The phone rang and Norah got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Norah. It's Brad, sorry to call you so early..."

She looked at Olivia, rolling her eyes. "It's fine, Brad, is something wrong?"

Olivia's eyebrows waggled suggestively as Brad continued. "No, I was just talking with some friends and we are going out tonight for drinks at the Vale. I thought you might want to come and meet a few of the locals, make some more friends and all that."

Norah bit her lip. "I don't know..."

"Come on, just as friends," he protested. "It will be good for you to get out of that house for awhile." 

Brad was right. She did need to get out of the house and hanging out with some normal people might do her good, after all the madness of the last few days.

"Alright," she conceded. "What time do I need to get there?"

"Come by around eight. I can pick you up, if you want -"

"No it's fine, I'll walk there. See you tonight."

She hung up after they said their goodbyes and she thought of Rylan. If she was going out then there was no need for him to come to her house. Surely they wouldn't try to attack her twice in two days? They couldn't be that desperate to get rid of her.

"Hey Olivia, before you go do you have Rylan's number?" Norah grabbed a pen from the kitchen counter. "I need to call him."

"Oh sure." Olivia read out his number and Norah wrote it on a scrap piece of paper. "You going to ask him out?"

"Ask him to get out more like it," Norah muttered.

Olivia frowned. "Don't do that. I know he can be annoying sometimes, but it's better having him here. I'd feel better knowing you were being protected."

"I don't need protecting though."

"You kind of do, Norah. If you were up against a werewolf, you would lose, we are faster and stronger than you. Please reconsider."

Norah heard the concern in her voice and her shoulders dropped. "I'll think about it."

"Good! Now I have to get to work, Gail is going to kill me for coming in late." She waved goodbye and ran out the door, slamming it loudly and Norah waited two seconds before reaching for the phone. She had considered it, but the thought of some guy living in her house irked her.

The phone rang a couple of times before answering. "Rylan."

She jumped at his abruptness. "Hey Rylan, it's Norah."

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply. "Did someone come by the house?"

"No, only Olivia. I just wanted to -"

"Can this wait until I get home, then? I'm busy."

"No it can't," she blurted. "I don't want you staying here. I appreciate you saving me last night, but I think we're even now -" she broke off as he snorted and she heard the sound of a saw in the background. "What's so funny?"

"We are far from even, Norah."

She could hear the smile in his voice and her jaw clenched. "We are even -"

"See you tonight -"

"No you won't! I'm going out -"

"With who?"

"Brad and his friends," she ground out.

"Where, I'll meet you -"

"No thanks, I don't need chaperoning."

There was a moment of silence and then - "Fine. I'll pick you up afterwards. See you then."

"No you won't -" The line went dead and a noise of frustration broke past her lips. He didn't listen to a single thing she had said.

Slamming the phone down, she looked out the window and counted to ten. She kept going to twenty when the anger didn't fade and then thirty before she started to calm down. Needing a distraction, she picked up the phone and called Alice. She always knew how to calm Norah down.

She answered on the fourth ring. "What's wrong?"

"Hello to you too," Norah said wryly.

"Don't be snarky, you only ever ring when something is wrong. Dish." Alice demanded.

"Nothing is wrong, can't I ring a friend to see how she is going?"

"No! Because you don't do that."

"Dammit Alice, I rang you to calm down and you're just pissing me off more!"

She heard movement on the other end and Alice snorted. "You'll get over it. What's pissing you off?"

"Just things," Norah snapped.

"Oh," Alice dragged out. "It's not something, but some one?"

"No!" Norah said quickly and Alice laughed.

"It is! Who is the guy?"

"There is no guy!" Norah protested.

"Don't you try to bullshit me, Norah Jacobs! Only a guy could piss you off so much that you would call me. What did he do? Is he hitting on you?"

"No, there's nothing going on, he just doesn't listen -"

"I knew it!"

"Are you listening?" Norah snapped.

Alice giggled. "Oh I love when you get all defensive because of a guy. It's adorable."

"It is not adorable, I just tried to tell him I didn't want him hanging around, and he refused to listen and even tried to say he was picking me up tonight! I don't like being ordered around."

"Who are you going out with tonight?"

"A local guy and some of his friends -"

"Oh my God you've got two going at once?" Alice shrieked and Norah held the phone away. "I am so proud of you!"

"That is not what is happening! I am just trying to make new friends and - argh! Why did I call you?"

"Because you love me and miss me."

"I do miss you," Norah said quietly.

