Rough edit but I hope you all enjoy!

I laid on my back and groaned quietly to myself. When Gabriel asked to spare, I went in a little cocky. And it was easy to forget that Gabriel could beat me more times than Dimitri could. I guess, working out with Gabriel gave me the upper hand, but I continuously forgot that he was that much stronger than me.

"You sound like you're going to die in there!" Bryce laughed.

"I feel like I'm going to die," I moaned, rolling onto my stomach and resting my head against the cold tile. I was supposed to have a hot bath, but I hadn't made it that far. I sat down to pick up my ChapStick that fell under the counter and hadn't gotten back up. It had been long enough that the steam had fogged up the mirror.

I fumbled with the cupboard door and blindly moved my hand around, looking for the square container I knew very well. It was a miracle soak. I thought everyone who told me to use Epsom salts in the tub was crazy, but it did help.

Once I found it, I took it out and awkwardly put it on the tub. Now I needed the motivation to get off the floor.

"Rose? Are you in the bath?" Gabriel asked.

I moaned. "No. Haven't made it there yet," I complained.

"Are you decent?"

"Not really, but you can come in if you need something," I mumbled against the floor. I could hear his laughter behind the door and then the quiet creak. I was still in my bra and underwear, so I wasn't completely undressed.

"Oh boy," Gabriel teased and I flipped him off.

"Don't say a word."

Gabriel snorted and I felt his hands gripped my armpits. He lifted me off the floor in a way you would expect someone to do with a toddler. He set on the edge of the tub with a smirk, waiting a moment before letting go to make sure I wouldn't topple off.

"You act like I weigh ten pounds."

"Because to me you do. The only person I've spared with that actually had weight to them was Dimitri," Gabriel teased as he searched through the cupboard, finding a hair tie and fastening it in his hair. It was starting to get long. It wasn't as long as Dimitri's but it was long. And the longer it got, the curlier it got. If you hadn't seen his mother, you would think that he was blessed with a beautiful tan all the time. But Savanah-Mae's skin was like the colour of burnt caramel.

"You need a haircut.

"I know, just haven't gotten around to it," Gabriel said with a sniff, wiping his hand against his nose. I rolled my eyes but furrowed my brows.

"Your nose is bleeding."

Gabriel looked at the side of his hand and frowned. He turned and looked at himself in the mirror as he grabbed a tissue, wiping his nose again.

"Weird. Maybe I got some sand in my nose earlier," he mused before tossing the tissue in the trash, "You should get in that while it's still hot, or it defeats the purpose."

I sighed and gave him a look. He winked and slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I reached for the Epson salts and poured some into the tub before undressing and climbing in.

RPOV

I knew that Sheila had no issue with me borrowing her car, but I felt terrible about it. Lissa's estate was being handled surprisingly quickly, but I guess not going through public courts had an edge.

I was given an advance on my inheritance, and I purchased myself a car. It wasn't anything crazy, and when Abe saw it, he was a little insulted that I wouldn't let him buy me my first car, but I liked it. It was a good vehicle, and it suited me. But that was beside the point. It meant that I could do what I needed to.

And that meant being a little bit of a stalker.

I hadn't noticed what Gabriel's father wrote his number on, but when Gabriel handed it to me and thought it was mine, I knew that he had been around town. I felt like I was on a stakeout, and I guess I was, but I was settled in the car with a pair of sunglasses on. That, and I asked Emily to look for this Grayson guy, and knew that he was living in town too.

Above the gem shop.

I jumped when the passenger door opened, my iced coffee almost spilling all over me. Dimitri slipped into the front seat with ease, running his hand through his freshly cut hair.

"What-?"

"You bought a car that stands out as brand new in this town. And it's not flashy enough to be one of the people who own the lake properties near the house. Roza. I recognized it," Dimitri drawled as he crossed his ankles.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a napkin to wipe the drops of coffee off my legs.

"I thought your haircut was tomorrow."

