Summary – Hunter arrives in Widows Vale with his mentor Ciaran MacEwan. There he meets his half brother Cal and his girlfriend Morgan, whom he feels strangely drawn to, and is sucked into a cat and mouse game that has played between Ciaran and Selene Belltower for years and on top of it all he is reunited with his cousin Sky who is a Seeker for the International Council of Witches and has been hunting him down for years.

Disclaimer: These are all Cate Tiernans toys. They're just in my playground.

A/N: Just to let you know, there is a pop culture reference in this chapter... see if you spot it. However it may not seem accurate to you as we stand in 2016 I'm trying to stick to the timeline of the story which is set around the 2001 mark...

I prepared a light Spanish omelette for Morgan, the egg should help settle her stomach. I headed back upstairs ignoring the chaos going on all around me and gently tapped on my bedroom door. "It's me," I called softly, "can I come in?"

"Sure," I heard her weak reply

She was sat on my bed in my clothes, how I longed for this vision, but definitely not under these circumstances. "How are you feeling?" I asked

Morgan shrugged, he face was pale, her eyes were red from crying but she was still so beautiful. I just wanted to hold her and kiss away the pain. Instead I presented her with the omlette, "Please eat something," I urged her

I looked at the empty glass on the dresser, at least she drank something, I headed to the mini fridge pulled out another can of Ginger Ale and topped up her glass and placed it on the nightstand beside her.

She picked at the food and chewed slowly, I could tell it was a struggle for her, but I was relieved she had at least a few mouthfuls down her. I sat at my desk across the room and picked up a book I was reading so it didn't feel like I was hovering and let her eat in silence.

"What are you currently studying?" Morgan asked after several minutes,

I turned around, surprised she started a conversation, "I'm not," I flashed her a smile, I showed her the cover of my book, "It's A Storm of Swords, it's the latest in a series of fantasy novels by George R R Martin, they're so good, it should be a series of films or even a tv show."

Morgan cracked a little smile, "So you're a bit of a nerd, good to know,"

I needed to know what was on her mind, I tried reading her but her emotions were all over the place, it was hard to figure out. I didn't want to press her or push her further than what she could handle right now, maybe she needed to take her mind off it all which I guess that's why she asked about the book. But despite all that she'd been through I knew Morgan was strong, she had to be. She's still standing.

"Do you understand what's happened here today?" I asked her, putting down my book.

A strangled sob escaped her lips, I rushed over to her and put my arms around her, "I'm here, I'm sorry, talk about it only when you're ready."

"I don't understand anything, what I saw, what I heard..." she was shivering, I wrapped a blanket around her and pulled her closer to me.

"Ssshh," I cradled her gentle, "It's okay, I'll answer any questions you have whenever you're ready,"

"That man who took me, who drugged me, Hunter, who is he? He told me that he was my father! Why did he take me? Why was Cal and his mum helping him?" she asked, then her eyes widened, "Oh Goddess," she whispered, "Cal, he died didn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," I said regrettably, "Cal had a twisted devotion to his mother, which is the main reason why he was as bitter and dark as he was. He jumped in front of a spell aimed at his mother to save her, but it killed him."

"Why were you trying to kill Selene?" she asked as silent tears fell from her eyes

"We weren't, Ciaran was," I corrected her

"Ciaran, is that the man who took me?" she asked, I could see there were more questions there about him, about her biological father.

"Yes but he tried to save you, when he found out who you were to him,"

"When did he find out?" she asked, her questioning becoming more insistent now, "how?"

"Morgan, I will tell you everything I promise, but all this is a lot to handle after what you've just been through, are you sure you're ready to hear it all now?"

"Ready - not ready. I just need to know," she said, I knew she was right but how do you prepare a person to be ready to hear about all the crazy goings on tonight after what's she's been through?

"Okay," I sucked in a breath, "This is a long story, and I'm not going to look like the hero you think I am in it," I warned her, "But I want you to know how much I care about you and promise you that I will never do anything to hurt you, but I don't want there to be anymore lies between us," I think I was kidding myself, it was me that wasn't ready for this, not Morgan.

