The next few seconds of my life were a blur. Whether it was the dizzying lack of oxygen burning my eyeballs, or the fact I felt like I had been thrown through the air again.

I think it was a mixture of both.

Hearing Asra's voice ignited a fire in my belly, a twisting cramp in my gut that blossomed up to my chest. I felt my mind explode with the bond, my body giving me one last pump of adrenaline before my life was over. I squeezed my eyes closed, knowing that if I was to look through the dizziness, I'd be sure to miss my next move and fall over.

Concentrating on that part of me I wasn't sure of, I found my mind glued to Jeremy's stern stare. I could picture him in my mind, wearing dark clothes and a hood, arms tense as he waited for me to strike.

I knew what to do; I knew where to hit him. I just had to do it.

So, with a thousand unanswered questions, I heaved my leg and sent it straight into Azriel's groin. When he clenched with the pain, my good arm came to scratch at his face, clawing at his delicate skin to get free. It had worked perfectly, because the moment his fingers loosened and I fell to the floor, Asra was on top of him.

A soft groan escaped me as I welcomed the comfort of the wet field against my back, closing my eyes as the rain pelted my bruised skin. The noises of snarling and hissing fell to the background, a soft sigh leaving my lips as war happened around me. The sounds turned to a muffled buzzing, and I was aware of someone calling my name before thick, dense fur shrouded my body.

It didn't smell like Asra, and weakly peeking an eye open, I saw their fur was dark brown with white underbelly. It wasn't Rio; he was a light brown, and it wasn't Caleb. His beast's fur was as dark brown as it could get.

Knowing I was safe no matter who it was, I stayed still beneath the soft fur as it brushed my bare skin. I shuddered, the cold biting into my bones, and the wolf vibrated, lowering itself until it lay on top of me. They applied a little weight, keeping their paws bent beside my head. I watched it curiously, and it looked down at me with what I could only make out as concern.

Locking gazes with the brown-eyed wolf, I felt my chest lighten as I recognised the person beneath the wolfy scowl. They had white around their snout, travelling up the centre of their head like a deer and on the tip of their ears. How cute.

Piper was furious, but she was concerned for me, and that outweighed it all. My ears rang, and I saw her snout part, a small whimper probably escaping her throat. Her nose came to boop my cheek, and a lazy smirk lifted my face. I was too weak to swat her away, too happy that she was keeping me warm.

I muttered such words to her, thanking her softly for looking after me and keeping me dry. She shook her head, a wolf huff vibrating my body before nudging my head to the side. It rolled, and I cursed at her, feeling a sharp stabbing pain shoot down my jaw. Her wolfish eyebrows furrowed as I tried to tell her to stop, but she didn't understand, nudging my head again.

Was I talking gibberish?

Probably. It hurt to open my mouth.

I didn't even know what was happening anymore.

I kicked Azriel in the balls and then here I was.

With my head still rolled to the side, I forced my eyes to focus. The fight seemed to have slowed. Many of the vampires beheaded and pulled into heaps. Asra's beast was hovering over a wolf with blonde fur, jaws dangerously close to the latter's throat. His fur rippled, the earth vibrating with a snarl so furious I could hear it through the white buzzing inside my head. The blonde wolf's head flopped, blue eyes sad as it stared into the ground.

It was Azriel.

And he had submitted to Asra.

My chest fell with relief, exhaustion plaguing my mind. Looking back up at Piper, I smiled weakly at her. I felt so weak, so soft and floaty. My mind was empty, my senses empty, as though I was inside a fluffy blanket. Or maybe this is what clouds felt like? Either way, the weight of my body disappeared, and my vision began to blur.

Piper's snout kept poking me before her blurry head disappeared and I stared up at the sky.

The sky was so beautiful, wasn't it? It was amazing. The clouds had been so grey, but they seemed to clear because I could see the stars lighting up the sky. When the darkness rolled away, it revealed a dark blue midnight abyss I could stare at forever. The stars would twinkle, disappearing within a blink before staring back down at me with a soft comfort.

