Chapter 12

"Can I get a toy?!" Haley asks with excitement in her eyes while I'm forced to push the hardly filled cart. "You promised I could get a toy," she pouts

Haley and I were in a local Idaho Wal-Mart while Alex and Shawn went off to steal some more guns that we apparently needed at a nearby store. Daniel was filling his car with gas while we were off fulfilling our duties. I was given the assignment to shop for food to last us a couple days, considering the fact that only two out of the 5 of us were the only ones who needed to be fed. Before, I had Haley pick out some foods that she wanted but of course she chose all junk food so I picked out a few cans of fruit and a few vegetables, water bottles, juice, and other snacks. That was basically our whole cart.

I didn't realize how much I was craving blood until Haley comes closer to me and I see her veins pulsing. I shake my head and ignore the urges and chuckle at the sight of Haley, "Yes, I did." I look into our cart to check if we had everything we needed. "Alright, but we have to hurry up before Daniel wonders where we are."

She jumps up and down with anticipation, cheering at the same time. Immediately, she grabs the other end of the cart and pulls, leading me to the toy section of the store. I let her do so until we come to a close and am forced to slow down.

"Remember," I warn, "The limit is 3 and they have to be able to fit your bag so nothing too big alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll be quick." She skips down the aisle of Barbie dolls and other girly things surrounding. I smile to myself as I watch Haley try to contemplate which toy would be perfect for her and the requirements. Watching her makes me think about the future about kids of my own. There was no way I would be able to conceive a child now.

The realization finally hits me; I would never be able to have children. Sure, there was adoption but I wanted to experience the beauty of pregnancy, I wanted to give birth to my own kids. And now, I couldn't because of what I was. I couldn't blame anyone but myself; Daniel was forced to change me because I was dying. It was something that could have been prevented if I hadn't gone and sacrificed myself to the Velknar pack.

It was my own fault for my newly frozen body. The closest thing I would get to raising my own child was Haley but she wasn't a baby anymore. So I had to stop treating her like one.

I decide to tell her about a part of the secret I was keeping. Just when I take in a breath to speak, I feel someone behind me. I slowly turn to see who was behind me, touching me. I prayed that it wasn't another werewolf, remembering what had happened yesterday as we were leaving Montana for good.

When I see who it is, I let out a sigh of relief and smack their arm, "Daniel!" I harshly whisper, "Stop sneaking up on me like that."

He grins, "Don't make it so easy then. Besides, you'd think your senses would be better by now, maybe even better than mine."

I roll my eyes, "I was just… thinking about stuff and zoned out I guess." I smile and play along with his teasing. I didn't want him to worry about me; we had enough to worry about already and I wasn't about to add myself on that list. "And don't forget who won that race back in Montana; in fact, I could probably beat you at anything. All you need to do is name it."

Daniel laughs at my competitive side, "I think it's cute how you think you can win, but I may take you up on that offer sometime. How about in Vegas?" He winks.

I look at him warily, trying to understand what exactly he had in mind. I open my mouth to ask but am interrupted when he spins me around with my back to him and wraps his arms around my midsection, making me smile. I feel his hot breath on my neck as he says to me, "We can have one night to ourselves, and we can do anything you want."

"Oh yeah?" I inquire.

"Mhmm," he murmurs before his lips start to move against my neck, grazing it.

Despite my relatively new body and the changes I've been dealing with, he still made my heart race with every touch. He could make me lose my train of thought; an incredible power that affected me and only me.

At first, I embrace his touch and thrive off of it, not thinking about anything else but him. Until I think about what Vegas will be like, there of course were a lot of activities to do. I was afraid of him going to one of the strip clubs and spending some quality time with the strippers there. But the main issue was that I didn't want him to get distracted and stay longer than we need to. I needed to save Rachel and my mother as soon as possible and I didn't want Sin City to get in the way of that.

I face towards Daniel, breaking the caress Daniel had on my neck. "Daniel," I started, feeling a little nervous, "How long are we going to be in Las Vegas?"

