*This chapter contains possibly triggering content. Proceed with caution.

The knot of anxiety she felt in her stomach that afternoon returned as she neared her destination. Rosalie slowed her approach at the sound of voices, carefully hopping into the same tree where she had spied on Ephriam the week prior. Unable to see through the branches from above, Rosalie slowly moved lower and held her breath, listening.

"You are hiding something."

She recognized the voice immediately, sure it was the person she saw with Ephriam on her first night in Forks. Rosalie crouched down, bringing them further into view.

Ephriam grumbled, "Go home, Levi, and leave me be. I came here to be alone."

"It is not your land, Ephriam. It belongs to them. You have not been through your first change yet. It is not safe for you to be here unprotected. The whole place stinks of them. They come here!"

"I don't need your protection," Ephriam hissed. "I have seen this, brother. What I need is to be alone."

"Do you plan to do this after you have changed? Will you go rogue, Ephriam? Turn your back on your people and head off alone?"

"No, Levi," Ephriam said. "I know what they expect of me. Soon I will have no time for myself. Even my memories will not belong to me. Let me enjoy the last of my peace before I am forced to give up what little remains mine. Alone."

Rose gaped from her perch, straining to see through the fog as Levi's body twisted and fell forward. The sound of ripping flesh and cracking bone filled the air. In seconds, Levi stood again on four legs. Taller than any horse she had encountered, the black wolf huffed at Ephraim and ran off toward the boundary line.

This is how they can destroy us, she realized. Massive jaws to match a vampire's strength.

Rosalie waited for quite some time, unsure if the wolf would return. She contemplated moving from her hiding spot as Ephriam appeared at the tree base, standing directly under her.

"You can come down," he teased. "I am sorry about Levi. He wasn't supposed to follow me here."

Timidly, she asked, "You are sure he is gone?"

Ephriam chuckled. "Yes, Rosalie. Please, come sit with me for a while?" He had sounded furious as he argued with Levi only minutes before, but any hint of that emotion was gone. Instead, he wore a contented smile as if her presence calmed him.

"I would let no one harm you. Do not worry."

His confidence was almost laughable, but it only made him more endearing. Rose grinned and dropped to the ground at his feet. Ephriam did not flinch as she landed so close to him that the fabric of her dress brushed his abdomen. He led her toward a wide bench-like boulder beside the creek, and they sat, facing each other.

Without prompting, Ephriam reached for both of her hands, placing them between his own. Rose could not help but smile as his warmth filled her aching fingers.

The fog slowly settled around them like a curtain, instilling a false sense of comfort and privacy. And yet, Rosalie was nearly trembling with anxiety because they were alone. The conflicting emotions were confusing. She felt as if the surrounding fog had slightly invaded her mind as she tried to focus. "So, is Levi your family?"

"In a manner of speaking. We are cousins, but as my future pack mate, I considered him more of a brother."

She looked toward the creek bed beside them, barely visible through the thick white mist. The fog resembled smoke rolling along the surface, swirling and changing shape from the minute splashes as flowing water crashed over jagged rocks.

Tentatively Rose asked, "Does he know of me?"

"He knows some of your kind live nearby, and your family does not kill humans. The pack has agreed to avoid your family unless I give them cause," Ephriam said. "None are aware we have spoken more than once. I have often come to this place over the years. They have no reason to suspect any of you would be here with me." He let go of her hands, now nearly as warm as his own.

"He said it was a risk for you to be here." She flexed her fingers before clasping her hands together, hoping to contain the heat in them as long as possible.

"Because it is on your maker's property. Most of this land belonged to the tribe once," he said. "We still care for it and try to protect it."

"I can understand why you would. This is a favorite spot of mine, as well."

"And the meadow," he teased, grinning.

"Why did you go to the house today? Why not the meadow?" Rose glanced up to find him intently gazing at her face, his eyes drifting down the curvature of her jaw and over her full bottom lip. Rosalie could see her wide-eyed expression reflected in his eyes, although he focused on her face.

"Your family knows of us, that we have spoken. I did not think seeking you out would be an issue. It has felt deceitful not telling my brothers where I go or what I am doing. I would rather not begin the same habits with anyone else." Ephriam sighed. His voice trembled as he admitted, "I am tired of hiding, but soon I will have no secrets to keep."

