Seth felt the familiar burn of embarrassment on his cheeks, heating up his neck and ears better than the setting sun ever could. "Shut up."

Across the line, and technically across the world, the female let out a tinkling laugh. "Aww, are you blushing?" Leah mocked, the line crackling almost dangerously as her laugh split the air again. "Don't try deny it either, little brother. I can practically hear the blood rushing to your cheeks."

Seth let out an annoyed groan, slumping against the mattress and tucking his legs closer to his chin. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?" he grumbled, running a hand over his nape. It came back drenched in sweat and he sighed, shaking his head. He'd had a shower close to twenty minutes ago, but he still wasn't dry. "I changed my mind, I don't wanna live by a beach. It's too hot here."

"Okay, one – don't try and switch topics, dweeb, you ain't slick," Leah scolded, voice tinged by disapproval. "And two – you need to get used to oppressive heat. Your girlfriend is practically satan, so your summer home is hell. I'm not sorry. You signed up for this."

Seth couldn't help but let out a laugh, unsure if he was offended or amused. "Did you seriously call Vera satan?"

Back at home, his sister giggled with him until the sound was cut short, followed by the crack of skin on skin contact. The panic that curled in his chest lasted all of a second before he heard her yelling to someone in the background. "Mum – mum come on, I don't mean it. He knows I'm messing with him!" she defended, groaning loudly when their mother's voice sounded louder.

" – not have that kind of talk in my house, thank you! Vera is a darling. How do you think she'd feel if she knew you called her the devil?" Sue reprimanded, tone brokering no argument. It was a sign she was bordering on truly pissed, and his sister faded into silence, knowing better than to talk back. "Seth, baby, can you hear me? I'm sorry about your sister."

Seth's smile dissolved into something softer. "Hey, mum. It's okay, she's only playing around."

There was a racket as the woman settled, most likely relaxing onto couch cushions, before he heard her chime in again. "How have you been, sweetie? I miss you terribly already. Is the weather there okay? What have you guys been up too so far? What does her place look like? Do you think we could have a skype call, or something like that? Maybe that face call thing you kids do? I'd love to see where you two are staying. Oh, and don't forget the beaches, I haven't seen a real beach in a while," she gushed, breathlessly moving from word to word.

The youth winced with every one – his mother only ever ranted when she was nervous or anxious, and trying desperately to hide it. "Hey, everything's great, really," he soothed instantly, knowing better than to openly call her out. "I'm a little warm, but I'm sure I'll get used to the heat fast enough. I think it was because we wandered around a lot today, looking at some shops and going out for lunch, I probably over heated?"

His mother gave a cooing click of her tongue. "You need to be careful in that heat, Seth. You don't want to get heat stroke," she warned lightly, tone already calming and voice slowing. "What about the villa, or whatever she called it?"

"Beautiful," Seth promised instantly, his smile now directed up towards the ceiling. "It's small but big at the same time, you know? There's only two bedrooms upstairs, and downstairs there's like a lounge, kitchen, blah blah blah – so it sounds small, but every room is huge? I love it."

There was a thoughtful pause. "So, there's two bedrooms?"

Seth felt his eyes roll skyward, exasperated by the woman's insistence on mothering him. "Yes mum, there's two rooms," he repeated with a sigh. "You know I'm almost seventeen, don't you? I think I'm allowed to share a bed with my imprint if I wanna."

"No," came instantly down the line, the woman almost sounding scandalised. "You can wait until you're eighteen like the law says you should. I don't care if it's only sleeping. I don't care if there's only one bed. I don't care if you're both rapidly losing body heat and it's the only way to survive the night. I will not let satan have a go at my son's innocence, you hear me?"

Seth snorted out a laugh. "Hey! Vera is a darling, how do you think she'd feel if she knew you called her the devil?"

There was the ominous creak of a door behind him, and he felt his heart leap into his throat; entire body spinning to face the entrance. Gold – no wait, he blinked, silver – eyes looked curiously his way, painted lips tugged up in an amused smile. "I do believe she'd feel rather entertained, if anything," Vera mused, coming forward to place the pizza boxes on the dresser. "Only because she'd heard so much worse than that."

Seth bit his lip. "Mum, we've been caught…" he mock whispered, looking sheepishly in golden eyes. They sparked at the connection, already swirling to a hypnotising silver, and he felt his mouth dry.

