AN: Thank you guys for all the love so far whether in review or on Twitter, a writer always appreciates it - (always good motivation to update lol). Glad to see there is still love for LG/Bo-Lo and my Dark and Twisty take on it/them.

Chapter Six:

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(Bo's POV)

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My mother always told me to be careful of the decisions we make, that we're never really just making them for ourselves. She said she learned that the hard way, and prayed every day the decisions she made would never touch me. I never knew what she meant by that. Any of it actually. I missed the whole point of the lesson, I guess. I missed what she kept trying to tell me. My mother and father were perfect. My family was perfect. My life was perfect. Once upon a time.

So, how did I end up here?

Laying in the darkness I continue to stare up at my phone, holding it in the same spot for who knows how long. My thumb hovering over Lauren's name. I keep going to press it, but somehow manage to stop myself. Self-control deciding to show off tonight. It really shouldn't be like this. It should be easier. All of this should be easy.

So, how did I end up here?

I ended up here because my mother made a choice. She decided to be with someone who was different. She chose to have a child knowing the risks her decision would carry. I'm here because of her. But that's not really the truth, is it? I'm here because I missed the point of her lesson, because I didn't learn from her mistakes. I'm here because I made a selfish decision without thinking.

"What are you doing?" I ask myself aloud in frustration.

Hitting the alarm off as quickly as it flashes onto the screen, I toss it on the bed beside me. Forcing myself up, eyes closing as my teeth clench at the pain throbbing in my shoulder. A nasty reminder I do actually need to feed soon.

Shaking it off, I begin my routine just like every other miserable day. Pee, brush teeth, toss clothes on and head for the kitchen. Everyday exactly the same. Unless of course I'm going rouge and trying to get myself killed. Today might actually be boring.

"I have such I migraine." I yawn out. "I know, I know I'm selfish. You got knocked around and here I'm complaining about a migraine."

Drinking nearly half of the carton of orange juice, I manage to leave her some. Her lack of response making me think she's still asleep. I could finish it…but I'll be nice. Putting it back, I head to the couch pulling the bunch of blankets from the couch fussing. "Kenz, get your lazy booty up."

My eyes narrowing, tossing the blanket down as I turn up empty. Running to her bedroom, I push the door open only to find what I already expected. She's gone.

You have got to be kidding me!

I rush back to the door, slipping into my shoes halfway before running down into the club. Hale and Dyson at the bar, sharing a laugh. But it's only them. No one else. "Is she here?"

"Lauren?" Dyson snorts, taking a shot.

"Now is so not the time buddy."

"Where is she?" Hale asks.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be standing here."

"She went to find the damn human." Dyson slams his glass and you'd think it was his sister missing.

All I can think to myself is that I'm going to kill her. And the more time that passes, the more worked up I get the more I mean it. I find myself pacing back and forth attempting to call a billion times only to continue to get an 'Out of Service Area' message.

Dyson at first attempts to tell me the basic "Calm down" and "She'll be okay" and even tosses in a "You need to breathe" because apparently at one point I'm nearly hyperventilating now.

Eventually we manage to turn the conversation more productive. We narrow down the time, how I went to sleep around one something and Hale left around two thirty, so that only leaves us only six hours unaccounted for.

"What do we know about this human?"

"Who cares about this girl?" I snap, words regretted as soon as they come out. My hart starting to race again. "I didn't mean that. I care. I do. I just, I need to know Kenz's okay." Running my hands through my hair, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach begging for attention. "This, this right here is the moment I've feared. Something got her. Hell, it's probably the Brotherhood of Butchers, caught up to me."

"Look we don't even know that it's The Butchers that have her. It could be anyone. In fact, we don't even know anyone has her. There could be a million explanations."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Because there could be a billion explanations, and the three of us will still figure it out."

The next four hours go by in an agonizing flash. They feel like they take forever, every minute lasting a year yet somehow every time I look at my phone hoping to see her name, I see the time jumping forward. Every cop movie I ever watched running through my mind, drilling in the idea of only having forty-eight hours. But that's human life in a human world and this is, this is hell with monsters of all sorts.

