I flopped onto the sofa boots and jacket still on. Sighing, I covered my eyes with my arm and attempted to drown out Hale awkwardly pottering around in my kitchen.

"Coffee?"

"Sure" I mumbled. I didn't know how to tackle this particular issue with Hale, if he had mentioned claiming me before we had kissed, I'd have lectured him and we'd have made up. Now with this 'thing' looming between us I didn't know how to talk to him.

'Screw this', I thought, 'You don't think Kenzi you jump into action, do it now!'

"So the whole claiming thing, what was that about?" 'Ok weak start but better than nothing'.

There was a tense silence for a moment.

"I already told you"

I sat up and looked at him over the back of the sofa.

"What happened to 'you look after yourself, I'm just back up', "I air quoted

Hale set the coffee cups down harder than necessary, "This is different, Harpies are not to be messed with and you picked a nasty one to mess with"

"Yeah I get it, I shouldn't have hit her" I growled

Hale shook his head, "I shouldn't have taken you there in the first place"

I thought back to what Dyson had said about Hale parading me around, "Why did you take me there?"

Hale adverted his eyes and busied himself making the coffee, I watched him not saying anything, waiting for him to say something. He didn't.

"Hale?"

He gripped the counter and kept his head down as he spoke, "I like you Kenz, I think that's pretty obvious from last night, you're pretty much involved in our world as you can be and I just wanted to show you a little bit more, but it was a mistake"

"Wait, what was a mistake?" my voice sounded thin

"Taking you there, too dangerous especially when you're not claimed-" he held up a hand to stop my protest, "I just mean that the way I was with you like we were lovers and with you not being claimed is dangerous for you and it was reckless of me to do that"

I thought about jumping over the sofa and proclaiming dramatically that 'I live for danger!' but I was trying to be mature.

"Hale, every time I help Bo I'm in danger, I can handle it and when I can't I have people like you and Dyson and Bo to help me, the same way I would help any of you"

Hale nodded and handed me my coffee.

"Are we going to talk about this?" I asked

Hale shrugged, "I don't know Kenz, I need to think about things"

"You can talk to me about it"

"You won't punch me?"

"Ha ha, you're hilarious"

He eyed my hot coffee nervously as if I might throw it at him, "I'm just wondering about what happens now, with err…you and me"

Delight spread in my stomach and I wanted to bounce up and down but I sensed there was more to what Hale was saying.

"This has something to do with me being claimed, doesn't it?"

He nodded and I seriously contemplated throwing my coffee over him. As if sensing it he rushed on, "I don't want to claim you for the reasons you're thinking, a lot of fae claim humans for food, sex, labour, I only thought of it to keep you safe"

"I am safe, living with an unaligned succubus is pretty good protection" I sighed, "Hale, are you sure there isn't another reason?"

"No way lil mama, I'm not like my family, well we don't have humans at all but that's for other reasons"

"Other reasons?"

"My family, while I do love them, are ignorant bigots and that's all you need to know"

"So there not pro human then"

"You could say that"

"So they probably wouldn't be pleased to find out that you took an unclaimed human to a fae club?" I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I looked into what Dyson had said.

Hale must have noticed something in my expression, "It wasn't like that Kenzi"

"It fits though; did you take me there to piss your parents off?"

"Not exactly, unclaimed or not they wouldn't like it either way, I did take you there because I wanted to show you it, but also because I do like you and I knew if I took you then word would spread"

I filled in the blanks, "Word would spread to your parents, why not just tell them?"

He shrugged, "It just seemed easier that way"

I laughed bitterly, "Well we know how that turned out"

"Kenzi, I'm really sorry"

Dyson and I hadn't spoken a word to each other since we had been in the car. The radio was off and uncomfortable silence echoed between us. Boutique shops glittered in the sun as we drove past them; for once I didn't feel like shopping.

"So, how's work?" 'Oh God, really Bo?' I thought

Dyson shrugged, "Busy I guess"

"Yeah, well police stations always are-," I slammed my hands down on the steering wheel causing the car to jerk to the side a little, "Ok this is stupid, we can't tiptoe around each other!"

Dyson looked a little wide eyed at my reaction, "Ok"

"Let's just get everything out in the open and then get past this" I took a deep breath, "I am really pissed at you for wandering off for months without a word to anyone, being all weird with me and most of all for just plain giving up!"

"Giving up?" Dyson's voice was slightly louder than his usual rumble; he was angry.

"Yeah, this whole letting someone else take away your love and tear us apart, I know you; you wouldn't have taken that shit and yet you have!"

"If I hadn't have done that you would be dead!"

"You don't know that!"

"From what Kenzi told me, it was pretty damn likely!"

"Fine, but I'm alive now and you're not doing anything to get your love back", I tried to not let the hurt I was feeling seep into my voice. I don't think I did a good job because Dyson's voice softened.

"Bo, a deal is a deal, I can't get it back"

"You won't you mean"

"I can't just-"

"Does it not seem worth the bother to you?" I had a sudden epiphany, "Is that what it is, your love for me is gone so it doesn't seem worth the effort to fight for it?"

Dyson shook his head but he wasn't looking at me. If that wasn't it then it had been close.

"Even if you can't feel it, you should be able to remember it Dyson, is it not worth fighting for?"

He growled and I swear I saw the bones under his skin move as if he was about to shift, "I remember it Bo, that's what makes it harder, if I go back on my deal then the Norn can go back on hers she could kill you"

"No, the deal was to lend me strength"

"Yes, strength to keep you alive, she could drain you to the point of death"

That stopped me cold for a moment, "She can't do that, she can only take away the strength that was given to me in the first place or it wouldn't be a fair deal"

"Do you think this is fair, Bo?"

"No, I don't"

"That's Lorna's car" Dyson pointed to a red convertible two cars ahead.

"How do you know?"

"I looked it up before we left"

I hadn't thought of that, guess that was why Dyson was a cop and I wasn't.

We've got you now, I thought grimly.