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Chapter 9

Derek startled awake unsure what had woken him. He closed his eyes, taking stock of the sounds in the house around him. He quickly picked up the lazy staccato of Becca's heart beat and sounds of her moving around the kitchen at the back of the house. He pushed up from the leather couch and stretched the kinks from his muscles. His hand moved to his ribs, gingerly testing the area around where he'd broken at least one in his fall from the wall the day before. It was still a little sore, but not enough to impede his movements. He made his way slowly from the living room toward the kitchen, following the welcome smell of coffee and breakfast.

"You look like you could use a coffee," Becca greeted, handing him a cup. "You know, you could've slept in the guest room. I'm sure the bed in there is much more comfortable than the couch."

Derek slid onto the stool at the kitchen counter, watching her move around the kitchen. She looked exhausted. The dark smudges beneath her mismatched eyes showed little relief from sleep. If anything they looked darker. "The couch was fine," he mumbled and took a sip of the black coffee. "Probably as comfortable as the armchair you slept in."

Her gaze briefly met his, her smile faltering, before she turned back to the stove. "Hope you like your eggs scrambled," she commented with forced cheerfulness, her back to him as she scooped eggs onto two plates that already contained toast and bacon. "Rowan says they're his favourite," She pulled back her shoulders, standing a little straighter as she turned and set the plates before them. "But I think it's 'cause he knows I'm not very good with the yokes."

"You seem to know a lot about Rowan," Derek commented as he ate. There was a familiarity in the way she spoke about Rowan that hinted at a much closer relationship than Rowan let on.

"We've been on a few hunts together," she shrugged, pushing her food around on her plate, only taking a bite now and then when she noticed him watching. "When you're the only girl in a hunting party, you tend to get voted the cook a lot."

After breakfast Derek suggested that Becca rest but she insisted she was fine. Instead she settled on the armchair in the living room to work on the sketch of the female werewolf in her human form. Derek headed outside and walked the perimeter. He didn't think the wolf would show himself again so soon, but he needed time to think away from prying eyes.

As he circled the house he called Stiles, demanding that he and Scott head straight to Rowan's house after school and instructing him to bring his laptop and a scanner. He hung up without answering any of Stiles' rapid fire questions, then called Isaac. He told the young Beta to lay low and stay away from the Hale house, Stiles, Scott and Derek. The wolf had spotted Stiles and Scott in the woods the night before and would now have their scent. Derek just hoped that his absence in the woods the night before would keep Isaac off the wolf's radar.

Derek returned to the house, but didn't go back to the living room with Becca. Instead he wandered the first floor of the house. Other than the living room and kitchen, there were three other rooms with little to no furnishings. It was clear Rowan had only taken the time to furnish the rooms he felt Becca would need during her stay.

He looked into the living room and found Becca asleep, curled up in the leather armchair. It was little wonder that she'd nodded off. He'd heard her gasp awake at least twice during the night. He'd listened as she mumbled to herself, trying to ease the panic of the dream that had taken hold as she paced the carpeted floor of her room. After a while her breathing and heartbeat would calm and he knew she was sleeping again. He wondered if he'd caused her to dredge up the memories of the night of the attack.

He moved quietly into the living room and picked up the small throw blanket draped over the arm of the couch and covered her with it. He glanced down at her sketchbook. The drawing of the woman was only half done, yet the detail she'd drawn in the woman's eyes gave them and eerie effect and Derek felt they were looking straight through him.

He picked up his bag beside the door where he'd left it the night before and headed up to find the guest room. Entering the first door at the top of the stairs Derek dropped his bag by the door. This wasn't the guest room, it was Rowan's room. The vampire's scent still lingered in the air. His fingers grazing across the surface of dresser on the wall near the door as he moved around the room. The furnishings were lavish. Dark wood and rich fabrics in earth tones gave the room a decidedly masculine feel. Pulling open the closet door, Derek found it filled with suits, shirts and ties. The closet of a billionaire philanthropist.

He moved to the bed, sitting beside the nightstand. He scrubbed his hands across his face, wondering how he'd allowed himself to be pulled into this situation. A simple babysitting job. Watch the girl and keep her safe. Sounds simple, until you find out the girl is a broken hunter and you are protecting her from a werewolf set on avenging his mate.

With a frustrated growl he pushed up from the bed, knocking a book from the nightstand. He bent to scoop up the battered leather bound book. It looked like something that belonged in a museum. Derek ran his fingers across the cracked leather and sank back onto the bed. He opened it at middle, surprised to find hand written pages in an ancient looking script. The language looked like it was Latin, though Derek couldn't be sure as he'd never studied the language. He flipped through a few pages, realizing from the set up and numbered entries that this was actually a very old, hand written bible.

He frowned it hardly seemed like something a vampire would carry around. But then he wasn't exactly an expert on vampires. He closed the book noticing a piece of paper that seemed newer than the rest. He opened it again to the back pages and pulled a folded piece of paper from the book. Though it was by no means as old as the bible, the page was worn and looked like it had been folded and unfolded numerous times.

Derek considered the sheet a moment. Was it a letter? Setting the book aside, Derek hesitated. Something private? He took a breath, knowing he needed to make a decision. Either return the page to the book where he'd found it or satisfy his curiosity.

He unfolded the page. It was a drawing of Rowan. He sat leaning back against a tree, a baby asleep against his chest. Derek could see the care and detail in the sketch and knew Becca must have drawn it. He studied Rowan's face, the content look in his features as he looked down at the child. It was a far cry from the Rowan Derek knew. His gaze ticked to the inscription in the bottom right corner next to his thumb. Always in my heart, your Sunshine, Becs.

Derek stared at the words for a long moment, trying to understand their implication. They definitely suggested a more personal relationship between Becca and Rowan than either of them was letting on. It was something Derek had caught a hint of that first night when Rowan had introduced him to Becca and in Becca's familiarity with Rowan.

Who was Becca to Rowan? And who was the child? Derek's mind raced to the most obvious. Had they been lovers? Could vampires have children? But what about Luke? Derek was left with more questions than answers again and the two people who could give him answers were unlikely to clarify things for him.

Returning the drawing to the book and the book to its place on the night stand, Derek moved out of the room. He grabbed his bag and quietly closed the door behind him. He could hear Becca stirring downstairs and didn't want to be caught in Rowan's room. Moving to the middle door, between Rowan and Becca's rooms he dropped his bag inside the room and headed back downstairs.