There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter. Mostly between Kendall and James. This was quite delayed due to real life things I had to get done but I'm baaack! Check out the BTR Plot Adoption Forum if you haven't already, there's a new challenge coming up soon :) enjoy!

Hawk's funeral was a relatively quiet affair. James, of course, didn't know any of his family or friends. The only people he knew there were his mother, the Jennifers and Ms Collins, sitting in the front row in tears. The last funeral James had been to was his grandfather's, but from his dad's side. He barely knew him, and even though it felt insensitive, he knew this situation was the same. Hawk was his boss, but he really didn't know him well at all. Not only that; he used runes to turn him into a monster, into his slave. The Jennifers were working for him as part of some evil druid cult. They planned to kill Kendall. Hawk was better off dead and gone, maybe now everyone would be safer. It felt terrible to think so, surrounded by all these people who seemed to love him. But they couldn't have known him, not what he was really like.

Knowing all this, his knees still quaked when the service was over and it was time to walk up and pay his respects to the family. He felt his mom's hand on his back, gently pushing him as she followed up the aisle. When he reached the front bench, he greeted the first person with a brief, loose and uncomfortable handshake. When he reached Ms Collins, she offered out her hand and said quietly, "Thank you for coming, James."

When he took her hand, she squeezed it tight and they shook quickly. "I know this isn't the time to bring this up," she murmured, sniffling. "But I should tell you, the store will be closed for the next few days. Maybe longer. I hope you understand . . ."

"Of course I do, don't worry. I'll see you soon, okay?" He walked back down the aisle beside his mom and out of the church. Blinking quickly at the sudden brightness of the sky, he turned to follow her to the car. Could it be that the danger had finally passed? Of course there were still the Jennifers to contend with, but as Camille said they were still young. Without their leader they weren't powerful or cunning enough to pose a real threat.

He didn't know how freedom felt. He left a little lighter on his feet, he supposed, but was that just relief? And he suddenly felt overwhelmingly ill, overcome with confusion.

"Hey, Mom?" he asked slowly, turning around to look back at her. "Do you mind taking a detour? I don't really feel like going home . . ."

"Sure honey," she replied with a nod, briefly glancing in her rearview mirror. "Where do you want to go?"


James knocked on the door of Number 5, taking a deep breath as the door started to open. A woman with red hair whom he'd never seen appeared, giving him a small smile. "Hello. I don't think we've met before."

"Hi, er . . . I'm James," he greeted sheepishly, sticking his hand out awkwardly for her to shake. "And you're Ms Knight?"

"Oh, call me Jen! All Kendall's friends do. Here, come inside." She stepped aside and gave him space to walk into the house. "Kendall's up in his room, do you know the way?"

"Yes, thank you!" He jogged up the stairs and down the hall, remembering when he took the same route with Kendall the night of Jenny's death. He reached Kendall's door and took a nervous breath. He raised his hand and rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, shoving his hands in his pockets immediately after in an attempt to look a little more casual than he suspected he did.

Kendall opened the door, eyes widening when he saw him. "Hey."

"Hey . . ." James bit his lip. "I've just come from Hawk's funeral. I didn't want to go home."

Kendall reached out and gently took his hand. "Let's go sit down." He led James inside and shut the door after them, taking him to the bed and sitting down. "I'm sorry . . . how was it?"

James sighed. "Not easy, as you can guess. Ms Collins is pretty crushed. I'm just thinking about what's going to happen now . . ."

"There's a lot unanswered," Kendall nodded. "We don't know how Hawk was killed, do we? Or who by."

"No. That's not the kind of thing we'd be able to find out either." James kicked off his sneakers and sat back on the bed, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm just hoping that now that Hawk is dead, I'm free from his control and I'm not a kanima anymore. Or at least a kanima with no master. Which is pretty much the same thing."

"How would someone else become your master, if they could?"

"I have no idea. There's not much known about the way it works . . . Hawk would've known all the methods I bet. Ironic, huh?"

"Mhm . . . I'm sure runes and a bite isn't the only way. But if there's no one around who knows what you are or who has a reason to control you it doesn't matter, does it?" Kendall grinned. "I'd take this as a good sign until there's a reason not to. Quit while you're ahead or you'll get wrinkles."

"That would not work for me," James shuddered. "You know I'm afraid of receding hairlines?"

"Oh, don't even talk to me about that. My dad's head is on its way to resembling a boiled egg. Not to mention his beer belly. Thankfully I can't stand the taste. Oh, do you want something to drink?"