Softly, she asked, "Why would your secrets no longer be your own, Ephriam?"

"Changing into the wolf brings gifts we do not have as humans. The wolves can communicate in their minds. They see each other's thoughts, feel others' experiences, and know their darkest truths. Each can see what the others are doing as it is happening. It is supposed to help the wolves fight as one, to expect each other's movements and feel when another needs aid."

Rosalie gaped in surprise as she considered how busy one's mind would be. She could only assume it would be like what Edward experienced at all times, except his thoughts would be open to everyone else. And Ephriam would feel much as Rosalie did, unable to find a moment of privacy or hold any secrets as Edward heard her every thought. Still, Rosalie knew from experience that Edward's gift was beneficial. To say she didn't covet it sometimes would be a lie. She wished for it now, wanting to understand how Ephriam saw her, to know if he wanted her the way Edward hinted.

But do you want him to? The thought momentarily terrified her when Edward made the idea sound threatening. While looking over the gentle still-human man beside her, her feelings were far from fearful. Rose had found him handsome the first time she saw him, but he was becoming increasingly so. His height and body mass continued to gain, a detail that should have frightened her now that she had seen what he would become. Somehow, Rosalie feared him less with every encounter.

Edward was not wrong when he claimed she thought of Ephriam constantly, and those thoughts were increasingly more than friendly.

With sudden, absolute clarity, Rosalie knew that, yes. She wanted this honest, gentle, brave, and outspoken man to desire her; to feel every bit as intrigued by her as she was by him. The revelation wrapped itself around her like a blanket as if, for a moment, his very essence surrounded her.

Ephriam's feverish hand gently lifted her chin to close her mouth, and he chuckled as he slid his palm across her cheek. Rosalie fought the urge to close her eyes and hummed as she pressed her cheek into his hand.

Silent laughter made his chest rumble as she looked up into his eyes. "You drifted away for a moment. What were you thinking about?"

Rosalie laughed nervously, grateful that he could not read her mind. "I was picturing what those things must be like for you and your brothers. I understand how it feels to have no privacy because Edward hears every thought."

He gasped. "Edward is a mind reader?"

"Yes, and he cannot make it stop, even for a short time. Edward hears everyone's thoughts at all times. More than anything, he craves silence and peaceful thoughts. He has heard many things he wishes to forget."

Ephriam nodded. "From all I have heard of the gift, it can cause great pain. Some learn to control their thoughts, but when secrets slip out, the trust between pack mates becomes damaged. That lack of trust can cause mishaps when fighting together and get brothers hurt because they get distracted. I am unsure it isn't as much of a curse as a gift. When they see how badly I do not want these so-called gifts, how much I dread the change... I'm unsure they will trust me to lead them. I do not want to spend my life destroying demons."

"It is a shame you cannot choose," Rosalie whispered. She could sympathize with his plight and ached to fix it for him somehow. She did not choose her new life any more than Ephriam had. Specific choices and privacy were no longer afforded her, either.

Ephriam admitted. "The fever is maddening, and my body aches. It is part of why I come here to swim. The cold water helps."

Astonished, she asked, "It eases your pain?" Cold had always made her pain worse. Even as a vampire, she couldn't escape the pain that racked her body when she became too cold.

"It eases the fever, which causes the change." His tremors were building. Rosalie could feel his rising temperature pulling her toward him in magnetic force, and she longed to lean into him. He gave her an apologetic smile and glanced back toward the water.

Surrendering to impulse, Rosalie stood and held out her hand. Ephriam took hold of it as she beckoned him to follow. Without a word, Rosalie led him around the rocky embankment surrounding the creek toward the pool.

He tugged her arm as she stepped into the water, stopping her. "What are you doing?"

That is a damn good question, Rosalie Hale. Playing with fire. That is what you are doing. Rose let go of his hand, stepping further into the water. Before losing her nerve, she said, "We both come here to swim, and you say it helps. We might as well."

The hem of her dress was quickly soaked as it dragged along the surface. Staring at Ephriam, she walked backward toward the pool. Rosalie couldn't believe her boldness, nor help but chuckle, considering how her mother would react if she were here. Hell, how Edward would react.

