"How could tell him that?" Branwen yelled at Nate, following him up the stairs.

"Quite easily, actually. Someone needed to tell the poor guy. You leading him on is only going to make things worse."

"I wasn't leading him on."

Nate stopped and looked at her in the kitchen entrance. He narrowed his eyes at her before shaking his head. "You're not, are you? You don't even see it."

"See what?" Branwen asked, not liking where this was going. She had been obsessing over every detail of their situation. What had she missed?

He gave her a sympathetic look that started to poke at her temper. "That boy would follow you anywhere and despite what you've clearly convinced yourself of, you'd like nothing more than for him to do just that. You may be planning on picking up and leaving, and your intentions might be good, but you keep going back to him. You are hoping beyond hope that something happens to make you have to stay."

"I am not!" She replied immediately.

Upon further reflection she knew there was something in the back of her mind that whispered that if she could only find the answer to their problems, things might be different. But she strangled the life out of that whisper and shoved it back in its box.

Not soon enough to hide it from Nathan. He smiled and nodded at her. "I'd get pushing him away if you didn't really care that much but you two are like magnets. Did you ever think you're connected? That you keep being pulled into each other's life for a reason?"

"Yes, because the universe hates me."

"Branwen."

"He's a son of Ipswitch, Nate. One who thinks I'm just a mysterious girl who went to his school, has some complicated family issues and who makes him tingle when we touch."

"Whoa, too much sharing."

Branwen rolled her eyes. "It's the curse, you idiot. It happens with all four of them. When I shake their hand or skin bumps skin, there's a numbing sensation. But that's my point. I'm a descendant of the witches who cursed his ancestors. How am I supposed to hide that forever? At some point they would find out we have powers."

Rolling his eyes, Nathan sighed. "Not to beat a dead horse, but why don't you tell him the truth?"

Branwen looked at him, incredulous. "What?"

"Well, either he's going to get over it, and then there's that problem solved, or he's going to hate you forever and not want to be anywhere near you, which kind of solves your other problem."

"But…" Branwen knew he had a point, but every time she thought about it things just seemed so much more complicated. And she wasn't making that up. Things were complicated. She had a whole list of problems with her coven without even adding in that he might have a problem with her magic and its connection to his.

"But you love him and don't want to lose him." Nathan said.

"No." Branwen said, knowing she was lying but knowing she couldn't dwell on it. "There are just too many problems. I have too much to deal with."

"Oh, so he's a burden you don't need?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No, that would be you."

He shook his head at her. "Very mature. But what are you going to do when you don't have me as an excuse?"

"You mean there is a point in my future I will be rid of you?" Branwen said it and realized what that meant and immediately felt saddened by Maggie's failing health.

"Look, Branwen, I'm grateful for your help with this, and I get that you hate me. I was a dick back then. I was immature and ungrateful and full of myself. And I know I still drive you crazy. But I'm not doing this to ruin your life. If you want out, then say it. I'll deal with it. But I think you're being really naïve if you think I'm the only one of us getting something out of this."

Wow. Branwen was momentarily speechless. What the hell did he think she was getting other than making a woman who mattered to her happy? "Yes because having you here has done so much for my life."

"It may have complicated things with Pogue, but it's put a plug in your coven problem."

Branwen opened her mouth but shut it again when she realized what he said. She thought about it for a second. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you left on bad terms and when you started getting too close to the guys, you had your condo burned down and a darkling sent to you. Then we announce we're engaged and suddenly it's like everything is amiable again. Not one peep out of your coven."

She thought it over and realized she had been so distracted by everything she had completely forgotten about the coven. She hadn't thought about the fire since moving into the townhouse. And she had forgotten about the darkling and how she had been determined to figure out what it meant.

But then something else struck her… "How did you know about my problems with the coven?" She had told him about the fire, but not that she suspected the coven. And she hadn't said a thing about the darkling.

It was his turn to shift and Branwen got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"You didn't just come to me with your marriage proposition because of our past and my relationship with your grandmother, did you?" He didn't have to say anything. The pleading apologetic look in his eyes said it for him. "Who?" she asked. "Who came to you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know who he was. I've never met him before and I haven't seen him since. He came to me, said that you were in trouble and that I could kill two birds with one stone. Before I could ask his motives he was gone again. I got a letter a week later with details of what I should do and I tried everything I could think of to trace it but got nowhere. So I came to you. You tried to act like everything was fine but I saw it. Something had shaken you up. I knew I couldn't do anything if I wasn't here, so I went through with the plan in the letter and have been watching ever since. But nothing more has happened."

