Author Note: I forgot to say last two chapters. Happy late Halloween and Diá de los Muertos! I love these holidays and my favorite time of the year. In the story, we're jumping forward to the day before Claire's birthday. Warning: this chapter contains some mature activity. No nudity. But Jim and Claire are getting hot and heavy together. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Jim and I are in my bedroom, back home to my house in Arcadia, doing our homework. My parents are gone and NotEnrique is downstairs. Jim is on my bed, reading a book for L.A and I'm on the floor, doing my Calculus. But I struggle to focus on the problems and equations. The words of Olivia still echo in my ears.

"¡Eres un mocoso egoísta! Basta de saber que traes vergüenza a nuestra familia y a nuestros antepasados como lo hizo Verónica. Recuerda que." She hisses in my ear.

She grabbed my hand as I walked passed her with my luggage. It sent a chill up my spine then and does now. When I opened the door an hour ago, Diego told me Abuela granted my wish with enthusiasm and a huge smile. I jump for joy and give him a big hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Diego!" I cry in happiness.

"You're very welcome, Claire. You are meant for more than staying here. And I hope they will be loud enough for me to hear." He mumbles, wrapping his arms tightly around me. My friends ask what's going on. "Claire will stay with you. I'm taking her place as the next Head of the Family!" Diego says proudly, making my friends cheer and thank him happily. "Don't mention it. Claire's life is in Arcadia. Mine is in here, leading this family."

But we are soon interrupted by Olivia yelling to pack our stuff to leave. She stares down at all my friends as they exit my room, but Diego stands between us, protecting me. Abuela comes a little bit later and gets her and Diego to leave. Abuela helps and comforts me as I cry while packing my bags. "I'm sorry, Abuela! I'm sorry!" I cry in her arms.

"Shhh, shhh! It's alright, Claire. Don't be sorry for what you want." Abuela says sweetly in my ear. "Just remember to follow your heart."

As I walk to the door, some people mutter, staring at my back, spitting, cursing, and crying.

"No, Claire! Don't go!" Pablo cries, running up to me and looking up at me with tears in his eyes.

"Pablo! Get away from her!" I hear someone hiss.

I bend down, set my suitcase aside, and place a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Pablo! I'll be back on my birthday and for the ceremony. Just promise to be good for me." I tell him. Pablo sniffs but silently nods his head.

"Claire!" I hear Daniela shout as I set my suitcase in Dad's car. I turn and see her run towards me. She crashes into me and wraps her arms tightly around me, making me gasp.

"I'll miss you. I wish you could stay here as the next Head of the Family." She whispers in my ear.

I sigh but hug her in return. I take a deep breath and stare at Daniela with sad eyes, keeping my hands on her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Daniela. I hope you can understand my decision one day, but Diego will be a perfect leader to our family." I say sincerely and turn away from my family. We all pack everything up and get in the cars. I look at the manor as Dad drives away from it. As the estate leaves my view, I turn around and start crying.

"Claire, are you ok?" Jim ask.

I turn to him, who looks at me with concern. I didn't realize I began to shed tears and try to wipe them away. "Yeah. I'm terrific!" I shout sarcastically as I get to my feet and pace around the room. "I'm just thinking about what my aunt just said to me. She said I'm a selfish brat and know I'll bring shame to our family and ancestors like Veronica did, telling me to remember that. What the hell! I'm not shaming anyone! And she says it's shameful to want to live your own life? Diego is taking my place. There's nothing wrong with that! But they are still mad about it. Why?!" I add in frustration, feeling myself seethe with anger. I see the glow of my necklace, which I could keep thanks to Abuela. As she said, 'It belongs to my descendants. Not the family.' I turn to look at Jim again, who stares at me with wide eyes, a stunning look in them. "Sorry! I'm just furious, scared, and stressed because my birthday is tomorrow." I say quietly.

Jim sighs and moves to the edge of the bed, patting a spot next to him. "Why don't we take a break?" He says calmly.

I glance down at my homework. We have been working for an hour, and I need a break. I nod my head, looking back at Jim. I drop my pencil and get up as Jim places his book down and shifts to my pillow. I get on my bed and crawl into Jim's arms. I lay my head on Jim's chest as he wraps his arm around my waist, spooning me. I place my left hand on Jim's chest, feeling his heart beating. I feel Jim's fingers go through my hair, stroking it. We enjoy the silence of the moment, but the image of Jim as a ferocious monster came to my mind as I closed my eyes, making me shake in fear.