Rose held her breath and forced herself to look him in the eye as she unbuttoned her dress. Ephriam watched her silently, slowly untying the laces keeping his breeches secure at his hips. She removed her dress carefully and stood on tiptoe to drape it over a low-hanging branch. Ephriam sucked in a sharp breath as he looked over the cream-colored undergarments clinging to her curves while she stepped into the pool.

Rose lowered herself into the crisp, clear water, leaned back, and closed her eyes. The rolling fog soon camouflaged her pale body as she submerged herself in the center. She could hear Ephriam's steps under the water as he moved closer and sat in the more shallow end.

She sauntered toward him from the bottom, parting the mist as she emerged from the water. Rosalie swept her hair to the side before wringing it out and tossing it behind her back. Ephriam watched her, wide-eyed, remaining silent as she sat by him on the slab he'd chosen, leaving their legs submerged in the pool.

Seeing his bewildered expression, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You are not of this world," he whispered.

She sucked in her breath as he reached to cup her cheek gently. His feverish hand against her cold, wet face felt like pure heaven. Rose instinctively leaned into his touch, reaching up to cup the back of his hand with her own. This time, she closed her eyes while openly relishing the sensation. His trembling had ceased, she realized, though, somehow, hers had begun.

When she opened her eyes, Ephriam's face was inches from hers as he stared at her. If her heart still beat, it would have been racing, like his heart raced at that moment. Instead, Rose's poor, silent heart broke for the beautiful man beside her. He had been more gentle with her in a few encounters than any human ever was. Her own father had never been as kind.

Rose had told herself she held no interest in romance after what Royce did, but something about this man moved her. Perhaps the lack of pretense attracted her. He was blunt and honest. Genuine. He was not keeping up appearances or pretending as others did. Also forbidden to her, his physical proximity excited her more than she wished to admit.

Rose gently lifted her hand to his cheek, sweeping his hair from his face. "You know this can't be," she whispered.

"If this is all that can be," he whispered, "I will accept anything you wish to give. I want to know you."

She looked him in the eyes, unsure of what she was searching for. Desire? Fear? Rebellion? Love? Rosalie wasn't sure what she needed. But, for reasons she did not understand, she wanted this man. It terrified her to her very core. The only intimate touches she knew were overshadowed by memories of traumatizing violence. She had believed she would want no other man's mouth on her again. Now, staring at Ephriam's full lips had her biting down on hers to keep from kissing him. They were only inches apart. All she would need to do is lean in…

"I am not sure I could ever see you as an enemy."

The statement sobered her thoughts immediately. Ephriam would be her enemy - whether they liked it or not. Pulling away, she said, "You barely know me, Ephriam."

He reached to cup her face again, guiding her to look at him. "I want to. There is a soul behind those strange yellow eyes. I wish to know her. I already care for her, though I have only begun seeing who she is. When two have all odds against them, Rose, that kind of magic does not happen often. You have been on my mind since I first saw you."

His trembling had begun again. Rosalie stood and beckoned for him to follow before leading him into the deeper water. She dove under and away from him as he slowly sunk into the cold depths.

He chuckled as she resurfaced and said, "You appear more water deity than a demon."

She grinned as she swam back toward him. The steam of his body heat was visible above him as he stood in the frigid water. "And you appear a little more demon," she teased. The water around where he stood even felt warmer. He was still trembling.

"Is the water not helping?"

"A little," he said hesitantly. He reached for Rosalie's hands under the water, warming them again. It surprised Rose to wonder how his heat would feel pressed against her ice-cold body.

Ephriam asked, "Would you trust me if I asked you to?"

"It seems I already do, or I would not be here," she said, only then realizing it was true. "Trusting men is foreign to me."

Carefully, he guided her toward him. When they were close enough, he closed the distance between them by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest.

The sudden embrace was unexpected. It was too much, too fast. The intensity of Ephriam's body against hers made Rosalie panic as sensations surrounded her too quickly. Memories of sweaty, smelly bodies between her frozen legs overwhelmed her, and she abruptly pulled away.

Rosalie held her hands up in warning, panting as she struggled to control her emotions. "Please give me just a moment," she said, looking away while choking back an embarrassed sob. She wanted what he had done but a moment before and enjoyed every other touch before it. Why did the memory have to sully the experience for her? The shame of it was humiliating, and she was tempted to simply leave.