She's probably dead already.

My hand slams against the door, it's not the pain but the noise that tells me I've done it. Eyes closing for a moment trying to gain some type of composure. I used to be good in moments of pressure. I used to lead. Down by three, two seconds left in the game, in bound pass…last shot. That was me. That was me every time. I never wavered.

Now look at me.

"What Dyson?" I snap, noticing how he continues to stare.

"I'm just worried."

"So am I, but I'm not staring at you."

"I meant I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem it."

"I'm fine. If I tell you I'm fine then I'm fine and I'm telling you I'm fine."

"I'm not going to push it Bo, if you want to pretend you're fine, then I'll let you pretend you're fine."

It's so nice suddenly having a boyfriend who cares. I roll my eyes. Funny how now he wants to be in the picture. Now he wants to be something. My foot taps against the floor, irritation building as my mind shifts between my panic about Kenz and frustration with whatever game he's playing at.

When we finally make it to the viadock. I jump from the car, nearly running down the sidewalk. I hear the catcalls from the group of guys huddled in corners. Just what I need more dumbasses.

"Bo, slow down."

"That's the last thing I plan to do."

"We'll find her."

His words cause me to spin around. "Why do you even care?"

"I care because you care. I care because my best friend cares. I care because I actually care about her too."

"You picked a hell of a time to do this." I sigh, looking away from him.

I go to say something, a wave of composure coming over me, but he pushes passed me heading to the wall to our right. He kneels down touching the wall, dried blood across one of the lower bricks. My composer gone just as quickly as it came. A billion questions rushing out of my mouth, waiting for no answer.

Eventually he manages to get a word in. Telling me in far too many words how the blood is too old and is from the first attack. And of course the sent is too weak to pick up because who needs a break, right. He seems to take my frustration at the lack of his help personally. Standing up, pushing his chest out he starts going on and on about how his sense of smell is better than everyone else or whatever and a whole bunch of other Fae bullshit I'm not in the mood for.

"Not all of us, but some of us have even further heightened abilities. Compulsion is the rarest."

I roll my eyes, heading back for the car. "Even I can do that."

"I'm talking about true compulsion. I've seen someone only once in all my years have that gift. I don't scare easy, but that-that scared me. He took such control of this man that he caused his heart to explode within his chest."

"As if I needed another reason to think we're monsters."

"We aren't monsters." He pushes my door back shut, forcing me to look up at him.

I snap. "I need to find my Kenzi."

After a second or two he steps back, allow me to get into the car. Back into an awkward silence we fall, driving around the area with turn after turn attempting to see some, smell something apparently. Over and over again I check my phone. Still nothing. No calls and no texts. The same message every time I try and call her. Eventually I find myself staring at Lauren's name again. Maybe she could help. Maybe she would know something.

There's a billion maybes.

It takes a while but he manages to pick up a scent that leads us to these three boys who scream poser. Is this really what Kenz hangs out with while I'm working? Is this how far we've fallen? Once again I'm out of the car before him, storming up to the three. "You spoke to a girl yesterday. About five-four, you'd definitely remember her smart ass mouth."

"What do I look like, four-one-one?"

"You look like a shrimp dick poser who bribes the people around him to stay with drugs you get from pimping yourself out to anyone who will pay." His and his little groups' laugh cut off as I slam him into the wall behind him with a heavy thud. Dyson calling my name in protest. "You don't need to agree because I already know I'm right. Just like I know you already spoke to her yesterday. What you do need to say is what you told her."

I feel Dyson touch my shoulder, free hand swatting him away. He's calling my name again, but my hand finds the boy's throat now instead of his chest.

"I-I didn't know anything. I s-s-swear. I didn't. She started to leave. Someone stopped her-."

"Who!"

"I don't know his name. I don't. But I know his brother. His brother Rafi hangs o-out a-at that biker bar in Kingston."

