A/N~ So for my fellow hurricane survivors, congratulations. For those who may have suffered a loss, my sincerest sympathies. I wrestled with posting this, wasn't able to during and directly after the storms. Of course. Now the power is back up finally and internet while still spotty is working in places. Hope you are all safe and secure wherever you may be and that this offering brings you a little joy. ~A

Chapter 23

Bo and Vex are walking out of the bar several hours later. Quite a bit of information collected between them. Vex in his still not quite recovered state is tipsy more from exhaustion than alcohol, which was to be fair to the dark fae, a very generous amount. Bo had avoided two drinks that had been dosed, and an overabundance of alcoholic beverages that came with more than alcohol attached, supporting him as they walk to the car.

They are trying to walk/stumble and talk on the way to Vex's little sports car, when they are accosted by a trio of bar patrons. "Remember me darlin?" He had a good voice, deep and rather seductive, too bad it was attached to such an unattractive human being. Not that he was ugly, but he was one of the ones who'd tried to dose her, that lowered anyone's charisma as far as Bo was concerned.

"Yeah I do, you're one of the ones who sent me a Roophy this evening. Right?" the succubus responded in a honey sweet tone mockingly.

"Yeah," he said and Bo recognized the entitled tone in his voice that said he was expecting her to fall over legs spread for him. For a split second she felt bad for the women of her adopted race. This one really shouldn't be allowed to reproduce, for the benefit of future generations. "Your boyfriend could watch he might learn something?"

Bp turned to Vex eyebrows raised, the Mesmer merely shrugged and said, "I was really hoping to get to bed and sleep off the results of the light cardio I've already had, but far be it from me to interfere in your calisthenics darlin." he said with a flourish as he offered to take her coat. The succubus slid off her leather jacket and made sure the dark fae was leaning comfortably against the sports car.

The trio then go after Bo hoping a bum rush of the pretty young thing will get them somewhere. It does eventually, in a hospital. After of course, Vex convinces them to forget the duo they had seen that evening.

~O~

During class, Lydia suddenly recognizes Ms. Blake's voice and hands from when she was attacked. Nearly has a panic attack before she remembers what a bad ass she was, after all she had survived being attacked by this woman. She had actually fought off her attacker. She had survived. Now she just had to avenge the ones who hadn't been so lucky.

She cornered Scott between classes and explained what she had realized. It took some convincing , mostly because Scott was passing her knowledge off as at best PTSD and at worse simple jealousy, at those words Lydia slapped him hard. Yeah okay that probably had hurt her more than him but at least now he was listening. He even took the liberty of enlisting Deaton and the trio were taking their lunch break to search the teachers classroom. Their investigation was hampered by the fact they had no idea what they were looking for. The trio were arguing back and forth when Scott accidentally knocks some papers to the floor. Lydia hisses at him to hurry up and put the papers back.

"What the hell is an H?" Scott mutters aloud.

It's the letter between G and I?" Lydia snipes as she bends to help the werewolf collect the graded essays from the floor. Catching sight of her own name her eyes automatically go to the grade and she says aloud in a scandalized screech. "C? I have never gotten a C in my entire life in anything."

"Yeah well I've never gotten an H in anything. An F yeah even an I on a few occasions but never an H. What does that even mean?" Scott said holding the paper in question out to the other teen.

Deaton sensing they may be on to something gathers the rest of the papers and suggests they try putting the papers back the way they were. Luckily Ms. Blake had an A Type personality and everyone's papers were put together in alphabetical order. "Even I have to say I've never heard of an R as a grade." Deaton said as they were lining the pages up. Then he saw what the pages spelled and hustled the teens out of the room after putting the pages back in their original positions on the desk.

They had just ducked around the corner at the end of the hall before Ms Blake came back from lunch to her classroom to enjoy a few moments before her next class. Deaton continued to drag Scott and Lydia down the hall and outside of the building before he finally spoke, "She's a Darach. A dark druid. This explains a great deal. She's making these sacrifices to the Nemeton to gain power, power to do what is the question. It has to be a specific request, a specific intention. You have to imbue a spell with an intention or the magic becomes wild and uncontrollable."

"Maybe wild and uncontrollable is her intention," Lydia suggested a little nervously as she now looked around agitatedly, eyes suspicious.

Deaton gave a horrified look, at least for him it was horrified as he replied, "Why yes, thank you Lydia, the would be terrifying. Terrifying and unstoppable."

As the pair of Lydia and Scott are on their way out of school that day, they over hear the Alpha Twins talking. "He's not going to be happy that we haven't found anything," Aiden said to his brother.

"In case you haven't noticed he hasn't been happy with anything we've done in months." Ethan said with mild hostility as he switched out a few school books for some others out of his locker.

"I don't even know why he cares, it's not like anything this magic user or whatever has done has actively hurt us and if we get blamed for it, that can only improve our rep right?"

"Except the number one rule is don't bring attention, this thing is not being subtle or quiet. It's drawing a great big red neon sign in the sky saying LOOK Here. With a big red arrow pointing right at us." Ethan explained as he struggled to close the door of his overstuffed locker and then pick up his bag. "The Sheriff knows about us, you heard Decaulion, he was freaked out about it."

"So what, he's a human." Aiden said with an uncaring shrug.

"So are hunters and you don't just pretend they don't exist now do you?" Ethan said irritated with his brother for not taking the whole situation more seriously.

Lydia and Scott came around the corner at that moment. Lydia being her usual self, and invigorated with the discovery of the Darach's identity is looking more like the bad ass.

Aiden is still quite smitten with the Banshee, "CanI walk you to your car with all the kidnappings and murders, you can't be too careful?"

Her response of, "I like playing with bad boys, not so much being with them." isn't exactly a no in his book. So the twin still walks her out while Scott merely shakes his head without looking at Ethan.

He starts to head out to his bike when the other Alpha Twin grabs his arm. As soon as he has the teen's attention though he raises his hand to show he has no bad intentions. Instead, he offers, Make you a deal about we as in my brother and I agree to a non-aggression pact with the Hale Pack?" the werewolf adds, "Maybe even some assistance and support when the time comes."

"A non-aggression pact, huh? Someone's been paying attention in political science class," Scott looks at the other werewolf in confusion as he says, "Why would you choose to join us? From what I've seen so far. You're pretty much wiping the floor with us."

"Yeah for now. Unfortunately…what's the term, oh yeah, being in the Alpha Pack has a really high rate of turnover. He's already killed Ennis. I know it was him. Kali's too close. She didn't notice the imprint of Decaulion's ring on Ennis, but I did." Ethan looked around to find Lydia and Aiden talking by her little car. "Aiden is too loyal to Decaulion to recognize what's coming. Your Pack for such a young one is surprisingly stable. The writing's on the wall for us, we either get out now or Decaulion will kill us or have us killed or our latest patron will have us all killed. I personally encourage anything that supports our continued survival. That includes joining the Hale Pack."

Scott merely nods his head and offers, "I'll suggest it to Derek. Mind you that's not a guarantee he'll accept you. Right now I'm a little more concerned with my mom and finding her." With that concession the dark haired teen heads to his motorcycle after encouraging Lydia, "Lydia, lets go!" With that the pair leave the Alpha twins standing in the parking lot.