"I miss you too, Jacobs. Now, about these men -"

"No! There is nothing going on with these men. End of discussion!"

"But -"

"No!"

"Fine!" Alice huffed. "But if there is - you better tell me about it."

Norah pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes as she felt a headache coming on. "I promise to tell you."

"Good girl. I have to go back to work. Love your face."

"Love you too, bye, Alice."

"Bye honey."

She hung up and even though she was still annoyed, her heart was now homesick. She missed Alice and her old home. She hadn't felt right not telling Alice the truth. She wanted to blurt it out and ask her if she should let Rylan keep an eye out for her, but there was no way of telling her without mentioning all the werewolf drama that went with it.

Grabbing her notebook, she headed outside to kill a character. She needed to let off some steam, and unfortunately, her characters were going to be the ones that paid.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *

In its heyday, The Vale had probably been a beautiful building. The maroon coloured walls were faded to a light pink, the paint chipping along the lines of the ceiling. The bar was situated at the back of the pub and dark wood tables and chairs filled the empty space. Many tables had a single person, or two with their heads bent close in conversation. The jukebox played music from the seventies and while it was dark and a little dank, Norah liked it.

The owners, Todd and Marion were in their late sixties and the pub had been in their family for three generations. One wall was covered in photographs that dated back to the twenties at least. Flappers on the beach smiled in many images, their conservative bathing suits sure to have caused quite a scandal back then. Norah worked her way through the photos, eventually recognising some of the locals. She saw Frank, smiling out the front of his second hand store and Gail and Olivia laughing in The Twilight Cafe. Her eyes were drawn to the photograph of running wolves near the end, but she wanted nothing to do with wolves.

Not tonight anyway.

She saw an old photo of Madison, she appeared to be a teenager and her arm was linked with a tall boy with blonde hair. He looked familiar but she couldn't place him. Charlie, who had decided to join them walked over.

"Who is that?" She pointed to the boy with Madison.

Charlie's face fell. "That's Parker Roker. Her old boyfriend."

"Roker?" Norah asked. "As in Mr Roker from the hardware store?"

Charlie nodded. "Parker was his grandson."

Norah looked at the photo again, seeing Paul Roker in his grandson. "Does Paul have any other family?"

"His daughter moved away after Parker died," Charlie said quietly. "Said she couldn't live here anymore."

Norah could understand that. Her heart hurt for Mr. Roker, he was a nice man. She looked at Madison again, and noticed the subtle differences in her face. Her smile was brighter, her face filled with a happiness Norah had never seen her exhibit. Her eyes shone as she stared into the camera and all Norah could see was how in love she was. Now her heart was hurting for two people.

"Let's go back to the table," Norah suggested and Charlie followed. It was a small group of Brad's friends. Dylan was sitting quietly at the end of the table, he was still too young to drink so was sipping on water. A man with blonde dreadlocks, named Simon was Todd and Marion's son. He was in his late thirties and was learning the running of the pub. He had told her earlier that he'd spent most of his twenties travelling the world, but now he was ready to come home and settle down. He was a nice guy, and his girlfriend, Bella was sweet. Todd and Marion doted on her throughout the evening and Norah could tell they were hoping for a wedding in the near future. She just prayed they didn't put pressure on them. Parental pressure always seemed to have a way of pushing people apart.

Norah took her seat next to Madison, who had accepted Brad's invitation. She knew he had invited her so she had someone comfortable to talk with and  Norah was grateful for that. Madison smiled and Norah couldn't help but see the differences from the photo. Her eyes weren't as bright, they were guarded with loneliness and pain. Norah's hands itched, wanting to reach out and hug her, but she restrained herself. It would be unkind to dredge up painful memories.

Looking across the room, she saw Jack sitting at the bar, his cheeks already red from alcohol consumption. He had looked at her before, but she doubted he had really seen her. Today must have been a really bad day if the amount of alcohol she'd seen him drink so far, was anything to go by. She hoped his fire habit wasn't needing to be fed tonight.

Simon's friend, Howie sat opposite Norah and he shot her a smile. "So, what do you think of our little town?"

"I like it," she smiled. "You really feel closed off from the rest of the world."

"It must be big difference from living in the city though." Bella leaned over Madison, her short black hair falling in her face. "Do you miss all the extra luxuries of big city life?"

Simon carried over a tray of drinks and Norah thanked him for her wine before answering. "I don't really. I lived in the suburbs and I rarely went right into the city, unless I had a reason. I prefer the quiet, so Bellvale suits me perfectly. What about you, Bella? How do you find quiet living after travelling with Simon?"

