Myka's abilities develop and Sally takes exception to Mr Valda's decision.

A few days passed and Myka took every opportunity she could to read those around her. She grazed people's hands as she passed or with some, just touched a shoulder or an arm. It was, in itself, an exercise in opening herself to others. She had been closed off, pulled in, for such a long time. Sam had brought her out of herself, as had her foster parents, but when Sam died and she moved South, she had hidden so much of herself that she was essentially closed off to any new friendships, new relationships. Helena and her silence had changed all of that.

Claudia, it turned out, babbled just as much inside her head as she did in person. And she most often said what she was thinking, which was a rare thing, in Myka's experience. Leena thought about little, not in a way that suggested she wasn't intelligent, but she just lived in a sort of peace that translated into her thoughts. She had never spoken much so Myka supposed that it stood to reason that her brain would be quiet.

Pete she had already tried to read. Steve was serene and quiet, his thoughts as quiet as he himself was. Jeff's mind was disciplined and preoccupied, thinking about his next task at all times. The military influence, if she had to guess. He was closed off in a lot of ways too, but easy to read once she had touched him gently on the arm. Fortunately he didn't take it as an invitation, although he was clearly confused by why she'd suddenly become the kind of person to grasp an arm when saying good morning.

"Is she coming on to me?" he mused, his thoughts quiet, not panicked. "I thought she was with the vampire. I guess I'll just have to be polite." Then his brain turned to his scheduled patrol, and Myka smiled to herself. This was a guy she didn't have to worry about, which was a relief.

Liam was a wide open window. She barely needed a touch to read him – despite his outward appearance of discipline, he was, mentally speaking, unfettered. He was happy and content and a lot of his thoughts centred around Steve, who he'd apparently had a few dates with.

Myka went to see Dr Calder on the third day after she'd spoken to Artie, asking if she would mind assisting Myka with her mental exercises. Dr Calder – who insisted Myka address her as Vanessa – went through the breathing exercises with her, and it wasn't long after that Myka had her first real breakthrough. She heard Dr Calder's thought without touching her.

"Yellow," she heard, distinctly.

Myka gaped.

"Did you just think 'yellow'?"

Dr Calder grinned broadly at her.

"Yes! Congratulations, Myka. You're getting there. In a few weeks I bet your gift will be a lot more usable, and a lot less headache inducing."

Myka smiled. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

She and Helena had spent the last few nights together at her house, but Helena had turned up late a couple of times, without explaining why. Myka decided not to ask, since Helena obviously didn't want to talk about it. But she watched, and she wondered what was going on in her vampire's head.

After she went to see Dr Calder, Myka clocked off a little early, leaving Steve in charge, and she took a long bath before dinner. When Helena arrived, Myka was uneasy, still, her earlier thoughts about Helena running through her mind over and over. How could she really ever know if Helena cared about her? She knew she was wanted, but perhaps it was just her blood that made her attractive. She was certainly giving up enough of it; she had started taking iron tablets to replenish what Helena was taking from her during sex. Not that she minded, of course. It was almost as pleasurable for her as it was for Helena – at least so far as she could tell.

Thinking about her blood, whether that was the thing that Helena was really here for - it made her a little tense, and Helena noticed. She offered to massage Myka, which led to one of the most intensely pleasurable massages Myka had ever experienced, followed by one of the most intense sexual experiences she'd ever had. Not that she had many to compare it to, in all fairness, but this time, for some reason, was all intensity and beauty and wonder, and Myka couldn't work out why it felt so incredibly different. She was still learning about Helena's body and what worked for her, but it seemed like every touch between them that night was amplified. Myka was disappointed to wake up alone, but in one way she was a little relieved. Things between them were wonderful, but also intense. Not being able to read Helena was presenting Myka with a problem. While she could never be sure if Sam loved her without a fully working ability, she at least could feel the echo of his feelings, and sometimes she could hear him when they were having sex. But with Helena she had no idea whatsoever, and she didn't want this thing between them to become the kind of sex obsession that Helena had described with some of her former human lovers. In addition to that, she had no real idea how Helena felt about her, and would never be able to read that from her even if she was able to train her ability to be useful – she would just have to trust that what Helena said was true. And then there was Helena turning up late without any explanation. The uncertainty was an uncomfortable feeling, and one she wasn't ready to deal with.

That day was a blur of paperwork and was punctuated with a visit from Mrs Frederic, who wanted to know how the investigation was proceeding. Myka could tell her little, but the Mayor seemed satisfied with what she did say. When she was leaving, however, she shocked Myka a little.

