I stepped down the two flights of stairs taking the time to learn the house and everything it contained. My mind worked in overdrive trying to figure out how they had been able to do all of this when a picture caught my eye. I picked up the frame and scowled.

It was a picture of Anne Walker and the younger ones standing in front of the house with huge grins on their faces. So, that was how they had gotten all of this. She had set it up for them. Hot rage boiled through me. Did they know what she had done to me? I thought of all of those days and nights spent in a dog crate wondering if I would get food or if they would just leave me to rot now that I had served their purpose. I slammed the picture down and took a deep breath to calm my turning stomach. I couldn't let my guard down anywhere.

I moved into the kitchen where Iggy was sniffing something boiling on the stove, Fang was chopping something up on a cutting board, Nudge was rifling through the refrigerator, Angel sat at the table and Gazzy leaned out the sliding glass door that led to a backyard, I'm assuming.

I sidled up behind Iggy and peered over his shoulder. "So what are we having?" I asked with interest. Food was excellent. Iggy's home-cooked food was heaven. And I was about to die.

He shrugged and knocked my chin back with his shoulder. Another death-glare had no effect and he smirked as if he could see my frustration. "Spaghetti, with my own special sauce, and garlic bread, and lasagna." I dodged out of his way as he carried the huge pot of pasta to the sink and drained it.

My salivary glands were working overtime and I couldn't wait to dig into Iggy's home-cooked food for the first time in three years. I dropped into a chair at the table and propped my head up on one fist, watching how the boys moved around the kitchen so easily. I glanced over at Gazzy, still hanging half out the door.

"Hey, Angel, is Total still around?" I was hesitant to ask as most genetic recombinants have a real short lifetime, but I did want to know.

She looked up from her game of solitaire and nodded. "Yep. He's still around and going strong. I think he might outlast even us." Gazzy slid the door shut and hopped up onto the counter to steal slices of carrot from Fang's cutting board.

"Who's going to outlast you?" came a voice from close to the ground.

I looked down to see Total about to hop up onto the chair next to Angel. "Apparently, you are," I said.

He glanced at me casually, not really caring who I was and then his head snapped around in a painful looking double take. He launched himself at my face licking and shouting. "Oh, my God. You're alive! You're here! They didn't kill you!"

I took as much of the licking as I could and then brought him down enough so that he couldn't quite reach my face and scratched him behind the ears to placate him. "Yeah, I'm still around." I set him on the chair next to me. It was definitely good to be home. I fell right back into things as if I had gone to get groceries. I caught the Coke that Nudge tossed at me and cracked it open immediately. Cold soda is very nearly the best thing ever. What can I say? It's been a while.

Fang tossed the sliced carrots into a big bowl and set them on the table. I grabbed a handful and stuffed a few in my mouth. Readily available food is so wonderful. I felt Fang's gaze settle on me. He always had a way of exerting pressure with his eyes. It drove me crazy. I think he could sense that I wasn't completely relaxed, but I'm sure that he didn't know why.

He snagged a Coke for himself and dropped into the chair next to me, his face inscrutable.

I pushed thoughts of betrayal out of my mind and then all of us were distracted as Iggy announced the completion of dinner. A cheer went up as he set the huge bowl of spaghetti and a large dish of lasagna on the table along with two loaves of garlic bread. With a prayer of thanks to whatever god was out there, I dug in to the best meal of my life.

An hour and about ten pounds of food later, I lay on the couch and tried not to move. I felt almost full enough to puke, but of course I didn't. Nudge stretched out the length of the couch with her head on my lap and Gazzy sat on the other side, squished into the armrest, but I don't think he minded. Angel sat on the floor and played with Total. Iggy and Fang were still in the kitchen taking care of dishes. I had no idea how they became so domestic. God knows that all my efforts at the house in Colorado were wasted.

A sharp pain spiked through my chest at the memory.

It is the past. It is no longer important.

I sighed. It is if it still affects me. I spent my first free years there. That was the ultimate home.

Very well. Have your little pity party, but don't let it take hold. You need to be strong. Your trials are not over.

I snarled silently. Are they ever? Can't I spend one week without worrying if I'm going to get shot or captured and…

To my horror, my eyes began to flood and heat began to build under my skin. I needed to get out fast. I got to my feet and headed toward the back yard, making some excuse and trying to sound normal. I slipped through the kitchen and nearly got out the door before Fang noticed. At the last second I felt his fingers close around my wrist.

"Max, what--" he began, but I didn't stick around to hear the rest. I didn't want him as a witness. I wrenched free from his grip and leaped into the air, spreading my wings to catch the night breeze.