"Actually, that'd be great. What do you have?"

"Anything. Non-alcoholic, of course. My mom's in the house." He chuckled and got up. "How about cocoa? That'll calm you a little."

"That sounds great."

"Marshmallows?"

"As many as you can fit."

"Make yourself comfy." Kendall opened the door, glancing over his shoulder. "Just don't touch the shoebox under my bed that says 'Special Porn'."

"Ha. Just go before you make a bad joke," James teased, waving to him as he left the room. Now alone in the quiet bedroom, he looked around a little as he drummed his hands lightly on his lap. The runes were still scratched on the bottom of the door, but Kendall had taken a cloth to them and scrubbed most of the blood off. Probably so his mom wouldn't notice them. He looked at the dresser by Kendall's bed, leaning over and picking up the framed photo that sat there. It was a picture of Kendall and his family; all four of them. This must have been taken right before she died, he thought to himself as he looked at Katie's face. Kendall was older in the photo and as far as he knew, they hadn't seen each other for years before Katie and her father's recent visit. They were all smiling in the picture. Feeling a little queasy all of a sudden, he put the picture back. It was so easy to forget; Hawk had killed her too. An innocent little girl, all to take control of an innocent boy. To fatten him up with power, ready for slaughter.

He got up and walked around the room, stopping to stare out the window at the trees and fallen leaves below. How long had she been out there, before she was snatched? If Hawk had chosen the Knight family from the beginning he must have been watching them. At least since Katie came to visit. Maybe he'd found out about her coming from someone else in town, innocently. There was no way to know now that he was dead.

Looking out the window suddenly gave him an uncomfortable shiver, and he turned away to walk back to the dresser. Now that he was standing he could see what was beside the photo; although at first he couldn't really make any sense of what it was. At first glance it looked like a pile of junk.

The collection of items were scattered a little apart on the dresser. There was a vial of what he recognised as mountain ash, along with a couple of others he didn't know. Then there were several different gems and a little bundle of herbs wrapped in string. Exactly the kind of trinkets Kelly gave to Kendall and Logan to practice their power. However, accompanying them were a couple of twigs, some small sheets of paper, a box of matches and a lighter.

He was startled by the door opening again and turned to see Kendall walk in with a mug in each hand and a pack of marshmallows dangling from between his teeth. He walked over to James and handed him a mug of cocoa, dropping the marshmallow pack into his hand. "I figured I'd bring them all. You're looking at my little workshop?"

"Have you made any progress?" James took a sip of his drink and sat down on the foot of the bed. "This is good, thank you."

"I've made very little. The fire is the hardest part." Kendall sat beside him. I've been trying to light the matches by myself, and I'm using the lighter to try and control the movement of the flame to the paper or the sticks. I'm not having much luck though. I did light one match, and I freaked so hard I dropped it, it went out, and I haven't been able to do it again since."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But is it helping you concentrate a little better?"

"I feel like I'm back to my old self," Kendall smiled, drinking his cocoa and eating a marshmallow. "And that's a great feeling."

"I'm glad." Their hands rested side by side on the bed, fingers almost touching. "Really, I am."

Kendall looked up at him, holding his mug with two hands on his lap. He smiled sweetly, cheeks pinking slightly. "Thank you."

Seeing Kendall's cheeks darken made James' heart beat a little faster. Then again, being close to Kendall always did. They were so close now that he could almost feel Kendall's breath on his nose and cheeks. Then he could and it smelled of chocolate and their lips were so close to touching. He could almost taste him—

A knock on the door startled him and his forehead bumped forehead, colliding with Kendall's with a painful clatter. "Ow!"

"Come in, Mom," Kendall groaned, hand on his forehead, face scrunched up in pain.

She poked her head in, smiling at them. "Sorry to interrupt you, boys. I'm about to start dinner and I was wondering if you'd like to stay?"

"Oh, um . . ." He looked at Kendall. Even with his hand still pressed to his forehead, he was smiling. "That'd be nice. Thank you."

"Okay, great! It'll be about an hour, I'll call you when it's done."

"Thanks, Mom!" Kendall called after her as she closed the door. He dropped his hand and took a long gulp of his drink. "How's your head?"

"It feels better," James said a little mournfully. "Though my ego's definitely bruised."

"Well, maybe it could do with a little bruising." Kendall chuckled. "Mine's definitely had one in the past few days. But weirdly enough, I feel better for it. High school drama doesn't matter anyway. To Beau it's important but once we're out of school it won't mean a thing. The stuff we're dealing with now, that matters."