Jim rubs my back and pulls me closer. "It's going to be alright, Claire. I'm very proud of you for your bravery and strength on that day." He replies and kisses my head.

"But it still hurts. I made my decision. I know what I did was right, but why does it feel so wrong? How could I betray my family, who loved and cared for me?" I whine in Jim's shirt.

"They just don't understand. You can care about someone and not let them go, but if you truly love someone, you must let them go and respect their decisions."

I sigh in defeat. He's right. My family does care about me, but they don't want me to leave them. If they truly loved me unconditionally, they would let me go and respect my decision like my parents did when I left for New Jersey. I peek out to look at my boyfriend. "Thanks, Jim!" I say sweetly and smile at him. We lean in, close our eyes and kiss. Tender and sweet before I get off Jim, returning to our homework.

When we got back home, it was better...

I remember running with a wolf before I heard Dad say my name and touch my shoulder, shaking it a bit. I open my eyes and see us parked in front of our house, in our neighborhood, in Arcadia. I sigh in relief, and we get out of the car. We left after 1:00 PM, so it's about 3:00 PM now.

"I'm starving!" I whine to Dad and look at him as we unload the trunk, hearing my stomach grumble.

"Can you wait until 5:00?" Dad asks flatly, getting out a suitcase.

"Why?"

"While you were sleeping, I talked on the phone with Barbara, Mary's parents, and your mother about having a barbecue in our backyard. All of your friends are coming."

Joy replaces the emptiness in my stomach. I always love Dad's barbecues. Being with all my friends will be great after what happened at Huntington. "Alright!" I reply happily, smiling. With help from Mom and NotEnrique, we get all our luggage in the house to the living room. I take a deep breath and inhale the scent of the room. Dad allowed me to have a snack. I grab an apple before I hear my phone ping. I take it out of my pocket and see a text from Jim.

Jim: AAARRRGGHH and Blinky will meet us at the Barbecue when it darkens. Let your parents know.

I turn to my parents, Mom is holding Enrique, and Dad is working with the luggage. "Mom, Dad, Jim told me AAARRRGGHH and Blinky are going to show up at the barbecue tonight when it becomes dark to talk with him, me, and Toby."

Mom and Dad look at me and nod their heads. "It's alright, and as long as no one who knows them shows up," Mom says flatly.

"Don't worry. Everyone knows them." I reply before grabbing my suitcase, kissing Enrique, and walking upstairs with NotEnrique behind me. I open the door to my room, throw my backpack on the bed, and set my suitcase on the floor. I closed the door and collapsed face-first on the bed.

Numb to my family's pain and growling at my stomach, I take a nap. I wake up from Mom, rubbing my back. "Time for dinner!"

We walk down the stairs to the sliding glass door, and I hear laughter outside. I rush to my friends and hug Darci, Mary, Zoe, and Aja as I smell sausages and steak on the grill.

"Are you alright, Claire?" Jim asks.

"Yes! I'm alright. Thanks!"

We talk, laugh, and eat while enjoying the night sky. It's not as beautiful as the courtyard at the manor, but it feels like home. Soon, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH show up. We hug them, and everyone greets them. We talked a bit about the Half-troll. I ask Douxie if he can make disguising spells for the trolls to attend my birthday party at the manor. He says he'll try, and AAARRRGGHH and Blinky soon leave, saying goodbye to us.

"Claire, can I ask you a question?" Jim asks calmly.

I snap out of my train of thought and turn to him. "Sure," I reply flatly.

"If I'm not who your family wants for you, how can I make them accept me?"

My eyes widen. Why would he ask me that? I bite my lip and stay silent until I remember something. "There is one way." I sigh.

"What is it?"

I take a deep breath. "It's called the blessed bond; it's when the Head of the Family can 'symbolically' bond a couple but giving them a blessing. It's a solemn thing to do and rarely happens."

"Did your parents get it?"

I nod my head. "Yes! The day before my mom left her family. It was in private, and Dad said it was in the manor's gardens. Abuela placed both hands over and under my parent's intertwined hands and said a vow in Spanish. No one was watching, but it was a way to tell our ancestors that the couple was meant to be together. Abuela also did that as a last parting gift for her daughter."

There is a brief pause. "Whoa! So your grandmother can just say anything, and it comes true?"

"Sort of. In our family, the Head of the Family's final decision is the law. The Head is like a king or emperor of their small realm. If Abuela says she allows me to go and Diego to be her heir, then that's it. People can complain and squabble. But they can't do anything about it. Abuela can banish someone, veto a financial issue, or say what the family does; they do it, and if she does the blessed bond on us, my family will leave us be."