I don't realize it at first, my hand still tightening. I don't even realize that my eyes have transitioned. And then I do. I realize it all, like a truck smacking into me. Stumbling backward I everything starts to come into perspective. My heart racing, that sick feeling in my stomach growing up into my chest. I'm breathing heavy and I can't even say why.

Stepping away, I head back toward Dyson's car. Ignoring the first come of times he asks variations of if I'm okay. Ultimately, he decides all that is left to say is that Hale is already on that part of town and he'll call him.

It takes an hour to get back on the side of town, and I don't say a word. Luckily he doesn't either. I just grip my phone and stare out of the window. I catch my reflection every now and then, a rush of anger when I do, but eventually it goes away as I get lost in memories of Kenz.

"We always knew what we were, my family. Hale, and his brothers. Even before our awakening we were-conditioned to see things a certain way." He starts, not caring if I look at him or not. "The truth is you can never truly be ready for what happens when you awake. Or transition, that's what the…Lauren has you calling it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I had spent most of my life preparing for it all, had family and teachers but when I-transitioned at first it was fine. I believed I had everything-about myself under control, but I didn't."

I turn to look at him now. "Are you trying to tell me something? Or are you just trying to fill the silence? Because if that's it, I'm good with silence."

"Every beast from man to lion to incubus to drackon to shifter-hell, even siren, each has it's own curse. It's common, easy even to think ours is the hunger, but the truth is for most of us it's the rage. No one ever talks about the rage. It's like having an uncontrollable hunger to feed and fuck is okay, but anger is taboo."

"I'm not in a state of rage Dyson, I'm worried. Kenzi is missing. For all I know she could be dead already. If you want to see rage, wait until I find who took her. Then you can give me your pathetic excuse for a lecture on control."

"Bo."

"I was perfectly fine in the alley. And I think it's complete bullshit that you're so worried about me-."

"I never stopped worrying about you."

"First of all, I wasn't even talking about that. Secondly if you would have let me finish I would have said that if you or the brothers had done that you wouldn't have blinked. But what, since I'm a woman you think I've lost control?"

"Because it's not you."

"You think you know me?"

"I do."

"When exactly did you become an amazing expert one me? Was it when you vanished after fucking me? Was it all these months of ignoring me? Wait I know, it was while making your way through the endless droves of whores in Helix and the Dal. No better yet, while you sat by any number of times while your pretend brother came up with uncreative yet endless insults for me. Or is it because I'm not falling all over you now?"

"It wasn't my intention to-."

"I'm sure it wasn't, just like it wasn't your intention to hurt me."

"It wasn't."

"Like they say, road to hell is paved with good intentions."

It doesn't take much longer to get to the parking lot of Sweet Spot, some place I actually never really heard of and by the looks of the backwater shithole, I don't want to. I push out of the car, not bothering to shut the door behind me.

Hale stands by his car, and this is the first time I've ever seen him as something less than dapper. His shirt half untucked. No jacket or vest, not even a hat. Just a blood stained white button up. Immediately the two begin bickering about what had happened.

"Are you okay?" I snap.

"Fine."

"Then it doesn't matter."

"See." He says to Hale, pulling his backseat door open to pull out a sad excuse for a man. "Speak Rafi or end up like your friends inside."

"They ain't my friends man, I'm not racist. I just need protection man. I told my brother to stay out this shit. But he never listen man."

I snap my fingers. "Skip to the part I care about. Where's your brother?"

"I already told Captain America here. I ain't seen him in days."

"Where does he go? What does he do?" Dyson hits his hand on top of the hood of the car.

"He deals with the Chop-Shop-Crews." Hale answers.

"What is that?" I ask, looking between the three of their faces.

"Yeah man, them dudes. The dudes that kill your kind. Don't play with me, I know what you are. That's why I'm hiding I don't want no part of it. But my brother is young, dumb and full of cum. Likes the danger, likes the pay and the pay gets the girls. If he was fuckin' with your sister then she's probably at a chop shop."

