asked, again out of the blue.

I was going to need CPR with all the choking she was causing. "Huh? We hardly meet new people in this town. How can I always be weird about them?" I insisted.

She shrugged, "Just seems like you are, at least the last couple of years. I'm pretty much the only one you hang out with anymore, and you don't date."

Well, that was hurtful, thanks for rubbing that fact in as if I don't feel like a big stinking loser.

"I don't understand where this is coming from all of a sudden. A lot of people don't have boyfriends. Life isn't always about that. Plus, the people in this town and I don't get along always. In fact, we don't have anything in common. I'm working my butt off at school to make sure I can go to college far away from here next year. Does it really bother you, being my only friend?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, I just worry about you. You used to get along with the people in town and then in an instant you changed, and you keep to yourself. You keep all these secrets; even from me. Next year we'll be going to college, and I want to make sure you don't need help trying to meet people or make friends. Well, that doesn't sound good. You know what I mean."

I stood up and took my plate to walk to the kitchen, "Sorry, but I don't. I think we should watch the movie." I threw my plate in the trash and packed up the pizza to save for later.

She came in the kitchen, walked over, and put her arm across my shoulders. "You know I love you, Parker. You're my best friend in the world, practically my sister, and I want to make sure you're happy."

I hugged her back and said, "I know."

Jackie's phone rang, and we both jumped when it did. The ringtone was I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith, so I knew it was Mitchell. When she hung up, she turned and said, "That was Mitchell. The guys have had enough tutoring for today, and he's coming to pick me up."

I felt a twinge of sadness from her words. The afternoon went by too fast with her; I was disappointed, but knew it meant more time to figure out my dilemma. I pulled a couple pieces of pizza out for her to share with him. A few minutes later there's a knock on the door.

When I opened it, Quinn stood there; I stopped and gawk at him. He smiled and said, "Hello sunshine, May we come in?" I gazed at him and nodded wordlessly. He grinned, "You can speak, right?"

This question made me aggravated, "Of course, I can. Come in, please." Mitchell walked around Quinn and made his way over to Jackie to hug and kiss her.

Once they came up for air, Jackie said, "Hi Quinn. Bye Quinn. See you later, Parker, today was fun."

I was thrown for a loop when they walked out the door. "Aren't you taking him with you?" I exclaimed as I pointed to Quinn next to me.

He sniggered, and Mitchell said, "I told Quinn he could hang out at your house and wait on his ride. I thought you'd be cool with it." Mitchell smiled and winked at me.

Traitorous bastards, I thought. This slick move was a freaking setup. Mitchell wanted to do a nice thing, but may have ended my life in the process. Mitchell took Jackie's hand, and they walked out, Jackie turned to me and gave me thumbs up as she left. Quinn sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to him. Instead, I sat in the recliner across from him. He laughed quietly and propped his feet up on the coffee table. This afternoon is going to drag on.

Quinn and I sat in silence for a bit. Finally, he spoke, and I wished he had kept quiet. "So, now that we're away from any eavesdroppers or nosey-nellie's, we can start our relationship again?"

I laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. "Since when do we have a relationship? As I recall, you tried to say I was a werewolf; I denied it and stormed off. How is that a relationship?"

He sat forward and countered with, "Well it's not a healthy relationship I'll give you that. My question is why did you deny it? I know what you are. You obviously don't tell people, so it should give you some relief that you can have a friend to confide in."

I laughed again, rolled my eyes, and said matter-of-factly, "We aren't friends." I walked out of the room to the kitchen.

If he planned on sticking around for a little while, I might as well make things comfortable. I yelled into the living room, "Do you want something to drink?"

He replied "Whatever's cold." I grabbed him a root beer out of the fridge and fixed myself a glass of water. He was looking through my mother's photo album when I walked back into the living room.

I handed him a drink. "What are you looking through that for? Think you're going to find a picture of the family dog and try to prove it's me in my changed form on the full moon?" He didn't say anything, but I saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile and a dimple appeared on his cheek as kept his head down looking through the album. That dimple was too cute. Stop thinking about him that way, Parker. Geez, calm your hormones already.

"When is your ride going to be here?" I asked impatiently.

Without looking up from the photo album, he said, "As soon as I call someone to pick me up." I handed him my cell phone, hoping he would take the hint. He took the phone from me and sat it on the coffee table, closed the photo album and sat it next to the phone.

"Why don't you have a car?" I asked in annoyance.

"I like to run," he replied, snickering as though there was a joke I missed.

"What's so funny?"

He ignored my question. He sat back, crossed his legs, and placed his hands folded on his lap. He proceeded to stare at me. I did the mature thing and stared back until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer!" I proclaimed with frustration. He picked up my phone. Good, he's leaving I thought, and then he took a picture. What the...? He took a frigging picture of me. After he had taken a picture, he pushed a bunch of buttons, and then his phone beeped. He turned it to show me he texted himself the picture.

This guy was going to drive me to the brink of insanity and push me over. My pulse raced, and I was becoming angry and wanted him gone. Then it dawned on me. He could be doing this on purpose. He could be trying to make me mad enough to change to prove that I'm a werewolf. I had to figure out a way to calm myself down. So, I did the only thing I could think of at the moment. I walked over to the couch, sat down beside him, leaned forward and planted a kiss on him.

Not the most strategic maneuver, but it served a purpose, and it was fun. He tasted strange on my lips, not bad, but strange. At first his body stiffened when our lips met. He kissed me back but was very gentle and careful not to touch me. His lips felt like satin; they were soft as they moved against mine. My whole body tingled, right down to my toes. Is this a feeling of passion? This guy annoys me to death, but, wow, can he kiss.

A few seconds later, Quinn pressed his hands against my shoulders as he pulled back from the lip-lock. "Well, that was...nice. What did I do to deserve that?" He asked. I smiled and shrugged, then went to sit back down. He gazed at me in a different way this time, not in a boyfriend way, but almost a bit nervous and...scared? Was he scared of me now? Or maybe I was a terrible kisser. Either way, an awkward feel encompassed the room. He stood up abruptly and made his way to the door. "I should be going; it's getting late." He didn't even call anyone before he walked out the door. I went to stop him and, by the time I got there; he had vanished from sight.

I stepped outside onto the porch and looked all around, and up the street. How did he disappear so quickly? Did I sit there longer than I realized? Or does that prove he is a werewolf too? Perhaps he's learned how to shift whenever he wants and that could explain how he left so quickly. Many different thoughts were battling in my mind, but the only thing I knew for sure was that I kissed Quinn, and it was the best feeling I've ever had. Now it seems something about that moment may have scared him away for good.

I picked up the phone and sent Jackie a text.

Me: Thanks for leaving me w/Quinn that went well. Talk to you tomorrow—Parker.

Jackie: Can't wait to hear about it!

There was no way I could tell her about my kiss by text. She will have to hear about it on lunch tomorrow. I just hope I don't see Quinn. What have I gotten myself into?
Chapter Four

The next day at school, Jackie ran up behind me in the hallway and grabbed my shoulders. I shrieked, and she broke out in a fit of laughter. When she finally stopped laughing, she said, "Quinn said you attacked him yesterday!"

Shocked, I gasped, "He said, what?!"

She snickered, "Chillax girlie, he said you planted a hot kiss on him, and he said it was nice and he hoped it happened again." She beamed at me, but I was stunned by the revelation based on his reaction after the kiss. When it finally dawned on me that he liked me, I smiled and felt all warm inside.

This boy talk was a new topic for Jackie and me; it was the first time I had a real crush on someone in town. She was so excited; she couldn't wait to hear all the details. I gushed about how cute he was and how he was the best kisser; not that I had anything to base it on other than how I felt. The next thing I knew, Quinn stood in front of me. He had a huge smile on his face. Did he hear everything I told Jackie just now? There was no way because I'd have noticed him coming toward us, and we were pretty quiet.

At first, I smiled back and then I turned to go in the opposite direction. What? Why did I just do that? Well, I can't turn around now; I'll look like an idiot. Ugh, I smack myself in the head, Billy Loomis style, and call myself stupid. I kept walking and realized I had gone in the wrong way for my next class. Crap.

Once I realized it was the wrong direction, I tried to make it seem like it was on purpose by going into the ladies' room. I stayed in there for a few minutes to make it seem legit before heading to class. Entering my next subject, I spotted Quinn sitting there looking right at me, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Give me a break please. Why do I have to live in the smallest town ever?

The only seat open was the one right next to him, which was appropriate for the way my day was going. I looked up to the ceiling and sarcastically mouthed, 'Thanks for that.' I took a seat next to Quinn and he ignored me. Well, that will work for now. I need time to think, to figure out if I want to pursue a friendship, or more, with him and if I'm going to admit to him my secret; a secret he already knew somehow.

Mr. Carter, our Algebra teacher, began his lesson, and I took notes as usual when a paper football appeared on my desk. I must have been focused because I never saw anyone leave it.

I opened it and read to myself, Can I come to your house after school? We need to talk. –Quinn.

When I finished reading it, I looked up. He looked back at me, and I gave him a nod answering his question. My stomach began to cramp with anticipation.

The day seemed to last for eternity, probably because I was scared of what would happen this afternoon. When the end of the school day finally arrived, I stood in front of the building waiting on Quinn. He smiled at me, walked over and extended his hand, expecting me to hold it as we walked. My response was to look at him as though he had two heads.

Trying to act irritated, I said, "You annoy me, you know that?"

He grinned and said, "I know, and I like you too." He kissed me on the cheek and took my hand in his.

One corner of my mouth turned up in a slight smile, even though I tried to fight it. There was an awkward sort of silence as we began the walk to my house. His hand felt odd in mine...and a bit cold. It was fall though, not to mention my body temperature wasn't exactly normal. A factor of being a wolf is that your body temperature is higher than normal so we don't get cold as easily. Of course, I guess that means he isn't a wolf if he feels cold to me; he should feel the same as me or warmer. Most of the time when I touch someone else they feel cool in comparison.

Breaking the silence, and my train of thought, he said, "So, where do we stand now?"

I stopped walking and let go of his hand. "What do you mean?" He started to speak again, and I put my hand up, interrupting him.

"On second thought, wait until we get to my house and talk there before you spout off crazy assumptions again. I don't need people in this town thinking I'm a...well you know," I said.

We arrived at my house a few moments later. As I was setting my backpack down, he made his way into the living room. I grabbed us some drinks from the kitchen before joining him. He stood next to the fireplace holding a picture of me with my parents from last year. His face looked solemn and nostalgic as if the picture brought up memories for him somehow. He put it down when he saw me come in the room.

Setting our sodas down, I turned to him. "Why is it you think I'm a werewolf?" I asked him.

He nonchalantly said, "Your smell."

Instead of letting him add to that, my face crinkled up, and I exclaimed, "You're saying that I smell like a dog? Wow, you know how to sweet talk a girl."

He walked toward me, cupped my face in his hands and said, "No, your smell is not bad, it's quite nice."

He leaned down and breathed me in deeply, which was a little awkward. I've never had anyone sniff me. "It attracts me to you, but that's how it works with us," he continued.

As I turned my gaze upward, our eyes met. My breathing sped up with his hands on my face. He was so close to me I wanted him to kiss me. It amazed me how much I wanted it. Breathily, I whispered, "With us?"

He nodded and in a low voice he explained, "Vampires and werewolves are attracted by scent because it allows us to find one another. I'm attracted to your scent, and that is how you lure me in to kill me."

My eyes were closed, lost in the fantasy of his next move, and it took me a moment to realize what he had said. When his words registered at last, I backed away from him quickly, knocking his hands off my face.

"You're a... a vampire?" I screeched, stumbling backwards. In a flash, he had me in his arms, and his lips were on mine. I melted for a moment, and all my thoughts evaporated. The taste of his lips, his arms around my waist, that's all I could think of at this moment. I draped my arms around his neck and pressed myself closer to him.

I regained my sanity once more and shoved him away. "Stay away from me!" I cried out. He looked wounded by my rejection, but I didn't care at this moment. My hand went to my mouth in disgust of what I just did. I couldn't believe I kissed a dead guy.

He stayed on the other side of the room, but he said to me, "I'm not going to harm you, Parker; it's the furthest thing from my mind. In fact, the moment I saw you I wanted to know more about you." He paced the room, keeping his distance. "It's true; I'm a vampire. Contrary to popular belief, we're not all bad. I don't feed on humans, not anymore. I can control myself, my hunger. I trained myself how to live like a normal human being. Well, as normal as I can be; drinking animal blood is the only thing I do that is inhuman. I didn't want to be this, just like you didn't want to be a werewolf. Sometimes you have to adjust to the hand that you're dealt."

He stopped and looked at me with a face filled with pleading. "I know you felt something when you kissed me, the same thing I felt, passion. It's not a likely pairing I know that, believe me. We're supposed to be enemies, but I can't help it, I feel different toward you. I could never hurt you. The feelings I'm having, they scare me too."

Tears filled my eyes; I'm not sure what came over me at that moment. My feelings were so muddled inside, whether it was fear or sadness, I couldn't stop crying. Quinn was careful as he approached me and reached his hand out. I backed away and begged, "Leave, please...just go." At first he stood there bewildered. After a moment, he walked past me and out the door turning back to look at me one more time.

When the door closed, I threw my glass across the room, and it smashed into a million pieces against the fireplace mantle. I screamed in frustration and paced the floor, with my hands grabbing at my hair. How could I have not known he was a vampire? It all made sense to me now. I had to invite him officially into my house; vampires are not allowed into a private residence without an invitation by the residing human. I thought he was flirting with me that day, but it turned out he had to find a way to get me to say it. Also, his comment about how eating the meatloaf was a front, vampires can eat food; they don't have to in order to survive.

This invitation meant he could come into my house at any time, and I have put my family in danger. In all honesty, I didn't think Quinn would hurt me or my parents, but I couldn't be positive. Now I guess I know how he was gone so fast yesterday and how he heard me talking to Jackie. Story of my life, I swear. Now I'm hot for a vampire? Great. I can't even tell Jackie because she doesn't know that vampires or werewolves exist. Now it's another secret I have to keep from everyone I care about. I flopped myself down on the couch and laid my head back, heaving a great sigh.

The next two hours I thought over what I would do next, how I could stay away from Quinn. I paced the floor so much that I probably wore a hole in the carpet. The phone rang, saving me from my thoughts, and it was Jackie. Apparently she dropped in on Mitchell and Quinn studying. When she asked Quinn about our afternoon, he clammed up. So, naturally she was curious, and I told her I would have to tell her later because I didn't feel like talking about it tonight. She sounded worried, and I felt bad, but I wasn't sure how to deal with this yet, and I didn't know how to explain it to Jackie without telling her everything.

Jackie said she would talk to me tomorrow, I asked for Quinn before she hung up. I heard her call for him, and when I heard him on the line, I froze. I didn't have a clue what to say; I wasn't even sure why I asked for him.

"Parker, are you there?" I wish his voice didn't affect me so much. I heard him say to Jackie, "I think she hung up."

I found my voice. "I'm here, Quinn. I need to see you...not tonight though," I added hurriedly. "Tomorrow, meet me at the park for lunch, the one by school. Can you do that?"

Quinn responded with genuine elation, "Of Course, I'll be there, I'm glad you want to talk. I'd like a chance to explain things."

I ended the call without another word. Now I have to sit and figure out what I am going to say to him at the park tomorrow. What questions will I ask? I still can't process the fact that I kissed a vampire...and I liked it. What is wrong with me? That seems to be a question I ask myself a lot lately.

My mom came home from work at some point. I was lying on the couch lost in thought. I was in a daze, and I don't know how long she was there before I realized it. "Parker, sweetie, what do you want for dinner?" she asked.

Eating was the last thing on my mind, especially with my stomach in knots over this afternoon. "I'm not hungry mom. I'm going to my room to read...Goodnight." Pushing myself up off the couch, I wandered into the kitchen, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and headed toward the stairs.

Before I reached the steps, my dad walked in the door set his briefcase down and said, "Hey Princess, you ok?"

I faked a yawn and said, "I'm just tired." I hugged and kissed him goodnight too. Shutting the door, I changed into pajama pants and paired it with a red tank top, my favorite lounging attire. Flouncing down on the bed, I reached over to my bookcase and picked up my copy of Twilight to read for at least the tenth time. If only vampires were sparkly and sweet like Edward. If there were any like him, I'd never met them. Although at first I thought maybe Quinn was going to be the romantic love I'd been dreaming about, especially after our first kiss.

I read this book shortly after I learned that vampires were real. It made me hopeful that they weren't all as bad as what I had read. I knew it was fiction, but it still helped me to get lost in the fantasy of it all. Maybe Quinn was one of those good guys...maybe he really is different. Quinn has had plenty of chances to hurt me, and he never laid a hand on me. We were alone in my house, and he has an open invitation to come and go as he pleased. Let's hope he isn't sneaking into my room at night watching me sleep.

Yeesh! I mean, it's romantic to watch someone sleep, as long as they invited you to be there. I've been Team Edward all the way, but even I was a bit creeped out at his stalkerish ways at times. Although waking up to Rob Pattinson standing in my room, not the worst thing that could happen. I shut the book and put it back on the shelf. My thoughts are moving way off topic, and I can't get it in my mind that Quinn is good. After all, I'm a werewolf, and I'm supposed to want to kill him. So why is it that all I can think about is kissing him? Some werewolf I am.

To take my mind off things I got up out of bed and got on the computer. I typed in the search, wolvesmatch.com. No, seriously, I researched the differences of vampire and werewolves again, in case I had missed something before. I guess I was desperate to find the vampire story of Cinderella, maybe Vampirella, or something to make me feel like it wasn't completely hopeless to care for Quinn. There was the obvious; Vampires are cold natured, Werewolves are hot natured.

Werewolves can kill vampires with a single bite. Once they bite a vampire it causes an infection to invade their body, and they disintegrate almost instantly. Silver kills werewolves; which was one thing the movies got right except it has to be straight to the heart. If the silver doesn't go straight through the heart, it makes a werewolf violently ill. If enough of it reaches the heart, it will kill them in time. I can't even wear silver jewelry because it will get into my skin and make me sick. Some of the theories I have tested, such as the silver jewelry, and found to be true. It goes without saying I haven't tried to shoot myself in the heart to test that theory, not suicidal at this point at least.

A superior vampire, or master, can kill another vampire. That would be a vampire that has been alive more than 1000 years. I have never met one that I know of and, from what I have heard, I don't want to. I'm pretty sure Quinn isn't a master vampire; he seems a bit old-fashioned at times, but nothing that drastic. A stake through the heart will work to kill a vampire; it just doesn't often happen because they are so quick and strong that no one can get that close to them. Also, most people don't know they exist. Oh and that whole creature of the night thing, a myth. They can walk in the sun, but I wouldn't advise on sunbathing. Vampires should limit the amount of time in the sun because their skin is so fragile; they are dead after all.

Most Vampires only come out at night because it is easier to prey on their victims in the dark. They also have to wear sunglasses when exposed to the sun because of their eyes. The sun causes their eyes to redden and dry out. I haven't seen it personally; it does explain why Quinn was wearing sunglasses in the classroom on his first day. He must have needed to give his eyes time to adjust to being inside. Another difference, a big one, vampires can live thousands of years, whereas werewolves only live several hundred at the most. If some crazy turn of events happened and Quinn and I fell in love, we could never be 'together forever' because our forever is much different.

Well, so much for taking my mind off things. I turned the computer off and lay down. I couldn't stop thinking about Quinn. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. One minute I would be dreaming about romance and love with him and the next he was trying to kill me. About two am my door opened, "Princess, you awake?" my dad asked softly. I turned to face him, and he came over, turned on my bedside lamp and sat beside me on the bed. "What's wrong, Princess? I can hear you tossing and turning from my room."

He patted my hair and brushed it out of my face. "I'm ok daddy, just had a hard day at school and had a little trouble sleeping."

He offered to get me a glass of milk, I told him I was fine, and he kissed my head. "Well, try to get some sleep. I love you. Goodnight." He turned the light back out and walked out, shutting the door quietly.

My dad has always been a very light sleeper. I guess it's a good thing that I'm not so much of a rebel that I try sneaking out or anything like that because he would catch me every time. I sneeze, and he comes to make sure I don't need medicine. He has called me Princess since I was a little girl. I know that seventeen was a bit old to still go by that nickname, but it made me feel special. I've always had a good relationship with my parents, which is why I don't want to ruin that or make them look at me differently. If my dad knew what I was, I doubt he would still call me Princess.

I know that eventually they're going to realize something is different about me. Werewolves don't age very quickly; I will still look twenty when I am turning one hundred. Fantastic, right? Hard to keep a secret from people though when you look young like that, only so far plastic surgery can go, and most people won't believe that is why you look so young. I've known for a while that in about ten or fifteen years, I will have to disappear from my parent's life, or tell them the truth, whichever I can handle. At this point, I am terrified of both choices.

There was no way I would get back to sleep now that my mind was racing again about talking to Quinn. Finally, I came to the conclusion that it may be a good thing and that I shouldn't be freaking out so bad. Quinn being a vampire meant I was not alone in being different and that I could talk to someone about my curse. This could be the best thing that ever happened to me. How could I be sure that I could trust him though, especially around my friends, what if he hurt them? Sigh. Back at square one with no clue what to do and if this was a bad thing or a good thing. I guess I will find out tomorrow. I must have finally drifted off because the next thing I know there was sun shining through my window.
Chapter Five

Today was the big day. I am meeting Quinn for lunch to talk, and I still don't know what I'm going to say. The reason I picked the park is so that we were in public, and there will be lots of people around to keep me safe. I'm not scared of him, simply afraid to be alone with him because of my feelings clouding my judgment.

Even getting dressed was a challenge today. First, I tried a turtleneck and decided it may scream 'Don't bite me bloodsucker!' I decided to go with a black V-neck and a nice pair of jeans. I grabbed my tennis shoes, always good to be prepared for a quick getaway. Then again, he is a vampire who can run faster than my brain can function, but still.

Once downstairs, I made some ham and cheese sandwiches and grabbed some chips and a couple of sodas. We probably wouldn't eat anything, but I'd like it to seem at least like an average day. I won't call it a date because it's definitely not that. I grabbed my keys off the hook by the door and shout goodbye to my parents as I closed the door behind me.

The park was full of kids, and it was a beautiful day outside, sun shining and not a cloud in sight. Since I made it to the park first, I set up a picnic table for us. Ok, this looked like a date. I packed all of the stuff up and decided to leave it in the bag. Ok, this looks awkward, like I don't want to be here. I unpacked it again. Laughter erupted from behind me. I turned, and there was Quinn smiling and gorgeous as ever.

"Are you having issues?" he asked. My face reddened, a bit embarrassed that he witnessed my display. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. He took it as an invite and leaned in and kissed me. I stepped back a little alarmed and his face fell. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have done that."

I stuttered a bit and said "It...It's ok; I wasn't expecting it, but it was nice."

His smile shown that he felt reassured and his voice confirmed it, "You packed us a lunch? It looks great, I love ham and cheese," he said.

I extended my arm to the right motioning for him to sit down. We sat across from each other and ate our lunch. It was a bit awkward at first, but he looked content, and I felt calm, calmer than I expected to feel.

The straightforward approach seemed to work the best lately, so I went for it. "Are you really a vampire?" I asked, already knowing the answer. I had to start somewhere, even though it was a pretty lame question.

He set his sandwich down, looked at me and he smiled. I saw his incisors extend into fangs. It wasn't scary on him; it was almost sexy even. He had on sunglasses, so I wanted to test the other theory now. I reached up and slowly pulled his glasses down his nose. Behind them, his eyes were a bold green color.

As the sun touched them, red streaks formed and he began to blink, as though it was painful. I pushed them back up on his face. Quinn seemed to be trying to read my mood. His brow furrowed in a pensive manner. I decided not to keep him guessing. "I'm not scared of you. I thought about it all night long and never once did I think of you as scary. I like you and that's the only thing that does worry me."

He seemed to be more confident now, so I had to elaborate before he got his hopes too high. "I don't see how we could make a relationship work based on what we are. I mean, have you ever heard of a vampire dating a werewolf?"

He looked at me for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and said, "There's a first time for everything, right?" He smiled the sexy smile of his and winked at me.

A werewolf falling for a vampire is not natural. Not only do I have to worry about telling people what I am, but I would have to tell them what my boyfriend is too. Why can't I just be a normal teenager?

My thoughts seem to run wild at times, and I forget that I'm not speaking them and stare off into space. That's what was happening now, and I must have stayed quiet too long because he looked apprehensive.

"What are you thinking about now?" Another question had come to mind, and I was trying to figure out how to phrase it correctly.

Bluntly, I inquired, "Why didn't I smell you before? Why can I still not smell you...as a vampire, I mean? I've tracked them before by their scent, but it isn't there with you."

He responded with a question back, "The other times you tracked a vampire's scent; it was in wolf form, right?" I nodded, and he continued, "Your senses are heightened as a wolf. You can smell things that your human nose would never notice, even hear things that your human ears wouldn't pickup. I probably smell somewhat different than most humans, but you wouldn't notice vampire on me until you shift."

I thought of how much I loved the way he smelled. I wasn't fond of vampire smell, so it was a good thing it wasn't noticeable when I was a human. As uncontrolled as my shifting is, I'll never go near him as a wolf because his scent would cause that urge to kill to take over. He was staring at me again. I walked over to his side of the table, sat on the bench beside him and looked straight ahead, but put my hand on top of his. He closed his hand over mine. I could do this; it felt right somehow.

We sat there for a few minutes watching the kids playing on the swings in front of us. There was a nice cool breeze blowing, and it kept blowing the musky scent of him my way. He smelled utterly delicious. I closed my eyes and breathed him in for a moment. To get back to the matter at hand, I finally got up the nerve to ask some more questions.

"How did it happen? How did you become a vampire?" At first he didn't answer, he let go of my hand and turned to face me instead. He is so gorgeous and seeing his lips I remembered how that kiss felt. Come on, Parker, pay attention before you miss something important.

He began, "I was seventeen when I was attacked by another vampire. I was in school, it was 1952 and it was the week of the Sadie Hawkins Dance."

I blurted out, "1952? That makes you...like almost eighty years old."

He laughed, "Seventy-six actually."

I blushed, "Sorry, please continue."

He went on with his story, "A friend of mine had asked me to go to the dance with her and I agreed. I went to pick her up at her house and she invited me to come in while she finished getting ready. When she finally came downstairs, she looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her. She had long blonde hair that she had twisted up on top of her head with curls framing her face. Her skin was like porcelain and she wore a red dress with a flowing skirt and a plunging neckline. I never thought of her in a romantic way until I saw her that night."

"She came over and sat next to me on the couch and I was nervous, to say the least. My palms were sweaty, my knees felt weak. She was my best friend, but all these new feelings arose and I wasn't sure if I wanted to act on them or not. She leaned toward me and I thought she was making the first move, I breathed in her perfume and closed my eyes ready to kiss her. Instead, she put her hand on top of my head, turned it to the side and bit into my neck."

"At first it was a sharp stabbing pain and a burning feeling, and then it felt good. It was like a rush, like a drug I imagine. I was addicted so quickly to the feeling of euphoria that came over me. She fed me some of her blood next. At first I tried to push her away, but a few drops hit my tongue and it made me want more." He stopped there and stared off in a daze.

"So, she was your best friend and you never suspected she was a vampire?" I asked, breaking the silence. A look of shame came across his face like he felt guilty that he didn't know about her. I continued, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you."

Quinn said, "You didn't." He paused, "I had no idea Vampires even existed at the time, they were just the objects of scary stories that people told. We had known each other since we were kids. We were twelve when we met, and we knew each other better than anyone else in our lives."

"She had apparently been attacked just before she bit me, and it was my fault. It was a tradition that I walked her home from school every day. Most people thought we were a couple, but we felt more like siblings most days and would laugh about those rumors. One day we had an argument at lunch, I barely remember what it was about it was so stupid. I stormed off and told her to get her own escort home from now on. That afternoon she was walking home from school and she took a shortcut through a tunnel to avoid running into me. Instead, she ran into a man who ended her life..." His words trailed off and I reached out to take his hand in an effort to comfort him.

He took a deep breath and went on, "She was turned about a month before the Sadie Hawkins dance. After she had turned me, I asked her why she did it and she said it was a curse put upon her because of me and she wanted me to suffer for it as she had. Of course, I was hoping for her to say she did it so we could be together forever, not for revenge. She said, once you become a vampire, you have to feed so you can either feed to kill or feed to create. When the craving hits, you can't always control yourself and if you feed and stop to let them feed off you, it slows down the craving. The pain was unbearable. Later I found out that was the hunger inside me."

"She told me what I needed to know as a new vampire, such as sunglasses," he said as he waggled his glasses on his face. "And I never saw her again after that day." I felt his sadness. If my story had gone that way, it would be Jackie who turned me. I can understand the betrayal, the hurt, and the feelings of guilt he associated with that day.

"What was her name?" I asked him.

A sad smile appeared as he answered, "Elizabeth...my Lizzy was what I always called her. I would have died for her before that day. I couldn't believe I let that thing destroy her, now I am one of those things. Before that day, she was the most kind-hearted person I'd ever known. Everyone loved her. I loved her. Legend says that when you're turned into a vampire your character is enhanced. If you were mean, you would be pure evil basically, but that wasn't true with Lizzy. She became the opposite of her human personality."

"After that day, she became pure evil in my eyes and I felt a loss worse than I ever imagined. I tried to find her for weeks. I wanted to take care of her, try to bring back the woman that meant everything to me. After a while, I gave up and decided that my Lizzy was dead and not coming back. Dealing with the fact that I was one of those things now was almost as painful as losing her. I spent the next few years struggling with my hunger, attacking people and then feeling guilty about it. Finally, I learned to hunt animals and become attuned to their blood. The faces of the people I killed though still haunt me."

He looked away from me as he continued, as though ashamed to face me. "I wish I could tell you I only killed bad people, but I couldn't control it. I don't know anything about them except what their faces looked like and the way they begged for mercy as I killed them." Shivers went down my spine at those words. "I can't blame you for not wanting to be around me. I hate what I am, but there is nothing I can do about it, other than let you bite me and end it all now."

Shaking my head, I put my hand on his face, looked into his eyes and said, "I would never do that, so don't even think about it."

He leaned his head against my hand, for a moment, and closed his eyes. We had sat like that only briefly before I asked, "Do you have any idea where she is now, if she is still alive?"

He replied, "Not a clue, I haven't seen or heard from her since that day. Until now, I pretty much stayed away from people in general. I finally decided I was tired of being alone all the time so I chose to go back to school."

To that statement I nudged his arm and said, "Who would ever want to go back to high school?" Well, at least that got him to smile again.

"Do you feel comfortable telling me about when you...changed?" He asked, catching me off guard.

I stuttered at first, feeling the anxiety rise at admitting the truth once and for all, and then began to tell him my story. It wasn't as devastating as his, in fact, it sounded pretty pathetic in comparison. "Whew, that was easier to say than I thought it would be. You're the first real person I've told."

He looked confused, "First real person?"

Humiliation washed over me as I explain, "Well I've practiced how I would tell those closest to me by telling it to dolls, to the mirror, even my car. Any audience I could get that couldn't actually process the information, you know?"

"So Jackie doesn't know?" he asked.

"No, I haven't gotten up the nerve or figured out a way to tell her. It's easy to tell you because you don't think I'm a freak." He stuck up his index finger and thumb holding them about an inch apart to signify 'a little bit' and I smacked his arm. He threw his arm around my shoulder and hugged me to him as we laugh.

It didn't take long for things to get serious again though. "It's got to be hard to keep that bottled up inside all this time, hon. I think you should tell her." Quinn continued by saying, "I can be there with you if you want; if it would make it easier to have someone to hold your hand or help calm her."

I didn't respond. I don't know if I'm mad at him for suggesting it or scared of the thought of telling her. One thing I knew was that I didn't feel relaxed anymore and I wanted to leave.

"I need to go. I have a lot of stuff to do today." I stood up and put the picnic back in the bag. He looked upset and tried to reach out to me. I backed away. "I'll call you later, okay? I really need to get going, it's not you... it's me." Wow, that's a line I never wanted to use. Sounds so cliché, but it's really what I meant. It wasn't that I didn't want to be around him, it's that I couldn't deal with it at the moment, not with all the other things I am dealing with right now.

Quinn's eyes were sad when he said, "Ok, call me later? Look, I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I thought if you told Jackie it would help because she's your best friend and you'd have more support."

Oh my gosh, why is he not letting this go? Can he not take a hint? I swiftly grabbed my stuff and waved goodbye to him. "I'll call you. Bye," I yelled as I ran to my car. When I got in, I looked back at the table and he still sat there, seemingly lost in thought.

Nice, Parker. He spilled his guts to you about how his best friend in the world, the first woman he loved, destroyed his life and you act like a baby and run off because he suggests you act like an adult and tell someone the truth. My hand was on the door handle and I started to get back out. I stopped when I saw Mitchell walk up to Quinn with Jackie right behind him. Quinn pointed to me in the car. Acting as though I didn't see, I drove off.

My phone rang within seconds. It was Jackie, of course. I answered, and she said, "What's up, chickie? We ran into Quinn at the park and saw you leaving. Why don't you turn around and hang with us for a bit? It could be like a double date." Rolling my eyes, I told her the same thing I told Quinn, that I had things to do. She knows me too well and I knew she wouldn't believe that. Sounding annoyed, she said, "Whatever...talk to you later" and she hung up. I'm sure I'll get an earful tomorrow when we're alone.

Silencing my phone, I kept driving. I didn't know where I was going, only that I wanted to get far away from my life at the moment. As I rounded the corner, I saw something collapse in the road. It looked like a dog and then.... I slammed on my brakes, Oh my gosh, it shifted!
Chapter Six

My car screeched as I slammed on the brakes. Once I straightened from the skid, I pulled to the side of the road to check on the boy bleeding in the street. He put his hand up, "Stay away from me! Please, I don't want to hurt you. Don't come near me! I'm sick."

I waved the metaphorical white flag and said "I know what you are. I'm not afraid. I saw you shift back."

He appeared petrified. He was bleeding pretty badly, so I took off my jacket and pressed it against his wound. Through coughs and rapid breaths, he managed to sputter out, "How can you not be afraid of me?"

I kept tending to his wound and finally said, "I'm one too. For two years now."

He looked dumbfounded and said, "I've never met another wolf, other than the one that changed me and I never met the human side."

He had cringed in pain momentarily before he continued, "I've been like this for a year now. When I changed the first time, I had to leave my life... my family...everything behind. Do you live on your own too?"

I shook my head 'no.' I couldn't imagine leaving everyone I love, living on the run. That seemed to be what everyone does though, Quinn did the same thing. Does that make me selfish? Am I putting my loved ones in danger?

"I was afraid they would figure out what I was and be terrified of me or try to kill me, so I've been living in the woods for a while. Today, I ran into a black bear that wasn't too fond of me being in his territory. I thought I was going to die here in the road and then you came along."

I grinned as I realized he didn't know much more about his wolf side than I did about mine. "This is the first time you've been hurt since you became a wolf, isn't it?" He looked at me oddly and nodded. I pulled away my jacket and showed him the wound. It had stopped bleeding and had begun to heal.

"What the..." he spouted.

I chortled, "That's one advantage of being a wolf, rapid healing. You still feel pain and there will be some soreness, but you'll be back to normal in no time."

He tried to sit up so I took his hand and helped him get on his feet. He thanked me and then realized he was naked and went red in the face. He covered himself with his hands. I handed him my jacket to cover up, then helped him to my car and told him I would take him somewhere safe.

"I'm Parker, what's your name?" I asked as I extended my hand to him.

He shook my hand, "I'm William, uh Will. You know I thought it was weird when I was bitten and my wound healed quickly, but I felt so sick that I assumed more time passed than I had realized. I had a high fever for a few days. Damn, I still can't believe I met another wolf. How old are you? I'm sixteen."

That made me a little sad, knowing what he had been through in the past year, "I'm seventeen and I've been a wolf for two years, so I guess that means we were both turned at fifteen. Do you remember what happened to you?" I told him my story about the injured wolf to make him feel comfortable with telling me his; I guess it worked.

"I was at the park with my little sister. She was five and we were playing hide and seek. It was my turn to hide so she was coming to find me. I heard her screaming my name and thought it was a ploy to get me to come out. Then, it sounded terrifying and I took off running toward her. I came upon her in the woods, clinging to a tree, where there was a wolf directly across from her. The wolf growled as he leaned back against his hind legs. I stepped in front of her just as he pounced and she took off running. My parents showed up and took me to the hospital. I was there for a few days and they let me go home and told me I'd be fine. The next few days the wound began to heal over, but I ran a dangerously high fever. I didn't tell my parents because I didn't want to go back to the hospital. I'm not a big fan of doctors. The first full moon hit and I realized I was anything but fine. After my first shifting experience was over, I packed a bag and left home. I told my sister goodbye and left a note for my parents."

Wow. Everyone's story sounds so much better than mine. Will's a hero, Quinn was a victim, and I was just a dummy that walked up to a bleeding wolf.

"Have you really been sleeping in the woods?" I asked as I handed him a bottle of water from the basket.

"Yeah, I found a cave not far from where we met and I stay there. It's not so bad, I always liked camping." He said it as though he was trying to look at the glass half full side of being homeless.

My parents were out of town for the night so I told Will he could stay on the couch for tonight and we would figure something out after that. He couldn't live in the woods any longer, it just wouldn't be right.

First, I made him a real meal. He had been scrounging for food apparently and it had been a long time since he had a home cooked meal. One of my famous recipes is Taco Delight; I came up with it myself. It has rice, beef, beans and corn. It's very filling and one can or jar of each ingredient makes a huge helping. Will wolfed it down, no pun intended. He chased it with the entire two-liter of soda that I had bought. I grabbed some sheets and pillows to make up the couch and then sat down with him for a bit.

In the next few hours, I learned a lot about my new house guest and friend. Will had always been very close to his sister, he practically raised her. She was an 'oops baby' meaning she wasn't planned which is why they're ten years apart in age. His parents worked long hours and hardly spent time with either of them, so they only had each other. He said leaving her with them was the hardest thing he'd ever done because he knew she would be ignored. However, he would rather have that happen than to take the chance of hurting her if he couldn't control himself. He said he went back to the house every now and then to watch and make sure she is okay and to grab a few things that wouldn't be missed. He looked so sad when he talked about her. You could tell she meant the world to him.

In the middle of our talk, the phone rang and it was Jackie asking if she could still come over on Sunday. I told her yes and that I would see her at one, which meant I needed to get Will out of here before then or think of something to say. After all, it would be hard to explain to Jackie why I let a strange boy spend the night without explaining the whole wolf aspect. We know now I'm not ready to do that after my hissy fit with Quinn; the one that was a bit humiliating to think about now.

After I had hung up the phone with Jackie, we stayed up most of the night talking about our experiences as wolves. It was so nice to have someone who understood what had been through. One thing Will has experienced as a wolf that I haven't, is that he fed on animals when turned.

Will explained where his survival skills came from. "I used to hunt with my dad. During my shift, I used those skills to sneak up on deer and other animals. I leave them in a cave for when I change back and can eat it with my wolf teeth, which can tear at the meat easier."

I cringed, "I'm sorry that's too gross to even think about. Chicken on the bone makes me cringe. I certainly don't want a deer a la bullet hole with blood and guts de jour. Eww, grody to the max for real." It was hard to hold back my disgust, but it tickled Will and it seemed he needed a good laugh.

Will tired out before I did, probably from his body working extra hard today to heal his wounds. He was fighting sleep, trying to hide the yawning, assuring me he was fine and wanted to talk more. I made a promise that we would get to know each other more over breakfast and I left him on the couch retiring to my room to lie down.

Once in my room, my phone rang. It was really late and it startled me. It was Quinn. I hesitated to answer, at first. "Hello," I said nervously.

Quinn's voice was sad and quiet, "Hey Hon, I'm sorry to call so late. I can't stop thinking about earlier and I wanted to call and check on you and see if we were okay."

I didn't say anything until I heard him sigh on the other end of the line. "We're good Quinn. Look, I'm sorry about today. I'm not ready to face Jackie with my secret. It wasn't your fault; it's something I've been struggling with a lot. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings by leaving so abruptly."

It was obvious that's exactly what I did though, hurt his feelings, I hoped he could forgive me for it. "It's okay, I was worried that I made you mad and that wasn't my intention." Quinn went on. "Could we maybe see each other tomorrow?"

"Jackie's coming over tomorrow to hang out so...rain check?"

"Sure. As long as I know you still want to talk, I can wait. Goodnight." I put the phone on my nightstand and rolled over. On my pillow, there was a white rose with a piece of paper that said Please forgive me.-Love Quinn. Love? LOVE? I couldn't help the smile that crept over my face. I cradled the piece of paper in my hand and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up and stretched my arms and my whole body cracked. As I stretched, my hand touched the white rose Quinn had left. Lifting it from the pillow, I brought it up to my nose and savored the sweet smell. The fact that Quinn made such a romantic gesture made me smile. It also kind of gave me the shivers that he could come into my bedroom at any time, but I was looking at the positive side of the gesture. When I went downstairs and saw Will on the couch, I jumped. I had forgotten all about him being here. He slept peacefully and looked kind of cute actually.

Quietly, I crept past him and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for us. The aroma must have woken him up. He stumbled into the kitchen rubbing his eyes. "Something smells fantastic. Beautiful and a great cook? I'm lucky you found me." He grinned and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable and a bit flustered. He walked over and, as I turned to look at him, he leaned down and kissed me. I pulled back and he smiled, "Sorry was that too forward? I've never met anyone like you and you're so stunning..." He had brushed a hair behind my ear a moment before I stepped back from his reach. And who uses the word stunning?

"It's not that it wasn't nice, and under other circumstances I would've really enjoyed it..."

He looked confused, "I sense a 'but' coming on..."

I continued, "But...I'm sort of seeing someone at the moment...I think."

He snickered, "Um okay, well if you find out that you aren't actually seeing someone, I hope I'll be the first to know." He went to sit back down and I tried to fight the grin from forming on my face. This would only happen to me. Boys never knew I existed before and now I have two gorgeous men competing for my attention. Poor, poor, pitiful me.

He didn't have clothes, so I had given him some shorts of my dad's to sleep in. He didn't want a shirt because of our wolf temperature. When I'm alone, I wear as little as possible too. It was a bit uncomfortable sitting at the table with a half naked man, especially one that is so well sculpted. Will has short brown hair and strikingly deep brown eyes and he is about six foot and, as I said, well sculpted. The shorts were riding low on him to where you could see the cut on either side of his waist that forms a V as it goes right down to...ahem. So, back to breakfast; fixing his plate with bacon, eggs and toast, I sat it in front of him and he literally dove into it. It was sad to witness his famished state.