"Though most people don't go through what we've been through," James laughed as he stood up. "Show me what you've been doing with this stuff, I want to see. It sucks being the only one who can't actually do anything unless I'm told."

"But you're the one who figured a ton of this shit out," Kendall pointed out, getting up too and picking up a selection of items from the dresser. "You're one of the most important people involved here. Don't forget that, okay?"

"I won't . . . thanks." They sat back down. "So what are you going to show me first?"

"I'm going to show you a couple of these stones. This one is my favourite." He picked up a round, smooth stone. It was a smoky shade of pale green, and when the light from Kendall's overhead light caught it, it glinted just like his eyes. "It's Jade."

"My grandma has a little pig made of Jade," he replied, eyeing the stone. "She keeps it beside her bed for luck, or something." The stone Kendall held in his hand was about the size of a walnut, maybe a little smaller.

"Druids use them to bring out calmness of the mind, to wear down stress and fear. And like your grandma, for good luck." He clenched his fist around the stone, hiding it from view. "What they do is channel their energy into it, and the returning effect is different depending on the type of stone. It's easier if I just show you. I need you to stay quiet while I concentrate; I'm still getting the hang of it."

Kendall closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. James watched his lips pucker as he let the air out, his eyelashes gently resting on his cheeks. It was the first time he'd ever seen him so relaxed; not tense and mad or confident and full of swagger. He was serene as he sat there with the Jade in his hand. His body moved gently as he breathed. He bit his lip and opened his eyes. And James' heart sped up again.

Kendall opened his hand. "Touch it," he said, a slightly nervous smile on his face.

Nodding, James touched the stone and jumped as he felt a pulse inside of it. Stranger than that, though, was the sudden calming of his heartbeat and own pulse. What the fuck is this stone doing to me?! This is so weird, my body feels so calm but my thoughts are the same, why do I feel kind of sleepy . . . He lifted his hand from the stone, finding it oddly heavy. Almost immediately his head cleared a little and his heart began to hammer in disbelief. "It was like it controlled my body . . ."

"It just relaxed your body. I guess your thoughts didn't follow, huh?" Kendall was beaming with pride. "If you'd kept your hand on it they would have eventually."

"Well, it's pretty cool. Just a little spooky." James looked down at the other stones he'd dropped on the bed. "What does that red one do?"

"That's Garnet. It enhances sexuality, passion, feelings of intimacy . . ."

"Uh." He cleared his throat, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "L-let's maybe not test that one."

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't. I'll show you this one."

Kendall showed James a few more of the stones, channelling his power into all of them and letting James touch them to feel the effects. He felt mixtures of drowsiness, sudden overwhelming fear and overwhelming giddiness. He found himself laughing uncertainly as the last one was pulled away from him. "I think I've had enough of the stones," he giggled, hand over his mouth. "My emotions are everywhere right now."

"Sorry," Kendall giggled too. "I'll give you a break."

"Why don't you try the matches?" James suggested, picking up the box and handing it to him.

Kendall pursed his lips, taking them and rattling them in his hand. "I don't know . . . like I said, I only managed it once."

"Still, give it a shot. Maybe an audience will help."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Okay, you win." He slid the box open and took out a match. He held it by the wooden end and followed the usual procedure, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. James watched him again, eyes flickering between him and the match. After a few minutes the match started to quiver slightly and his first instinct was that something was starting to happen. But then he realised that Kendall's hand was shaking; he was clenching the match too hard. His jaw was clenched tight, his breathing becoming erratic and shaky. The match snapped and he was left holding the tip of it. His eyes shot open and he let out a long, aggravated groan, throwing the tip on the floor with the rest of the match. "I can't do it, it's too difficult," he sighed, head in his hands.

James gently took Kendall's hands away from his face, holding and squeezing them soothingly. "I think you're just too tense. You started shaking towards the end."

"I was just trying really hard to focus my energy . . ."

"I know, but you were a lot more relaxed when you used the gemstones. You probably need to stay relaxed for the matches too."

"You're probably right . . ." He looked up again and smiled at him. "I need to get better at not getting so frustrated with it. That's not helping."

"Exactly!"

"Boys, dinner's ready!"

"Come on, I'm starving," Kendall said chirpily, hopping up from the bed. "My mom's a great cook."

"Well, I'll just have to find out for myself." The two went downstairs to the kitchen and sat side by side at the table, Kendall's mother serving steaming plates of spaghetti and sitting down with them. "So, James," she began cheerfully as she picked up her fork. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well . . ."

