Author's note: Srry, it took so long to post this. It's been done for so long, I just forgot to post it. Well, here's chapter four. Enjoy! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Chapter Four

Healed

Eden

"Eden Cage, you are lying to me, now tell me what happened." Aria demands.

"I am not lying to you. I tripped and landed on the ledge of the sidewalk." I counter. "You know how clumsy I can be."

She shakes her head but takes her tan flute covered in a rough texture and blows through it. Particles of sand blow out and I can feel the rib piecing together. The sand isn't scratchy at all. It's soft and caressing.

"Thanks a mil, Ari!" I say hopping off the counter. "And since you know I'm lying, we don't need to Anneal anything about this."

"Tell me what?" he says coming in. I think quickly.

"I started my period a couple weeks early. I didn't want you to know, because I know you hate PMS. Bye!" I race out of the kitchen and back to waitressing. PMS?! God, I'm not good with coming up with lies.

I go through the rest of the night, waiting tables and speaking in a monotonous voice. At the end of his shift, Anneal comes out of the kitchen, grabs me, and drags me to the car.

"Someone's eager to get home." I say laughing.

"Damn strait. My feet are killing me. I worked all day."

"Aw, you poor baby!" I say sarcastically. "It must be so hard to lift up your hand and say 'Party of three, your tables ready.'"

"Hey it's harder than it looks. I have to scope out the place for a free table, see if the want smoking or non smoking, a bar seat, a highchair, and then I've got to go get their drinks and appetizers, if they order right away." He complains.

"You really are a baby." I reply laughing again. He drives the rest of the way home in scary silence. Did I make him mad? He pulls into the driveway and I open my door.

Anneal pulls me back and kisses me fiercely, with a growl.

"You're the baby." He says kissing me harder. "My baby." He pulls me into his arms and slides out his door, cradling me. We go into the house and he lays me out on the couch.

"I'm cooking tonight." He says cautiously. I'll bet he'll be okay without iced meatloaf and burnt sautéed vegetables. Where as Anneal, makes the best spaghetti. After we eat and take turns showering, watch TV, and crawl into bed, it's about 2:00 A.M.

Anneal pulls me to him and I rest my head on his chest. "We get to sleep in tomorrow." He whispers against my hair.

"Really? Are you lying to me? If you are and I wake up in the morning at seven, I'm going to break that beloved TV of yours, over your head." I say it sweet and kind, even if it is a threat.

"I promise." I fall asleep moments later, to the steady sound of his breathing and the soothing movement of my head rising and falling with his chest.

"Eden?" Anneal shakes me lightly. "Baby, I know I promised, but we've got a mission."

I bolt out of bed and bustle about the room, dressing angrily. "Damn demons. Just can't wait a couple days to let me sleep. I'm not breaking that TV over your head. It's going to be my newest weapon against the damned." I say tying my leather belt around my skirted waist, I slip my flute through its loop and do the same with my knife.

"Let's go." Anneal says pulling on a pair of basketball shorts. He takes my hand and leads me to the back door. We walk down the steps to the beach, where he transforms into a giant, beautiful, black wolf. My wolf. I rush over and climb hastily onto his back and he shoots forward as soon as I'm on. He runs for what seems like forever. He finally slows and stops in front of Aria and Eli. Eli had chocolate brown fur that makes you want to eat him, but his teeth in this form and much larger and sharper than the rest of the pack. You take on look at his face and run. He still scares the hell out of me.

Aria speaks for Eli, reading his thoughts. All of us huntresses can read our mates thoughts when they're in wolf form.

"To the north. A sixteen year old girl was taken from Cleveland last night. Joel investigated. Her bedroom reeked of demons."

Aria and I leap down from the wolves and set off at a run. She has to stumble to keep up with me. We can run very far distances without breaking a sweat or needing to stop to catch our breaths. We keep our ears open for the scream. It's loud and muffled, like her mouth is covered. We run faster, our bare feet making no noise on the soft sandy, dirt.

We reach the noise and stop in horror. Never has this happened. We're too late. The girl is struggling naked under the demon wearing a man's body. Tears leak down her face. The demon looks over to us and his eyes glow red. Our feet freeze. We can't move. He returns to the young girl. We can't yell, but we exchange a glance. We begin to whistle a tune. Freedom.

We break out of our invisible bindings and reach for our flutes. I raise mine as Aria does and we stop. They begin to quiver and expand. They become sharper. They become deadly swords. We exchange yet another fiery glance and we charge. I kick out with my foot hard. And the demon flies into a tree. Aria takes the girl and helps her to Eli and Anneal.

The demon leaps into the air and I plunge the sword into its chest. The sword quivers and changes back to a flute.

"Eden, come quick." Aria commands distressed. I rush over to her and the girl. Aria covered her with two blankets. One covers her lower half and the other covers the top. Aria pulls the top one up a little, showing her swollen bruised stomach. The bump turns black and begins to move.

"It is the child of a demon." Eli says coming up behind us in human form.

Anneal comes behind me and rests his hand on my shoulder. "They grow swiftly. You must act fast."

"But it is part human." I insist.

"It is, but it doesn't know it. Creatures like this, I've seen before, Eden." Aria grimaces. "They are savage. They grow to the point of adulthood in a matter of seconds once they're out of the womb. You're newer to this than I am. I've been doing this since I was seventeen. I'm twenty-six now. Demons will sometimes manifest themselves as human babies. As young toddlers. They are almost impossible to kill. We must do this." I have no choice but to agree. She'd do it without me, if I refused.

We pick up our flutes.

Cleanse. The tune is peaceful. Almost like the sound you might hear at a Reconciliation service. The squirming black lump sinks through the girl's skin, leaving it unharmed. It instantly doubles in size. It seems like a young girl with soft red-brown hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. Seems perfectly human.

Aria reaches for the girl. "Mommy!" the girl screeches, crying. She holds onto her mommy.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know. I've never seen a female half breed before." Aria replies.

"Aria, she is human. She's not growing to adulthood like you said. She looks like a toddler. It'd be easier to take care of her." I look to Anneal for support. He and Eli stand perfectly still, tensed for a fight. Aria sends the mother home. The little girl seems only about four or five. "Please. Anneal and I can keep her with us for awhile and observe. We'll treat her like a normal child and if she responds like one and isn't the savage beast her father was, we keep her." I propose.

"It would give us great insight to their nature. An experiment of sorts." Aria says chipping in. Knowing Aria, she's probably feeling the same maternal instinct towards the little girl. An intense need to protect her. To protect the innocent child that the two elder wolves are set on killing.

"Fine." Anneal says and Eli nods. "First sign of intended danger, she's gone." Mine and Aria's faces light up. I reach towards the girl.

"It's alright sweetie." I say, touching her hair the way I wanted to be touched when I was young, but I had no mother. "My name is Eden. I'm going to be taking care of you." The little girl takes a few hesitant steps to me. I hold out my arms to pick her up. Her arms go instantly around my neck, as I pick her off the ground.

"Eden." She whispers. I hold her and wipe the tears from her eyes.

"And this is Aria." I say. Aria comes over and plants a hesitant kiss on her forehead. The girl's face lights up and she waves. She seems to be responding well to affection. So I do the same, she giggles, and kisses me on the cheek.

Not even Eli can restrain the "Aw," from escaping his lips.