The next day when I woke up, everyone, not including Elly -who had gone home- was in the living room. Max sat between Brent and Claude, and the others were dispersed along the other couches. I groggily walked past them to head to the kitchen. I was still wearing the shorts and shirt from the day before, and my hair had long fallen out of its hold in the bun.

"Good morning, sunshine. Guess who's coming today!" Brent said, a smile on his face. I paused at the kitchen entrance door and glanced back at him. Wracking my brain, I remembered.

"Oh… Cassidy, right?" I asked. Brent nodded.

"Yeah. She should be here in a few hours."

I nodded and walked into the kitchen. And then I started blushing as I leaned over the sink. What Rylan had done to me came back into my memory at full force. Who had been touching me in my mind?! That's what was really bothering me. Heaving an aggravated sigh, I grabbed a cup and filled it with water.

"How did you sleep?" a voice murmured next to my ear. I gasped and dropped the half-filled cup into the sink, making the water sprinkle against the edges. I spun around and raised a fist. Rylan was standing there, his green eyes scrutinizing. I couldn't help but blush again. Immediately, I walked around him and went to the fridge. I was starving.

"I slept fine, no thanks to you." There was nothing in the fridge but a bunch of familiarly covered water bottles that weren't full of water. With a glare, I slammed the fridge shut and went through the cupboards. Nothing, nothing, nothing!

"Hungry?" Rylan asked, leaning casually against the counter. I spun on him.

"You are becoming arrogant too! I liked you when you were quiet!" I barked, feeling frustrated. It was silent for a long time as we stared each other down. Then he smirked, the first other-than-a-frown expression. I felt the images before my mind saw them.

A cold hand was spreading warmth through my lower abdomen, and I let out a whimper as my knees gave out. I collapsed onto the tiled kitchen floor and the images vanished. Rylan was hovering over me.

"You aren't so big and bad anymore." he muttered, running a hand through my hair. I winced and pulled away from him. He stood up so suddenly that it startled me, but I knew the reason why. The kitchen door opened and Brent walked in, trailed by Lukas. They both paused when they saw me.

"What happened?" Brent asked, helping me stand up. I realized I was still shaking.

"She tripped and fell. I was about to help her." Rylan lied, turning and walking from the room. Lukas gave me a strange look and then shrugged and reached into the fridge, pulling out a blood bottle.

"You know," I started, dismissing Rylan as my stomach growled, "I remember that you guys had tons of food. Now you have nothing for me."

Brent and Lukas shared an uneasy look. "Well, that's the thing. We used most of the food for the dinner when Elly was over. But for the next few days, you're going over to Becc's and Josh's."

I froze in my tracks to drinking more water and turned on Brent. "What?!" I demanded. "Why?! I thought I was in on this hunt too!"

Brent sighed. "Mother hasn't had anything to drink while on the plane. When she gets here, she's going to be starving. We can't put you or Max at risk of her feeding off of you. So we emptied out the human food to make as much room as possible for blood."

"Even the cupboards?" I asked, irritated. Brent smiled apologetically.

"Besides, mother gets a bit tense around humans. She's never really liked them, even when she was on herself."

I rolled my eyes. "Great, so now your mother dearest will despise me, even though I'm keeping you guys a secret from the world just on my shoulders."

Lukas patted my shoulder. "It's a big responsibility, so don't drop it." he teased. I snorted and shoved him playfully. Of course, he didn't budge.

"So when do I leave? I get vacation pay, right?" I asked, innocently. Brent laughed.

"Aha, no. You're leaving in an hour. Just pack up a few pairs of clothes for the next two nights. You'll be back Tuesday, if we're sure mother is controlled."

I grimaced. "That sounds kind of scary."

"She is." Lukas said, his face completely serious.

So with those things in mind, I started packing a few clothes in a small suitcase Brent lent me. Then I paused, suddenly thinking of something. There had to be a way to block Rylan and Brent from getting into my mind…but especially Rylan.

I blushed furiously, remembering how the images in my mind burned my body pleasurably. Why would he do such a thing?! I thought he was a good, reasonable guy! Guess not.

So if there was a way to block them, all I'd have to do was learn it. But what if there wasn't a way? There was only one way to find out. My brain thought of Alec, for some reason. Maybe he knew the answer. He was, after all, the only one who knew what had happened between Rylan and I. I would become even more embarrassed if I had to explain my reason to Lukas, Brent or Claude.