Ms Knight seemed very interested in James and his family's life story – or at least the bones of it. And Kendall was right, she was a great cook. Afterwards they helped her wash the dishes and put them away, and once she'd insisted on feeding them a few chocolates from a new box she'd opened, eventually they were back up in Kendall's room, splayed out on his bed with full bellies.

"Your mom is the coolest," James sighed at last, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome," Kendall nodded. "She's been really great since all this stuff started happening. Even though I know it freaked her the fuck out. Not that I blame her."

"Me neither." James glanced at his watch. "It's getting late . . . I should get going." He sat up and swung his legs around to rest his feet on the floor, standing with a small groan, hand on his full belly.

"Coo, I'll see you Monday," Kendall chirped, rolling onto his side and reaching for his phone.

James glanced out the window as he passed, stopping in his tracks. Kendall's window faced the side of the house, and down below the trees he knew for sure what he saw; a group of people, standing clustered tight together and looking up at the window. Right at him. He spotted a flash of amber in one of their eyes. "Kendall!" he called, turning towards him and beckoning him over slowly. "I don't want to freak you out but there are people outside watching us."

"What?!" Kendall leaped over the bed and reached the window, looking out. "Where? I don't see anyone."

James looked back out the window. "What? But . . . they were there." He pointed. "Right under that tree. Five of them, I think. Maybe four."

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" James sighed, turning away from the window. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, I didn't say that." Kendall reached for his hand. "It's just, why would there be people watching us? Who could it be?"

"I . . ." He sighed again. "I don't know, okay?"

"Look, if you really think you saw someone—"

"I know I did."

"Then I believe you. We'll tell the others and see what they think of it. Tomorrow's Sunday; no school. I can text Camille?"

"Yeah, alright . . . thank you. I'll contact the others." He stepped towards the door. "Well, I was still planning to leave, so . . ."

"Yeah. Are you sure you're okay walking home alone? I could walk with you."

"No, I'll be okay. Hopefully. Uh . . ." He scratched the back of his head and stammered, "Anyway, I'd rather be alone than have you with me. I mean, if there is something out there."

Kendall blushed. "Thanks . . . I'll walk you to the door." They walked downstairs and Kendall unlocked the front door for him. "Be safe," he said firmly, before throwing his arms around James and enveloping him in a tight hug. James held him back, arms around his waist as he rested his forehead against his shoulder. He felt Kendall tilt his head up and kiss his cheek lightly before pulling away, nodding and adding, "See you tomorrow, yeah?" Typical Kendall; airy as ever.

"Yeah . . . bye, Kendall." He stepped back from the house and watched Kendall shut the door after him. Taking a deep breath he turned around to face the road, half expecting to see the group of strangers standing there right in front of him, or watching him from a distance. But they were nowhere in sight. He walked the whole way home glancing over his shoulder every few steps, but nobody ever came into sight. No one suspicious, at least. That didn't stop him from feeling much colder, much more frightened, than he'd ever been.


James was no werewolf; his supernatural instincts only kicked in while he was in his kanima form, with no control over them. But it didn't take any instincts stronger than a human's to see Gustavo acting shifty the moment they sat down in their meeting. As he told the story of what he saw the night before, Kendall seated beside him, his eyes drifted to Gustavo much more than the others. And for good reason; his eyes flickered about the room, his feet tapped on the floor, his hands clenched and unclenched tightly together.

"I'm not going to belittle you by dismissing your claims," Kelly said when he'd finished. "But Kendall has a point; who would be watching you, and why? It seems strange."

James turned to stare hard at Gustavo. Their eyes met and he clenched his jaw, looking away. "You know something," he persisted. "I can tell you do. Why aren't you telling us?"

Gustavo growled. "I didn't want to cause any drama because I thought I could contain the problem. But if they're out spying through windows then they've caught on faster than I thought . . ."

"Who have?" Jett demanded. "Tell us."

"It's another pack," he sighed, head in his hands. "Another pack of werewolves. They arrived in town just a day or two ago."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know! I've never seen them before. But, I do know why they came." Gustavo lifted his head, lips pursed as he raised his hand and pointed directly at Kendall. "They're after you."

"Me?" Kendall exclaimed. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" Gustavo snapped. Kelly frowned at him and he took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer (just about) voice. "You're the messenger. You're full of power. Obviously that caught their attention, though I didn't think they'd find you so quickly . . . My guess is that there are two possibilities. They want to take you and use your power for their own gain, or they want to kill you so you can't be used by anyone else. I don't know which one, but as you've figured out neither is exactly a picnic, is it?"

