Jake woke quite early and rolled over to find why. The curtains weren't very good and were letting a great deal of morning light into the room. It sounded like Selena had also left the window open slightly because he could hear birds twittering away outside.

Then he glanced down at Selena. She was still on her side and she looked like she'd tossed and turned a bit during the night. Her covers were rumpled up around her, wrapped around her legs. Her hair was also tangled around her head and shoulders. Her breathing was heavy though, like she'd only just reached that stage of sleep.

He looked at his watch. Five thirty am. He groaned and threw his arm over his eyes with impatience. He knew it was too early to get up but the noise coming in through the window was too loud to allow him to doze off again. He knew Selena had far more sensitive hearing than he did and he was slightly surprised it hadn't woken her up.

Deciding it would be best to shut the window so he could get another hour in and she wouldn't be stirred prematurely. He sat up and as quietly as he could, slid out from under his covers. He padded as slowly and quietly as he could across the creaky floor until his foot found a loud creak.

Jake's head flicked up to Selena as he steadied himself. She shifted and made a tiny sigh but stayed asleep. He gave a small sigh of relief himself and made it to the window. His suspicion was right; she'd left the window open a slight amount. The air around this side of the room smelt quite fresh and he realised the outdoor must have had a comforting smell to her.

He shut the window carefully, feeling slightly guilty but knowing at least she'd get a fuller amount of sleep. He looked down at her. Her hair had covered her face in her sleep and one of her legs stuck out clumsily from underneath the covers and over the side of the bed. He watched her for a second, assessing her. She was quite deep in sleep; a soft snore confirmed it for him.

As carefully as he could, he slid her leg back onto the bed and covered it over again. He was just about to go back to his own bed but he stopped and looked up at her face again. Curiosity took over and he reached up and in the single most gentle and careful movement he'd ever made, he swept her hair out of her face.

Her expression wasn't exactly peaceful and he felt a slight pang. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her nose slightly wrinkled. She had a few goosepimples on her arm and he very carefully untangled the cover slightly from around her legs and pulled it up higher over her arm and stroked one last strand of rogue hair out of her face.

He made his way back to his bed, being careful to avoid the creak in the floor. He slid back into bed and managed to drop back to sleep.

XxXxX

I woke up slowly, aware of movement in the room I was in. For a second I laid and listened to Jake moving around. It sounded like he was moving things around in his bag. I tried to ignore it for as long as possible but the reality was that we had to keep moving if we were going to make California without being caught. I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face. Jake looked up and smiled brightly.

'Morning sleepy head' He greeted me

I just kind of made a grunting noise, pulled all my toiletries out of my bag and stumbled into the bathroom. I washed my face, cleaned my teeth, brushed my hair and then tied it back into the customary ponytail. Feeling fresher and ready to tackle the day ahead, I left the bathroom. As I was pulling the bed back together Jake was sat on his watching me.

'So I've been thinking about what you said' He told me

'What do you mean?'

'About your wer-lycanthropic friend'

'Bryce?' I asked

'Yeah. I think as a general plan it's more put together than my, keep on the move plan. Would he be willing to protect you?' Jake asked

'I'm not sure, from what you say he'll already be heavily watched. He's told me about a group of underground lycanthropics though. I can only imagine it's a group who keep hidden to avoid being tagged' I said with a frown

'Jesus. I wonder how many aren't actually tagged' Jake wondered

'Well, I assume maybe your council doesn't know as soon as a new lycanthromorphic being is made all the time. It's entirely possible that some slip under the radar. Especially in my case...I wonder how many more like me might be out there'

'I think there could be more than anticipated' Jake replied

'Let's just get to California, I'll be able to track him down once we get there but that'll be the riskiest time I think' I said

'Why?' Jake asked

'I'll have to transform to track him down. In my human state my senses are stronger than average yes but it's far easier to follow a scent as a wolf' I told him

Jake didn't reply right away. I could practically see the cogs turning in his head, weighing up the pros and cons of this area of my plan.

'I followed your scent from your house to your Grandpa's shop' I told him

'As a wolf?' Jake asked, alarm in his voice

'Yes but don't worry. My wolf form is smaller than regular lycanthropics and my pale olour looks more like a domestic dog anyway' I shrugged

Jake didn't look too impressed so I quickly went back to tucking the duvet of my bed back under the mattress where I'd found it the night before. I gathered my clothes and got dressed in the bathroom and packed up all my things. Jake gathered his own belongings and we left the motel room.

The day receptionist was much nicer than the night one and he signed us out quickly and we were back out in the open. As soon as I could feel the breeze on my face I felt like dancing but instead I took a huge inhale of fresh air and sighed in contentment. Jake watched with a mildly amused expression on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him in return.

We found the nearest coach station and planned a route. We decided it was best to go in a straight line straight through the middle of America. It would take time and by the time we'd got to California we'd have crossed eleven states including New Jersey where we currently were. I secretly cursed the fact we'd moved to California when we'd got to America.

We located a coach that would travel all the way to Pennsylvania. I heard Jake muttering to himself about it being riddled with Vampires and I wondered if he was having a morbid joke to himself or whether he was being serious. I didn't dare ask either.

We booked the tickets and had time to get some breakfast before we had to board and then we departed. The ride was slow, due to the fact that it made regular stops in various towns we didn't even bother to make a note of the names of. I dozed while Jake had bought a map and was finding out where various motels were and places we could eat.

We had plenty of time to talk to one another too. Jake shared a lot of secrets with me I could tell he kept close to himself. He told me a bit about his family history and some of his adventures. He told me about his role as the American Dragon and how he mostly stuck to his own territory of New York but sometimes his job as protector took him out of the city. It made the previously awkward atmosphere clear a little bit.