In the middle of breakfast, the doorbell rang and I wiped my mouth, of both food and drool at this point. I'm a single woman, sue me. I set my fork down and excused myself to get the door. It was too early for Jackie. I had no clue who I'd find there. Behind the door was... "Quinn, what are you doing here?"

That beautiful smile of his appeared and he held out a box of pastries and a cup of coffee. "I don't cook, but I can bring take-out. I wanted to surprise you this morning before Jackie got here, didn't want to interrupt girl time." He put his nose in the air and took a big whiff and smiled. "Guess I'm too late. You've already been busy making breakfast, is there enough to share? It smells fantastic."

Before I could answer, he stepped into the house and kissed me on the cheek. I was too shocked to say anything. He walked toward the kitchen and then I remembered Will.

He stopped just inside the kitchen doorway. I could tell he smelled what he was and the fact that Will was practically naked didn't help. Quinn turned back and looked at me in my robe and looked at Will in his shorts and bare chest. I said the first thing that came to mind, "It's not what you think...he's only sixteen." Well, that was good, Parker. First that doesn't really make sense seeing as how we're only a year apart and Quinn and I have sixty years between us, and now I hurt Will's feelings. I smacked my forehead and started over. "Ok, let me rephrase that somewhat. I found Will when I was driving home yesterday. He was hurt and I stopped to help him. He needed a place to stay, so I let him stay with me. He's a werewolf like I am, but you probably already figured that out."

Will jumped up knocking the chair backwards, "I thought no one knew what you were!"

I walked over to him, to get between him and Quinn. "Quinn figured out what I was, because he smelled it on me. He's a vampire."

Will backed up, almost falling over the chair, and proceeded to freak out, "What the hell? Vampire? Are you insane?"

I laughed and he looked more freaked out. "Vampires exist, just like Werewolves do. Have you done any research on what is going on with you?"

He shook his head; I should've guessed being that he has been living in a cave he wouldn't exactly have internet access. So, I went over and took his hand and led him up to my bedroom. I sat him down at the computer and showed him where I had kept notes on what I had found were truths versus myth.

Quinn hunched over the table with a harsh look on his face and he didn't even turn to face me before he lectured me about Will. "He spent the night here? With you? Alone? Where are your parents? What were you thinking bringing a werewolf to stay here?" I had come to stand in front of him, forcing him to look at me as he spoke.

I slammed my cup down and shouted. "Can I answer one question at a time, please?" My cup shattered and cut my palm. Quinn was beside me in an instant and grabbed my hand; my first instinct was to pull back.

He calmly stated, "I'm not going to drink your blood, Parker. I'm checking your hand." It was clear my actions hurt his feelings. He covered it with a towel and I apologized. Then, to make up for today and yesterday and any other time I have hurt him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

His lips felt wonderful on mine; I'd missed kissing him. At first it was so light and sweet, it became more passionate as he wove his fingers through my hair and pulled me tighter against him. His body was cold, but his lips were the perfect temperature against mine. His hands moved from my hair to the small of my back and my heart felt like it would explode with the feelings stirring inside me.

We separated at last and he smiled and apologized for acting crazy about Will. "I found your rose and note. Thank you, that was very sweet," I said as I brushed his hair out of his face. "You don't have to be jealous of Will. I just need a friend that understands what I am going through. I've never met another werewolf before and he left his whole family behind and has been living in the woods all by himself. I only wanted to help him out."

Quinn let go of me without saying anything and walked upstairs. He came back with Will. Will looked a bit scared of Quinn, which was understandable since he just found out that vampires were real. We all sat down and talked and shared our stories and it seemed like all was going well. Then there was a knock on the door.

I was a bit hesitant leaving the boys alone, but it was my house so I went to answer the door. "Jackie, you're early!" I exclaimed.

Jackie walked in, saw Quinn and Will and turned back to me with a big grin on her face, "Am I interrupting something?" she asked. I rolled my eyes and led her into the living room. I introduced her to Will and told her that it was an old friend of Quinn's that was in town to see him. They both gave me odd looks, but it would be kind of hard to explain that two new guys moved to our small town in the same year. Our population mainly goes up when babies are born.

Quinn knew I needed time alone with Jackie so he said that he and Will were going to go catch up on old times. Quinn had his hand on Will's neck, leading him to the door. Will looked scared stiff so I walked them outside and told him that he could trust Quinn and nothing would happen to him. I gave Quinn a look to let him know that he better not do anything to Will or he'd answer to me. He seemed to get the point. He smiled, leaned over and gave me a big smooch as Will watched. Marking his territory, immature, but I'm not complaining.

Jackie eagerly waited for me to come back in. She had a crazy idea that I wanted to date both Will and Quinn and that I got caught and made up some stupid lie to cover it up. She watched too many soap operas. I explained to her how I met Will. Well, I told her that Quinn came over this morning and had Will with him and asked me if he could stay on my couch so Quinn could get his place ready for company. I left out the werewolf part, the finding him in the street and the kiss part. That part I'm going to leave out of all stories I tell, especially to Quinn. She didn't buy it, I could tell. This is getting harder and harder. I loathe lying to my best friend.
Chapter Seven

It's Monday morning. The weekend went by way too fast. As I walk down the hallway at school, I noticed Will standing at a locker, filling it with books. Jackie walked up and began a conversation with him. If Will was going to stick around that would blow my story. How will I explain that? I made my way over to them as they were both laughing at something. "Hey guys! Will, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm going to start going to school here. Quinn likes it so I figure I will give it a shot too. I'm going to stay with him until I find my own place."

Whew! He's going along with the story I made up, that helps. I'll have to catch him after school to get the real scoop from him.

"So, speaking of Quinn, where is he this morning?" Will just shrugged and said he had to go to class and walked away which seemed weird. Well, I guess I really don't know him well enough to know if it's weird, but it looked like he was dodging my question. I had a few minutes before class so I searched through my purse for my phone and dialed Quinn's number. No answer. Maybe he slept in, or maybe he's in a class already and his phone is off. I needed to get to class and I'm sure he will be there waiting for me. I quickly grabbed my books from my locker and made a mad dash down the hall. I swung the door open and quickly perused the room; No sign of Quinn. I suppose that I will try again after class.

Before I know it, lunchtime rolls around and I still haven't been able to get in touch with Quinn. I'm beginning to get worried that he left town or something, but that would be ridiculous. I mean, we didn't fight or anything. We even left things on a really good note. Maybe I'm worried for nothing, maybe he just needs a day to himself. People need those once in a while, right? I'm so stressed about this that I couldn't even eat my sandwich today because I was freaking out inside. I scanned the lunchroom repeatedly searching for a sign of Quinn. Jackie and Mitchell were at a table together. He looked a bit weird today, but Jackie doesn't seem to notice. They hadn't spent a lot of time together lately with him tutoring Quinn; I wanted to leave them alone at lunch. Wonder why he isn't eating? Does he know something about Quinn?

Oh geez, what is wrong with me? I'm going to eat my sandwich and stop acting like a stalker girlfriend...err...friend, whatever the heck we are. I jump when my phone dings; it's a text from Quinn.

Quinn: Sorry, I missed your calls, see you tonight. Everything is fine; I'll explain my absence later.

With a great sigh of relief, I think Thank goodness he's okay.

It was a wasted day at school. I barely learned anything due to the anxiety to find out what it was that he needed to explain. Who would've thought I could be one of those girls that needed to see her guy all the time? Not that he is my guy, but...Ugh...I feel incomplete without him around. That sounds so cheesy I know, but there is no better way to describe it. Someone called my name as I headed out the door. I turned around and spotted Will walking my way with a smile. "Hey, I'm kind of in a hurry. On my way to see Quinn, can we talk later?"

With a look of uncertainty, he said, "Sure. Can I walk with you?"

"Fine," I said, a little harsher than I meant to.

During our walk, I got the impression he wanted to tell me something, but couldn't. Could be that I'm being paranoid again, or not. Will began by saying, "I think there's something you should know about..."

Before he could finish, I jumped his case, "Look you don't even know Quinn and for that matter you barely know me. So, before you try to tell me what a horrible guy he is, just keep it to yourself because I don't want to hear it."

And he continued with little hesitation, "As I was saying, there is something you should know about...Mitchell."

I stopped and glared at him, "What are you talking about? He is dating my best friend. From what I can tell he is a good guy and I have known him for years. You just met him. What could you know about him that I don't?"

His face was somber, "Why are you getting so mad at me? I'm trying to talk to you and you keep jumping down my throat. What's wrong?"

Taking in a deep breath, I calmly said, "Nothing, I'm just a little on edge right now. Please go inside and send Quinn out and I will talk to you tomorrow at school. Right now, I need to see Quinn." He threw his arms up in the air in defeat and walked into the house. A few minutes later, Quinn came out.

He barely stepped off his porch before I threw my arms around him, causing him to almost lose his balance. He laughed, "That's the best greeting I've gotten from you. I told you everything was fine," he said as he patted my hair and I clung to him as tight as I could. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" Sigh. He called me sweetheart, I'm melting again.

I pulled back from him and glanced up at the worried expression on his face. "I'm fine, I was worried about you. Why weren't you in school today? What happened? And why is Will telling me I should know something about Mitchell? Is he bad news for Jackie? Did he cheat on her? What?" The questions poured out of my mouth before I could stop to think or give him time to answer.

He put his hands on my shoulders, "Calm down, take a deep breath and let's go for a walk." He took my hand and led me away from the house. Will stood at the door watching us, which was a little creepy.

Quinn held my hand as we walked. Things were beginning to feel normal for me; I'm just an average teenage girl with a cute boyfriend-ish...person. Forget it; I'm going to consider him my boyfriend based on the fact that we have kissed more than once. That seemed like a reasonable enough assumption. For the moment, let's forget that we both have alternate personalities. Life seemed so good right now; it almost made me forget that I had questions that needed answers. Almost.

We stopped, about two blocks from his house, and sat down on the curb. "How was school today?"

I cocked my eyebrow at him and said, "Really...small talk? Come on now. Something is up, just tell me." I placed my hand on top of his and squeezed for support.

"I didn't come to school today because I knew I was going to have to tell you the truth, especially after Will found out last night. Mitchell isn't tutoring me. I guess you could say that I'm tutoring him."

Confused, I said. "Huh?" Apparently that was pretty funny because he started laughing nervously and a bit hysterically. "Um...ok. You're acting kind of weird," I said to him.

He stopped laughing, "It's because I don't want you to hate me. I'm a nervous wreck telling you this. We seem to be at a good place right now and I don't want to ruin it. I like you a lot, Parker. I don't want to start this relationship with secrets between us either."

Rubbing his back, I said, "I like you too. I couldn't imagine anything that would make me hate you."

He replied, "I wanted to wait for the right time, but Will knows now and, well, I couldn't wait anymore. Remember I told you how vampires have to feed to live and they can either turn someone or kill them? Well, when I first came to town it was hard for me. I'd never lived in a small town so I could always find food without an issue; sometimes I even bought blood from a butcher or stole it from a hospital when I was desperate."

"I was hunting in the woods one day and I smelled a human nearby. I was already in my hunger phase and I couldn't control myself. My body instantly turned towards the smell. I tracked the human and I bit him. I was able to stop myself in time to turn him. I felt horrible about it, so I took him in and started to teach him what he needed to know. That guy was..."

Images ran through my mind of Mitchell wearing sunglasses all the time, the fact that his appetite has changed recently and he hardly eats lunch, inviting him into my home the same time I invited Quinn. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, I was so shocked..."Mitchell?!" I exclaimed. He nodded in affirmation. I stood up immediately and took off running toward Jackie's house that was a few blocks away.

Quinn grabbed me in a flash and lifted me in the air, "Please stop, please just let me explain...listen to me," he begged. I punched him repeatedly telling him to let me go and eventually he gave in and set me down.

Jackie's house was a few blocks from where I left Quinn standing. I began banging on the door when Mrs. Martin flung it open and I burst through yelling Jackie's name. "What in God's name is wrong with you, Parker?" her mom yelled.

"Where's Jackie??" I screamed.

Just then, Jackie came out of her bedroom, white as a ghost, and said my name. I ran and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay, Parker?" Jackie asked. "Why are you freaking out? Have you gone completely mental?" Now it was my turn to laugh wildly. "Ok, you're freaking me out now, Parker! What's up?" Jackie asked exasperated.

"Where's Mitchell?" I demanded.

"At his house, why?" asked Jackie. "Come on, let's go to my room. Mom, Parker said she is sorry she scared you," yelled Jackie.

We went to her room and she shut the door, turned around, and glared at me. "What's going on Parker? You're acting really weird. Mitchell has been behaving differently too and I don't know how much more I can take. You guys are the two most important people in my life and I feel like I don't know either of you lately."

Wondering if she already knew something I had to ask her to elaborate. "What do you mean he's been acting weird? How?"

She sat down on the bed and started fidgeting, "He's been pulling away from me, Park. He barely touches me lately. The only conclusion I can come to is he's cheating on me."

I took a seat next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "Mitchell's not cheating on you. I promise. There are a few things you should know about Mitchell and about me as well." She appeared anxious and I realized my words made it sound like I could be leading to a different outcome. I needed to make her understand before she jumped to crazy conclusions.

I began by telling her the truth about me; that should be easier for her to handle. The story of how I became a werewolf was pretty easy to relay, considering how much I've stressed over it. First, she laughed uncontrollably and then she repeatedly smacked my arm, telling me to stop lying to her and tell her what's really going on. I wasn't laughing. In fact, I was shaking and she finally noticed. She grew serious, slowly sat back down on the bed, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

I stood up and started to leave. "Wait, Parker don't go," Jackie said at last.

"But aren't you scared of me? Don't you want to call your parents and turn me in or something?"

Jackie was a bit astonished, "Why would I want to do that? You're my best friend, my sister. I mean it isn't your fault that this happened to you."

"Funny thing is, I had already considered it as the reason you left each month. I was watching a movie about werewolves and the full moon and the days of shifting. I put the pieces together when I looked over the calendar and realized that you were always gone during the full moon. I had to keep track of the dates in case something came up later about it. I laughed at myself for believing something so crazy and decided to wait until you were ready to share with me. So, basically, I suspected you were a werewolf all along, it's just a little different hearing it confirmed."

This was better than I could've ever dreamed. She took the news so readily that I smiled and jumped on top of her, hugging her and laughing. "I wasted two years being terrified of telling you this and it was so easy!" So, we spent the afternoon with her asking me all kinds of questions about what it's like, what I eat, who all knows my secret, etc. Yep, when it got to the question of who knows, I knew I would have to tell her why Quinn knew before she did.

"Jackie, Mitchell isn't cheating on you, he's a vampire. He has been pulling away from you so that he doesn't rip your throat out and drink your blood." Ok, even saying that in my mind sounds totally crazy and terrifying. "Quinn is a vampire, I'm in love with him and he turned your boyfriend into one too, isn't that awesome? Now, if I turn you into a werewolf, we can all be together and happy!" Whoa, I'm in love with Quinn? Weird how that is the part of the conversation, in my head of course, that sticks out to me. I had over two years to figure out how to tell Jackie I was a werewolf, but only a few minutes to figure out how to tell her that the boy she has loved since she was five was now a vampire.

"Jackie, there's something you need to know. You thought werewolves were a myth, well; there is another myth that is actually true as well. Vampires exist." This time I spoke it out loud. "Besides the fact they exist, both Quinn and Mitchell are vampires. Quinn turned Mitchell a few weeks ago. It wasn't his fault. It takes you over and you can't control yourself when the hunger is so intense. But, not all vampires are evil."

Jackie didn't look shocked, at all. It was weird how quiet she was and I started to believe that maybe she had already figured it out somehow, "Um, did you already know this too?" I asked. Then I realized, I said too much, she didn't look shocked, she was in shock. Shaking her wasn't working and I decided to keep talking and explaining what happened, what vampires were about, and how Quinn was a great guy and obviously Mitchell is too. She still sat quietly, staring at the wall. I grew worried when her cell phone rang and she didn't flinch. "Hello...Hey, can you please come over here? Jackie needs you...like now, thanks." I said and hung up. I sat and put my arms around Jackie trying to comfort her and bring her back to reality.

Mitchell burst in the room seconds later. He stopped when he saw the catatonic Jackie and the panicked look on my face as I held her and begged her to come back to me. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

"She knows everything," I said. Those three words caused Mitchell to become distraught.

He sat down beside Jackie and as soon as he put his hand on her she whipped around, saw his face, and screamed. Mrs. Martin is going to have a heart attack thanks to me.

I ran out of the room to calm Jackie's mom and found a note that she had gone to the store. Thank goodness for small miracles. Mitchell was still in the same place when I got back to the room, but Jackie was crouched in the corner blubbering. I went to her and tried to calm her in the best way I could. "Jackie, honey, Mitchell is still the same guy nothing has changed. Look at him. He still loves you. He's still the boy you fell in love with so many years ago. Please don't be scared, it's okay sweetie." I took her face in my hands and looked her in the eyes, "Would I lie to you?" Stupid question, Parker since you've been lying to her for years. I could only hope she didn't think too hard at this moment.

Jackie started to calm down and looked over at Mitchell. "Mishy, why didn't you tell me?" she cried out. Mishy? Wonder if I will ever have an odd term of endearment for Quinn, like Q-Q or Quinny-bear, QuinnQuinn. Oh barf, those are all too weird to even think about anymore. Besides, I left Quinn standing in the middle of the street after he trusted me with a secret that I'm sure was difficult to admit to. In fact, that would be the second time he confided in me and I ran off on him. There may be no terms of endearment in our future. One thing I've found I am good at, running off from Quinn each time he trusts me with a deep dark secret. That's an excellent way to be in a relationship.

Back to Jackie and...Mishy. Eww. Mitchell went slowly to Jackie and knelt in front of her. He took her hand from me and started to rub it with his and then kissed it. She didn't pull back, so that's a positive sign. She looked at him and a sad half smile came over her face. He leaned down and kissed her, "I love you Jackie, I was scared of losing you and that's why I hadn't told you, but I would never hurt you, I promise you that." They hugged and I felt a wave of relief, I was afraid I destroyed my best friends life today.
Chapter Eight

Backing my way out of the room, I softly shut the door. They didn't even remember I was there it seemed. I thought it was best to leave the two lovebirds alone to work things out. It's not every day that you find out your soul mate was a bloodthirsty demon. Although around this town, it was becoming more common.

It was a beautiful day, about sixty degrees and the sky was bright blue. I walked toward my house and then changed direction and went to the park. There was an open swing so I grabbed it. After sitting there for a few minutes, someone walked up behind me and gave me a push. I knew it had to be Quinn and he wasn't mad about what happened earlier. He continued to push me and neither of us spoke for the next few minutes. He grabbed my waist, helping me come to a stop. I closed my eyes, leaned back and puckered my lips. He kissed me, but it tasted different this time. It wasn't the same passion as before either. When he pulled back, I opened my eyes and yelped. Will stood over me with a smirk on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, hopping out of the swing and turning to face him.

He chuckled, "You practically asked me to kiss you just now."

I rolled my eyes, "You know I thought you were Quinn, I know you know that."

He shrugged and said, "Prove it. I didn't give you any reason to think I was Quinn. You can't blame me if you go around asking guys to kiss you." I gave him a disgusted look and stomped off. I was so mad I could spit. I was mad at Will and mad that I let myself think he was Quinn.

I needed to go home and hope for a better tomorrow. This day has not been a pleasant one. My boyfriend tells me that he turned one of my friends into a vampire and then I break my best friend's heart and had to bring her back from insanity and now I kissed another guy. Wait...did I just refer to Quinn as my boyfriend? I have got to stop doing that until I know for sure. Why does my mind always wander off to the most selfish minute thoughts?

That night I couldn't go to sleep without trying to reach Quinn, so I texted him.

Me: Hope you are ok, I am so sorry I ran off, I had to get to Jackie. Everything is ok now. CU2morrow?

A few minutes went by before he texted me back so I thought it would be longer, but it only had one word.

Quinn: OK

Maybe I woke him up, who knows. Anxious for a new day, and the opportunity to see Quinn and make things right between us, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

At school the next morning, I saw Quinn standing by his locker, so I hurried over to him. When he turned my way, I waved and smiled excitedly. He slammed the locker and walked in the opposite direction. Ouch, that stung. Calling his name out didn't even cause him to flinch. I knew he heard me, Vampires have excellent hearing. Well, he can't ignore me forever, and why is he mad at me? He's the one who turned my best friend's boyfriend into a vampire. I was only worried about my friend. This is ridiculous and, for a 76-year-old, he is acting mighty childish. When I walked into class, I noticed Quinn had managed to switch places with someone so that there were no open seats around him. He sat beside Christine of all people. She flirted with him and he acted like he enjoyed the fact that she touched him so much. Jerk. I glared at him for a moment. He wouldn't make eye contact with me, so I sat by Mitchell instead.

Leaning over, I whispered to Mitchell, "Is Jackie Ok?" He smiled and gave me thumbs up. At least someone was still happy together. When the bell rang I thought I would have another shot, but Quinn took off like a bat out of hell to his next class. Every class up until lunch was like that.

In the cafeteria, I found him at a table by himself. He tried to ignore me, but I took my tray to his table and slammed it down. He growled. He actually growled at me. What a douche. "Why are you mad at me?" I demanded of him. He looked away and back at his food. "Hello? You're gonna have to tell me eventually! I'm sorry I ran off on you, but you really can't blame me for being worried about my best friend."

He slammed his fork down, stabbing it into the table, and I jumped back. "Oh yeah, you seemed real torn up, kid. Did you enjoy swinging at the park yesterday?" He asked.

Weird, I didn't realize he knew I had gone swinging at the park. "Uh, sure, I guess it was a good stress reliever," I responded.

He scoffed, "Is that what it was? A stress reliever? Well, I'm glad you had Will to help you with that." Duh, I'm such an idiot. He saw Will kiss me. Actually, he saw me ask Will to kiss me. At least that's what it would look like to anyone else. Crap! No wonder he is mad. To a bystander, that had to look like a romantic moment between us. Crap, Crap, Crap!

Sitting down, I started to explain what happened from the time I ran off from him until the incident in the park. Before I could even get to the part about the park, Quinn stopped me. "You don't have to tell me anything, sweetheart." That time he put so much anger into the word. It was the first time it didn't make me swoon when he called me that. "We don't mean anything to each other, right? You actually did me a favor. Now I don't have to pretend to care and we can be the natural enemies we're supposed to be. It's obvious that you feel that way already. You've made it abundantly clear that you don't trust me because of what I am, so I'm going to make this easier on both of us." And he plunged the knife straight into my heart, metaphorically of course.

I was too shocked to speak and he took advantage of the opportunity to get up and leave me sitting there. As he walked away, the tears started to pour out of my eyes. I don't know why I thought he actually cared about me. It's obvious that he was using me to stay alive. He knew that if I found out what he was I would kill him, so he got close to me and made me fall for him. I hate him. And now, I will have to kill him, once my heart stops breaking.

My first instinct was to call Jackie, but I was blubbering so hard by the time she picked up that she didn't know what I was saying. Eventually, I was able to enunciate 'bathroom' enough for her. She came in and found me in a stall and I spilled everything that happened; the misunderstanding with Will that led to the truth about Quinn's feelings for me and my heart being shattered into tiny fractions. She made every attempt to calm me. When I finally was able to stop crying she told me that I needed to talk to Quinn. She believed he said that because he was hurt and afraid of the truth, afraid I was going to tell him I was in love with Will because of what we had in common. She had to be vague in case anyone was around. My response was to tell her, again, that she watched too many soap operas.

She took my hand and, as I was leaving the bathroom, I noticed my face was a mess. She grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and cleaned my face as a mother would do for a child. Mitchell waited outside the door and wanted to know if I was okay.

"Mitch, can we meet up later?" Jackie asked.

Reluctantly, I spoke up and insisted Mitchell could come with us because I could see he was disappointed. So, the happy couple and the third wheel, me, walked home. Thankfully we didn't talk about Quinn. When we made it to the house, I thanked them both and told Jackie to go be with Mitchell that I would be fine and wanted to lie down and get a nap.

The house was empty; I barely made it to my room before collapsing on the bed in tears. I ended up sobbing myself to sleep. Out of pure exhaustion, I slept until morning. When I awoke there was a text on my phone, it was from Quinn.

Quinn: Mitchell said you were crying yesterday, I wanted to make sure you're alright. I

Me: Mitchell shouldn't have told you that, it's not like you care, you made that clear. Just leave me the hell alone and I will do the same for you.

No response. It was a struggle to get out of bed, but I needed a shower. My head throbbed and my eyes were pretty raw from crying. The memory of the day before hit me, like a ton of bricks, and I sat against the wall of the shower and slid down until I was on the floor. I had my knees pulled up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. My eyes were burning, they were so dry and I had cried the last of my tears it seemed. It felt like my heart was breaking all over again, but I couldn't release the pain. It kept replaying in my head, over and over. Quinn telling me that he never cared and that I meant nothing to him. It baffled me why I was so destroyed over this boy I barely knew. It almost scared me how empty I felt now. The water started to run cold and brought me out of my trance. I turned the water off, grabbed a towel, dried off and wrapped my hair in another towel.

After showering, I headed downstairs in my robe and made breakfast for my parents. The thought of food made me sick to my stomach, but it was something to do to feel a sense of normalcy and take my mind off things. They came down, made small talk, ate breakfast and left for work. I must have looked a hot mess because my mom had no problem calling the school and telling them I was sick and wouldn't be in today, it was even her suggestion to do so. It wasn't a lie that I was sick, my headache had formed into a migraine.

I went back up to my room and got on my computer. It was time to update my social media status with some quip about how much life sucked and men were evil. Except that I didn't. Instead, I wrote, 'Feel like crap today.' That sums it up. I plopped down on the bed and went back to sleep.

Next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by Jackie. "Hey girl, I was worried about you. Look, don't be mad, but I explained everything to Quinn about what happened. He's stubborn" and in an annoyed tone, "not unlike you actually." Her tone filled with concern, "He didn't want to listen, but when I was finished he felt horrible and he wants to see you. He said he didn't mean a word of it."

"He just feels bad because he made a girl cry. He doesn't care about me, he never did."

Jackie shook her head in disagreement. "Give him a chance, Park. You should've seen his face. Actually you should've seen how mad he was when he saw Will. I've never seen someone so angry. I couldn't hold him back. Mitchell had to do it with his super strength and I thought for sure the secret would be out."

I sat up abruptly. "He didn't hurt anyone did he?" Jackie shook her head. Thank goodness, I thought.

Lying back down, I rolled over to stare out the window. "Jackie, I just want to be alone today. I'll consider talking to Quinn, but right now I have such a bad headache that I just want to focus on getting rid of that." Of course, that wasn't the only thing that hurt; I don't need everyone to think I'm suicidal or anything drastic. In a few days, I'm sure I'll feel better...I hope. She ignored me and got a cold rag for my head and tried this trick she knows for headaches which worked somewhat. Once I was feeling a little better, I hugged her and thanked her for being so great just as she was leaving.

My phone had been buzzing all day long, Quinn would call and then text, the same text over and over.

Quinn: Please call me, I do care, we need to talk, I need to see you.

I couldn't answer them. Even if he didn't mean it, he still said it and it hurt too badly right now. I needed time to think, time to clear my head of the memory of those damaging words. I grabbed a book off the shelf and was going to go sit on the porch swing and read to take advantage of some fresh air. Setting my book on the swing, I walked down to get the mail and inside the box was a white rose and a note that said I love you—Quinn. He made my heart stop again, but this time it was in a good way.

I lifted the rose and inhaled deeply. White roses were my favorite, but I don't remember telling him that. An odd feeling came over me as though he were nearby; I could feel his presence. A short ways down the road he waited to see me. He raised his hand and slightly waved it. Standing still, in a state of shock almost, I didn't motion back and he dropped his head and turned to walk away.

"Wait" I barely spoke. He turned around and, in the blink of an eye, he was at my side. A giggle escaped me and it made him smile. My arms extended outward to him and he moved in closer to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I nestled my head into his chest and he rested his head on mine and held me tightly. We stood there holding each other for what seemed like an eternity. Our body temperatures seemed to perfectly meld together, his cold and my warmth made for a comfortable feeling between us, a feeling I didn't want to lose. Pulling back from the hug, I took his hand and he followed me into the house.

We sat on the couch and he reached out and ran his thumb along my cheek. "You're so beautiful," he said. I looked down as my cheeks redden. He lifted my chin so that our eyes made contact again. He leaned forward and began kissing me and I didn't stop it, nor did I want to. I lay back on the couch and he gently lay on top of me, not breaking the contact. His body was like stone to the touch, but it felt as though his body floated above me. If it weren't for the passion I felt from his kisses I wouldn't even know he was lying on me. Then, we heard the key in the door and both jumped up. My parents were home.

My dad walked in and looked surprised, "Hey Princess, who's your friend?"

Without hesitating I said, "This is Quinn, my...boyfriend. He stopped by to check on me since I wasn't in school today." It was obvious that introducing him as my boyfriend was a bit shocking to Quinn and my father.

Although, Quinn seemed happily surprised with the revelation and that was a relief. He stood up and went straight to my father and firmly shook his hand, "You have an amazing daughter, sir."

My dad smiled and said, "That I do, son. Sit down, please." He and Quinn sat and talked while I went and cooked dinner.

They were laughing and getting along great, from what I could tell eavesdropping in the kitchen. My mom came home as I was finishing dinner. After she had met Quinn, she came running in to get the 'scoop' from me and talk about what a 'hottie' he was. That was a weird conversation for me. My mom acted like a teenage girl gushing with her BFF over the star quarterback. Creepy. Dinner went well and my parents were not embarrassing, believe it or not. Quinn wooed them; in fact he completely won them over. He could propose to me right now and they would probably jump for joy. Why do I keep thinking about things like that? I know there is no rational future for Quinn and me.

While I cleared the table, Quinn asked my parents for permission to take a walk with me. Of course, they said yes and exchanged looks of disbelief and joy that he asked. My mom came over and took the remaining dishes from me, giving me a big grin and a girlie squeal of joy. It's sad when you're more mature than your mother.

Quinn and I stepped outside to a sky full of millions of stars visible tonight. I wanted to forget the last couple of days had ever happened, but I knew we had to talk about it in the long run, so I went ahead and opened the subject. "I'm not mad at you about Mitchell, I never was. I understand that you didn't do it because you wanted to. You did it because you lost control for a brief second, but it could've been worse."

He didn't say anything so I continued, "All I heard that day, in my head, was that Jackie was in trouble. Something good came out of it though. You telling me that gave me the strength to tell her what I am and she accepted it. I couldn't believe how well she took it. The truth about Mitchell was harder for her though. I'm not sure why, maybe because Vampires are supposedly always evil whereas werewolves change once a month, as she has always heard, that is. Or maybe it was that she learned one right after the other and it was too much to take. I tried to explain to her how it really was and I finally got through and she and Mitchell are better than ever."

I paused when I realized I was rambling and he hadn't said a word. He looked at me, "Why did you stop?"

"I don't want to bore you with my ramblings," I laughed.

He squeezed my hand, "Nah, you couldn't bore me. I love hearing you talk." What a load, I thought. It bothered me a bit that he didn't respond about what I said, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he was choosing his words. Perhaps he just needs time to...think it over.

While we were walking, something occurred to me, "Is Will still staying at your house?"

Quinn fidgeted as he admitted, "No, that day that I found you at the park, I kicked him out and he hasn't been back since. I think he's sneaking into the school at night and sleeping there. Don't be mad, I just didn't want him around. It was too hard to look at him. The two of you have this bond, the whole werewolf thing."

His face dropped and his voice became solemn, "I owe you so much more than an apology, Parker. The things I said to you...the part about not caring about you...I just feel...I feel horrible about it. From the moment it came out of my mouth, I wanted to take it back. I was hurt and thought that you didn't care and that it wouldn't matter what I said anyway. Then I looked at your expression after I said it. You were heartbroken, it was all over your face, and it broke my heart to see that look of pain and know I was the source of it. Then Mitchell told me what happened later and I...well there are no words to express how sorry I am. You do understand that none of what I said had any meaning behind it. It was all a lie that day."

It was difficult to hear that moment rehashed, but it meant a lot to me that he was explaining himself. "I'm not going to lie to you. The things you said did hurt tremendously," a look of misery came over his face and he dropped his eyes from mine. I lifted his chin until he was looking at me again. "I accept your apology and I know that you didn't mean it now. I'm not upset anymore, I promise."

He took my hand, kissed it, smiled, and said, "Speaking of mad, it's getting late, I should get you back home while your parents still like me." He walked me back to the house and the light was still on in the living room. My parents were waiting up for me. He did the gentlemanly thing and kissed my cheek and told me goodnight.
Chapter Nine

"Parker, sweetie, can you come downstairs, please," my mom called from the living room. I hung up the phone from filling Jackie in about Quinn meeting my parents. I ran downstairs and my parents were seated on the couch, looking quite serious about something. Uh-oh, this can't be good.

"What's up?" I asked. They motioned for me to sit down. This is probably going to be a lecture about the limitations I have now that I have a boyfriend. I hoped it wouldn't turn into an embarrassing sex-ed talk.

"Princess," my dad began, "my job requires me to go to a conference next week, and we'll be gone for two weeks. It's in Seattle, Washington so we're going to use this as a chance to take a long vacation together. We were going to ask you to go, but after meeting Quinn and the fact that you're in school at the moment, we think you probably would rather stay here." I agreed. A vacation would be nice, but Seattle? It rains there like 24/7, so no big loss.

He continued, "That being said, we need to lay some ground rules about the house and what goes on here while we're gone." I cringed.

Oh great, here comes the sex talk. I had hoped I avoided that. "I know what you're going to say Dad. Don't worry, I won't have overnight visits with Quinn or throw any wild parties or do anything crazy like that."

He smiled, "I trust you, Princess. You're about to turn eighteen and you'll officially be an adult. You've always been more mature than most teenage girls. Quinn seems like a fine upstanding young man. We don't mind if he comes over, and if it makes you feel better for someone to stay with you..." What? My parents are going to allow me to have a boy spend the night! "...you could have Jackie spend the week," he finished. That made more sense. For a second there, I actually thought Quinn had won them over entirely.

"Cool dad, I think I will have Jackie stay. Girl time would be nice." I replied.

My parents went on about different rules that I had to follow and requested I check in with them every night. When I was excused, I went up to my room and called Jackie back. I told her the good news and she was so excited. We were going to have a good old fashioned sleepover, no boys allowed. Well, okay, so the boys would probably be here some, I'm a teenage girl after all. I can't be expected to follow all the rules, all the time! Besides, they said no boys could sleep over, but didn't say that they couldn't hang with us.

At school the next day, I had been standing at my locker when Quinn grabbed me from behind and playfully bit my neck. I squealed and laughed as I turned around to face him. I couldn't wait to tell him about my parents and when I did he got a sly look on his face. He was disappointed when I told him not to get any ideas of sleeping over and filled him in on their rules, but he understood. He kissed me and said, "Don't move," and then reached into his locker. He put his hand behind his back and shut the door. "Happy Birthday, Parker," he said as he brought his hand forward, enclosed around a small box.

"How did you know?" I said, elated as I took the gift from him.

"Jackie told me the other day. I was wondering why you hadn't mentioned it."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Truthfully, I forgot because it's never really been that important to me. It's just another day really."

He put his arms around my waist. "Well, it's an important day to me, so get used to celebrating it from now on. Now open your present!" he said eagerly.

All I could think about at this moment was that he was making plans to celebrate my birthday in the future; he genuinely did care about me. The gift was wrapped so perfectly in gold wrapping; inside it was a small velvet box. I slowly opened it and inside there was a ring. No, not that kind of ring; I know we've moved fast, but come on now. It was a claddagh ring, with an opal heart in the center. My ability to speak was gone, it was beautiful and this was the first time I'd ever gotten jewelry from a man.

Quinn reached in and picked up the ring. He took the box from me and lifted my wrist. My hand jerked back instinctively, "I can't wear that, it's silver!"

He reached for my hand again and as he slid the ring onto my left ring finger he said "It's white gold, silly." It was a perfect fit. "Do you like it? It's a claddagh ring,"

"An Irish ring that symbolizes love and friendship," we said at the same time.

I couldn't take my eyes off of it. "I...I love it. I have always wanted one, ever since Angel gave one to Buffy," he chuckled at my television reference. "And it has my birthstone in it; I've never seen one with a stone in it. Thank you...thank you so much." I threw my arms around him, his arms lingered at my waist and he nestled his face in my neck.

He started laughing, "Now that's the reaction I was hoping for. I am glad you like it."

Letting go of him, I exclaimed, "Like it? I love it! It is the perfect gift, and you even got white gold. That was so thoughtful."

He gave me a strange look and whispered, "Well, silver wouldn't exactly be good for me either. I would prefer to hold your hand without feeling my skin burn."

Hmm, that's news to me, "So, Vampires can't touch silver either? I didn't know that. Does it make you sick too?"

He shook his head, "No, it burns our skin. I could show you if you want. It'll heal; it just takes longer than normal."

He reached for a trophy in a case nearby to prove his point and I quickly grabbed his arm, "That's really okay, babe. Don't need to watch your skin sizzle, I believe you." He nodded in understanding and we made our way to the lunchroom.

We joined Mitchell and Jackie in the cafeteria and started making plans for the next week. Jackie and I told them we wanted some girl time to do our nails, gossip and act goofy without having to impress boys for at least one night. Out of nowhere, Jackie screamed and grabbed my hand, "What is that? It's stunning!" So apparently people do say stunning.

I blushed and looked at Quinn, "It's from Quinn, for my birthday."

Jackie's hand went to her mouth, "Sweetie, I forgot that's today. I'm so sorry. I have your gift at home and I'll bring it to your house this weekend."

She came around the table and threw her arm around me as she continued squealing over the ring. The guys were laughing at our how girly-girl we were at the moment. "Happy Birthday Parker," Mitchell said.

As he was saying it, Will walked up. "It's your birthday? I had no idea, Happy Birthday, babe" he said and he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

If looks could kill, Quinn would've just murdered him on the spot. I placed my hand on his leg to steady him. He got the hint and did his best to smile, not his normal cute smile though, a forced one. "Thanks, Will, please join us for lunch," I said, trying to be nice and ease the tension at the table. Will sat down on the other side of me and we all tried to act normal, but you could cut the tension with a knife. This awkwardness was my fault. I brought Will into our group and I am also the dummy that wasn't paying attention and basically asked him to kiss me which, in turn, made everyone hate him.

Lunch was almost over and I couldn't let things continue this way. "Ok, look guys, this is my fault. Will didn't do anything wrong. He's my friend and I want all of us to get along. It's my birthday, so I get what I want, right? Will, next week my parents will be out of town and I'd like you to join us for movie and pizza night. What do you say?" Quinn looked at me astonished.

Will replied "I'd love to, thanks, Parker." Will grinned and looked straight at Quinn, who was fuming. I really wished he would act more mature after I extended an olive branch to make sure he stayed in the group and doesn't end up alone in the woods again. Instead, he acted like he won a round over my boyfriend, and that is so not the case.

After lunch, I gave Quinn a quick kiss and asked him to go on to class without me. He was a bit hesitant at first but gave in and left alone. I grabbed Will's arm and pulled him back to the table. "What's up, Harris?" he asked. He called me by my last name this time which was actually cool because that's usually what 'buddies' do and it was much better than him calling me babe and making Quinn's head explode.

"Look, Will, I need you to help me out here. I care about you and I want us to be friends, but it's hard to do that when you are exchanging looks with Quinn all the time and trying to mark territories. You need to meet me half way here and really try to get along with everyone...that includes Quinn."

Will sighed, "I'm sorry, Parker. Quinn and I will never be best friends, but I'll try and exhibit my best behavior from now on. I don't want to lose you as a friend. I'll do this...for you, OK?"

I smiled, "That's all I'm asking, for you to try. It means a lot to me that you're willing."

He grinned, "Well, willing is my first name, Will's just a nickname." I groaned at his lame joke. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, lingering with his lips touching my face for a little longer than he probably should have.

As I pulled away from him, and turned to walk out of the lunchroom, I saw Quinn standing there watching. Here comes the lecture, I thought. My shoulders slumped; I didn't have the energy to fight today. I walked up to him and said in a defeated tone, "I thought we were going to meet in class."

He looked over my shoulder at Will and then took my hand in his, "I wanted to wait on you so we could walk together, hope that's okay." And then, that smile. He knew exactly how to make me forget everything else.

At the end of the day, walking home was a bit awkward with Quinn. "I'm sorry about Will. I should've talked to you first. I felt bad because he left his whole family and he has no one and I couldn't let him lose a chance at four good friends over a stupid mistake," I started rambling, again.

Quinn stopped me just in time. Thank goodness, I was getting on my own nerves a little. "I'm not mad at you; I could've lived without him kissing you though...twice. But, that's beside the point; I wanted to say that I thought you exhibited real grace and maturity. That's one of the things I love most about you. You're different than most teenage girls."

I couldn't believe he used the 'L' word again. "Quinn, you know you've used the 'L' word more than once with me, but we've never actually said it to each other, or even talked about it." Ok, so saying 'the 'L' word' lacked a bit in maturity, I'm new at this, I can't help it.

With a tone of arrogance, he replied, "Well you loved me from the moment you saw me at the cabin...or at least you were desperately hot for me."

A loud, "HA!" came out of my mouth and I doubled over in laughter in front of him slapping my legs. "Whew, that's a good one. I freaking hated you. You took my safe place and you were a smart as..."

"As I was saying..." he interrupted, "you wanted me...bad," He laughed, I smacked his arm and he flinched back laughing even harder.

"Be serious, I think we should talk about how we feel so we know that we're both on the same page," I told him as his laughter subsided.

"I am serious. Vampires have excellent senses and your hormones were raging that day that you hid on the side of my house." His mouth turned up on one side in an adorable half grin that was starting to irk me.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I turned and walked off, "Forget it."

Quinn grabbed my arm and lifted my left hand running his finger over my ring. "This is a claddagh ring, but it's a particular kind. It's called a Trinity Knot, which symbolizes infinite love, faith, loyalty and protection." It was an even more romantic gift than I had initially realized. He dropped my hand and cupped my face with both of his. "Parker Harris, You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Everything about you draws me in. The way you have a slight lisp that makes your words sound so adorable, the way you jump the gun and get so mad at me before I finish what I'm saying." It was my turn to smirk at that comment. I do get mad at him all the time, it's a wonder he puts up with me.

He was still listing the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me, "The way you feel so strongly for your friends and family and how protective you are of them. I love your smile, your generous heart, your laugh and the adorable way you ramble." I blushed and there was that sexy grin of his that seems to be reserved for me. "I love how you get embarrassed when I give you compliments..." He kissed my nose, "I love you."