"No . . ." Kendall looked down. "They're not."

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, alright? But as long as they're here and they know where to find you, you're not safe."

"So what are you guys gonna do?" Logan asked from the corner.

"We can watch him," Jett suggested. "One of us can stay with him for a few hours, then we can switch. If they didn't take Kendall last night they must be afraid to unless he's alone."

"Good thinking," Kelly praised. "That's what we'll do. Who wants to go first?"

"I will." He didn't even have to think before he answered. He would protect Kendall at all costs. If being in his company kept the werewolves away, then he'd stay with him for as long at it took.

"Great, James will!" Kelly praised, looking around. "And after that? Lucy?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Let's arrange our shifts now."

As they discussed their hours, James couldn't help noticing how quiet and subdued Kendall had become. True, he didn't have a whole lot to contribute to the conversation (he couldn't exactly volunteer to watch himself) but he seemed to be lacking that usual spark of energy. He wanted to ask what was wrong, he knew Kendall would tell him if he did, but didn't want to put him on the spot in front of the others. He didn't need to make him feel any more vulnerable than he probably already did.

However, once they were back at Kendall's house and away from the others, he turned to him as he shut the front door and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I don't like inconveniencing everyone," Kendall sighed, kicking off his shoes and picking them up. They swung from his two fingers as he sloped up the stairs, long fingers dancing on the bannister.

James followed him up. "You're not scared?"

"I didn't say that; of course I'm scared. But that doesn't mean I want to put the rest of you in danger, or be under a constant watch."

"I know it sucks . . . but if we want you to be safe we have to take extreme measures until we can figure out what to do." James sat down at the edge of the bed, watching Kendall throw his shoes on the floor and lie back on the bed. "I thought this was all over."

"Maybe you'll be stuck in this supernatural Avengers squad for the rest of your life," Kendall teased. "Protecting Sherwood from danger, enter theme song."

"Hey, what about you?"

"I'm clearly the damsel."

"You don't seem like much of a damsel to me. Shouldn't you be a little quieter?"

"Well, I'm an unconventional one. You're not exactly a conventional hero. Though I guess you're kind of like the Hulk . . ."

"Big and green?"

"Exactly! And the purple shorts."

"My favourite colour is purple."

"No way. Mine's green. Like, grass green."

"Green's good too . . ."

A minute or two of comfortable silence passed, James glancing around Kendall's room as per usual.

"I want to take a shower," Kendall announced, sitting up.

"What?" James raised his eyebrows. "Now?"

"Well I have to some time, now's as good a time as any. I'll be back in a few." He got up and headed towards the door, walking out into the hallway.

"Hey, wait!" James jumped up and ran after him. "Look, I'm not supposed to leave you alone," he said as Kendall took a towel out from the closet on his way to the bathroom. "I really don't think you should."

"James, come on," Kendall whined, opening the bathroom and walking inside. "I'll be fine."

"Kendall, please—"

Kendall sighed. "Alright, alright. You can stay in here while I shower."

"I . . . what?"

Kendall held James' shoulders, pushing him down to sit on the folded down toilet seat. "You can sit here, okay?"

James gulped, glancing at the bath with the shower curtain pulled to the side.

"And I'll keep talking to you while I'm in there, or I'll hum or something I'll make noises so you know I'm still there. And then you close your eyes."

"Pardon?" James squeaked.

"Close your eyes," Kendall repeated, tugging his socks off and taking off his red flannel shirt, left standing there in a thin white T-shirt. He smirked. "I'm showering, perv. Keep them shut."

"R-Right, of course. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes quickly, folding his hands neatly (and maybe conveniently) on his lap. He heard the light thud of Kendall's clothes dropping to the floor, the clink of his belt buckle on the tiles. He desperately hoped that his breath didn't visibly quicken, but Kendall was probably naked right now and god damn he wanted to look. He heard Kendall sigh a little and the gentle patter of his feet crossing the room, the sound of the shower starting and the rings of the shower curtains sliding against the rail. "You're all set?" he asked, keeping his eyes shut just in case.

"Mhm, I'm just grabbing the shampoo. And now I'm putting some on my hand. And now—"

"Okay, I don't need the whole story."

"I'm just trying to keep the sound going so you know I'm not dead. That's important, right? My favourite part of showering is scrubbing the shampoo really hard into my scalp, you know? It's like a head massage, it's the best."

"It is pretty good. That smells good; what is it?" The bathroom was beginning to heat up a little; he tugged on the neck of his shirt uncomfortably as he spoke.

