She could hear them, through the walls. It's not real. Or was it? Anala didn't know anymore. She couldn't think soundly. The walls stared at her. They watched her movements as sickly energy pressed down on her with the force of a boulder. Anala stood and moved to the wall, pressing her ear to the flat surface. She could hear it, moving around. But where? What was this haunting presence that tormented her? Come out and show yourself. Prove to me I'm not insane. Anala pushed away from the wall and began to pace, tangling her fingers in her hair and wiped tears from her eyes. She seemed to be always crying now.

"Anala?"

She stopped. Anala looked over her shoulder. Blackened skin around his eyes, deepening the empty depths of his pitch eyes and his mouth was little more than a black hole. The visage only lasted for a split moment, flickered in and out of sight, but Anala knew. A monster had taken Javan. It wore him like a suit. She shivered and a frantic voice was whispering to her. It mustn't know you know.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to tear you open." Javan stepped forward and she stepped back. He stopped. "Did you hear me?"

"What?"

"Food. Last I checked you still eat right?" he was holding a bowl of chicken and rice. Esme had brought it over yesterday. Or whatever it was that was posing as Esme. So far it was only them. Another voice questioned her. Was it even real? Was she crazy?

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten today." He placed the bowl on the dresser.

Something scratched behind the wall. Quiet murmurs filled her head and panic rose in her chest. Stop it. Stop. Stop!

"No, I don't want it."

"Anala what is wrong wi—"Javan grabbed her wrist. Pain seared up her arm and he released her as she screamed. Anala tucked her arm against her chest, sobbing. Her wrist was a deep blue-black, shaped like a large handprint. Anala stared at him wide-eyed. She was trapped. This thing was going to kill her. the Javan puppet stepped closer and Anala recoiled.

"Don't touch me!" Anala shut her eyes. She couldn't stop the tremors moving through her body. Her ears were ringing, a rushing howling accompanied it. She covered her ears. Anala was afraid, well and truly scared for the first time since coming back into this life. She couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe? The air shook.

Everything went dark.

Anala stared at the road before her. The only sound was her heartbeat, and the birds. The gentle chirping was a welcome sound. She felt . . . strange. For the first time since returning from the dead Anala felt the pit of nothing inside her was less consuming and that worried her. Her skin was wet. Anala looked around, lifting her head. Mossy green trees. She was suddenly aware of the overwhelming metallic smell. Anala then looked down at herself. Blood. She was soaked in it and her shirt was torn open. She looked at her hands, her shirt. It was all over her jeans and bare feet and skin and no doubt it was on her face and hair as well. She stopped, realizing she had been walking. Why was she walking? Anala looked around again, puzzled. It was day out and she was just outside her driveway. A warm hand took hers and Anala looked up. Rowan. Had he been there the entire time? Or had he just arrived? He was looking at her patiently, eyes soft and calm. What happened? What did she do?

"Come," he said quietly, guiding her towards the house. She followed in a stupor.

Anala didn't understand. She wanted to curl up in a corner, she wanted to see Emmett. The man she loved, who hated her. He had always soothed her and she just wanted to know everything was okay. That she was dreaming. To hear it. She trembled as Rowan cleaned her. She sobbed as the water ran red until she felt herself go numb and her tears washed away with the water. Rowan was silent. He dried her and helped her dress while tenderly touching her, checking her for any injury. Her wrist was covered in a fading bruise. Javan grabbing her. Pain shot up her arm. Soft lips brushed her cheeks and Rowan pulled her against him, rubbing his cheek against her head in a gesture of comfort. Warmth and adoration emanated from him and strumming along their bond. Anala stood against his warm body, painfully void.

"Rowan did I . . . kill someone?" did she even want the answer? No, Anala really didn't want it. But she needed it.

"I don't know."

She pulled back. "What happened?"