A smile lifted my cheeks, just as a strangely powerful warmth wrapped around me. My eyes fluttered closed, embracing the heat my body desired, and I curled into it. My cheek burned where it touched the flames, but instead of melting my skin, it warmed me. I became weightless, floating through that strange cloud as the blue stars twinkled down at me.

Is this what peace was?

Is this what heaven is supposed to be?

If it was, I could stay here forever. No pain, judgement or thoughts, just warmth...

***

"Ailia, duck!"

I spun around, eyes wide with alarm as I automatically ducked from whatever someone had thrown at me. To my utmost horror, it was literally a duck. The poor thing squawked at me, wings wide with panic as its sharp nails ripped into my shoulder. I tried to catch it, but it was too obnoxious for help and flittered to the floor with an angry quack.

My horror turned to agitation, and I spun around to glare at the offender.

Jeremy was laughing, his hand on his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. I stormed over to him and shoved him in the shoulder. He barely budged, the large man catching his step as he straightened himself out.

"Oh my, you should've seen your face!" He snorted.

"Why did you throw a fucking duck at me?"

"Language, Ailia." Jeremy warned.

"Fuck off, you dick." I stuck out my tongue.

Instead of being offended, Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Quack."

"Oh, shut up." I muttered. "Are you done tormenting me for the day? Have I oozed enough sweat for you?"

Jeremy snorted, shaking his head. "I am not collecting your sweat, Ailia. I am helping you."

"Torturing me." I shook my head. "I am a teenager; you are an adult. I could get you arrested."

"I'd like to see you try," He mused, squeezing my shoulder. "Besides, you love me, so you wouldn't."

"Yeah, I'd love to beat your ass."

"You think you can?" Jeremy grinned. "I'd like to see you try. After all, you're just a lame human."

His words ignited something in my gut, and I bared my teeth at him like an animal. It excited him when I widened my stance and crouched, because he copied, his hands ready at his sides.

This fucker was going down.

Charging head-on was a death sentence, so at the last moment, I changed course and scaled a tree. Rebounding off it with a flip, Jeremy reached for me, alarmed. I wrapped my hands around the width of his shoulder and elbow, tugging it behind his back as I landed. Without another thought, I rolled myself backwards on the ground, bringing him down with me. He grunted as he hit the floor, his arm straining and ready to pop out.

I pulled his arm out to the side as far as it could go, wrapping my body around it like a snake. I dug a foot into his neck, pushing it away from me as the other dug into his groin. His spare hand reached for me, but I increased the pressure on his dick and neck, feeling the strain in his skin.

I preferred fighting barefoot, sensing his pulse beneath my soles. He grumbled something, fingers clawing at the dirt with annoyance.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"I said I fucking submit, let me go!" He snapped.

I giggled, releasing my hands first before pushing him away with my feet. He cursed at me as my heel jabbed his balls, cupping the delicate Easter eggs, as he liked to call them, with his non-strained hand.

"You move fast."

"A superb trainer taught me." I clicked my tongue, sitting up.

"He must be good to teach you that," Jeremy smirked, rolling his arm.

"He's over-confident and cocky." I shrugged. "Bit of a douche."

Jeremy laughed, nodding with an amused smirk. "I can see that. A man with such calibre is bound to be a little over-zealous with his work."

"Yeah. He definitely loves himself too much. But he's super private." I pursed my lips. "He always visits me in the woods and lurks in the shadows. I don't even know why he helped me."

Jeremy's eyes softened, dropping the game. "That's because you never know when you need it."

I sighed, still sat on the floor. "Why would I need it, Jeremy?"

He couldn't look me in the eye, staring down at the dishevelled dirt from our kerfuffle.

"Jer?" I probed.

Jeremy sighed, wiping his face with his elbow to avoid the dirt. "Ailia."

"Why are you here still, Jer?" I wondered. "All these months of training, I'm nearly sixteen, and I still don't understand why you are doing this."

"There are some things in life, Ailia, that aren't worth questioning."