Pulling her from her piteous thoughts, Ephriam sighed sadly and asked, "Is he dead?"

She looked back up at him sharply and asked, " Who ?"

"The one that hurt you," he said knowingly. "I sensed it from you before. You feared me, though your strength is much greater than mine. Only terrible men create fear in such a strong woman."

Rose couldn't hold back her tearless sob as she turned away from him again. Though it had been no fault of her own, what those men had done to her was her greatest shame. They had ravaged more than her body that night. They had destroyed her innocent illusion of love and murdered her faith in a God that did not help her as she lay there screaming, praying it would end.

"Rose," Ephriam said, approaching her from behind. She turned timidly toward him, looking at the water as he repeated, "Is he dead?"

"They," she whispered, and he gasped. " They are dead."

Again, Ephriam eased closer, cupping her face as he stared into it. She raised her eyes to look into his, finding only admiration there. There was no pity. No judgment. None of the loathing she felt for herself every time she looked at her vampiric beauty in the reflection.

With pride in his voice, he said, "You are a warrior. One with a wild, brave, beautiful soul. Some men are worse monsters than any spirit or demon. You were brave to survive what they did."

"I did not feel brave," she whispered. "I did not fight for long. My strength was no match. Perhaps had it been the smallest of them-"

"Not struggling is also brave, Rose. You were trying to survive."

"I was trying to die," she hissed, more at herself than Ephriam. "Once Royce had me and then the next… and the next. I didn't want to live anymore. I just prayed for it to end."

Rose's throat ached as she paused and held her breath to keep from sobbing. Ephriam slowly reached to cup her upper arms. When she did not pull away, he stroked them and stepped closer. Rose closed her eyes, allowing his heat to envelop her slowly, willing herself to adjust.

She took a deep breath and continued, "I wanted to die. My face was barely recognizable, or so I've been told. They certainly didn't want anyone to find out who I was. Bruises in the shapes of their hands and fingers were everywhere. There wasn't a single piece of clothing for them to cover me with once they ripped them all away. They just… left me there. Naked, beaten, soiled in every imaginable way, dying alone, and lying in a puddle of blood in the snow."

She couldn't believe her openness with him about the most painful experience of her life, a tale she refused to tell anyone in detail. She would never confess to him how they kicked her dozens of times once they finished using her body or how she only froze faster after two of them pissed on her soon-to-be corpse when she was too out of her mind to move or complain.

He whispered, "I am glad they are dead. And I am glad you are here."

Steeling herself against the rapid influx of heat and the flashback it caused, Rosalie carefully slid her arms around his waist. Ephriam paused his hands on her arms and held entirely still, allowing her to embrace him at her own pace. Rosalie slowly leaned into his warmth, attempting to relax against him. He allowed her to hold him in silence. Both took slow, deep breaths until she finally calmed.

When she looked up at Ephraim, his face hovered above hers. His trembling had ceased as she clung to him. She could feel herself getting warmer, absorbing his body heat. Rosalie sighed as her shaking eased. The eternal body aches she could never fully conquer began to fade. It was exquisite.

I'll never want to let him go. Rosalie found it odd that the thought of being with him did not frighten her. Instead, it felt familiar, as if they shared lifetimes together. Ephriam was deeply embedded in her soul, his warmth a home she never knew existed.

Ephriam slowly slid his hands across her back, closing his arms around her. "Is this alright?"

She nodded and lowered her forehead to his chest, reminding herself to stay calm. Time seemed to slow down for her as his hands lightly stroked her back, their rough surface and heat thrilling and soothing. Eventually, one hand gently nudged her chin, and she raised her head to look at him.

"Are you alright?"

"I believe so."

He grinned and teased, "It seems I should let you come to me at your own pace."

"That would be best, I am sure."

His dark eyes captivated hers as he said, "What you just did was incredibly brave."

"I still do not feel brave," she admitted with a chuckle. "But I do feel better. I apologize for putting you through all of that…"

Sarcastically, he teased, "Oh, yes. A beautiful woman who impresses me every time we meet trusted me to hear her story. Then she held me in her arms. It was terrible. Thank you so much for your apology."