"Satan is standing beside you, isn't she?"

"Mum!"

Vera must've heard the comment, her laugh echoing in the spacious room and managing to sound almost haunting in the low light. It felt strangely like a blessing to hear amusement rather than annoyance, the human part of his mind still wary of angering the immortal. It strained his returning smile, and the woman paused, lips sobering. "Your mother is quite the courageous one," she noted calmly. "Even my siblings are known to hesitate when it comes to... fond nicknames."

Seth mumbled a quick; "Love you mum, talk later," before throwing the phone onto the bed, shoving both hands into his pockets. "You're lucky. You should hear the nicknames she calls me."

The immortal blinked a few times, giving an obedient smile. "I'll count my blessings then," she murmured, looking to the pizza boxes. He expected her to swiftly change the topic, to offer him food and end the awkward air between them – but she didn't, instead coming closer and drawing him into what he could only call an embrace. "You're okay, love," she whispered lowly in his ear, deft fingers kneading between his shoulder blades.

Tension he didn't know he had faded from his shoulders, and he slumped against her, breathing in a now familiar silken scent. "I'm sorry," he apologized limply, not quite sure what he was apologizing for but knowing he should do it. "I don't know what that was but – "

Vera hushed him, twin hands spanning down his back before squeezing the length of his shoulders. "There is nothing," she began, allowing a hand to lift and fingers to tangle in his hair. "Nothing you could do that would make me hostile. I do not have volatile moods, nor do I have buttons you can push by saying the wrong thing. I beg you, love, stop walking on eggshells around me."

Seth swallowed tightly, burying his face into her neck. The comforting smell of the immortal was strongest there, and he tucked in further, keeping his nose pressed to her skin. "I'm sorry," he tried again, lips brushing the ridge of her collarbone. "I'm not scared, I swear, I'm just..."

The chuckle vibrated through them both. "Wary?"

Seth wanted to pull back and meet her eyes, at least to gauge her reaction to the conversation, but her touch was perfect. It almost felt he was overheating, and the cool press of her skin was enough to take away the edge, like diving into a pool on a hot day. "It's my human side, you know? My wolf trusts you without fault, but my human mind won't... it won't give in as easily..." he grumbled, tightening his hold. "It knows you're a threat on some level. It's the same with the Cullen's – no matter how much time I spend with them, or what we go through together, my wolf hates them."

"Well, at least your head doesn't hate me," Vera mused, squeezing him once before breaking their connection. It forced him to stare into intrigued golden eyes, and he stared for what felt like hours, the colour never changing despite the seconds. He was wondering if he saw the beginning of silver flickering through the regal colour when she grinned, canting her head to the side. "Your wolf and your humanity – you consider them separate?"

Seth considered the moment over, and started moving towards the pizza boxes, hands expertly flipping one open. "I guess I do? I don't know how to explain it to someone else," he shrugged, shoving a slice past his lips. "I kn'w 'em 'part, ya kn'w?"

The immortal didn't even blink at his sloppiness, instead moving to grab a slice of her own. "You can tell them apart?" she echoed curiously, lips pursed before she also took a – much more delicate – bite. Painted fingernails covered her lips as she spoke, carefully avoiding being impolite. "Are they voices or instincts? Another entity inside of you, or just a part of you that you associate differently from another?"

The youth swallowed, finishing the slice within another minute. "It took me… a while…" he admitted slowly, hesitating over the words. It wasn't an easy thing to explain, like he said. "It's not different voices? It's not. It's…"

Vera tilted her head, letting her fingers curl around his hand. "It's difficult?"

Seth nodded stiffly. "No one really knows about this crap, so I've never needed to explain it to anybody. The only people who do are my pack, the elders and my mother? Pack already know, the elders understand enough and mum tries not to ask…" he licked grease from his lips, burping slightly from forcing food down too fast. "It's me, my voice or whatever, but I understand the tone enough to separate them?"

Did that make sense? He understood what he meant, but the dark taint to silver eyes showed that maybe she didn't. The immortal was either absorbing what he said, or was confused about it. The eyes, now a warm gold, flitted to the side and the hand in his own loosened ever so slightly.

"Does, uh, does that make sense?"

