───── ❝ 3 days later... ❞ ─────

"You take her home," Abir says to Zade. He looks at him with an unreadable expression before going back to his laptop. Zade was on talking terms with Abir and Ivory but he hasn't spoken to Inara yet.

Maybe he was sorry for acting so rash around her.

They both were to be discharged today from the hospital so Abir asks Zade for this favor.

"I am not babysitting anyone," Zade replies in a cold tone.

Abir takes a long sigh. "If they see us hovering around Inara too much, they'll know something is up. You are our safest option." He adds that to get some sympathy from him.

"We'll be right behind you guys. Just help her this once, you won't have to do it anymore." Ivory gives him their car's key.

Zade closes his laptop in frustration. That is what was bugging him. He wants to help her but he doesn't want to help her.

"I won't, anymore." That is all that Zade says before taking the car's key. He signals them to take the bags and put them in his car.

Zade opens the car to find Inara already sitting in, with a pale face. He still wasn't talking to her so he doesn't know how their car trip will be. He opens the door and sits with a sigh. Inara looks at him with confusion.

"You?" She asks.

"Well, they think I am the safest option to drive you home. No risk with Victor." Zade says. He starts the engine and drives the car out of the parking lot.

"Why?" Inara asks meekly. She was still new to all of this.

"You have to ask your friends about that." He says in sarcasm.

Inara looks at Zade with a hurtful expression before moving her gaze back to the window. Zade realizes that what he said didn't particularly help her and was downright rude.

"Look," Zade tries to apologize, "I am sorry. I know it's hard but..." Inara cuts his sentence.

"Hard? My whole existence might have been a lie. I am a mystical creature." Zade smiles at this representative word for a wolf. "My so-called friends hid that from me because they were protecting me from this jerk Victor, for again, reasons unknown. Hard might just be an understatement." Inara finally speaks after a long time. She was tired of being pushed by people. She was tired of being dependant on others just because she didn't have her memories.

"Or, you could just say all that." He shrugs and chuckles. Inara smiles a little too. Maybe, taking it out of her system was good.

"Look Zade," Inara speaks after a bit of silence, "I just feel all..."

"Guilty?" Zade asks.

Inara nods. "I feel guilty about your pack. I feel guilty about not having my memories."

"You don't need to feel guilty about something that you don't have control over." He says when she mentions the memories part.

"I also feel guilty about suspecting my brother." Inara finally says. She has been thinking about it. No matter what people say, no matter what they say about her brother, she will take a stand for him. If not her, who will? After all, she was the only family he has.

"I don't think my brother would do that to your pack." She says, gulping. She doesn't know how Zade would react to that.

"How would you know?" surprisingly, his tone was calm. As if he was trying to understand and empathize with Inara, "You don't even have your memories."

"It's just my instinct." She replies. Zade looks at her with an expression of respect. He felt kind of proud. He knows if someone suspected his brother, he would join the heavens and earth to defend him, no matter what.

"You could say my inner voice or something, but I don't think my brother could have. Also, once you see my brother's state, you'd be convinced that he couldn't have done it."

"How are you so sure?" Zade tests her.

"Because there is no greater terror than watching someone you love, fall lifeless in front of your eyes." She sniffles.

Zade doesn't know what she meant by that but he didn't want to make her more gloomy. He just says what he remembers once Damon told him.

"Only you know what you've been through so, don't blame anyone for not fully understanding you." He remarks.

"Then that applies to you too." She looks at him, "No matter how guilty or sorry I feel, I won't understand what you felt when you couldn't stay with your family in their last moments. It is something that we have to live with, forever." She emphasizes the last part and takes a deep sigh.

It will be a long-ass journey.

"You are staying?" Inara asks surprisingly when she sees Zade getting out of the car too.

"Is this how you treat you, guests?" Zade jokes.

"No, no, your highness, please enter my humble abode." She bows which makes them both laugh.

"Actually, babysitting duty until Abir and Ivory come," Zade says once he is inside her house.

Her house was as simple as her. Small but spacious enough. Not much furniture but a lot of books.

"Actually, I am glad you are here." she gives him a glass of water and tells him to make himself comfortable. "I am just not ready to see or talk to them yet." She sits beside him.

Zade nods. They sit in silence for some time which was getting a bit awkward.

"What did you mean by that?" Zade starts a conversation.

"What?" Inara asks, looking at him.

"About what you said in the car?"

Inara looks down for some time before continuing. "There is only one memory that I had once I woke up. The memory of Kyros. Him getting killed right in front of my eyes, falling lifeless on the ground. I don't remember much of it. I never saw who attacked him. I don't know who were the people around him. I just remember seeing that body fall lifeless. After that, it is all hazy." She explains.

Zade was at a loss for words. He never thought of something like this. Maybe Kyros could have been attacked, or worse, killed. That's what Inara meant when she said that Zade wouldn't believe Kyros could do something after he'd see his state.

"Uh...I..." he couldn't form any words. "I.... didn't know..." was all that he could say.

"Of course, you wouldn't." Inara doesn't seem angry, "You have bigger problems than me."

She takes a sigh and gets up.

"Drinks?" she asks and Zade nods. He could use some booze right now. She pours him some whiskey and again sits beside him, with a glass of her own.

"Zade," she looks at him with sincere eyes. "You have bigger problems to look at. And I don't want to see myself becoming one for you. I don't know why Victor is after me and I appreciate your help, but I request you to not get involved in this than you already are." She pleads.

And all Zade could think was of kissing her lips. Was it the drinks? Was he already that drunk? He shrugs his thought as soon as he breaks his eye contact with her.

"Ditto." He takes a sip from his drink. Inara takes a breath of relief, "I have already made up my mind about that."

Inara smiles and clinks their glasses. "Cheers to our last night as friends."

Zade clinks again, "Cheers!"

"So," She gulps her drink, onto her fifth glass. Clearly, she was drunk. "Tell me about me."

"Huh?" Zade was a bit drunk too.

"I mean," she takes a hiccup, "The wolf me. Did you know me from before?"