Neither of them had said a word since they got in the car. Jasmine was too anxious to talk and Caleb didn't try to fill the silence between them. The only sounds in the car were the hum of the engine and the soft beats coming from the radio which was playing on low volume.

Jasmine kept her gaze outside the window. Her elbow rested on top of the window switch while her fingers fumbled with her hoop earring. Even without looking she could tell that Caleb would glance at her every couple of minutes. He looked as though he was gauging her, like a predator studying his prey before diving in for the kill.

They have been driving for a couple of minutes when Caleb took a right turn into a dirt road heading deep into the woods of Ipswich. All around them were vegetation with different hues of greens and oranges. The windshield grew moist with condensation as it hit the humid air.

"Where are we going?" She asked, deliberately trying to keep her voice steady. The more she feigned nonchalance the faster her heart pounded in her chest.

"To the Dells," Caleb replied. He met her gaze with cold indifference, biting his lower lip to suppress the guilt at the fear evident in her wide brown eyes. Up until now she had done a good job at keeping her anxiety at bay. Now she realised the vulnerable position he had placed her in. They were in the middle of the woods. God forbid he did anything to her.

By now he could tell that the spell was wearing off. Jasmine probably thought that her hormones and bad judgment got her here in his passenger seat. The fact to the matter was he compelled her to do so. This particular spell required such a small amount of magic that it barely changed the colour of his eyes when he Used. The effect was instantaneous albeit subtle. Mia immediately noticed what was happening but was gagged by the presence of Ashley Bedford beside her. She had every right to raise her hackles at him. There were few things more terrible than to manipulate another person's ability to self-determination.

"I just want to talk," he said. Another lie.

"A bit dramatic of a location for a quick chat don't you think?" Jasmine blurted in reply.

"Can't risk anybody overhearing us," he explained. "Besides Mia knows you're with me. I'd be damned if I let anything hurt you under my watch."

This was true. Powers or no powers Mia Twoberry will cross hell and back for a chance to castrate him if anything bad happened to Jasmine.

They stopped just outside of the clearing leading towards the steep cliffs. Caleb undid his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Jasmine shook her head.

'What the fuck am I doing here,' she thought helplessly before she stepped out into the open as well. She took a deep breath, allowing the cool humid air to caress her lungs. Deep in her gut she had a feeling that life as she knew it wasn't going to be the same in the next couple of minutes. Some sort of revelation was hanging over their heads and when that drops she could tell it was going to be heavy.

What she didn't expect was for a Ducati and a Hummer to appear from the woods, stopping a few yards from where they stood. The figure on the motorcycle removed his helmet to reveal the chiseled, feline-like features of Pogue Parry. He secured his helmet on the handles before stepping off of the bike and sauntering towards Caleb in full motorcycle leather suit. Even with his hair in an absolute mess there was no denying that this boy was gorgeous. Pogue gave Caleb a curt nod before training his almond-shaped green eyes on Jasmine. Behind him two more figures followed suit appearing from the Hummer. The first one was Reid Garwin. She shared a couple of classes with him. He was known in campus for his playful personality and being an overall chatterbox. None of that playfulness was evident now. Instead he wore an impenetrable poker face, his cobalt eyes boring holes on her face. Beside him was Tyler Simms. Of the four boys, he was the only one who showed signs of anxiety. His bright blue eyes darted between Jasmine and the three of them. She thought he might have tried to smile at her at one point but it came out looking like a wince. Sometime during all the awkward staring, the boys positioned themselves on either side of Caleb. Their body language said it all. They were protecting him while at the same time looking up to him, waiting on his word for their next move.

When it became clear that everyone was skipping courtesies and no one was greeting anyone a pleasant day, Jasmine cleared her throat.

"Okay. I get that you all are close but…" she gave Caleb a pointed look, "What happened to making sure no one overhears us?"

'They are so going to kill me,' the pervasive voice in her head whimpered. She shut it down immediately. She needed to be vigilant now more than anything.

"Everything that I'm about to tell you doesn't just involve me," Caleb said. "It's their secret too."

Brown eyes narrowed at him as though to say, 'go on'.