"I'm guess they aren't called chop shops because they deal in cars?"

"Straight up body parts man. Disgusting as fuck."

"This is for your brother." I snap, elbowing him in the face causing him to drop to his knees before turning to Dyson. "Not monsters, huh?"

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(Lauren's POV)

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I cannot bare to eat this again.

Idly I use my fork to poke at the green slop on my plate, attempting to decipher once again what this concoction is made of. At least that is what I was doing until I hear a pair of technicians gossiping at the table across from me.

"Brotherhood is getting bold."

"Too bold. I say good."

"Shut up before someone hears you."

"Excuse me, I could not help overhearing your poor attempt at whispering." I lean over a bit. "The Brotherhood has done something?"

"Yeah. They took one of those-girls that stay above the royalty's bar—club—slut house." The girl in the green scrubs says.

"What is wrong with you today? Keep your voice down." The other one is quick to attempt to muzzle her.

"Which one?"

"The human."

"Yeah, definitely the human."

"Excuse me, I've lost my appetite."

Against every ounce of things like logic and reason I find myself standing up, carefully pulling one foot and then the other from the bench. My mind running a mile a minute with every possible outcome and consequence this could potentially have. Yet somehow with complete and total disregard for any self-preservation I hastily make my way down the corridor to Cunningham's office.

This one unlike the one at the manor is very sterile, much like the building. Typically, the kind of place I do not mind, in fact in a way I feel comfortable with, however here, there is a level of dull terror. Because I know why the floors must remain a particular type of tile and why there is a drain in just about every room, including his office.

The door is open, and he just looks up at me from his desk. It is look number four. It is the not feeling any particular way, you may enter look. And so, I do. I stand six feet exactly from the edge of his desk as per usual. My hands folded behind myself as I stare down at the toes of my boots.

And I wait.

"I'm bored with this now." His words and mumbled sigh, tossing his pen onto the desk. "What do you want?"

"Bo is in trouble. The Brotherhood has taken her human, the one she claims. As we speak Hale and Dyson are with her, hunting for-."

"This would be my concern why?"

"With absolutely no disrespect intended, you desire Bo. If her human is dead, then there is absolutely no chance of that happening."

"Why? I'm not the one who killed the runt."

"No. But she is very human like, and these matters are…"

"Enough." He holds his hand up, effectively silencing me. "If she wanted help, she should have sworn fealty. Simple. Now go. Get out. You have work to do. Oh, and shut the door."

I nod, accepting my dismissal. I begin to close the door behind myself, slowing as I begin to hear his voice. Pulling the door shut, I lean in, against it. His voice carrying, "Do you know where your brother and the dog is? The half-bred whore and human pet are going to get them killed today and start the wrong war."

There is a loud thud, causing me slightly to jump. Letting me know my time is effectively up. I must hurry along now before he notices I am still lingering. Composing myself, I turn around and find another technician in green scrubs taking a rather serious interest in my actions.

For a brief moment I have the mind to say something, before remembering if I speak and he is listening he will know I am still here. Instead, I smile and nod politely before passing her by.

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(Bo's POV)

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Dyson and Hale manage to make through the door of the auto shop before I do, both stopping shoulder to shoulder nearly as soon as they step inside forcing me to push through them. Though, like them I find myself stopping immediately.

Scattered across the floor are bloody body parts thrown over nearly every surface I can see. The floor a mixture of dirt, blood and carnage. Walls covered in blood smears and oil stains. Tool boxes tipped over and scattered everywhere.

And then there's him.

Near the back, lingering half in the shadows Julius sits on top of one of those large tool boxes that have the wheels. His feet just barely missing the ground. He's smiling, genuinely smiling.

"You're looking for the east end warehouse, number thirty nine to be exact." His attention turns to Hale. "Next time, just ask for help."

"We didn't need help."

"No brother, I'm sure you didn't." Uriel's voice comes from behind us.