"Hunter, what are you saying?"

"Ciaran MacEwan, is - was - one the most dangerous men alive, he was the top of the councils most wanted and practised very dark Magick, collected power by any means necessary even killed for it. He wanted you, and your power and was going to kill you for it, until he discovered that you are his biological daughter. He wasn't lying Morgan, you are his and Maeve's child."

"Oh Goddess!" Morgan breathed, "What does that mean for me?"

"Nothing!" I said immediately, "We all make choices, bad or good, every day of our lives. It's not easy but we choose the paths we wish to take,"

"But Ciaran being my Dad... that means that some part of me must be inherently evil, darkness will have stronger influence in me,"

"Please, no. Don't ever think that way," I insisted,

"You're too good for me," she said, no longer listening to me "I'm tainted, his blood runs in my veins. I feel sick."

"Morgan, just stop!" I got her attention then, "For the last time, stop putting me up on some pedestal. I'm not good, Morgan, I don't know how many times I've tried to tell you this but you need to know now, Ciaran was my mentor,"

Morgan was stunned by my revelation, "Did you know he practised Dark Magick?" she asked finally

"Yes," I said honestly, "And I used to help him. I helped him kill and steal for more power, I wanted it too."

Morgan let it sink in and suddenly she looked very afraid of me, "You helped him take me? And drug me?!" she started getting to her feet, "I trusted you, just like I trusted Cal, my Goddess how can I be so stupid? Not once but twice! Of course you don't like me, just like Cal didn't like me, why would either of you be attracted to someone like me, except to get to my power!"

"NO!" I stood up too and put my hands up in the air, "Oh shit! I'm wording this all wrong," I had really put my foot in it this time, of course she'd jump to these conclusions why didn't I break it to her more gently? Good job, Niall. "Please, please just hear me out,"

"Why should I?" she asked, backing away from me towards the door.

"Because I want to be honest with you, I told you before that I'm no good and that I have a secret to tell you and here I am telling you now. Why would I risk scaring you off and losing you forever by telling you all this if I wanted to hurt you? I know you will probably hate me, and believe me, it's more than I deserve, but please just let me explain everything. Please remember what I said, I have never wanted to hurt you and I swear to you that's true and it has always been true since the moment I met you. I've always been looking out for you, Morgan, this whole time I've been trying to protect you."

I think she could see I was being genuine as her shoulders relaxed slightly and she removed her hand from the door handle, "Why me? Why kill everyone else for their power but not me?"

"Because it was you who saved me. You saved me because I'm 100 percent, completely and absolutely in love with you, and it was you and only you who could get through to me," She slowly sat back down, this was not how I wanted to tell her I loved her at all, but she needed to hear it.

"I was not a good person, Morgan, but that is not completely my fault, for a long time I've not been myself, I was possessed by a dark spirit called a Taibhs and it was it's need, it's hunger for power that had been driving me to do these horrible things for years. I didn't even know it was there, within me, until I met you, your light, how you made me feel helped me to break its hold on me."

"I remember," Morgan said softly, "When I was lying there..." she swallowed hard, "In that room. Your eyes were black,"

I nodded, "That was the taibhs again, when you were helpless down there it took me over and tried to take your power, luckily I was able to stop it - myself - long enough for someone to move me out of the way just in time."

"I remember seeing Selene with black eyes too,"

"She took it from me before she died, she saved me from its hold, even though she only did it to increase her own power. Now she and the Taibhs are gone, for good."

"I'm so confused," she put her face in her hands, I murmured another spell above her to help her head feel a bit clearer and a bit better.

"I promise that this is all the truth, Morgan," I told her and I went back to the beginning and told her everything, about how I came to be possessed, how I met Ciaran, what our relationship was like, about Cal, Selene, Sky, Killian... I told her everything and we talked well into the night. I knew she was tired and hurting but she was hanging onto my every word, as if she needed all the information before she could rest and feel safer. She asked questions occasionally and I answered them. She knew everything. Including how I felt about her. And my mind kept drifting back to one thought, what was she going to do with that piece of information and does she feel the same after knowing all that she knows?