Sigh. That was without a doubt the most romantic moment of my entire life. There were so many thoughts in my head now. Above all, I couldn't believe I found someone so perfect. How did I get so lucky to find someone so sweet and so damn sexy too? Wait, why is his smile fading? Oh geez, I didn't respond.

"Quinn Roberts, I love you more." I stopped with those simple words and kissed him. Whew, nice save, Parker. I think that made him happy because he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him.

Someone cleared their throat and it caused us to finally break apart. As I turned around, I see that it's Mitchell. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I really need to talk to you Quinn...alone." There was an odd tone in his voice and I was a bit taken back at the mysterious nature of his request. His hands were shaking and his face was grim.

Gracefully, I excused myself stating I needed to get home anyway. I kissed Quinn again and waved goodbye at Mitchell as I turned to leave, but he didn't seem to notice. As I was walking away, I turned to look back and Quinn's face had become stern and he had a hand on each of Mitchell's shoulders as though he was trying to calm him. That's odd, but maybe someone made him mad and he is trying to determine how to deal with it. Shifting can be affected by anger so it would be easy to relate if anger causes a vamp to get out of control. Whatever it is, hopefully Quinn will fill me in soon.

A few hours later, I got a text from Quinn and was hoping it would give me a clue to what I walked away from today.

Quinn: Sorry we were interrupted today, I was enjoying that. I love you.

I was a little disappointed, not at what he said, but at what he didn't say. What could have upset Mitchell so much? Wonder if I am the only girlfriend in the dark about this?

It was imperative I find out what happened with Mitchell and there was one person I could check with who may know. I hit one on my speed dial. "Jackie, what's up chickie? What is up with Mitchell today? He came to see Quinn and looked so serious?" I said, as soon as Jackie answered the phone, barely letting her say hello before I started in.

She didn't seem surprised at my outburst of questions. "I have no idea what's going on. Mitchell was supposed to meet me after school. He sent a text and said he had to see Quinn right away and he'd call me later." I filled her in on what was going on when he showed up, how shaken up Mitchell was and how Quinn reacted. Now both of us were curious at what our beaus were hiding from us. I made the choice to come out and ask mine. I'm not as patient as Jackie.

My text to Quinn was short and sweet.

Me: Why were we interrupted? What was Mitchell so upset about? I love you too.

No response and so I turned in for the night. I barely slept and every time I woke up I checked to see if he texted me back. Nothing. Ugh, I hate when I text someone and don't get a response. He could've at least told me not to worry or something.

When I arrived at school the next day, I spotted Quinn at his locker. He noticed me and I expected him to run the other way and avoid me like he'd done before. Instead, he smiled and walked toward me, grabbed me up in his arms and kissed me with fervor. All the questions and thoughts left my mind at that moment. "Good Morning to you too," I said once he released me. Jackie called my name and I turned to face her. I felt Quinn's arms go around my waist from behind me and he put his head on my shoulder. Oh man, I love having a boyfriend.

Quinn said, "Jackie, baby, where's our man Mitchell this morning?" It was obvious that she was anxious to tell us something because she hurriedly answered him and then got to the topic that was eating at her.

"He said he didn't feel good so he stayed home. Did you guys hear what happened?" I had no idea what she was talking about and I guess she could tell because she kept going. "Christine Randall was found dead in the woods, they said it looks like a murder, her neck was cut wide open and she bled to death."

I was dumbfounded, and so was Quinn. My head turned to analyze his expression to see if he was surprised. He looked confused more than upset. I turned my attention back to Jackie, "What? What was she doing in the woods, how did they find her?" Quinn stared off into space with a look of bewilderment. What bothered me most about his reaction is that he wasn't asking any questions or even acting like it was something he hadn't heard before. Of course, he has killed people himself, so maybe he's numb to things like this.

Jackie didn't seem to notice though. "Some hunters found her. They were hunting wolves and practically tripped over her body. It sounded dreadful. They aren't sure why she was in the woods though. They think someone may have tricked her out there and killed her. Can you believe this? I can't ever remember there being a murder here before."

All day we heard rumors and gossip about what happened to Christine. Of course, everyone in town knew her because she grew up here just like 99% of the population. Christine was quite popular, but she was not very nice. Not that I am happy she is dead, I would never feel that way about anyone. However, people are acting like she was a saint. Girls that she bullied were crying their eyes out like their best friend had just been killed. I know it is pretty customary when someone dies, all of a sudden they're the most wonderful person on earth, but it was still annoying. I couldn't help thinking about the way she died, her neck being slashed open. Who or what would do something like that?

Quinn was nowhere to be found after school. I sent him a text to check in.

Me: Where are you?

A few minutes later I get a response.

Quinn: Had something to take care of, talk later.

He's being secretive again. Thoughts of Christine plagued my mind as I walked. Mitchell was acting weird and had to talk to Quinn the other day. My mind flashed images of his face. He was angry and his hands were shaking. He barely looked at me. In fact, he barely acknowledged me being there. Mitchell had always been the gentlemanly type, holding doors, greeting people, friendliest guy you could ever know. For him to act like someone doesn't exist, well that's not in his nature. Now Quinn is trying as hard as he can to keep me from knowing anything.

Could Mitchell have killed Christine in a feeding frenzy? My hand immediately clasped over my mouth in shock. I texted Quinn again, I had to know what was going on. If Mitchell could get that out of control then, Jackie isn't safe around him, no one's safe.

Me: I need to know what is going on, now!

No response, so I texted him again.

Me: This is not negotiable Quinn Roberts, I don't like secrets.

Still nothing.

Me: If you won't answer me, fine, don't bother coming over tonight.

Finally, I get a response.

Quinn: I'll be at your house in a couple of hours and I will explain everything, I promise. I love you.

I guess that I will have to live with that. He better show up, I won't forgive him if he doesn't, and I told him that.

Me: You better explain or we are done.

It was a bit immature not to tell him I love him, but I don't want to sugarcoat things. If Jackie or any of my family is in danger, I won't take that lightly.
Chapter Ten

Two hours went by and I hadn't heard anything else from him. I was so mad that I started slamming stuff around and throwing things in aggravation. I didn't hear the front door open over the commotion I was causing. Quinn walked in as I threw a pillow from the couch. He ducked and hooted, "A heads up would've been nice there, slugger!" as he smiled at me.

"It's not funny, you better tell me now what's going on Quinn Roberts or I swear to God you'll never see me again. I won't put up with secrets and lies," I stated firmly to him.

He came toward me, "Man, you keep using my full name. I must really be in trouble. What's my punishment?" He said in a sexy tone as his left eyebrow cocked upward.

I backed away and put my hand up. "You won't distract me with kisses or sweet talk. Tell me right now what Mitchell had to talk to you about yesterday. I mean it, or you can walk out that door and never come back." I threw my hand toward the door in an angry motion.

My body shook with anger and I could see that it worried Quinn, but I didn't care. He put his hands up in surrender. "Wow, you really are mad. Look, I'm here to tell you everything, baby. Just sit down with me, please...Please?" I sat on the recliner; I didn't want to sit next to him on the couch where he could distract me with romantic interludes. The pull to be near him was strong, but I had to fight it. I needed to know what was happening. If Mitchell killed Christine, he was out of control and I would have to get rid of him. I could not take the chance that he would hurt anyone else. It's one thing to turn someone, but to kill them so violently; I couldn't sit by and tolerate that.

"Mitchell came to me the other day because he wanted to tell me about Christine." That was as far as he got before I reacted. I jumped up out of the chair in a state of panic.

"I knew it! Oh my god, he killed her. I can't believe you kept this from me. What if he gets out of control with Jackie?" I was becoming hysterical and instantly Quinn's hands were on my shoulders and he was looking me in the eyes.

I tried to push him away, but he used his super strength to keep me stationary. "Mitchell didn't kill Christine and that's why he had to find me and tell me right away. He knew that's what we would think." I kept struggling against him. "Do you think I would let him anywhere near you guys if I thought he was that out of control?" he asked, then he freed me by throwing his arms up to show me he gave in.

"How did he know she was dead?" I asked as I backed away from him and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.

"He found her; he smelled her blood when he was walking home. She was killed in the woods near his house. When he smelled the blood it aroused his hunger and he took off toward it without thinking and then stopped himself before getting out of control. When he realized what was happening, he sniffed out the blood to see if someone was hurt and he found her. He left her there to find me, said he was scared to tell anyone else. He was telling the truth, Parker. Trust me."

Trust him? That's a laugh. Especially when this isn't the first time he has lied to me. I sat down on the recliner again and put my head in my hands. "So, who or what killed Christine?" I asked him.

"Mitchell and I have been trying to figure that out since it happened. We've had no luck, but it does look like a vampire. Her throat was completely ripped open and there was a lot of blood, but it was evident some had been drained as well. Her head was nearly gone and there should've been more blood." I sat down dizzy. The idea of Christine being torn apart had my stomach churning over the imagery in my head. I couldn't stand much more of this. "I swear that neither of us has turned any vampires and we have no clue if this was a local or one that had strolled into town for fresh blood."

Quinn sat on the couch quietly watching me as I took in everything. "Parker, sweetie, are you alright?" I choked down the bile rising in my throat and tried to erase the images I had created of her. I didn't even notice Quinn left the room until he came back with a lemon-lime soda he grabbed from the fridge. He placed his cold hand against my head, to help cool me off, to keep me from being sick. My temperature is so unlike a regular person that it didn't really make much of a difference, but the soda did.

After taking a few sips, my insides seemed to calm down and I was able to focus again. He had a worried look on his face, like he thought I would never forgive him. It crossed my mind. Once I finished the soda, I sat it on the table and turned to him. He closed his eyes when I placed my palm against his cheek. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips softly against his.

All I wanted was to feel something good right now, something to take my mind off this gruesome murder and my life for the past few years. I wanted to be an average girl, doing something with her regular boyfriend. Vampires and werewolves, none of that existed at this moment because I wouldn't let it. This was our time, mine and Quinn's, and no one else was invited. For the next little bit, we were going to be in a world of our own. Our moment was becoming more passionate. He lifted me into his arms and swiftly carried me upstairs, never breaking the kiss. He took me to my bedroom and lay me on the bed. When his mouth moved to my neck, every other thought left my mind and I let myself feel this euphoria.

Sitting up, I removed my shirt, exposing my bra. I wanted him so much and I could tell by his passion that he wanted me too. Through his eyes, I could feel the intensity of his love for me. Our bodies fit together like a puzzle and it was amazing. This was the moment I had dreamed of. I always thought my first time would hurt, but it didn't feel anything but breathtaking. He lay back on the pillow and pulled me against his chest with my head against his heart. It's a weird sensation to have your head against someone's heart and not feel it beat; even stranger that I was out of breath and he was laying still, his chest never rising. He pulled the blanket up to cover me. I whispered, "I love you so much."

He kissed my head and said, "I love you more."

With his arms around me, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. It was getting dark outside by the time I opened my eyes and found myself in bed alone. My first thought was that Quinn regretted what happened and he couldn't stand to face me. And then I came to my senses and realized that there was probably a viable reason that he left and that I needed to have more faith in him and in our relationship.

My stomach growled to remind me I hadn't eaten in a while, plus I had worked up an appetite. I grinned at the memory. Curious to see if I looked any different, I got out of bed and walked over to the mirror. The thing I'm sure most girls do when they officially become a woman. I didn't look any different, but I felt different inside which was just as good. The atmosphere in the house even seemed different; it was like waking up a brand new person.

My feet touched the top of the stairs and my nose picked up an aroma coming from below where I found Quinn in the kitchen...cooking? I slid my arms around him from behind and kissed his naked back. "I thought you didn't cook?"

He turned to face me and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "Let's just say my cooking skills are incredibly limited. But after what just happened, I figured I owed you a decent meal. Plus, your stomach woke me up with its growling. I think you have a grizzly bear in there."

There's that amazing grin of his, I think that's what I love most, it melts me every time. "I thought you'd left, should've known you're too much of a romantic to do something like that," I said.

He harrumphed and said, "You really need to have more faith in my feelings for you, but I guess I can't blame you after..."

I put my finger to his lip and shook my head. "Don't finish that thought. I do need to have more faith and it is no one's fault, but my own insecurities." And I stood on my tiptoes, reached up, and forced his lips against mine. He gave in pretty easily to my feminine wiles.

Jackie opened the door and announced herself. When she saw us in the kitchen, she stopped. Quinn had no shirt on and I had on a robe, which I had to straighten when I saw her, so I think she figured it out. She looked a little mortified and turned her back to us. Quinn's chest was muscular so maybe that's why she felt weird, maybe she felt attracted to him. Jackie has been with Mitchell for two years so she should know that people dating do tend to have sex, but she looked really awkward. Quinn excused himself after saying hello to Jackie and he headed upstairs to shower and dress. Jackie turned around finally and came to the couch.

"You okay?" I asked her.

She blushed, "I didn't mean to interrupt you guys. I didn't know Quinn would be here. I was planning on spending the night tonight, is that still cool?"

"Of course, don't be silly. I promised my parents that Quinn wouldn't spend the night, so he'll be leaving shortly." I answered. Jackie still looked uncomfortable. "What's wrong, Jackie?"

She fidgeted a bit and answered, "I can't believe that you guys already had sex, I feel like a little kid or something now."

"Are you telling me that you and Mitchell haven't had sex yet?" I asked perplexed. Now she looked even more humiliated, this made me feel like a tool. "Jackie it's nothing to be ashamed of, whether you have or haven't. Actually I should be the one feeling ashamed, Quinn and I have barely been together a month, but it just felt right. I always told myself I would know by my gut feeling. And everything told me it was the right time, plus I'm eighteen now, just completes the whole voyage into womanhood..."

Her expression became even more mortified, so I tried to rephrase, "Not that, doing...that, is the only thing that makes you a woman. I always assumed you two had...you know...since you've been together so long." Wow, Parker, you really know how to make a girl feel good; I keep digging a deeper grave so I stopped talking.

"We've come close but I've always stopped it. I've always been too scared to go all the way. Does it hurt?" she asked innocently.

"It didn't hurt for me; it just felt like the best moment ever. It felt like Quinn and I connected in a deeper way. I think it would be like that for you too, as much as you and Mitchell love each other." She smiled and put her head against mine.

Quinn came downstairs, fully dressed this time to my disappointment. He leaned over and kissed me goodbye. He and Mitchell would be over in the morning for our pizza and movie day. A reminder had to be given to bring our other guest, Will. He grimaced but assured me he had not forgotten. He told Jackie goodbye and kissed her on the cheek. "You girls have fun," he added. She blushed when he kissed her and stuttered a goodbye to him.

Once he left we started into the typical slumber party mode. First she wanted to know all the gritty details about what led up to what she walked in on. She went on and on about how incredibly sexy and buff Quinn was and I smacked her with a pillow, "Watch how you talk about my man." It was hard to keep a straight face when saying that and we both laughed to the brink of tears.

Once we calmed down a bit, she got serious again, "Can I tell you something?" Of course, I nodded, even though I was a little afraid of what she was going to say. "I wish I had been with Mitchell before he...before he changed." She seemed to be a bit embarrassed at that statement and I realized it must be the whole dead guy thing that freaked her out.

"Oh, no it's not like it's weird or anything. I mean, Quinn is just like a regular guy. He doesn't breathe or have a heartbeat, but it isn't weird."

She had a look of confusion on her face and started giggling, "No, it's not that. I... this is embarrassing..." I placed my hand on hers.

"You can tell me, it'll stay between us." She smiled and her cheeks blushed. "I'd like to know how it would be different, between human and vampire. Is it weird to think that way?" Thankfully that was all she was worried about.

I laughed, "No, it's not weird at all."

We enjoyed our night together with more girl talk. This was our chance to act like typical teenage girls for a change and we painted our nails, talked about boys, watched romantic movies and crashed on the couch and the recliner when the exhaustion took over.

The next morning I woke up to the doorbell ringing. Pulling myself up out of the recliner, I ran over and flung the door open. I hoped to find Quinn standing there, but instead it was Will. He looked me up and down for a minute and a smirk came over his face. I slept in a fitted tank top and pajama pants so I felt a bit exposed. My arms immediately crossed in front of my chest to cover myself. I invited him in and escorted him to the kitchen to wait there while Jackie and I got dressed. By the time we both got showers, we came back downstairs to find Quinn and Mitchell had arrived. The boys looked a bit uncomfortable all sitting together, but no blood had been shed so that was a plus.

Mitchell and Quinn were on the couch and Will was in the recliner across from them. No one was talking, but silence was better than fighting. Jackie and I gave our boyfriends a kiss. Then we exchanged a look and, to make Will feel comfortable, we stepped up and kissed him on the cheek at the same time. That seemed to make him feel a little more at ease because he whistled and said "Two hot girls giving me cheek action, my day just got better." Jackie and I grinned at the compliment, but it made Quinn roll his eyes at Will's effort to flirt.

Well, we made it about two hours into our day before Will and Quinn got into it. No fist fighting or anything like that, they started a good-natured argument over whether Star Wars was the real trilogy or Lord of the Rings. Quinn was a bigger nerd than I could have ever imagined and he was on the side of Lord of the Rings. Will also tried to insult him by saying he was biased because he knew JRR Tolkien personally. To which Quinn rebutted, by saying he did have an original signed copy of The Hobbit that his father passed down to him.

Jackie and Mitchell utilized the time by making out and I sat there rolling my eyes and groaning periodically. To insert myself into the conversation, I finally blurted out, "Aragorn is hot. I could watch Viggo Mortensen all day. Of course, Ewan McGregor is hot too. Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope." I finished the last line in a theatrical interpretation of Princess Leia with my hand dramatically pressed to my forehead with palm facing outward. They both looked at me like I had gone insane. At least I got them to stop talking about it. Score one for me.

Pizza arrived and we pigged out. Correction, the human girl and the two werewolves pigged out, the Vampires ate very little. Will got a text and excused himself for a few minutes. It seemed weird someone would be texting him. The fact that he even had a cell phone was news to me. Apparently no one knew because everyone else looked as puzzled as I did. "Does anyone have Will's cell phone number?" I asked. Quinn laughed wholeheartedly, Jackie said she didn't and Mitchell shook his head.

Will came back in the room a few minutes later. "When did you get a cell phone and why do none of us have your number?" I asked sounding like a jealous girlfriend.

"Sorry, I've had this for a while, my sister texts me on it to make sure I'm okay. No one else knows the number, but I can give it to you guys," he said. Well, now I felt like a douche. Of course, he would want to keep in touch with his sister; he ruined his life for her sake. It's actually really sweet.

"Isn't your sister like five? And she can send a text?" Quinn asked in a sarcasm filled tone.

I interjected in Will's defense, "Three-year olds can text these days, you know how technologically advanced the younger generation is." Now I sound like an old person. Nice.

Will stayed for a little bit. I could tell he felt like a fifth wheel when Jackie and Mitchell would steal a kiss or two or if Quinn and I were holding hands. The mood lightened when he left. Jackie and Mitchell excused themselves and went upstairs to their room leaving Quinn and me alone.

He sat on the couch with me and I lay my head down in his lap while we watched a movie. It wasn't a very entertaining movie so I hit pause and looked up at Quinn. "Tell me about what happened after you were turned." I sat up cross-legged on the couch. "How did you tell your parents what happened?"

He took my hand and caressed it gently, "I never told my parents." His voice lowered and his eyes glazed over, "I never went home after that night. I was afraid of hurting them. I left town and never went back. That was sixty years ago. I know they're probably dead by now, but I don't even know how they died, or when."

Gently, I squeezed his hand in comfort as he went on, "I've been scared to go back home to find out what happened because there may be someone there that knew me. I've been contemplating it a lot here lately though. Seeing you with your parents...made me miss mine even more." He had lowered his gaze.

I lifted his chin to look at me and smiled at him encouragingly, "So you were close with them?"

He released a sad sigh, "My parents made me who I am today, not the Vampire part naturally, but the..."

I finished his sentence for him, "the good man you are, the gentleman."

He gave a slight nod before continuing, "They were the sweetest couple. They held hands all the time and one thing I thought was so cool is that they used to slow dance in the kitchen. When I was little, I would crawl between their legs when I caught them like that."

His smile grew larger but illuminated the sadness underneath. "My dad would always reach down and grab me up tickling me and my mom would plant kisses all over my face." The way he looked as he relayed this memory to me, made me yearn to meet his parents.

In my mind, I could see a beautiful woman wearing a sundress with an apron over it. I envisioned his father in a button down shirt and slacks, walking into the kitchen, taking her hand, and twirling her to him. He pulls her close and she smiles up at him with such incredible love in her eyes. As they get ready to kiss, the most precious child comes running in the room and crawls between their legs. He's swooped up and laughter erupts from all three of them. As I imagined this, I realized that their faces had changed in my mind and it was Quinn and I dancing with a little boy who had Quinn's smile and my eyes. My heart hurt and his voice brought me back.

"He was a real gentleman. He held doors for her, waited to eat dinner until she was sitting down to eat too, he never treated her badly. He told me once that she was his world. He hoped I would find someone that made my heart race, someone whose warm touch was the only thing I needed to make the day better." He brought my hand up to his face and kissed it, "Kind of ironic, my heart can't ever race for you, but I still know that what I feel, is what he wanted for me, what he felt for my mom."

A tear fell from my cheek. A tear that was for his parents, but also for the child I saw that will never come to be. I couldn't bring that sad point up right now, "They sound like amazing people. One day, when you're ready to go and find out what happened to them, I'd like to be there for you."

He kissed my forehead and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "They would've really liked you, Parker." He reached over and grabbed my waist, pulling me to him. I sat on his lap and leaned my head against his. We sat there for a while like that, eventually I drifted off. When I woke up, Quinn was lying down on the couch and had me cradled on top of him with my head on his chest. The stairs creaked. I looked and saw Jackie sneaking downstairs in her pajamas. She waved her hand at me motioning to come meet her.

I met Jackie in the kitchen. She was, well... glowing. She smiled sheepishly and said, "We did it."

I gasped and hugged her, "See, and it was great wasn't it?"

She nodded excitedly. "He was so romantic and sweet too, Park. He was surprised that I decided to go through with it. He continuously made sure I was positive it's what I wanted. And he was so gentle with me...it was exactly how I imagined it would be."

We chatted in the kitchen for a bit over a bowl of ice cream with sprinkles and hot fudge. Now pretty much the only thing we didn't have in common was the fact that I'm a wolf and she isn't. Of course, I could change that, one bite would do it. I can't believe I just thought about that, what a good friend I am.

Jackie looked up at me and said, "What's really so bad about being a wolf or a vampire?" That was a weird question to ask, I thought. It's almost eerie the way she can seem to know what I am thinking at times.

"Well, it's tremendously painful when you change into a wolf, I know that personally. You always have to manage your temper so that you don't shift on the spot. You're terrified to tell anyone you love what has happened for fear they won't accept you anymore. You age so slowly, which sounds great, but it means you'll watch everyone you love die. As for being a vampire, you have to drink blood to survive and you can't always stop yourself from draining a person's blood supply. Besides, look at Quinn and Will. They both lost everyone they cared about. Quinn just finished telling me about his parents. There's so much pain there from losing them and it's been sixty years, Jackie." It was my turn to question her intentions at this point, "Why are you asking me about this?"

Jackie looked down at her bowl and said, "I want to be like you or Mitchell. I don't want to be the only ordinary one. I just can't decide which I'd rather be." I was stunned. I never expected Jackie to want to be either. I guess it made sense though. When all your friends are supernatural and have a long life ahead, do you really want to be the only one that gets old and dies in less than 100 years?

Quinn walked in the kitchen and he had a troubled look on his face. I guess he heard Jackie's inquiry. He kissed my forehead and took a bite of my ice cream. I pulled my bowl back and said "Get your own!" and laughed.

He looked at Jackie and said, "You really want to change into a wolf or vampire? I'm sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I woke up and heard part of the conversation as I was walking in. You know it's not all glamorous as a Vampire. The hunger can burn like fire in your chest. If you're too exposed to the sun, your skin feels like it has electric tingles all over it. Without sunglasses, exposure to the sun causes your eyes to dry out and it seems as if someone is holding a lighter to them."

Thinking back to the day in the park, I had moved his sunglasses to see what happened to his eyes. I felt terrible knowing I had caused him such pain to quench my curiosity.

"Then there's a thirst that can cause you to want to rip a person apart just to soothe it. You can lose control of yourself just by the sight or smell of fresh blood which puts everyone you love in danger. Even a finger prick can send your hunger into a frenzy."

He stopped when he saw my face and the terror on it. "Quinn, you told me that Jackie was safe and Mitchell wouldn't hurt her. Now you're saying he could lose control at any time?"

He grabbed mine and Jackie's hands and said, "No, no, Mitchell won't hurt anyone. That's what the tutoring is all about. I've been training him to control it, using the exercises that I've used over the years. I wouldn't let him around either of you if I thought he was dangerous."

I shook my head, "But Quinn, no offense, the reason Mitchell is a vampire is because you lost control even with years of training yourself."

Quinn looked ashamed, "It was a weak moment, Parker; one that I won't easily forgive myself for. Mitchell has proven that he is stronger than that though. The fact that he found Christine and controlled himself proved that to me. He won't allow himself to get hungry, that was the mistake I made. I went too long without nourishment and that's why I couldn't control myself when I came upon him in the woods. Plus, Mitchell has never fed on a human, he doesn't have that memory of the way it feels like I do." Both Jackie and I sighed in relief. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until that moment.

"Did I hear my name?" Mitchell joined us in the kitchen. He walked over and whispered something in Jackie's ear which made her blush.

"The four of us do have something we need to figure out," Quinn began. "We need to figure out what or who killed Christine in the woods. There's possibly a rogue vampire out there killing people and as long as they're out there, no one you care about is safe." I've killed vampires before, okay so two, but still that's something. The concept of tracking this person down scared me though. It was clear it scared Jackie as well because Mitchell was trying to calm her down.

"Quinn, can we skip this talk for the rest of the evening and just have fun as friends, please?" I begged him.

"I'm sorry Parker, I know this is scary for you guys, but it has to be taken care of before anyone else dies."

Quinn told us about how he and Mitchell had been patrolling the town to see if they could spot anyone that didn't belong or seemed out of place, but they hadn't had any luck so far. They wanted to use me next, as a sort of bait. Quinn was reluctant to mention it at first, but he knew I could handle myself. The plan was to have me search the woods where the body was found and sniff things out. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Quinn would trace my steps to make sure I stayed safe.

I would be a wolf when this goes down, which meant I would be literally sniffing someone out. The full moon was only a couple of nights away. It would be the first time I had shifted since I met Quinn. Mitchell and Quinn would have to keep their distance from me, because I still wasn't sure how to completely control myself in wolf form. Wolf instinct was to destroy vampires. Jackie wasn't keen with the idea because she was worried about me getting hurt and worried about me shifting after I told her how much it hurts. I reassured her that it gets a little easier every time and that since it was the time of the full moon I would shift regardless if the plan was in place or not. Once the details were ironed out, we took a break and went back to the living room to watch a movie and veg out. I curled up next to Quinn and nestled myself right against his side under his arm. He lay his head against mine and I was asleep before the opening credits finished.

It was dark out seemed like it was after midnight and I was walking in the woods. My nose sniffed the ground trying to find a particular scent. The night was eerily quiet, even for my wolf ears. I hear a branch break and whip around to see if someone is there. No one is in my line of sight, but I smelled the strongest scent. I took off running, tracking it. It was getting stronger by the minute and I knew it had to be a vampire. There is a shadow up ahead and as I got closer, it took shape into a human. I recognized the paleness of the skin and the smell now burning my nose. My only impulse was to pounce. I put my paws against his back to knock him over and bit a chunk out of his back. He turned over just in time for me to see the look of shock and despair in his eyes before he turned to dust....it was Quinn.

My body jerked up and I screamed. Quinn shot up and grabbed hold of me. My body shook and I grabbed him as tight as I could. "It was a nightmare, baby, just a nightmare. It's okay," Quinn kept repeating to me over and over again.

I cried out, "I can't do it, I can't shift around you. I won't." He kept stroking my hair and holding me. "I don't know how to control it. I don't know how to keep from killing you. I'd never forgive myself for that. Please don't make me do this." His grip tightened on me. I think he was trying to make me stop shaking, but it seemed to be getting worse. This feeling was the most terrified I'd ever been from a dream.

A few minutes later, Jackie was beside me with a glass of water. She held the cup as I tried to drink some. She was pretty calm, especially in comparison to Quinn, who was whiter than usual for a dead guy. He looked apprehensive. I guess it isn't the best way to wake up, someone screaming in your ear. Once I calmed down, I told them about the dream which caused me to get upset again. It was obvious Quinn didn't know what to do to ease my worried mind. All he could do was squeeze me tighter.

Quinn and Mitchell left the room for a few minutes because Jackie asked to speak to me alone. She had an idea she wanted to share with me. "Change me, Parker. Let me be the werewolf that tracks that vampire. Then you'll be safe. You and Quinn can stay out of the way and you'll be fine."

"There's no way, Jackie. I've been changing for two years now and I don't know how to control myself. I can't do that to you. You won't know what you're doing and you could end up hurting someone and never forgive yourself, or me. Besides, you really want to take the chance that you could kill Mitchell?" She looked frustrated, but there was no way I could do that to my best friend.

"Parker, I'm tired of just being me. Everyone is something supernatural and extraordinary..."

I stopped her, "You are special..."

She stopped me with an angry rebuttal, "Don't give me that 'you're special' crap, Parker. I don't want some sappy story about me being your best friend slash sister. You know what I mean and what I want."

This time I was the one raising my voice, "Being a werewolf doesn't make me special, Jackie. It's a curse! I kill people and I could kill a friend or someone I love without meaning to. And a vampire? Do you think Mitchell or Quinn would choose that life? We seem like everything is okay because we've had time to deal with it and adjust to the fact that we can't change it. But you have a choice..."

She interrupted me, "You're right, I have a choice and I choose to be like you. Why can't I make that decision? It's my life and it's what I want! Do you think I can handle growing old in front of you guys, knowing that I would be slowly dying while you guys are still in your prime? It's not fair to me or to you. You'll have to watch me die...can you do that?"

She hurled some of my worst nightmares in my face. One thing I try to refrain from thinking about was how I'll deal with watching everyone I love die. My voice lowered to a concerned tone, "Damn it Jackie, how do you know that any of us will even be together in a couple of years? You may meet someone new. We could drift apart. We don't know that we'll be with Quinn and Mitchell. Right now I'd like to say we can spend forever with them. I can't imagine losing you or Quinn, or Mitchell either. The harsh truth is life is full of unexpected twists and changes." She raised her eyes over my shoulder and I turn to see what has caught her attention.

My timing has always been incredible. Mitchell and Quinn stood side by side in the doorway. They both had miserable looks on their faces at the thought we would all drift apart. "I'm sorry, guys. I don't want to change Jackie. It's not that I don't have faith in what we have as couples or as friends. I love you both." I turned and grabbed Jackie's hand, "All three of you, I just want to be realistic. Things change, even if we don't want them to," I finished.

Mitchell spoke next, "I think Jackie has a point. You could teach her the rules just like Quinn taught me. Then we have plenty of time together." Unbelievable. They're going to gang up on me on this.

"Do you realize that vampires live thousands of years and wolves only live hundreds at most? You'll both watch us die, regardless. We can't all live together forever. It doesn't work that way! You're asking me to take away her chance to have a real life, to have babies." My voice cracked on the word babies and I could see it hit home for Quinn who was probably as surprised as I was that I had even thought about children.

"Not to mention, you're asking me to cause her immense pain. I know how it feels to shift, to feel my bones break and reform, to feel my face contort; my teeth extend breaking through my gums. The pain is excruciating. It gets easier with time, but it's still tremendous pain." I watched their faces as I explained the feelings. Jackie's reaction was shock and horror and Quinn's was of grief and sadness.

"Is that what you want Jackie? Is that want you want for her Mitch? Because I don't, I don't wish this life for someone I love. Not to mention, I'm still figuring this out for myself. I'm not in a position to mentor anyone. I don't even know if I'll be able to control myself around you guys. I could kill all of you!" I yelled. I couldn't take anymore of this right now. Quinn grabbed my arm and I jerked free from him. "I have to get out of here, I need to be alone right now, away from all of you," I said as I grabbed my purse and jacket and walked out the door. No one came after me, they all knew I wouldn't want them to.

Driving probably wasn't the best idea, but I took the car anyway. Typically, I do very little driving in town because everything is so close that it seems pointless to use the gas. This time I wanted to get as far away as I could. My texting tone went off about an hour after I left.

Quinn: When are you coming back? Worried about you, Love you.

I didn't reply. I was far enough out of town that I pulled over at a rest stop and sat in the car to think.

Over an hour had passed and I got several more texts begging me to reply, then a couple of apology texts from Jackie. It's cruel to let my loved ones think something happened to me so I texted them both back.

Me: I'm ok, just need a little time to myself, I will be home in a couple of hours. Love you guys.

The blaring music helped me focus my thinking. No answers had come to me about how to convince Jackie that I would never change her. Everything about this situation was confusing to me. If being a wolf meant that you had super powers and that you lived forever and that's it, I would change her without a second thought. The pain of shifting, the feeling like your body was ripping apart, the fear that this time it would be too much pain to handle; well I don't wish that on my worst enemy. The one thing I wish is that I could show Jackie how bad it is so she would forget even wanting to be like me. Maybe there was a way, maybe she could become a vampire and the four of us could spend almost forever together. That would be easier on me because they would live past me and it would be three fewer people that I love dying in front of me. Ugh, again I sound so selfish.

The other thing that I never realized bothered me before is the fact that I'll never have children. For all I know, werewolves can have children, but I'm pretty sure that Vampires can't and if my future doesn't include Quinn, well, I don't really want children either. Of course, that means that as long as Jackie stays with Mitchell, she'll never have a child either whether she stays human or not.

My hand unconsciously went to my stomach and I closed my eyes and visualized it expanding into a bump. Quinn with his cheek resting against my belly and planting kisses. I could hear him telling him or her how much he loved them and how much he loved their mommy. My mind flew forward seeing that little girl with red hair and vibrant green eyes running towards Quinn with her arms open and he swept her up into his arms and hugged her tightly.

The sound of a horn honking behind me pulled me from my daydream. It was a trucker leaving the rest area and I looked up to see where his attention was aimed when I saw a woman walking out of the restroom. She was elegantly dressed and seemed as though she was upset. She wiped her face with a tissue and sat down on a bench, placing her head in her hands. Sympathy pulled at me, causing me to get out of the car and go check on her.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" I asked her as I approached.

She looked up startled and a sad smile filled her face. "I've been better," she replied and then continued, "I lost my best friend."

"I'm so sorry, what happened?"

She waved her hands signifying I was jumping to the wrong conclusion. "He isn't dead or anything. It's just that I started to have feelings for him and he acted like he felt the same, but I found him with another woman."

She put her hands over her face and began crying again, "I feel like I am losing everything, How can he love her and not me? We've been friends since...well as long as I can remember. How can I sit by and watch him care for her?" She looked up at me and I wasn't really sure what to say, but could tell she was seeking my advice.

"Well, if you love him and things are meant to be, they'll work out. But if I were you, I would fight for him, he was yours first...right?" I asked.

She smiled in response and said, "Yes, he definitely was, we were together for years before that tramp came along." Her sentence finished with anger and the elegance she had demonstrated before was momentarily gone. I was taken aback by it and she noticed my retreat from her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to get so angry, it just hurts," she said apologetically.

I felt sorry for her, but I was starting to feel a lot of anger radiating from her and it was becoming awkward to sit here. "I understand. I'm in love, for the first time in my life, and I know I would fight for him if anyone ever tried to come between us. I hope things work out for you," I glanced at my phone to check the time, "but it's getting late and I need to go. Good luck to you." I touched her hand and jerked back when I felt how cold it was. "You should get inside somewhere, you're freezing," I told her. She shivered and agreed.

When I reached the car, I turned to look back and she was gone. At least she took my advice and found shelter. I noticed the door to the restroom blowing in the wind so she must have run in there. My skin shivered, I rubbed my hands to warm them up and turned on the car and cranked up the heat. It was getting dark and I had let my friends worry about me long enough.

As I drove, I spotted something in the woods; it was barely a shadow it moved so fast. This was right around the spot I found Will. If that is a rogue vampire, then it's lucky I found him or he could've been his or her first victim. Pulling over, I got out and grabbed my flashlight out of the trunk. I walked toward the woods shining the light into the trees to see if I could see a face or anything to give us an idea of whether it was a man or woman.

Standing at the side of the road, I couldn't see much, so I inched closer. I stopped and thought about all the horror movies I watched and how I would scream at the stupid teenage girl heading to check out the strange sound all on her own. Now I'm that stupid teenage girl. I turned off my flashlight and ran back to the car. As I drove back toward the house, I looked in my rearview and thought I saw another flash, a chill ran down my spine.

Quinn, Jackie and Mitchell were playing cards when I got home. I could see them in the window as I unlocked the door. Quinn wrapped me in his arms before I could shut the door behind me. He smelled like heaven. I held him as tight as I could, burying my face in his chest. I didn't want to let go of the way this felt. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the world when I was in his arms.

"I was worried about you, I don't like when you're upset," Quinn said as he pulled back from the hug and ran his thumb along my face in a gentle caress. I was lucky to have him and it made me feel bad again for that poor woman I met, she was so heartbroken, I hope she gets her man.

He led me into the living room and I apologized for running out on them, Jackie spoke up, "It's my fault, Parker. I didn't consider the facts and I didn't consider how it would make you feel. I'm so sorry." We hugged and all was okay, at least for the moment.
Chapter Eleven

Evening two of defying my parents; I allow the boys to stay over again. The doorbell rang waking me from my deep slumber. I left Quinn in the bed, ran down to see who it was, and found Will standing there. "Hey, I hope it's okay that I came by. I wanted to talk to you guys about what happened to Christine." I silently motioned for him to come in. We went to the kitchen so I could cook breakfast.

"Are you going to go after the vampire that killed her? If so, I want to be in on it," he said.

"Why? You didn't know her, and if you did, it couldn't have been that well," I replied.

He looked a bit uneasy, but I figured he was as scared as I was of going after this thing. "I know a werewolf needs to kill her and I'm willing to put myself out there," he continued. Wait, her? How did he know it was a female?

"Have you seen who killed Christine, do you know who it is?" I asked.

He looked a little confused and shook his head. "Why did you say her?" I inquired.

"I don't know, no reason really, I just picked a pronoun," said Will.

That was not the most believable answer, but he was pretty nonchalant about it so it was probably true. We have all gone back and forth on the pronouns when talking about this thing. It would be a lot easier if we had a better idea of what we were going after.

The smell of food must have woken everyone up because they were all in the kitchen by the time it was ready. They were surprised to see Will, but were all very cordial to him and greeted him as one of the gang. Even Quinn was friendly, which was surprising. Of course, he did have to come over and kiss me right in front of Will, even adding a dip for pizzazz, but I wasn't complaining. This would be a nice morning with my friends. Well, I was hoping for that at least. I should have known better.

Remembering my drive the previous day, I filled everyone else in on the part about the shadow running through the woods and the dumb part where I tried to see what it was; Quinn was not happy about either part. "Could you take me back to where you saw it? It might be the area they're staying in," Quinn said.

"Well, I doubt that. When you were living in the woods did you see anyone?" I asked as I turned my gaze to Will.

He was caught off guard. "No, why?"

I replied, "Well, I saw the shadow right there where I found you. That's why I don't think this person is living in the area because you would've most likely seen or heard them sometime."

Quinn shot a suspicious look at Will, "You sure it was a black bear who attacked you that day, buddy? It seems a bit strange that you'd be so comfortable with vampires so quickly. It's also kind of weird that Christine died shortly after you showed up."

Will got angry and pushed his chair back and got in Quinn's face. "If you remember, I did freak out when I found out what you were and I got to town not long after you did. This was a vampire kill, I'm a werewolf, if anyone looks suspicious, it is you! And don't call me buddy," As he said the last part, he put his hands out and shoved Quinn off balance.

Quickly, I stepped up and got between them, putting a hand on each of their chests. Quinn was angry, it was written all over his face, and if his heart still beat it would be beating through his chest right now the way Will's was. "Will's right, he did freak out when he found out what you were. Remember, I had to convince him you were safe. No one in this room is a suspect in this as far as I'm concerned." I said that to defend both of them, but it ended up more like I was on Will's side. I could tell that didn't sit well with Quinn. He smirked and stormed out of the room.

Excusing myself, I went after Quinn. I found him in the living room looking livid. He turned to me abruptly, "Do you trust me at all?"

I was bowled over by his tone and said, "Of course I do. Why would you ask that?"

He scoffed, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because every time something goes wrong you seem to think the worst of me. Like when I told you about Mitchell, you just took off running like I would put your best friend in danger. And just now, you took Will's side over mine."

In anger I said, "You forgot about the time you told me that you were using me and had no feelings for me, I thought the worst of you then too."

He was hurt by that and I immediately regretted it and tried to recant. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, Quinn."

His mood calmed, "Yes you did," he replied, "I'm going to go. I shouldn't be here anyway and right now I just don't want to be. I'll call you sometime. I need to think." I reached for him and he disappeared out the door before I could touch him.

Will came in the living room and sat on the couch beside me. He extended his arm to show me he was there for comfort. I leaned against him.

"I'm really sorry for causing trouble between you and Quinn. You're the only real friend I have and I appreciate you taking up for me," Will's words were filled with sincerity; disputing them would only hurt him so I let it go. I liked Will, our friendship was important to me because of the fact that we both shared the same curse. He was such a good friend to me...for a few minutes, then he went and ruined it.

"Why are you with Quinn? I mean he's our enemy. How can you fall in love with a vampire?" Will asked.

I sat up and turned toward him, "It doesn't matter to me what he is, it is who he is. He has a kind heart. He's not evil like vampires are thought to be. He would never kill someone like that rogue vampire has done. I haven't seen any evil come from him at all."

Will gave me a look of uncertainty. "He never drank human blood?" I ignored that question, remembering back to the conversation where Quinn had told me that he killed people for a while and how guilty he felt about it. That was fifty years ago and he has changed since then. I honestly believe there's no evil inside him anymore.

When I didn't answer, he continued, "He turned Mitchell and could've killed him, that doesn't bother you? Aren't you afraid he could turn on Jackie? What if he can't control himself at that point?"

I shook my head, "No I'm not afraid he'll hurt Jackie, he didn't kill Mitchell. He made sure that he taught him how to control himself and his hunger. If you ask Mitchell, I don't think he would say he hates Quinn for changing him either. They're like brothers now, they've become so close. There's no danger from Quinn; I'm sure of that. You have no idea how much strength and willpower it takes for him to control killing someone when he feeds. And we aren't that different from them. I still don't know how to completely control myself when I shift and it scares me to death."