"Sheriff, I understand that Mr Sykes and Mr Diamond have not been seen for a while. Mrs Sykes contacted me a few days ago to mention that Walter hadn't been home for a while. Perhaps it's time to submit a missing persons report for both? Appearances are important."

And then she swept out, leaving a gaping Myka in her wake. Was it possible that Mrs Frederic was aware of what had actually happened? She seemed to know a lot, but surely she couldn't know everything, right?

Myka decided to go for a run that evening before sundown. It had been a cool day by Mississippi standards, and although that didn't mean much, it meant that she could run without drowning in her own sweat. She pulled on her running gear when she arrived home and was surprised to be greeted by Pete Lattimer in dog form when she stepped out her back door.

"Hey, Pete, what's up? I'm going for a run, do you need something?"

He shook his head carefully.

"Did you want to come with?" she asked, curious and slightly concerned.

He nodded, his brown eyes wide and pleading.

"Okay, but I'm going to listen to some music, okay? If you need me, just touch me," she said, and he barked in a way that felt like a yes. She nodded at him and stretched a little before taking off down a trail she'd used when the weather had been less oppressive. It was a beautiful evening, and there was even a cool breeze. She let the music lift her spirits and she let her mind drift, the familiar and pleasant burn of her muscles taking over as she slowly sped up, the dog keeping pace with her, bounding along in pure joy. Dog-Pete was so different from regular Pete. Her deputy was hard-working and mostly serious, but in his dog form she could feel how free he felt, his mind pulsing happily as he ran. She let her mind wander and she didn't notice right away when Pete fell behind, but she definitely noticed when a large, heavysomething hit her square in the back, making her fall straight onto her face, so quickly that she was unable even to get her hands up to catch herself. The pain was excruciating – her nose broke, the pain radiating through her face in sickening waves. Blood flowed freely onto the ground as the heavy weight bore her down, pushing her face into the dried mud of the trail. She didn't know what was happening, couldn't see anything or move with the weight bearing down on her. The pain of the sharp claws digging into her back, therefore, was a surprise, and not a pleasant one, making her scream in pain. The jaws that closed around the back of her neck, the teeth that entered the side of her neck – they silenced the pain from her back almost immediately. They tightened and things in her neck crunched, and that pain eclipsed what the claws were doing lower down.

There were plenty of minds around this trail – families lived nearby and there were others like her who ran here, not to mention dog walkers and the like. Myka hadn't been paying attention, listening with her brain or her ears, so all of it was a horrible, horrible shock, and she could feel her mind detach from it, watching it all as if from far away. She felt the claws in her lower back dig in, kicking the way a cat's do when they're trying to eviscerate someone, and the malice in the mind behind her made her realise. Sally. She screamed in pain, dirt filling her mouth from the trail.

Even the music pumping in her ears wasn't enough to hide the roar of the bear, and she lifted one hand slowly to pull out one of her earbuds, to try to hear what was happening. She was having trouble moving, but her mind wasn't processing that right then. She was looking to her left, trying to turn her head to see what happened, when the weight disappeared from her back and the panther's body was slammed to the ground next to her. There was a bear on top of the panther with its jaws in her throat – Pete. He could shift into anything, Myka realised dully. Sally, in her were form, died right there with Pete's jaws around her windpipe, her eyes staring into Myka's, hatred burning in them as she died.

Myka stared at the dead eyes, her own filling with tears. Marcus Diamond, Walter Sykes – they had caused this, this needless death. And Myka was – Myka was pretty sure she was paralysed, at least partially. She couldn't feel her legs, her torso. She could still breathe, so she figured her lungs weren't paralysed, or at least not yet.

"Mykes, I'm so sorry, she grabbed me and knocked me against a tree and she had a friend with her, she kept me away, that's how she got to you… God damn it all to hell, Mrs Frederic warned me to keep an eye on you. I need to get you to a doctor, just hang on for me, okay?"

She could hear Pete but not see him. The dead panther was changing back into the naked form of Sally Stukowski. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see any more death. She had had her fill of death a long time ago.

She heard people bustling around, familiar voices. Benedict Valda and his pack. They took the body away and she heard him speak to her, apologise, but she was drifting away. She wasn't sure how much damage Sally had done, but she suspected it was a lot.

When she woke there was someone licking her neck.

"Ah, good, you're awake, Sheriff." The voice was unfamiliar, and it belonged to whoever – or whatever – was currently licking the wound on her neck.

"Who are you?" she managed, but it came out more like "ooh aa oo." Her facial muscles were not working well, and enunciating properly was impossible. Not that correct diction was necessarily the biggest problem she had right then.