"It's coconut. I swear most men's shampoos just smell like chemically created 'man smell'. I like the natural scents."

"I'd agree with you but I'm a huge Cuda fan. I used to use every product in our old town; they don't sell much of it here."

"Why don't you just order it online?"

"I could, but it was pretty expensive and to be honest I haven't missed most of it . . . I can cope with living as a peasant like the rest of you."

"Don't make me splash you, I'll do it."

"Sorry, I'm kidding. What are you doing now?"

"Body washing. I won't give you the details, this bathroom's already steamy enough."

"That's definitely true . . ." His face felt a little damp from the shower steam. Or maybe it was a nervous sweat coming on? He really couldn't tell the difference; either way he really hoped Kendall finished up in the shower soon. Then he could get dressed and James could open his eyes and just relax again. Don't think of him in there . . . I said don't think of him! Jeez brain, that's so wrong . . . his thighs are be slimmer than that. Oh god what's wrong with me—

Then he heard the shower turn off and the curtain being pulled aside again. Kendall hummed softly as he (James assumed) got out of the shower and dried himself off. He sat there twiddling his thumbs before he heard a loud clatter and opened his eyes immediately. His breath tightened in his throat, though not for the reasons he'd briefly thought in a state of panic. Kendall was bending towards the floor to pick up the shampoo bottle he'd dropped, holding the towel he'd draped loosely around his waist. His hair was still wet, little droplets sliding down his neck to his chest. James gulped, face turning red as Kendall straightened up and put the bottle back on the shelf. He turned his head to face James, jumping in surprise when he saw him. "Dude," he chuckled. "You were supposed to keep your eyes closed."

"I-I'm sorry," James stammered. "I didn't mean to, you startled me . . ."

Kendall had an expression on his face that James hadn't seen there before, his face slightly shiny from the still steamy bathroom. He walked over to James and took hold of his shoulders again, James squeaking in fright as he turned to look up at him. Only to see Kendall's face moving in towards his and to feel his lips grazing his. He stood up in a daze, Kendall's mouth following him as he pressed his body hard against his. He felt his hands graze against his bare skin as he brought them to hold the small of Kendall's back, just over the edge of his towel. Then Kendall kissed him for real, head tilting to mould with him, his hands coming up to grip his hair. Kissing him was just how he'd imagined it to feel. Maybe even better.

Kendall's tongue slid against his as he tightly gripped his hair, free hand reaching to open the bathroom door. Screw that, it was better. Tugging him along by the collar of his shirt, they moved down the hall to Kendall's room. As they walked in, James shut the door behind him and shoved Kendall against it, pressing their bodies together and kissing him again. Kendall panted against him, arms around his neck. "James . . ." And well, if that wasn't enough to drive him crazy, he didn't know what was.

The way Kendall' tongue played with his, teased his, it made his head spin. He needed him more now than ever. They stumbled across the floor, falling in a heap on Kendall's bed. James' eyes opened as they kissed and out of the corner of his eye he spotted Kendall's towel strewn on the floor. He pulled back from their kiss with wide eyes, turning to meet Kendall's gaze before his eyes drifted downwards, taking in all of his naked body. "Fuck." The word slipped from his mouth without him even thinking and he immediately blushed. Kendall smirked, hands pulling him back for another kiss, letting him roll on top, his legs resting against James' hips.

Kendall's hand pressed against the slowly growing bulge in his jeans and he groaned, cursing as his hand tightly gripped the pillow beside Kendall's head. Kendall kept rubbing at him and he panted against his open mouth, leaving Kendall's lips to trail kisses down his jaw and to his neck. He felt Kendall's body tense up as he gripped his hair tightly. James pulled back, tilting his head to gaze into his eyes. "You okay?" he checked, voice coming out a little huskier than he expected.

Kendall nodded, tugging gently at the strands of hair at the back of his neck. "I liked that a lot . . ."

"Yeah? Well then . . ." He trailed off as his head began to ache suddenly, though that wasn't why he stopped talking. He saw the pillow beside Kendall's head, only centimetres away from his ear. The pillowcase had four long jagged tears in the fabric. Like claw marks . . . claw marks . . .

"James, you're breathing funny . . . James?"

"Oh my god," he wheezed, head spinning as he caught sight of his hand resting against Kendall's hip. It was covered in muddy green scales, nails grown into long claws dripping with a silvery liquid. Kendall glanced down and saw it too, breath quaking as he looked up at James with wide eyes. "J-James . . ."