Will stared in my eyes as he spoke, "We're the same though. We could help each other cope and learn how to control ourselves when we shift. We should be spending time together and learning how to do that instead of you being all love struck."

That was rude and it flew all over me. "Screw you, Will. I've been the only girl in this town without a boyfriend for years now and I'm happy to finally have one. I finally feel like a normal person for the first time in two years. Ever since I was bitten, I've had to keep secrets from everyone I care about and have had to deal with this alone. I'm glad that I have friends to help me carry this burden now. I count you as one of those friends. That's the most important thing you can be to me, Will. Please don't ruin that by talking about us trying to have more. I don't want to hurt you, but there'll never be anything more than friendship between us."

Will apologized awkwardly and went to get us some drinks from the kitchen. I took the opportunity to text Quinn.

Me: I understand why you needed time. Just want you to know that I miss you and I love you.

I got a reply instantly which made my heart soar.

Quinn: I love you too, be back soon.

Will came back with drinks and with Jackie and Mitchell following him. They were all telling stories and laughing. I excused myself to make my daily call to my parents and confessed that the guys had spent the night. They weren't too happy, but they said it made them feel better that I wasn't alone because the Martin's, Jackie's parents (also known as their best friends), had told them about Christine's murder. They had been on the phone trying to get an earlier flight home once they heard about it. Now that they knew I wasn't alone they felt more at ease. I was in the kitchen talking to them while everyone else was setting up a game of poker in the living room.

While on the phone, I had been gazing out the back window and I felt a chill. Someone watched me from the edge of the woods. I could make out the shape and could feel the eyes boring into me. Calmly, I told my parents I wanted to get back to my company and added, "Have a safe trip, enjoy yourselves. I love you both." As soon as I hung up the phone, I called Quinn.

He answered, "Hey sweetheart, don't worry I'm..."

I interrupted him and said, "Are you in the woods behind my house right now, looking at me standing in the kitchen?"

With panic in his voice, he said, "Make sure the doors are locked and get with everyone else. I'll be there in two minutes." He hung up and was literally there in two minutes, might have been a minute and a half even.

He ran in the door and made sure everyone was safe and asked me to take him to the kitchen and show him what I saw. We went to the window and I pointed to the area where the shadow was, but it was gone. "I'm going to go outside and take a look around," Quinn said.

I grabbed his arm and stopped him, "Please don't go out there; it could be dangerous."

He brushed his hand against my cheek, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." In a blink, he was gone. I screamed for Mitchell and he was by my side before I finished his name.

"Quinn went into the woods to look for a vampire, please go help him, Mitch."

He turned toward the living room, "Will!" he called out, and Will came into the kitchen. "I need you to stay with the girls and protect them. You guys should be safe together. If it's a vampire it has to be given an invitation, so don't invite anyone in. I'm going to go after Quinn. Do you mind, man?"

Will appeared a bit apprehensive when he heard this, but said, "No, I can do that, I'll protect them with my life. Go, help Quinn."

Mitchell took off into the woods after him. I hoped he'd catch up to him quickly. I locked the door behind him. Will and I went back to the living room to let Jackie know what was going on. Poor Will, not only was he left as the babysitter, he had to put up with the fact that Jackie and I were both worried sick over our guys and that meant our minds were only focused on that.

"Let's play cards or something. We can't sit here and fret all night," Will said as he grabbed a deck off the coffee table and started shuffling.

"I don't think I could concentrate on the game right now, Will. Sorry," I said as I stared out the window. There hadn't been much movement in the woods and it had been over an hour now. I grabbed my phone and started to dial. Will snatched it out of my hand. "What the hell?"

He pushed the end button on the phone and sat it down. "If Quinn's hunting, the sound of the phone could give away his position. You could be putting him in danger."

My face fell, I never even thought about that. I flopped myself down on the couch. Will sat next to me and put his arm around my neck. "Cards?" He asked as he looked at me and smiled.

"Fine, let's play; Jackie...Go Fish sounds thoughtless enough, right?" Jackie plopped down on the floor in front of the coffee table and Will started dealing the cards out. We were on the third round when I heard a loud noise from outside. The trash cans had been knocked down and were rolling through the yard.

We all jumped up at the noise. Will told us to stay inside while he checked it out. I went to watch from the door. Will was sniffing at the air which is weird; I suppose he thought he could sniff out vampires as a human.

There was a flash, followed by a brush of air that went by, and it knocked Will over. He screamed and held out his hand covered in blood. I grabbed a cloth and ran outside to help him. I held his hand with a rag over it when I heard something behind me. I turned around quickly and Mitchell and Quinn were coming out of the woods. I took off running to Quinn and it felt like I hit a brick wall and then I was dizzy and standing in my kitchen again.

My balance was a bit off; I stumbled back and someone caught me. "What...what happened?" I asked.

Quinn replied, "I brought you back inside. You're safer here. We lost the vampire right before we heard the trash cans fall. We figure it did that to lure you outside. You're safe inside and I needed to get you back as quickly as possible. Sorry, that's why you're a bit dizzy right now."

Will came in the door, threw his injured hand in the air, and said sarcastically, "I'm fine...werewolf, so I heal quickly...thanks for asking though." Moving away from Quinn, I went to check Will and when I took his hand he snatched it back.

"Watch it, Will!" Quinn shouted angrily as he started toward him. I put my hands on his chest and pleaded with my eyes. Quinn took the hint and walked out of the room.

I turned back to Will. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you out there. Everything happened so fast." I said. He stopped me by putting his hand up in front of my face.

"Just forget it; you made it clear that nothing matters to you, but that blood-sucking demon. When he's around, no one else matters, not me...not Jackie, no one."

Now I was angry, "That isn't fair, Will. I do care about you and Jackie. And don't call him a demon, he's a good person. Quinn means the world to me, but that doesn't mean I can't care for anyone else."

Will dropped his head and put his arms around me, "I'm sorry."

We were hugging when Quinn cleared his throat behind me. We pulled apart and Will knocked into him roughly as he went into the living room. Quinn glared at him, another of those stabbing glares, and then took a deep breath.

He walked over, looking me over for a minute. He was relieved and hugged me tightly. "I love you."

Pulling back to look at him, I said, "I love you too. So what happened out there? Did you see anyone? Do you think it was the vampire that killed Christine?"

His voice radiated concern, "If it was, then it knows you're a wolf and it's probably going to come after you. I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

I winked at him and said, "I can handle that."

"Has Will been here the whole time?" he asked.

Exhaling loudly, I rolled my eyes. "Please don't start on Will again."

He shook his head as he said, "No, I'm not. I was just wondering. I was wrong for getting mad at him earlier. He's your friend and I understand the need for you to be able to talk to someone who goes through the same thing as you. I never had anyone to talk to about that stuff before Mitchell and it has made an enormous difference. I don't feel alone like I used to." He ran his fingers through my hair, "You helped me with that as well, and I know I have helped you some. Having someone that goes through the exact same thing as you is important. I just wish you had met a girl werewolf instead."

I squeezed him and said, "Thank you, it means a lot to me that you understand that. If it makes you feel better, Will's like a little brother to me. No romantic feelings there at all. I made that clear to him as well."

If I hadn't witnessed it with my own two eyes, I never would have believed what happened next. Quinn walked into the living room, straight up to Will, and apologized for everything. They shook hands to signify a truce. When he first started toward him, my whole body tensed, scared that he was going to hit him, but I was pleasantly surprised with his gesture. He even invited him to move back into his cabin. Will turned him down saying he was getting a rush from sneaking into the school at night and hiding out. From that moment on, they got along like best friends. It was so strange how everything came together like that, but I wasn't going to take it for granted.

The guys noticed the cards on the table and decided on a new game to play. We started playing poker, using pennies for money. The first suggestion was strip poker, but Jackie and I shot them down quickly on that one. I was kicking butt with a grand total of 50 cents when Will got a text and left the room.

A few minutes later, I heard him yell out and slam the door. Everyone jumped up at once. Quinn and Mitchell took protective stances in front of Jackie and me. I decided I would see what was up. If something made him that angry, it could cause him to shift and I was the only safe one if that happened. Quinn was hesitant at first and grabbed my hand firmly. I gave him an insistent look and he knew that I was right.

He let me go and said, "Be careful, please." I smiled and went to check on Will.

He was in the kitchen with his hands trembling against the counter He saw me and said, "I'm sorry for making so much noise."

"How are you? Do you feel out of control, like you might shift?" I asked. He said no, but I still didn't want anyone near him right now. "What happened?" I asked.

"That was my sister, she's upset. She said things haven't been the same since I left and she said mom and dad don't pay any attention to her because they're spending all their time trying to find me. She wants me to come home, she misses me," he said.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "Go back, Will. If you need to be with her, then go. Look at me, I have kept this secret for two years and no one has been hurt by it. You have four friends here if things get rough, four people that know your secret and still care about you no matter what. Family is important though. You love your sister, you saved her life."

Will put his hand on mine and said, "I can't go back yet, at least not until after this week." I was confused and asked why. "This week is a full moon, did you forget?" I had forgotten for a minute actually.

We went back into the room with everyone else and reminded them of what was coming this week. We had to devise a plan on how to use the full moon to track down a rogue vampire. Will began telling us about the cave he lived in, near where I found him that day. He said, "I can show you where it is and we can spend our shift time there." Quinn wasn't happy about that, not because I would be with Will as much as the fact that the area is where we last saw something that could've been a killer.

"Quinn," I said, "that's the point. We have to track this person down and we're going to be the best for that once we've shifted."

Will chimed in saying, "You have my word, man, I won't let anything happen to Parker. She's the best friend I've had in a long time. I'll take good care of her." They were civil again and even working together. They're both really impressing me right now.

The plan came down to this; Jackie and Mitchell will be together at my house because my parents will still be out of town. Quinn would be staying there too, but he would be doing a lot of patrolling to see what he could find on his own. He'll be far from the woods where we'll be so that we're not distracted by another vampires smell. Will and I will spend both days in a cave. At the end of the two days, once I have shifted back, I will call Quinn and he'll pick us up. I was a nervous wreck, but it made me feel somewhat better that Will would be there with me.

As I was upstairs packing a bag, Quinn came in the room and shut the door. "Are you sure you're ok with this?" He asked.

As I turned to face him, I said, "I'm scared to death actually, but it'll be fine. This is what we have to do to keep other people from getting hurt." Before I finished my sentence, he hugged me and leaned in for a kiss. I didn't want to stop, but there was a knock on the door and the sound of Will clearing his throat.

We pulled apart and Quinn turned to Will with a look of annoyance on his face. So much for the truce, I thought. "What do you want, man?" Quinn asked irritated.

Will replied, "I wanted to see if it was cool if we changed the plans a bit. I think it would be better if Parker and I go to the cave on our own. The other vampire may pick up your scent and think it's strange for it to be around a werewolf scent."

Quinn started shaking his head before Will could even finish his thought and insisted, "I want to check out the area and make sure Parker's safe there."

Will replied, "I understand, but I told you I won't let anything happen to her. I promise you. It would mean a lot to me if you trusted me."

Quinn sighed, "Look, Will, it's not that I don't trust that you'll take care of her. I know you care about her. I would feel better knowing for myself that she's safe."

I thought it was time for me to interject, "I think Will has a point, Quinn. It would be less distracting if your scent weren't there. Plus, this is not my first full moon guys. I can take care of myself just fine. I'm big girl and I too have super powers in my wolf form."

He groaned and agreed at last. Tonight was the last night before we had to leave for the full moon. I wanted it to be special for us so I asked Will to leave and told him we would meet up at the school the next afternoon.

Quinn and I snuggled up under the covers, in my queen sized bed, and talked most of the night. "So, tell me about your family, I don't know much about them. I assumed by the red hair that you were of Irish decent in some way, but Harris is a British name."

I was intrigued by the fact that he knew that. I began to wonder if he was good with names or if he had done research to learn about my background. "I'm Irish, well my mom is, she has red hair too, naturally at least, she dyes it brown though."

He ran his fingers through my hair. "Please don't ever do that to yours. I love this color, it's stunning." There's that word again. For some reason, the word stunning sounds so old-fashioned to me. Then again, Quinn is pretty old-fashioned, being in his seventies and all.

Smiling, I replied, "Don't worry, I would never dye my hair, I actually like it a lot myself. Where was I? Oh yeah, my mom's maiden name is McConaughey."

He looked confused, "Like the..."

I stopped him, "Yes, but no relation...Thank goodness!"

Confused again, he said, "Why's it a good thing you aren't related to him?"

Faking a shocked look, I said, "Because, then I would never have a chance to date him of course!"

He grabbed me and started tickling me. "Oh really? You want to date him?" He said as I begged him to stop through the laughter and tears. He stopped and pressed his lips again mine fervently.

I cherished every minute of it, terrified that something would go wrong when I shifted and I may hurt him, or worse. I tried not to think about it, but it kept creeping back into my thoughts. It must've been obvious that I wasn't completely in the moment. Quinn stopped and kissed my forehead. "What's wrong, baby?"

Sitting up, I faced him and said, "Just thinking about my nightmare. I don't want you anywhere near me once I've shifted. I'm petrified of what will happen."

Quinn brushed my hair behind my ear and said, "We've been over this, nothing is going to go wrong."

I cocked an eyebrow as I said, "Have you ever watched movies? Do you know that every time someone says 'nothing is going to go wrong,' it goes terribly wrong?"

Quinn snorted, "Sounds like you watch too many movies, hon. Nothing is going to happen to me, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

He kissed my head and I giggled, "Oh, you can bet I like it."

The morning came way too soon. The sun was shining in the window; I stretched and rolled over to see Quinn lying there so peacefully. Peacefully was the gentle way to put it. When he slept, he looked...well, there's no other way to say it...dead. Truthfully it was a little creepy at times to think about, so I made an effort not to. I curled up against his chest, not ready to face the full moon tonight and the dangers that came with it. The only thing I did feel right about was that I wouldn't be alone this time. I had Will to help me through it. There were noises coming from downstairs so I knew the others were up.

Kissing his chest lightly, I started to say Quinn's name trying to rouse him from his somber state. He wasn't budging so I started to get louder, and then started calling him different cutesy names trying to wake him up by annoying him. "Quinny, QuinnBear, Q to the win, Quintessential, Qui-Qui, Q-Q-cachoo..."

One side of his lips turned upward and that adorable dimple came out and his chest shook. "Ok, I like Q-Q-cachoo," he said as he chuckled. He kissed me good morning and then got up out of bed and stretched his body. I marveled at the way his torso moved and the smoothness of his skin. He put his hand out to me and I reluctantly got out of bed and headed downstairs to greet the day.

We had pancakes for breakfast, courtesy of Mitchell's cooking this time. We were great at teamwork. Mitchell cooked, Jackie and I set the table and poured the drinks, and Quinn added butter and syrup to each plate as it was hot off the stove. Vampire speed helped him do it before they ever had a chance to cool in the slightest. It was really quite cool to watch.

It had to be the best breakfast I've ever had, not just the food, but the company. I wanted to savor this moment between the four of us, in case it was the last meal we had together. It's unhealthy to think that way, but I can be a bit of a cynic sometimes. Jackie and Mitchell kept stealing kisses and feeding each other pancakes. Quinn was pretty quiet. I think he was a pessimist too and didn't want to admit it.

Scooting my stool over to him, I kissed his shoulder. He turned and smiled, kissed my forehead, and fed me a bit of his pancake. He took his finger and dipped it in the syrup and I saw it moving toward me. Thinking he was trying to act sexy, I started toward it. He swiftly touched my nose, wiping syrup all over it. I jumped back and shouted, "Hey!" He rolled with laughter as I went to wipe my nose and couldn't get it all off because of the stickiness. Instead, bits of napkin were sticking to my nose. Laughing still, he went to the sink for a wet paper towel and cleaned it off for me. By this time, my stomach hurt from laughing so intensely. He put his arms around me and hugged me, close, a little too tight.

Quinn and I wanted to be alone for a few hours so we left the house and took a drive. He mentioned some particular place that he wanted to show me, so he took the wheel. We were driving for a while, I almost started to worry that it was too far, like he had changed his mind and was kidnapping me to keep me safe. Apparently the thought of being abducted pleased me, because I was a little disappointed when he pulled over to the side of the road. He walked around and opened the door for me, helping me out of the car. This place was unfamiliar to me so I didn't argue as he led the way.

He lifted me into his arms and ran us to a clearing that had a beautiful waterfall. The surroundings took my breath away. The soft rumble of the waterfall lulled me into a state of tranquility; this is exactly where I needed to be to keep calm. "Stay put, I'll be back in a second." With him, a second was accurate. When he returned, he had a blanket and a picnic basket. He laid the blanket out and sat the basket on it. He patted the ground next to him to signal for me to join him.

Everything had such a romantic feel to it. This place was beautiful, I couldn't believe it was only an hour or so from home, but I had never discovered it. Quinn reached into the basket and pulled out two goblets and a bottle of champagne, he poured each of us a glass. "How did you get this stuff? Or should I say where?"

A cunning grin came over his face, "I can be very persuasive that's all I can tell you." Boy, he isn't kidding, I know many girls couldn't resist his smile, I'm just lucky he's mine.

The glass was at my lips when Quinn stopped me. "We have to have a toast," he said. He held his goblet up and said, "Here's to us. We will have the forever we deserve; no one will take that away." Optimism filled the air as we clink our glasses together and then intertwined our arms to take a drink. That's much harder to do than they make it seem in movies. When the glasses were empty, Quinn took mine and set it down, and then stood up and extended his hand to help me up.

"What are we doing now?" I asked.

"Going for a swim," he said as he lifted off his shirt.

"Are you crazy? It's October, it's got to be freezing in that water!" That didn't stop him, he took off all his clothes and...well my thoughts were gone.

He took off running toward the edge and jumped in. He disappeared into the water for a brief moment and when he resurfaced, he screamed out, "Gah! That is freezing!" I fell back with laughter, still fully dressed on the blanket. "Are you coming in here or not?" He asked.

"Not!" I said loudly, with a chuckle. He pulled himself up out of the water and ran over and grabbed me up in his arms, soaking me and my clothes. Laughing and screaming at the same time, I exclaimed, "You're so cold put me down!" He shook his hair out all over me and I tried to push him off. He kissed me through the laughter at first, and then it took a passionate turn.

He frantically helped me out of my clothes and lay me back on the blanket. It resembled a moment in the movies, one that people imagine happening, but never actually seems to occur in reality. There was music in my head appropriate for the moment. No, it didn't have the beat bow-chick-a-wow-wow. It was more like something by Sarah McLachlan, a love song with a backdrop of utter sadness. He wrapped me up in a blanket with him and we laid there and listened to the sound of the waterfall.

The silence was broken by Quinn. "You know, this is a special moon for us." I gave him an odd look. He continued, "In stories of old, the full moon of each month is given a name, this is called the Hunter's moon or the blood moon."

As he paused, I snorted, "Did you just say stories of old?"

He playfully smacked my shoulder, "I'm trying to be romantic here." I apologized and he continued, "It sort of symbolizes us as a couple, the blood for me as a Vampire and the Moon for you as a werewolf. It's our special moon."

The thought of that made me smile; instead of looking at the full moon as a curse on my life I could look at it as what brought us together. If I hadn't been a werewolf, he might not have ever approached me at school. This being our first full moon together and it being the blood moon was a sign that we were meant to be. At least I could hope that for a while, right? He kissed my head at that moment and I leaned back against his chest enjoying this time with him. This can't be the last time we do this, life wouldn't be that cruel. There were more of these moments to come and I had to believe that.

Quinn sighed, "We better get dressed." My body didn't even flinch because I wasn't ready for this to end yet. Quinn pulled the blanket off and stood up. I put my hand on his arm and noticed the trembling. I guess he could tell, so he sat back down. He held me, stroking my hair. "We're going to come back here in a few days and do this all over again. I promise you that...you believe me, right?" Quinn said in a voice that exuded confidence.

"I'm holding you to that promise," I replied, with as much optimism and strength as I could muster.

He placed his hands on my face, pulled me in for a kiss, and then he said, "Consider it a date. I'm not about to give you up, sweetheart."

Sigh. Every time he says sweetheart my heart swells. He ran his hand over mine and over the ring he gave me. "Oh, can you put this up for me and give it back to me after the shifting is over," I asked him, as I held it out toward him. He took it and raised his hand above his head. He grinned facetiously with one dimple appearing on his left cheek. Adorable. "What are you doing?" I asked.

Still grinning, he replied, "Putting it up."

I smacked his chest playfully. "You're so corny...nutball," I kissed him one more time before we had to leave.

Quinn carried everything to the car while I got dressed. This was the most beautiful spot in the world. It was officially my happy place now and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. I needed to give this up to a higher power, I took a deep breath and started to speak to the sky, God, goddess, whoever would listen. "Please let this plan work. Please keep Will and me safe while we hunt for this killer. But most of all, please keep Quinn safe. If I have to trade my life for his, I will. I can't face losing him. Please, watch over him."

There was a noise behind me and I turned around. Quinn had a distressed look on his face. Solemnly he said, "It's time to go." He helped me up and we walked hand and hand to the car, as leisurely as possible.

We were both pretty quiet on the ride back. Pulling into the school parking lot, Quinn reached over to stop me as I opened the door. I turned a little surprised. "What's wrong? It's getting late." Part of me was happy he wanted to expand our time together and the other part of me worried about shifting next to him.

He leaned over and kissed me with such gentle grace and love and whispered, "I love you...I just wanted to do that without Will standing by watching."
Chapter Twelve

Will sat at one of the picnic tables behind the school. He had a couple of large duffel bags with him. How long did he think we were going to be there? Quinn snickered and said, "You pack like a girl, dude. What's up with that?"

Will rolled his eyes and said, "One bag is full of clothes, and the rest is food and supplies. We may be shifted for the two nights, but we'll need things to help us get through the before and after until we get our ride home. Of course, I can leave the bag of clothes here if you don't mind me being naked with Parker for two days."

Quinn lost his smile and sternly said, "Don't be a douche, Will. Things are civil between us, don't ruin that. "

Will apologized, sort of. He said to Quinn, "Chillax and pick up a sense of humor while we're gone."

I interjected this time, "I do think you over packed Will, I don't usually bring this much for shifting days."

Will appeared embarrassed, "Sorry, guess I'm still new at this, just wanted to be prepared for anything that could happen. It's getting late. We better get to the cave before we shift, and Quinn needs to get far away from here."

I hugged Quinn and whispered, "I love you, I'll see you soon, and we'll have a repeat of today."

He sighed, "Be safe." He pulled away from me and walked off not looking back. It was like ripping off a band-aid, the quicker you did it, the less it hurt.

Will and I got in the car and headed off to our destination. We left the car in a secret spot and started our trek into the woods. The cave was pretty well hidden and far enough in that we couldn't see the road. When we came to the entrance, Will went in first and as I followed I noticed that there were still signs of him living here; empty food wrappers and even a pile of ripped clothes. That explains why he brought so many; he had to have a lot on hand when he was living there. The thing about shifting is that if you have clothes on when you do it, they'll be shredded to nothing.

Ever since my first experience I've always stripped down to wait for the change; I'm not sure how it would work with Will here.

We sat everything down and used our bags as chairs. It was getting dark and the change would be coming soon. Will put his hand on mine and asked, "How ya holding up, Parker?" I grasped his hand. Truth was, I missed Quinn and I was terrified, but it helped to be with Will. He pulled an oil lamp out of his bag, took it across the room, and stuck it on top of a jutted rock in the wall. "I always kept a light up here. It was high enough that I never reached it when I shifted," he said as he lit up the room for us.

He turned and lifted his shirt. I stood up and yelled out, "What are you doing?" He continued to remove his shirt and I had forgotten how ripped he was. I had seen him with his shirt off once before, the morning after we met. Good grief, how did all these incredibly sexy men end up in Cascade, Idaho? It was like an epidemic of hotness.

Of course, that's an infection I could really get used to. Geez, Parker, chill with the hormones already. What is with me? One drop dead gorgeous man on my arm is enough to handle. "We're going to shift soon and I'm not going to ruin my clothes, I brought sheets that we can sit in and when it starts they'll fall off of us," he replied as he held his hand out to me with a sheet in it. Wow, he really did think of everything.

Embarrassed by my outburst, I jerked the sheet out of his hand and went over to a corner that was a bit darker for more privacy. It was difficult to take my clothes off while trying to hold up the sheet. It slipped once, I grabbed it up and whipped around to see if Will saw anything. He wasn't even looking in my direction. The last time I was naked with a man was a few hours ago with Quinn. This felt so incredibly immoral to me.

Once I was undressed, I made sure the sheet completely covered me. I sat back down on the bag and Will sat beside me again. He took his hand and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. He had run his fingers along my face for a moment before I shied away, "Will, stop."

He dropped his hand. "I'm sorry, Parker. I can't help how I feel. I'm worried about you though. I don't know if I can handle watching you shift when I know how much pain you'll be in."

My eyes dropped to the ground, "It's ok, I've gotten used to it for the most part. Don't worry about me." I kissed his cheek in a friendly way. He turned his face towards me where our lips almost met. I wrenched back from him before that happened and took his hand in mine instead.

Less light was coming into the cave which meant nightfall was nearing. My hand kept going back and forth rhythmically over his, trying to soothe him. He jerked forward, tearing his hand from mine as he started to scream out in anguish. I held onto him and tried to talk him through it, which was a reckless thing to do. He thrusts his hands forward and shoved me across the room. I slammed into a wall hitting my head and it instantly knocked me out.

When I came to, I had shifted and Will was gone. When I tried to stand up, my head was woozy and my legs gave out beneath me. Regaining my stability, I ran out of the cave in search of him, running through the woods trying to sniff him out. Will's on the loose and there's a rogue vampire around here too. I have to find him before the vampire does. He won't know how to take care of it on his own.

I ran through the woods for quite some time looking for him and don't understand how I lost him so easily. How long was I out? I reached up; rubbing my paw over my head, there was blood on my fur. My head was throbbing. I should be happy I didn't have to be awake for the pain of shifting like Will did. He was really violent as he shifted and I couldn't help but wonder if I were the same. I've never been around anyone when it happened which I guess is a good thing. I'm glad that Quinn, Mitchell, and Jackie were far away from us. If he could knock me out, then he could have killed Jackie.

Placing my nose against the ground, I took things a bit slower and tried to sniff Will out, maybe find a trail to follow that would at least point me in the right direction. My senses were definitely heightened; everything around me was so pungent, the trees, the leaves, the grass, everything. There was a slight wolf scent too. I knew Will had come this way recently.

Leaves crunched behind me, I smelled vampire and felt the adrenaline begin to rush inside me. My teeth were bared; the smell made me angry and fearful at the same time. Slowly, I turned around growling and...what the hell? It was Quinn. He can't be here! He was just standing there, staring at me. Does he even know it's me? The anger that had welled up inside me was dissipating. The smell still burned my nose, but as I breathed deeper, I could smell Quinn mixed in and it wasn't as displeasing. I didn't even feel the urge to attack him, which was a first for me encountering a vampire.

Gradually, I moved toward him. He stood staring until I got closer, and then he knelt down on the ground. Fear took me over; I loved him and didn't want to attack, but was scared to try and go much closer. Our eyes met and he smiled, putting his hand out. Instead of moving toward him, I began to back up. My back legs folded below me and I was on the ground cowering in fear to go closer to him. He still knelt with his hand extended toward me. All I wanted to do was run to him, but I was terrified.

"Sweetheart, it's okay, come to me, it'll be fine." His smile, his words, they ignited the feeling of comfort that washed over me and I walked over and rubbed against him. He patted me and said, "See, I told you that everything would be okay, sweetheart. We could never hurt each other, curses or not." I nuzzled against him and whimpered.

He kept stroking me and stood up all of a sudden. There was a growl behind me, it was Will. I maintained a protective stance in front of Quinn growling back at Will, baring my teeth. Will started toward us; I pounced at him, swiping his face with my paw. He jerked back snarling. Quinn put his hands up in surrender. "Will, if you can understand me man, I'm on your side. Everything's ok." Will whimpered as he walked over and nuzzled against me. I butted my head back against his. Quinn knelt down again and said, "Look, the vampire has been here, I can smell it. We need to try and track it. Mitchell's in the woods too, but he's further away." I snarled at him because that wasn't part of the plan. "I know, baby. Mitchell was supposed to stay with Jackie, but she's stubborn and wanted him to help protect you. Truthfully she's safer at home than we are here," he said reassuringly.

While we patrolled the woods, I smelled another vampire and took off toward the scent. Quinn yelled my name, but I couldn't stop myself. A man came into sight and I immediately pounced on him. Before I could think twice, I opened my mouth ready to attack until I saw that it was Mitchell; I jumped backwards and yelped.

He stood up and exclaimed, "Parker, geez, you scared the crap out of me!" I snarled in response.

Quinn reassured him that it was a nice snarl, not 'I'm going to kill you now' snarl. "I tried to stop her man, but she was a woman on a mission," he chuckled.

Mitchell gave him an annoyed look. "I'm glad it's funny for you. I was on her trail a minute ago. I picked up the werewolf scent and it distracted me for a minute and she was gone," Mitchell stated.

Quinn look stunned, "She? So it's a female vampire? Did you get a good look at her face?"

Mitchell shook his head and said, "She had long somewhat dark hair that's about all I could tell."

Quinn noticed Will and me sitting on the ground panting in exhaustion. "I think it's time to call it a night, or day whatever. It's almost sunrise. Parker and Will need to get back to the cave and you and I need to check on Jackie. Let's get going and get some sleep. We can start again this evening," Quinn stated.

We walked back to the cave together; Will went inside. Quinn knelt down and kissed my head goodbye. He left and I headed into the cave to sit with Will. He whimpered at me and began licking my head where the blood was. He felt terrible that he'd hurt me; it was obvious from his actions and the sadness radiating from his eyes. We snuggled up against each other and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up covered in a sheet and alone in the cave again. A few minutes later, Will entered and when he saw me, his head went down in a look of shame. "I'm fine, Will. It's not your fault, you didn't mean to hurt me," I told him as I sat myself upright careful to keep my body covered.

"I feel terrible, Parker. I can't believe I was so out of control like that," he replied.

"Where did you go after you changed? I remember waking up and you weren't here. I remember bits and pieces about Quinn and Mitchell, Do you remember anything? " I asked.

He shook his head, "No, I don't remember. I have vague memories like you, of Quinn and Mitchell. Man, it's lucky neither of us killed them. They took a huge risk coming around us."

We'd slept most of the day so it wouldn't be long before we shifted again. There was a noise outside and Will jumped in front of me in protective mode; Quinn entered the cave. He looked a little stunned at the sight of us. Will had jeans on and no shirt and stood in front of me with his arms behind him, holding me in place. Of course, I was only in a sheet. Fighting with him over Will is the last thing I want to do right now. I started to say something and then he smiled at me.

My heart swelled and I felt a smile came across my face. Quinn held out his arms and I ran straight into them. He snuggled his head into the curve of my neck. Will cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to leave you two alone for a minute." As he left, he turned and looked at me. I mouthed 'thank you' to him.

Quinn brushed my hair aside. "Didn't I tell you that there was nothing to worry about?" he asked.

"I'm still mad that you took such a risk. What if I had killed you? How did you even know it was me?"

He smiled that charmingly annoying smile that I adored. "I know your scent and when I looked in your eyes, I knew there was no mistake. I'm proud of you...," he paused as he noticed the dried blood on my forehead. "What happened to your head?" I told him the truth; I felt it was best not to lie. He became outraged and called out Will's name.

Placing my hands on his chest, I begged, "Stop, please...Stop! He feels bad enough as it is, he was shifting and he couldn't control himself." I was hopeful that Will would stay away a little while longer so that he would be safe. Quinn lets out a yell of frustration and hit the wall of the cave. On reflex, I grabbed his hand to check it. Of course, it was fine. I think the rock was worse off.

Quinn let out a sigh, "I'm sorry, I wish I had been here to protect you."

I put his hand against my heart. "See, it's still beating, everything is okay, nothing to worry about here." Smiling at him demurely, he kissed me.

Will came back into the cave a few minutes later looking somberly at Quinn. "I'm sorry, man. I'd never hurt her intentionally, you know that. I feel like a total jerk." Will started to say as Quinn walked toward him.

I tensed up, expecting the worst and then Quinn put his hand on Will's shoulder. Will was more stunned than I was. "I believe you and want you to know that we're still okay." Will was bowled over by that for sure. They shook hands and Quinn left us alone again.

Unfortunately for tonight, I got to experience the pain of shifting first and can remember seeing the fear in Will's eyes as I went through it. His eyes bulged out and he watched with horror on his face. At one point, he had his hands over his ears and his eyes shut as tight as he could. He shook his head back and forth as though trying to force the memory away. My shifting was almost complete when his began. We were both screaming in agony as our bones shifted and cracked and our faces contorted.

Once in our wolf form, we left the cave and started our hunt for the vampire once more. We both took off running toward the noise to the left of us. There was a shape visible up ahead, it was a woman...it must be her. She was too fast; we tried to keep up, but couldn't catch her. Will went left and I went right to trap her on either side when we caught up. Vampire speed was much faster than werewolf and she was making a lot of progress in putting space between us. Mitchell appeared beside me. He bypassed me in a flash, making more headway.

He caught up with her and was able to shove her shoulder to knock her off balance. They struggled and fell to the ground rolling and clawing at each other. She hissed at him and tried to tear at his skin with her teeth. Mitchell kept shifting his body to stay out of reach. He grabbed a handful of her hair causing her to let out a deafening wail. She slashed at his face in response, A roar spilled out of his mouth as his head jerked sideways with the force of it.

She scrambled to try and stand. Mitchell grabbed her ankles and pulled her back down to the ground. He struggled to get her hands down, so he could restrain her and allow Quinn time to get there to help. It wasn't working, she was too strong.

We watched from the sidelines, not sure where to jump in. Will darted off after them. Nervous that he would hurt Mitchell, instead of the woman, I followed. She and Mitchell were in a fight to the death, she had gotten a hold of him a couple of times and bitten chunks from his skin causing him to roar and loosen his grip. Quinn was nowhere to be seen and it worried me. Distracting Mitchell, with her recent bite, she was able to throw him off of her and reached into her jacket. She pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Will as he leapt toward her.

A howl of distress flew from me. Inside I was screaming and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The bullet entered Will's chest and he flew back, letting out a yelp and landed with a thud. He didn't move and he didn't appear to be breathing. My breath caught in my throat and stuck there; I was frozen in shock for a moment. Quinn screamed my name and it brought me out of my dazed state. I ran over and nuzzled Will; he didn't move. His wound was bleeding profusely, but he was a wolf so he should heal. Why isn't he breathing?

The woman ran away and Mitchell came over to try and help. My body lay over Will as I whimpered. A hand pulled me back from him. I tried to resist, but the pull was stronger and I was laid onto someone's lap. There were arms holding me and someone whispering to me. Mitchell checked Will, then turned to us and shook his head, indicating that Will wasn't coming back.

I'm not sure how long it was before I realized Quinn was the one holding me. My friend was gone. My friend was...dead. No matter how many times I said it, I had trouble wrapping my head around that truth. This could not be happening, he's too young. Quinn lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the cave. Mitchell followed closed behind us. When I woke up several hours later, back in human form, I was alone with Quinn in the cave. He had me wrapped in a sheet and cradled in his arms. Looking up at him, I smiled and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. A sad smile came across his face and I realized that something was wrong.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said as he kissed my head softly. His eyes were so sad. He looked at me with sympathy and treated me with such delicacy, as though I could break at any moment. The memory of the night before came back in flashes and I sat up hastily, looking around. This wasn't the same cave Will and I were in. Wait...Will...that memory had to be wrong.

"Where are we? This isn't the same cave...is it?" I asked.

Quinn shook his head, "We're under the waterfall. I didn't want to take you back to the other one so I brought all your stuff here for the night."

My thoughts were a bit muddled, "The waterfall? Our waterfall? What about Will?"

Quinn's look of sadness deepened, "Sweetie, Will's gone."

Shaking my head, I cried, "No, that isn't true, it can't be. He's my friend, he...he's too young...he...I...No." The tears continued to flow from my eyes. My thoughts were so befuddled I didn't know what to believe.

The sheet fell from me as I jumped up. Instantly, Quinn was beside me wrapping it around me again. The only thing I was sure of is that I'm in pain and I missed my friend. Quinn held me in his arms and rocked me, trying to assure me it would be okay. I knew that it wouldn't be okay though. Will's only sixteen and he spent the last year of his life by himself, leaving everything he loved behind. I was the first friend he had in all that time and I expressed my friendship by getting him killed. All I could think is, it could've been me; actually...it should've been me.

The full moon cycle was over and we could go home, back to reality and a semblance of normality. Quinn took everything to the car and told me to stay put and relax for a few minutes and he would be back for me. I walked out of the cave and found a spot where Quinn and I had been two days ago. The grass was wet with dew as I sat down and stared out at the waterfall. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and hoped that when I opened them it would be the other day and none of the bad stuff had ever happened.

Quinn's voice made me open my eyes. The moment I turned to face him, the tears came again. In a flash, he had his arms around me as my body trembled with grief. He carried me to the car. Placing me in the front seat, he buckled me in and put a blanket over me.

It wasn't long before I had cried myself to sleep. I woke up in my own bed with Quinn lying next to me. I looked up at him and smiled. This is the way I always want to wake up, next to him. He smiled back and said, "Do you need anything?"

My throat felt dry and my voice was scratchy. "Something to drink would be nice."

He headed downstairs to get me a drink. I got out of bed and went over to my vanity, taking a seat in front of the mirror. My hair was a mess of tangles, the joys of naturally curly hair. My face was streaked with dried tears. My head ached from all the crying.

In less than a minute or so, Quinn was back. He observed my attempt to fix my hair and face. He walked up behind me, moved my hair to the side and kissed my neck. "You're still the most beautiful woman I've laid eyes on."

Smiling, I managed to laugh a little, "Vampires have excellent hearing, but terrible sight apparently."

He rolled his eyes and handed me a glass of water and a sandwich with it. I pushed the plate away. "I'm not hungry, just thirsty."

Quinn pushed it back towards me. "You need to eat. Keep up your strength. Jackie's coming over in a little bit to sit with you. She's called every five minutes to check in. If she comes over and finds you haven't eaten, she'll probably have my head." I chuckled at the thought that Jackie could do anything to Quinn. I ate a few bites of the sandwich, but it was like trying to eat when you're stuffed. I couldn't take in too much. My stomach twisted and turned with butterflies of anxiety.

Around one o'clock, Jackie and Mitchell showed up at the house. By this time, I had taken a shower and freshened up. I didn't feel like working too hard to get ready. I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I didn't even dry my hair; it was wet and curly. I tucked it behind my ears and walked downstairs. Quinn grinned up at me as he waited at the bottom of the stairs. That grin gave me strength. We all gathered in the living room. Jackie sat on Mitchell's lap, in the recliner, and I snuggled up against Quinn on the couch. There was a feeling of deep sorrow in the room and it seemed that no one wanted to talk about it at first.

Desperate for closure, I opened the topic. "So, did you guys get a good look at the vampire that killed Will?" My voice choked on the word 'killed.' It was like a foreign concept to me that my friend was murdered in front of my eyes. No one should ever have to witness something so horrible. Everyone's face fell into a gloomy expression and Mitchell's was the worst. I didn't even think about how he would feel. He probably blames himself, but he shouldn't.

"It all happened so fast that I couldn't get a clear picture of her face. I know she had dark hair and she was about Jackie's height. She was strong, so she has to have been a vampire for a while. She was much stronger than me and it takes time to get that way. I'm sorry, Parker. I liked Will. I considered him a friend and I didn't want..." He stopped as his voice choked. "I'm really sorry," Mitchell stated sadly.

Quinn spoke next, "It's not your fault Mitch. You were taking on someone with more strength. If I'd known that it was an older vampire, I would've left you out of it. It's my fault, I should've never involved you guys in this. I'm the oldest, most experienced creature, and I should've taken care of her myself."

I stood up and interjected angrily, "Stop it! Just stop, both of you. No one is at fault for Will's death except for that evil witch that killed him. I don't want to sit here and let everyone feel guilty or try to rehash what happened. The fact is, Will is dead, there's nothing we can do about it besides track her down and let me kill her." My hands shook with rage and I felt my bones ache. The last thing that I needed to do was lose control right now with everyone in close quarters. I needed to regain my composure. I took deep breaths and could feel my mood calming.

Everyone looked at me with astonished faces. "You won't be the one that kills her. In fact, you're out of this hunt as of now," Quinn stated firmly. He stood in front of me and pointed his finger angrily toward the ground as he made his demand.

That made me furious all over again. "The hell I am! Will was one of my best friends. He was the only one that understood the pain I go through as a wolf. He deserves his death to be avenged and I can do that easier than anyone. I just have to find her and bite her and its over."

Quinn's mood switched from anger to panic as he grabbed my shoulders and looked in my eyes. "She has silver bullets, Parker! It would be over in a second for you, just like it was for Will. I refuse to stand by and watch that happen. Mitchell and I will find her and I'll be the one to kill her. Is that understood?"

My response was to jerk free of his arms and walk out of the room. I stormed upstairs to my bedroom and slammed the door. Throwing myself down on the bed, I screamed into my mattress to expel my aggravation. My bones were aching again. My face throbbed, I could feel my skin pulling and stretching. This cannot be happening to me, I can't shift right now it's too dangerous for everyone. This was torturous. This was worse than a full moon change, because fighting it elongated the pain.

My skin stretched so tautly it felt as though I would explode at any moment. The rage and grief ate away at me and I writhed around on the bed, trying to keep my human shape. Taking deep breaths while trying not to scream and alert the others, trying to think good thoughts, trying to focus on anything positive, I could finally feel myself tranquilizing. My back felt sore against the bed from where my spine had bent and reformed. I rolled to the side, to get more comfortable as I stared out the window and thought about Will.

The bedroom door opened and, without looking, I yell, "Get out, Quinn, I don't want to see you!" The door shut and I felt someone sit on the bed. I turned around, ready to shout again, when I saw that it was Mitchell and not Quinn. "What do you want Mitchell?" I asked crossly, still feeling my insides shaking.

"Quinn's right. You can't go after this woman." I opened my mouth to disagree when he continued by saying, "Jackie's freaking out. She has been since she found out about Will. She's worried to death about you. She didn't sleep last night and she called Quinn a million times to make sure you were alright. It took everything I had to keep her from coming over here until this morning...and I have freaking vampire strength. Please, for Jackie's sake, let Quinn and me take care of this."