"That's good, but why do you sound sad about it?" Jim asks in confusion.

I sigh. "Because the blessed bond is solemn. People would expect us to get married if it goes public; that might cause issues as we're still in high school." I answer. "I don't want to place any more stress on you or anyone else."

There's a brief pause, and Jim profoundly sighs. "Speaking of serious commitments, remember the comment you made about doing something alone together during our date, kissing me on the neck, and saying you would strip in front of me at Hex Tech?" He says, a bit nervous in his voice.

I feel my cheeks heat up. I turn my head back to Jim, blushing. "Y-yes! Why do you ask?" I answer hesitantly, trying to hold my nervousness but feeling curious about my question. I stand up and sit down next to him on my bed.

Jim takes a deep breath and looks at me seriously. "Because I want to talk about furthering our relationship." He replies calmly.

I blink, and my eyes widen. "Do you mean...having sex?" I ask more nervously.

Jim nods his head, making butterflies dance in my stomach. "Yeah. I've been thinking about it."

"How long have you thought about it?"

"Since about the end of school but tried to stop when I turned into a half-troll. Even though I had all of my...parts, I was afraid of hurting you. You were already dealing with a lot. I was stronger and still couldn't control my animalistic instincts. Sometimes, it took me all of my strength to control myself around you. I desired and was hungry to be inside you. I wanted to show you and give you love. I wanted to show you how much I adore you and how much you mean to me, and I want to make you mine. But I didn't give to it." He says nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "When we returned home, I thought of it more and more. But we were getting back to normal, and I was too much of a chicken to ask or tell you. I also didn't want to scare you. Especially during these past few weeks." He explains more seriously.

My mind starts racing, and my heart beats faster and faster by the minute. I look down and cover my lips. What Jim said and explained made me feel nervous. But not afraid.

"How do you feel about it?"

I take a deep breath to composure myself and look up. "Well, I've often thought of furthering our relationship. I did when we slept together on our travels, but you couldn't take off your armor, and I didn't want to put any more pressure on you. When I did think that again after we returned home, I was nervous to ask, and we were too busy to talk privately, but I'm glad we're talking about it now." I answer clearly. Jim sighs and smiles sweetly, but I gain more confidence and crawl towards my boyfriend on my knees. Jim backs up, and I sit on his lap, making him blush. "How about we start a bit now?" I ask flirtatiously, smirking.

Jim gulps. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks nervously.

My grin grows wider. "Yes! Are you?" I answer and ask, raising an eyebrow. His eyes are hungry. I am challenged.

Jim leans to my level, places his hand on my hips, and pulls me closer. We look into each other's half-open eyes. "I promise to be gentle and stop when you want me to." He says softly. "But won't your parents catch us?" He asks with concern.

I roll my eyes. "They won't be back until 6:30, and it's 5:00. Relax," I reply, cupping his cheeks. I don't want to wait; I need him after all that's happened.

We lean in, close our eyes, and part our lips. I wrap my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair. I feel Jim increase his grip around my waist, pulling me closer. Our kiss quickly becomes deeper after every second, and I feel a rising, burning sensation flowing through me. We break away for air but always return to claim another kiss. I lose track of the kisses after a couple more. I feel Jim softly bite my lower lip, causing me to moan and open my mouth, letting Jim's tongue slip in. I melt, moaning in pleasure as our tongues dance together. Jim's lips are so addicting, and his taste is so intoxicating, making me surrender and want to give him more. My arms drift down Jim's neck to his collar, where I find his jacket zipper. I pull down the zipper and hear it click. I slide my hands into Jim's jacket, trying desperately to take it off. Jim notices as he breaks our kiss to take it off and toss it aside. We breathlessly stare into each other's eyes as Jim places his hands back on me. I see in his eyes that Jim is challenging, and I accept his challenge. Instead of resuming our make-out session, Jim surprisingly hoists me up and presses his lips on my neck. "Jim." I moan in pleasure, gripping his hair tighter. Jim's lips gently explore every inch of my neck, slowly getting rougher, kissing, sucking, and biting my skin. The sensation in my body rises more and becomes hotter. I sharply gasp, feeling Jim suck on my collarbone, making him break away. He pulls me down, grinding me, sliding his thigh between my legs.

"Sorry! I'm sorry! I just wanted to do that." Jim says breathlessly, blushing.

I smirk. "No, don't apologize. I liked it." I reply breathlessly. "Seems like you know how to please me." I tease him.

"I just love you and want to show you how much I do." He says huskily.