"That's right," Pogue spoke up. "Caleb isn't the only warlock in Ipswich."

'Caleb is a what?'

The silence between them was so thick they could hear every leaf that fell on the forest ground. Finally, before it began to feel unbearable Jasmine let out an incredulous laugh.

"Are you guys fucking with me right now? A warlock?" She pronounced the last word slowly.

"We can go by wizard if that makes you feel safer," Reid offered.

"Speak for yourself," Caleb muttered under his breath.

"-a warlock as in…men with…powers?" Jasmine visibly cringed. Even saying it out loud felt embarrassing for her. She glared at Caleb. "You overestimated your sense of humour if you think pulling me out of lunch for this is funny."

Caleb raised an eyebrow, glancing to his left first as if gathering himself before replying to her in an even tone, "That bookshelf didn't levitate by itself."

"No because you stopped it from crushing me…crushing us."

'But how?' The base of her skull began to throb. None of this made sense.

"Caleb lifts but he's not that strong. Think about it," Pogue interjected. "That ancient thing weighs a ton. It will take more than a handful of people to lift it off the ground much less shove it out of the way."

All eyes were on Jasmine as each Son waited on her with bated breath. No one knew what she was going to do next. Finally after a minute long pause she took at few steps forward until she stood a foot away from Caleb. She had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. He stared back at her, unflinching.

'Whatever it takes,' he reminded himself.

"I didn't hallucinate when I saw your eyes turn black did I? That was real."

"That was real," he repeated.

Despite being generally well-accepted, Caleb Danvers wasn't one to shy away from scrutiny either. Years of hiding his late father's deterioration and his mother's alcoholism from the world had taught him to create defences which were impenetrable against people who wanted to probe deeper. He told himself that Jasmine Malden was merely one of these people. And it won't stay that way for long. She was way over her head with this Covenant business.

He watched her as her attention shifted to his brothers.

"And all four of you have the same…abilities?"

This time Tyler spoke up. "With varying degrees of strengths and weaknesses but pretty much."

Jasmine sighed, taking a step back. "Right. Of course. Warlocks in Ipswich, Massachusetts. And all this time I thought the witch hunts were nothing but mass hysteria."

"That's not surprising," Caleb replied. "We have been pushing for that narrative to be accepted as facts. Our forefathers relied heavily on secrecy to ensure their safety. The same rings true for us today. We cannot afford to have our true lineage revealed."

"But it's 2006. People aren't going to scream 'warlock' at the first supernatural thing they see. There's always going to be that smartass who will convince everyone that they were all tripping balls."

"It's not the people from here who we are hiding from," Reid said with a snort, like it was the most obvious fact in this entire situation. "Like attracts like, as the saying goes. Don't assume we're the only beings in this country-hell in this state who can wield magic. Some of them have intentions which you can't exactly call benevolent."

"And you knowing about us puts you in danger too," Pogue added. He had a scar running the width of his left cheekbone that Jasmine had not noticed before. It wasn't a freshly healed wound but neither did it look like it had been there in years. The edges still stood in stark contrast against the complexion of the rest of his face.

"Look I dragged you into this," Caleb sighed. He ran his fingers through his short wavy hair making tufts of it stand on end. "I fucked up and I'm so…so sorry."

Brown locked on brown. He meant it.

"Well I don't know about you but I'd take mortal peril over actual death any day. At least give me a chance to fight for my life. And that's exactly what you gave me Caleb. Listen, you might have spooked the shit out of me last week but I still owe you. I won't tell a soul about you four. I promise." Jasmine took a moment to digest what she just said. Did that mean she believed them now? She wasn't sure. Her brain was still enveloped in the inertia of what she had considered her reality merely minutes ago. And in that reality, magic only existed in fictional books and stories whispered among children. Once she had snapped out of her musings she realised that none of the Sons have said anything regarding her statement. They changed looks among themselves. A cold sensation trickled down her back.

Reid scratched his chin hurriedly. "Fine. I'll tell her." He paused, "Yeah Malden, about that. Your little speech back there? It ain't good enough."

She felt like someone just pulled out a rug she was standing on. "Uh…do you have a better idea that doesn't involve killing me?"