'I truly am sorry you know' He said eventually as we crossed the border between New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.

'I know Jake. It's just one of those things' I replied 'I've been needing to go and see Bryce anyway'

'Why?'

I tensed. I'd not told anyone but Emily about my restlessness during a full moon. I didn't know how Jake would take it, one of the biggest reasons I was sure had convinced him to protect me had been because I had control. I still did but it was getting harder to resist the call of the moon while it was full. I decided honesty was the best policy from now on.

He took it well. He told me it was understandable. He reasoned that underneath the diluted genetics I carried, it was still an impulse to respond to a normally compulsive aspect of my kind.

'Do you know about Wolfsbane?' He asked

'I've heard of it in myths' I replied

'It's an actual potion. I've never seen it mixed and I've never needed to use it. It might be an idea to try and get Fu to research it. At the next rest stop I'll call him' Jake suggested

'Is that a good idea?' I asked

'As a possible suppressant for you it might be' Jake replied 'I don't know enough about it though. I'm not sure whether it's a suppressant or a weapon to be honest'

I scoffed slightly 'Probably both. Your cancel probably have silver bullets too'

'Is that true?' Jake asked 'Silver allergies?'

'Yeah. I'm allergic to silver. I can't wear silver jewellery without wherever I'm wearing it to go all irritated and rashy' I replied

'That must be a pain' He replied

'It is' I agreed

'I'm allergic to penicillin' Jake revealed

I allowed myself a small laugh 'That's quite a common allergy'

'Alright well I have a rare blood type' Jake tormented

'Oh really?' I replied

'Yeah and you will never know' He tormented

'Right because that's a piece of information I'm dying to have about you' I replied sarcastically

Jake chuckled but went back to his map. At the next rest stop, I went in to get some food while Jake used a payphone to contact Fu Dog. His news about home wasn't too good. The Dragon Council had been on Emily all through last night but luckily she hadn't caved and told them anything. Jake's mother had taken Nicky to the childminders for her that morning and was currently keeping her company. More promising news for me was that Fu Dog had managed to convince Lao Shi I wasn't dangerous and they were both currently appealing to launch an investigation into natural-born Lycanthropics.

Trixie and Spud had been on the verge of following us but Lao Shi and Fu Dog had managed to convince them that it was best for them to go along as normal. Jake and I had both been called in sick at school but it was only a matter of time before a different excuse would have to be made as to why both of us were absent at the same time.

With full bellies and confused states of minds, we got back on the coach for the next stretch to the far side of Pennsylvania. I slept most of it away and I think Jake slept quite a lot too. I woke up at the end of the journey with my head leaning on Jake's shoulder and his head leaning on mine. We found a diner and ate better than last night and found another motel.

We encountered problems with that one right away. They only had double beds available and Jake stuck to what he had said the previous night. He made up a bed on the floor but the floor was tiled and I listened to him fidgeting for about half an hour before losing my patience.

'Oh for god's sake Jake! Just get in the stupid bed and have done with it!'

He sat up abruptly 'Say wha?'

'You heard me' I replied testily

'Are you sure?'

'We're both mature! Besides neither of us will get any sleep at this rate and the bed's big enough for two. We've got to get across Ohio tomorrow and we want to be rested' I replied

I turned my back to him as he awkwardly put his pillow back on the bed and slid in next to me. After that I fell asleep quickly, surprisingly feeling comforted by the scent of him being in such close proximity and the warmth of someone else in the bed.

XxXxX

I woke at some point during the night and fidgeted. I quickly discovered why I'd woken. During the night Jake had rolled over and he'd thrown his arm across me and was laid quite close. He was radiating warmth and his scent was filling my nose.

Instead of being uncomfortable with this close proximity, I found it quite pleasant. As I fidgeted slightly Jake sighed in his sleep and shifted closer. His hard chest pressed lightly against my back and I stiffened, wondering how he'd react if he woke up. I managed to get comfortable and I snuggled down into the pillow and went back to sleep, feeling comforted by the warmth Jake was giving.

XxXxX

Again, Jake woke first the next day. Before opening his eyes he could tell something was different. He'd never felt so warm after waking up before. He opened his eyes and found to his embarrassment that while he'd slept he'd rolled over and cuddled into Selena.

His chest was pressed against her back, her hair was everywhere on the pillow and his head was resting on top of some of it. His arm was resting lazily over her in the curve of her waist. He found that she was softer than he had thought considering the toned nature of her muscles.

It took a great deal of effort to pry himself away from her and leave the warmth of the bed. He looked at his phone and found two text messages.

Hey Kid,

I looked up Wolfsbane for you but it's no go.

It's more of a weapon than a suppressant,

It's got silver in it. Seeing as Selena is

Allergic to silver it wouldn't be the

Best idea to give it to her. The appeal is

Going well, Gramps and I have been appealing

For support in the streets of Magas Bizzare and

It seems people are interested in learning

About werewolves. Take care of yourselves

Fu

Jake sighed in exasperation. He knew they'd make it to California well before the full moon but he was worried about where they'd be and who they'd be with. What if they were with her lycanthropic friend and he transformed?

His second message was from his mother. She was worried and Emily was apparently distraught but they both wished them well and told them to be careful.

Jake made moves to get ready but before he went to the shower he walked around the bed to check on Selena again. She certainly looked more peaceful than she had the previous night and the sheets weren't as rumpled but he found that her foot was hanging over the bed again. He let himself chuckle quietly as he pushed her foot back into the bed. She was certainly endearing.