"Thanks for inviting me along, I needed to take a break."

"Hey, no problem. Hope you're liking it!"

Cora and I were hiking in the hilly area of Beacon Hills Preserve, and I was quite enjoying myself. It had been the first time since I'd gotten here that I got to explore the more quiet places of this little town that I'd come to love. Of course, it didn't mean I could stay here, but it was the first time in all these years that I hadn't thought about Damian for a solid hour.

I'd never come across any place that made me feel safe, or human. For once, I was just Cassia Whittaker, and I was at peace for just a little time.

Cora stopped at the top of the hill and waited for me. I saw her take a seat on a big, red rock and when I joined her, I swore, I had no other favorite place in the world. From here, in a picturesque frame of tree branches, we looked down onto the town of Beacon Hills. I saw the frame of the hospital, over there the library, an apartment complex here, the school there.

"It's so beautiful. I wish that I never had to leave." I spoke forlornly.

"I already told you, you're not going anywhere. Beacon Hills needs you just as bad as you need it. You've found your resting place. Your peace."

I chuckled, feeling like my heart was being ripped out, and replied, "You're never fully at peace knowing there is a psycho killer after you. I won't stay here and make you, Liam…anyone, a victim to my brother's wrath. You've only heard about him, you have no clue how dangerous he is."

"Cass," she said, startling me into looking at her, "I'm telling you. There isn't anything he could do that would scare us. We have access to safety that is almost unfailing. He couldn't do anything to us."

"You say that," I said, panic rising in my chest, "like you've dealt with him, or someone like him, before." "It's no secret that weird things happen in Beacon Hills," she said, "You're family, Cassia. That's something that someone like me hasn't had much of in a long time. My family was murdered too."

My head snapped to face her, my eyes staring directly into hers.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "My brother did something stupid. I don't blame him for it, because he was young, and would never have done this on purpose, but he gave open access to our family to a cold blooded murderer. In a way, we have a similar backstory. There's a difference though: My brother loves me."

"I'm so sorry, Cora. You never told me that you had a brother." "I do. I doubt you'll ever meet him, he doesn't live here anymore, and hasn't for a while. I don't really live here either, I just…came back to visit friends." "Wow, so, where do you live?" "South America. It's where my brother is now, with his wife." "That's amazing. I hear it's beautiful there." "It can be."

Quiet then followed, and I made use of it by staring at the little town below once more.

I jumped when Cora swiveled fast to look behind us. Her eyes searched every open area between trees throughout the forest. "What…?" I asked barely above a whisper. "Thought I heard something," she mumbled.

She stood up, still looking intently into the groups of trees. "I didn't hear anything," I offered, but she crouched, pulling me down behind the rock.

"I'll explain in a moment. You stay right. Here. Be quiet and stay hidden."

I didn't even get the chance to process all of that before she left, hopping between tree trunks and rocks farther into the forest before disappearing completely. It was suddenly so silent that my heartbeat sounded like gunshots in my ears. I dared not breathe. If there was something out there, a huge animal for instance, that was making Cora frightened, I knew it was nothing to play with.

But curiosity grabbed hold of me, and without rustling so much as a leaf, I crept my head up over the crest of the rock. I heard a twig snap to my right and slowly, I glanced that way, and my heart leapt into my throat and stayed there. Too scared to swallow, I simply stared at the huge creature among the trees.

It was black as tar and huge, probably at least seven to eight feet tall. It had long, silvery claws, so sharp looking that you could easily imagine your own torn flesh. Long fangs poked out of the mouth of the creature, and a long tail twitched back and forth. The first word that came to mind…

Dragon.

It sat up on its back legs, its head lifted, my guess to sniff the air, and it occurred to me that crouching back down would be a good idea as long as I did it quietly. Pure fear fueled adrenaline raced through me as my foot slipped out from under me on the dead leaves, making noise in the dead quiet. I heard the creature huff, and bit my lip.

I heard the leaves crunching as steps were taken, and my heart sped up. It was so close I could hear the labored breathing, heard it growl and inhale the air once more.

Be quiet.

It felt like forever since I'd take my last breath, and my chest burned with the need to bring in air, but I couldn't. Just as I was about to have to give in, a mighty roar sounded throughout the woods, bouncing from tree to tree, pulsing through the ground.

This was where I was going to die.

The creature must have spun and ran toward the roar, because I heard it begin running. I allowed myself to exhale heavily, but terror raced through me as a hand came down over my mouth, concealing my scream and yanking me to its owner's body.

I didn't know who this was, but I did know it was male. And the only thing I knew for certain was that it wasn't Damian's hand. I wrestled against my captor, struggling to get free. They braced up against a tree, keeping the hand to my mouth, but gentling it so I could breathe better.