Daniel tilts his head downwards, our foreheads touching, "Not too long, probably for 2 days. Maybe even one day depending on the person I'm meeting there."

I nod, that wasn't bad. It seemed it would be long but in fact it wasn't long at all, I could handle 2 days, "And who will that be?"

"Well, her name is Carina Walsh and she's a…" he looks around; making sure Haley or anyone else wasn't around to hear. Haley was just at the end of aisle; I could hear her giggling over one of the toys. When he knows no one was listening in, he whispers, "A witch."

I frown, confused on what he was telling me. Witches existed? I thought only werewolves and vampires did, at least those two creatures were the only things I was informed of. Witches seemed to be more abnormal than the concept of werewolves and vampires co-existing. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. "Why didn't you tell me about witches?"

"Witches are rare, they aren't born into a line like some werewolves but they are randomly chosen and the numbers are very few. I didn't think I would come across one ever but one of my vampire acquaintances found her when he was about to feed on Carina but she stopped him with magic and he immediately contacted me. He knew I could find more on her and figured she would be a perfect advantage for our side. Of course, I found out the rest, she's on her way to Vegas right now to visit family."

"Oh," is all I manage to say. I had no idea magic existed, I thought it was only a mere fairy tale to give children hope or something. Wow. "What can witches do?"

"Anything really." Daniel adds, "They're not like the witches you find at the fair or something, although, they can see the future sometimes. But mostly witches are strictly spell books, but they can't magically find a spell and recite it, they need to create their own spells depending on the situation. And that's what this new witch will do for me whether she likes it or not."

I was a little taken aback from Daniel tone when he says that last sentence. He almost sounded menacing. "Why do you need her anyways?" And then I add, "You're not going to hurt her are you?"

He hesitates before answering, "We'll see. If she cooperates, then I won't. All I need her to do is to bring the magic back into an item that I have."

Before asking, I glance back to Haley who was still looking through the pile of stuffed animals, looking for the right one. "And what is this item of yours going to do?"

"It's basically a weapon that can kill werewolves easier; we're going to need it if we plan on defeating Adam and the others. And to get your mother and Rachel back." He sees the worry in my face as he pulls back, Daniel kisses my forehead softly yet quickly. "Don't worry," he assures me, "It's going to all work out, just don't think about it, and focus on now."

How could I not worry when Daniel held possession of a weapon that could kill everyone? Would it kill me and Shawn too? And I never wanted to hurt anyone else, all I wanted was to kill Adam and get my mother and Rachel the hell out of there. The other werewolves were only doing what they thought was best, by following their leader. They would be free if Adam was gone, possibly leaving the vampires alone.

But as I was about to ask Daniel about me and Shawn, Haley comes skipping up to the two of us with a stuffed dog in hand. "What are you guys talking about?"

Daniel is the one to respond, "Nothing important. Just boring adult stuff, things you wouldn't care about."

"Oh, like what?"

"Nothing," I step in, "Did you finish picking out your toys?"

"I have 2, so all I need is one more." She puts her two toys in the cart, "Be right back!" She shouts as she runs down the aisle, back to where she was a minute ago.

Daniel and I watch Haley runs down to the end of the aisle and once she's out of sight, I turn my attention back to Daniel and don't say anything. I wait for him to say something to me but when he doesn't, I speak, "Is that the only reason why we're going to Vegas? Just for that witch?"

He nods slowly, confused by where I was going with this, "Yeah, it's vital for our victory. And I was kind of hoping she could tell us more about you, the hybrid part of you. Why?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Just wondering." I pout as I clasp my hands together behind Daniel's neck, "I miss you." And it was true; I really did miss him and the way we were before all of this happened. Daniel seemed so focused on defeating the werewolves that I felt like the last thing on his mind. "I just want one whole day where I can have you all to myself."

"Like I said, we can try in Vegas if you want," he smirks down at me. "I love you."

I smile when I hear those three words come out of his mouth. It had felt like forever since I last heard them, "I love you too."