Pete's face popped into view. She was lying on some sort of table, facedown, with the nameless person on her back, licking her neck. Strangers licking her neck. This was what her life had become, she thought idly. The person was nearly weightless, or so it felt to Myka.

"Sheriff? You with me?" Pete asked, looking at her anxiously.

She managed a tiny nod, and he looked relieved.

"Dr Ludwig is dealing with the wounds, cleaning them out. Cat's claws and teeth are so dirty, especially werepanthers. This should make sure there's no chance of you turning into a half-were. Sally's dead. She won't be bothering you again."

She closed her eyes, seeing the light go out in the panther's yellow eyes, the hatred fading into blankness.

"I've called Helena, and once we get to sundown she'll be here, I know it, boss. She'll give you her blood and we'll get you healed. Dr Ludwig will keep you with us for now, Sheriff. I'm so sorry, they blindsided me, came from downwind. I should have been in a different form; they thought they could take me out because I was in my dog form. I fucked up, Myka. I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes pleading.

"Don't worry, Pete," she tried to say, but her mouth mangled the words, and she closed her eyes again. She was so tired. Whatever the doctor was doing was making her drift off.

When she woke again, it was in Helena's arms. She was in a bed she didn't recognise, a room she didn't recognise, but Helena's arms were around her and she could feel Helena's body against hers. She could feel. The skin against hers was cool and Helena's mind was silent, as always. She sighed in relief.

"Where are we?" she asked, relishing the sharpness of her pronunciation. She wiggled her toes for the pure pleasure of it.

"We are at my house," Helena said, turning Myka slightly so that she could look at her.

"I didn't know you had a house," Myka said, looking at Helena curiously. Helena stared, her eyes wide, her pupils huge.

"You almost died, Myka. That filthy were tried to take your life," she ground out, her fangs snapping out, her chest rumbling.

"I did," Myka said, still looking at Helena curiously. "You gave me your blood again?"

Helena nodded, her eyes furious.

"There's no-one to kill, Helena. She's dead already," Myka said gently. "When did you buy a house?"

Helena blinked, and her pupils began to contract, the brown of the iris showing.

"I bought it a few days ago. After we… I couldn't bear to think of leaving. Claudia was able to arrange it for me," Helena said, seeming confused.

"Well, that's good news," Myka said, searching Helena's eyes. "You gonna kiss me, vampire?"

"What? Helena asked, still looking confused.

"Are you going to kiss me, vampire? Or are you just gonna sit there and look at me? I thought you vamps were supposed to be good in bed?" she taunted, twirling a lock of hair round her fingers casually as she looked at Helena from beneath lowered lashes.

Helena growled and crushed Myka to her, kissing her so hard that she knew she would have fang marks on her lips the next day. But it didn't matter, because Helena's anger was changing, turning into a burning lust that she plainly couldn't control. Which was what Myka had intended, taunting the vampire into fiery need that burned them both. Her mouth trailed down Myka's body, her fangs leaving twin red lines down her chest and belly, and her mouth was on Myka suddenly. Myka's head slammed back against the pillow as Helena sucked on her, fingers sliding inside her, suddenly merciless and harsh and incredible. When Myka screamed out her release, Helena sank her teeth into Myka's thigh, sucking blood from her there, making Myka come again and again until she was seeing stars and realising that this was what Helena meant when she said sex with a vampire was addictive, overwhelming. Because Myka could barely think, could barely do anything but react to the storm, the physical sensation roaring through her. Helena had been holding back, before, and now she wasn't, and Myka was helpless to do anything but cry out her pleasure into the Mississippi night.

The next morning, Myka woke, confused and disoriented, in Helena's bed. She wasn't physically tired, but mentally – she didn't have any idea what was going on. Her body had been through the mill in the last few weeks – she'd almost died twice, now, and Helena had saved her both times. Without Helena, she wouldn't be alive. She had experienced paralysis and what it was like to feel her blood flooding her lungs, to feel her bones break, and to wake up unharmed. It would take a normal person a lot of time to process that, and she wasn't anywhere near normal.

She looked around – the room was furnished beautifully with antiques that somehow still managed to look comfortable. The bedframe was wrought iron but the mattress appeared to be memory foam. It was incredibly comfortable.

Helena had left her another note on the nightstand.

Myka

My love. Last night I lost control and I fear that I will have scared you away. Please allow me the chance to explain. There is also something you need to know about the exchange of blood. Please, if you will, come back here tonight for dinner.

With my most fervent apologies

Helena

Myka's forehead creased in confusion. She had goaded Helena into losing control, and while it had been slightly frightening in some ways, it had also been incredible. Myka had no regrets, none at all, when it came to Helena.