Vera looked up at his voice, almost like she'd been startled. "I believe it might," she allowed, lifting their joined hands and encouraging him to grab another piece of pizza. He took it with a short chuckle, happily shoving almost the whole slice into his mouth. "I want to see your wolf…"

… and that was the slice coming back up.

Seth hit the centre of his chest, coughing up what wouldn't go down. "You want to see my wolf?" he squeaked, staring down into bright golden eyes. "I mean, it's just me but with four legs and less grace. Don't laugh at me either – do you know how damn hard it is to stay upright when you've got twice as many limbs to worry about? It's like… it's like being blind in both eyes, and then given four and told to see."

The immortal chuckled, leaning against his side for the few seconds the sound hit the air. "That was a lovely analogy, dear," she drawled, one hand coming up and a single finger running down the length of his cheek. "I'm sure you're a stunning predator."

"Clumsy predator…"

Even though he was grumbling and pouting like a child, the woman still beamed, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. The action made air catch in his throat, heart stilling for a split second before beginning to beat double time. Vera wasn't doing anything more than that, seemingly happy with the small yet strangely intimate contact, but he couldn't help but pause – eyes wide open and staring towards the blur of red at the bottom of his vision.

Lips.

The immortal had kissed him before, barely an hour earlier, did… did that mean kisses were allowed now? Did it mean kisses were now part of their daily routine? Wake up, dance around each other, give shy smiles, kiss, then back to bed?

Seth must've been staring for longer than he thought because the red parted, letting out a breathy laugh. He'd been caught in the act. "Did you want to know what brand of lipstick I use?" she purred, leaning back enough to focus on his features. It turned the blur of colour to something more clear, crisp and curious and temptingly close. "It's Revlon. My favourite colour; fire and ice…"

His mind filed that away – girls liked gifts, right? – while his head nodded absently. "I see the fire," he admitted, admiring the sudden shade of red. "It's kinda like a slap to the face, huh? Bright, shocking, it's uh, it's real nice."

Vera hummed. "I want to see your lupine form," she sung under her breath. "Try and distract me all you want, love. I won't forget."

Not giving the youth anytime to reply, she darted forward, lips and body pressed fully against his own. It was a different kiss to their first, less hesitant and more arrogantly confident, the immortal wasting no time in tangling one hand in his hair and resting the other on his chest.

Seth's eyes rolled up and slipped closed, a groan escaping before he could even think about hiding it. It felt like she was everywhere. If he breathed in, it was silk and spice. If he opened his eyes, it was long lashes and pale skin. If he reached out, he cupped slim hips and felt softness against his lips. If – if he opened his mouth, he tasted grease and something almost decadent like a dark cocoa.

Jesus, didn't people say their first kisses were awkward and wet – a mess of lips and salvia? This was perfect, cool and refreshing, like water after a drought. He felt like he'd finally captured something he'd been missing, but needing, his entire life.

He felt at home.

"Vera always was the fates favourite, don't you think?"

Darius paused where he stood, gracefully bent at the waist as he studied an aging photograph. "Oh?" he questioned lightly, careful to make the word uninterested. "This photo shouldn't be left in the damp, my beautiful sister. The mould is beginning to take it."

Hiding in the shadows, the female immortal snorted, eyes eerily glowing in the low light. It was a gaze almost as penetrative as a blade, watching for weakness, for ammunition. "I don't care about the photos," Leonora shrugged, limp hair slipping from her shoulders. "And don't you dare mock me, not about this. Did you know her boy toy is immortal? Eighty years won't fuck up her life like it did to mine, she doesn't have to worry about watching him die."

Humming, he only continued to stare at that same photograph, studying the smile on his sibling's features. "How long has it been?" he wondered aloud, blinking over at where he knew his sister was hiding. "Over ten years now?"

Leonora's cheek twitched. "Twelve years, three months."

Darius swallowed, attempting a bright smile before looking back to the photo. "You look happy here, why don't you keep this one? You should at least have a few souvenirs, don't you think?" he tried, lifting it so the immortal could see too. "Something to remind you of him – even if it hurts now, it may not in time."

The laughter was terrifying, the immortals head thrown back into the sound, and every rolling chuckle bouncing from the empty walls. Leonora seemed amused, her lips tugged up and shoulders trembling, but her eyes were dangerously dark. "God, how many times have I heard that?" she sighed, shaking her head. "The pain will fade, it won't hurt forever, a broken heart will always heal." The pale orbs seemed almost black now. "Let me tell you now, twelve years hasn't changed shit. Time hasn't changed shit."