There were so many things going through Branwen's mind with this new information. So much made sense no and yet there was also so many more question. The most prominent being was it the coven who went to Nate, just trying to get the girls away from the Sons of Ipswich, or was there someone else out there watching them? And if so, did this unknown element also just trying to get the girls away from the Sons, or did they have another motive? And were they responsible for the fire and the darkling or just aware of them? Or did the coven just want them to think there was someone else out there after them and they'd brought Nate in to make it feel more realistic?

Her head was beginning to hurt and she was no closer to answering any of her questions.

She felt a hand on her face and looked up to see Nate standing in front of her looking at her like she would crumble or something. Swatting his hand away, she took a step away form him. "You said you tried to trace the letter."

Looking only mildly annoyed, Nate nodded. "I tried every spell I could find and went through all of Maggie's books but still didn't find anything that would work."

Branwen tilted her head, thinking her aversion to using magic might just work out for her for once. "Yeah but sometimes magic isn't the answer."

The door slammed and Aria jumped up and across the room before she even realized she'd moved. Caleb, on the other hand, just smiled and laid back with his arms behind his head.

Pogue, who stormed past Caleb's open bedroom door, didn't even notice. In fact, he didn't even stop. He walked through the dorm, into his room and then they heard a distinctly motorcycle helmet-type thump against the wall.

His smile fading, Caleb got up, straightened his clothes and winked at Aria before he disappeared around the corner. Aria, straightening her own clothes, slowly stepped to the doorway and listened to the conversation happening in the adjacent room.

"Judging by the dent in the wall, I'm guessing something happened with Branwen." Caleb said. Pogue must have visually confirmed because Caleb continued. "Would you like to tell me about it or are you going to continue to stand there and stare out the window?"

"My day with Branwen was perfect." Pogue said in a deep, sullen voice.

"Then I don't understand." Caleb replied, his voice full of his confusion.

Sadly Aria understood well. Perfection could be it's own kind of torture. Had she not just had a perfect time with Caleb. They'd gone out for dinner as promised and before she knew it the perfection of dinner had led to perfect cuddling while watching a movie, which led to a perfect make-out session. But now that it was over, she knew she was walking a dangerous line and, more than likely, she would have to give up that perfection.

"She took me to the Allen Vintage Motorcycle Museum. We had a private tour."

"That's good, though, right? Haven't you wanted to get in there since you were like ten?"

"Then we went to her cake tasting together."

"Oh. That must have been difficult. Why did you go?"

"Why the hell do you think I went? Because I have a problem and her name is Branwen. I went to be near her. Because every moment spent near her is bittersweet torture I can't seem to get enough of. But it wasn't difficult. It was amazing. We had a great time. We even got in a cake fight." There seemed to be a smiled to Pogue's voice at that but it was gone when he spoke next. "Then we got back to the house and Nate was there. And I finally learned the truth."

What? Aria froze, terrified she should be running and unable to move. Had Pogue found out they had magic?

"She finally told you?" Caleb asked. "About the wedding situation…"

"Being a sham? Yeah, Nate explained it all. Told me all about the marriage being for the sake of his dying grandmother."

"Then what's the problem? Don't you realize that after it's all over, you can be with Branwen."

Aria crossed her fingers and leaned against the door frame, praying that Pogue didn't say magic.

"Yeah, that's what I asked her. Why didn't she just tell me that? Why not let me in on it? I might have been able to help."

Aria felt a sinking feeling that had nothing to do with magic.

"Of course we would help. What did she say?" Caleb asked, his voice moving further into the room, away from the door.

"She didn't say anything. She stood there glaring at Nate. He was the one who told me what Branwen should have told me long before the marriage thing was on the table." There was a pause and Aria wished she could see what was happening but just as she thought she might try and sneak a peek, Pogue continued. "He told me that the reason she hasn't been letting me get close to her is because she won't be here. She's leaving at the end of August."

Everything was silent for a couple seconds before Caleb came back around the corner. Eyes dark and brow furrowed he stood over her and met her eyes in a way that dared her to try and look away.

"Are you going with her?" He asked.

She realized now she should have run when she had the chance. If she had she would have been safely tucked away behind her bedroom door before this confrontation happened. Or at least on the way to being there. Distinctly somewhere that wasn't standing in Caleb's dorm room with him gazing down at her accusingly.

And all she could do was nod.

"She was here this whole time?" Pogue said, standing behind Caleb and staring at Aria.

Both Caleb and Aria ignored him. Aria because she was too frozen to utter a word and Caleb, well who the hell knew what Caleb was thinking right now. He hadn't said an word or looked away and because he hadn't, Aria couldn't. And her eyes were starting to sting with the effort not to blink.

