Chapter 10

Kaleb

She whimpered in her sleep. I stood from the window seat and went to her side. Even in sleep, this mornings events were etched permanently into her beautiful face.

I knew I shouldn't even register that fact. But I couldn't help it.

I liked her; in a way that could get her killed.

My thoughts were interrupted however, when Cade sat bolt upright in bed and started thrashing around.

My arms went around her; trying to comfort her, but she just tried to get away from me.

She elbowed me in the ribs, knocking the air out of me.

''Cade...stop! It's me, it's Kaleb. Your safe, it's me.'' I hated seeing her like this. It tore at my chest.

Her eyes found mine, recognition flashed across her face and she relaxed against me.

Drawing in a deep breath, she asked worriedly, ''I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?''

Her selflessness just kept on surprising me.

''I'm fine, I've had worse.' I had as well, that was nothing compared to getting shot in the shoulder. 'How about you? How are you feeling?''

It was a stupid question, but it was automatic.

I felt her give a small shrug.

''My heads a little clearer now that I've slept. But I still don't know what to think...'' She left the sentence hanging.

I smiled at her, non-too-subtle hint. She was staring at me, so I pretended not to notice.

''OK, what do you want to know first?'' I knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

''What exactly happened to Brook?''

Yup I was right...

''Right, I'm going to do this the same way I told everybody else. OK?' Cade's head bobbed, so I continued, 'Brook was killed by a shifter.''

The look on her face, made my voice shaky as I finished; she didn't believe me.

A slight crease marked her forehead as she frowned at me.

''Shifter?'' Contradicting her face, her voice sounded curious. So of course being the idiot that I am, I said the most dumbass thing of my life.

''Yeah, they're not human.''

Her eyebrows went up, as if complimenting me on my awesome humiliation skills. I wanted to smack myself in the head, but that would probably scared Cade, so instead I just stared at her.

For some weird reason she had a look of guilt now plastered on her face.

''Huh. Not human. OK, that's comforting, in a weird way...but that doesn't explain why they killed Brook. I mean, I was asleep, I would have made an easier target. Right?'' Shit, she was clever.

I nodded, in answer to her question.

I couldn't help but remember what she had said about it being, 'comforting in a weird way'. I totally got that. It meant that there wasn't some random psychopath running around killing people.

No, instead there was a thing that could look like anyone running around killing people.

''Your right. You would have made an easier target. But these things, Shifters, don't work like that. They take whoever they want, whenever they want,' I was scared of what her reaction would be, to my next words, 'Unless we stop them.''

Her face didn't change; I breathed a sigh of relief.

''So what do you do?''

''Hunt 'em and Kill 'em.''

''Wow.' She sighed slightly. 'You hunt them, so you knew they were here.''

My heart stopped beating; she blamed me.

Why shouldn't she?, I asked myself. I bobbed my head in remorse.

''Yeah. When we got here there were none of the usual signs. We were in the Isle of Sky, but they upped and left so we followed them here to Eastbourne. Normally there's ways of telling when they are in town; people going missing, animal attacks, freak accidents and complete personality changes are just a few.''

My tone was weird; I was fighting for control of my anger. I hated this life, but the way I saw it was, someone had to do this job and that someone was me.

Although I had to admit, I was bloody amazing at it.

Most of the time.

Cade's hand touching mine, pulled my thoughts back to the here and now.

Looking at my hand, I wrapped my long fingers around her slender ones, and squeezed gently.

She smiled, when I looked up.

''I'm sorry. It's...I haven't spoken about it like this for awhile. We haven't had a new member in a few years.'' As I said this, I wondered if that was what she was; a new member.

''It's OK. It must be hard, I mean I've lost Brook and it hurts like hell, but you've lost more or less your entire family.''

I couldn't speak, so I just gave her a smile.

Changing the subject, I explained everything about everything.

''Hunters, usually work in groups of two or three. We are the largest group in England. It started out as just me and Nate, but we ran others who had nowhere to go, so we just sort of banded together.'

'When we found Mama T, she had nothing and no one. She was still the kindest person I had ever met. She'd cook us dinner all the time, 'cause we were 'wasting away'. She adopted us as her surrogate family. Me, Nate, Liam and Blaze that is; Mia hadn't been born yet.''

'I frowned, I really should tell her the truth about Mia...', I thought, guiltily.

''We find them, hunt them, lull them in to false sense of security, then we kille them. A silver bullet, dipped in Holy water, and decapitation are the only ways to kill them, as far as we know, anything else they just heal.''

She was still staring at me, only know I couldn't tell what her eyes held.

''It's a good job we all work out.'' I grinned at her, she chuckled.

''So what happens to me now?'' She asked, a few minutes later. She was picking at a loose thread on the bed sheet.

I took a deep breath, ''Well do you have any family?' Her head shook, 'OK...well you could always stay with us. 'She looked up at me, 'I mean, I'm not going to lie to you Cade, it's dangerous. You will have to be completely sure that it is what you want.''

I could see the wheels turning in her head. Five minutes later there was still no answer, so I added, ''Why don't you think about it, sleep on it, and tell me when you decide.''

Throwing me a grateful smile, she nodded.

I moved on to the Shifters next.

''Shifters. Huh, what can you say about them...?'' I paused, thinking.

''OK, like I said they aren't human. They can look like anyone, dead or alive. Only they can't look like a dead person for too long. Some Shifters can turn into animals as well; it makes it easier to kill someone if they look like their dog.''

Biting her lip. she looked deep in thought, so I got up and quietly went to the window seat. The moon was bright in the sky.

I loved looking at the stars; when I was little I would go outside everynight and try to count them. And everynight I would fall asleep long before I finished. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

''We've been in here for hours.''

Placing my hand over hers, I looked once more at the stars and whispered, ''It doesn't feel like it...''

A/N: Hey guys :) Thank you for reading, sorry I haven't updated in a while. But here is a long chapter for you :) Hope you liked it? Let me know by REVIEWING! Please :)) I really appreciate it =D

~Abbey