"I must admit," she looked at Simon as he sat next to Howie. "It was tough at first. When you have that wanderlust, it's hard to give it up. I guess you just need to find the right guy to give it up for."

Groans sounded across the table as Simon leaned over gave Bella a kiss. Madison and Norah smiled as the boys threw chips at Simon and he caught one, popping it into his mouth. "Thanks."

"So, have you got anyone special, Norah?" Howie asked and she shook her head.

"Only the characters in my stories."

"Wow, that sounds sad," Simon said and then table rocked as Bella kicked him under the table. "What?" He glared at her.

"It's okay," Norah laughed. "I know it is pretty sad. I'm just so focused on my writing at this point in my life, I haven't found anyone who can handle that, or has a big enough pull to drag me away from my characters."

"I'm sure you'll find that someone one day," Madison said quietly.

Norah nodded. "I will."

"Got any family back home?" Brad asked, joining in.

Norah felt her heart stutter. "Yeah, an older brother." The words felt strange coming out of her mouth, they were forced and almost alien. She had dreaded this question popping up.

"Is he coming down to see you? I'm sure there's a few ladies in the town who'd love to meet him." Bella grinned.

Norah plastered a smile on her face, hoping it didn't look as painful as it felt. "Unfortunately no, he's tied up with his own life at the moment."

"Aw that sucks," Bella pouted and glanced at Charlie. "We need to find someone for your sister, Charlie."

"I don't want to talk about setting my sister up," he muttered.

"Then how about we talk about setting you up?" Bella watched him panic and Norah tried not to laugh. Madison's eyes were lowered, and Norah saw her fingers curl into fists on her lap. She hoped all this talk of couples wasn't making her upset.

"Dylan," she called to the young man who hadn't said a word yet. "How do you like being a mechanic? Is Brad the tyrannical boss he appears to be?"

A small smile played on Dylan's lips and he nodded.

"I am not tyrannical!" Brad argued. "Dylan tell them."

Dylan looked up, cheeks flushed as the attention was on him and he said quietly, "I'll say he isn't, just so I don't get punished tomorrow."

The table broke into noise as everyone started harassing Brad and Norah laughed. The front door opened, a cool breeze seeping in, and Norah felt Madison tense beside her. She looked between Brad and Howie to see two men walking in.

The man standing just behind the blonde in front was of average height, coming up to the blonde's shoulder. His dark hair fell into his eyes as he glanced around calmly, assessing the atmosphere as the blonde one moved towards the bar. Sitting at a barstool, she saw him order a drink but his eyes weren't on the barman; they were on their table. Norah thought for a moment he was looking at her, his gaze was fixed, void of emotion. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't place it.

He continued to stare at the table and Norah wanted to tell him to stop when Madison stood up suddenly and Norah jumped. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I think I'll go home. I'm pretty tired."

Charlie shot up. "I'll take you."

Madison smiled gratefully and murmured her goodbyes to the table before leaving. Charlie followed close behind, and Norah saw the change in him. His shoulders were stiff, and he looked at the bar one last time before walking out.

"What got into Madison?" Bella asked. She jumped spilling her drink as a glass was slammed on the bar behind them. Turning, Norah saw the blonde walking back out, his drink barely touched. Norah thought it was strange, and Brad stood up, blocking their way. His face was serious but Norah caught a flash of fear in his eyes. "Leave her alone, Liam."

Her whole body jolted. This was Liam? She looked at him more closely, noticing a similarity to Olivia around the eyes. This was the werewolf who wanted her dead. She was suddenly so glad she was in a crowded pub.

Liam didn't stand down from Brad's weak threat, but rather stepped closer. He was larger than Brad, and his presence seemed to dominate the room. "Say that again, filth?"

Simon went to stand up, but Howie dragged him back down. The air in the room grew thick, and Norah felt a lump of fear form in her throat. Brad looked like he was trying to say something, but his mouth moved silently in fear. What if Liam killed him? She didn't know what he was like, but the look in his eyes said he wouldn't be against it. She saw his hand raise up, and she held her breath, afraid of what was to come when -

"That's enough, boy." Jack had miraculously crawled off his barstool and was standing between Liam and Brad, his hand resting on Liam's arm. His voice slurred slightly, but his eyes were sharp. Liam looked at him, trying to stare him down in the same way, but Jack was made of stronger stuff - or stronger alcohol at least. He returned the stare, his own sending a warning - back off. Norah didn't know if Jack knew what Liam was, but even she was scared of the drunk right now.

