Emmett darted through the trees, following the racing heartbeat. A warning growl escaped through his teeth at the presence at his back. This was his prey, the other predator needed to be made aware of that. . . He gained on it, then lunged. They rolled, the buck kicking and rearing as they did so, and odd barking leaving it. His hand wrapped around its throat and his teeth sank into the buck, tearing through its coat and flesh and muscle. Hot blood filled his mouth and an involuntary growl left him as a pale form flashed past him. The footsteps became further and further before he heard the sound of a doe hitting the forest floor and a low growling hiss. The flavor was off. Emmett craved something less . . . organic. More of the human variety. He dropped the empty corpse and licked his blood-coated lips. He had hunted nothing but humans for nearly two years. It wasn't very long but Emmett had always had a big appetite; for sex, for blood. But at least he was already accustomed to this diet. He waited for his brother. Approaching a vampire in hunting mode wasn't smart, especially a vampire like Jas. He had done that once, back when he'd first joined their family with Alice. Jasper had been much more animalistic back then and had ripped his arm clean off when he'd gotten too close. That was the moment Emmett decided he would fight him every chance he got. He was still that same primal vampire, only now he recognized family and more recently, was much less haunted than he was since before meeting Nolan.

Emmett's constant insistence that they fight ended up being the foundation to their bond. Jasper was comfortable in the environment, sparring him, and Emmett was happy to simply have a go at someone who didn't cheat. He watched his brother approach him. His amber eyes looked him over. "Jeez Em, can't you ever not make a mess of yourself?"

He looked down at his dirty clothes and wiped his blood stained chin. "Where's the fun in that?"

Jasper shook his blonde head, chuckling.

"So why the sudden invite?" Jasper had been strangely insistent he go on this hunt.

"Can't I take my brother with me when the mood strikes to take down the forest animals?"

"Hey, you know I'm always down. But you usually hunt alone."

Jasper approached him, pushing his hands into his pockets. "You got me. We gotta talk about somethin'" Jasper paused. "About Anala."

Anala? What about her? "Anala?"

"Yeah. Nolan asked me to explain a couple things to you."

Emmett frowned. "Why didn't he just tell me?"

"Because you're his sister's mate and he thought it'd be awkward explaining this to you when he knows from experience."

". . . Okay?"

"Something's going to start happening to her."

Emmett was becoming wary. "What?" Jasper hesitated, looking unsure how to continue. "You're freaking me out, what is it?"

"It's not bad just . . . I'm not too sure how to word it."

"Spit it out man."

"She's going to start going into heat."

Emmett stared at him. "What?"

"When layame find a mate their bodies go into this kind of instinctual state. Like animals, its nature's way of keeping us together and I guess by default procreation. There's probably a proper term for it but honestly the only word I can use to name it is Heat."

"What'll happen?"

"I don't know how it starts, but you'll know."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I sure as hell could've used a heads up. I was afraid of hurting him. I wish someone would've warned me." Had Jasper hurt Nolan? Would he hurt Anala? Jasper continued. "Em, this is nothing but instinct. When the time comes, don't fight it. Trust in your Vampire. It won't be simply you and Anala. It's a Vampire and its Mate. It knows what to do."

Emmett was confused by the suddenness of the conversation but he nodded. "Alright. So when does it happen?"

His brother shrugged. "Whenever the Layame in her is ready. For Nolan, it took about a month after his Transition for it to start but like I said, whenever she's ready. When it happens you can smell it. Layame mates are marked by scent then later claimed by their Mate. Until a claim is made, they aren't entirely yours yet. When they go into heat, it creates the need to mate and in turn they are Claimed. It'll last maybe eight to twelve hours, as far as I know, and they'll sleep for most of the next day. Being away from her for any longer than five minutes will drive you insane but it won't last."

"And this happens often?"

Jasper shrugged. "Every few months or so. My guess is it's necessary for their kind. The bond between mates demands consummation."

"Sorry, but shouldn't Anala be the one hearing this?"

"Nolan requested we don't tell her."

"Why?" this sounded like something she should be having explained to her.

"He said that isn't something she could ever prepare for and telling her would just make her worry and stress over it. It would be better to let it happen naturally."

"Then why tell me?"

"Because you need to know it'll be okay. I was scared shitless, Em. I didn't know any of what I just told you. I can't prepare you for it but I can promise you you'll feel better knowing this than having it just sprung on you. There's no thinking. It's nothing but instinct reactions."

Jasper was leaning against a wide tree and Emmett was trying to come to terms with what he had been told. He was kind of worried, despite the assurances. How would it happen? When would it happen? How would he react? It had to be bad if Jasper was afraid of hurting Nolan, right? "What's it like?"

"It's . . ." Jasper hesitated. "Intense."

"Well thanks for being so descriptive."

"I can't describe it Em! There aren't real words that can paint the damn picture. I will say one thing though."

"What?"

Jasper was grinning, a strange twinkle in his eyes. "It's probably the hottest thing you'll ever see."