I lean in. "Then show me more. Don't make me beg." I whisper in his ear. Jim replies by placing his lips on mine. He bites my bottom lip, and we start making out again. Jim gently pushes me back, and I fall on my bed. I moan as Jim leans in deeper, getting on top of me. I feel his thigh slide between my legs again, making me groan. I reciprocate, sliding my hands down Jim's chest to the hem of his shirt. I crawl my fingers under Jim's shirt and feel his muscular abs. I shiver, and my mind goes wild. As I touch Jim's skin, it feels warm and soft. His skin felt hard and cold when I touched Jim as a half-troll. After seeing Jim shirtless for the first time on the beach, I wanted to touch, feel, be near and see his slightly muscular but visible chest. We break our kiss as Jim pulls away to take his shirt off and throw it away, making me blush, looking at my boyfriend's upper body. I didn't know Jim could be so sexy. Jim leans back in, and we kiss again. I wrap my arms around Jim's back, and he places his hands on my hips, pulling each other closer. Every kiss becomes deeper and rougher, giving each other our passion longer than the last. Jim begins to grind on me, making me moan in pleasure. Oh my god! This feels so good! My mind becomes foggy with pleasure and desire. I love Jim and want to give more to him. I feel him press his part on mine, growling under his breath. I feel something wet on my panties and feel something hard in his pants. One of Jim's hands slides in the hem of my shirt, going up. Suddenly, I see a flash of Beast Jim from my dreams roaring at me. I see Skrael, Bellroc, and the Half-troll that attacked us three days ago. "Jim! Stop!" I gasp sharply, breaking the kiss.

Jim quickly pulls his hand and lips away from me. "Claire! Are you ok?" He asks with worry.

I try to catch my breath but look into his concerned eyes. "I'm not ready," I mumble, and tears foam in my eyes. Jim gets off me, and I sit up. I hug my legs and hug them, trying my hardest not to cry again. "I'm sorry, Jim. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, Claire. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go as far as I did scare you." Jim says sweetly, shifting next to me. He places his hand on my back, stroking it to calm me down.

I hear haunting laughter in my ear and close my eyes. I see Skrael and Bellroc again. "Claire, you're shaking. What's the matter?" I hear Jim say before hearing Beast Jim roaring. Bitch! Bitch! BITCH! I start shaking. We will find you! And you will join us! I hear Skrael hiss. I hide my face in my legs.

"No. No. No, you won't." I cry. "I won't join you."

"Claire, what are you talking about?"

Slut. Spoiled brat. Worthless. I hear Olivia whisper.

"No, I'm not."

"You are strong. Don't be scared."

I hear the same unknown female voice that's been haunting me for months. I hear so many voices, becoming louder and faster. I cover my ears. My head begins spinning, and I start to hyperventilate. I hear Jim's muffled voice in the back of my head, growing farther and farther away. I see visions of Bellroc, Skrael, the Half-troll, and the woman. I can't handle the pressure in my head. I want it to stop going away forever.

When will it stop? Why me? "Get out of my head!" I scream and slam my fists on the bed. I hide my face in the bed, sobbing uncontrollably under the sheets. "I'm scared... I'm scared, Jim." I cry softly, and the voices stop.

There is a long silence, except for my sobbing echoing through the room again. I start to feel like I'm falling. Free falling. I don't know where I'm going or when it ends, but I'm caught by a hand softly stroking my back. "Shhh! It's alright, Claire. You're safe. Shhh!"

I slowly peek out and see my boyfriend's face, looking at me with concern, worry, and love in his eyes. I sniff and lift my head a bit. "Jim, I'm scared," I repeat.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks softly.

He said it like a lullaby. I'm scared of telling him about my fears, visions, and dreams, scared he might be offended. He might think I'm crazy, but I see in his eyes that Jim isn't afraid of me, but for me. I see understanding and so much care and love that I want to let in. My necklace starts glowing a warm shade of lilac. I slowly nod my head. "Yes," I mumble. Jim smiles slightly, and we sit up. Jim leans back on the bed while looking at me. I lean back and lay my head on Jim's shoulder, looking up at him. He spoons me while I get comfortable again in his arms.

"Tell me." He whispers.

Author Note: So, this had a bit of flashbacks of what happened on Sunday. Jim and Claire had a "moment", but was ruined by the bad guys. She's still not out of the woods. As for the cliff hanger. I had to end on an intriguing note. Originally, I wanted to make this into two chapters. But I thought that would be too much and wasted. Besides. Have to jump forward sometimes. Please review!