Liam ripped his arm from Jack's hand and stepped back. Without saying a word, he brushed past Brad, who stumbled, and stalked out the door. The other followed close behind, but his eyes met Norah's just once, and he winked. A shudder went through her as the door slammed shut, and the room was filled with silence.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Bella whispered. "Who the hell was that?"

"Liam Montoya," Howie said grimly. "One of the weirdos who lives up in the forest." Norah wanted to retaliate, but bit her tongue. "The other one was Blake, he follows Liam around like a shadow. Best to stay away from all of them."

Brad returned to the table, his face sullen and downed his beer in one shot. "Time for vodka," he muttered and stood up. A hand shoved him back down and a fresh bottle was slammed onto the table.

"Way ahead of you." Jack took the empty seat next to Norah and took a swig from the bottle, as if it were simply water. "They aren't all weirdo's too, Howard Newitt, you'll do best to watch that tongue." Howie's gaze lowered and he look ashamed. "Blake's father used to babysit you and your sister every Friday while your mother worked the late shift. And that family took in Rylan White after his fucked up mother swept through town - you'll do right to remember they aren't all bad people."

Norah ears perked up. "What happened to Rylan?"

Jack took another long drink from the bottle. "His mother was a drug mule, got herself in a bad way with the wrong people, and was on the run. Dumped him on the side of the road when she passed through Bellvale with nothing other than the clothes on his back."

"Perhaps she was just trying to save him from the trouble she was in," Bella suggested.

Jack shook his head. "I met her when she came through. Only interested in her own safety. If anything, she probably felt Rylan was slowing her down and needed to ditch him."

Brad reached for the bottle of vodka and took a drink, choking and couching on the strong liquid. "Let's not talk about the Montoya's," he muttered. "They're a bunch of freaks."

Norah glared at him and she felt Jack stiffen beside her. The tension started to build again and Howie, thankfully intervened. "So, Bella, tell me about Amsterdam again."

Bella took the hint. "Not much to tell when you can't remember!"

The conversation slowly drifted to menial topics, and Brad moved over to the bar for another drink. Norah thought he should stop, but something told her he wasn't going to listen.

Jack nudged her arm. "How's the house?"

"It's fine, the lock on the front door broke the other day so I replaced it." She decided to tell him part of the truth, in case he somehow noticed on one of his more sober days.

"How much?" She told him the cost and he nodded, his eyes beginning to droop. "I'll send you the money in the morning."

"Oh no that's all right -"

"I'll send you the money," he growled.

She shut her mouth and nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

She watched as it took a few attempts for Jack to get to his feet. He raised the near empty bottle in a mock salute. "Night all."

Todd walked over to take the bottle and Jack snatched it back, holding it close to his chest. "Come on, Jack, you know I can't let you take it," Todd smiled.

Jack turned away and Norah watched in fascination as he sculled the rest of the bottle like it was nothing. Smacking his lips loudly, he passed the bottle back. "There ya go."

"Thanks," Todd said wryly. "Night, Jack."

Jack stumbled out the door, and Norah shook her head. She hoped he got home all right.

The rest of the night passed quietly as Norah listened to Bella and Simon tell stories about their travels. Soon it was closing time and they all went their own ways. Howie was staying with Simon and Bella, so Norah helped Dylan drag a very inebriated Brad out of the pub.

"Please let me drive you home, Norah. I promise I won't try anything," Brad slurred, leaning heavily on her.

She smiled and pushed him towards Dylan. "You aren't driving anywhere, Brad. Go home and go to bed."

He stumbled into Dylan who smiled apologetically. "Sorry, he's going to regret this in the morning."

"I can tell," she laughed. "Take care of him. Goodnight."

"Night, Norah." She heard Brad shouting her name as she walked down the Main Street and shook her head. She don't know why he had to drink so much after Liam left, she guessed it was some macho thing.

Brad's shouts eventually faded and the night had become eerily quiet. The only sound she heard was her footfalls on the cement and the crashing of the waves ahead. She looked around, suddenly feeling ill at ease as a chill went down her spine. There was no one around, but she felt like someone was watching her. She thought of Liam and Blake, worried they might have hung around. Part of her thought that was stupid, she was nobody, but once the thought entered her mind, it stuck like glue and refused to leave.

Walking quicker, she made it to the wharf and the sound of the ocean flooded her ears. She jumped as she heard a growl come from behind her and she looked around. It was darker down by the wharf, the main light was out and her heart thudded painfully against her chest.