Emmett stared at him as his brain gave him images of his mate in various scenarios

Carlisle sat in his favorite armchair in the living room. A colleague in Boston had written an interesting article on the unlocked areas of the brain and how accessing those areas could hold the key to the next critical steps in human evolution. She believed the only thing blocking that access was man itself. Physically, humans had the strength to lift trucks and break boulders but their minds inhibited them. It was an interesting theory. Some religious practices focused on the strength of the mind, believed that it was the key all that was or ever would be. Carlisle glanced up at a soft sigh. Anala lay asleep on the couch. Her face was angled away from him a bit, but from where he sat he could still see her lush dark lashes, see the healthy rosiness on her cheek and see the plump shape of her lips. Her long black hair fell around her, a few long tendrils sliding over the edge of the couch. Her knee was bent slightly and her arm rested lightly over her midsection that rose and fell with her even breaths. What a strange being she was. Anala and Nolan were twins, the same creature, yet now that Anala was back in their lives he was noticing how she was so different than him, than anyone Carlisle had ever met. He was curious, both professionally and as a person. Medically, Anala had defied everything health professionals have been sure of since the dawn of science. There was no way to return from death. Not only that but it had been nearly two years. Physically, her body should have been too decomposed to use. Her heart beat, her skin was flushed and healthy and Carlisle had examined her himself once Nolan brought her home and she was conscious, she had been perfectly healthy if not a bit underweight and his overjoyed Esme had quickly seen to that by feeding her latest recipes to the woman. Once he had deducted that she was truly alive and well, the bigger questions surfaced. The ones that created the largest of controversy and debate in the world. Where had her body been if her essence, her soul, had departed? Where had she gone? Who or what brought her here and how? Anala claimed to have been nowhere, a place that didn't feel to be here nor there, but wasn't that still somewhere?

Carlisle couldn't help but be concerned however. He loved her as much as Nolan, as his children and brother. They were his family. The look of pure horror on Nolan's face when Anala was taken, the things he witnessed Carus do that night in the field, the haunted look the two siblings had in their eyes before they ever knew the truth about the two mysterious newcomers, it had all shown him that they had been through a great deal of pain and trauma. A life like that ending in such a death would have negative effects on the mind considering she was alive now with those memories. Anala was a gentle soul, Carlisle could think of so many negative outcomes such treatment would have on her but she seemed alright, at least as far as he could tell.

Anala was happy. His son was happy.

Emmett had his mate and Carlisle had his son back. The front door opened and Carlisle smelled him before he appeared. Nolan entered the room and Carlisle smiled as he peeked over the couch, checking on his sister.

"Hey Carlisle." Nolan sat on the other couch, picking up the remote and turning on the television, keeping the volume low as to not wake Anala. He sighed and Carlisle lowered the tablet in his hands. "Long day?"

Pale eyes looked at him. "Kind of. You would think my job would get easier over time."

A grin pulled on his lips. "Well I'm sure running a kingdom of supernatural beings can't get much harder than this."

Nolan chuckled. "I'm sure. Where is everyone?"

"The girls took Edward to the movies, Esme's upstairs and Jasper and Emmett went hunting. I'm not sure where Javan went off to."

He snorted. "Does anyone?"

The peculiar vampire tended to wander off when the mood struck, sometimes gone for days at a time and usually returning covered it dirt and leaves and half, or completely, naked. But what a fascinating character he was. Javan was highly intelligent, more so than any vampire Carlisle had ever met, which also alienated him in a way no one would truly understand. He had a certain charisma that drew people and even as he insulted someone it always felt like there was something else behind his smooth sarcasm and vicious wit. As if he had some ulterior motive. Somehow Nolan and Anala grasped him on a level none of them did. The invisible distance there was between Javan and the world didn't exist with the siblings. Though Carlisle had to admit they'd become fond of the dark-haired man in some strange, inexplicable way.

Anala shifted slightly.

Carlisle wondered if she was dreaming.

The hall was familiar. High, arched ceilings and the ornate stone floors, hand polished and warm beneath her bare feet. The presence pulsed gently, the structure itself radiating soothing energy. Torches lined the walls, lighting the way as she walked. Further up the passage, pale orange curtains fluttered in a passing breeze like twisting dancers. She knew this place well. She walked through the curtains, looking up to the round pale moon she could see through the circular opening in the ceiling, directly above the center of the room. The room was large, the open balcony separated by more billowing silky curtains. Ever-changing eyes watched her from a pale face framed by long dark hair. The warm breezed passed though once again and the woman moved gracefully on silent feet towards the pillar of moonlight coming in from above them. As she stepped under it, her hair seemed darker than it was and her skin glowed like ivory. The woman's shifting eyes met her own.

Anala sat up with a gasp. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she could still smell the gentle breeze, feel it on her skin. She was on the couch in the living room and Nolan was looking at her, startled. "Anala?"

"She's coming."