"It's happening again," James panted, trying to crawl away but crying out as his body ached too much to do so. "I-I can feel it, it's still happening, Kendall you need to get out of here—"

"No, I'm not leaving you. Look, you fought this before and you can fight it again, okay? Just stay calm—"

"This shouldn't be happening!" he screamed, hands yanking his hair out as he scrambled to the edge of the bed and got up. "This shouldn't be happening anymore—"

"James, calm down—"

Kendall leaped off the bed after James and grabbed his arm. "Let go!" James roared, grabbed his hand tight and yanking it off. "You can't be near me, I'll hurt you—" He stopped when he saw Kendall's wide-eyed expression. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rough with you but you have to understand I . . ." He noticed that Kendall wasn't even looking at him anymore; he was looking at his forearm. Where he had three grooves, three shallow scratches trickling blood down his skin. Blood and silvery venom. His breath hitched and he looked up at James, beginning to visibly tremble. "J-Jay . . ." His knees buckled and James darted forward to catch him, choking on a sob as Kendall lay limp in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he wailed. "I didn't mean to hurt you . . ." His head started to cloud. "I-It's happening, oh god . . ."

"James, listen to me right now." Kendall's hand gripped James' chin tightly, though his arm trembled wildly as his legs lay splayed limp and useless on the floor. "Listen to the sound of my voice, okay? Just keep listening to me, focus on me. Look at me. No, properly. Right into my eyes."

"I love your eyes," he confessed. "D-does that sound creepy?"

"No, it's sweet. I love yours too. I thought you were really cute, you know? The first time I saw you. Well, the second time, in the hospital. I thought, 'Wow, this guy should be in magazines, he's that attractive. And he's so sweet too, he brought me a bear and he doesn't even know me'. You know Beau didn't bring me anything, and he was supposed to care? You weren't supposed to, but you did. I still have the bear, you know. Did you notice it? It's on the shelf over there."

James looked up, seeing the gift he'd bought Kendall sitting on the shelf with his books. "Th-That's really nice," he murmured, breath stilling for a moment. "I didn't think you'd keep it. You were kind of whimsical and weird."

"That's how you get people to think you don't care about anything, that you can handle anything. And it works, it worked for years until this stuff started happening. Now they think I can't handle anything. But you know what, who cares? Fuck them, they don't matter. Are you feeling better?"

"I-I don't know . . . I think so. I'm thinking about that time you jumped on me in the coach's office."

"Sorry about that, I'm usually a lot more subtle when I flirt. Except I kind of jumped on you today too."

"That's okay. I wanted you to. Not that I didn't want you to the other time, but you know . . ."

"I know, I know. I don't know how you were always there. You have a talent for it."

"Showing up when bad things happen, that's me."

"But it's good. It means you're there to help them."

"I haven't helped today . . ."

"It was an accident. And it'll wear off." Kendall's head lolled against James' chest, glancing down. "Your hands."

"What?" Gently resting Kendall against the bed, James looked down at his hands. He turned them over and looked at the back, then the palms, then the backs again just to be sure. They were back to normal. "Thank fucking god, holy shit . . ." He groaned as he rested his forehead against the bed. "That was scary." His shoulders trembled and he felt tears leaking through his tightly closed eyelids. He gripped the comforter and shook until it was over, the few tears he'd shed dripping down his cheeks as he tried to breathe.

"Don't cry, James . . ." Kendall's hand touched his shoulder and squeezed it tight.

"Oh god," James chuckled, pulling back and drying his eyes. "You're still naked. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, silly." Kendall smiled. "If you could help me though, I'd appreciate it. I have sweatpants in the bottom drawer of the dresser; they'll be easier to put on than jeans."

"Right, of course." James did as he asked, grabbing a T-shirt too and putting them on the bed. He then reached down and scooped Kendall up into his arms, holding him bridal style and taking a moment to appreciate how great it felt to hold him. He laid him on the bed gently, resting his head on the pillow. He tugged his pants up his legs for him while Kendall squirmed into his shirt by himself. Kendall looked up at him and patted the space beside him, and James slowly moved to lie down too. "I should go really soon," He said, looking at him. "In case it happens again. I'll tell Lucy to come early."

"Wait until I can move again," Kendall requested. "Please? It was only a shallow scratch, it can't be that bad."

"Okay . . ." The two looked up at the ceiling. He felt Kendall link their fingers together and he held his hand tight, letting out a shaky sigh. "If I hurt you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he confessed. "Hurting the people that I . . . that I care about."

"I'm sorry," Kendall sighed. "I wish I could help you. I would if I could."