She moved around, checking out the room and the others next to it. There were several beautiful guest rooms and a huge bathroom with a bath that could easily fit both of them, with room for more.

The downstairs rooms were much the same. While fitted out in an antique style, the furniture looked comfortable and everything went well together. There was a huge library with a writing desk in it, and Myka noticed with some surprise that there were a number of what appeared to be manuscripts on the desk. She buried her desire to snoop at those, thinking that would be a step too far.

The kitchen was huge, packed with every possible modern convenience, which Myka found incredibly funny, for some reason. There were at least two microwaves, and Myka wondered idly whether Helena had vampire friends who she'd be inviting round – and what they would be like. The way Pete had described them, other vampires weren't as pleasant as Helena.

When she had satisfied her curiosity she had a shower in the luxurious bathroom, and dressed in the fresh uniform Helena had left out for her. She wondered who had retrieved her clothing and possessions and brought them here. Was it Helena or Pete?

She found her car outside, and once again wondered how it had arrived there. She looked around the neighbourhood, which was an older area of the town, primarily populated with the richer – and usually the oldest – members of the community. There were no houses in the immediate vicinity of Helena's. Myka drove to the station and when she stepped inside, Leena was waiting for her.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Sheriff," she murmured, drawing Myka through the door and to her office, passing her a coffee. Myka stared at her in bemusement.

"What do you mean, Leena?" she asked, her eyes crinkling up in confusion.

"I mean I'm glad Pete was able to keep you alive, that my gift did what it was supposed to."

"What?" Myka asked.

"I didn't say anything, Ma'am," Leena said, her eyes widening.

"My God she can hear me without even touching me now, must be the vampire blood. Look at her, she looks strong and her hair is lighter and her eyes are like crystal…"

"Woah, slow down, Leena…" Myka said, sitting down suddenly on her desk chair. She could hear Leena and she wasn't touching her. She'd been doing her exercises, thinking of doors opening into a field, hearing everything around her… but this was too quick and too complete.

Leena was just staring at her, and she was saying nothing, and thinking nothing – deliberately. Myka thought for a moment about what Leena had said the first time.

"You're the one with precognitive abilities?" she asked, taking off her hat and scratching her head for a moment.

"Yes," Leena said reluctantly.

"You told Mrs Frederic to have Pete watch me?" Myka asked, taking a sip of the hot coffee. It was delicious, a really deep flavour that it didn't normally have.

"Yes," Leena said.

"I can see things sometimes, and other times it's just a feeling. I knew you were in danger, but not from whom or why. I did what I could. We failed you with Walter Sykes and Marcus Diamond and I didn't want to do that again. If the other werepanther hadn't attacked Pete he would have been able to save you. I didn't see it because Sally decided at the last minute to ask the other were to come along."

"It's okay, Leena. You did what you could. Helena was able to save me. It isn't ideal, but it's certainly not your fault."

Leena nodded carefully.

"Thank you."

Myka nodded, and Leena left her to her thoughts. This was unexpected – more than unexpected. Mrs Frederic clearly had more interest in her than she'd thought, and Leena was some sort of psychic. Myka might have been sceptical about the existence of that kind of ability before; she wasn't anymore. Meeting the were pack and Pete – not to mention her own ability - had left her open to most possibilities.

Thinking about openness made her wonder how she was going to deal with hearing everything that people were thinking again clearly, like she had when she was a kid, before everything had gone so wrong for her. She felt an irrational fear of losing what she'd found here – Helena, her budding friendships with Pete, Claudia, Steve, Leena – even Dr Calder and Artie Nielsen. But, she reminded herself, each and every one of those people didn't fit in, in one way or another, and none of them were the type to ostracise her for being different. It felt strange, to know that she was so different, and that it didn't matter to Helena, or Pete, or even Mrs Frederic. She was wanted here, for all that she was, not in spite of what she was.

Her morning was quiet, until a dishevelled looking Pete Lattimer came into her office and closed the door. His mind was racing.

"God I hope she doesn't hate me I tried but I didn't expect there to be two of them I did my best… Goddammit, why is she looking at me like that? I don't want to tell her this, but she needs to know…"

"Tell me what, Pete?" she asked, steepling her fingers and leaning forward on her desk.

His mouth fell open.

"You can hear? Like, properly?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Looks like Sally did me a favour, in a way. The vamp blood has made my ability stronger and I can hear without touching, now. I guess I just need to learn how to block it out, now, and I'm all set."

He bounded around the desk and pulled her to her feet and into a hug.

"That's amazing, Mykes. I'm so glad."