I sat up, hugged Mitchell and said, "I promise. I won't push the idea anymore." As we were hugging, Jackie walked in and looked a bit stunned.

Pulling out of Mitchell's arms, I got up and hugged Jackie next. "I'm sorry you worried all night. I promised Mitchell and now I promise you that I won't go after this vampire on my own. I'll let the guys take care of it, okay?" Jackie nodded and pulled back out of my arms. Something seemed a bit off about her, she seemed different somehow.

The three of us went back downstairs. Quinn and Mitchell said they were going to take off and patrol and see what they could find. The thought entered my head and I spoke before I realized what I was saying, "Where's Will?" Quinn's face had a look of alarm and his body tensed up. I didn't think about how my question sounded, so I rephrased, "Where's Will's body?"

He relaxed at my rephrasing. "In the cave. Mitchell and I took him there and closed it off so it could be his...grave." I guess that made sense. A fresh grave would've looked suspicious if someone came across it in the woods. It wasn't the type of burial I would have chosen for him. He deserved a hero's funeral with family and friends. No, I take that back, he deserved to be alive and standing at my funeral instead. It was me that got him killed and I'll never forgive myself. He died saving Mitchell's life and now he was decomposing in a cave where he spent so many of his days in pain and alone.

Mitchell put his arm around me and said, "I know what you're thinking. I would've liked to do more for him too, he saved my life. We didn't know where else to put him without exposing us all. We were very respectful of his body. We wrapped him in a sheet and left a type of memorial in there for him. He was buried with respect and honor."

I wrapped my arms around Mitchell and nuzzled my face into his neck. "Thank you so much, I needed to hear that."

Jackie spoke up, "We need to go, Mitchell. I have to get home, I feel sick to my stomach."

She jerked his arm, pulling him away. She seemed irritated, but I was unclear as to why. Mitchell looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. He thought she was acting strange too, but he shook it off. "Hey man, I'll take Jackie home and catch you later to patrol, okay?" Mitchell said. Quinn nodded and when they left and it was just the two of us standing there. The silence was awkward between us. We had a screaming match less than an hour ago and hadn't been alone to talk about it. Fighting with him always makes my heart hurt and my stomach cramp.

Quinn stepped toward me, I backed away from his advance. I couldn't stand to be coddled right now. He was hurt and confused, by the look on his face. Grabbing my jacket and keys off the table, I turn to him, "I'm going to the cave to say goodbye. You can come if you want, but you aren't going to stop me from going so don't even try."

Quinn stepped forward, opened the door, and motioned for me to lead the way. We drove in silence back to the spot in the woods where I left my car that night. My mind flashed back to walking to the cave with Will, he was so protective and caring. It was almost as if I could feel his hand brush the hair out of my face, feel his hand squeeze mine, as we prepared for the inevitable pain that we were about to face.

We started into the woods. My heart raced as the cave came into view. It was open, I wasn't expecting that and apparently Quinn wasn't either. He stepped in front of me, stopping me from going further. "We blocked the entrance off with rocks, that shouldn't be open like that," he stated. "Stay here and let me check it out first." I stood there, for what seemed like an eternity, while he searched the cave. This was taking too long and it's not that big of a cave. I hesitated to go in, I didn't know if I could handle the sight of Will's body. Inhaling deeply, I headed toward the cave entrance.

When I stepped inside, Quinn's back was to me and I could see the sheet in front of him. I gasped, Quinn whipped around and put his arms around me. I peered over his shoulder and saw that it was just a sheet, there was nothing else there. "Where is he?" I asked.

"I don't know, we left him right here."

With elation, I said, "So, he's not dead, that must've been something other than a silver bullet!"

Quinn shook his head, "It's impossible, Parker. We checked his pulse and there was nothing. He should've gotten up in the time it took for us to bring him here and bury him. We even sat with him for a few hours to be sure he was really gone. We wanted so badly for him to wake up. I felt sorry for the kid, he was so young and no one should die like that."

None of this made sense to me. I don't understand what happened to his body. I walked around the cave looking for something, anything at all, to clue me in to what happened. There was nothing there, other than an empty sheet. I picked it up and sniffed it; it was definitely Will's sheet. There was another scent there too. Vampire. "It was her, this sheet smells like vampire," I said.

"Of course, it does, Mitchell and I held it at some point. You smell us, sweetie. In your wolf form, you could probably notice a subtle difference between one vampire and another, but as a human, we all smell about the same," Quinn replied.

I held the sheet close to my face, taking in the scents and thinking about the last time I was with Will. He spent the evening apologizing to me about smacking my head into the wall when he shifted. We did a lot of bonding in that cave and I missed him. Now I don't even know if he is dead or alive if I should grieve or look for him.

As I was putting together my memories of the previous night, I paced the cave. The only explanation was that they made a mistake and he must have had a faint pulse. Quinn put his hand on my shoulder and I jumped in fright, not of him, because I almost forgot he was there. "You're sure he was dead, Right? If that's the case, where's his body, Quinn?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea, Parker. Maybe we made a mistake, but I don't think so. If it weren't a silver bullet, he would've shown signs of life within an hour or two of being shot. We gave him at least three to four hours. Mitchell stayed here while I took you to the other cave to shift back. I came back here, while you slept, to help him close the opening. I don't know what else to tell you. All I know is that we left him here wrapped in a sheet." He lifted his arm and pointed toward the spot where we came in, "and we blocked up that opening so that no one would get to him. I can't give you the answers you need. But think about it, if Will is alive, why hasn't he come to find us? We were all getting along great. He has no reason to run from us."

Picking the sheet up again, I turned to Quinn. "I need to be alone, I can walk home...I just need to be with Will right now."

Quinn looked stung, "I'm not leaving you here, I wi..."

I shook my head, "Please, just leave. I need to do this alone. I'll call you later, I promise." He kissed my cheek and I turned away from him as he left.

Sitting in the cave alone, I thought again about Will's expression of agony as he watched me change. We had such an instantaneous bond of friendship that no one could match. It hurt that I didn't get more time with him. Maybe he is still out there somewhere, maybe we will find him again. One reflection that I had was if I was this devastated by the death of a friend of just a few weeks, how will I survive losing Jackie, or my parents. The general idea of it made me think maybe Will got the easy out. He doesn't have to endure the pain of shifting anymore and he won't have to suffer through his sister's, or his parents, imminent death. Even though they couldn't accept him as a wolf, they're still his parents and it would be hard. It's sad to think death is easier than life. My thoughts kept me engulfed for over an hour. At last, I said goodbye to him and made promises to avenge his death no matter what it took.

Feeling like I had said all I could, I stood up and folded the sheet, laying it on the rock where he kept the lantern. I walked out ready to start my way home. When I stepped out of the cave, Quinn was sitting next to the entrance, which startled me. He stood up abruptly and put his hand up as I was about to speak.

"Please don't be mad. With the bod...sorry, with Will being gone I couldn't leave you alone here in case someone came back. You're too important to me." How could I be mad at someone for caring so much about me? I didn't respond with words. I put my hand out to him and he wound his fingers in mine.

As we walked, I thought of something, "Did you take the lantern when you closed up the cave?"

Quinn's reply had me wondering further, "I didn't grab any lantern and I don't remember Mitchell getting one either; it may still be in there. Why?" That was weird.

"It wasn't in there. Will put it on top of a rock up high so we couldn't knock it over when we shifted. I placed the sheet on that rock, before we left the cave, and there was no lantern there."

Quinn shrugged again, "I don't know. We can check with Mitchell though if it'll make you feel better." He brought my hand up to his face and kissed it. He has an amazing ability to calm me, but now my head was swimming with all sorts of scenarios as to what happened to Will's body.

I let him drive again, but said, "Take me to the waterfall. I want to be at a place I love right now, with the man I love." I ran my fingers through his hair as I gazed at him. His face seemed to light up. I knew that he needed to hear that since I had been so preoccupied with Will and because of the fight we had earlier. When we got to the waterfall spot, Quinn grabbed the blanket from the back seat and laid it out for us. I lay my head in his lap, enjoying the sound of the water and being with him. I closed my eyes as his fingers stroked my hair. With my eyes closed I replayed memories of Will, hearing the gunshot, seeing him flying through the air, the memory of his body laying there motionless. I opened my eyes and tried not to shut them again; I wanted happy thoughts right now.

I sat up abruptly. Quinn's face looked worried at the sudden movement. "We need to do something enjoyable, all four of us. We're going to start planning it now. We have less than three weeks." The look he gave me clued me in that I was too vague and he wasn't following. "Halloween. There's a costume dance at school that night and we should go. It would be fun and we can all use some fun."

His face kind of scrunched up as he said, "I don't know. I've never been much into Halloween and the whole costume thing. And you know the last time I went to a high school dance was in the 50's."

I pouted my lips at him, "Well, it would be the first dance I actually went to with a date. It would mean a lot to me." He still had the scrunched up look on his face and was being stubborn about it.

"Please, please please, it would make me so happy." I batted my eyelashes at him and put my hands together in a praying fashion.

He laughed and pulled me to him. "You play dirty," he kissed me and replied, "I'll do it, anything to make you happy." I cheered and clapped; it did make me happy.

My text went off, it was Jackie.

Jackie: I won't be staying over tonight, feeling worse, sick to my stomach, and don't want you to catch it. Have fun with Quinn.

Me: Hope you feel better, make sure Mitchell takes care of you.

I showed Quinn the texts. "Hope it's nothing serious." I was disappointed that Jackie wasn't coming over. I needed my friends around me right now. "Will you stay with me tonight? My parents won't be home for a couple more days and I don't want to be alone."

He smiled, "Of course, I'll stay as long as you let me."

Nightfall was drawing near. We drove back to the house and when we got there, the door was unlocked. I could've sworn I locked that, but then again I wasn't thinking straight when we left. Quinn went first to make sure no one was inside that shouldn't be. With lightning speed, he ran up the stairs and came back down and said he found nothing, but the usual scents. It's possible I just walked out and forgot to lock it.

Quinn was working hard to keep me happy. He made us popcorn and grabbed some cokes and the movie Love Actually which is one of my favorites. It's a bit of a chick flick, I think he secretly likes it though. This was definitely helping take my mind off things. We cuddled on the couch where he fed me popcorn and rubbed my shoulders.

The doorbell rang, interrupting our bliss. We paused the movie and Quinn went to answer the door. Mitchell stepped inside and said, "I'm sorry to bother you guys. I wouldn't have come if it weren't important. I'm worried about Jackie. Ever since the first night of the full moon she's been acting strange and distancing herself from me. We've always been very affectionate and now she barely holds my hand. She keeps saying she's sick to her stomach and doesn't want me to come over because she is afraid of giving it to me. I tried to explain to her that I'm a vampire and I can't get sick. She just acted like she forgot and made some other excuse about wanting to be alone. I don't get it."

This was all news to me. However, Jackie did seem less affectionate when she was here earlier. I thought it was because of the situation at hand. "She told me she was sick too Mitchell, so she may be. Maybe a little space and things will be back to normal in no time. Some of her actions may be coming from Will's death. He was her friend and we all feel bad that we couldn't help him; I'm sure she feels bad too. You know she feels inadequate because she is the only 'normal' one," I told him.

Not knowing what else to do, I walked over and leaned my head against his shoulder and rubbed his back for comfort. "Maybe you're right, I'll be patient and give her some space," he replied with a sigh.

Mitchell and Quinn needed to talk. I excused myself and went to the kitchen to make Mitchell a drink. While I was in there, I heard a noise outside. I looked toward the door to the living room expecting the guys to come running, but they didn't. I grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer, quietly opened the back door and headed outside. I saw that the top had come off the trashcan. It could've been nothing more than a raccoon or a stray dog, but I kept looking. I searched around the yard and my light caught something as I passed over it. I went back over the spot and saw a set of eyes, wolf eyes, in the woods.

The wolf stepped forward and strolled toward the house. My heart beat fast as I backed up trying to make my way back to the door. We were staring each other down, it knew what I was. Wait...I know those eyes..."Will?" I called out, "Will, is that you?" I started toward the wolf again and it growled and crouched into a position ready to pounce. This is crazy, Will's dead. I slowly backed up to the door, when I went to turn the knob, it was flung open behind me and I was yanked inside.

"What the hell are you doing, Parker?" Quinn exclaimed as he slammed the door and locked it. "You shouldn't be outside by yourself. What were you thinking?"

Exasperated, I replied, "I heard a noise and went to check it out. I'm fine, nothing happened. Geez, you aren't the only one with abilities around here. You've got to realize I'm not that fragile." I pushed past him and went back to the living room. No one was there.

"Where did Mitchell go?" I asked him.

"He went home and said he would check on Jackie tomorrow and fill us in if there's any change. Look, I'm sorry I overreacted; I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're safer on this side of the door because without an invitation..."

I finished his sentence for him, "She can't come in, I know the drill. It was a wolf out there though, not a vampire. I can handle myself with another wolf."

Quinn nodded, "I know, I know. I'll try and be a little less overprotective."

We headed upstairs to call it a night. Neither of us was having much success sleeping. Quinn turned on the lamp beside the bed and we sat up cuddled together. "I need to ask you something, it's been bothering me a little since the day we were talking about changing Jackie." I sat up thinking he was going to try and broach the subject again and I was prepared to argue when his question surprised me.

"Do you want to have children?" A short laugh escaped me,

"My goodness Quinn, it's a little early to think about that isn't it?" His expression didn't change, he was quite serious.

I responded, "Sure, I used to dream about being married and having kids, the whole shebang. But once I was changed to a werewolf, well, I figured it isn't possible anymore. I'm not even sure I could have children now."

I'm not great at hiding my emotions and he knew what I felt when my eyes fell away from his. He lifted my chin to face him. "It's possible. I've seen it happen." My mood lightened.

"What? How? Would they be a werewolf too though?"

He shrugged, "They might, it's like a genetic disease, they could have the gene or they may be perfectly normal. Vampires can't have children though..." He stopped at that and I understood where this concern was stemming from. If it was my dream to have children, he would be a gentleman as always and leave so that I could pursue that with someone who could give me that child.

Well, that was not what I wanted so I had to put a stop to his thinking. I leaned over and gently kissed his lips. "I want you, that's where my dreams are right now. There was a time I wanted children and it's nice to know that it is possible, but if they're born with the werewolf gene, I've sentenced them to a life of terrible pain. If they don't have the gene, I've sentenced myself to the agonizing pain of watching my children grow old and die in front of me. Neither of those scenarios sounds like a dream life to me. So I understand what you're thinking and that you just want the best for me...but you're what's best for me."

That must have been exactly what he needed to hear because he grabbed my face and kissed me with such enthusiasm. I could hardly catch my breath as I was overwhelmed by the passion of this kiss.

Quinn spent the next few nights with me and then it was time for my parents to come home. Things were still the same with Jackie, she kept making excuses not to come around and she was standoffish with Mitchell. She would only send me text messages with excuses why she couldn't meet up with me. She didn't even show up for school and, when I tried to go to her house, her mom would tell me that Jackie didn't want to see anyone. It was a bit frustrating. I began spending more time with Mitchell because Quinn was searching for the female vamp and didn't want me left alone. He only had my best interest in mind and I understood that, but it was a bit annoying at times. He wanted to look for the vamp on his own after the run-in Mitchell had with her because he didn't want to take a chance at her overtaking him again.

Quinn and I hardly had alone time together anymore. When he was around, Mitchell was hanging out too because he had nowhere else to go. It wasn't bad that he was hanging out more, I like Mitch and we were growing closer as friends, but three can be a crowd. For everyone's sake, I had to figure out a way to get him and Jackie back together, to get my best friend back, and alone time with my sweetie too. The Halloween dance may be the answer to that. I needed to coordinate costumes for everyone and make sure that night would be perfect. There was only about a week to get things together.

Since my parents were home, Quinn had to stay at his house but he texted me every few minutes to check in. I guess he felt better when I had a vampire babysitter instead of two normal humans. Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread was the dinner I made for my parent's first night back so we could catch up and I could hear all about their vacation.

They had a great time in Seattle. They went to museums and up inside the Space Needle. They went to the Pike Place fish market and did a lot of shopping. They brought me home a t-shirt and a shot glass which has become a tradition when they travel. They also brought me a Starbucks coffee cup, the first one was opened inside the Space Needle. They took pictures of some of the spots around town that were featured in 10 Things I Hate About You which is another of my favorite movies.

After hearing about their trip, and thinking about my week, I wished I had gone with them after all. Maybe if I had, Will would still be alive.

They wanted to know about my time and what went on. Omitting all the dangerous stuff, I said that Mitchell, Jackie and Quinn stayed here with me most of the time. I told them that Quinn insisted on staying after Christine was murdered which is why I invited the others too so that we could have safety in numbers. And I told them that I knew they would feel better about me having a boy over if there were other people around as well. They bought that and actually said they were glad to hear it. I think I just won Quinn even more brownie points. They even suggested I invite him over for dinner soon so they could get to know him better. At this point, he would have to do something pretty bad to make them dislike him.

Being the wonderful daughter that I am, I offered to do the dishes while they unpacked. Standing at the kitchen sink I looked out the window and there was the wolf again, watching me from the edge of the woods. I dried my hands on a dish towel and grabbed a bag of trash out of the can to take it outside. When I opened the trash can, there was a blood sheet inside that looked like the one we left in the cave.

My body turned to face the direction of the woods and my eyes met with the wolf. It stood there watching me. There is no way it could be Will, he hasn't been a wolf long enough to be able to change whenever he wants, he barely could contain himself when shifting. A full moon or uncontrollable anger is the only thing that could change him, so there's no way that could be Will. I was desperately trying to convince myself that I wasn't crazy. If it isn't Will, who is this wolf and why does it keep watching me?
Chapter Thirteen

It had been almost two weeks since Will died and Jackie still avoided everyone. The cold shoulder crap had to stop, so I went to her house and Mrs. Martin answered the door. She started to tell me that Jackie didn't want company, but I stopped her, "I need to talk to Jackie. It's important, and I'm not leaving until I see her." Mrs. Martin opened the door, backed up, and motioned for me to come in.

"Good luck, sweetie. I hate to see you two girls fighting. Your mom and I have been worried about you both."

Setting the record straight, I stated, "Oh there's been no fight. Your daughter has been giving me the cold shoulder for some unknown reason...but it stops today."

Mrs. Martin gave me a silent thumbs up and an encouraging smile. I went straight to Jackie's room and found her curled up on the bed staring at the wall. This is not what I expected at all. Jackie wasn't the type to be depressed or a shut-in. She has always been the one who wanted to get outside or the one that was cheering me up.

Gently, I sat on the bed next to her and said her name, she didn't move; even when I touched her arm. I moved off the bed and knelt in front of her. She was in a bit of a daze, staring ahead, her eyes were glazed over with tears. It didn't seem she even knew I was there beside her. I brushed her hair out of her face and softly spoke, "Jackie, hon, what's wrong?" Her eyes rolled up to look at me.

Throatily, she said, "Parker...what are you doing here?" She cleared her throat and got out of the bed. She walked over to put her robe on. I looked around the room and noticed that she had taken down all her pictures of Mitchell and me. There was nothing left on her vanity that showed any sign of friends.

"What's going on Jackie? Mitchell's been worried sick about you,"

Jackie sneered and turned to me, "I guess you would know a lot about what Mitchell's thinking." That was weird, not sure where that even came from. She was depressed one minute and angry the next, an exorcism may be in the works for this chicks future.

"Are you mad that Mitchell has had to stay with me while Quinn hunts for the crazy vampire? Because you're more than welcome to come with him when he has to babysit. I'd love to hang out with you too," I said, hoping it would make her feel more welcome if that were the issue at hand.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at me as she said, "Everyone needs to take care of you lately. You have Quinn, you had Will, and now you have Mitchell. You're fully protected. Plus, you get to be a superhero werewolf and live for hundreds of years never looking older than thirty. I'm surprised you even remember who I am. No one seems to think I need anyone around for protection...I'm just a simple weak human, after all!"

My mouth dropped open in bewilderment. I had no idea where this was all coming from. "What the hell Jackie? Mitchell said you've been pulling away from him and I've tried to get you to come hang out, but you keep making excuses why you can't. No one has forgotten about you, it's almost the exact opposite, you seem to have forgotten about everyone that you used to care about" I protested. "When did you turn into such a snotty hateful witch?"

Jackie smirked and went to open the bedroom door, "Just leave Parker, I'd rather be alone. I'm sure you have some boyfriends waiting for you. I guess someone had to fill Christine's shoes by being the town tramp." Her words made me furious and I fought every urge I had to slap her silly, but this was not my Jackie talking. I stood there for a moment before walking out; she slammed the door behind me. I jumped and looked back at the door, wondering to myself what just happened.

As I was walking down the porch, Mitchell was walking up the sidewalk and beamed when he saw me. "Hey Parker! This is a good sign, Jackie must want visitors." When Mitchell got close enough, I put my hand on his chest and told him that it wasn't a good idea to go in. He started to walk past me and I grabbed his arm and explained a little about what just happened. He dropped his shoulders in defeat and reluctantly started to leave. Glancing up at Jackie's window, I saw her watching us with an irate look on her face. What's going on with her?

Another week went by, with Jackie continuing to ignore us all at school. She ate lunch by herself, all the while looking mad at the world. I felt bad sitting with Quinn and Mitchell, it felt like we were mistreating her, but something was going on inside her and I wasn't sure what it was. The three of us tried to laugh and act normal, but the awkwardness was noticeable, something was missing.

This week was the Halloween dance. I never got a chance to run anything by Jackie, so I'm not sure my plan will work to get her and Mitchell together. After school, I caught up with Mitchell in the parking lot. "Hey, I meant to talk to you about the Halloween dance," I said to him.

He radiated disdain as he responded, "What about it? It's not like I'm going, I don't have a date. My girlfriend won't even look at me and there's no other girl I want to go with."

I draped my arm through his and led him toward the parking lot. "That's what I need to talk to you about. Quinn agreed to take me and I thought you should get a costume for you and something that matches for Jackie. Then you show up to surprise her and take her to the dance. It would be fun. You know I'm right!" I poked his side, he jerked away from me with a short laugh.

"OK, okay...I'll think about it. What are you and Quinn going as?"

I wagged my finger at him, "Uh-uh, can't tell you. Quinn hasn't got a clue what I'm wearing and I don't want him finding out. He isn't telling me what he's wearing either. I have an idea for you and Jackie though. You can go as Cinderella and Prince Charming, it's her favorite fairy tale."

"That sounds great, Park. You're always so good at knowing what your friends need," he stated sincerely.

Mitchell and I went to the local Halloween store and picked up the costumes for them. He cringed when he realized he would have to wear tights as Prince Charming, but I convinced him that he's manly enough to pull it off in a handsome way. He seemed to buy that, or at least he humored me. The dress for Cinderella was beautiful and I couldn't wait to see Jackie in it. I hope this would put a smile back on her face. My costume was perfect as well and I couldn't wait to see Quinn's face when he sees me in it. This was going to be awesome and everything will finally get back to normal again...I hope.

It was the night of the dance and I came downstairs to wait for Quinn. My parents were in the living room with bags full of candy for the trick-or-treaters. They both said I looked great. I hoped Quinn thought so too, I couldn't wait to see what costume he came up with. The doorbell rang. Before opening it, I took my right arm, stuck it under my cape, and lifted it in front of my face so you could only see my eyes.

As soon as we saw each other we both cracked up laughing. His costume was a wolf man with hairy arms and hands, chest hair and lots of facial hair. He wore a plaid flannel shirt and black pants. My costume was a black fitted dress with a red velvet cape over it. I had a white face paint on and blood dripping from my lips. To top it off, I wore a shiny black long wig with white stripes in it.

Once we stopped laughing, he held out his arm and I wrapped mine in it. "I can't believe that we both had the same idea," I said as we got in the car.

"Yeah, me neither. You're one sexy vampire though, I must say that." Quinn said as he looked me up and down and whistled. He leaned and kissed my neck as he helped me into the car.

Mitchell was waiting for us. "You look great Mitchell. I can't wait to see Jackie."

He smiled, "I have her dress in the trunk. She hasn't spoken to me so I thought I would just show up with it tonight and hope that the romantic gesture is enough to make her want to see me again."

I had a lot of confidence that this plan would work. "If I know Jackie, she'll be so surprised and it is definitely a very romantic gesture."

He grinned, "You look hot, by the way, Parker. Smoking hot Vampire."

Quinn turned and pointed a finger at him, "Hey, eyes off my smoking hot vampire. I'm a werewolf tonight and I'll bite you man...like that" He snapped his fingers and all three of us laughed.

We arrived at Jackie's and watched as Mitchell walked up the path with her dress and knocked on the door. Jackie came to the door and they talked, and then he showed her the dress. She stood with her hand on her hip and shut the door in Mitchell's face, leaving him standing there. I got out of the car and ran up to him. "What happened?" Mitchell pushed me back to the car. I shoved his hand away. "What's going on? Why isn't she coming?"

Mitchell looked so downtrodden, "She's going to the dance, just not with me...she has other plans and said she doesn't want to be seen with any of us right now." The only response I could think of was to embrace him. When I looked up, Jackie had opened the door again and stood there staring at us. Once she realized I saw her, she slammed the door again.

Pulling back from Mitchell, I stomped towards the door in anger to confront her. Mitchell grabbed me up by the waist and dragged me back towards the car. Once he let me down, I huffed and puffed to the car where Quinn waited patiently. When we filled him in on what happened, he was as appalled as we were, but no one had a clue what to do about it, so we headed on to the dance. This whole debacle just caused more pain for Mitchell and I felt like it was my fault. He loved this girl for twelve years and in one night she shredded his heart and he didn't even know what he did to lose her.

Everyone at the dance was in costume and looked great. Jackie arrived a little after we did. She was dressed as a vampire slayer, complete with stakes and holy water, dressed in a leather tank and pants. She looked like the trampy slayer from Buffy named Faith. It's like she wanted to do anything she can to hurt Mitchell. I'm not sure who her date was because they were dressed as the guy from V for Vendetta and I didn't recognize their shape.

Whoever it was, he and Jackie seemed cozy together. She grinned from ear to ear and he kept his hand around her waist while whispering things to her that made her giggle. That made me so mad, I let out a growl and stomped angrily toward her when Quinn picked me up and whipped me around. "Sweetheart, let it go, we're going to have fun tonight. Let's dance."

He led me out on the dance floor and the song Monster Mash came on. Quinn walked toward me like Frankenstein and I laughed and faux screamed as I scooted back from him. Then he grabbed my hand pulling me to him and dipped me. Playfully, he lunged forward as though he was going to bite my neck. He lifted me back up, raised his paws and swung them back and forth as he made his way towards me. The song changed to a slow one. Quinn put his arm around my waist, I lay my head against his chest as we swayed to the music. When the song ended, I told Quinn I was thirsty and he went to get us a drink.

A few of the costumes around the room had me giggling to myself and then Mitchell caught my eye. He sat on the bleachers looking very miserable. I walked over and extended my hand to him in an invitation to dance.

He led me onto the floor and spun me around once and I giggled as I put my arms around his neck and his went around my waist. "I'm really sorry about tonight, Mitch. I guess I don't know Jackie as well as I thought I did. I don't feel as if I know her at all anymore. I hate that, because I miss my best friend so much. I'm really sorry I suggested tonight and caused you so much pain."

Laying my head on his chest, he stroked my hair. "I don't blame you. You wanted to help your friend out. I miss her too...so much."

All of a sudden, Mitchell pulled back from me. I looked up and Quinn stood there with our drinks. He had tapped Mitchell's shoulder to cut in. They served the typical red punch and I had just taken a sip when Jackie danced by with her partner and said "Watch out Quinn, you'll lose your dance partner soon. Mitchell enjoys putting his hands on Parker lately."

My arms reached out to choke her and Quinn held me back. "Ugh! What is her problem?" I asked, exasperated.

"Let's go to my place, Parker. Mitchell we can drop you off at home if you're ready," Quinn offered. Mitchell decided he would walk home alone instead.

All the way to Quinn's I griped and complained about Jackie. I talked about how sad I was for Mitchell and how I wish there were something I could do to help him. Ever since Mitchell had been staying with me, when Quinn was away, he would confide in me about how much he missed her and all the things he loved about her. It gave me a new appreciation for him. Actually, at the moment, Mitchell and I have a better relationship than I do with Jackie.

Quinn pulled into the driveway, put the car in park, and laid his head back on the seat. I reached over and entwined my fingers in his hair, "You okay? Have I been rambling again?"

He shook his head, "No, I like when you talk to me. But, and I don't want to fight right now, I don't like the attention Mitchell's giving you lately."

I snickered, "Are you jealous? That's really cute."

A sly grin came over his face. "You think it's cute?" I nodded and he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

When he pulled back, I laughed because he had white powder all over his hairy face. "Let's go in and shave you already," I said as I tried to clean the makeup off of him. He went to change while I took off my makeup with paper towels and water. I slipped my wig off and tried to straighten my hair out to make myself look decent again. I assumed a sexy pose on the couch and waited on Quinn, fixing my dress to where I showed a little leg for him.

My phone went off with a text alert.

Mitchell: Hope I didn't make Quinn too mad. Thanks for the pity dance tonight. You're a good friend.

Me: He's not mad, don't worry. That was not a pity dance! You're one of my best friends and I care about you. Things will get better soon, hang in there.

Quinn came out of the bathroom looking like his sexy self again. His eyes dropped to my exposed leg and he whistled. I pointed my index finger at him and turned it around to point back to myself. He took the hint and headed toward the couch. He leaned over, our lips collided. He lifted me into his arms, turned, and sat back on the couch pulling me on top of him. My text alert went off again and he picked it up before I could. He glanced at it, rolled his eyes, and handed me the phone before lifting me up and moving off the couch. Stunned by rejection, I looked at the text from Mitchell.

Mitchell: I care a lot about you too, you're an amazing girl and it means a lot to me that you and I have gotten so close. Thanks again.

Quinn stood at the window now; I put my arms around him and kissed his back. "I was enjoying myself over there on the couch and was wondering why you stopped?" He placed his hands on mine and lifted them off his chest, then stepped away from me.

He faced me, "What's going on with Mitchell? If you have feelings for him, Parker, just tell me. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that's with Mitchell," he scowled, "so be it, but I deserve to know." I felt staggered, I wasn't expecting this. In the car, I thought Quinn felt a little jealous, but he actually believes I'm in love with Mitchell.

"I can't believe you'd think that, Quinn. You're the only one I have feelings for...Mitchell is just a very good friend. That's all that the text was about. I told him that I cared about him and that he was a good friend and he was returning the sentiment. I don't want to fight about this, please. My night has had more downs than ups and I just want to sit here and make out with the sexiest man alive, who I happen to be crazy in love with."

He looked at his watch and said, "It's getting late, I need to get you home." Well, that wasn't the response I hoped to hear. I'm beginning to hate Halloween now.

He dropped me off at the house and did the usual kiss on the cheek for my parent's sake. Defeated, I dragged myself up to my room, sad at how terribly this night had gone. I shut the door, turned out the light, and went to lie down. As soon as I hit the pillow, I jumped back up and turned on the light. "You gave me a heart attack, Quinn!"

The floor creaked and I heard my dad's voice call out, "Princess, everything okay?"

Frantically, I said, "Yeah, dad, just tripped over something in my room. Goodnight."

There was something that sounded like a muffled laugh and he said, "That may be a clue to clean in there."

Rolling my eyes, I sternly said, "Hint taken! Goodnight, dad." His footsteps were getting further away and, once I couldn't hear him, I turned around and Quinn was gone.

He appeared from under my bed with a goofy grin on his face. "He has a point about the room," He said as he dangled a bra from his index finger.

My face turned red with embarrassment. I jerked the bra from him and whispered, "Can we go back to why you felt the need to scare the crap out of me?"

He walked over to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave things as we did and I didn't want to make your parents mad by bringing you home late."

One thing still bugged me though and I had to ask. "Would you really give me up to Mitchell that easily if I were in love with him?"

He winced, "If it made you happy, yes. Would I be happy with it and not want to rip his head off...literally? Well, no promises there." He kissed my hand and led me to the bed. I smiled as I fell asleep in his arms, it was a great end to a terrible night.
Chapter Fourteen

It was almost time for the full moon again. Quinn would take me to the cave under the waterfall to spend my shifting time. Mitchell would meet us there each night so we could all patrol. It took some coaxing, but finally, I convinced Quinn to let me help. The catch being he has limitations on what he will let me do. He has to lead me everywhere and I'm not allowed to attack the vampire unless we make sure she's unarmed.

It would be impossible to use Jackie as an excuse this time seeing as how we aren't speaking. If they were to call her she would blow my cover in an instant. We came up with the idea that I was going on a short romantic trip with Quinn. Convincing my parents to let me go was easier than I ever anticipated it would be. They gave me rules about staying in a separate hotel room that they would pay for, and made me promise that I would be careful.

Both were difficult to agree on, but I did so anyway. I would give them the money back somehow so it didn't seem too dishonest. Mitchell came to pick me up while Quinn was picking up some supplies. Luckily my parents had gone out for dinner or they would've thought it was strange who my chauffeur was. We picked Quinn up and headed to the waterfall site. Mitchell dropped us off and Quinn said he would text him once I had shifted and it was safe to return.

We set up in a cave and Quinn handed me a sheet and then left the room so I could change. It seemed weird since he has seen me naked, but it was very gentlemanly of him...very Quinn. When he came back in, I was wrapped in a sheet and motioned for him to come to me. He grinned as he moved his lips to mine. He ran his hands over my back and his fingers through my hair and then he stopped suddenly. "I have to leave for a little bit," he said. "The sun is setting and you'll be shifting soon. I wish we had time, but we don't. I'm going to be right outside and will come in once you're in wolf form. I love you." I was disappointed but knew he was right and I was more concerned with his safety. He kissed me once more and walked out of the cave. I sat on the ground and waited for the pain to begin.

It had taken about an hour before my change occurred. I recalled screaming out in pain and I heard something hitting the walls around the cave. Not too far away from me, I could hear someone else crying out. My body contorted and I thrashed around in agony. This is supposed to get easier with time, but to this point I haven't noticed a reduction in pain. Once I was fully shifted, I sat there gathering up my strength and then walked toward the entrance. Quinn stood there looking distressed. He had been crying and his hands had dried blood on them. There were chunks of debris around him. My head cocked up curiously. He smiled, a bit sadly, and said everything was okay and not to worry about him. I whimpered and he knelt down beside me, wrapped his arm around my neck, and patted my head. It must've been hard on him to hear me in such pain and not be able to help.

We ran off into the woods, stopping at every noise and movement. There was another wolf howling in the distance and Quinn and I looked at each other for a second before running toward the sound. Quinn was faster than me by, well a lot actually, but I'm faster as a wolf so I can keep up a little easier. He also slows down so that he can protect me by staying close. We were closing in on the wolf and all I could think about was that it was Will and we were finally going to catch up with him and have proof he is alive. We came to a clearing and there it was...it wasn't Will though, it was a female wolf.

She growled and her teeth gleamed white in a snarl. I stepped forward, in front of Quinn, and bared my teeth at her. We were facing each other down when I saw Mitchell step out in the clearing behind her. He had come from the other direction. She turned and her paws thumped the ground as she moved toward him. I ran and pounced on her. We wrestled with each other, nipping at the other's fur. Mitchell grabbed the scruff of my neck and pulled me loose while the other wolf took off in Quinn's direction. As soon as my feet hit the ground again I ran toward Quinn and saw the wolf yelp and fall back.

Flashes of Will's death ran through my mind and I yowled with sorrow as I cowered and laid my head on the ground in fear. Quinn held a rifle, a tranquilizer gun. I didn't know that was part of the plan. He came over and patted my head saying he was sorry he frightened me. I continued to whine as I kept reliving Will's death; the noise the gun made, the sound of his body smacking against the cold hard ground and the stillness of his body.

My body was firmly planted to the ground shaking and trying to remove those memories. Quinn tried to talk me back to reality and after a few minutes he gave up and lifted me up in his arms. He then motioned to Mitchell, who picked the other wolf up. He carried her back to the cave with us and they left her inside covered with a sheet. I watched her while Mitchell and Quinn were right outside.

The next morning, I woke up to find an empty sheet beside me. My t-shirt and jeans were next to me. I dressed and ran outside to check on Quinn and Mitchell. They weren't there. Panic rose in my chest. I ran back in the cave and dialed Quinn's cell phone, it rang inside the cave. My chest heaved, I could feel a panic attack coming on and I had to stay composed. They had to be safe. Running through the woods barefoot was not the best idea, but I was too scared to care. Behind me, I heard someone else running. I slowed down and turned, whoever it was couldn't be far behind, I hid behind the closest tree until they passed.

"Mitchell!!" I shrieked. He turned quickly and came to a stop, I ran and hugged him. "Where's Quinn? What's going on?" I asked breathing hard.

He pulled back and had his hands on my face, he looked so serious. "There's something you need to know," he started.

Hearing these words, I started to think the absolute worse and freaked out, "What happened to Quinn?" I insisted he tell me as I grabbed his shirt.

He held my face still trying to keep me steady. "Quinn's fine. He's trying to find the wolf. She shifted back and ran off," Mitchell replied.

"What? She could be unsteady, she could shift, I have to get to him," I yelled as I tore away from him and ran in the direction Mitchell had been going.

Two seconds later, I was on the ground with Mitchell on top of me. "Sorry, kid. Quinn doesn't want you to get hurt, I can't let you go after them," he said, holding me down. My feet were kicking against his shins and I screamed as I tried to get out from under him. He was too strong. Finally, I gave up and lay there motionless.

From a few feet away I hear, "See, they can't stay away from each other. You guys could at least get a room. How trashy to do it in the dirt. Can you not control yourselves at all? Geez." Quinn had Jackie by the arm, leading her toward us. She wore his shirt and nothing else. Mitchell jumped off of me and Quinn rolled his eyes at Jackie's comments. Jackie tried to pull away from Quinn, but he wouldn't ease up.

"Jackie, what are you doing here?" I asked.

She sneered, "Disappointed to see me because I'm taking some of the attention away from you? I mean really, Park, how many men can you juggle?" That hurt, Jackie has never acted like this before and I didn't understand where it was coming from. Quinn let her go and Jackie crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.

"Can someone tell me what's going on please?" I begged. Jackie rolled her eyes. Mitchell walked toward her and tried to reach out to her, but she slapped his hand away.

Quinn stepped forward, "Jackie's the other wolf. We aren't sure how it happened so we tracked her down so she could tell us."

Jackie smiled at me, "See, you aren't the only special one now." That flew all over me.

"Being a wolf doesn't make you unique, Jackie! We've been over this, it's a curse and it's painful. How did it happen to you? When did it happen?" I asked her.

"This was my first full moon shift. I was turned during the last cycle. Remember, the one where no one was protecting me and everyone was watching you instead? Well, guess what? While you guys were doing God knows what together, I was being attacked at my own house by a wolf."

Mitchell's face dropped in shock. He still loved Jackie so much this had to be killing him. He tried to touch her again and she turned to him this time with tears in her eyes. "You should've been there to protect me, Mishy. You promised you always would be there. I guess now you found someone who means more to you than I do."

Mitchell shook his head and said, "Parker's my friend, Jackie that's all. But, more importantly she's like a sister to you and that's why I've been so protective of her, because I knew what she meant to you. I don't have feelings for her other than friendship. No one is more important to me than you are. You insisted we take care of Parker. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, we all thought you would be safe..."

Jackie interrupted, "Well, I wasn't safe! And it's your fault. You were supposed to protect me and you weren't there." She ran off and Mitchell went after her. I was still shocked by what just happened. Quinn appeared deeply saddened, this must remind him of his best friend Elizabeth, the one he should've protected when she was turned into a vampire.

In the same spot I stood, I sat down on the ground unsure what to do next. Quinn came over and sat next to me, put his arm across my shoulders and leaned his head against mine. "It's not your fault, Parker. It's none of our faults. There's no way we could've known that anyone would go after Jackie. We didn't even know there were any other wolves, other than you and Will." As Quinn finished, something dawned on him. His face became pensive, making his forehead scrunch and his eyes narrow. "Will disappeared for a while the night of the full moon...do you think he's the one that changed Jackie?" Quinn questioned.

"He told me he didn't remember much about what happened that night, which is common for newer wolves. I still lose pieces of those nights myself. It's possible, but if he did it was because he couldn't control himself," I replied.

Mitchell came back looking like he had lost his best friend in the world. "She wouldn't listen to me. She kept insisting I don't care about her. I don't understand where all this is coming from." He yelled and beat his fists against a tree. "It's not like her to act this way. That's not my Jackie. It's almost like someone has convinced her that the three of us are the bad guys. Who would do that though?" Mitchell asked.

Quinn looked at me and I went off, "Why are you looking at me? I don't have a reason to turn her against everyone...she hates me too!"

Quinn put his hand on my shoulder to stop me, "Of course it wasn't you, I looked at you because...well...what if it was Will?"

This was getting ridiculous to me, "Will's dead, you said there was no way he could be alive. So why is he still being blamed for everything? What reason would he have to turn Jackie against all of us? He was my friend, the last night we were together..." I paused as the emotions welled up inside me, "He was my friend, we had a bond and he'd never hurt me this way."

Quinn wrapped his arms around me and said, "I'm sorry..."

I pushed him away before he could say more and stated, "You're not sorry, you've hated Will since day one. I don't understand why either, is it just because he was a wolf or because he and I had a bond? Tell me it wasn't just jealousy Quinn, tell me it was the wolf in him and the vampire in you...something you couldn't control."

Quinn's face dropped in shame. That answered my question, this whole time it was pure jealousy driving him to hate Will. Turning around, I started back to the cave. I had one more night of the full moon to get through. When I got back to the cave, I undressed and slid into the sleeping bag. I only had a few hours before shifting would start so I needed a little sleep. Rolling over, at one point, I realized someone was there with me.

Quinn lay beside me and he smiled when our eyes met. That smile works wonders, I wanted to be mad at him, but couldn't. I moved closer and snuggled up against him and kissed his chest. He kissed my head and whispered those three little words.

"I love you...I'm glad you were here when I woke up, I hate arguing with you," I said, and then I turned my face up to look at him and he pressed his smooth lips against mine.

Someone cleared their throat and I jumped and grabbed at the sleeping bag, it was Mitchell. "Sorry guys, the sun is about to set and I was going to let you know that I'm going to patrol. I saw something moving in the woods a little while ago and think it might have been her. We need to watch out for Jackie tonight too, not sure where she is doing her shifting."

"I'd like to shift with Parker tonight, if that's alright," Jackie said as she came into view. I couldn't help but beam up at her. I asked the guys to leave so Jackie could change into a sheet. Quinn and Mitchell went outside. As they were leaving, Jackie stopped Mitchell and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a warm smile. He looked so happy at that moment; I hope it lasts. The guys stepped outside and Jackie and I got ready to shift.