Daniel leans his head down, inching closer to my lips for a kiss. Slowly yet surely, I wait for his lips to touch mine, something that I have been craving for a long time now. I close my eyes and wait for the familiar touch that I knew so well. And when I feel it, my lips instantly become hungry for more. I hint Daniel this by taking hold of hair, pulling him closer to me and teasing him with my tongue by grazing his bottom lip with it. Daniel takes the hint and opens his mouth enough for me to enter his mouth. Mine does the same and the taste of him makes me crave more. More than I can have right now.

He's the one to pull back, and when he does, he smiles. "Don't worry," reading the disappointment on my face, "We'll be able to spend more quality time together in a few days, I promise." He leans down and kisses my cheek. "I should probably go get Shawn and Alex; I'll be in front waiting for you."

After unwrapping my arms around him, he walks off without saying another word. And I can't help but feel like something bad was going to happen.

Haley and I walk out of the Wal-Mart with her holding one out of the three bags we take with us. Right away, I see Daniel's Porsche parked where he said he would be. I peer inside to Daniel and wave to him but his attention is elsewhere. Instead of an empty seat beside Daniel, it was occupied by Alex. And they were laughing hysterically from the looks of it.

My fist clenches tighter around the bag's straps as I stop in my tracks at the sight. I was somehow very bothered by this sight. I knew I had nothing to worry about Daniel cheating on me with Alex, they were just friends. At least, that's what I tell myself. I had no idea why I had this pang of jealously inside of me, Daniel wouldn't cheat on me but why does my head tell me yes, he would?

I sigh and push the feelings and the rising blood craving aside. We continue to the car, instead of putting the bags in the trunk, I decide to just leave right away. Haley is the first to enter the car, once she climbs in right next to Shawn and locks her seatbelt in, I do the same. I don't keep the bags in my hands; instead, I give them all to Shawn. I knew he must have been hungry after a couple of days of nonstop driving. "Here," I mutter as I hand him the bags.

I could feel my face flushing from anger and jealously when I look to Daniel and Alex talking to each other with wide smiles across their faces.

I glare at Daniel, who was now driving down towards the interstate. I wanted to believe that Alex and Daniel were friends but I saw the way Alex was looking at him, with longing and desire. I don't say anything; I just glower out the window watching the scenery flash by.

"So," Daniel begins, "How was shopping?"

"Fine," I mutter with annoyance in my voice at the same time as Haley exclaiming 'Fun'. I didn't like the small talk.

I see Daniel frown in the mirror but he doesn't say anything but 'oh', knowing that I was not in the mood to talk right now. So, he continues his conversation with Alex, making me more annoyed.

I zone out of their conversation for a good 10 minutes but then I find myself listening in. Alex and Daniel are now laughing together; Alex is the one to speak through their laughter, "Remember when we went to that Beatles concert? We got them so drunk afterwards that they were partying with us all night and we even were able to get them on top of the queen's palace."

Daniel laughs at the memory, "I remember, too bad Paul passed out before then though, we had to leave him in a nearby dumpster." He smiles at Alex, "Boy those were good times."

That last statement puts me in an even worse mood, 'those were the good times'? As in past tense. What's wrong with the times we were having now? If I was such a nuisance to him, maybe I should just not even bother travel with him. Then he wouldn't have to be dealing with me. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to stay with him. If he had a device that could defeat the werewolves, I had to suck it up; despite how angry I was towards Daniel right now.

My hand tightens against my jean pant leg, the yearning for blood becoming stronger with each passing minute. It fuels my anger even more, pissing me off so much so that I could just rip someone's head off. I fight off my raging emotions for a short period of time until it becomes unbearable. Tears fall from my face, I didn't want to hurt Haley; she was the closest blood source to me.

"Stop the car," I manage to say through clenched teeth.

Daniel takes one look at me and sees my eyes, seeing the change in them from my usual brown eyes to black with hints of red. He immediately pulls over without protesting.

The moment that he stops the car, I push open the door and run into the nearby wood with all my strength. I run in search for a creature to sustain my hunger until a sharp pain in my gut stops me and makes me collapse to the ground.