~Tori~

I felt unusually empty when I finally came back into consciousness. I groaned and stretched out, my body still recovering from the effects of the silver. When I opened my eyes I sat up in alarm. My hands slid over the bed, trying in vain to find my missing mate. Jade was gone, and that empty feeling I felt just got worse. Would they really take her from me while I was so vulnerable? I knew Jade being Jade would let them, submitting for my sake. She had gotten surprisingly altruistic toward her own well-being once it concerned me. I jumped from the bed, only stumbling a little from the sudden movement, and ran for the door. But before I got there, my mother and father came in. I skid to a halt with wide eyes. Without warning I growled at them. I could feel the hostility of my inner wolf telling me they had severed me from my mate. Yes, they were my parents, but my instincts still cried out to be heard.

"You took her," I snarled, my teeth sharp and on display.

"Now Tori, calm down. She's in no danger. In fact, you should be happy to know she's at home," my father spoke calmly. My mother nodded and reached out to grip my shoulder.

"She's home? After all this?" I questioned, disbelieving. My head tilted in puzzlement, my teeth returning to a non-hostile form. I was slightly embarrassed and a little sheepish for lashing out so quickly at them. It wasn't really like me to be rash but Jade made me more than aggressive when I felt she was in danger. I knew by my parent's understanding expression that they knew this too.

"Well, no, not hers. But she is home. We'll need you to explain her 'situation' to her parents," my mother said next. I stared at them in confusion, my thoughts racing to understand.

"She's staying with us?" I asked them quietly, the news finally dawning on me. A smile began forming soon after. I was ready to thank them a thousand times when my father must have seen this and held out a hand.

"No contact. Not until I can get things under control. She stays in the basement. Which is why you have to tell her parents she had a school project that requires her to stay with us for some time," my father warned. My smile fell but my mood hadn't dampened.

"No contact?" I whined, making my father's stern expression soften slightly.

"That's all you can think of?" he accused me, his amusement noticeable. I shrugged, unable to explain myself.

"Talking to Jade's parents seems daunting, but Jade hasn't really gotten along with them, so when they find out she won't be around for a while I'm sure they won't mind," I told them instead. My mother raised a hand to her mouth and gasped.

"Oh, how horrible! We may be monsters to humans but that's just…barbaric! How can parents not care for their child?" she asked softly.

"It's part of what makes Jade so independent," I answered honestly.

"Well, they unintentionally made her into a very strong vampire," my father noted thoughtfully. He had a hand on his chin, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.

"Father, she would never hurt anyone," I disagreed, my tone confident.

"I wasn't talking about her becoming an uncontrollable threat like so many other psychologically destroyed humans turned vampires. I meant she has a strong understanding of who she is and what she wants. Like you said, she's very independent," he commented. If I didn't know better I would have said he was impressed.

"You know, I think you've grown to be very independent as well," my mother told me proudly.

"It's important to do what I must to keep our way of life safe," I responded obediently. It was a trait wolves could never really abandon. Once we had something to fight for we fought hard for it, especially if it involved our pack or mate. Nothing could change our minds, besides perhaps our Bond mate. Jade was always fighting, succeeding, defending, herself for so long it was hard for her to allow another to do the same. She took care of herself until I came along. I wouldn't let her down.

"Yes, and speaking of that, I've heard that you went out on your own when you weren't on duty," my father chastised. I cringed and looked at him sadly. My nerves slightly quivered at the disappointed tone in his voice but I knew what I had done and I would take full responsibility.

"How did you find out?" I asked in a small voice.

"Nelson," my mother supplied, crossing her arms.

"What? How?" I spluttered, not believing the information possibly came from him. What did he gain from that?

"He took his business a little too far and was caught. When we questioned him he started spouting nonsense about you and a vampire parading around his club to direct blame elsewhere. Now, I know you had no business being there because you weren't on duty at the time," my father explained, his face hardening further.