Had this been any other day I'm sure I would have jumped at the sound. Had this been any other day I'm sure I would have thrown up at the sight in front of me, or at the very least been disgusted, but now it barely registers. Now, there is only impatience.

Turning, already heading for the door I let out a quick "We need to go." Not really concerned if either of them follow.

"Aren't we forgetting something half bred." Julius' voice along with the way Uriel steps in front of the door forces me to a stop. "I expect this level of disrespect from my bothers, our mother wasn't around long enough to help them properly. But you, I just saved your pet, probably the three of you as well."

"Thank you."

"Say it nicer." There's an edge to his voice now. Dyson attempts to call him back, the way he does but it's pointless now just as it always is. "Say it nicer or you won't be going anywhere. Ever."

Using the remaining shreds of patience I have left, I force myself to turn back around to face him. His smile gone now. I start to speak but quickly stop myself. Taking a breath, forcing back every bit of pride and anger I have, I manage to form actual words. "Thank you, Julius."

"You're quite welcome. Now I'd run along, word on the street is this warehouse is used for more than just branding."

I close my eyes to keep them from rolling, and nod as respectful as I can manage for the moment. Spinning around I find Uriel still standing there, staring me down and for a second I think he's about to say something but he just sort of laughs before stepping to the left just enough to let me get out.

My pace quickening with every few seconds until I'm jogging and then eventually running around to the east end, at least I think I'm going the right way. It's not far, I know it's not far but every second seems to take forever.

The green door coming into sight, slowing my pace to a jog. Dyson's hand on my wrist, pulls me to sudden stop.

"Let us handle this."

I can't help snorting. "What?"

"Please Bo, let us handle this."

"Are you insane?"

"What's about to happen, you don't need to see this." His eyes move over my face, waiting for me to say something. "You don't need to do this. Let us handle this."

"Kenzi may be someone you like, she may be someone that Hale cares about, but to me? Dyson, she's my everything. She's my best friend, my sister, my daughter, my heart. She is my whole world. She is the single reason I have the strength to get up every single miserable morning and fight."

"Please."

"Whatever it is I have to see or face or even do, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters other than getting her out of there safely. Everything else is second."

"There is a line…this is a line you can never come back from."

"You know, all morning I've been trying to prepare myself for this. That I might have to actually have to, but the truth is I think I crossed it already, I just didn't realize it."

"Please don't do this."

"Either you're with me right now or you're not."

Pulling my hand away, ignoring the sharp pain that comes from tearing away from his grip I give a shrug. I take three steps back, eyes still locked with his, but like every other day I don't know what he's thinking and today, this moment, I don't actually care. Turning my back to him, I head to meet Hale who is already by the door.

To neither of their liking we split up, the two of them taking a left down a hall that seems to curve into nothingness, and I head straight forward into nothingness. Their footsteps fade quickly and I'm left with a mixture of silence and darkness seemingly is pulling me further in with each step.

The further in I go, the surer I am that they know we're here. I keep my body tilted slightly to the right, close to the wall. I've never been big on fighting, but even I know it's better to block with the left and hit with the right. After all it's not like I haven't had a fight or too since my wonderful journey into the world of hell, I just preferred to run.

The hall seems to get longer with every step. Logically I know that the hall leads to a large open space at some point. Logically I know that this hall doesn't go on forever. But I hear nothing, see nothing and feel nothing other this anger.

Then there's something.

My knees lock and no more than a second passes and I hear a gunshot followed by several more. Hale and Dyson must have found someone. Breath held as I feel the anger waver and a strange sense of relief. A sense of relief at a slight chance I might not have to fight anyone. No, actually that I won't have to kill anyone. I won't have to make that decision.

I won't have to find out who I really am.

But whatever faint hope I found myself with is shattered as I hear footsteps, four sets of them quickly coming my way. Taking a step backward, before they're even in sight. "Please. I just want the girl back. We don't have to do this."

