A/N: A special thanks goes to BreakTheWalls for the wonderful reviews. Another special thanks goes to TattyNatty86 for becoming a follower. I'm pleased with how well this story is turning out. Onto number seven and let me know what you think.

Chapter 7:

Study Session

"What are you doing?" I asked, collapsing onto the motel bed with a squeak.

Adam was sitting on the edge of his bed with his phone in hand. He was so focused on what was on the screen, he never noticed me enter the room until I flopped onto the bed. He shifted his eyes in my direction. "Reading." He answered calmly.

"About?"

"Mythology. If I'm going to help you, then I need to be informed."

His answer took me by surprise. I honestly didn't think he was committed to learning about creatures he knew nothing about. Sitting up fully, I crossed my legs indian style and gave him my full attention. "I appreciate that, I do; but nothing you read is going to prepare you for what's out there, Adam."

"Then tell me what is really out there."

"There are so many things, most of which are going to hunt me down just for a chance at money."

"How are you so calm? Any sane person would be freaking the fuck out if they were being hunted down like an animal."

I smiled, genuinely enthralled with his innocence of the world. There was so much he didn't know and that trait alone made him so much more attractive than he already was. He sat his phone down on the bed and got up, walked towards the small mini fridge near the entertainment center.

Adam pulled out two bottles of beer, popping the tops off both. Curling my bottom lip inward, I realized that my world was creating unnecessary stress on him. He returned to his bed and handed me one of the bottles. I reached forward to take the drink. "Cheers to not dying on this crusade."

He touched the top of his bottle against mine in a clang and proceeded to take a long drink from the opening. I took a small sip and then placed the drink on the nightstand behind me. Returning to my previous position, I stared at him a moment, running words through my head before speaking them. "If this is too much for you, I can make you forget about it all." I said, fumbling with my hands on my lap.

"You mean like erasing my memories…"

"In a sense, yes. You won't remember anything about my world and you can continue on living your life as you once were."

"Would I forget you?"

"Yes…"

Taking another long drink from the bottle of beer, only this time he chugged the rest and discarded the empty bottle in the trash can next to the bed. "Nope, not gonna forget anything this time. I don't want to lose any more of my life. I want to remember it all. Good or bad."

"The offer still stands if it ever gets to be too much for you. I don't expect you to take on a burden by sticking with me."

"Nothing wrong with sticking with you. From what I can tell, you are a sincere down to earth girl that's got some fucked up adoptive parents."

"Thank you."

Adam picked his phone back up and walked back to the mini fridge for another bottle of beer. I honestly had no idea what to make of the things he spoke to me. He's the first man to ever get my heart racing the way it was currently. Then again, I've never really socialized with anyone outside the mansion. My social skills weren't all the great; but I've made progress. At least I think I have.

He buried his face back into what he was reading, while taking sips from his beer. I was curious to know what he was actually reading about. "What are you really reading about?" I asked, hoping he'd give me an honest answer, because I would be able to tell if he was lying or not.

"Harpies. According to this site, they were Zeus's personal favorite creature and did his bidding when necessary."

"They are selfish creatures. They are neither good nor evil. They play on which side that benefits them and right now, my family's side benefits them. There is no point in dwelling on what happened tonight. Tomorrow could be a completely different creature."

"Tell me about this Elijah guy...he was definitely juiced up on some power when he came barreling up to the cabin."

Letting out a soft sigh, moving my tongue on the inside of my mouth before I could form a word about him. "He used to work with my father at the University, became really good friends and then my father hired him to be his right hand man. He confided in him that his adopted daughter was half mermaid and some other blood he couldn't identify."

"That means your other half isn't human either."

"Nope. I have no idea what my biological father was; but it's obviously because of his blood that I was able to create those balls of sunlight at the cabin."

Thinking about that lost side of me got my emotions swirling. A part of me wanted to know who my birth parents were; but another side of me just wanted to know why they abandoned me.

Lost in thought, I hadn't realized Adam had switched over to sit down next to me on my bed. Burning tears stung the corners of my eyes and it was far too late to try and hold them back now. They trickled down my face just as Adam pulled me into his arms, holding onto me tightly. His scent waved under my nose. My hand instinctively took hold of his shirt. Violent sobs erupted from my throat, breaking down my exterior walls that I had built up to prevent me from feeling all those hurtful things.

"No one should have to feel that kind of pain. I'm sorry that you have too."

The sound of rain hitting the windows alerted us that my emotions were having an effect on the weather outside as well. Resting my head on his chest, right above his heart, I blinked back even more tears that I simply couldn't afford to shed. "Not that it's okay that you're crying; but it is pretty cool that your emotions have control over the weather." He commented.

I laughed at his attempt to cheer me up; but it indeed worked. "Yeah. Sometimes it's a pain in the ass." I replied, pushing out of his arms. Standing up, I moved towards the small bathroom to clean myself up. Hearing the squeak of my bed, I knew he had gotten up as well. Splashing water on my face, I looked up at the mirror and saw my miserable reflection staring back at me.

My emerald eyes were bloodshot, no longer holding their charm. Pressing my face into the hand towel, I rubbed it dry and stepped back outside into the main room. Adam was asleep on his bed. Smiling, I padded across the floor to his side. I leaned down to press my lips against his cheek before turning towards my own bed, until a hand took hold of my wrist.

"You are beautiful, Alayna…" He murmured just before falling asleep again.

Smiling, I crawled into my own bed. Perhaps, there was more of a reason for my meeting of Adam than I first realized. There was no time to dwell on what if scenarios when tomorrow could be another fight; but at the same time, I wanted to dwell on the sincerity in Adam's eyes when he held onto me when I was crying. That is a moment I will never forget or take for granted.