"I can explain. It wasn't…I had a reason," I tried to tell him.

"The vampire was Jade, right?" he asked suddenly. I stopped my racing thoughts to look at him with a puzzled crease of my eyebrows.

"Yes, who else would be with me?" I asked him. He sighed in relief and ran a hand over his face but he didn't answer. My mother did.

"We thought you were either trying to take the matter with Beck into your own hands or they had found you first and were forcing you to act out like you had them imprisoned just to get you into danger. After all, we heard of the fight breaking out when you were there," she explained with worry in her eyes. I flinched again and began fidgeting.

"No, I was trying to show Jade what my job meant to me and how important it was. On top of that I was trying to…I don't know, prepare her for being around humans. I wanted her to be ready so she wouldn't…it was stupid of me," I explained weakly, bowing my head in shame.

"No honey, your intentions were good but you went about it the wrong way," my mother spoke up comfortingly. I nodded but said nothing more, my gaze still on my feet.

"Look, now that everything is somewhat settled I have to get back to the Council to decide on what actions we should take. Trina's busy digging up dirt on St. Claire and I need to clear up this whole situation. No one really knows about you two so let's keep it that way until things get better, ok?" my father cautioned me.

"Ok father," I confirmed.

"Good, now head home. I'm sure you won't mind being Jade's new guard dog right? You'll have to tail her to school and back but you can't go anywhere else, am I understood?" he told me, a hint of teasing but mostly clearly spoken.

"Yes father, I will," I promised resolutely, looking up at him with determination. I had to make up for my mistakes. He smiled and ruffled my hair before leaving me with my mother. She gave me a sad smile before speaking.

"Tori, I know your father hadn't mentioned it, but that wolf…Mason? I understand he was part of the rebel group who were after you but the patrol found him dead," she explained. I blanched a little at the thought of Mason dead. I had been falling in and out of consciousness by that time, but I knew Jade must have fought him. I survived because she won. My expression must have reflected my thoughts because she sighed. Before she could say anything I cut her off.

"She didn't kill him because she wanted to, she did it because she had to. If she hadn't we'd both be dead right now," I told her seriously. She nodded and held up her hands.

"I know, but just…keep a close eye on her. Beck is still out there and his record is clean compared to Mason's. We had reason to believe he would do such a thing and her actions are held in defense toward keeping you safe but if she tries anything with Beck, I'm afraid it would only make her look bad," she pleaded with me.

"Well, with father keeping her secluded she won't be out much but I'll make sure we go straight to school and back home every day to avoid any more conflict," I responded.

"Hopefully we can turn this around," she mumbled. I patted her arm and she gave me a loving smile.

"I'm going to get back to work. I've called in for both of you concerning school so that's covered. Do you need anything else or are you feeling better?" she asked me. I shook my head and gave her a thumbs up which made her smile.

"You and your father, two peas in a pod," she muttered, walking out. As soon as she was gone I frowned. I felt like I only made the mess worse. The best I could do was find and catch Beck so he could be brought in for questioning. Maybe that would even the odds a little. I tried to come up with a plan while I left the hospital and made my way home. I couldn't come up with a single one by the time I was walking in the door. I headed straight for the hidden basement and pulled open the hatch located in the back corner of our garage. The sensor's lights blinked on automatically, making me wonder if Jade was really down here.

If she was, she hadn't been moving because the lights were off. I jumped down into the room to see she was lying on her side on a cot behind bars. The bars themselves were pretty thick and I knew just what they were made out of. Silver. Trina and I both had to spend time in here back when we transformed for the first time at the age of twelve. The first time was always wild and uncontrolled. Until we could interact with our true selves and control the wolf inside we had to be here. I walked up to the practically full room cage which took up the whole room except for a narrow path along the wall to walk and enter. Jade hadn't even flinched from the lights and I began to grow worried.

"Jade?" I called to her quietly. She seemed to tense when she heard my voice.