It's nothing, I'm just paranoid after last night, she tried to reassure herself but it wasn't working. She was an idiot, she should have asked Dylan to drive her home.

A light flashed behind her and she spun around in relief, hoping it was Dylan coming back for her. At this point she would have taken drunk  Brad. A single light approached her and she recognised the sound of a motorbike.

Rylan came to a stop beside her, his eyes guarded. "Get on."

"Where's your helmet?" she asked.

"Don't need one. Now get on."

Not in the mood to argue, she climbed on behind him, resting her hands gingerly on his waist.

"Hang on," he growled, and the bike took off. She gasped, leaning forward and buried her head in his back. The air was colder as they surged forward and she tried to hide her whole body behind him, which wasn't that hard.

He shifted slightly and she felt him grab her hand, yanking it forward and putting it in his jacket pocket. He started to reach for the other, but she beat him to it, too cold to fight him. With her hands in his pockets she was pressed closer against him and she closed her eyes, listening to the gentle roar of the engine.

His jacket smelled of leather and pine and she couldn't stop herself from inhaling deeply. It was an oddly comforting smell, and she unconsciously pressed herself closer, desperate to hold onto that feeling of safety.

It had been some time since she'd felt safe. It unnerved her somewhat that she should feel safe with a man she barely knew, but she was too tired to question it. She hadn't felt this way since Adam had shown up on her doorstep that fatal night, and she wasn't ready to let go of the feeling; not yet.

The ride was over in record time and Rylan pulled the motorbike to stop, sitting back on the seat. Norah hadn't moved from her position, her body had fallen into a state of relaxation and Rylan grabbed her hand through his pocket. "We're home, Norah."

She nodded against his back and climbed off, her hands and face protesting against the cool air. She didn't look back, knowing Rylan was going to follow. He'd made it clear he was staying here tonight on the phone earlier and while she didn't want a babysitter, she found she didn't want to be alone either after being spooked in town.

Unlocking the front door, she started to walk in when Rylan pushed past her. "Hey!"

He didn't respond and stood in the doorway for a moment, as if assessing, before stepping aside. "After you."

She pushed past him, glaring as she did so and made her way to her room. She passed the bare couch, a frown forming and she made a detour to the linen cupboard. Rylan was sitting down when she came back, arms full of linen. She dropped them on the couch beside him "Stand up."

"Why? What are you going to do to me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. Reaching down, she grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him off the couch. He stood quickly and she wasn't prepared; her body flew backwards and his hands shot out, grabbing her arms and yanking her back to him. She hit his chest and stepped back, trying to put some distance between them.

She stared at his chest. "Step aside."

He didn't respond, and she felt his fingers move slightly on her skin. She refused to think about the roughness of his fingertips and the gentle way they brushed her arms. Taking a breath, she looked up at him.

He was staring back down at her, a playful smile on his lips and she scowled. "Let go, I'm tired and want to go to bed."

"I can -"

"You are not sleeping with me," she finished for him.

He grinned and stepped aside. "Very well, my offer still stands though."

Norah muttered obscenities under her breath as she made up the couch. He was still too big to fit on the small piece of furniture, but it was still better than the floor, and she wasn't going to think about the other option, he was always keen to suggest.

Once she was finished, she turned around and leaned back; Rylan was standing in her personal space, and she nearly fell back. Her arm shot out behind her, stabling herself on the back of the couch.

"What are you doing?" she stammered.

He reached out and she froze as he grabbed a strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Good night, Norah," he said softly and moved back.

Pushing away from the couch, she made it to her room, calling out goodnight as she shut the door. Leaning against the wooden frame, she inhaled deeply. What the hell had that been about? He was trying to mess with her head. She didn't know why he seemed to enjoy annoying her, but that crap had to stop. Norah was suddenly regretting her moment of weakness earlier and not wanting to be alone.

She thought his mother, and her anger faded a little. She couldn't imagine something like that happening to her as a child. If the Montoya's had taken him in, then she couldn't see why everyone thought they were bad people. Apart from Liam, she thought. He had scared her, she hoped she never ran into him, anywhere.

She walked over to her cupboard and pulled out some pyjamas, hoping this whole thing blew over quickly and she could have her house back to herself. Rylan was doing something nice, but she didn't want people having to protect her. Especially someone who left her feeling annoyed and confused all at once.

_____________________________________________

I hope you all enjoyed your holidays, and to those of you who were patient, this chapter is for you. I would also like to congratulate my good friend AuRevoirSimone for completing her amazing werewolf novel, Wildfire. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do!