He squeezed her for a second and she let him, but then pushed him away, as he smelled sweaty and unwashed. He stepped back, his eyes widening.

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Do what?" she asked, but his mind was already telling her what she needed to know.

"How did she move me like that I'm a were and she's a human, she shouldn't be able to get me to move an inch if I don't want to."

She poked him in the chest and he fell backwards a little.

"Seriously, how?"

She put her hands on his waist and lifted him off his feet, setting him down gently a second later. It was effortless, and she grinned widely.

"Another side benefit of vampire blood," she said lightly, "along with the increase in mental powers or whatever. Leena said she thought my hair was lighter and my eyes were brighter or something?"

He gaped at her for a moment, scratching at his head.

"Is that… is it safe? To have that much vamp blood in your system? What's the downside, here?"

She thought about it for a moment, sitting down again at her desk and gesturing for him to take the seat opposite. Leena came in and out silently, bringing fresh coffee and donuts, the latter of which Pete tore into without ceremony. Myka looked at him with barely disguised disgust.

"Well, Helena said there's some stuff I need to know, about the exchange of blood. I'll ask her tonight. I imagine there is a downside, because when isn't there?" she sighed.

He nodded ruefully, sending a small cloud of powdered sugar over the paperwork in Myka's in tray.

"So, what is it you're afraid to tell me, Pete?" she asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

"Man she's gonna kill me how can I tell her…"

"Just open your mouth and spill it, Lattimer," she snapped, and his back straightened immediately.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, seemingly automatically, and she groaned internally.

"When Sally attacked us, I told you that there was another were. She pinned me down and it took me a minute to change forms and shake her off. I knocked her out and Mr Valda took her away for questioning. It seems that Sally had a bit of a plan, to mess with you and your life. She sent the other werepanther to Colorado before we did that magic thing."

Myka's mind abruptly screeched to a halt. Did the woman attack Jack and Rebecca?

"She found your mom and dad – your birth mom and dad, and your younger sister. Tracy?"

Myka nodded slightly, feeling a little faint.

"She bit her, Mykes. She bit Tracy."

Myka took a deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth, and again. She closed her eyes until she felt like she was calm enough to speak.

"So, is she alive?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed.

"She's alive. She wasn't too badly injured, but she's gonna change – at least partially - at the full moon, Myka, and she won't know what the hell is happening to her. You need to get her down here, or at least get her in touch with her local pack. Is she married?"

Myka shrugged.

"Honestly, Pete, I don't know. I haven't seen Tracy since the day the social worker took me away."

"Wow. It's gonna be a hell of a family reunion," he muttered. Myka shot him an evil look.

"Not helpful, Pete. Not helpful at all."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm so sorry, Myka."

"It's okay, Pete. None of this is your fault."

"If I'd kept her safe Helena wouldn't have had to kill Marcus and maybe none of this would have happened, she would be safe and her sister would be safe and she wouldn't be all high from the damn vampire blood…"

"Pete, it's not your fault. You did your best. What were you supposed to do? You defended me against Marcus. He had to have known you were a shifter, and he shot you. I would assume that's against some sort of code, or something. He was a son of a bitch and he got what he deserved."

Weirdly, she started laughing. She'd called him a son of a bitch, and he was literally a son of a bitch, because he was a werewolf. Pete, unfortunately, couldn't read her mind and was staring at her as if she'd completely lost it. She laughed until her stomach hurt, and Pete just sat there, his mind racing on. She tuned him out, surprised at the ease with which she was able to do it, and continued giggling until the fit passed.

"I'm sorry, Pete," she said, wiping away tears. "I think I just lost it for a minute there…"

"Ah, sure Mykes. I understand. It's a bit of a fucked up situation, I get it."

"I don't even know how to approach them," she muttered, her head in her hands.

"Well, I would be happy to come along, Myka. She's gonna need to see, I think, before she believes."

"Maybe," Myka said, shrugging slightly.

"Well, let me know what you want to do, and I'll be there, okay?" he said.

"Sure," she said, shaking her head.

"There is one more thing," he said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" she asked, starting to feel weary.

"The werepanther who attacked us – Valda wants you to go over there and decide what to do about her."

"What?" she asked. "He wants me to decide? What do they usually do if a were hurts someone?"

"Kill 'em," he said, shrugging. She stood up straight away, grabbing her hat.

"No way," she said, grinding her teeth slightly. "No more death. I'm so sick of it. Take me there now, Lattimer."

"Yes, Ma'am," was the inevitable answer, along with a tip of the hat. She sighed inwardly and followed him to his cruiser.