"We do actually. You see lucky for us, Caleb here is gifted with accessing memories and erasing them. It's quick and painless. By the time he's done you won't even dream about us having this conversation."

Jasmine's jaw dropped. They were being serious.

"He's done it before. She didn't feel a thing."

Reid's final words snapped something inside of her. Adrenaline surged in her veins and she bolted towards the woods before her mind could register what was happening.

"Aaand she's gone," the blonde muttered.

"Shit!" Pogue exclaimed. He was the first to run after her followed by Caleb then Reid and Tyler. She may be a normie but she was a soccer varsity player. Her speed was a testament to that. All four broke into sprints to keep up with her. Tyler tailed behind. A few seconds in a sinister feeling welled up from the pit of his stomach making him skid into a halt. He looked around, eyes darting back to the four figures quickly disappearing ahead of him. They weren't alone.

It was the strangest sensation. One second the soles of her feet were pounding on twigs and wet ground, the next she was suspended in mid air. An invisible force had lifted her off the ground. It kept her arms frozen away from her waist and her legs extended, stiff as a board. Her body spun around against her will and she came face to face with Pogue and Reid who were a few yards away from her. They were making rotating gestures with their arms which her body seemed to follow. This wasn't the most unnerving part. Both boys' eye sockets were onyx black, the same onyx black she saw in the library days ago. Jasmine screamed in terror. Her heart fluttered so loud she could hear blood in her ears.

"Heeelp! Help me!"

She fought the doom that slowly took over her. She knew there was a reason Caleb chose this place. Here, she could scream herself hoarse and no one would be around to hear her.

She watched in horror as he slowly made his way towards her, a predator approaching its prey.

"Don't do this! Caleb, please!" She begged, tears welling in her eyes.

He remained unperturbed by her distress, stopping a few inches away from her. Their gazes were levelled from the way she was held up. He was so close she could smell him. Her hands curled into fists and she tried to wriggle her way out of her invisible restraints. She might as well have been cemented in place because whatever it was that held her would not give.

"I'm not going to hurt you Jasmine. That's the last thing I want to do." He leaned in and placed his lips near her ear. He could hear her heart fluttering. "I'm giving you a way out. Trust me, you do not want to be involved with us."

And with that he rested his hands on either sides of her head. Black spread outwards from the centre of his irises. It looked like two gaping holes have appeared where his eyes used to be. And these two voids were the last things she saw before darkness fell over her vision like a heavy black curtain.

Whenever Caleb scanned through another person's memories it was as though he was them. He relieved the events through their eyes, heard their thoughts and experienced their feelings as if they were his own. He felt the delicious rush of making the pass which led to the team's first goal and felt a heavy helplessness when Mia looked like she was dismissing her (he made a mental note to thank her later for being so convincing). He waded through her memories further until he reached that day. There had been a moment there where she had been ready to accept death and the thought made his stomach churn painfully. Fortunately this was short lived for it was abruptly overshadowed by the unmistakeable terror of seeing him Use.

'A bit more,' he thought.

Nostalgia bloomed in her chest, which was then mirrored in his own.

He allowed himself the selfishness of going back to the moment when she called out his name for the first time in years.

'Stop,' he thought. He had work to do. And he had decided the exact place in her memories to start.

Three.

Two.

One.

Both gasped as their eyes flew open. Caleb stumbled backwards, catching himself before he lost his balance. Simultaneously, Jasmine dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Pogue called out, quickly running over to Caleb's side.

Reid looked at them in disbelief. It didn't work. "What the fuck man."

Caleb glared at Jasmine as he stood up. "I can't do it. Someone put up a block in her mind."

"What?" Pogue, Reid and Jasmine exclaimed in unison.

Before the eldest Son could answer, Tyler came sprinting towards them.

"Watch out! Darklings!"

Jasmine felt a chill spread on her back before she saw it. The sensation seared itself in her memory, born from an unnamed fear which pulled from deep inside her. She whipped her head to the left and let out a scream.