Rosalie looked down to hide her embarrassed grin as she laughed. Once upon a time, she would have been supercilious, her vanity fed by the compliment and swelling her ego. Rosalie would tease those flirtatious men in return, rolling her eyes at them. Ephriam's teasing felt different. It didn't anger or annoy her, and his grin was infectious.

Ephriam laughed as he nudged under her chin again and teased, "Nah, now, none of that, Rosie. There's no need for that with me."

Rosie? She raised her head (and eyebrow) while biting back a grin but was met with an expression of utter devotion. She stammered, "T-hhank you… For being so understanding."

Ephriam tentatively brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. "May I kiss you?"

She blinked as his question ignited her curiosity. What minor anxiety she still felt burst into butterflies in her chest. Even after telling him her most shameful secret, Ephriam said she was brave - a warrior. He still wanted her. Rosalie couldn't describe the relief she felt or ease the sensation of danger that followed. Instead, she instinctively lifted her arms to encircle his neck, shoving her hands into the back of his long blue-black hair. A moan escaped him as her fingertips slid across his scalp, and he chuckled as her eyes widened.

"It's perfectly acceptable to say no if that's what you prefer," he said as he tilted his head back down.

Rosalie held her breath, steeling herself again as he leaned in to brush his lips against hers. The feather-light warm touch sent a spark from her lips to her spine. As she pressed her lips back to his more firmly, the same spark ignited her limbs, making her whole body sing. She fought against the urge to grip him tighter, afraid she may accidentally hurt this gentle, beautiful man before her.

Ephriam pulled away from the kiss and chuckled as she looked into his eyes, dazed. Her vampire family had claimed she would possess gifts that would enter the surrounding humans, but he was the one casting a spell.

"Ephriam!" The unexpected approaching voices crashed through the fog-filled space, effectively ruining the moment.

He let go of Rose and cursed under his breath as she fled. She swiped her dress from the tree limb overhead and darted up the first tree she could reach to hide. She watched as Ephriam walked to the shore and pulled his pants on, simultaneously slipping her arms through the thin blue cotton dress.

Two men stumbled angrily toward the creek side, glaring at Ephriam.

"Where is the blood-sucker?"

The one called Levi stared around the area cautiously. "We were chasing one earlier. There is a distinct smell here."

Immediately angry, Ephriam hissed, "Why were you chasing one? The yellow eyes are to be left alone on their land. You know this."

"When you finish your change and take your rightful place, you may call the shots, Ephriam. Until then, that decision is mine," the first man snarled at him.

"You best heed my warning now, Quil," Ephriam said. "The day will come, eventually."

"Is that a threat, brother?" Quil asked him.

"It is a warning," Ephriam said. "If you worsen our situation in your haste to prove yourself, I will not be forgiving when the time comes. We do not have to destroy every creature that crosses our path."

"They are our enemies," Levi argued, breaking his silence.

"The yellow eyes are not! "

Quil stepped closer to him and froze. "You have made a friend, Ephriam," he mocked. "The scent comes from him, Levi."

Levi turned toward Ephriam again and growled. "You betray your own people, Ephriam?"

"I betray no one," Ephriam hissed, "I will have peace with those who are our neighbors. I will keep peace with those who are not a threat. They do not hunt humans, and their eyes are proof of that."

Quil teased, "And how do you know so much, Ephriam?".

"I pay attention. I watch. I listen. I ask questions. I will not go into the change ignorantly when the time comes. I will not allow my rage to make me no less a monster than the demons we kill."

Levi asked, "You dare call your own kind monsters?"

"It is what we are if we behave like it."

Levi cackled and said, "It is a woman, isn't it? She has bewitched you."

"No one has bewitched me," Ephriam said, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"I should hope not," Quil muttered. "You know nothing can come of it."

Levi said, "It's disgusting. The dame is dead, Ephriam. Soon, you will change. You will finally see and smell the death in her when you do. When it's time for me to say I told you so, you can stick it up your-"

"Enough, Levi," Quil interrupted. "Even if you are right. Ephriam will see soon enough."

Rose sat back on the branch she perched on, gritting her teeth while her throat burned with her silent sobs.

They were right, of course. Nothing could come of this. Nothing but a broken heart when Ephriam finally changed, becoming my natural enemy. Feeling defeated, Rose scrambled toward the treetops and fled for her home.

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