"No, always today. But you were supposed to be my ride into town. So I walked."

My eyes bugged out as I looked at him.

"It's a forty-five-minute walk!" I exclaimed, "And it's hot as fuck outside."

Dimitri shrugged and took my iced coffee from me, sipping from the straw as if we were having a conversation about the weather.

"I've walked in worse. So, has he come out?" Dimitri asked as he handed me my iced coffee.

I sighed and took a sip as I glanced towards the store.

"No. Not yet."

"Does Gabe know you're here?"

I rolled my eyes but Dimitri didn't need a verbal response. He sighed and got more comfortable in his seat, running his fingers through his hair.

"Don't like it?"

"No. I just haven't had a proper haircut in a long time. I usually cut it myself, but this feels different to me. And it's a little shorter than I'm used to," he explained. I lifted my sunglasses and smiled at him, reaching out and running my fingers against his scalp.

"It looks great," I reassured, "It feels nice too."

Dimitri smiled. "It's still long enough for me to put into a bun."

I snorted a laugh and shook my head. He had started wearing it in a bun instead of a ponytail, and I had teased him about it. Gabriel had retorted that I thought it was hot, and now it was an ongoing joke. But I did think that it was kind of hot.

"Did you two get over your rift?"

I turned my head towards him for a moment before looking back at the store.

"You tell me. You are Gabriel are as thick as thieves. And don't pretend that you weren't the one who recommended us sparing to work out our crap."

Dimitri shrugged. "That was all I said, and that is all I know."

I snorted again. He had become a perfect part of our little pack. He knew where to intervene, and knew exactly when he needed to be my…well, whatever he is, and Gabriel's friend. It was refreshing to see a healthy dynamic between us.

I started to drink my iced coffee again when I saw a man walk out the door next to the shop and then into it. I jammed my coffee into the cupholder and jumped out of the car, walking towards the shop.

"Rose," Dimitri called out but I gestured for him to wait in the car. I went into the store and shut the door firmly behind me. Marina looked up and smiled softly at me.

"Hi, my dear. How are you?"

I nodded at Marina but my eyes were on Grayson. He turned to look at me, his eyes showing that he recognized me.

"I'll come back later," he said to Marina but I stood in his way.

"No. We are going to chat," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, "How did you find Gabriel?"

Grayson sighed and rubbed his head. "You are not the only people with abilities," he said quietly, "There's a network almost. It's not hard to find someone if you know the right people. I met someone that heard about the program, and that there was a lycanthropy named Gabriel."

"Gabriel is a pretty common name. You know, the whole archangel and all that," I quipped.

"Yes, but the person I talked to was pretty certain it was the same Gabriel I was looking for. What is it that you want? I take it you're his girlfriend?"

"I'm his mate, and I want to know why you decided that you wanted to reconnect after all this time?"

"Guilt," he said truthfully with a shake of his head. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my brows at him.

"Guilt?"

"Look. I always knew I had a kid. I was young, and I made a poor choice. I didn't know what I was doing, or what I had signed myself up for. But I wasn't in control either. Sav was the love of my life, and I walked away from her too. The minute I found out that she was pregnant, all I could see was the damage I could do to her. I almost killed her once, and I couldn't risk hurting them both," Grayson stated, almost snapping at me. I tilted my head and licked my lips.

"What do you mean? You almost killed her once?"

Grayson sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in a manner that made me see Gabriel in him. It was the way that they both tilted their heads just to the side, swooping their hair to the side.

"Have you ever heard of a psychic vampire?"

"Isn't that kind of like a normal vampire?"

"In a sense. Instead of blood, psychic vampires feed off of emotions, and energy. The stronger the emotion, the more we can take. But, we can also do other things. We can see energy, and feel other people's emotions. Before we found out Sav was pregnant, I almost killed her by draining her psychic energy. It took her three weeks to recover from the fatigue and the cognitive side effects. It was like waking up from a coma," he explained.

I glanced towards Maria and bit my lip.