As she changed out of her clothes, I said to her, "I'm glad you're here. I've missed you." When I turned to look at her, we both had tears in our eyes. We walked to each other and embraced. It felt like I had my best friend back and I was hopeful it would last this time and that whatever drove Jackie away in the first place was no longer a problem.

The guys came in and Quinn said, "Two hot girls in sheets hugging? This is our lucky day, Mitchell." We all laughed and it felt like old times for a few minutes. Jackie and Mitchell even kissed and resembled a couple again.

Mitchell held onto Jackie and gazed at her with such happiness. Then, Jackie pushed him away and bent forward screaming in anguish. "Get out! Now! Both of you" I screamed in terror as I shoved Mitchell and Quinn out the door. Mitchell looked horror-struck at the sound of the screams coming from Jackie. Quinn had to use his power to keep Mitchell from going to her. He fought back with all the strength he could muster and screamed her name. Frantically, I pushed them both out of the cave and barely made it back inside to Jackie before my shifting began.

Afterwards, I gasped for air, looked up and saw Jackie across the room, whimpering against the wall of the cave. I went over to her and touched her with my head. She nudged back to let me know she was alright. Mitchell and Quinn were both gone when we came out of the cave which was good because I was afraid of what she might do to them. Jackie understood to follow me as I motioned forward with my head. It would be easier if we could speak as wolves, be able to hear other wolves thoughts the way they did in books and movies, but alas, that doesn't happen for us. Jackie and I took off toward a noise we heard and as we got closer, I smelled another wolf nearby.

Jackie caught up to me, when I came to a stop, and she tilted her head to the side in confusion. She was still confused when I sniffed at her and walked forward and sniffed the air again. There was definitely another wolf that had been through that spot. It must be the one that bit Jackie, the only explanation that made sense. For all I knew, it could be the wolf that bit me, or Will for that matter. We slowly moved ahead, both of us sniffed at the ground and tried to track the other wolf. Now there was vampire smell mingled with it. I needed to find that wolf, but I didn't want to put Jackie in danger, she is still new at this. Quinn was ahead, he turned and saw me draw near. In that same instance, I saw the other wolf that was quickly approaching behind him.

Pushing myself as hard as I could, I headed straight for the other wolf and cut him off before he could attack Quinn. We both hurled at each other and struggled on the ground together growling and biting.

Quinn yelled my name and shouted at Jackie telling her to help me. All of a sudden, I let out a howl. The wolf took a chunk out of my shoulder. Rolling away and whimpering, I looked up and saw Quinn racing toward me.

Inside, I screamed, "NO!!" The wolf ran toward him and they collided and fell to the ground. The pain in my shoulder was the worst I had experienced and I couldn't get up to help him. He wrestled with the wolf and I heard a shot before the wolf took off in the other direction. Quinn lay motionlessly on the ground. I let out terrified howl.

Mitchell moved to Quinn to check on him and at the same time he sat up and looked over at me. I breathed a sigh of relief that he was okay. Quinn ran over and checked my shoulder, which was bleeding pretty badly. He lifted me, still whimpering, into his arms and whispered that everything would be fine. Mitchell and Jackie followed behind us.

Back at the cave, Quinn grabbed my sheet and held it against my wound. This one would take a while to heal. The wolf literally took a chunk out of me. Jackie came over and butted her head against mine to show her concern. My arm throbbed; I've had injuries before, but this was the worst one. I'd never been bitten by another wolf though, I wondered if that made a difference in the healing or the pain. One thing I knew for sure is that I had to find out who that wolf is before it could kill Mitchell or Quinn.

The next morning, I woke up wrapped in a sleeping bag. I glanced around the cave and no one was there. As I tried to stand up, I screamed out, the wound on my shoulder had hardly healed and felt like it was on fire. Tears rolled down my face. The one thing I loved about my time as a wolf is that I could get hurt and be fine within a few hours, but somehow this time was different. My wound had been doctored, it had bandages on it, but I could still feel a hole there. I tried to sit up, but the pain was excruciating. Where was everyone? I can't believe they left me here like this all night. Or did they? What if something happened to them? I grabbed my cell phone from next to me and tried to call Quinn first, then Jackie, then Mitchell, no one answered.

This was not good, something is wrong. Standing up was a challenge because I couldn't put any weight on my right arm due to the bite. After getting to my feet, I felt dizzy and fell backwards. I went to brace myself on the wall, but used my right arm without thinking. I screamed at the pain taking over my body. After regaining my composure, I stood straight up, took a few deep breaths, and walked toward the front of the cave. It was darker than usual, which was strange. I was human again so it should be daylight and there would be sun shining through the opening. I tried to feel my way, but couldn't find the doorway.

There was a flashlight in my bag so I retraced my steps back to where I woke up. The second time, I knew I had gone the right way. The reason there was no light, and I couldn't find the door, is that it was closed over with rocks. Why did they close me in? Were they afraid I would be dangerous? My phone was only on 35%, I needed to conserve the battery. Plus, the signal was terrible now. It must have been pure luck that allowed me to dial before.

As I stood there, I began to push on the rocks but it was hard using only my left arm. My head was so jumbled, thinking I must have forgotten something that happened. Did I attack someone, so they locked me in here? What's going on?

Then I began to freak out a little. "Help! Help me, please! Someone! I'm trapped in here! Please! Quinn!!! Jackie! Anybody!" I screamed. The only response was the sound of my voice reverberating in the cave behind me.

I gave up and went back to where my stuff was to check my bag. I barely had enough food to make it more than a day or two. This was supposed to be the morning I left and went home. A slew of different scenarios began running through my head of what could have happened; I prayed none of them came true. I picked up my phone and saw a faint signal was there so I texted Quinn.

Me: I'm trapped in the cave, what happened last night? I'm really scared, please come get me. I love you.

No response. My phone beeped a minute later and I grabbed it up excitedly, but it was just an error message telling me that my text could not go through and to try again later.

There was very little light coming in and the walls felt like they were closing in around me. Small spaces have never been a problem for me before, but I was beginning to understand what claustrophobia felt like. My breathing became rapid, fear rose up inside me, and I felt like I was trapped with no way out. I curled up in a sleeping bag and cried. This is the most terrified I have felt in my life. Quinn would never leave me here like this, whether I attacked someone or not. He may have closed me in, but he would have stayed with me. He would have risked his own life to make sure I was safe, I knew that for certain. Something must have happened to him.

I had to force myself to eat a granola bar to keep up my strength, then I went to sleep hopeful that when I woke up this would be a dream and Quinn would be holding me.

No such luck. I woke up a few hours later and checked my phone and it was now at 25% power. I hit send on my text again and ended up with the same error message. I drank a bottle of water and tried standing up. My shoulder was still so tender; it seemed to be getting worse instead of better. I made my way to the cave entrance and tried to move some rocks again. I was able to get one loose enough to see some light outside. Oh, thank you! I screamed for help as I kept trying to get more rocks loose.

There was just enough visibility to know it was daylight, but I couldn't make out anything else. My eyes were so attuned to the darkness that it was hard to focus with the amount of light coming in a small opening.

I screamed for help until my throat became raw and my voice was barely audible. No one answered, I never heard more than the rustle of leaves in the wind. I stayed beside the hole, cherishing the light as long as I could, until sunset. I crawled back to my sleeping bag and curled up inside it shaking, terrified of what was going to happen to me. I'm not sure how I managed to sleep that night unless it was from the exhaustion of screaming my head off. When I woke up, I could see light shining in through the cracks and knew it was daylight again.

Eating a granola bar for breakfast, and sipping the last of my water, I pulled myself up and dragged myself to the opening again. I felt so weak, like the way you feel when you have the flu. It was a struggle just to lift my head, let alone stand. I only just got onto my knees when I tried to yell out and scarcely any noise came from my throat, it was so raw. I shrieked over and over again, calling out names for help.

I stopped when I thought I heard someone calling out to me. Just then, I knew I heard my name. It was a man's voice it had to be Mitchell because it didn't sound like Quinn.

"Help me! Please, I'm trapped in here!" I screeched. The rocks started to move and more light radiated in. I'm saved, oh thank goodness, I'm saved. My eyes needed to adjust to the light. I could see the shape and I saw a hand reach out to me, so I took it and they helped me through the open space. The rocks scraped my sore arm and I let out an agonizing scream. The man got me out of the cave and pulled me into his arms hugging me and telling me I was safe. I wrapped my arms around him and thanked him, repeatedly.

Once my vision had cleared, I looked up at him. I pushed myself back out of his arms and my hand immediately went up to cover my mouth that was open in shock. "Will!" I exclaimed as I threw my left arm around him and hugged him close to me. "I thought you were dead, we all did, how is this possible?" I asked him.

He smiled and said, "I thought I was dead too. It took me a little longer to heal, so I couldn't make my way back to you guys, but I'm here now. Who locked you in there?" I shrugged my shoulders and screamed at the pain, I have to be more careful with that arm.

Will removed the bandage to check out my sore and it looked horrible. It was purple and bloody and looked like it had an infection in it. He had a backpack that had alcohol and bandages in it. Next, he picked up a stick and told me to bite down on it while he cleaned the wound. I put the stick in my mouth and as soon as he poured the alcohol on the wound I bit down so hard that I bit the stick in half and screamed out. He kept apologizing as he bandaged me up, but I knew that he did what he had to do. When it was all done he grabbed a t-shirt from his bag and gave it to me to put on, since I was still in only a sheet.

"Why are you carrying all this stuff and how did you know where I was?" I questioned him curiously.

"This was one of the bags I had in the cave during our shifting together, I used it he last few days as well during this past cycle. I kept bandages on hand just in case. I'm still new at this and my bullet wound took longer to heal than most of my other injuries have before. I didn't know you were here until I heard you calling out and recognized your voice. I was camped out not too far from here for the last few days and coincidentally, was headed to see you and let you know I was alive," he explained.

He helped me up and offered to carry me, I draped my arms around his neck and lay my head against his shoulder.

We made it to my car which was still parked where we left it. That was not a good sign. I felt that panic inside again. Will got me to the car, opened the door and placed me in the back seat. "Lay down and rest, I am going to take you home," he advised me.

As he drove, I closed my eyes and tried to replay the last few hours to see if I missed anything. I must have gotten lost in thought because we made it to my house in minutes it seemed, but the waterfall is at least an hour drive. Will carried me inside. My parents weren't home, so he took me up the stairs and laid me in the bed. Tucking me in, he kissed my head and told me to get some rest. I was in so much pain and so exhausted that it wasn't hard to take his advice.
Chapter Fifteen

When I awoke the next morning, my body told me to stay in bed and rest some more, my heart and head screamed to look for Quinn. Something was wrong, I should have heard from him by now. First thing I did was grab a shower; it had been at least four days since I had one and I hoped it would help clear my head. It felt wonderful to be under the hot water, I could have stayed in there forever. When I opened my eyes and saw the glass door and the four walls so close to me, I began to feel closed in and I struggled to breathe.

My hands frantically reached for the door. I jumped out of the shower to catch my breath and didn't dry my feet off, which caused me to slip and fall on the floor. My head bumped hard against the tile floor of the bathroom and I saw stars. The towel I had pulled from the closet was just barely out of reach, so I scooted myself over to the sink and grabbed it. Everything seemed to be going wrong, my life was so happy and now it felt like nothing could go right. Emotions took over and I leaned up against the sink and bawled uncontrollably. "Quinn, where are you?" I choked out.

My mom knocked on the bathroom door, "Parker, you're going to be late for school."

When I arrived at school, I ran to the first place I could think of to look for him. Quinn wasn't at his locker, but I knew he didn't keep it locked so I opened it up, it was empty. Next I tried Jackie's locker which was unlocked as well, but was full of all her things. Well, I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad sign. Heading to class, I opened the door, hoping to see one of them in there. Instead, I find Will in Quinn's seat. He smiled at me and waved, so I went to sit by him. He leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. I jerked back. What the...? I wasn't able to respond because Mr. Carter started teaching. We were definitely having a talk after class though.

Class seemed to last for ages, Mr. Carter called roll, but he didn't even say Quinn's name. He did mention Jackie's and said he remembered that she called in sick. I pulled out my phone and texted Quinn.

Me: I'm really starting to worry about you, please get in touch with me and let me know what's going on. I'm at school, I love you.

My phone beeped a minute later with an error message that stated that the call failed, number could not accept texts. It was all I could do to fight back fear now, I started rocking back and forth in my seat and stared at the clock anxious for the class to be over. I had to get out of school and find Quinn, Jackie, and Mitchell because something was very wrong here.

Finally, the bell rang and I took off out of the class, like a bat out of hell. Will called after me, but I ignored him, I would deal with that kiss thing later. I left school grounds and headed straight for Quinn's house. When I got there it looked abandoned, the windows were boarded up and there were cobwebs on the porch. The door was open so I stepped inside. The place looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. What's going on here? There was nothing here that even belonged to Quinn, how can that be? I couldn't have been in that cave more than a couple of days based on the amount of food I had left. A sick feeling crept over me, a feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.

This time I texted Jackie.

Me: Hey girl, heard you were sick, is that just wolf talk? Get back with me, I can't find Quinn.

My phone beeped a minute later, before looking I closed my eyes and begged that it was a reply and not another error.

Looking at the phone I was relieved, it was a response from Jackie.

Jackie: I have some kind of stomach bug, don't know what you mean by wolf talk...are you feeling ok? And who's Quinn?

Me: That's not funny Jackie, I'm really worried about him, is he with Mitchell?

Jackie: Mitchell's out of town with his parents for Thanksgiving, I've never heard him mention anyone named Quinn, what's up with you Parker?

I couldn't catch my breath. I sat down on the floor and rocked back and forth as I panicked. I don't understand any of this, Quinn was real I know he was. There is no way I imagined the last couple of months. How hard did I hit my head this morning? Maybe it was like in the movies and I hit it so hard that I'm in a dream state right now. In a few hours, I will wake up and Quinn will have been sitting next to me holding my hand the whole time.

Getting in my car, I went back to our waterfall to see if I could find any clues. I stepped inside the cave and found all my stuff including the sleeping bag that I shared with Quinn during the day. I picked it up and sniffed it. No! I only smelled my scent. This can't be happening. Grabbing everything together, I ran out of the cave and threw myself on the ground at the base of the fall. I didn't even know about this waterfall before I met Quinn, which meant he was real. I couldn't hurt this much if he weren't...right? Please let him be okay, please don't let me lose him. My phone rang and it was Will, I ignored it. I can't talk to him right now.

It occurred to me, Quinn had been in my car and I remembered he put a blanket and picnic stuff in the trunk the last time we were here. Standing up, I practically tripped over my own feet running to the car. My hands fumbled the keys as I tried to open the trunk. I dropped the keys on the ground, took a deep breath, picked them up and took a few more deep breaths to calm myself as I put them in the trunk lock.

One more deep breath, I closed my eyes and lifted the trunk. Opening my eyes, I looked and there were a blanket and a picnic basket. I didn't imagine it...he is real! I lifted the blanket and breathed in; his scent was still there. I sent up a silent thank you. There were still more answers to find though, so I headed back home.

One problem, that I can't explain, is Jackie acted like she never heard of Quinn. I don't know what to make of that. Pulling into my driveway, a car pulled in right behind me. In the rearview mirror, I noticed it was Will in the driver's seat. We both stepped out of our cars and walked toward each other.

"I've been calling you, why haven't you answered? I have been worried about you since you ran out of school in such a rush." He said as he put his arm on me and kissed my cheek.

I placed my hands on his chest and shoved him away from me. "Why do you keep kissing me?" I demanded.

He looked a bit hurt when he said, "That's usually what people dating do...isn't it?"

Ok, now I am really confused. "Dating? Since when are we dating?" I asked.

"Uh...For at least a month now, since you found me on the road hurt and we bonded over the fact we're both wolves..." he started to say.

I cut him off, "Wait, that was months ago. I've been dating Quinn since before I met you and then you died...or so we all thought...until you saved me from the cave where I'd been trapped."

Now Will had a confused look on his face, "First, who is Quinn, second, I never died, and third what cave...the one under the waterfall...our cave?"

I smacked him across the face, "That'll never be our cave that's Quinn's and my cave. I don't know what you're trying to pull Will Carpenter, but I won't listen to this crap!" I stormed off into the house and slammed the door behind me. I eased the curtain back and peered out the window. I made sure that he had driven away before I called Jackie.

I asked her again where Quinn and Mitchell were and she repeated the same story as before that she didn't know Quinn and that Mitchell was out of town with his parents. I grew angry and demanded she tell me the truth. She rebutted angrily saying I had gone crazy and that Will told me the truth and that I needed to quit smoking whatever drugs I had because they were messing with my mind. I hung up on her, grabbed my keys off the counter, and headed out the door.

Things were getting better between the four of us and I didn't understand why she had reverted back to the angry person she had been the last few weeks. I headed straight for Mitchell's home. There were no cars in the driveway, but I knocked and rang the doorbell repeatedly. I walked around to the back of the house and found the hidden key for the back door then let myself in.

For Mitchell's 16th birthday, I helped Jackie sneak into his house and decorate his room up as a surprise. This is how I knew where the hide-a-key was and the layout of his house. Sneaking up to Mitchell's room, I found that his luggage was still there in the closet and it didn't look like he'd been home in a while. I went through his desk looking for any clues and found a piece of paper with a number on it...Quinn's phone number. Clutching it to my chest, I dialed Mitchell's number, no answer.

Something happened to both Quinn and Mitchell and someone has brainwashed Jackie and Will. That was the only answer I could come up with to explain all the craziness going on. A memory hit me, I grabbed at my right shoulder and there was no bandage and no sore there anymore. It was infected yesterday, how can it be gone now? Something really strange is going on and I'm the only one who can find out what it is. I can't trust Jackie or Will because they may have been influenced somehow. Now I felt like it was me who watched too many soap operas.

Will called my phone and left a message when I didn't answer. His message said, "Look, Parker, I'm not sure what's going on with you right now, but I care a lot about you and we need to work through this. You can explain to me who this Quinn is and maybe we can work it out if you still care about me too, the way you used to at least. Anyway, just call me."

His message sounded like he wanted to say more, but didn't know how to word it. I felt sorry that I smacked him if he was brainwashed then it's not his fault that he thinks we're a couple. I guess for now I will have to play along with Wiand Jackie so they don't try to put me in the loony bin. Now I have to come up with a convincing story as to why I have acted so weird the last two days.

First things first, I called Will. "Hey Will, look I am sorry about earlier, I don't know what came over me. If you still want to see me, meet me at the park in a half hour. Quinn's nobody important I've realized. I just want to be with you. I'm sorry about slapping you, that was uncalled for."

I had to leave that as a message, can't really blame him for not answering. Couldn't exactly act like I made Quinn up. Otherwise, they will really think I'm nuts. So instead, I'll act like there was a chance for me to cheat on him, but then I realized he means too much to me. Going along with the craziness was the only way I could find out the truth it seemed.

Will was there when I got to the park, and he had flowers. He was smiling at me as I walked up. I felt guilty going along with this because he looked genuinely sincere. He handed me the bouquet of daisies.

I smiled and breathed them in. "Why are you giving me flowers? I'm the one who has groveling to do," I said to him and stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him for a more passionate one. Oh brother, this was too weird, like making out with a brother. Yuck. As gently as I could, I pushed him away, faked a giggle, and said, "Easy there, stud-muffin."

He took my hand and led me over to the picnic table. It was best to get this part over with, so I explained, "Look about what happened before, Quinn means nothing to me. I thought at one time he did, but he ended up being a jerk and I feel like an idiot for falling for it and, in the long run, hurting you." As I said this, I put on the saddest face I could and caressed his face lovingly.

He looked back at me the same way Quinn does, with actual love in his eyes. This threw me for a loop and I pulled away from him abruptly and looked away. He reached out and touched my arm, "What's wrong sweetheart?"

Before thinking, I snapped, "Don't call me that!" And with some quick thinking, and without looking at him, I lied and said, "I'm sorry, I don't feel like I deserve to be your sweetheart. I feel so terrible about what happened earlier is all. I'm really sorry."

I brought my hands up to my face to cover it as though I was truly devastated, but mostly it was so he couldn't see I wasn't. I poked at my eyes a bit to make them water and turned to face him again. He had a concerned look on his face, "Don't cry. I'm not mad, I promise." He put his arms around me and hugged me tight, the only thing I could do was look up at the sky and wish this hug was over already.

Will walked me home, even after I insisted he didn't have to. I wanted to be away from him as soon as possible. It's not his fault that his mind has been screwed with, but it felt like I cheated on Quinn and it sucked.

He walked me to the front door and as I unlocked it and stepped through I could feel that he was following me. I turned abruptly, kissed him on the cheek and said "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

He looked a bit taken back, but replied, "Ok...I love you."

Smiling I said, "Me too. Bye," and shut the door quickly.

Once inside, I propped up against the door for a minute and took a deep breath, this was going to be difficult. Keeping up this ruse, while trying to find Quinn and Mitchell, was going to be close to impossible.

That night I could barely sleep, I kept thinking about Quinn and wondering if he was even alive still. What could have happened to keep him away like this, to leave me in that cave locked up. He never would have done that on his own, he must be worried sick about me like I am about him. The bit of sleep I did get was riddled with nightmares.

"Parker! Parker! No, she needs help! Please, let me go to her!" Quinn shouted. Someone stood over me and my shoulder was on fire as they rubbed some medicine on it. I could hear Quinn screaming my name, but I couldn't find my voice to say anything. I felt so groggy, everything around me was fuzzy. Whoever bandaged me got up to leave, I pulled myself up and tried to follow, but I was weak and stumbled.

My eyes were blurry and I could only see shapes and a bit of light shining through a small opening. I stuck my hand through the opening and someone grabbed it. "Parker, sweetheart, I love you, don't forget that. I'll be back for you, I promise," Quinn said. He kissed my hand and I felt his hand pull away. I tried to hold on, but someone was pulled on him. He kept screaming my name as his voice faded and I felt the sting and stumbled backward and the light was gone.

I sat up straight in bed and I was sweating and shaking. It was a dream, just a dream. But what if it wasn't, could it have been a memory? Who would be strong enough to pull Quinn away from me when he was so upset? Walking to the window, I opened it up and stuck my face outside in the cold air.

"Quinn, where are you?" I whispered.
Chapter Sixteen

School was the last place I wanted to be, but I had to make an effort to appear normal. The hardest part about that was that everything was wrong because nothing was how it should be anymore. My stomach churned with worry for Quinn and Mitchell; it was hard to focus on anything else but them. When I stepped into my next class, Jackie and Will had their heads together looking serious.

Will saw me and they broke apart quickly. He tried to look like nothing was up when he motioned to me to sit next to him. He leaned over and I turned just in time for his kiss to hit my cheek. Class was underway, so it saved me from having to talk to him or explain why I just did that.

Lunchtime came and I went to the cafeteria and again Jackie and Will were sitting together talking. Why does that seem so strange to me? They never seemed that close before when he was around. Guess I have to put on a happy face and try and act normal. I walked over to the table and sat my tray down offering up a friendly grin.

Jackie spoke first, "What's up chickie? You haven't been around much lately. I hope you aren't mad at me about that call the other day. I was in a bad mood and didn't feel like talking about the whole "Wolf" thing, ya know."

Well, that was a relief, she remembered that I'm a wolf and I didn't dream that she's one too. "So, is that why you were sick? Being a wolf can play hell with your insides," I said.

Jackie looked down and mixed her food as she replied, "Yeah, I'm not used to this whole thing yet. I'm not sure how you deal with it all the time. I feel so stupid for going out into woods all alone after that fight with Mitchell. He feels so bad about the fact I was attacked because of him."

"Wait, what? I thought you were taking the trash out when it happened?" I asked.

Jackie shook her head and looked like she was about to cry. "No, I found out Mitchell cheated on me, so I ran out of the house and straight into the woods where I came upon a wolf. I tried to back away, but it was too late; it jumped at me and bit me on the shoulder, then took off like something scared it. That's why Mitchell left town with his parents. They went to visit some of his family for Thanksgiving, but I told him I needed time apart. He said he'd give me as much time as needed. He swears he still loves me, but I don't know what to believe anymore," she finished.

Will looked uncomfortable, maybe it was the girl talk or the mention of cheating, which he thinks I did to him. I'm beginning to get a migraine. I have no idea what is going on or why history is changing around me all of sudden. Mitchell would never cheat on Jackie or hurt her in any way. I didn't want to ask any more questions, I had enough spinning around in my head to confuse me thoroughly and could not take much more.

Placing my hand on my head, I said, "I gotta go. I need to stop by my locker and get some ibuprofen, I have a killer headache coming on." I stood up and grabbed my tray of food. "See you guys later." My head really was pounding, but I also wanted to get as far away from those two twilight zone freaks as I could. Yes, they are two of my best friends and I love them dearly, but right now they're so screwed up in the head because someone is using them as puppets and filling their heads with lies.

Obviously, I didn't get away fast enough because Will caught up with me after school and Jackie was right behind him. "I thought it would be fun if the three of us went and saw a movie," Will blurted out.

I sighed and said, "I'm not sure I really feel up to it. I'm kind of tired and still have a twinge of a headache."

Will pulled me to the side and whispered in my ear, "I think it would be good for Jackie to be around friends right now."

My shoulders slumped as I gave in, stupid douche bag puppet plays dirty by pulling the depressed friend card. The three of us headed to the theater. It seemed to make Jackie happy because she didn't stop talking the whole walk there.

They wanted to see the newest paranormal romance, but I wasn't really in the mood for a vampire movie. I wanted to take my mind off vampires right now. But, that was the best choice out there so I decided to just go with it. I didn't really see much of the movie because I thinking about what could have happened to Quinn.

The dream from last night kept repeating in my head. He had such fear in his voice when he left me. He doesn't even know that I'm alive.

Tears rolled down my face and it must've been at a good time in the movie, because Will chuckled, kissed my head. He said softly, "You're so tenderhearted. That's one of the things I love most about you."

I wish he didn't have to be such a sweet, yet stupid douche bag puppet, I hated leading him on like this.

We went to grab a pizza after the movie and I stepped away for a minute to go to the restroom. I had to get away from them for a moment. Even though they were two of my closest friends, they felt more like complete strangers lately, or pod people would be more accurate. I took my phone with me and dialed Quinn's number while I was in there, it still gave me a message that it was an invalid number. I dialed Mitchell's phone next, but it went to voicemail, I didn't leave a message.

As I opened the bathroom door to leave, I stopped and pulled it back to where it was only a small crack that I could see through. I had a clear view of and Jackie and Will, who were looking serious again. Will put his hand on Jackie's face, she leaned against it and smiled at him. He moved forward and they kissed.

My mouth fell open in shock. What the hell? He's supposed to be dating me! So was Jackie's version of events correct or did Mitchell find out she cheated on him and that's why he left? Oh Geez, I'm starting to believe the madness!

Snip. Snip. Taking two fingers I made a motion of scissors over each shoulder as though I was cutting the puppet strings. No one is going to screw my head up. Quinn was real and I knew Mitchell hadn't left town because his stuff was still there at his house. Wherever Quinn was, I'm sure Mitchell was there too. Jackie and Will pulled apart and looked around to make sure no one saw them, but they didn't see me. When they mouthed, "I love you," to each other, I knew it was the perfect out for me.

Taking a deep breath, I channeled Meryl Streep and stormed out of the bathroom, walked over to the table, smacked Will dramatically and threw my drink in Jackie's face. "You can have each other! I saw everything! How dare you make me feel bad when you've been cheating on me this whole time and in love with her!" I shouted as I pointed at Jackie.

They both looked shocked at my reaction. I stormed out and started my way home. I couldn't help, but giggle at my acting abilities. Thank goodness that charade was over, now I could focus on finding Quinn. I'm still in shock that Jackie would cheat on Mitchell, but it had to be the brainwashing, there was no other excuse that made sense.

Going to Quinn's house was the first step in my plan. It was still boarded up. As I stepped inside I noticed that, for a place that was supposed to look deserted, there wasn't much dust accumulated. I brushed at the cobwebs and realized it was that fake webbing they sell at Halloween.

Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it seem that Quinn didn't exist. I went into the bedroom, and there were no clothes, nothing. What did they do with all his stuff? The cave...Why didn't I think of that before? I need to go back to the original cave, the one where we thought Will had been buried. Whoever brainwashed Will and Jackie must have been the one who pulled him out of there.

Running to my car, I sped off as fast as I could to the cave where I was hoping I would find Quinn, or at least a lead. As I was driving, I got a weird feeling like I was being watched or followed. I kept glancing in the rearview and didn't see any other cars though. I made it to the spot where I first met Will and pulled my car over. Running into the woods, I had to stop repeatedly to look around because that eerie feeling was still there, but I still didn't see anyone. This feeling of unease creeped me out. The cave was straight ahead and it was closed again.

Falling to my knees, in front of where the opening would be, I started to pray that Quinn was just on the other side of that wall and that he was okay. It was more difficult than I expected, to pull out the rocks, they were put in there very tightly and were heavy. It took a couple of hours for me to move four or five of them, but finally, I could see a little into the cave.

"Quinn! Quinn, are you in there? Please answer me!" I screamed over and over hoping for an answer. It didn't matter that there wasn't one, I kept digging.

Another hour went by, I moved a few more rocks and made a hole big enough to crawl through. Sliding my leg inside, I panicked thinking about how I was locked in that cave under the waterfall and I pulled my leg out. My chest heaved and this terrible wave of fright took over, just like when I am up high and my acrophobia, fear of heights, kicks in. Then I remembered that Quinn could be hurt and I made my way back in. If I was going to die, at least I will be with him when I do.

I put my feet in first and slid into the opening until I felt my feet touch the ground, then I slowly slithered in careful to not scrape my face. My whole body trembled, not like it does when I am on the verge of a shift, but out of total fear instead. I did not want to get stuck in a cave again, those two days were torturous enough. I was all the way in, but it was dark. I felt around the walls trying to make my way to the center where I spent so many nights. Though my eyes were still unfocused, I could see a figure against the rocks and I heard a moan.

My breathing sped up as I tried to make my way to the sound. I don't know why I didn't bring a flashlight. "Quinn?" I said into the darkness. My call was answered by another moan that sounded muffled as though the person's mouth was covered. My foot hit something and I fell forward. It was a person, I grabbed their shoulders and felt their face finding a gag on their mouth. I pulled it off and heard a grunt. "It's Parker. Is that you, Quinn?" I asked as I felt the contours of his face.

A hoarse voice sounded, "No, Parker, it's me, Mitchell. Quinn isn't here...my hands are cuffed." He cleared his throat, "The key is on top of a rock, I heard it placed there when I was left here. I've been trying to figure out a way to get to it for days. Get it to me and get out of here, before I get loose." He demanded rather harshly.

"I'm going to help you out of here, we'll leave together," I replied.

"Parker, I haven't had anything to eat in days and I'm very thirsty and even though I'm in a weakened state, I could probably still kill you in the blink of an eye. You smell delicious to me right now."

The word delicious told me I was like a cheeseburger to a starving man, "I'm not sure what my actions will be once I'm free. Hand me the key and then run...as fast as you can. I'll hunt in the woods and find my way to your car. Please, just wait for me at the road. I don't want to take a chance of hurting you," he pleaded.

Reaching around on top of the rocks, my hand came across a metal object that felt like a key. I took it and sat it beside him a little out of reach.

"I'm going to go now; I made it a little difficult to reach because it's going to take me a minute to get out of here. As soon as you feed, meet me at my car where we always parked it. Good Luck, Mitchell."

I backed out the way as fast as I could go. As soon as my feet hit the ground I took off running to the car without looking back.

Immediately I opened my car and jumped in, I locked the doors and waited for Mitchell. I hoped he would find something to feed on quickly because he should be able to tell me what happened to Quinn. It seemed like hours went by and the sun was starting to set when I finally saw Mitchell stumble out of the woods. He looked terrible and was now covered in blood. I popped the trunk for him. He took the hint and cleaned off with the blanket back there and came to the passenger's side of the car.

To be safe, I cracked the windows and asked, "Do you feel full?"

He leaned down and smiled showing me that his fangs were gone. I unlocked the door so he could get in.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you're okay. How did you get out of the cave you were locked in?" he asked me.

"Will found me," I said and his head spun around quickly to look at me.

"What? Will's dead, we buried him...didn't we?" he said shocked.

"I thought so too, but he's the one who found me in the cave. He said the bullet wasn't silver and that it took him a while to heal so he stayed away to do that. However, I think the real truth is that the vampire woman got to him and brainwashed him because he doesn't remember Quinn and he thinks that I'm his girlfriend."

When I finished, he looked as confused as I had felt these past few days. "But there are more important questions to be answered. How did I end up locked in that cave? What happened to you and where is Quinn?"

"The night you were bitten by that other wolf, we were taking you back to the cave to heal and we were attacked by someone. All I know is that I was knocked out and, as I was coming to, I heard the key drop and could make out a shape leaving. I was locked up and gagged and left in that cave in the dark with a stake in my chest. It wasn't plunged into my heart so it didn't kill me, but it did drain enough blood from my body to make me weak enough to not be able to get loose once I regained consciousness. The cuffs they used were silver so I couldn't break them if I tried, they were searing my skin off with the amount of contact they had with my wrists already."

He held his hands up and his wrists were covered in scars of mangled skin that was beginning to heal. Carefully I reached out and touched the skin and then cringed at the thought of how much pain he must have been in.

"Once I freed myself I pulled out the stake, which is why it took me a while to get back to you. I was still quite weak."

He lifted his shirt to show me the hole that was still healing from the stake, I gasped at the size of it.

"The last thing I remember about Quinn is that he saw someone behind me and said to them, 'it's you', and then I was hit and that's the end of my story. I'm not sure how many days I was in there, it was always dark and I had nothing to tell time on, my phone was gone and my hands were bound. I thought I was going to rot in there forever which would've been a horrible way to spend eternity."

"What do you remember since you were bitten?" he asked as he finished his story.

I told him my side of the story, from my new claustrophobic tendencies to Quinn's house being boarded up and everything about Jackie and Will both being brainwashed. I left out the story about their kiss, I was going to let him take in a little at a time.

"So neither of them remember Quinn? Seems strange don't you think?" he asked.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it seem like he never existed. I figure they brainwashed Will and Jackie and that they left me in that cave figuring I would die from my wound. And I probably would have if Will hadn't found me. I'm still not sure how it healed so quickly once I got out, when it seemed to be getting worse."

Another question came to mind, "Where was Jackie when all this was going down?"

He shrugged, "After you had fought with that wolf she took off after it and we didn't see her again. I wanted to go after her, but I knew she could take care of herself and..." His voice lowered as he finished by saying, "...I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Well, I hope he doesn't tell Jackie that he chose me over her, that was really weird, but all I could figure was that it was because I was hurt and we have become closer friends. It was really sweet though, I only hoped Quinn was wrong about him having more than friendly feelings for me. Mitchell seemed to be lost in thought for a few minutes and finally spoke.

"So, Jackie told you that we broke up because I cheated on her and I left town with my parents?" I nodded and he continued, "I think we need to keep my return a secret, if Jackie and Will have been brainwashed, we can't assume they can be trusted."

We were driving by the diner in town at that moment and, as I looked over, Will and Jackie were outside and he had her pressed against the car in a heavy make-out session. I tried to distract Mitchell, but I was unsuccessful.

"What the hell?" he shouted. He was angry which is not what my car needed, I sped up and put my hand on his leg.

"Look, just remember she's not in her right mind, we can't hold that against her. I should've told you they have a thing going, I'm sorry."

Mitchell was fuming and it scared me a bit. He was a vampire after all and I didn't know what would happen if he lost control.

His fists were clenched and he had a scary look on his face, I pulled the car over and turned to him, "Get out." As I said it he looked at me a bit bewildered and I clarified myself, "Get out and release your anger, for your own good."

Mitchell stormed into the woods. Limbs, bushes, even trees themselves began flying around. A roar came from the woods that sounded like an angry bear yelling Jackie's name. Well, guess I don't have to worry that he has fallen out of love with Jackie; it is obvious his rage is because of unadulterated heartache.

After a few minutes, he walked back to the car and seemed a little calmer. When he got in, I let out a choking sound that turned into a guffaw of laughter. He was covered in leaves and dirt. He looked at me with anger at first, then I pulled the mirror down so he could see how ridiculous he looked and he broke into laughter. We both sat there laughing hysterically and it felt great because it had been too long since I experienced a feeling like this.

Mitchell and I decided he would stay at Quinn's place. Since it was boarded up, we decided it would be the best hiding place for him. We stopped at a convenience store and picked up some necessities for him and stopped by his house and grabbed a suitcase of clothes. When we arrived at Quinn's, I helped him inside with the stuff and turned to leave.

As I turned toward the door, he said my name. I turned back to face him. Before I could blink, his arms encased me and he squeezed me against him. It caught me off guard. I stood there with my arms dangling at my sides until he finally spoke, "I'm so glad to see you alive. I had to tell you that. I was worried sick about the three of you and knowing that at least you and Jackie are okay, helps so much."

My arms went around him and I rubbed his back. "I'm glad you're okay too, Mitch and glad someone else remembers life the way I do so I don't have to feel crazy."

He stayed to get settled in, I went to get us some dinner. When I came back, he had cleaned the place up nicely.

I held up the bags of take-out, "Burgers and fries, the food of champions...I know you don't have to eat, but I didn't want to eat alone," I said as I sat out the food.

"Actually, I've gotten used to eating food to keep up the appearance of being human and being locked in that cave made me miss it. A burger and fries sound excellent right now," Mitchell said as he was drowning his burger in ketchup and mustard.

We ate and discussed strategies on how we would find Quinn. Mitchell would patrol while I'm at school and at night we'll go out together and look. I hated the fact that I had to go to school, but I had to keep up facade so people weren't suspicious. We spent hours that evening making up plans and trying to figure out different scenarios of what might have happened. We tried to avoid the topic of Jackie and Will as much as we could.

Inevitably, the topic led to Jackie and when it did, Mitchell's face dropped and he looked as though his world was shattered. I tried to comfort him, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"It's just hard. Quinn has been my best guy friend and I don't know what happened to him and seeing Will with his hands all over Jackie...that hurt...a lot. I've been missing for days and could've been dead and she didn't even care. She just moved on to someone else," he said as he held my hand tightly.

Teardrops fell from my eyes as he spoke. He looked up at me and wiped them with his hand. "I'm so sorry, Parker. I'm being selfish. I know you're terrified to death over Quinn and I'm just rambling on about my problems...I'm so sorry," he grabbed a napkin to clean my face. I took it from him and used it to blot my eyes. "It's not your fault, I'm just glad I have someone I can talk to about this. No one else even remembers that Quinn exists. I miss him so much and all I can do is hope that he's still alive," I said through gasping breaths of emotion. He embraced me and when I lay my head on his chest, he smelled like Quinn, which made me miss him even more.

The next thing I remembered was waking up against a cold, muscular chest. At first I thought it was Quinn and I snuggled up closer to him, then I heard him groan and mutter Jackie's name. I sat up quickly, realizing it was Mitchell. He startled awake when I shook his shoulders.

He was adorable with his hair was all messy and sticking up in different places. He rubbed his eyes with his fists like a child would do; I was mesmerized by the innocence of his motions.

"It's morning, I need to get to school, but I wanted to make sure you were up before I left," I said as I gathered my things to go.

Mitchell grabbed my arm as I was leaving. "Thanks for last night, it really helped to have a friend to talk to."

"It meant a lot to me too, so no thanks needed."

He leaned over and kissed my cheek softly, causing me to blush a little. I walked out the front door and waved with a smile as I headed to the car.

Driving to school felt like the most ridiculous waste of time. I knew I should be out looking for Quinn instead of putting on this facade. After I had locked the car, I saw Will walking toward me. Great, this is just what I needed. I started toward the front of the school and heard him calling my name. I ignored him. Finally, I just turned around and screamed, "What?!"

It startled Will for a second but not enough to make him leave me alone. "Geez, Parker, you're always so angry lately. I wanted to apologize for the way you found out about me and Jackie. I didn't mean for it to happen that way. We just kind of fell in love, we didn't do it to hurt anyone. Mitchell wasn't paying attention to her and she felt alone when she was bitten...so..."

I stopped him before he could go any further, "I don't want to hear anymore. You and Jackie can have each other. I don't want anything to do with either of you. And I believe I have plenty of reasons to be upset based on current events."

I wanted to get away from school right now, I didn't really care that Will and Jackie were together except for the fact that they hurt Mitchell. Instead of going to school today, I'm going to get back in the car and help Mitchell patrol. I called my mom and told her I had a migraine and wanted to stay in bed so she called the school for me.

At Quinn's place, I ran up the walkway and flung open the door. I screamed and shut the door quickly. I stood outside for a minute with my back against the door. A few minutes later I fell inside the house when the door was opened behind me. Mitchell was above me with jeans and no shirt on and he put his hand out toward me as he laughed at my situation.

I took his hand and made my way back to a standing position. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be nak...um...undressed...I would've knocked..." I said, stumbling over my words as he continued to laugh at me.

He grabbed a t-shirt from the couch and slid it over his very defined chest. Wow, I never realized how hot he was. It was like watching one of those TV ads for t-shirts where the guy is slowly pulling the shirt down over each ab individually.

His voice brought me out of my spell, "So what are you doing back here, what happened to school?" he asked me.

I turned away, sure that I had drooled. I manage to stutter out, "I...uh...I ran into Will as I was headed into the building and suddenly felt ill. I had my mom call in for me. So I'm going to help you patrol."

When I turned back sheepishly, his grin widened and he said, "Good, I couldn't ask for better company." He grabbed my hand and took my keys from me. He even opened the car door for me; he's such a gentleman.

We drove as far as out we could, then Mitchell and I headed out on foot to the woods, we decided to start in a different area than we usually patrol.

"So, did you see Jackie at school?" He asked. What he really meant was did I see Jackie with Will at school.

"No, I didn't even make it inside. Will stopped me in the parking lot and we got into it so I left. Well it was more like he was trying to explain things, translation lie more, and I snapped at him that I was tired of hearing his crap."

He nodded. "Look this isn't working," he said out of the blue and I stopped, a bit staggered. "We need to split up...we can cover more ground that way."

With relief, I said, "Oh, yeah, of course." His forehead scrunched with confused at my reaction. He seemed to shake it off and he went left and I went right, agreeing to meet up in four hours back at this place.

Walking through the woods, I wasn't sure what I was looking for so I started calling Quinn's name out loud, hoping for a response. Searching for any sign of life, a struggle, something out of place, but there was nothing. I grew tired of walking and sat down against a tree and shut my eyes for a minute.