He shook his head. He didn't know. Rowan hadn't been there. The only sound was their breaths. Anala lay a hand against his chest, feeling the air expand his chest and the steady heartbeat. Of all the things that had shifted in her world, Anala was grateful Rowan was still as serene and calming as he was. Bringing him back had been a learned skill but at the foundation, it was nothing but instinct. His soul was forever entwined with her own and she would always feel him. his soul had hovered in an in-between state and Anala understood what she had to do, what was required of her to guide him back into his body. She tilted her head upwards as she pushed onto her toes and touched her lips to his chin and took a moment to pretend she wasn't falling apart at the seams.

"Everyone's been looking for you."

She nodded torpidly. "Could you tell them I'm fine? I don't want Nolan to worry."

Rowan moved away towards the door. "Ro?" he stopped and she swallowed her sob and fought tears. "Thank you."

"You never need to thank me."

Anala sat on the hall floor as he walked out the front door. She sat in the silence. There was a huge blank space in her memory. A bowl of chicken and rice. Javan. Walking on a road the next morning. Anala shut her eyes and sighed, trying to think. A bowl of chicken and rice. Javan. Walking on a road. A bowl of chicken and rice. Javan. The road. Food. Javan. Walking covered in wet, warm, blood. What had she done? Who . . . Anala cried out in frustration and hit the wall. Why can't I remember?!

Anala jumped as the door flew open and there stood Javan, others behind him. Irrational fear filled her as hands were grabbing her. She cried out, struggled, and the hands fell away as she huddled against the wall. A roar filled the space and Anala looked up to see Rowan kneeling over Javan and the handle of a blade buried in his shoulder. Rowan stood and Javan reached for the weapon, growling as his hand burned on contact. She stood slowly, staying against the wall.

The blade . . .

Anala walked forward slowly until she stood above Javan. He was looking at her in silence. The dagger was buried to the hilt. Rowan was very precise. She knelt and wrapped her hand around the handle. The image of dragging it down his chest flashed in her mind. She swallowed and lay her other hand on his chest before pulling out the blade and looking at it, seeing an unexpressive look in her reflected gaze. She looked at Javan, his dark red eyes looking at her in a way she'd never seen him do before. She tilted her head, brow puckering slightly in concern.

"What is it?" she looked at his shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

His chest was torn open. Shoulder to hip. Anala frowned in confusion. Why was he cut? Her stomach plummeted and she dropped the knife. Javan sprung up and lifted his shirt, looking at the wound in his shoulder. Didn't I just . . .? Anala turned away from Javan and pushed her hands into her hair. She couldn't take much more of this. The dark space inside of her was asphyxiating. There were stifling thoughts echoing in her head and Anala suddenly felt ill.

Emmett had panicked. Full-blown terrified panic. Javan had shown up at their house looking uncharacteristically alarmed. He was ranting, saying Anala had lost it and something about touching her and her screaming before she attacked him and disappeared. He actually had to be calmed and he'd nearly torn Jasper's arm out of its socket for doing so. Nolan hadn't even come out of Jasper's room, he just stared at his twisted little collage on the walls. There had been no fighting it this time; no beating down his demon. He was out attempting to track Anala as quickly as possible. All he could think was, what if she's gone again? Their search came up empty until Rowan appeared. He made it clear that Anala had sent him. She was back. His entire being felt the relief. When questioned on her whereabouts, Rowan said he didn't know. She had been walking down the road when he found her. Javan had been right however, there was something wrong with Anala. Deeply wrong. She was on the floor when he entered, screaming as Javan touched her. terror poured off of her, he didn't have to be an empath to know it.

In the next moment, Rowan had him on the living room floor, blade in his shoulder. His face said it all: touch her again and you die. Emmett couldn't fault his reaction, Rowan protected her. No matter what. Anala had been afraid, but then her expression shifted. A strange, blank look came across her face as she stood and made her way to the vampire on the floor. Emmett had only been this afraid for Anala once; Carus had controlled her and it had looked like they would all die at her hand. Power that potent was fear-inducing but this . . . this scared Emmett on a whole different level, because this was something within her, something causing her anguish that couldn't be solved by simply killing someone. Emmett suddenly wondered if he had caused this. He had all but wished Anala dead, if it were him and she had told him that . . . it would destoy him.