"But you do help me. You have been helping me." He gulped. "I was supposed to kill Jenny, that night. But I kept control of myself by focusing on one thought alone . . . I thought about you."

"You did?" Kendall whispered, and James saw him turn to look at him at the corner of his eye. "That's so sweet."

"It kept me sane, I guess. I don't know . . . I thought the way I used to think about you was creepy."

"No, not creepy. Wonderful."

"Really?"

"Really."

They lay there in silence for a couple of minutes, listening to the sound of each other's breathing. Kendall's fingers lightly played with his and James held his hand tight, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it. He heard Kendall's breath jump and couldn't help smirking. "It's unusual to see you flustered."

"Well if you keep doing things like that, you'll see it a lot more."

"Then I'll do it all the time. Every day, in fact. Every morning."

"You don't have to . . ."

"I want to. Besides, I like seeing you blush for a change. Give you a humble side, hmm?"

"Don't be a jerk, I can't kick you right now."

"I didn't mean it. You know I think you're great."

"I think you're great too."

It was a pathetic word. Really, it didn't come close to describing how he felt when he looked at Kendall. And he hoped it wasn't a big enough word for Kendall either.

"Did you drop that shampoo bottle on purpose?" he found himself asking, then immediately wished he hadn't. "That was dumb, I'm sorry."

"It's not dumb. But no, I didn't. It was slippery." He chuckled. "I mean, I did want you like crazy but with everything going on I didn't want to force anything. But then you were looking at me and I was looking at you and it just felt right, you know? I didn't mean to be so forward."

"I probably would've been too scared to, so I'm glad you did."

There was a pause, and Kendall said, "I can wiggle my toes a little."

"You can?" James glanced down and sure enough, Kendall was weakly wriggling his bare toes, feet turned up towards the ceiling. "That's great, you should get your legs back soon."

"I hope so. I feel a little helpless right now."

"I guess that's the point of it . . . so you can't get away." He stared hard at Kendall's ceiling until his vision started to blur and he felt a lump begin to form in his throat.

"Hey." Kendall held both their hands against his chest, the back of James' hand pressed against his heart. "You're not a killer."

"Yeah, well . . ."

"Hawk was the killer. He controlled you. It wasn't your fault."

James sniffed, feeling how steady Kendall's heartbeat was. How could he not be afraid?

"It wasn't your fault."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

When Kendall regained the ability to swivel his feet and his left knee gave a sudden little spasm, James texted Lucy to come over as soon as she could. By the time she arrived, Kendall could move both his legs and stand a little shakily. James kept his arm around his waist as they descended the stairs, his steps slowly growing in strength until they reached the bottom and he broke away from James' hold altogether. He walked to the door and opened it up. "Hey, Lucy," James greeted from behind him. "Thanks for coming."

"Why'd you ask me over early?" Lucy demanded. "I was busy."

"On a Netflix and candy corn binge? I'm sure you'll survive. Lucy, listen. I think I'm still a kanima."

Her eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

"We were, uh . . . we were upstairs, next thing I know there's these claws growing out of my hand. I don't know what's going on but I don't think I should be near Kendall," he told her. "I need to go home."

"Yeah, alright . . ." Lucy looked at Kendall. "You doing alright so far?"

"Not dead yet," Kendall smiled, stepping aside. "Wanna come in? I have candy corn."

"Yeah, okay," Lucy sighed with a shrug, but she walked in with moderate enthusiasm.

"I'll see you later," James said to Kendall, stepping outside and down the front step.

"Wait." Kendall grabbed his shoulder, jumping down the step to meet him. "I . . ." He bit his lip, before winding his hand to touch the back of James' neck, fingers tangling in his hair as he pulled him in closer. When he kissed him, he could swear his feet left the ground and a whole show of fireworks sparked and burst all around them. It was different from the other kisses they'd shared that day; slower and sweeter, less hungry. But the passion was the same, he could feel it. Shit, he could kiss Kendall forever.

"Be safe going home," Kendall murmured, pulling back and giving him another soft, quick kiss. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

James nodded numbly. He finally managed a smile – well, more of a manically lovestruck grin – when Kendall stepped back inside the foyer beside Lucy and waved to him. Lucy was smirking. "So when did this happen?" she demanded as James stepped back from the house with pink cheeks and a happy, happy heart.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lucy," he replied with a laugh, walking down the driveway and forcing himself not to whistle.

"Well, I say it's about damn time!" she yelled after him, before Kendall pushed her back from the door and shut it firmly.