"I'm fine, Zed," I grumbled irritably, slumping slightly in the back of the SUV. He glowered at me, nudging an awkward looking Xav into action. Unfortunately for him, he'd been sat between me and Zed so that he could heal any of our injuries while Yves drove us back to Denver. Elijah and Victor had taken Faith. Where, I didn't know, but at least I knew she'd be safe.

"She's right," Xav shrugged at Zed. "She'll have a killer headache for the rest of the day, but physically, she's fine."

"Thank you," I groaned with a roll of my eyes. "Now do you believe me?" Zed scowled, and something flickered in his expression. I knew he was still having difficulty with the memories Kelly had given him, and my lips pursed, my face falling slightly.

Xav coughed pointedly, pulling a face. "I'll, err . . ." He trailed off, clambering awkwardly into the front seat of the car and turning the radio on a little too loud. Yves shot him an irritable look, but didn't argue.

Suddenly uncomfortable, I drew my knees up beneath my chin, my eyes fixed on the window. I couldn't make out anything outside. The midnight black sky seemed to separate us from everything else, making me feel claustrophobic and trapped right beside Zed. Casting a cautious look in his direction, it made things a little easier when I noticed he looked just as awkward as I felt.

He's your soulfinder, Grace, a voice at the back of my mind scolded. Uncomfortable or not, you can't let him slip away again.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I shifted in the back of the SUV to sit beside him. He flinched slightly, his eyebrows tightening, but I only leant closer and pressed my lips to his gently. "I'm fine," I repeated quietly. "Honest. And I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

For a moment, he stared at me, almost surprised. Then, painfully slowly, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me a fraction closer. "Promise?" he muttered, and the same pained expression he'd had since his fight with Alex a few days crossed his features, usually so stubborn and strong.

A lump rose in my throat at the sight, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, burying my face into his neck. "Promise," I replied softly.

He let out a heavy sigh, tightening his hold on me and kissing my forehead gently. "Go to sleep," he muttered. "We've got a long drive." I didn't argue with him, shifting slight to make myself more comfortable in his hold and closing my eyes. The music in the background became much quieter, and the only thing I could focus on was the sound of Zed's heartbeat slowly lulling me to sleep.

I drifted in and out of sleep several times during the journey. Zed kept snapping at Xav for making Yves pull over at nearly every other gas station on the road, and my phone received several panicked messages from Alex. In every single one, I could hear Thea in the background, telling him to leave me to rest.

"I should probably call him back," I mumbled sleepily while Xav was stocking up on more food at yet another gas station.

Zed scoffed beside me and snatched my phone out of my hands before I could even start. "Forget it. Eat and sleep first. I'll text him and make sure he leaves you alone."

I rolled my eyes wryly, already squirming to settle back to sleep. "Not what I meant," I yawned. "Last time I spoke to him, we were arguing."

He winced. "Which was my fault." I scowled. "Relax, Grace. I'll sort it."

The front door suddenly slammed and I opened my eyes with a scowl long enough to see Xav grinning at me from the passenger seat. "Hungry?" he asked innocently, waving a large bag of crisps through the air. Rolling my eyes again, I leant back against Zed and went to sleep again.

The next time I woke up, we'd arrived in Denver. The sun had risen in a thankfully dull sky, and my muscles felt sore and unused as I uncurled myself from Zed's side and clambered awkwardly out of the car. He watched with a small smile, raising his eyebrows. "You alright?"

"Fine," I nodded, stretching out. "Just never let me sleep in the back of a car again."

He chuckled, taking my hand in his tightly. "Come on. We'll get some breakfast before we check in with Vic."

"Where is he?" I asked as he led the way into the coffee shop Yves had parked up outside.

"With Trace," he answered easily. "He lives here, and from what I can tell, they're still trying to figure out where to keep Faith."

I blinked, momentarily confused. Yves and Xav didn't seem bothered, slumping into the booth behind us and leaving us to our own conversation, perfectly relaxed considering the night we'd just had and the fact an escaped kidnap victim was currently in their family's care. "What about her family? Won't they want to know she's alive?"

Zed stared. "Of course," he frowned. "We're not holding her against her will, Grace. But it's unlikely her family will be able to protect her against Kelly, especially if he's working with Matthews. They'll be told where she is, and they'll see her again, provided she wants to see them."

"Why wouldn't she?" I scowled. However little I might've known about my mother, if there was ever a chance I could have seen her again, I would've leapt at the chance.

"She's in shock," he explained carefully. "She doesn't know who to trust, what to do, or how to move on from where she's been. It's understandable she might want to get herself sorted before being confronted by an emotional family."

My lips pursed. I supposed it made sense. Faith had no way of knowing who was being honest with her these days. She was bound to find all this a little hard to handle. "So where are they thinking of letting her stay?" I asked, changing topic.

Zed grimaced. "Depends on what she wants. There's a chance she trusts our family more than others, since we broke her out, and my parents have already agreed to take her in for a while if that's what she wants."

"And make a bigger target," I added sourly under my breath, frowning at the menu in front of me.

"We'll handle it, Grace," he insisted wryly. "If it even comes to that. Elijah's thinking about taking her into the Redfield's protection, which is probably best. No one would be able to reach her there. Then there's Trace. He's said Faith is welcome to stay with him. He'd have to work, obviously, but Will and Uriel have already offered to help with that. They live over here while they're at college anyway, and the three of them are more than capable of keeping her safe. But it all depends on where Faith feels more comfortable."