The sound of someone calling my name made me open my eyes and see Quinn running towards me. I stood up and ran to meet him. We collided and he grabbed me up swinging me around. "Parker, I thought you were dead," he said as he breathed in my scent. "I've never been so happy to see someone in my life."

He put me down, placed his hands on either side of my face, and kissed me passionately. I was speechless, to say the least, and in shock that he was here.

"Where have you been...what happened to you...I missed you so much..." I rambled on and on without giving him a chance to answer.

He chuckled and said, "Your rambling is what I missed the most I think." We were both laughing now and hugging as tightly as we could.

I nestled my head against his chest just taking in the moment. "Please don't leave me again, please" I begged him.

He ran his fingers through my hair and whispered, "It will be OK." He repeated my name over and over. "Parker...Parker..."

I opened my eyes and Mitchell stood above me shaking me awake saying my name over and over again. Startled I realized it was just a dream, Quinn was never here.

Jumping to my feet, I yelled out, "NO...No...where is he?...he was just here." I ran in circles confused and I stopped as I saw Mitchell's face and I started to collapse as I said, "It felt so real!"

Mitchell pulled me against him, he patted my hair trying to soothe me. I struggled against him and fought him with all the strength I had, but his strength doubled mine.

Finally, I collapsed in his arms in exhaustion and we both fell to the ground together.

"I'm going to take you back to Quinn's house. You're not ready for patrolling. You're too emotional for this right now. Quinn would never forgive me if he found you an emotional basket case."

I looked up at him and asked, "You believe he's alive, don't you?"

He shook his head. "Of course I do, and the thought of you is probably keeping him alive. I know that the thought of Jackie did that for me." A sad look came across his face.

He stood up and stuck his hand out to me. We started back to the car and he reached out and took my hand. It felt nice to connect with someone like this right now. My best friend stole what she thought was my boyfriend, my real boyfriend is missing, my other close friend thought he was my boyfriend and he cheated on me with my best friend, is anyone else's life this complicated and screwed up?

Mitchell started toward Quinn's and then veered off in another direction. "Um...where are we going?" I asked timidly.

He reached over and patted my leg, "We're going to go do something fun. We both need to relax and I know a great place not too far out of town where we can just let loose for a bit. Do you trust me?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I suppressed a giggle. "Of course." Once he pulled the car over I looked at the sign of the business we were in front of. "Oh my gosh...are you serious?" I asked. "Laser Tag? I love this, I used to play as a kid with Jackie. Did she tell you?"

He chuckled, "Of course, she said it was the best way you ever found to relieve stress. She said you brought her here when her mom was sick."

At first that brought back some memories that I had to push back out of my mind. I missed Jackie so much and right now if I think about how much I miss her, and Quinn, I will break and I can't afford to do that. Instead, I am going to focus on how amazing my friend is to want to cheer me up.

This was awesome; it had been years since I played. This is something everyone should try at some time in life and it doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult.

Mitchell came over and helped me out of the car and he paid for both of us too. We went inside and got all geared up. We put on our vests with targets. Then we were handed a laser gun to shoot people for points while running around a maze in a room full of black lights and neon wall décor.

He acted goofy by holding a gun and doing lines from Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. The buzzer went off and we took off in separate directions. We were competing against each other in this game and he didn't know it, but I was going to kick his butt.

You can pick fun nicknames so we chose for each other and for me he picked Lupita, which was Spanish for little wolf, and I came up with Fangs for him. There were only ten minutes on the clock, but you can get a real workout in that time.

We took off running and I hit Mitchell first. When you're hit, your vest goes down for ten seconds. So, I took off running to hide before he could retaliate. He got me once his gun functioned again and I screeched and cowered in the corner to plan on how to exact my revenge. When the buzzer sounded to let us, know there were 30 seconds left I went for the big kill. I ran into the center of the room. He must have been hiding to the left because he came running out, shot me, and then tackled me. We rolled around on the ground laughing and trying to catch our breath. The game was over. He helped me up and we turned in our gear. We actually ended up being tied at ten hits each.

I put one arm around Mitchell's waist as we walked out. "Whew, Fangs, that was the most fun I've had in a really long time. Thank you," I said as I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Me too, Lupita. That was a blast. You're a lot of fun. I could get used to having a gal pal like you." Mitchell said with a wink as we were getting in the car.

"I love that name, Lupita, it sounds so cute," I said as I was buckling. He looked at me and said, "It fits for you because you're so cute." He squeezed my cheek like an annoying Aunt would. I cringed and he laughed wholeheartedly.

Halfway home, he pulled over and ran into a convenience store saying he had to get something for the house. When he came out he had a mixed cherry and cola ICEE in his hand and he brought it to my side of the car.

"You're freaking awesome! How did you...dang...Jackie and I really are a lot alike aren't we?"

His head made a very slight nod and he jumped back in the car, "So, did this help your day end on a better note?"

Without taking my mouth off the straw, I nodded and grabbed at my head, "Brain freeze!"

He let out a loud chuckle as we drove off. It's not hard to see what Jackie sees in him. Mitchell is so very thoughtful and attentive, any girl would be lucky to have him. Unfortunately, the one he wants, doesn't deserve him right now.

I dropped Mitchell off at Quinn's house and headed to my own. My parents would be home soon and I couldn't let them notice that I didn't stay home with a headache like I said I had. Luckily, they don't check on me much at night unless they hear noises, so they had no clue I didn't sleep at home.

Running up to my room I changed quickly into my pajamas and got all comfy in my bed. Hugging my pillow, I fell asleep and dreamed of Quinn again, good dreams.

My dad woke me up, he wanted to check on me and make sure my head was feeling better. I hated lying to them, but there was nothing else I could do right now. He kissed my head and told me he loved me and shut the door quietly as he headed back downstairs. My phone rang, I looked at the caller ID and it was an unknown number, at first I was going to ignore it, but decided against it.

"Hello?" I said, no response so I repeated, "Hello? Who is this?" Someone started whispering and I couldn't understand them. "I can't hear you, can you speak up?"

"Parker, I'm so thankful you're alive, it's me. I need help...please...go to the waterfall...our spot...I love you" and the call ended, I dropped the phone. It was Quinn and he's alive. I jumped up, threw on some jeans, grabbed my jacket and keys and headed downstairs.

My parents were watching TV in the living room. "Where are you going young lady?" my mom asked.

"Jackie called me. We've been fighting lately and she wants to see me, so I'm going to go talk with her and get things right again...is that ok?" I asked politely and my parents agreed it was fine and didn't argue further. I ran to my car, but first I dialed Mitchell to tell him what was going on. He would meet me halfway there. He showed up on the side of the road along the way to the waterfall and I stopped and let him in. Before we took off again, he noticed I was shaking. He opened the door and walked around the car where he made me get out of the driver seat and ride along instead.

At the waterfall, I got out of the car and ran toward the cave. Mitchell was right behind me. At the entrance of the cave I stopped, scared of what I would find inside. Slowly, I start my way in. When I came to an open room, I saw something lying in the floor. There was a pile of clothes, the ones that Quinn had been wearing that day, the last day I saw him, and they had blood on them...my blood it seemed. I grabbed up his clothes and held them to me.

Mitchell walked in the cave and I turned to him. "These are Quinn's...Where is he? Why are his clothes here?" I asked, but Mitchell was as confused as I was and stood there with a blank look on his face.

We took the clothes with us and headed back to the car. "He should be here, Mitchell. I know that was his voice on the phone. Where is he? Why did he want me to come here and find this?" I asked, with panic in my voice.

My phone rang again, it was an unknown number. "Hello, Quinn...baby, is that you?" All that came from the other end was laughter, a woman laughing.

"Are you missing your Quinn baby? Aww...that is so sweet. Oh honey, I'm taking such good care of him for you, believe me. You know, he shouldn't have called you before. I had to punish him for that...Of course, I kind of enjoyed it so I was glad he was a bad boy."

I was angry and scared now. "Who the hell is this and where is Quinn? You better not have hurt him or I'll hunt you down and kill you!"

She laughed again, "That's so cute that you think you could do anything to even hurt me, let alone kill me. You know who this is if you think about it, and you know that there is no contest between us."

My heart raced and my chest was tight. I started to scream into the phone, but Mitchell grabbed it from me and calmly tried to talk to the woman while I walked away to compose myself. My body quivered all over; my hands twisted and my bones cracked. I bit down on my tongue and could taste the blood in my mouth. I filled my head with good memories, happy ones to subdue my anger so I wouldn't shift. My mind went back to earlier today when we were playing the game and how free I felt, how happy I was during that time.

Standing there, staring at the waterfall, I began thinking about the first time Quinn brought me here. We made love thinking it may be the last time we ever saw each other. We weren't sure how the full moon would go whether I would attack him in my wolf form or not. I thought about the story of the blood moon and how he promised we would come back here for another day like that one. Thank goodness things went well that full moon cycle and we were given more chances to be together. Now we were in danger of having that taken away again and this time we couldn't prepare for it. My phone appeared in front of me; it was in Mitchell's hand and he was giving it back to me. The call had ended and my chest tightened, scared of what he was going to tell me.

I stared at the phone at first and finally reached out and took it from him. "What did she say? Where's Quinn and how do I get him back?"

Mitchell looked distraught, "She wouldn't tell me where he is, she just kept talking about how she had so many plans for him and that we should stay tuned and wait for what was to come next. She also said her name is Elizabeth..."

I gasped, "What? As in Lizzy? His best friend, didn't he tell you about her?"

Mitchell shook his head. "Not a whole lot about her. I knew his best friend's the one who changed him, but didn't know her name. Do you think she would really hurt him? I mean, it sounds like they cared about each other so maybe..."

I cut him off, panic filling my voice. "She blames him for her being changed into a vampire and she told him once that she wanted him to suffer the way she does. She could kill him Mitchell. She may have already done it to punish him for calling me."

Mitchell grabbed my shoulders and made eye contact with me. "He's not dead; she let me speak to him for a minute...He's ok and he wanted you to know he loves you so much."

I threw my arms around him in elation of that news.
Chapter Seventeen

We trekked back to the car. I dropped Mitchell off first and headed home hoping my parents weren't still up. Walking in the house, I quietly put my keys on the hook and hung my jacket on a chair. I turn around to go upstairs and my mother stood there with her hands on her hips and a stern expression.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"I was at Jackie's. Remember, I told you that before I left," I replied.

Her tone grew sterner as she said, "That's a blatant lie. Jackie called here looking for you and said she was worried that you left school earlier."

I huffed and said, "She did that on purpose to get me in trouble. Ugh! I can't stand her anymore. See mom, she's jealous because she cheated on Mitchell with Will and Mitchell turned to me for friendship and now we're growing close and it's getting to her. So, yes I lied. I was with Mitchell tonight. He needed a friend so we went and had dinner and just talked. I'm sorry I lied to you, it won't happen again."

My mom had removed her hands from her hips. "Sweetie, I'm sorry about you and Jackie, I didn't realize things were so bad between you two. You should've said something. She seemed so worried the day she came by to tell us about..." Her words trailed off.

I waited a minute to see if she would finish and asked, "Tell you about...what?" She waved her hands in dismissal and started to fidget with things around the kitchen. "Mom, what are you talking about!?" I asked again with urgency.

She smiled and walked toward me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, I don't want to bring up bad memories for you. I promised Jackie I would pretend like he never existed in order to protect you." She brushed my hair out of my face and looked at me with much empathy.

"Mom...are you telling me that Jackie told you to pretend as though...Quinn never existed?" I asked as I put the pieces together in my head.

She nodded, "She was only looking out for you, honey. I couldn't believe what Qu...well what he did to you. I had such high hopes for that boy. He seemed so sweet, a real gentleman...so I thought."

I snapped off, without thinking and said, "He is a real gentleman." I stopped myself from going any further and causing too much confusion for my mother. Stepping back from her I sat down in one of the chairs behind me, "Mom...what did she say he did?"

She looked nervous, like she didn't want to bring it up, as though I would break. "She said his best friend from back home came to town and that he dumped you for her and broke your heart...is that not true?"

Was Jackie brainwashed or working with Elizabeth to keep Quinn and I apart? None of this made sense to me. I stood up and walked to the window and stared out at the woods. My mom walked up behind me, put her arms around me, and told me she loved me.

Closing my eyes, I told my mom another lie, "Yes, Jackie told the truth, it's not his fault though," as tears streaked my face. She patted my hair and said, "Don't make excuses for him, sweetie. He isn't worth it, not after what he did to you."

Betrayed by my best friend, losing the man I love possibly forever, and having to lie to the only family I have...things couldn't get any worse.

When I got to my room, I called Mitchell and filled him in on what I learned; he was almost as shocked as I had been. He has lost so much faith in Jackie already that it was hard to be completely shocked at anything she does anymore. "Mitch...why don't you come over, my parents are in bed and you can climb the trellis up to my window. Come hang out, neither of us wants to be alone right now." He was there within a minute, vampire speed is so cool. He tapped on the window, I opened it and let him in.

"Hey there, Fangs, I think maybe I should've called you speedy," I said as I greeted him with a hug. He smiled letting his fangs come out. "Ooh, scary," I said as I faked a shiver. He playfully punched my arm and we both laugh quietly.

One of the advantages, of being who we are, is that we both have an increased sense of hearing so that we can still chat, but not wake my parents. Plus, at the moment, my dad was dead to the world with the sleeping pills he took. All the traveling he does has played hell on his sleeping patterns so when he was home now he needed help sleeping. This has been helpful to me because he doesn't wake up at every little sound anymore.

There had been something on my mind for a while and now seemed as good a time as any to find out the truth. "I've been curious, but I didn't know how to ask Quinn. Will you tell me what happened when he changed you?"

He was hesitant, "Well, I wasn't expecting that. I don't know, Park. I'm not sure that's something you want to hear right now...or ever really. Besides, I'm not sure Quinn wants me to tell you, maybe he should be the one to do it."

That seemed a bit ominous, but I pressed on, "Well he isn't here and I may never see him again..." my voice cracked. He started to put his hand on mine, I jerked back and straightened myself. "Please, I can take it. It's not like it'll change how I feel about him."

He tried to blow it off with a simple explanation, "I was walking home when something attacked me. He fed me his blood and took me in, simple as that."

Exasperated, I said, "Seriously, I can handle the truth, Jack."

He snickered, "You have such a way with movie trivia." His chest rose as he went through the motions of taking a deep breath, even though vampires don't need to breathe. He began the story.

"I was walking home from Jackie's and I saw a flash of movement to my left. Something practically flew out of the woods and hit me, knocking me to the ground. There was a sharp stab at my neck and I started to scream out. A hand went over my mouth to block any sound. I tried to struggle, but he was so strong that I could barely move at all under his weight. I could feel the blood leaving my body, could feel my pulse slowing. The hunger engulfed him; it was like a person who hadn't eaten in weeks suddenly presented with a buffet. When I struggled, he held me down and bit harder."

He stopped, "Are you alright? You're pale as a ghost."

Nodding my head, I struggled to say, "Yes, please continue, I'm good."

"Yeah, you look like you're really enthralled with this story. Look, you get my point, it wasn't the real Quinn, so you shouldn't..."

I cut in, before he could finish. "Mitchell...please, I want to hear the rest."

He continued, "OK, well, just when I thought I was dead, he jerked away from me. I watched as he bit his wrist and let the blood drip into my mouth. He held his wrist against my lips and I started to fight drinking it, but the taste was..."

He glanced at me for a moment with a look of shame. "Well, needless to say, I drank. I pulled his wrist harder against my mouth taking as much in as I could. He had to knock me out to get me to stop drinking."

I gulped, this was more visual than I really needed.

"So, once I came to, he had me tied to the bed at his cabin. I was ravenous and he had to calm me so that he could explain what I was and how to control it."

He paused for a moment looked me over to see how I was handling it, which I guess he thought was okay so he continued, "My parents were leaving town that night so Jackie thought I was out of town on summer vacation with them, thanks to the text Quinn sent. But I spent a couple of weeks with Quinn to make sure I could control my hunger. He wouldn't let me leave until he tested me a couple of times."

I gasped, "He tested you? By using real people as bait?"

He was startled when I gasped, but seemed a bit relieved at the reason for it. "No, no, of course not. He had human blood that he stole from the hospital and he tempted me with it. When he placed it under my nose and I didn't flinch, he knew I was ready. He was great, Parker. I know when he attacked me it was like he was a monster...but it isn't who he is..."

He gave me a once over again to see how I was going to take all this news in. I wasn't even sure how to handle it. It was weird to hear a firsthand perspective from someone who saw the monster hidden inside of Quinn. I knew that isn't who he is, just like a wolf isn't who I am. The only problem is that neither of us can run from the monster inside.

He put his hand on my shoulder. "You know that was a momentary lapse of control, that he isn't that thing...right? If you're scared of him, you may as well be scared of me. He's truly like a brother to me now. I trust him with my life."

Eventually, I found my voice, "Yes of course, it's just a side of him I'm unfamiliar with. He has told me about feeding on humans before, but it was brief and it's different hearing it from the perspective of the...victim, for lack of a better word." The last thing I wanted to do was think about things I couldn't control right now, and I felt we could both use a distraction.

My DVD collection was pretty extensive; I've always been a girl that enjoyed buying movies instead of clothes. My closet is filled with shelves of movies and seasons of television shows and I keep my clothes in a dresser. Mitchell asked where I was going when I stood up abruptly. I raised one finger to him, to signify to give me a minute, stepped in my closet and grabbed a comedy.

He stood up and glanced in the closet. "Wow, I knew you were a movie buff, but damn girl, you're a freaking video store. Is there a movie you don't own?"

Being silly, I said, "A few."

To take our mind off things, we popped the movie in and chilled for a while. I ran downstairs as quietly as I could and got us some drinks and a bag of popcorn. Mitchell reached for the popcorn and I yanked it away from him teasingly. He smirked and then gave me a pouty face.

With baby talk, I said, "Aww look at the cute little Mishy pout."

As soon as I said the nickname he snapped, "Don't ever call me that." My whole body jumped at the anger in his voice. He stood up and walked to the window looking outside.

"I'm sorry, that was stupid of me, I don't even know why I said that." I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, he turned around. "I shouldn't have snapped, Parker. I'm the one that should apologize. It's just...well that name is what Jackie has called me for what seems like forever now." He looked so sad, I felt like such a jerk.

"Jackie was really sick one time, she was on pain pills and all loopy. I was taking care of her because, well, we had just started dating and I wanted to be a gentleman and protector."

I smiled, that sounded just like him...and Quinn too. He continued. "She was saying crazy things and couldn't say my name and it kept coming out as Mishy. We laughed about it later and it just sort of stuck."

His fists clenched and he butted it against his head, "Damn, Parker, what happened to her? I can't deal with this anymore, not knowing why she turned on us. It's killing me. It's like something evil took over her. She never even used to lie; she used to be horrible at it, now she's a freaking pro. And it's even possible she's working with Elizabeth, or Lizzy, in order to destroy all of us. I don't understand."

His face was scrunched up in pain and grief. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he leaned his head against mine. "I wish I had the answers Mitchell, I really do. I don't get any of it myself. I thought I knew Jackie better than anyone. I could read her like a book, but now," my words trailed off and I changed the subject. "No, we're not going to do this right now...Let's sit down and watch some more of the movie and just enjoy each other's company tonight."

We lay back down on the bed and started the movie up again. I woke up as the credits rolled and looked over at Mitchell, who had fallen asleep too. He opened his eyes and we looked at each other for a moment. He reached over and gently moved a hair behind my ear. Then, to my surprise, he leaned forward and kissed me.

When our lips met, it was soft and gentle, at first, and then it turned a bit more passionate. My arms wrapped around his neck and his went around my waist, pulling me taut against him. My fingers grabbed at his hair, pulling his face closer, deepening the kiss between us. We came to our senses at the same time and pulled apart abruptly. We both covered our mouths in shock and exclaimed at the same time, "I'm sorry!"

We sat up at the same time on opposite sides of the bed and did our best to not make eye contact. Neither of us spoke for what seemed like an eternity. In my heart, I knew what happened was wrong, but my body wasn't thinking that right now.

"I'm sorry, Parker. I shouldn't have done that, Quinn is my best friend. I just miss Jackie so much...but that doesn't excuse it," he rambled on. Turning around, I put my hand over his mouth to stop him. "It's okay, Mitchell, I didn't exactly resist. It's natural, we both miss the people we love and so much has been bad lately we needed to feel something good...Wait, I didn't mean it like that...Anyway, it didn't mean anything, it was just two friends comforting each other, and that is it," I finished.

"You know, I've really come to care about you these last few months, Park. Before, you were just 'Jackie's friend' and we barely spoke to each other. But since Quinn came along, you've become one of my best friends and I really need that friendship. I don't want to mess it up," he said as he looked down at the ground sadly.

"Don't worry about it, nothing is going to change between us," I assured him. But I wasn't so sure that was true. That kiss felt incredible and I felt like a jerk for thinking that when the man I love is in danger. I cleared the thought from my head and decided it was time for Mitchell to go home.
Chapter Eighteen

My phone woke me up the next morning and groggily I answered it. At first there was no response to my hello so I said, "Mitchell...is that you?"

The voice on the other end finally said, "No, Parker, it's me..."

I sat straight up in bed, suddenly wide awake. "Quinn! Are you okay?"

It was hard to hear because he had to whisper, but I made out, "I'm okay...I'm alive at least. Be careful of Mitchell, you can't believe him, do you hear me? Baby, I love you and miss you so much...I just want you to be safe. Do not trust him at all, he's working with Elizabeth and she..." the phone cut off at that point.

I screamed into the phone, "Quinn! Quinn! Answer me!" I looked at my phone and it said call ended. I didn't even get to say I love you back.

My breath caught in my throat. Surely he's mistaken about Mitchell. He cannot be working with Elizabeth that's impossible. If I can't trust Mitchell, I have no one left. Why would Quinn lie to me though? I know he wouldn't. That means that something has caused Quinn to feel that way and it must be pretty convincing. Anytime I have been in trouble before there is no one he would have trusted to protect me more than Mitchell. I paced the room thinking about what happened the night before...the kiss.

My hand went to my lips as the memory of his lips on mine, our body's pressed against each other, the feel of...Okay, Parker, get a grip. The big picture, the question of the moment, can you trust Mitchell? Things began to fall into place though. He spoke to her on the phone and she let him talk to Quinn, but she played games with me. Mitchell might have kissed me to try and break us apart. But that's crazy he loves Jackie, doesn't he? Not to mention, he was locked in a cave and no one led me to him, I came to the idea to go there on my own. There's no way he would have set it up for me to find him there. Then again, someone has been messing with Will and Jackie's minds, what if they have messed with mine as well? Flopping down on the bed, I took the pillow and placed it over my face as I screamed into it. What am I going to do now?

There was a tap on my window, I removed the pillow and looked over slowly and there was Mitchell holding up a take-out bag and smiling at me. He was so sweet; there's no way he can be a bad guy. If he was, then I am all alone and I'm not ready for that to be true. I stared at him and it must have been too long because his smile faded and he started to look worried. He mouthed, "Are you OK?"

My face must have said 'no' because he frantically tried to open the window. I waved my hands at him to stop and then walked over to the window and opened it for him. He slid inside, threw the bag on my desk, and grabbed my shoulders. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you hear from Quinn?"

Backing up from him, I stuttered, "How did you know that?" I fell backwards on the bed and scrambled to get up.

Mitchell looked confused, "What's wrong, Parker? You're acting like you're scared of me."

This can't be happening. Mitchell is the only person I can still trust. I had my back to him and he put his arms around me and nuzzled his face in my neck. "I'd never hurt you Lupita." His arms around me felt so comforting; I let myself relax in his arms. Quinn had to be wrong.

Turning to face him, I said, "I'm OK, Mitchell, I just had a bad dream. Yes, I heard from Quinn and the phone cut off and I don't know what happened to him." Yes, some things were left out, but I didn't want to upset Mitchell...or tip him off.

He hugged me again, "I'm so sorry, Park." He pulled back and looked at my face. "I brought you breakfast. Will you sit and eat with me? You need your strength so we can go looking for Quinn today."

I smiled at him and agreed with a nod. If he wants to look for Quinn, it has to be a good thing. Please let Quinn have been wrong.

"Oh yum, chocolate chip muffins! My fave!" I exclaimed as I opened the bag and looked inside.

He laughed, "I know, they're Jackie's favorite too and she told me that was a tradition for you guys when you would have breakfast together." My appetite disappeared at the mention of her name. I closed the bag and set it on the desk and sat down on the side of the bed.

"So, where do we start looking for Quinn today?" I had to change the focus because we had more important things to worry about. He walked past me, opened the bag and pulled the muffin out. He started to unwrap it and handed it to me.

"Eat first, please...for me?" Hesitantly, I took the muffin and as soon as I took the first bite my appetite returned, it was delicious. After I had finished, my senses seemed to return as well. "I'm sorry Mitchell, for freaking out on you this morning...it's just been..."

He put his hand on my leg to stop me. "You don't have to apologize. It's all good, don't worry."

He leaned toward me and it was obvious he was coming in for a kiss. I backed away and put out my hand to stop him. "I thought we both agreed to just be friends, I love Quinn and I'm not going to cheat on him."

Mitchell looked hurt. "I spent all last night thinking about that kiss, Parker. It felt right to me. Hell, it felt fantastic and I know you felt something too. Jackie's with Will now and, for all we know, Quinn is with Elizabeth. He made two calls to you now. How does he keep getting a phone, yet he can't get away from her? Seems to me he wants to stay there. So I say, let him! And you and I can move on with each other..."

I couldn't listen to any more of this so I smacked him across the face as hard as I could. "Get the hell out of my house and don't ever come back," I screamed at him. I didn't realize how loud I was until my dad burst in the room and saw Mitchell sitting on my bed and the tears on my face.

My dad yanked Mitchell up by his shirt and hauled him toward the door. "Son, I don't know what's going on here, but you don't belong in my daughter's bedroom, and I especially don't like the look on her face right now."

He tossed him into the hallway, Mitchell turned back to me, "I'm sorry, Parker. I shouldn't have said that, please..."

I walked toward him, said "Get out!" and slammed the door in his face. I heard him trying to reason with my dad while they walked downstairs and heard the door downstairs slam. Like father like daughter, I guess.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door, "Princess, it's me, can I come in?" I got up and opened the door for him. I threw my arms around him and thanked him for protecting me. "What happened, did he hurt you?" my father asked. "Because I can do a lot more than just throw him out of this house." Shaking my head, "No, not physically. He just said something that was hurtful, but he didn't know it would hurt me...I mean it wasn't vindictive."

His hands went up, "As long as he didn't intentionally hurt you, I'm good. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. It seems pretty clear you don't want to talk about it, so it's fine." He kissed my head and turned and walked out, shutting the door quietly this time.

I grabbed my hoodie off the chair, zipped it up, and crawled out the window and down the trellis. I didn't want to worry my dad by running out on him after that. Someone steadied me as I took my last step, I turned around ready to punch Mitchell. "Will! What are you doing here?"

He smiled awkwardly, "Were you expecting someone else? I would've thought that punch was meant for me." We stood only inches apart and it made me a bit uncomfortable. I stepped aside to open up the space between us.

The irritation in my tone was unmistakable because I was tired of dealing with all these liars, "Yeah, I thought you were someone else...so as I said, what are you doing here?" He looked like he was trying to find a way to phrase his answer so I took a deep breath and started to walk away.

He grabbed my arm, "I'm worried about you. You haven't been to school and Jackie and I feel terrible about what happened. I came to tell you the truth, about everything, including Quinn."

I let out a huff, "So now you know who Quinn is all of a sudden? That's convenient."

He looked down in embarrassment and quietly said, "Can we go somewhere and talk privately?"

Motioning for him to follow me, we got in my car and drove for a while. I pulled over on the side of the road and turned the car off. "So, tell me the truth," I said annoyed, as I turned and faced him.

He looked ashamed, but started with, "I remember Quinn, and you and I never dated."

My head hurts and I couldn't take much more of this, "What the hell does that mean? Why would you lie about that? I freaking thought you had been brainwashed, you and Jackie both!"

Will continued, "You were so hurt by him leaving that Jackie and I thought it would be better to pretend as though he never existed. Jackie and Mitchell were done and she thought you were both better off without those guys so she came up with the idea for me to act as if we dated. You'd been in a cave for a while and you had an infection in your body so we knew your memory would be foggy. We never expected to fall for each other in the process and we ended up ruining everything and pushing you away. Neither of us wanted that."

"We think Mitchell's back in town now. Jackie has been getting strange calls and she's scared. He didn't cheat on her like we said...The truth is, he almost killed her and I had to save her life by staking him. We locked in him a cave, the one where you guys thought I was buried, but he got out somehow and now we're worried he's going to come back, so we had to make sure you knew not to trust him. He and Quinn lied about me being dead and I'm not sure why. They left me in the woods and I had to heal myself."

He paused for a moment and added, "He locked you in that cave and left you to die, Parker...Mitchell did, and he convinced Quinn to go along with it. It must've been hard on Quinn. I guess the guy did care about you somewhat, so he left town and that's when Mitchell attacked Jackie. You have to believe us; we were doing what's best for you."

My head was spinning now, all these stories, all these lies or truths, I don't know what to believe, who to trust. I don't know anything anymore. My stomach was overcome with nausea. I put my head against the steering wheel trying to collect my bearings.

"Parker?" Will reached out and touched my arm.

In anger, I knocked his hand away and screamed, "I am so sick of this, I don't know who's telling me the truth anymore! You and Jackie were my friends, but you've been lying to me. Mitchell was my friend, but what he just did..." I stopped myself mid sentence realizing I was supposed to pretend Mitchell was still out of town.

Will looked alarmed, "Have you seen Mitchell? Parker...tell me! You could be in danger." Opening the car door, I stepped out to get some fresh air and he was right behind me getting out of the car. He came over beside me and put his arm on my shoulder, again I smacked it off.

"Stop touching me, Will!" Desperate to get away, I took off running into the woods and Will took off after me yelling my name.

The trees were blurry as I kept running and looking back. He was right behind me. I tried to outrun him, but it wasn't working. He screamed my name again. I turned around to see where he was and all of a sudden I was tumbling on the ground and rolling around with someone's arms around me. I fought to get free. "Let go of me, Will. Let go!" I was hitting him and realized it wasn't Will, it was Mitchell and I was on top of him. I jumped up screaming and stumbled backwards. Mitchell stood with his hands up in surrender. "it's just me, Parker. I'm not going to hurt you...but he might," he said as he pointed at Will, who had reached us.

"Parker, did he hurt you?" Will asked. My head was swimming in uncertainty. My stance was wide so that my balance didn't waver and I kept looking back and forth between Will and Mitchell. My stomach was in knots, I was petrified because I didn't know which one was trustworthy. I know now that one of them has betrayed me on purpose, no brainwashing involved.

Will reached into his pocket and a gulp of air caught in my throat, until I saw he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and put it on speakerphone. "Jackie, it's Will, I have Parker here and Mitchell's here too..." Jackie screamed on the line, "What?! Did Mitchell hurt either of you?" I turned and looked at Mitchell, who rolled eyes and yelled, "Jackie, what the hell are you talking about...I'd never hurt anyone and you know that. Tell the truth!"

Will spoke this time, "Jackie, I need you to tell Parker what's been going on. She's confused and doesn't know who to believe, I know she'll believe you." He held the phone out to me, but I shook my head 'no,' I couldn't take anymore. "OK, baby, I'm going to leave you on speaker, go ahead..."

Hearing Will call her baby made me cringe and I could see it affected Mitchell as well. Jackie's voice sounded, "Parker, Mitchell tried to kill me. He and Quinn tried to get rid of Will. We didn't want to tell you because I knew how hurt you would be. You have to believe me though sweetie, you can't trust him. We locked him in a cave and somehow he got out..."

I cut her off, "Shut up! All of you have lied to me and I'm sick of it. Just leave me alone! If any one of you cares about me, you will leave me the hell alone."

Will stepped toward me and Mitchell growled at him and I ran as fast as my legs would allow.

The road was coming into sight, I could see my car up ahead and I got to it as fast as possible. As it started up, I saw Will step into view. He yelled my name, but I ignored him and drove away. My phone rang and it was Jackie, I didn't answer. My phone rang again and it was Mitchell this time. What am I going to do? I have no one I can trust, including the man I love. I wanted to be at the waterfall, I could think there, but it would be the obvious place for them to look for me. My inner thoughts were screaming in perplexity.

My hands were shaking; I glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following me. The phone rang again, but this time it was my mother, but I was not in the mood to talk to her right now. I silenced the phone and, as my eyes went back to the road, something jumped out in front of my car and I swerved to miss it and ran off the road, almost hitting a tree.
Chapter Nineteen

Once my equanimity returned, I looked back to see what it was and there was a man lying in the road. I got out of my car and walked toward him to see if he was alive. He looked up and screamed, "Quinn!"

I ran toward him, but he shouted, "Run, Parker!" A woman stood a few feet behind him, smiling at me. I turned to get back in my car, but she was too fast. She grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the door.

She held me up in the air against the car and smiled at me in the evilest way. "Well, well, well, we finally meet, officially. Allow me to introduce myself...I'm Lizzy, the real love of Quinn's life...er...well, afterlife." She laughed maniacally as she said this.

Quinn looked at me with pain in his eyes. "Don't listen to her, Parker...I love you!"

Liz turned to him and said, "Aww...how sweet...you're such a great liar, Quinn, but you don't have to pretend anymore. In fact, she'll cope with it. She encouraged me to fight for you, remember that, Parker? That day at the rest stop when you were so upset, yet you took the time to help little old me with my problems."

I thought back and remembered the girl I spoke to that day, the day I ran out on them for talking about changing Jackie. That seemed like years ago, everything has changed since then. She continued her taunting, "How do you think I knew where you were? I followed you from your house." She turned her focus to Quinn for a moment, "She needs to know that we're together and that she's just a pawn in your game."

Quinn's response was a mixture of rage and grief, "Shut up, Liz! You're a liar! You're trying to ruin my life because I ruined yours, but there's no need to bring Parker into this. She hasn't done anything to you, just let her go...please," he begged.

Her grip tightened on my neck and I could hardly breathe now. I tried to make myself angry, tried to make myself shift, but all I could feel was sad, scared and confused. Gasping for air, I tried to speak, "I...love you..Quinn..."

As I spoke, she covered my mouth and I tried to bite down on her hand. She responded with a blood-curdling scream that faded into laughter. "You silly girl, a werewolf can bite a vampire, but at the moment you're just an average human child."

My teeth ached, it was like biting into stone. She whipped me around to face her. At that moment, Quinn came running and grabbed a hold of Liz and, when he did, she threw me as far as she could. I landed hard on the ground. I rolled over in pain and, when I looked up, Will was standing above me and his hand was extended to me.

He helped me up. I turned back and saw that Quinn and Liz were struggling, then I saw Mitchell swoop out of the woods. He ran towards them and pulled Quinn off her. Quinn realized who had him and he turned on him. "You traitor! You were supposed to be my friend; you were supposed to be Parker's friend! You should've protected her!" Quinn kept pushing him, but Mitchell wouldn't fight back, he kept shaking his head 'no.'

All of a sudden, an arm came across my chest and someone had me in a chokehold. "You're so gullible, Quinn. Mitchell never betrayed you, you were right about me all along."

It was Will speaking and he was the one who had me in a chokehold. "Why are you doing this Will? She's a vampire, how do you even know her?" I bellowed.

Will started laughing, "Isn't that how it works around here, vampires and werewolves fall in love instead of being enemies the way they're supposed to be?" He continued, "Only I'm not in love with Lizzy like that...she's my sister and that sorry bastard that you love...ruined her life after I saved her from being a monster once."

Quinn spoke next, "What the?...Liz didn't have a brother, I knew her for years and I would've known about it."

Liz walked toward Will and she put her arm around him. "When William was bitten and turned I was only five. He had to run away and you and I met when we were twelve, Quinn. Our parents refused to mention his name. They knew what he had become and, instead of trying to help him, they tried to kill him. We lost touch for many years after that and it wasn't until I changed into a vampire that I knew what he felt and I had to track him down."

"So, Quinn actually brought the two of you together, shouldn't you thank him?" I asked sarcastically. Liz turned to me, ran her finger down my face and, faster than I could blink, she bit a chunk out of my arm and spit it on the ground. My arm burned as I screamed out. Quinn tried to reach me, but Will just choked me harder. Mitchell stood there looking at me, in the same way as Quinn, both were scared for me, they both loved me. How could I have ever thought Mitchell was the bad guy? How could I have trusted Will, and...Poor Jackie!

There was a car coming down the road at that moment and it came to a stop. When a person got out, I realized it was Jackie. When Mitchell became conscious of who it was, he ran to her. She embraced him and I watched as her hand disappeared behind her and she pulled out a stake from her back pocket and lodged it in his chest.

"Mitchell!" I screamed. Jackie pulled out of his embrace and looked at Mitchell, who was in shock. She shoved him away from her and he fell to the ground. Her motions were zombie-like. She never even flinched after attacking him and then she stood there frozen in place. At that moment, I realized she may be lost to us forever and my chest hurt at the loss of my sister and friend. Quinn started to run to her and she started shaking all over and she shifted.

"Quinn! Get away from her!" I screamed. Liz turned to me again and shoved her hand over my mouth.

Will leaned over and whispered to me, "The part where Jackie and I fell for each other, that part was true. It was me who persuaded her to lose trust in all of you. In fact, I'm the one who convinced her that Mitchell actually wanted you and that was easy to do since he was busy protecting you when I took the chance to bite her that night of the full moon. She's rather easy to influence."

With every bit of energy I could utilize, I fought back against his hold. His touch made me cringe with disgust. "Oh yeah, and there's something you and Jackie have in common, another BFF trait, you both were changed by the same wolf."

Shocked I gasped, "What...how can that be..?"

Will chuckled, "You really did find me after a black bear attack, it had just been a few years earlier than you thought. I was bleeding in the woods and you came upon me."

His fingers were caressing my face affectionately. "You looked so beautiful and it was so sweet how you tried to tend to my wounds. I bit you in the hopes that I could run into you as human and we could be together. It's only natural for two wolves to be together, but, unfortunately, I was too late. You had already met that thing over there. You never even gave me a chance." He was giving me light kisses on my face as he talked, my stomach lurched, his touch was nauseating.

"This could've all been avoided if you had just fallen for me instead of Quinn. But it doesn't matter now, I have Jackie and my sister and I don't need anything else...except revenge for her." He moved his arm in a quick motion and threw me down on the ground. I lay choking and gasping for air. He shifted in front of me and within seconds, he and Jackie were at a stance on opposite sides of Quinn, both growling at him and ready to pounce.

Now I was angry, I could feel my insides quivering and I tried to control my stance as I began to shift. The anger quickly engulfed me and it quickened my transfer. I ran and guarded Quinn, growling at Will and whimpering at Jackie. Will snapped at me and all of his teeth were visible in an angry snarl.

A loud piercing whistle rang in my ear and I crouched, moaning in pain. Jackie and Will's focus moved from us and they ran to the noise that was coming from Liz and the three of them were gone into the woods. I went to Mitchell and nudged him with my nose; he groaned and tried to stand, but screamed out.

Quinn came over, placed one hand on Mitchell's chest and the other on the stake, and yanked the stake out for him so the wound could start to heal. Mitchell let out a bellow of pain and I growled at Quinn. He stepped back looking wounded by my reaction. Mitchell sat up and looked at Quinn, "Thanks, man. I must say I'm really getting tired of being staked."

Quinn put his hand out and Mitchell took it and helped him up. I growled at Quinn again. He knelt in front of me with his hand extended towards me. "Parker, please baby, change back for me. I'm sorry about everything. I can explain if you just give me a chance."

Mitchell started toward me and I whimpered, "Quinn, I think she wants to know why you told her not to trust me...she's still unsure who to believe in all this. It's not surprising; her head has been filled with a lot of lies from the people she trusted the most." As he said, this his hand went to his chest where the stake had been and I knew he was thinking about Jackie.

The stake through his chest was not nearly as painful as the metaphorical knife she shoved into his heart by betraying him. Quinn smacked his hand against his head in comprehension, "Of course. Look, Parker, Liz tricked me, just as she tricked you. Every time she was on the phone she said Mitchell's name. She had me convinced that he was the one helping her. She hit him over the head when she first found us, but she left him alive so I thought it had to be true. It's not like her to leave witnesses." He held his arms out to me and I ached to go to him. "Please, Parker, I just want to hold you. I missed you so much..." It was heartrending to see him look so defeated.

My body began to revert back to my human form. A few minutes later I was my old self again...and very naked. Quinn took his shirt off and threw it to me. I quickly covered up. Standing up, I looked at him. I forgot how incredibly sexy he is, especially without a shirt on. My heart began racing as it always did when he was near. He smiled that gorgeous smile that I never could resist.

Without further hesitation, I smiled back and ran toward him and threw myself into his embrace. He placed his arms around me and lifted me into the air. He was relishing the moment, smelling my hair, my skin; he was rubbing my back and whispering I love you, over and over in my ear. I whispered back, "I love you...I missed you so so much."

He pulled back from the embrace and looked at me, moving his hands to my face, "You're so beautiful, I missed looking at this face." He kissed my forehead and continued, "I thought you were dead. She locked you in that cave and made me leave you there. She said if I didn't that she would torture you to death and she threatened everyone you love knowing that I couldn't live with myself if she hurts you like that."

His eyes dropped from mine as a look of shame came over his face. "She promised that if I went with her she'd leave you alone and she'd make sure someone would get you out of the cave once you changed back. I never should've believed her, you shifted back before the cave was closed over and I had to say goodbye to you. The look on your face tormented me the entire time I was away. That day I called and heard your voice was the biggest relief in the world for me."

I stepped back from him. "How did you get to keep calling me? She didn't have you locked up or anything?" I asked a bit suspicious still, it was hard not to be with Jackie and Will's betrayal still fresh in my mind, I didn't know who I could believe anymore.

"She kept me locked up in silver chains so that I couldn't feed," He held up his wrists and showed me the mangled skin that was still in the process of healing, then he showed me his legs too where there were matching scars around his ankles.

"Her plan was to starve me and let me loose in the town. She wanted to make me the monster she is and said once I embraced that, she and I could be together. I never wanted that, I never wanted her that way. A few times she would let me loose in a room and I found a phone in a drawer. I assume now that she left it on purpose so I could help her drive you nuts, making you doubt everyone including me. She knew I wouldn't tell you where I was because I would want to protect you from her and wouldn't want you to try and track me down. I'm so sorry."

I took his hand in mine and assured him that it was okay and that I understood. He leaned down and kissed me, something I had missed more than anything was the feel of his lips on mine.