"Vega," she grumbled back in acknowledgement. Her voice was coarse and instantly I knew. They hadn't fed her in some time or they could have possibly…no, I couldn't think that. Draining just enough blood to keep prisoners tame wasn't something they needed to worry about with Jade, did they? She could be at risk of losing control again. It was a dangerous tactic I hadn't thought my father would use. The awful idea that he might not be aware of it lit up my mind and frustrated me. Jade sighed and finally got up to stagger closer. Her eyes looked tired but they were still a strong, sharp, icy blue. She studied me from top to bottom before closing her eyes with a groan.

"At this point even you would do," she complained, carefully sitting down on the floor.

"And that's something I couldn't really consider," she muttered, head bowed. Even though it looked like nothing was wrong with her I knew she was suffering from hunger.

"Did they do this to you?" I asked her softly, getting as close to the bars as I dared.

"They brought me here as I was told would happen. They were halfway through the torture interrogation when your father showed up and stepped in to stop them. He apologized and told me it was protocol to treat everyone as a threat so there would be no assuming and mistakes later. I'm pretty sure they know now that I would never harm anyone, especially you. Shit, I didn't think they operated like this. You always make them sound so, so…" she grumbled, trying to find the words to finish her thought.

"Justified," I supplied in a deadpan, feeling a little sick. I didn't even know they did this so often. I was told it was a last resort tactic. I guess it hurt more to see it happen to Jade; to someone I knew. Would they do this or something worse once Beck was caught? Jade nodded in agreement and heaved herself to her feet with a grunt. She swayed a little before shuffling forward to stand as close to me as she could. Her somewhat hazy pure blue gaze had enough room for a smile directed at me.

"I'm just glad they didn't kill me behind your back. I was willing to go along with them but I know how fucked up that would be if I was just gone. I felt like I was dying when you were fading on me but you pulled through. It's great seeing you again, Tori. It feels better with you around; like it's manageable," she rambled. It hurt to see her so lost. They hadn't even bothered to replenish her blood supply. I knew my father would have but maybe he was too busy to stay long. I shook the conflicting thoughts from my head to give Jade my full attention.

"I'll get you something," I assured her, turning to leave.

"No, Tori, just stay with me. Your father told me you would be guarding me personally and getting in trouble at this point isn't worth it," she told me firmly. She swayed dangerously and caught herself out of reflex on the bars. Smoke rose at the contact and she hissed in pain before finally losing her balance. I rushed to stick my arms through the bars to catch her. I kept her away from them, the struggle making my own skin sizzle when I got too close. I bit my lip and held in the cry of pain, a whimper escaping instead. Jade pushed me away hurriedly and I staggered back.

"Don't be stupid Tori, you need to recover," she snapped at me.

"So do you. You're worth getting in trouble for, Jade. You're worth losing my position in the Council. You're worth everything I ever held important because you're more important than all those things. I'll find a way to get you out. This isn't fair. Whether they believe you to be a threat or they're trying to keep you out of the public eye, or whatever they're trying to do, I don't care! You don't deserve to be locked up like this," I growled. I spun on my heel and headed out, ignoring her calls for me to come back. She sounded desperate but I was even more desperate. First things first, I would get Jade some animal blood at least. Then, I would talk to my father about how she had been treated. I leaped out of the hole and shut the camouflaged trapdoor before marching through the house straight for the front door. I came to an abrupt halt in front of Trina who had just come in. She blocked my way with her hands held out.

"Tori, wait," she commanded. I had no time for this. I advanced on her, ready to throw her aside if need be, but she held her ground and eventually shoved me back.

"Tanner St. Claire is using you two to overthrow father. That much we're certain of based on your stories. After that vampire and wolf execution the conflict didn't get dropped. His records say he took an interest in the matter and he attempted to make a hybrid. For all we know he could have encouraged them. He lost his position once he was discovered. He's suspicious, Tori. If he's caught and proved guilty for trying something like rebelling everything else will be trivial," she blurted out quickly.