I pulled a face. "Is Victor still trying to get her to testify against the Kellys?"

"Yes," Zed nodded, scanning my expression cautiously.

"She won't stay over here," I shrugged immediately.

He lifted an eyebrow. "How'd you know that?"

"Because I wouldn't. Not if you weren't here." He fell silent, and something flickered over his face. I shrugged again, dropping my gaze back to the menu. "I'm just saying that the only thing that's made me stay this long is you, and it's the same with Alex and Thea. Matthews held us in that place for years, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. When we ran, we didn't think about stopping him or standing against him. The only thought is surviving. Running away, and staying away. The only reason we've managed to do it now is because it's not just about us anymore. Faith will be the same. The only thing that's going through her mind is to get as far away from Kelly as humanly possible."

Zed frowned thoughtfully. "What if she wants revenge? What if she wants to see him get what he deserves?"

I snorted softly. "Then credit to her. I don't think she's that kind of person, she's too scared of him. But, for the sake of argument's sake, even if she was, her idea of revenge wouldn't be prison. Not for what he's done."

He stared at me. "Have you told Victor this theory?"

"I told him before we went."

"And you still agreed to do it?"

"Like I said, it was our only option."

He blinked, his jaw hanging slightly. "You know, I'm starting to see how you managed to stay away from Matthews all these years."

"Meaning?" I frowned.

"Meaning you're the most incredible girl I've ever met," he replied with a small smile. I blinked in surprise, not moving as he leant across the table and kissed me deeply. "You're a lot more thoughtful than people give you credit for. Maybe not very optimistic, but we can work on that." I shook my head at him exasperatedly, staring at him wide-eyed as he grinned at me.

By the time we'd all finished breakfast, Yves was immersed in a book on his phone, Xav was taking the keys for the SUV impatiently, I was starting to get tired again, and Zed was whistling to himself. That surprised me so much I almost walked into the coffee shop's door absent-mindedly. He sounded almost . . . happy. Which was great, but I didn't understand the sudden change. As if he knew he was confusing me, he kept grinning and winking in my direction, his eyes shining. There was nothing I could say to that, and I got the feeling he didn't want to talk in front of his brothers. So I dutifully climbed back into the car, unable to stop myself frowning slightly when he continued to whistle, keeping an arm around me possessively.

Unfortunately, the scene unfolding outside Trace's place cutting the whistling short. "What the . . ?" Xav trailed with a scowl, drawing the car on the other side of the street.

Outside the house, Elijah had his arms around a hysterically looking Faith, who seemed determined to make a break for it, while an exasperated Trace tried unsuccessfully to calm her down. In the doorway, Victor and a man I'd never seen before - a shorter guy built like a rugby player - were standing on either side of a slimmer, intellectual type with a slightly darker complexion than the rest. I figured these two must have been Will and Uriel, since they both shared the same family resemblance and remarkable good looks.

Exchanging a look with Zed, the two of us climbed out of the car and started hesitantly across the street. "Hey, Trace," Zed called, Yves and Xav hesitating by the car. "What's going on?"

Faith twisted in Elijah's hold to see us, and her eyes flickered in recognition. "You two," she breathed, her voice hoarse and weak. "You broke me out." I vaguely remembered Victor telling us she was Spanish, but if she'd ever had an accent, it had gone now.

"Yes," Zed frowned cautiously, keeping an arm around me. "My name's Zed Benedict. This is my girlfriend, Grace." My heart fluttered slightly at the reference but I kept my face straight, my eyes fixed on Faith.

"What's wrong?" I asked cautiously, and she hesitated.

Her lips twitched. "You know you're the first to ask me that," she choked, and Zed's grip doubled. Her expression fell again. "I'm not staying here," she gulped, so quietly I had to strain to hear her. "I can't."

I stared, glancing sideways at Zed. So I was right. She wasn't going to testify against Kelly. The small victory was bittersweet, but my eyes scanned the street. There were too many people peering through curtains, too many eyes witnessing this. "Get in the car then," I told her quietly, and Elijah shot me a strange look. "If she wants to leave, we can't keep her here, and she's causing a scene."

He hesitated, then let her go. She stumbled slightly, straightening herself out and scanning everyone cautiously. Pursing her lips, she started shakily toward us. "Hey, wait," one of the others brothers, the one built like a rugby player, interrupted. "We can't just-"

The second nudged him with a frown, his eyes fixed on Faith. She flinched when she caught sight of him, turning away quickly. "Let her go, Will," he muttered. His brother blinked, gawping at him in shock. But Uriel's attention turned to me and Zed, his expression bordering on desperate. "Make sure she's safe."

The two of us stared at him, and as Faith flinched, forcing herself to stride forward and shut herself in the back of the SUV, the truth hit me like a wrecking ball. I choked in shock, my eyes widening and beside me, Zed cursed under his breath. Uriel grimaced painfully, slowly turning away and heading back inside.

"No way," Zed breathed. "She might have a reason to stay after all."

I didn't answer. For some reason, I wasn't quite as sure that Faith being Uriel's soulfinder was such a good thing.