"Because you haven't let it," Darius murmured, knowing the words would only infuriate the red head further. "You keep hanging on, you keep sitting in the shadows of your loss. My beautiful sister," he pressed, moving to her side and crouching before her broken throne. "You are growing bitter."

Leonora studied him, no doubt searching for sincerity in the colours of his eyes. He could only pray she found what she was looking for, but he wouldn't dare lie, not now. It had been twelve years – and with every passing one, she had crawled a little further into her own mind, like a crab retreating into a shell – so they couldn't risk sugar coating anything now. They were losing her to the pain.

Fiery brows inched towards her hairline. "I was never as beautiful as she was…"

Darius felt his head sink down, chin resting on his chest. "Damn you," he muttered, pushing back to his feet. "You don't want to heal, do you? You're obsessed with this feeling of loss, with assuming you have everything worse than the others, don't try to deny it."

"Don't turn this around on me!" Leonora hissed, finding her own footing on the slippery ground. It had seemed those twelve years were not kind, and the woman almost appeared hunched over, her once proud standing beginning to fail. "Fate favoured her in both birth and life. Father favoured her in everything and anything. You favoured her over the others," she listed, hands lifting like she wanted to throw a punch.

He was not stupid enough to engage in a fist fight with the warring immortal.

Darius moved away, turning to show his back. "I favour none of my siblings over the others," he whispered, shaking out his shoulders. "Leonora, you know more than I, that fate is not the kind to show favour – and father favours none. He only dotes on us to ensure our loyalty. These conspiracies are solely in your mind."

Leonora shook her head, moving as quickly as her body would allow and standing before him. "No, no, no, listen, I've been thinking about all this," she started, smile almost feverish. "Vera, she – her body doesn't deteriorate as fast as ours, her magic lasts longer, and – and, come on, her partner is immortal? You don't think that's even a little weird? It's like she's lucky, when we're not, like they made her stronger than us."

"Death is stronger than us all," Darius murmured carefully, recognizing the sheen of insanity. "Sister, you should rest."

The red head shook her head rather wildly, backing away and holding a hand to her lips. "I think I need to go speak with father," she mused quietly, turning to stare at the entrance to her home. The entrance to her grave. "I need to settle these thoughts."

Darius closed his eyes. "You know he won't want…" he sighed, swallowing around the words he wanted to say. His sibling would not handle the truth, she needed to be placated, she needed to be assured. "Perhaps, I should come? Perhaps we all should? Vera would no doubt want to speak with you – you know how much she adores you. It would hurt her if you went behind her back like this."

Leonora wrinkled her nose. "I need to think about this," she continued, almost like she hadn't heard anything. "I'll need to sound organized. You and Braxton will come, won't you? Vera should stay with her little friend, I'd hate for her to convince father of her innocence."

"Tell me when, sister," Darius nodded, folding his hands behind her back. "I will get Braxton. He's not a fan of company, but he'll understand."

I will be sure to get Vera as well.

Leonora seemed pleased with him, her smile dangerously sharp as she floated back to her shadows. If he could keep her thinking her coup would go as planned, he had the upper ground. If she didn't expect betrayal, then she wouldn't plan for it.

His sister was very unwell. Insanity shone bright in her eyes, and it controlled the grace in her movements like a puppet master tugging on strings. He had seen what happened to mortals when insanity gripped their minds, the paranoia that could warp their realities, the damage they could cause – and they lacked power. Leonora had that power, and she could destroy this world if she set her mind to it. They could stop her if she started on the war path, but not before she did damage. Death would become the new fashion, and blood the latest trend.

Darius melted back into the shadows, intent on at least warning his dearest sister before things went awry. He would have to be careful, in case he was watched, but he would visit both siblings and tell them everything.

War was coming.

I have no excuses for how late this chapter is – well, actually wait, I do have some! I have an actual reason!

I want to apologize for my lack of updates on any of my stories, not just this one. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and anorexia nervosa. It hasn't been easy. I haven't found the freedom in writing like I usually did, but rather picked apart everything I wrote. I haven't been able to concentrate or sit down in one place long enough to write a chapter – but things have started looking up, and so here I am, hopefully back in action!

I hope you've all bee good during this absence, love yah!
Taila xx