"What does it matter? They have Jade locked up in there starved like a prisoner! Like she's part of the plot to…" I trailed off, understanding suddenly clear.

"Wait, they don't think she's in on this do they? She's my Bond mate, how would she be able to put me in danger?" I demanded. Trina shuffled her feet before locking eyes with me.

"Let's sit and I'll tell you what I've overheard," she suggested softly. She held my arm and led me over to the couch. We sat and she hesitantly began.

"Based on the records of the past there were accounts from the captured rebels. They said they did what they did for various reasons. Some for freedom, some for rights, and some just brainlessly following because they believed the nonsense spread about the current leader. Some of the rebels captured were Bond mates who hadn't clearly been on the rebel's side but were just there because their mates were. They were prosecuted the same regardless so they were just being careful with Jade by making sure she wasn't involved," she reasoned.

"Beck," I whispered in realization.

"What?" she asked.

"Beck is a part of this new group because he believes he can win Jade back if he does what he's told," I explained to her.

"I know, I heard the patrol is searching for him too," Trina revealed.

"Poor Beck," I mumbled, unable to remain mad at him even now.

"Yeah, sucks for Beck, but that was the choice he made. Look, Tori, I'm sure you've seen Jade by now and that's why you're rearing to barge out the door, but just listen. They thought she was in on it too because she was turned so suddenly. It didn't help that it happened with Beck around, who she used to date, and while she was out there on her own, because now they have reason to believe she voluntarily did it," Trina explained. My anger spiked at the news.

"Jade isn't a follower, Trina. Even when she was human she didn't follow anyone. Regardless if Beck was a part of it or not she wouldn't. I know her," I responded certainly. Trina shrugged and let out a sigh.

"They're just being cautious, Tori. I hate to break it to you, but that's how things have been run. You're only now seeing it because you're involved. There's a reason we've kept things in working order this long," she admitted. I growled and stood to pace, unable to remain still.

"What about St. Claire then? Are they trying to find him? Aren't they trying to bring him in? He's obviously the leader of all of this. I mean, his records practically scream he's behind it all. I'll hunt him down myself if I have to," I snarled, my temper getting the best of me. Trina stood and held my arms tightly to stop my frantic pacing.

"St. Claire is definitely at the top of our list of people to bring in, but the problem is…we haven't seen him in decades," she told me. I froze and looked at her in confusion.

"What? But I just saw him!" I disagreed.

"He's been in exile once he was removed from his position so no one saw him again. We've been out searching before but he was just…gone," she said, ending lamely with a single shrug of her shoulders. She released me and I took a step back. She examined my face in concern before giving me a stern look.

"Tori, please don't charge in trying to fight him. You won't win and you'll only get yourself killed. Just do as father said and stay put. The Council will work things out and St. Claire will be caught," she assured me slowly like I wouldn't listen. I listened, but I wasn't sure I would obey. I nodded anyway.

"Ok, fine, but I still need to-" I began but Trina silenced me.

"There are packs in the fridge. It's been restocked since she was brought here. They probably didn't bother giving her any because father told them you could do it," she told me, a small smile on her face.

"Oh Maker, father needs to stop assuming I'll do things. I hate disappointing him when I make the wrong choice," I confided, bowing my head.

"You could never disappoint him," she replied. I looked up at her just in time to see her smile turn proud. It made my own smile flicker back to life.

"Thanks Treen," I replied. She shrugged playfully and punched my arm before turning for the stairs.

"Have fun playing guard for your vampire. I'll be in the study," she told me as she climbed the stairs. I chuckled and shook my head.

"I will," I assured her. She waved once and then disappeared up to the second floor. I made my way into the kitchen to grab two blood packs before returning to the basement. Jade needed all the strength she could get and I had to bring her up to date with the new turn of events.