A grey cloud of humanoid heads rushed towards them. Half of their torsos were visible which were dressed in scraggly clothes. Their decomposing faces held empty eye sockets and empty mouths. Their jaws opened so wide their cheeks hollowed and the thin skin covering them tore into holes.

She felt a pair of hands clamp on both her arms and pull her off of the ground.

"Shit," Caleb spat. He pulled her at the very back of the pack and then shoved her behind him, turning into her very own human barricade against the incoming Darklings.

"Brace yourselves!" One of the boys shouted.

Tyler took a couple of steps forward, shoulders squared and eyes black as night as he stood between the fast approaching beasts and his friends. He stretched both hands forward and a shimmer erupted in front of them. The woods surrounding them started to quiver the way the horizon does on a hot summer day. With a guttural cry the creatures lunged at them only to stop abruptly as though they hit something solid. He had summoned a protective shield.

"Atta boy," Pogue whispered.

The shimmering shield began to creep over their heads forming a protective dome. The Darklings looked up. To their utter horror, these creatures began to scale Tyler's shield, trying to reach the empty space over and behind them before the youngest Son could completely enclose the group.

"Fuck, they're too fast!" Tyler exclaimed.

"They're getting in," Jasmine said in a shaky voice as she pointed above them. A skeletal hand had grabbed the edge of the of the shield.

Caleb stood his ground, onyx eyes tracking the the Darklings the entire time. His left hand curled into a white-knuckled fist.

"Get back," he growled.

Jasmine stumbled backwards as someone pulled the hood of her sweater. She bumped into Reid's chest.

"Get your ass out of the way Malden!"

As soon as the grey cloud swung into their protective dome, Caleb stepped forward and drove his fist into one of the Darkling's chest. There was a sickening squelch followed by an inhuman roar. A bright light emerged from from within the tangle of beasts and it seemed as though they could sense their imminent danger and were trying to break away from him. But before they could escape he twisted his arm. Another sharp screech and the Darklings exploded into a wall of opaque smoke. Hot air rushed into Jasmine's face, so pungent and thick with the scent of sulphur that it made her eyes water.

And then the woods around them cleared as though nothing happened. They could hear the chirping of the birds and the scurrying of the critters on the forest floor once again. Tyler bent down, his white knuckled hands resting on his knees as he coughed. He coughed so violently that he began to dry heave. Reid walked over to him to rub his back.

"You did well baby boy," he said. "Those fuckers would have ripped us a new one if it wasn't for you."

Pogue approached Caleb, whose now brown eyes remained trained on the spot where the nightmarish monsters stood just seconds ago. Despite the oldest Son and their de facto leader looking so calm, his entire body still hummed with barely contained Power. Moments like this made him wonder how Caleb could hold an insane amount magic inside him. The Danvers line had produced exceptional warlocks every generation without fail. Hence they were often the leaders of their age groups. Caleb himself was already a force to be reckoned with prior to Ascending. How he handled the full capacity of his Powers and that of his father William's without disintegrating on the spot remained a mystery to him. It wasn't a secret though that he was struggling to do so. Still, seeing him looking so stoic and unfazed after literally obliterating multiple Darklings at once, one wouldn't think he was losing his grip on things.

"You okay man?"

Caleb nodded and turned to face him, "Those were from Chase. I'm sure of it."

Pogue blanched, running his tongue over his dry lips. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

"I was hoping I didn't have to," he quipped. His gaze softened as it landed on Jasmine. She stood in the center of the group, her wide eyes glazed over as she stared ahead. She shook like a leaf.

"Jasmine?" he called out tentatively as he approached her. She jumped when he gingerly placed his hands on her arms but she kept staring at the same spot behind him.

"Welp," Reid sighed. "Looks like she's all in on it now. This is getting really awkward."

"JJ listen to me," he said softly. It was the first time he had called her by her nickname in nearly a decade. She met his gaze, acknowledging him. "We need to talk."

Author's Notes:

I'm guessing this is the longest chapter so far. Anyhoo, thanks for the handful of readers who have followed this fic up until this point. I know the Covenant is not a huge fandom especially 17 years after the movie but I still felt like this story needs to be put out there for the remaining few who are still into it. As always, reviews would be amazing. It would be nice to hear from you guys.