I catch a right hook with my left hand, delivering one of my own before kicking him back. The first one having made it to me. Spinning around, my back hitting into the chest of a second attacker sending us both stumbling backward. Kicking out I hit another in chest. Bringing my head back as hard as I can, I can hear his nose breaking on impact.

Stumbling backward on my own this time, my breathing becoming raspy, panic setting in. The attacks coming so fast I can't tell one attacker from the next. One of them rams his shoulder into my stomach, slamming me into the wall.

Quickly I ram my elbows down on his back three times, or maybe four before bringing my knee up into his chest. I'm not winning any points for style, but to be fair neither are they.

A right hook hits me across the face causing me to tumble over. A wild mixture of panic, fear and survival instinct beginning to take over. Clear thoughts beginning to fade is all I can think of is two things; survive and Kenz.

Lapse in concentration earns me a reminder I'm not as badass as I think I am. I groan out in pain, a knife tearing through my leg. On instinct I grab the guy's wrist, snapping it before jamming the knife into his shoulder and kicking him in the face.

Another one of them runs at me, my hands grabbing his face before slamming his head into the wall beside me. The one that follows getting the same punishment. Unfortunately the last guy manages to land a heavy handed punch to my kidney before I'm able to grab a hold of his head. My forehead slamming right into his nose before dropping him.

Stumbling backward, steps clumsy as I try to turn around and get away. Someone grabbing my shoulder, fingers digging right into where I had gotten shot. A scream ripping through me as I fall into the wall, sliding down to my knees. The palms of my hand pressed against the wall bracing for whatever attack comes next.

There is none.

It takes few seconds of jumbled thoughts and intense pain ripping through my shoulder into my chest before I realize what's happening. My eyes closing as I struggle to catch my breath. "Not now. Please not now."

My eyes shut tightly, jaw tensing as I realize no one had grabbed me. They're probably all still on the floor. No, this is different. It's rare but I can recognize it. My palms hitting the wall several times, trying to use the pain to focus me, but I'm starting to slip.

The sound of gunshots begin to pick back up but they're in the distance and there's nothing I can do. Not for them. They're fine. I'm not fine. I'm far from fine.

But it doesn't matter.

I hear a scream in the distance, a girl's scream and I know it. I don't know it, but I know it. I can't immediately place it. I don't know the last time I really heard it. Especially not now that my thoughts are scrambled worse that a tossed salad, but something inside of me knows it's her because when I look back up into the darkness I have these images of her.

I don't know it, but I know it.

My eyes open, lips parting and even in the darkness I can see the blood dripping down onto the floor. Forehead hitting the wall harder than I had intended. My thoughts coming in waves, pain pulling and pushing me in different directions. With each drop of blood falling I feel myself, my eyes transitioning the way they do.

I don't hate what I am. I'm not that person. I just hate who I am. Who I am capable of being. I tell myself it's because I was raised human, how could I know how to control what's inside of me?

Slowly I push myself up, using the wall for balance. I'm not surprised to find another wave of attackers more than ready to have a go, but I am surprised at how ready I find myself.

And then…I feel nothing.

The first one runs as me from behind, in an instant I've snapped his neck and he's at my feet. The second one comes wildly swinging at me, causing me to take a step back, ducking as the third comes from behind.

In one swift swipe I pull the knife strapped to the thigh of the third guy, bolting upright and slamming it into his chest before kicking him backward. Knife still in hand I slam it into the throat of whichever number it is that hits me in the stomach. Letting the knife go as he falls, when the next comes at me, my hands grab his face snapping his neck just as easy as the first.

The truth is whatever it is inside of me, whatever it is that's wrong with me has nothing to do with being human or succubus or anything else.

It has to do with me.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood I look over the damage I've done, the bodies left in my wake. Part of me, a distant part at the moment is trying to rationalize this. Tell me how these are bad people and they would have killed me easily. But there's another part, a part that seems to be in control at the moment that just doesn't care one way or another.