With a sigh, I snapped my suitcase shut and carried it downstairs. "I'm ready to go." I called. Only Alec and Max were waiting. I froze. "Where are the others?"

"Already left. Didn't you hear them say goodbye?" Alec asked me sarcastically.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where?"

"Airport. Come on, load into my car. I'd hate to babysit even longer." he muttered, leaving through the front door. Max and I shared an annoyed expression, but followed him anyway. I sat in the passengers and Max sat in back.

"Hey Alec," I whispered, leaning toward him. He cast me a glance out of the corner of his eye. Max was busy listening to his iPod, thank goodness. "I need to ask you if it's possible to block my mind from Brent and Rylan."

Alec looked slightly perturbed. "I thought you'd never ask. I figured you liked being tortured by Rylan."

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "Not one bit. So tell me, is it possible?"

"Yeah."

"That's it?"

"But you need to be strong."

I nearly slapped him. Instead, my fingers twitched. I gripped tightly onto the leather seats. "I am strong!"

"No, you are not."

I huffed and turned away. "I could break your stupid window with a single punch." I bragged. As proof, I tapped it with my knuckles, sending a smirk over to Alec. He glared at me.

"Break my window and I break your arm." he threatened. "And besides, I don't mean physical strength, idiot."

I looked at him, surprised. "So you mean will power? Mental strength?"

He gave a curt nod. "You have to able to imagine a wall between your mind and his power."

It made sense, after all. "So you'll teach me?" I asked, hopefully.

He snorted. "Learn it on your own time. I have a girlfriend to tend to."

I suddenly felt like killing someone. Shoving that mortifying thought aside, I said, "Yeah, who doesn't even love you."

A slight smirk appeared on Alec's face. "What gives you that idea? She surely didn't deny it when she was in my bed."

I looked at him in pure horror. "That's disgusting!" I cried out, slapping his arm. I quickly turned to glare out the window. We finally pulled into Max's house, and Max bid us goodbyes and left. Then we were heading towards Joshua's and Becca's house.

After a long silence, I finally decided to bring up the Elly situation for good.

"Whatever you're doing to Elly, you need to stop." I ordered Alec.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

I scowled at him. "She isn't acting like Elly! She's acting like a lovesick puppy who was just fed the best treat in the box!" I hissed.

Alec gave me the most perverted smirk he could muster, I was sure. I blushed, suddenly thinking how bad that sounded. "Perhaps I was the best treat in that box?" he asked slyly, turning a corner and parking in my driveway. Becca's and Joshua's cars were gone. They must be out.

"You're the most rotten treat in that box." I retorted, unlocking the car door. "Well, thanks for the ride. See you Tuesday."

I went to open the door, but Alec reached over and slammed it shut. I gasped and turned to stare wide-eyed at him. He leaned back in his seat and locked the doors.

"What are you doing?" I demanded hastily.

"I'm going to go over a few rules with you." he stated. I stared blankly at him. What rules? "First, there's a killer nightwalker on the loose, so don't sneak out at nighttime. And don't give me that gaping fish look, because I know you'd attempt it, what with you looking for danger and such…and second, if anybody breaks into the house, you need to call us right away. Don't hesitate. Hesitating will get you killed. If you have to run, then goddammit, run."

I stared at him, letting a small smile on my face. "Aww, you care about me!" I giggled, covering my mouth shyly. Alec looked at me with an horrified expression.

"I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth." he retorted seriously. I glared at him.

"Fine! I'm going! No need to tell me twice!" I hissed, as he unlocked the doors.

Before I had a chance to climb out once more, he grabbed my wrist. It felt like he suddenly shocked me, and I froze halfway out of the car, and stared blankly back at him. Something was familiar about his touch… He didn't seem to notice anything. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stated, "By the way, it was Brent and Claude who wanted me to tell you that. Don't think I care about you, because I don't."

With that, he let go of me, and I nearly stumbled to the pavement. He pulled my door shut and then drove out of my driveway. I watched the car disappear around the corner, and then hesitantly touched my wrist where his cool grasp and grabbed me.

With a sudden realization, I fathomed the fact that it was Alec. The one who Rylan had forced to touch me in my mind had been Alec.