We embraced again and I opened my eyes and saw Mitchell standing there with a pitiful look on his face. My heart hurt for him because he had fallen for me and was still in love with Jackie. In one day, we both ripped his heart out. I care about Mitchell, he was one of my best friends now. But Quinn, I couldn't even put into words how I feel about him. Even though Mitch and I kissed, and it stirred feelings in me, it was nothing compared to the tingles I get with Quinn. Our eyes met and I smiled at him sorrowfully and he returned the same sad smile. I closed my eyes and nestled my head into Quinn's neck.

Quinn let go of me and walked toward Mitchell. "Thanks for taking care of her, man. I'm sorry I thought poorly of you." He extended his hand and Mitchell took it and they did the manly one arm hug with a pat on the back. I wonder if Quinn will be so forgiving when he finds out Mitchell and I kissed.

It was my turn to apologize, "I'm sorry too, Mitchell. I didn't know who to believe and I was so confused, I shouldn't have doubted you of all people though." My arms wrapped around his neck, I hugged him and kissed his cheek.

He held on to me longer than he should have, it was awkward with Quinn standing behind us. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I'm happy for you. You and Quinn belong together. I just wish Jackie and I got the same happy ending."

I looked in his eyes and realized he meant it. He was an amazing man that would make any girl lucky, once she gets past the whole vampire issue of course.
Chapter Twenty

My phone rang, caller ID showed it was Jackie, and I answered it a little roughly, "What!?"

There was laughter on the other end of the line, it was not Jackie's voice. "Ooh, touchy, touchy. You'd think you would be happier to talk to your BFF than that, but I'm not your BFF, am I? Aww that makes me sho shad," It was Liz on the line, babying me, playing more games.

"What the hell do you want Lizzy?" I used her nickname in a condescending manner. When I said her name, Quinn looked worried and reached for the phone, but I backed away from him and put my hand up to stop him.

"You might want to be a little kinder to me, Parker, or your friend here may not make it to forever with you. See, we needed her to help us convince you on things because we knew you would trust her, above all the rest. Now she has served her purpose and she's no longer needed. So...what I need you to do is bring my Quinny back to me by meeting me at the waterfall, you know which one. And we'll trade Quinn for Jackie."

What she was asking was ridiculous, she wanted me to give him up so she could torture him more and I wouldn't agree to that. "And what if I don't meet you?" I asked angrily.

"Well, then I'll have to inject Jackie with this vial of silver." She had to be bluffing, this was more of her game, and Jackie was on her side. "Jackie is your ally, I'm not falling for this again," I said confidently. In the background, I hear Jackie screaming for help. It sounded so genuine that I screamed back, "What are you doing to her? Leave her alone!" Quinn took the phone from me and I was still screaming, Mitchell put his arms around me in comfort while Quinn talked to Liz.

A few minutes later, it was Quinn who had me wrapped in his embrace. He tried to calm me, but I pushed him away demanding to know what happened. He gave in and told Liz we would meet her at the waterfall and make a trade. "No, I can't choose between the two of you, I won't!"

With the defeat in his voice he replied, "You don't have to choose, I chose for you."

I started to leave, but Quinn grabbed me from behind, kicking and screaming and struggling against him, but it didn't even affect him. He carried me to the car and put me in the backseat. He had Mitchell drive so that he could hold me down in the back. I finally relaxed my body and gave into the tears instead. I cradled my head against his chest and begged him over and over again not to leave me. He stroked my hair and told me everything would work out.

My body must've been exhausted from all the stress of the last few days because I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in the car alone. I sat up and tried to get out, but the doors were locked. I tried to unlock them, but Quinn must have enabled the child lock because it wouldn't open. NO! He planned to face her on his own. I banged on the door and realized that it would only work on the back doors.

Crawling over the seat, I got to the passenger side and opened the door. As soon as I stepped outside I was grabbed from behind and I opened my lips to scream, but a hand came up to cover my mouth. I tried to kick and claw my way loose.

I heard a voice whisper in my ear, "It's me, Mitchell. Quinn told me to keep you here. He's going to take care of everything. Please, calm down." I let my body go limp so that he would relax his hold on me and it worked. As soon as he let me go I took off running, but for once he used his vampire speed on me. The next moment, he was laying on top of me holding me down on the ground.

"Please Mitch! Please, let me go help him....please! I need to help Quinn and Jackie."

"I can't, Parker. He doesn't want you to get hurt...and neither do I. I'm not going to let you run to him and get yourself killed," he said sincerely.

Choosing the mean road, I said, "You're only keeping me here because you hope that Quinn will die and I'll choose you...well that'll never happen! I don't want you and I'll never forgive you if something happens to him." His face fell into a look of utter pain. He released me and rolled over off of me. I used the opportunity to take off running and this time he didn't follow.

I ran through the woods and I was knocked down again. "Get off me Mitchell!" I tried to fight, but was lifted up off the ground and thrown back down with such force that I landed with a groan as my head hit the ground hard enough to bounce back. That comment must have made him really mad for him to hurt me so brutally. I reached up and touch my head and it was bleeding.

My head was overcome with pain and nausea. Groggily, I looked up and as my eyes focused I realized it was Will who had grabbed me. I started to crawl away from him, but he grabbed my feet and pulled me back, my hands clawed at the ground trying to keep from getting back to him. The nail on my index finger broke off in the process and I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.

My head was foggy and I was in pain, but I tried as hard as I could to fight him. He turned me over to face him and held me down by my arms as he stood on my legs. "Please...Will...I'm your friend. You don't want to hurt me, let me go. I know you care about me," I pleaded with him.

Laughing, he pulled out a knife from his pocket and he ran it along my face. "You really are as stupid as Jackie said you were. You know your BFF doesn't think so highly of you. In fact, she said she wanted to be the one to kill you since you took the first man she loved. I think she has changed her mind now that she realized what a wimp he is and how good I am for her."

I squirmed and wiggled underneath him, but his weight was crushing my legs. I couldn't let myself believe what he was saying, he lies too well and I don't think, deep down, that Jackie would ever want to kill me.

He lifted a knife off the ground beside me and ran the edge up the side of my leg stopping when he reached the top of my thigh. The knife caught on my t-shirt and the crazed look in his face scared me into believing he had something on his mind. I struggled to keep my legs firmly planted together. "Hold still," he said as he pressed the knife into my cheek and he drew blood. I screamed.

He made cuts on my face and would laugh every time I cried out. It disgusted me, seeing the enjoyment he felt at watching my pain, so I closed my eyes tightly. I could feel the knife make cuts along my elbow and I felt his weight lift off of me, suddenly. My eyes flew open and Mitchell had flung him off me. He threw Will into a tree and Will bounced back and flew at Mitchell. They tangled and fought as they rolled around in the dirt. Mitchell tried to get the knife from Will and Will kept trying to reach Mitchell to bite him.

Guess he doesn't know that he has to be a werewolf to break the skin either, surprised Lizzy didn't teach big brother that. I tried to figure out what to do and I saw the knife get knocked out of Will's hand. Scrambling to get up I reached for it and, as soon as Will was on top, I thrust it straight into his heart. He arched his back screaming out in pain. I knew it wouldn't kill him, but the deeper the cut, the longer it takes to heal. He tried to stand up and come after me. Mitchell grabbed him, pulled the knife out and jabbed it again into his back, Will screamed and fell over bleeding profusely.

Mitchell held out his hand to me. "Let's go save Quinn and Jackie." I smiled, grateful he wasn't angry. I put my hand in his and he lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he ran toward the waterfall. The scene we arrived on was Jackie lying on the ground writhing in pain. Quinn stood above her and Liz was across from them holding an empty syringe.

Mitchell set me down and took off screaming Jackie's name. He grabbed a hold of Quinn by the neck and held him in the air. "What did you do to her?" he screamed at him.

Quinn struggled to get free and said, "It was Liz. She injected her as soon as I got here, I don't know how to cure her." Mitchell turned and saw Liz and she realized he was about to attack her next.

"Uh-uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, I have another syringe just like it that I will be happy to inject into the other love of your life over there." She pointed at me when she said it and Quinn's eyes followed her hand. He looked pained when he saw me. That comment must make him even more curious about whether there is something going on with Mitchell and me.

"There's a cure for a werewolf who has been contaminated with silver...Want to know what it is?" she teased. "The blood of a vampire...so which one of you is willing to let her bite you? Will it be you, Quinn, to save the best friend of the woman you love so intensely? What about you Mitchell? Will you keep your first love or will you watch her die in the hopes that you can be with your new love?"

She turned her attention to me. "Parker, who would you choose to save her? Whichever one saves her will die and you can be with your one true love. So is your one true love Mitchell or Quinn?"

Jackie's still writhing in pain through all this, she didn't have much time. My voice was lost, I knew I wanted to be with Quinn, but I didn't think Mitchell deserved to die either. Quinn stepped forward before I could speak and said, "I'll do it," and he started toward Jackie.

"No!" I ran toward Quinn and was tackled from behind. I'm really getting sick of people hitting me.

Will came barreling in from behind me and brought me to the ground. "Can't bring a good man down," he screamed in my ear. "Now you're going to sit with me and enjoy watching Quinn die, something I've looked forward to for a while."

I kept screaming, "No, Quinn, please!"

Quinn looked at Mitchell and Mitchell nodded. How can he just stand there and do nothing? "Mitchell, do something! Don't just stand there, damn it!" I screamed in anger. My body shook and I kicked at Will, but couldn't break free of his hold. He pulled back his left arm and I started to wiggle free when he brought it forward and his fist made contact with my face. Literally there were stars, followed by pain, followed by fuzzy visions. It took all I could muster to focus and see what was happening around me.

Quinn walked toward Jackie and Liz watched him carefully. Then Mitchell took off at the speed of light and grabbed hold of Liz and held her in the air. Quinn ran to help him and together they carried her toward Jackie. Liz lets out an ear-piercing scream as she struggled against their strength.

Will realized what was happening and he let go of me. In a split second, he shifted into a wolf and ran toward them. In seconds, I was in wolf form as well and attacked him from behind.

We rolled around on the ground growling and snapping at each other. Meanwhile, Quinn and Mitchell took Liz over to Jackie. There was a grotesque ripping sound as I bit a chunk out of Will's arm and he howled. I bit another chunk out of his leg and he cried out again and broke away from me. My timing was perfect, I turned and watched as Quinn sliced open Lizzy's throat and held her over Jackie to drink. Jackie bit into Liz's neck and continued to drink her blood until Liz turned into dust.

Jackie was on the ground with blood on her but looked better. Mitchell pulled her into his lap and told her she was safe. She cried and kept repeating "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

My body went back to human form. I put Quinn's t-shirt back on, luckily I had taken it off just in time to shift. I was starting to run out of clothes here. I looked back at Will.

He had shifted back and wriggled around yelling out. "Quit your pathetic whining, Will, it'll heal in a few minutes," I said hatefully.

"It won't. You have to help me, Parker, or I'm going to die," he begged me. He could be lying, but it didn't seem so. I walked toward him and all of a sudden Quinn was in front of me.

"Don't help him. He was willing to have you watch me die. He tried to kill you." His thumb grazed over my bruised cheek and I recoiled at the pain. "Look at the pain he has caused you. He was going along with Liz to kill Jackie. You can't trust him." He pleaded with me, but so did Will and I couldn't let him die.

I moved to the side of Quinn, "Will, why aren't you healing? Tell me what's happening."

He groaned, "Remember when you were in the cave and you had the wound that wouldn't heal?" That whole time is hard to forget, I nodded and he continued, "That was because you had been bitten by me, another werewolf. When one werewolf tears skin off another, that wound would not heal unless it is treated with the saliva of that wolf. It's because we have venom in our teeth that caused the infection in humans to instigate the change. When a werewolf is infected with another wolf's venom, it is like a drug overdose. Before leaving you, I took care of you in that cave. I would lick your wounds and that's what helped you recover."

Well, first of all, "Eww," that really grossed me out to think about. Second Eww, he wants me to lick his wounds now? No thank you. There had to be something else to this, I mean, how could one werewolf bite kill him like it does a vampire? That doesn't make sense.

But what he was telling me made my memories clearer. I remember someone putting an ointment on my wounds that made it feel better and then I was locked in that cave and it got worse. Will rescued me and two days later the sore was completely healed and unnoticeable. I had passed out on the way home and Will was with me, he could have treated my wound when we got to my house.

Well, I couldn't just stand by and watch him die, so I started toward him, but Quinn grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back to him,

"I'm begging you, let him die, Parker. If you don't, he'll kill us. We killed his sister, she's the one he did all of this for."

Will started to beg me, "Please, Parker, I'll leave you guys alone, I promise. I'll leave town and never come back...just don't let me die, please. I didn't come here for Liz, she came here for me. You're the reason I came to town. I was in love with you and I didn't lie about that. It seemed like the time was right for us to meet, I just came a couple of months too late. Liz came later when she found out he was here." He pointed an accusatory finger at Quinn. "She tricked me into helping her play these games, just like she did Jackie."

Looking at Quinn and then at Will, I let go of Quinn's hand and apologized. I went to Will and started to work on his wound. This was the grossest thing that I have ever had to do, but it was for the greater good, saving a life. The thought of licking his wound made my stomach churn so, as gross as it sounds, I let the saliva fall from my mouth and rubbed it in with my hand. There were several times I had to stop and choke back the bile rising in my throat. Even though Will betrayed me, I couldn't turn away from the kind of person I am. I couldn't stand by and watch him die.

When I was done, I extended my hand to him to help him stand. He grabbed me up in a chokehold and put a knife to my throat. "Give me Jackie and I'll give you Parker," he said.

"Damn you, Will, you're nothing, but a liar!" I shrieked as I tried to walk with him.

"It's not my fault you're so naive, Park. Don't you know the saying, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?" I tried to kick him, but he turned my body at an angle.

"Now, Mitchell, why don't you send Jackie over here and I'll give Parker back." Jackie looked up at Mitchell shaking her head that she didn't want to go. "Jackie, it wasn't my idea to hurt you. Liz came up with that on her own. I love you and I know you love me too. You know I'll never do anything to hurt you...you know that deep down."

Jackie looked like she was struggling with her emotions. She really does feel something for Will, I could see that now, but he lied to her so much that she can't trust those feelings.

Jackie stood up and Mitchell grabbed her hand, but she turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, Mitchell, I have to go to him."

You have got to be kidding me; she is going to break his heart again after he just risked his life for her? What's wrong with that girl? She has one of the greatest guys in the world and she threw him away for this pathological liar with so many screws loose that it's amazing he can even stand up. She came and stood in front of us, put one hand on his cheek, and used her other hand to slowly take the knife from Will.

He pushed me to the ground and I lay there watching as she kissed him. Mitchell came over and helped me up as Jackie took Will's hand and led him away from us. They were looking over the water when Will laid his head on Jackie's shoulder. She turned her head and he screamed out. He jerked back holding his neck with a look of utter devastation on his face. Jackie put her hands on his chest and pushed him over the cliff into the water. She turned to us and had blood on her face from where she had apparently bitten him.

"Will!" I screeched as I saw Will falling, I ran to the edge and saw his body floating in the water, lifeless. My hand went to cover my mouth and I turned to Jackie and threw my arms around her. "You saved our lives, I'm so proud of you."

Jackie's whole body shook in my arms. "I'm so sorry, Parker, I hurt you guys so much. I was misled. Will was so convincing, he even made me think I was in love with him. I know now that it has always been Mitchell for me, I hope it isn't too late." She looked at me sadly, "It isn't too late for us, is it?"

I shook my head, "Of course not, sweetie. We're best friends forever, and I don't take forever lightly. I'm always here for you."

Our arms entangled each others as we walked back to the guys waiting for us. Mitchell was still in shock and Jackie went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her to him, closed his eyes, and held her tight. All I wanted now was to wrap my arms around Quinn and never let go. This was our special place and the perfect place for our romantic reunion to begin. I walked toward Quinn, to grab him up in the most passionate embrace you can imagine, and he turned and started toward the car.

He mumbled, "Let's get out of here, guys. I'm a bit tired of this place."

My eyes met with Mitchell's and he gave me a sympathetic nod and said," You guys go ahead, Jackie and I will catch up."

"Will you stop...please?" I yelled as Quinn ran ahead and I finally caught up with him at the car. My hands were on my knees as I tried desperately to catch my breath. Winded, I managed to say, "What's wrong? Will's dead, Lizzy's dead, shouldn't we be enjoying the fact that we can be together in peace? I love..."

He interrupted me, "Who? I'm sorry, who do you love?...Mitchell, or maybe it's Will? Because it can't be me. I try to protect you as best I can, but you keep turning me away. You keep choosing to trust anyone but me. I begged you to leave Will to die and you had to help him and you almost got killed!"

I was completely caught off guard by his anger towards me and couldn't find the words to respond. He became angrier, "And what did Liz mean about Mitchell being your love?...I saw the look on your face, Parker, she wasn't lying, not entirely at least. I deserve the truth, so tell me. Tell me!"

Startled by his anger I jumped back and stuttered as I tried to speak, "I...I'm not in love with Will. He was my friend...at least I thought, but I just didn't think I could sit by and watch him die. It's not that I didn't trust your instincts. I just couldn't be the one to stand by and let him die that's not who I am. Please, I love you, Quinn. I don't want to lose you..." Quinn stopped me again, "So that takes care of Will, what about Mitchell?" The answer had to be written on my face because he turned away to leave.

"Quinn! Stop!" He stopped where he was and I tried my best to explain, "I don't love Mitchell, not the way I love you. When you were missing and Jackie pushed me away and Will was acting strange, Mitchell was all I had. We just grew closer...as friends." I paused.

With sadness instead of anger he made a request, "Now's the time to tell me the whole truth, Parker, get it all out in the open. Keeping secrets now would be the worst mistake you could make. I've seen the looks you two exchange. I saw how he came to your aid after Will threw you to the ground. He didn't even bat an eye toward Jackie, he was focused on you."

I continued, "We grew closer as friends, but one night we did...kiss and I want to say it meant nothing, but...it meant something to me. I just realized that it didn't mean as much to me as you do. Please believe me, Quinn." I reached out and touched his arm. "I love you...it's always only you for me."

"You and Mitchell kissed?" Jackie asked from behind me. Apparently she and Mitchell didn't give us enough time and they heard my confession. When I turned, she had dropped his hand and gazing at him with hurt in her eyes. "Is Quinn right? Are you in love with her Mishy?"

He turned and looked at me. "I thought I was Jackie, I won't lie, but I thought you had fallen in love with someone else. Parker was right, we're best friends now and we were both scared of losing the people we love so much. You guys have to forgive us. It was one kiss and nothing else. We were both in an awful place, hurting like you couldn't imagine."

Jackie turned to Mitchell and kissed him passionately. Thank goodness, I thought. I smiled and turned, expecting the same thing from Quinn, but he was gone. My knees felt weak and I fell to the ground. He was gone and he would never forgive me and I had no one to blame, but myself.

Jackie was beside me in an instant it seemed. She helped me up off the ground and Mitchell was on my other side. They each took an arm and wrapped it across their shoulder, but I pulled away. "I can walk. I don't need to be carried like an invalid," I barked at them. Immediately I felt guilty and my tone softened, "I'm sorry, I just don't want to be babied right now. I want to be alone. I love you guys and I think it would be good for you two to have some time to yourselves as well."

My car was only a few feet away so I got in my trunk where I always keep a spare change of clothes now. I grabbed out a pair of jeans and shimmied them on, but left on Quinn's t-shirt, it made me feel closer to him. Adjusting my rearview mirror as soon as I got in, I saw Jackie and Mitchell behind me.

He lifted her into his arms and she shrieked in laughter and they were gone in a flash. I laid my head back against the seat as the tears fell from my eyes. By trying to help Will, I ruined everything, including the happy ending I wanted so badly with Quinn. Who knew an act of kindness could cause me to lose the man that means the most to me.
Chapter Twenty-One

On the way home, my phone beeped. I noticed I had a message and was hopeful it was Quinn. Instead, it was from the call I ignored from my mom earlier. The message began and my mother's voice sounded devastated, "Parker, sweetie, I need you to call me right away. Your father...well your father is in the hospital. Call me or meet me there as soon as you get this."

Fear welled up inside me as I mashed down the gas pedal and headed straight for the hospital in town. My mom's car was in the parking lot and it was parked all crooked as though she was in a hurry. She even left the door partly open so I knew something was terribly wrong. Once inside the emergency room doors, I ran straight to the counter where there was a woman on the phone ignoring my panicked state.

She finally looked up at me, "My father's been brought here. Harris...can you tell me where he is? What happened to him?" I begged. My name echoed in the hallway and I turned to see my mom running down the hall toward me. She's drained of color and her hair was a mess, she had mascara streaks down her face from crying.

"Mom, oh my god, is he..."

I start to hyperventilate and she responded before I could finish, "He's fine. Well, he isn't fine, but he's alive for now at least." I asked what happened and she began to relay the nightmarish story to me.

"Someone found your father on the side of the road. He had been attacked and was bleeding to death. They think it was the same person that killed Christine Randall. His throat was sliced open, but he was still breathing when they found him and they had to give him a blood transfusion. He's in a coma, but the doctors are hopeful."

My heart could not take much more devastation today. My dad and I had always been so close, and I'm not ready to let him go.

How did Lizzy get to him, or was it someone else? I picked up my phone to call Quinn and got the same error message I've been getting, which must mean Liz destroyed his phone.

I texted Mitchell.

Me: I need you to get a message to Quinn for me. My dad is in the hospital, he may not make it, Lizzy attacked him, or possibly someone else, I don't know. He almost bled to death. Just wanted to make you aware this may not be over.

My text received no response, but it was only a matter of minutes before Quinn was standing at the door of the waiting room. He came over, put his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into him letting the tears fall.

He stroked my hair and held me against him. I repeated the story to him that my mom had told me, once I calmed down. "I'm so sorry, Parker, I feel like this is my fault. Lizzy is dead though, and she won't hurt anyone again," he stated with sorrowful regret.

"Are we sure it was Lizzy? What if there's someone else killing people?" as I asked this he was shaking his head in doubt.

"I'm almost positive it was her, probably after she left us and before she attacked Jackie...that's my guess at least. It seems to fit the timeline you gave me for when he was attacked."

Jackie and Mitchell walked in and I jumped up and hugged her, she'd been crying. My dad was always like a dad to Jackie too. If anyone knew how I was feeling right now, it was Jackie.

The doctor came in at that moment and my mom about knocked me over trying to get to him. He said my dad was resting comfortably and that his tests look good and they put him in a comatose state in order to allow him to rest and heal appropriately. There was no way to know when he would wake up, but it shouldn't be more than a couple of days at the most, they said the medicine can affect people in different ways.

It felt like a weight lifted off my chest when he said that, and I could tell my mom felt better too, her knees buckled as she about collapsed with relief. Quinn caught her and helped her to a seat. She thanked him a bit cautiously, she didn't know yet what to think with Quinn being there and Jackie and I talking. Things had done an 180-degree turn almost overnight. She probably didn't need to get used to Quinn anyway though, I'm pretty sure that once my dad is better he will revert back to not speaking to me. At the moment, he's just here out of guilt.

Quinn agreed to stay with my mom while I went to see my dad. Jackie came with me and held my hand. I never have liked hospitals, the way they smell, the general feel and look of them, just depressed me. My dislike started back when I was visiting my maternal grandmother and with all these tubes and machines she looked like a shell of her former self. Now anytime I go into hospitals I felt a sense of dread.

As we approached the door to my dad's room, I squeezed her hand tighter. He looked like he was sleeping, he was so pale and fragile looking. There weren't too many machines hooked up which helped. We each sat on the side of the bed and took his hand in ours. Jackie started talking first. "Hey, Mr. H, hope you haven't heard too many bad things about me lately. I got into a bit of trouble and did some things I'm not proud of, but I'm back to my old self now. I'm ready for you to wake up and challenge me to a game of pool or to pick on me about being too skinny."

My voice cracked as I tried to talk, "Daddy, it's your princess. I'm so sorry about this, it's all my fault."

Jackie came over to my side of the bed and put her arm around me. I placed my head against hers as we both sobbed. It seems all I do these days is cry my eyes out and wonder how I'm going to survive any more heartache. She got up when the nurse came in to check his vitals. I wanted to stay longer so I waited in the hallway and Jackie went on back to the waiting room. When she turned the corner, I slid down to the ground and put my head in my hands.

There were footsteps coming toward me. Someone sat beside me and cradled me to them. It was Mitchell, I could tell by his cologne. I laid my head against his chest and he rubbed my shoulders.

"My sweet, Lupita. Jackie went to get you something to drink. She said you were going to dehydrate with all these tears and I think she was right." His index finger swept across my cheek to remove some of the tears I had shed. "She asked me to come take care of you. I hope you don't mind," Mitchell said as he kissed my forehead.

"You're a good friend, Mitchell. I'm sorry..."

He stopped me before I could finish, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Parker. We were all brainwashed and taken advantage of in some way. Trust is a difficult thing to maintain even amongst the best of friends. You can trust someone with all your soul and the minute a piece of doubt is planted it can grow so strong, especially when it is nurtured."

"Quinn told me that Lizzy can condition people and that's what happened with Jackie. She convinced her to trust Will and even to think she was falling for him. That persuasion broke once Liz was killed. Remember how you felt so confused? You had everyone telling you different stories and you had no clue who to trust? Well, that's how Will forced Jackie to feel for the last two months and that's the way Quinn feels right now. You need to go and talk to him and try to work things out. Your dad is going to be asleep for a while. Jackie and I will take your mom home or stay with her in the waiting room, whichever she prefers. You need to take Quinn and go somewhere private where you guys can work things out."

"He hates me, Mitch, he's not going to want..." As I was saying this, he put his hand up to my mouth to stop me.

"You know that isn't true, he could never hate you, trust me. He and I talked. In fact, I was talking to him when I got your text and all I got out was that your dad was in the hospital before he just took off in the middle of the conversation to be here for you. He is torn like the rest of us. We all have the same tortured feelings right now, betrayal, hurt, grief, shame..." he reached out and lifted my chin to look him,"love and heartache as well. Go talk to him...please." I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"You know how when you're feeling down, it can make things easier to think about a time when you were the happiest?" He nodded, and I continued, "Well I was sitting here thinking about that day we played Laser Tag. You have no idea how happy that day made me, Fangs. It was just nice to spend the day with a friend and be normal for the first time in two years. That day will always mean a lot to me."

He smiled, "Me too, Lupita. You know I've loved Jackie since I was five years old. There's never been anyone else that could affect me the way she does or that understood me. I never imagined being with anyone else but her either. Until the past few months being with you..."

I sat up to interrupt him, but he stopped me again, "You mean a lot to me, Parker, but I'm glad you stopped me that day when I wanted to kiss you again. I love you."

Hearing him say those words made my heart soar because I knew at that moment he loved me the same way I loved him, as the truest of friends.

"But the best thing about what we have is that it's uncomplicated and it's fun and I don't want to lose that. One thing I can promise is that I'll protect you until the end of time. No one will ever hurt you as long as I am around, not even Quinn. You two are meant to be together, just like Jackie and I, so if I didn't believe he truly loved you, I wouldn't encourage you to go to him."

"You're my very best friend and I'm so glad to be able to say that. I love you, Fangs," I said.

He kissed my cheek touching the corner of my mouth with his and said, "I couldn't have said it better myself, Lupita." He stood first and reached out to help me up. He wound my fingers in his and I leaned my head against his arm as he escorted me back to the waiting area.

Everyone looked up, and I was afraid it was going to be weird with him holding my hand, but it wasn't. Quinn looked up at me and smiled sadly. I went to sit by my mom. Smoothing her hair behind her ears, I said, "Mom, Mitchell is going to take you home to rest and I'm going to take a ride with Quinn and we can meet back later, is that okay?"

She stroked my face. "Of course sweetie." She looked at Quinn and back at me and said, "You have a good one here, don't let him go. He reminds me of your father."

It was nice that my mom was fond of Quinn again, I'm just hopeful that he still wanted to be with me.

We walked out of the hospital and got into the car without saying a word to each other. Quinn drove and I kept glancing at him, but wasn't sure where to start explaining things. The drive was filled with agonizing silence. When he finally pulled over I knew exactly where we were. "The waterfall?" I said in surprise.

"It's our special place, I'm not letting anyone ruin that for us," he said and then he was opening the door for me.

He swept me up off my feet and I screamed in surprise. He ran me to the base of the fall and then disappeared and was back again with the blanket and a cooler. He got me out a soda and popped it open for me. "Jackie said to make sure I get you hydrated again. I can't have a werewolf mad at me you know."

I laughed, "No we wouldn't want that." It tasted like heaven going down my throat. I didn't realize how thirsty I was.

"I'm sorry," We both stated at the same time and chuckled. "Go ahead," We both said again at the same time.

Quinn threw his hands up and said, "Oh screw it" and grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. His lips eagerly met mine as I wound my arms around his neck and gave in to the desire letting everything else melt from my mind.

Reality came crashing back pretty quickly. Moving back from him, I decided to start things off, "We can't avoid talking about it, as much as I'm enjoying this right now. I need you to tell me what happened, tell me about your time with Lizzy, please." He stiffened and it seemed as though it was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

His face became solemn as he began, "You may not want to hear this, I'm not even sure I want to tell you." I sucked in a breath and waited for him to tell me, expecting the worst in my mind of things like him cheating on me with her. He began, "She played mind tricks on me, something she's very good at. She held me prisoner and made me think Mitchell was helping her. She poured human blood down my throat to ignite my cravings for it."

He stopped to look at my face and judge my reaction, I stayed calm so he continued, "That's the only thing she would feed me. Most days she starved me and, when I grew weak, she would force it down my throat. I tried to fight it, but it's like trying to not chew a cheeseburger when you haven't eaten a bite in days."

Shame washed over his face and he stared forward at the falls. "All I could think about was you, but she twisted my thoughts. She was so vague about everything. She told me that you had done something that I would never forgive you for, she said I didn't know the kind of person you truly were. According to her, if I found out what it was I would hate you. Either she was talking about you and Mitchell, and she doesn't know me that well or she was just playing mind games again. She was so persistent she even said that even you didn't know the size of the mistake you made."

That had me curious, how would she know about Mitchell and me? What could I have done to make him...? No, I'm not going to let her play mind tricks on me anymore, she is dead and gone.

"What about Christine? Did she say why she killed her?" That had been bothering me for a while if she had merely done it to feed then there would have been more killings.

"She thought that Christine was you because she smelled me on her."

Before I could stop myself, the tone of jealousy erupted from me in asking, "What the hell does that mean?"

A look of guilt washed over his face and I grew more suspicious. His tone was apologetic, "I'm an idiot, it was the day you and I were fighting because of that..." a deep annoyed breath sounded from him, "kiss with Will in the park. Remember, I was cozying up to Christine in class to make you jealous? She kept rubbing my back and other things..."

Again I snapped to attention, ready to explode, and he considered what he had said and recanted, "No...no, no, I meant that she was rubbing up against me, wait, geez, Parker, nothing happened. She got frisky with my upper half and that's it. Damn, I give up."

Watching him squirm, for something that didn't sound sexual, was hilarious. I burst into laughter and his eyebrow raised at me in confusion. "I get what you're saying, baby. Continue."

He sighed in relief and said, "Anyway, she didn't know who you were. When she smelled me on Christine, she thought she was you and killed her in rage. When she figured out who you really were, and that you were a werewolf, she decided to keep you alive. She was going to have you turn against me and kill me and then I guess Will would've tried to win your affection at that time. I felt terrible that Christine was killed because of me, but I must confess that I'm glad she didn't get to you first."

I didn't speak it out loud, but I was thinking the same thing, even though I felt terrible that Christine died only because of mistaken identity. At the same time, I wanted to rip her throat out for putting her hands all over my man. Sorry, I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but I can't help it.

"Jackie explained everything to your mom...well as best as she could. As soon as you guys went to visit your dad, your mom started in on me about breaking your heart. Which, I fully deserved her wrath for how I left things at the waterfall earlier. Jackie came back just as I was getting ready to leave and told her that it was all a lie. She was great; you have an incredible sister there."

I grinned, "I'm lucky to have her back, thought I lost her."

He squeezed my hand, "I was afraid I lost you all for a second. Mitch is my best friend and I thought he betrayed me and then I found out you had feelings for him and...well..." he stopped talking and looked away.

"There's something you should know about Mitchell though, and it's completely my fault because I asked for it." Trying to find the words was difficult with the look Quinn was giving me at the moment.

He exploded, "What the hell did he do?"

It was my turn to burst out laughing at his assumptions. "No, nothing. I was just trying to tell you that I asked him to tell me about how...I asked him to tell me about the time you turned him."

Some sense of relief washed over him, but there was now a look of dread. He took my hand and said, "I really wish he hadn't done that, but I hope you know..."

I put my hand on top of his and said, "It's fine, I know that was not who you are and it doesn't make me feel any different for you. I just wanted you to know that he told me and that it was because I asked him to. You aren't mad are you?"

He shook his head. "No, just ashamed."

Leaning over, I kissed him and said, "Never feel ashamed around me, I'll never judge you."

Then, I continued with my ramblings, "As for my feelings for Mitchell, I was never in love with him. It was just a matter of two people, who felt like they had lost everything, clinging to the only friend they had left. We bonded and are just the best of friends now. So things will seem different with us and I'm telling you this so you don't read into anything if he kisses my cheek or holds my hand too long. We talked about it and we both feel the same way, I love you and he loves Jackie. There's love between us, but it is the deepest of friendship, nothing more. Do you get what I mean?"

He winced a bit and said, "I'll do my best to not want to rip his head off if you two are acting too cozy, but there is a line between what should be just for friends and what should be for couples, I mean kissing..."

I put my hand up. "On the cheek only. We have nicknames for each other too now and we've held hands for support and we'll hug. I don't want it to make you doubt me if you see this stuff."

He flinches again and asks, "So what's reserved for just me?"

Taking my hand, I gently caress his face. "This," I say as I kiss his lips softly and lovingly, "and this," as I kiss his neck.

"You're damn straight, I better not see you do that with him." We both laughed and he pulled me against him and pressed his lips to mine.

My head still raced with today's events and out of nowhere I pulled back from his embrace and started to rant. "There's some other stuff from today that's bothering me. I still can't believe that Will was the one that changed me and that he's Lizzy's brother?!"

He took my hand in his and noticed the dried blood; he brought it closer to his face and at first I thought he was hungry from the smell. Then he calmly asked, "Where is your fingernail?"

The memory flooded back, of Will grabbing me and dragging me along the ground as I answered, "Back in the woods, not far from here. When I took off running to find you and Jackie, Will grabbed me and threw me to the ground. When I realized it was him I tried to get away, but he grabbed my legs and pulled me back to him and as I clawed at the ground it ripped out of my skin."

A hiss escaped his lips and he brought my finger to his mouth and kissed it. "Damn him, it's a good thing he's dead, because if he weren't I would rip his throat out for hurting you."

A confession left my lips that I didn't expect to tell him and I wasn't sure why I did, but he pulled back from me and demanded I repeat what I said, because it came out as such a light whisper. "I thought he was going to rape me...he was tugging at my clothes and his hands were..."

I stopped and Quinn looked devastated, he reached out and pulled me close to him and I heard his voice crack, "No one's going to ever hurt you like that I promise. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry he hurt you, I'm sorry you were scared and most of all, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."

The anger welled up inside me, I pulled away from him. As I watched how guilty he felt, it made me hate what Will did even more. "You do not need to apologize, he...Ugh...I just can't believe I wanted to spare his life...I...it's my fault you couldn't be there for me. I thought he was my friend, I felt he was misled and that I could save him, but I'm so stupid. And all the ways he tricked us, the way he manipulated Jackie...it just makes me so...so angry!"

My hands were shaking with rage and Quinn reached for me, but it was too late, I jerked forward and my body wrenched in pain and I was a wolf in minutes.

There was terror in Quinn's eyes as I looked up at him. He had not expected me to change. I moved toward him and he backed away from me. Thinking happy thoughts helped me to shift back and I stood there, naked, as he stood frozen in place.

"I'm sorry; my shifting is starting to be more random now. If I get too angry, it's hard to stop from changing. I don't understand why it just started happening. I mean, I've always been able to calm myself."

Quinn seemed to be putting something together in his head so I start looking around for my clothes. They were in shreds all over the ground. I picked them up and held them in the air. "Damnit, I'm so sick of ruining good outfits."

He laughed, thank goodness. I was beginning to think he was in a state of shock. He took his jacket off and came forward and wrapped it around me. As he reached around my shoulders to cover me, he whispered, "This is my favorite part of when you change into a wolf, seeing you when you shift back."

His breath at my ear, and the words he said sent shivers down my body. He lightly kissed my collarbone. He turned the conversation serious again, instead of letting us get carried away in the moment.

"The reason you're unable to calm yourself as easily is because you never had a true reason to be angry." He chuckled at what must have been a totally lost look on my face. "Ok, you started having more episodes of shifting when I disappeared right?" I nodded slowly trying to foresee his conclusion.

"Ok, well, you're not an angry person. You aren't going to want to kill someone just because they made fun of you or they played a joke on you. That rage that causes you to shift spontaneously, it happens when someone you love is in danger or threatened...Right?"

Biting my lip, I looked upward as if trying to see what was in my own mind and muddled through the thoughts in my head; finally, I shook my head in agreement. "You had me, Jackie, and Mitchell in danger, now your dad. The people that mean the most to you are the key to your rage. If they're in peril, you'll be vulnerable to shifting. Make sense?"

Laughing hysterically, I said, "So basically I hulk out? Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Roar!" I lunged with my arms raised and tackled him. We rolled on the blanket wrestling and laughing.

We sat back and he began to kiss me again until my text went off. He picked it up and pulled away from me. Great, what now?

"It's from your mom. Your dad's awake," he said.

I beamed up at him, "Let's go!" Running to the car I realized how naked I was and we had to make a stop at the house first. It might be difficult to explain to my mom what became of my clothes.

We arrived at the hospital in record time and I ran to his room. I inhaled deeply and opened the door.

"Hey Princess." There were never two words I wanted to hear more at this moment. As soon as I got to his bedside, I gave him a zerbert on the cheek which is something we have always done since I was a kid. It's something I saw on the Cosby show. Rudy, the youngest in the family, used to give her dad zerberts. It's where you put your lips against their face and blow hard, it's a raspberry, but on the face instead of the stomach.

He chuckled and told me to pull up a chair. "Did you see the person who did this to you, daddy?" I asked him as I held his hand in mine.

He looked at me with total bewilderment, "No, sweetie. They came up from behind me. I couldn't even tell you if it was a man or woman. It all happened so fast. I just remember being grabbed and feeling a burning pain at my neck. I reached for it and felt the blood gushing out. Everything went black and I woke up here a few minutes ago."

After talking to my dad for a while, I left my mom to spend the night with him. Quinn drove me home. Mom said it was fine if he spent the night with me tonight so I wouldn't be alone. I'm sure that meant he should sleep on the couch, but she didn't specify so he came to my room with me. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed with him. He wrapped me in a blanket and kissed my head.

"I love you." We both said at the same time.

"We really need to get out of each other's head," I said, giggling.

"Before we go to sleep, I wanted to talk to you about something Will said. The part about you being gullible for trusting him, he was wrong."

That was unexpected and I turned to face him, "But you basically said the same thing about me trusting Will, so..."

His head shook in disagreement, "I was upset that Will betrayed you...more than once even, but I don't think you're to blame. Trusting someone, and giving them a chance to prove they have changed, doesn't make you an idiot or gullible. It makes you Parker and it's one of the reasons I love you so much. You have the biggest heart and you always want to open it up to people. The ones that betray your trust, the ones that hurt you, they're the fools. I didn't want the past few months and all this betrayal you've faced to make you bitter or angry." He kissed my head and pulled my body closer to him.

My phone rang and I reached over to answer it. "Hello, yeah I saw him and he was doing great. Yeah, I know, I miss you too, sweetie. We'll make time for each other soon. I'll call you in the morning. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I love you. Goodnight."

I hung up the phone and turned to Quinn. He looked like he was trying to fight back his anger. "What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

He took his index finger and thumb and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, but hearing you tell him that you love him, hearing you call him sweetie, is more difficult than I imagined."

Snickering, I said, "Goofy, that was Jackie, not Mitchell."

He covered his face with hands, "I'm sorry, Parker, I'm a douche. I'll do better, I promise. I'm glad you've forgiven Jackie and you guys are friends again."

Sighing, I said, "I'm working on it at least. I know that someone was feeding her bad information, but her betrayal of trust was the worst. I wish she'd had more faith in me. Of course, Mitchell has it worse than I do. He had to see her making out with Will, and you should've seen the devastation that caused him. We were both hurting so badly over the last few weeks. I do love Jackie and I want things to get back to the way they were, but that's going to take some time, for all of us I think."

He nodded and said, "Just make sure you get there. Don't let Liz and Will ruin that for you. She's your sister in every way that counts and that's something you don't want to lose."

There was something in the way he mentioned her name that made me wonder out loud. "I'm sorry, I know this has to be hard for you, the fact that you killed her to save Jackie...to save all of us, I know you loved Lizzy."

One corner of his mouth turned up in a sad smile as if he remembered a bittersweet memory, "No, I didn't love that monster. The Lizzy that I loved died back in the 50's, she was killed on her way home from school. There was no hesitation from me, I don't regret what I did, and I don't mourn that thing. I merely mourn my friend that died many years ago." He held his arms out to me, kissed me and I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes, this should be the best sleep I've had in a long time.

My dreams were filled with scenes from the previous day, Lizzy's death, Will torturing me, and the events leading up to his death. The look on Quinn's face as Liz tortured him with hints of my feelings for Mitchell, the look of the betrayal he felt when I chose to save Will's life.

Then, I was there watching my father bleeding to death on the side of the road and Quinn stood over him. I jerked up, sweating profusely. I turned to look at Quinn and he looked so peaceful, I snuggled back against his chest and looked toward the window where there was a set of eyes looking in at me....eyes that were very familiar. Will's eye's.

Books Written by Amy McClung

YA Paranormal Romance

The Parker Harris Series:

Cascades of Moonlight, Book #1

Dreams, Spells, & Moonlit Tales, Book #2

The Dark Moon, Book #3

The Cold Moon, Book #4

(Mitchell's novella)

YA Fantasy

The Crispin Sinclair Chronicles

The Shimmering Pool (10/3/14)

NA Contemporary Romance

The Southern Devotion Series:

For the Love of Gracie, Book #1

Curves in the Road, Book #2

Complicated Relationships, Book#3 (2015)

YA Contemporary Romance:

Stand-alone novella

Promises in Stone Coming November 2014.

Look for updates on my author page to learn more about books I'm working on, books I love, and giveaways!

www.facebook.com/AmyKMcclung

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