He watched Anala stare at Rowan's dagger on the floor where she had dropped it. Javan rubbed his shoulder. "What the hell happened last night?" he questioned her.

Anala didn't even look at him. She crouched and slowly reached for the weapon. Her fingers brushed it and her head snapped up. Anala stood and turned to the window. She was still and Emmett felt something stir in the air. Javan stepped towards her and Rowan mirrored his movements only moved closer to the vampire instead of Anala. Javan stopped and stared at the blonde for a long moment. He stepped away, hands raised in surrender.

And then Nolan had come.

There was that . . . vacancy in his eyes. The same pupil-less gaze that indicated that something else was taking place inside his body, that Nolan wasn't quite Nolan anymore. He and Anala looked at each other. Nolan was suddenly in front of her and Emmett warily backed up a few steps, instinct driving him backwards. Those empty eyes stared down at her and Anala seemed to stare right through him. The air practically dripped with power and something was brewing, Emmett could feel it. The house started to shake, pipes rattling unstably. Energy cackled, making Anala's own power react. Shadows flickered as the house groaned. The house was shaking harder and Rowan began to move towards them. There was a sudden force and they were all slammed into the walls, away from the two siblings. Emmett tried to move, to push away from the wall but he no longer held control over himself. Nolan. The power in the air congealed around them, the sensation thick on his skin. Rowan flashed across the room, moving to push Anala back and in the next moment Nolan twisted him away and suddenly had an arm around his neck. The blonde was forced to his knees and his neck was snapped in one swift motion. Nolan lowered his body to the floor and stood. He moved towards Anala and Emmett had a sick thought.

What if he was going to kill her?

Nolan had not hesitated. Rowan was an incredible fighter. Emmett had often admired the smooth, quick way rowan fought. He was exceptionally trained yet Nolan had overpowered him effortlessly. If he could do this what was he truly capable of? What was she? Anala watched her brother. Emmett watched her. He strained on the wall, uselessly trying to move. The air became exceedingly heavy and there was a flash of light, followed by a deafening crack. Once it faded, Anala was on the floor unconscious and Nolan was standing over her, those cold, blank eyes staring straight ahead. The tension eased. Emmett moved forward, compelled to check on Anala. Nolan moved just as fast as he did, stopping him in his tracks with the tip of a dagger millimeters from his chest. Empty frozen eyes stared through him. Emmett was nothing more than an obstacle in that moment and he knew the man before him would not hesitate to kill him. Nolan's arm lowered and he walked around him. No one moved.

They listened.

Nolan was in the basement. He heard boxes shifting. Something was slid across the floor, a box toppled over. Emmett looked around. Carlisle was staring at Rowan, horrified. Jasper didn't seem to know what to do. What could he? No one is ever prepared to watch their mate . . . Emmett didn't even have a word for it, for this. When the silent man came into sight, he ignored them all. Emmett was half convinced he wasn't even aware of their presence. Nolan placed the length of rope in his hand and the knife on the floor. He moved to a couch and braced his foot on it and pushed. It hit the wall with a thud and Nolan moved around the room, pushing all the furniture against the walls. Emmett edged forward towards the woman on the floor and Nolan paused. Emmett stepped back, fists clenching and unclenching anxiously. He wouldn't be able to get to her with Nolan like this. He watched, rooted in place as he tied Anala's unconscious body to a chair from the dining room and began to carve odd symbols onto the walls. All the while, Nolan's eyes stayed blank pools, everyone remained still, and Emmett came up blank on every possible explanation to whatever it was he was witnessing. Nolan sat on the carpeted floor, back against the wall. He didn't move, and seemed calm enough, but no one risked stepping into the living room. His eyes stared forward, blank and emotionless.