"Is that why you live above the shop? Because all the stones are good for energy?"

Grayson nodded. "After that night, I was terrified even to touch Savanah-Mae. And the thought of touching her while pregnant, the risk of harming Gabriel while he was in her womb…he's named after my father. The fact she did that…"

I pursed my lips.

"So you left out of fear."

Grayson nodded. "I know how to properly handle my powers now, which is why I wanted to reconnect. But if Gabriel doesn't want that, I will respect it. But it is his decision to make," he said pointedly.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Fine. If he wants to get to know you, I won't intervene, but don't think I won't be watching you," I said before stepping out of the shop. I walked back towards my car, forcing a smile at Dimitri. I opened my door and slid in, reaching for my iced coffee and finding it empty.

I gawked at Dimitri. "Seriously?!"

Dimitri shrugged. "It's hot out, and you left the windows up. I got thirsty," he said plainly, almost childlike. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you, a dog? Don't know how to turn the car on?"

"Even with a push start car, the key needs to be in the car," Dimitri pointed out. I stuck my tongue out at him. I was still getting used to the keyless ignition.

"And I'm not a dog. But I do remember you calling me a wild animal once," he said thickly, leaning towards me and pressing a hard kiss to my neck. I blushed and giggled as his stubble rubbed against my skin, making me squirm in my seat.

"Hey! You can't use what is said in the bedroom against me," I squealed. Dimitri laughed against my skin before sitting up.

"Let's go get some more coffee and take a walk on the beach. It's not too busy today," Dimitri suggested. I smiled and turned the car on, pulling out of the parking spot.

Dimitri and I ended up spending the day down at the beach. While it was hot out, it was nice to walk through the shoreline. The beach wasn't busy, and it felt nice to do something so mundane. As the sun started to go down, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant on the pier, sharing a pitcher of sider with our meal.

"How is Jerry doing?" Dimitri asked as he sipped the last of his cider. He offered to drive so I had one glass more than he did.

"Good. He's annoyed with the physical therapy, but I told him that it was important. He can't get away from ghosts if he can't move."

Dimitri snickered. "I didn't think you could get away from them."

"Sometimes you can walk away from some. Not often, but some will get the gist," I said as I pinched a fry off the plate.

Dimitri shook his head and leaned back in his chair to pull his phone out of his pocket. He looked at the screen and furrowed his brows.

"What is it?"

"Gabriel messaged me. He wanted to know if either of us had seen Mike," he said. I cocked my head to the side and reached into my purse, pulling my phone out and seeing three missed messages from him, and a missed call from Sheila.

"This doesn't look good. I have a missed call from Sheila," I said quietly. Dimitri nodded and waved over to our waiter and asked for the bill. It felt like forever waiting for the waiter to come back, Dimitri tapping his wallet against the table gently. I kept looking to see if I could see Michael on the SnapMap, but I wasn't having any luck. Once the waiter came back, Dimitri threw sixty dollars on the table, a bit more than what was needed, but we didn't have time to wait for the change. We practically bolted from the restaurant.

When we got home, I found everyone in the kitchen.

"You still haven't heard from Michael?" I asked. Sheila's worry was clear on her face. Emily looked exhausted, the way she usually did if she spent time in astral form.

"No," Marin said.

"When was the last you heard from him?"

"Early afternoon. Michael never came home from his tutor session," Sheila said, "Jolene said that she saw him get on the bus. But since then, nobody has heard from him. And his phone isn't showing his location anymore."

I bit my lip and looked at the time. "Is there a chance that he just stopped at the diner on the way back? Or one of his friend's houses and his phone died?"

"I couldn't smell him anywhere in town," Gabriel said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I tapped my finger against my forearm as I thought. I didn't know much about how tracking someone worked, but if he couldn't smell him in town, it was concerning. I couldn't think of why he wouldn't be home yet.

"What time does he finish with his tutor?"

"Three."

It was nine at night.

"And nobody has heard from any of his friends?"