Stepping over them I make my way further into the darkness, and this time it doesn't take long to find what I came for. There in the corner at the end of the hall is Kenzi, sitting on the floor cowering with her hands chained above her head, bolted into the wall.

She just stares at me, doesn't say a word.

The rest of the night goes by in a blur. Eventually Dyson and Hale catch up to us, luckily since I am nowhere near strong enough to break the chains off. She gives me a quick hug, but she doesn't stop staring at me with this…look.

Hale carries her out of the warehouse, to the car and then carries her up to her bed eventually when we arrive. Dyson unusually silent for tonight stays downstairs, refusing to me speak to me. As if I've done something to him.

I stay by the door, watching as Kenzi crawls underneath the covers, not bothering to change, not even bothering to take her shoes off. Like a child she pulls the covers over her head and hides from us. Eventually she must drift off because Hale's attention turns from the bed to me.

"We got her back, that's what's important."

"IF you say so."

"I'm going to stay here tonight, with her. On the floor of course."

"Should have last night, could have avoided this."

"I was only asking out of curtesy."

"Your building." I shrug. "Your city…mostly."

"Do you have something to say to me Bo?"

"Of course not Hale. I have nothing to say about anything. I'm just here."

"Are you alright?"

"Perfect. Just do me a favor if you actually decide to stay, make sure she doesn't wander off tonight. I have to actually make it in to work tomorrow. I know it's an unfamiliar concept for you but-bills to pay."

"Goodnight Bo."

"Mm-hm."

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(Lauren's POV)

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"I had a feeling you'd come."

Julius steps out from the shadows, causing me to step backward. My head bowing instinctively. "I don't want any trouble."

"Why not? Trouble is fun."

"Not my type of fun."

"I think we both know that's a lie." He looks around the oddly abandoned club, the lights all off with the exception of the one above the bar.

"Would you prefer if I left?"

"No, I could care less why you're here. In fact I would prefer you fuck the half bred, keep her from Dyson. If you could swing both that would be better."

"My apologies, I am unsure of what you mean."

"Of course you don't. Because every acquaintance is worth sneaking away from your master, risking your life."

"Would you like me to tell Hale you're looking for something, or did you find it already?"

"Goodnight slave." He walks over to me, and while I would easily say that Cunningham is a greater threat, Julius is far more likely to kill me on impulse. So, when he stops beside me, shoulder to shoulder and says. "It would be wise not to overestimate your worth."

I tilt my head, meeting his eyes. "How can I overestimate something that does not exist."

He smirks, followed by a slight nod. I am sure he will say something, do something but instead he continues passed me. Inhaling sharply, the voice in the back of my mind advising me to turn around. Perhaps I can get back to the manor before he gets there if I run.

The sound of footsteps upstairs pulls my attention, they are heavy and it is unusual to be able to hear them, however, I would venture to say is Hale upset about the events and is pacing. I cannot fathom Kenzi or even Bo being able to make their steps carry that way.

With a nod to myself, I make my way up the stairs, lingering at the door. Once again, I find myself debating if should turn around, however, instead I knock. I find myself slightly taken back as the door flies open, a mere moment later.

"Lauren." Her tone is sharp, her features tense. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you and Kenzi were okay." My eyes run over her face, shifting to her hand that grips the edge of the door as if she is trying to control herself. "After everything that had transpired today."

"Oh. Yeah."

"I got away the absolute soonest I could. I wish I could have been sooner to assist."

"It's fine. Had it under control." Her words are sharper than I have ever heard her voice before, and she has this look over her face that does not quite match their intensity. "But thanks."

"She is okay then?"

"Fine. Hale is with her now."

"And you Bo, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah great. You?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I nod. "Are you sure that you're-?"

"You know, thanks for coming, really."

I nod again, easily recognizing when I am being dismissed. It is one of those things I have become a professional at. "I shall take that as my cue to leave."

"It's been a long day. Thanks though."

Before another word can be said, the door slams in my face.