Some Characters and Ideas borrowed but the Storyline is Mine. NO COPYING!

Chapter Ten – Panic

In the morning, the smell of cooking food woke me. I got up and followed the scent trail, which led to the kitchen. I froze when I passed a mirror outside the kitchen and saw that I hadn't changed out of my sleep shirt or done anything with my hair. Damn. I stood there debating whether to return to my room and change or just go and get some food. Luckily, the decision was made for me when a man with black, shoulder length hair opened the door. It was the man from yesterday in the changing room.

'You know, you can come in if you want' he invited. His hair was raven black like mine and he had lovely, chocolate-brown eyes.

'Um… Ok.' I replied shyly. He held the door for me and I walked through. The kitchen was nice and open with a large table that sat around 15 people at one time. I walked over to it and sat in one of the chairs. He asked me if I wanted some pancakes because he was making some for himself so I agreed to try some. He brought them over with some maple syrup - the real stuff - and ham. He sat down opposite me and we started to eat.

'So, you're the new girl. You and Clay make a good couple. What do you think?'

I blushed and tried to change the subject. 'These pancakes are really nice.'

He smiled. 'Thanks. My name's Jason, by the way. Jason Dawyers.'

'Max Gueverra' I replied.

'So, is it Max as in Maxine? Or…'

'No, Just Max.'

'That's a funny name for a girl, isn't it?'

'Your point? Anyway, Raze is a strange name for any person.'

He laughed. 'I suppose.'

As if on cue, Raze entered the kitchen but he was not alone. Lucian was with him. I looked down at my food and stabbed it with my fork, ignoring Lucian. Raze sat next to Jason and shot me a puzzled look to which I just shook my head. He frowned.

'I was you fight Clay yesterday. You were very good.' Lucian said, trying to start a conversation. I just shrugged and continued to eat my food, not acknowledging him fully. He crouched down so his head was level with mine next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I tensed. 'Max, I know how you must feel right now and you…'

He didn't get to finish the sentence because I whipped my head round to face him and in a voice filled with so much hatred and venom, with a little fear, I interrupted him. 'Know how I feel? How can you even presume to know how I feel?' The chair legs screeched along the floor as I pushed the chair back, stood up - still with his hand still on my shoulder - with my hands clenching and unclenching. 'How the fuck can you imagine how I feel right now?' I made direct eye contact with him for the first time since what he did to me. 'Well, you want to know how I feel, do you?' I snarled. 'I hate you.' I said making sure that I pronounced each word clear and harshly. I batted his hand away from me and stalked out of the room.

Nobody stopped me as I went to my room, scalding tears trickling down my cheeks. I got dressed as fast as I could - all in black - tied my hair back and walked over to the window. I pushed it open and jumped out, feet landing solidly on the ground. I looked around and set off into the forest.

I wasn't running away. As I said before to Raze, there was no point trying. They would find me and bring me back, no matter how much I struggled.

After about 10 minutes of aimlessly walking around, I chose a random tree to take my anger and frustration out on. Punch, punch, punch and then I put my all into a well-placed roundhouse kick. A loud 'crack' resounded through the forest. A large chunk of timber fell to the floor but the tree still stood tall. My hands burned but I was too annoyed to hit the tree again so I slid down its trunk and sat motionless on the ground.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards me so I stood up and looked around, listening. I couldn't hear anyone but all of a sudden, hands shot out from behind me, grabbed my arms and secured them behind my back. I tried to break free but there was no point; I was trapped. I saw Lucian enter the clearing and I froze. What the hell did he want? 'Let me go, Raze!' I hissed. Again, I just knew it was him.

'I'm sorry Max.'

'Please,' I begged, 'let me go!' I stumbled back into Raze's hold as Lucian walked slowly over to me and then stopped within touching distance.

'I am truly sorry that I have to do this, Max. I know that you hate and fear me so I must do this. Maybe after you see the worst thing that I can do, you will not fear me so much.' As he talked, his eyes grew that hypnotic blue that I had come to dread. He was starting to change.

I stood there transfixed, unable to move. I felt like a rabbit again because this was what I had seen in my nightmares. I scrunched my eyes closed and screamed; fighting desperately to get away.

I heard clothes rip and after a few long minutes, he reached out and stroked my cheek. My eyes blinked open and I stared, horrified. He had turned a strange blue/black colour and grown taller. He was now more muscular and his clothes were in rags, scattered around the floor. His hair had shrunk back into his head somehow and he was nude. I had stopped breathing because I was so horrified by what I saw.

A rush of adrenaline washed over me and I lashed out with my feet, kicking him square in the jaw. I had also broken free of Raze's grasp so before he could respond I pushed him backwards and fled. I ran flat out, somehow winding the trees as if I knew where to go, even with my eyes scrunched shut. I did not dare to open them.

Something barrelled into my side and took me to the floor. I panicked and struggled, trying to escape. I was petrified that it was Lucian, coming to take me back.

Whatever/whoever it was rolled me over and lay on me, effectively pinning me to the ground so I couldn't move. This was the second time that I had been trapped and I screamed. Then something odd happened. The thing kissed me and I tasted blood.

Something happened inside me, which felt like this enormous thing rising through me. It flowed into whoever it was and they gasped. Something from them penetrated me and started to expand in my body. I screamed.

After whatever it was retreated into whoever it was and the other strange thing settled inside me, I opened my eyes to find that it was Clay who was pinning me to the floor. I started to tremble and shake. I couldn't stop myself from whimpering.

'Max, what happened? Are you alright?' Clay asked in a near panicked voice.

'He,' sob, 'Lucian,' sob, 'changed!' I cried and started to shake even more. I was starting to feel faint and I was so, so cold.

'We need to get you back inside and warmed up, quickly!' he stated as he picked me up and started to walk in the direction of the house. 'Your body temperature has dropped drastically and you keep convulsing. I think you are going into shock.' I lay there, unable to move as I started to cry.

When we got inside Clay saw Jason and called him over. 'Max has gone into shock and she is freezing to death. Go and fill the bath with hot water, quickly!' Jason shot upstairs - presumably, to do what he was told - I didn't care. I was so tired.

Clay carried me somewhere upstairs and into a room. He entered the en-suite bathroom where Jason had almost filled the bath and kicked the door shut behind him. Clay started to undress himself, while still holding me and motioned for Jason to do so as well.

'Wa goin on?' I asked through chattering teeth. I had never been this cold before and I was not completely sure that they could tell what I said.

'If you get any colder you could go comatose. We need to get you warmed up' he replied as he hurriedly tried to take off my own clothes. It wasn't fast enough so he got frustrated and started to just use brute force and rip them off my body.

'Clothes…' I whimpered.

'You need our body heat to warm you back up. The bath will also help' Jason supplied. Neither of them seemed to have a problem with being nude.

Clay had finally found a way to rip my jeans and underwear off and then there I was, naked in a room with two men who I hardly knew. I was too cold and tired to really care.

Jason turned the taps off and climbed in. Clay cautiously lowered me into Jason's arms and then got into the bath himself. After Clay sat against the bath wall, Jason carefully handed me to Clay who lowered me slowly into the water and positioned me so that I was leaning against his chest with my arms around his neck and my legs folded into his lap. Jason then laid himself against me and encircled me with his arms so that I was enveloped by their bodies.

I laid my head against Clay's shoulder, sighed and finally drifted off to sleep, knowing that they would keep me safe and warm.