Then, suddenly, Caleb turned and left the dorm. Aria watched him leave and then glanced at Pogue with pleading eyes. What she wanted him to do, she didn't know.

"Forgive me if I'm not brimming with sympathy right now."

What an ass! But it snapped Aria out of her helplessness. She grabbed her coat and went after Caleb, hearing Pogue sigh and follow at a slower pace.

By the time Aria caught up to Caleb, they were almost to the parking lot, Pogue was dragging his feet somewhere back by the dorm and Caleb wasn't acknowledging a single thing Aria yelled after him as he headed for his car.

Or at least he hadn't been. But suddenly he stopped and Aria slipped on the icy parking lot, almost running into him. He reached out to steady her before releasing her like she was contagious.

"Please let me explain." She said. "We didn't know if it was for sure. There are a lot of things that have to line up before we leave."

"But you just thought you'd not tell me anyway? Where was this honesty when you told me the truth about the wedding?"

"I told you I'd always put Branwen before you."

"Yet you failed to mention she'd be leaving."

"What did you think we were going to do when we got our doctorates? Stick around like some love-sick puppies?" Aria asked, her upset making her defensive. "We had lives before we met you. Did you think we were just going to magically give us everything we've worked for just for a couple of guys we barely know? I'm not that kind of person. Neither is Branwen. We have more conviction than that."

"So you were just going to take off? Finish with your schooling and disappear into the world? What was this then?" he asked, waving his hand between the two of them and almost knocking her over in the process. "All this back and forth was just passing the time!"

He growled the last bit, turning away from her before swinging back. "And why not stay? Staying doesn't mean you lack conviction. It doesn't mean you don't have your own life. Why can't you use what you've worked for here?"

"Caleb," She sighed, getting the feeling that this wasn't all about her. He was too upset for this to be just about her. She could practically see steam rising off him.

"Aria…" Pogue called from somewhere far behind her.

She ignored him, focusing on Caleb and his obvious upset. And trying to figure out why it was such a bigger deal to him. It's not like they were in a serious relationship. They'd known each other for a matter of months and hadn't spent all that much time together.

"It's me, isn't it" Caleb asked. "I'm not good enough. Not perfect enough. I don't fit into the picture you see in your mind. That's the problem." He moved around as he spoke, throwing his arms around. His voice kept getting louder. "It's not enough that I'm a good guy who is going to be an amazing lawyer, if I do say so myself. It's not enough that I'm wealthy enough that I don't even need to work. It's not enough that I'm kind and considerate. As long and there's the one thing wrong, the rest doesn't matter. Hell, you save a girl from a crazy killer and do everything you can to make her life perfect and then she decides to leave anyway. And now it's happening again."

Aria was suddenly very confused and growing more and more worried over how angry he was getting. She barely noticed Pogue running towards them from across the yard. In fact, when Caleb turned and she saw his eyes had gone black, she didn't notice anything else at all.

"You're all the same!" he yelled. "You don't understand how hard it is to be the responsible one and always do the right thing. To always be perfect. It gets old. It wears you down. But it never matters. You all just leave!"

"Caleb…" Aria said, her voice only coming out as a whisper as she realized the danger she was in. Caleb was out of control. Not just magically, but emotionally as well. They'd known he was using. She hadn't known how clearly broken he was. He'd clearly been barely holding himself together and she'd somehow cracked his façade.

Caleb shook his head at her. "Well if I'm not good enough and you want to leave then leave!"

She saw it in slow motion. Unable to move her feet, she watched Caleb bring his hand back, hand open as if to shove her. But she knew he wouldn't be shoving her with his hand. He was possessed by power. He'd let it encompass him and now he was going to release it. Pogue was running towards her, calling out something she couldn't hear, but he was still too far away. Even as his eyes went black, Aria knew Pogue's powers couldn't stop Caleb. Not only was Caleb stronger with both he and his father's powers, but he was well versed in using.

No, Aria was going to be hit full force and even if she used her own powers, they were no match for his either. She would be lucky to cushion her impact, let alone stop bones from breaking from the force.

As she watched his hand move forward, Aria tried to brace herself as much as she could, no longer caring if he saw her glowing eyes. It was her only choice. If she was lucky, her broken ribs wouldn't pierce anything vital.

But as Caleb's hand came forward, it only got within an inch of her before he was shot backwards, across ten feet of asphalt and into the side of a car.

Shocked, Aria looked over to Pogue, completely confused. But he was standing there, face like stone, looking past her. Aria followed his gaze past Caleb, who was barely managing to get up. There, across the parking lot, standing in front of her still running Mini Cooper, was Branwen, eyes glowing a brighter white than her headlights.