Martin shook his head. "No."

I sighed. "I think it's time we call the police. It's not like Michael to just not come home, or find a way to contact someone."

Sheila and Martin exchanged glances before Martin picked up the phone.

I kept rubbing Gabriel's shoulder as the police interviewed everyone. Despite the person Gabriel was now, he didn't have the best track record with police. He had moved between foster homes or was picked up for running away. He didn't trust them, and I understood why he didn't. he didn't feel safe around them, and he was already upset that Michael hadn't come home.

"And neither of you have seen Mr. Browns?"

"Not since this morning," I said. Gabriel nodded in agreement. The office that was interviewing us kept giving Gabriel strange glances, and at one point I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Do you have something you need to say?" I snapped. Dimitri was sitting at the island behind us and he reached forward, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Given Mr. Swanson's record-"

"His juvenile record that reports that he ran away from a foster home?" I retorted, "Is that really what's important right now?"

The officer gapped at me before clearing his throat.

"I meant record as in his previous help with the search and rescue parties during the last storm, I just wondered why he was still inside and not out looking."

"Because I can't smell him in town," Gabriel spit out and the officer raised his brows. The other office caught the tail end of Gabriel's words and stepped closer.

"I am aware that this house has some…different…things happen, but you said you can't follow his scent anymore?"

"That's correct," I said, rubbing the back of Gabriel's shoulder again.

"Then someone may know that you would be able to track him. Covering their tracks. Which bus stop was he going to?"

"Route 5," I said.

"There is a city camera just before the bus stop. We can try pulling the footage and see if he made it to the stop," the second officer said. I nodded and suggested that I come. Sheila and Martin needed to be here in case Michael came back, and I might be able to pick something out on the camera.

When I was punished to the archives, I spent a few days watching cameras while the Guardians had their breaks. I got pretty good at it, and Mikhail and I made a game of I Spy out of it.

I whistled lowly as Dimitri and I descended the stairs and into the server room.

"That is a lot of cameras for a tourist town," I said.

"That's why there are so many cameras," the second officer said as he led us down the stairs. I let my eyes flick over the screens, counting ten of them in total. There were two officers sitting at the desks, both turning to look at us.

"Can you pull the cameras at Route Five and the surrounding roads? We're looking for a sixteen-year-old boy," the second officer said. the two nodded and started pulling up the camera feeds.

"How far back should we look?"

"Two-thirty," I said, coming to stand behind one and crossing my arms over my chest. I watched the screens change, the clock showing the time I suggested. I ran the edge of my thumb against my bottom lip, my brows furrowed as I watched.

There was nothing for a few moments, but at three-sixteen, Michael's mop of black hair could be seen in the edge of the camera by the bus stop. His back was to us, but I knew that it was Michael. The shirt had a blue paint splatter on it from when he, Gabriel and Bryce went paintballing a few weeks ago. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief but gasped when someone came up behind him.

Watching someone grab Michael was hard to watch, but as the person moved, I noticed something. The back of that person's neck displayed a promise mark.

I glanced at Dimitri, his face hard and his eyes storming. Guardians.

"Can we follow where they go?"

The office clicked a few buttons, changing cameras, but it seemed that the Guardian was using a blindspot in the cameras. They had done their research before going after Michael. They would have known that he was the easiest target and a target that would have caught everyone's attention. They were going after the 'weakest link', so to speak.

"I can't see where they went. What you saw is all that we have," the officer said apologetically. I nodded and rubbed my jaw with a sigh.

"We know that he never got on the bus," I said with a shake of my head. I knew exactly where they were taking him. I excused myself from the room and went into the upper hallway. I brought my phone to my ear and breathed deeply, waiting for Gabriel to pick up.

"Did you find anything?"

"Guardians took him."

Gabriel's growl was almost too similar to when he was in wolf form.

"We're going to get him," Gabriel said.

"They're going to be expecting that," I said, glancing over my shoulder, "We need a plan. And a way in without being caught."