I frowned, unhappy with his answer. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Jeremy sighed. "When the time comes, you will need everything I have taught you."

"When the times comes?" I repeated, confused. "Jeremy, you are making zero sense."

He chuckled sadly before rising to his feet. I followed, wiping the dirt from my clothes. It was winter, and spring was fast approaching. Exercising with Jeremy kept me warm for now, and the coat I would wear to meet him would always end up on the floor.

"I appreciate everything you do for my Jeremy; but I just can't help wondering what it is all for." I muttered as he passed me my coat.

"One day, you may not remember all of this, but you will be grateful. It is my job to..." He trailed off.

I cocked my head, looking up at him. "Job?"

Jeremy sighed softly, pulling me into his side. "I am here to help people like you, Ailia. I am here to help you."

"I don't need help." I shook my head. "In this world, in Evermore, me being this fit and trained is pointless."

"It will make sense in the end." He shrugged.

I groaned with a soft laugh, my forehead pressing into his chest. "Jeremy, you confuse me."

He chuckled. "Good. You can say I help with brain training, too."

I scowled, shoving him away from me. "Aren't you supposed to be going now? The moon is rising. You may turn into a goblin!"

His laughter was light, but he nodded. "That's true. I don't fancy eating my trainee."

"Master." I corrected him with a smirk. "I know everything, Jeremy. There is nothing you cannot teach me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Ailia. There are things I wish I could teach you, but I can't." He smiled. "Not yet, anyway."

With that, he turned and walked into the woods. I shook my head at his retreating figure, always left so confused and exhausted after our encounters. The burn in my chest and muscles was a good one, though, and in this lonely town I was just glad I had somebody I could confide in. Perhaps one day I would find out why Jeremy was kind enough to help me exercise. All these weird martial art, wrestling moves were bound to come in handy when I beat it out of him.

Grinning, I headed back to the place I had to call home. With every step, my shoulders lowered, my lungs deflating with defeat. I hated coming home, but thankfully, mother was on one of those weird outings. I swear, whatever came over her a couple of weeks ago confused the shit out of me. For years she kept herself cooped up, and then suddenly-SPRING! She was up and out of there and making connections all over town.

She was just as confusing as Jeremy.

But at least she was out of my hair for the evening. It meant I could have a bath without her there.

Filling the tub and sinking into the warmth of the water, I didn't hear her arrive back home until the bathroom door smashed open. I jolted, water sloshing onto the floor as I stared up at her with horror. She hated when I bathed for too long, and hated how much I filled it.

"Get up!" She snapped.

I jerked out of the tub, standing on the slippery floor and reaching for a towel. Mother grabbed it before I could, and my mouth parted with confusion. I quickly curled my shoulders, scrambling to cover my chest and cross my legs to hide my private areas.

"Mother-

"Stand straight." She scowled.

"I am naked!" I screeched.

She whipped the towel at me, demanding I do not care about that. With shaky breath and wide eyes, I forced myself to stand still, but still kept my hands wrapped around myself.

"Remove your hands."

"Mother, this is wrong-

"Do not question me. I need to see if you have been behaving." She scowled.

"Of course, I have."

"How do I know? How do I know you haven't damaged your body through your whoring?" She scoffed.

I frowned, dropping my hands and head with shame. Mother tutted, poking my chest with distaste.

"Shameful."

I wasn't fat; I knew that. The lack of food kept me from even gaining a pound. It was the bruises from my fights with Jeremy, usually easy to hide, that she saw. Mother assumed they were from an act of coitus, going by her scowl. I flinched when her hand came to smack my cheek, sprouting words of hatred into my face before throwing the towel at me and telling me I was a whore and a disgrace.

I cried no tears that night, staring at my younger sister as she slept peacefully beside me. I wanted to get out of there, but I still had two years before I could. My birthday was in two days, and I wished for it to come faster. But could I leave Arabella? Leave her in the hands of our mother? Mother didn't hurt Bella like she hurt me. Perhaps she would be safe when I run away?

I sighed, closing my eyes and hoping for a better dream.

***

reuniting in 3...2...