I stopped wriggling and dared to glance up, startled to see Theo's face above my head. "Shh," he said, his face completely serious, and he let go of my face to scan the woods. His arm stayed wrapped around my waist in an iron grip, and for once, I didn't mind. Part of me was so relieved it was him that I could have cried.

He held me close to him, and I could see his pulse jumping lightly under the skin of his neck. He seemed at ease, regardless of the monster in the woods with us. When his scan was complete, he released my waist and caught my hand and we ran in the opposite direction that we'd come from.

We came to an open area, potentially a small camping ground, with a log bench and a fire pit. Once again, he huddled against a tree, holding me silently as he had done before. "Theo, what-" I began to whisper when he gently hushed me again. His eyes began to wildly search the place, like he was seeing something I wasn't. I was about to say something else when he whipped around, back fully to the tree and hugged me tightly to him. Approximately ten seconds later, the creature came stomping through the area behind us. I felt my fist tighten with a handful of Theo's jacket, but I remained very quiet.

After what felt like an eon, the creature rushed off farther into the woods. When it had been quiet for a couple of minutes, Theo's chest heaved with a deep breath and I allowed myself to indulge in one too. He said nothing, but glanced out, then took my hand once more and rushed the way we'd been going before.

I felt my head begin to bob, and without any warning, my body collapsed onto the ground.

~Theo POV~

I was surprised when Rachel's steady grip on my hand became solid weight that stopped me in my tracks. "Oh, not now!" I grumbled. She had passed out, I guessed from not being able to take anymore adrenaline, and was now laid out on the ground.

I had to get her out of here.

That creature could be anywhere. I had never seen anything like it before, but it was big. We had fought off big things before, but nothing this huge and reptilian. It was easily three times the size of a kanima, and black as night with long talons and teeth. Nothing like it was in Argent's bestiary; that was certain.

Gently, I reached down and took Rachel in my arms. She was light, easy to carry. I noticed how warm she was, and how small. She'd been such a good listener, even after she had discovered it was me who had a hold on her. She wasn't stupid at least. I remembered briefly how well her body had fit to mine, and hated that I liked it. I had done everything in my power to avoid her since she dislocated my jaw, as I didn't want to risk getting angry enough to actually rip her head off, but I couldn't resist the urge to go and find her when Cora had showed up without her.

It was stupid, but I couldn't fault Cora for leaving her back there. She had thought it safe enough. We didn't imagine the creature following Cora's scent. It had lead it right to Rachel. She should be dead.

Yet, here she was, safe in my arms.

There was going to be one hell of an explanation demanded once she woke up, problem was that it was going to be hard, since we didn't actually know what the creature was. This of course would lead to other discussions. About Cora, about Liam, about Corey…about me.

At least the others didn't have assoholic maneuvers on their parts. If she detested me enough before, what the hell would she think then, and why on Earth did I care?

It wasn't like her opinion mattered a damn. Only elementary school kids got crushes, and I wouldn't use a word like 'smitten' to describe anything that involved me. I had to admit, though, that through my pestering her, tormenting her, and following her the last three to four months had caused me to feel things for someone that I'd never felt before. Sure, I'd made out with girls, and had a night here or there with women who didn't matter, but nothing had been like this. With all that, it had been a momentary rush, but with Rachel, it was a little deeper.

I didn't like it, and of course, she, nor anyone else, would never know, but I had to break down and confess to myself.

Lost in my thoughts, I snapped to when I recognized Cora's and Liam's voices.

"He's been gone for fifteen minutes! I didn't leave her that far out." She said, actually sounding worried. "I should have known better than to let Theo go get her. Dude's had it out for her since she got here."

"You should probably know that I can hear every word you're saying," I growled, coming through the last of the trees to meet them. "Oh, thank God," Cora said, running to take Rachel from my arms, "Is she okay?"

"Had a couple run-ins with the creature…I guess too much adrenaline made her pass out. She was pretty calm through it all." I handed her to Cora, who took her to one of the vehicles and Liam opened the door. Both of them stood over her like worried parents, and I bit my tongue.

No need to appear jealous.

"Did she see the creature?" "Yeah, but so what? You were planning on telling her anyway." "Not that," Cora said, "I didn't want her to know that real monsters actually ran around here. She loves it here, and I wanted her to feel safe. Me, you guys, she could handle. But, this creature…?"

"Uhh," Rachel moaned, beginning to come to. "Rach, how's your head?" Cora asked. "Spinning," she mumbled. Liam stepped over and wrapped an arm around her, bringing her to a sitting up position. Rachel held her head, and without looking to anyone else first, caught my eyes.

"Theo." She said.

"Yes?"

"Thank you…for saving me."

**Well, well! Theo's a little taken with Cassia, something he hasn't experienced before! What do you guys think might happen when he discovers the truth? Hope you're enjoying, and have a good day!**