Dad didn't say anything more than he's thankful that Elise tried to save me and wish to pass on his gratefulness to the rest of the family. Everyone is under the impression that the pegasus is evil and I should be grateful for being able to escape. 

The constant lies makes me feel guilty whenever my dad brings the topic up. The thought of the Elven children made me keep their existence a secret from everyone I love. 

I don't know if I can trust anyone enough to ever tell them. If I make a mistake, their death will be my fault.

"However, you will not come back to my territory," dad warns Elise as the meeting almost comes to an end in the kitchen. Uncle Seb and Aunt Beth doesn't talk much, especially since Elise seems to ask them a million questions out of excitement. 

"What?" Elise asks in confusion.

Dad's dragon slit eyes glow at her to show that he's serious. "If I ever catch you or your family coming here again, I won't hesitate to rip you all apart. I care for my family and don't you or anyone try to cross me."

Elise looks baffled and terrified at the fact that a mythical creature shifter is threatening her after expressing his gratefulness for saving his child. She turns to me for help, but I shrug. She should be grateful that dad is letting her go without a single bite on her. Dad is super protective of his territory to the point that none of the Minotaurs dare to come near.

Besides Val, of course. Val's not a Minotaur so dad's inner animal doesn't feel threatened by her constant presence. 

"Go home to your family, vampire. Tell your family if you want, but if I ever catch wind any rumours about Elementals, I'll know where to find you," dad continues. "The Elementals' presence are to keep a secret from the world and you ought to feel special that they trust you enough to keep you alive."

Val sniffs and tightens her hands around mine in fear. Aunt Beth and Uncle Seb knows how important Elise is to Valerie. If they hadn't vouched for Elise, dad would have dispose of her.

Permanently.

I keep my face harden, void of any emotions during the entire meeting. I think the only people who are emotional are Valerie and Elise.

Elise wastes no time as she runs out of the house and out of territory as dad ordered her to. I don't doubt that she'll ever come back here.

Even if I ever invite her over. 

"We have to tell your parents about this, Valerie. Beth, call the Kingstons and let them know that we are coming over for dinner. I'm going to check the territory," dad says coolly, walking out of the house. 

Val's face turns white at his final words. She wilts at the fact that her parents are going to know about Elise earlier than she expected. They're going to know sooner or later that Val is in a relationship.

A few days has passed uneventful. Eli and Elise has been avoiding my presence in school, which isn't really a problem for me. However, their absence means that none of their human companions feel compelled to stay around me. 

Valerie tries to keep me company like a dutiful best friend, but I can see her longing to be close to Elise. That made me tell her off that she shouldn't feel forced to stay with me 24/7. 

Without anyone's presence, the loneliness starts to seep in. I go to school, do my work, come home, do chores and homework, swim for an hour, have dinner, sleep and start all over again.

It's a boring routine that makes me start to regret going to school. Aunt Beth notices that Val doesn't come over as often as she did before. She also notices that I do not speak as much as before. 

"Are you okay, Linda?" Aunt Beth asks me one time. I mumble an 'okay' reply and proceed to stay in my room until the next morning. 

Three weeks passed. Final examinations are approaching fast. Everyone in school looks stressful. So am I since I suck at subjects that are related to supernatural creatures. 

It's not my fault that I don't interact with a lot of any races besides shifters and Elementals.

"I'm going for a swim!" I inform Aunt Beth before leaving the house. She hollered a response that indicates that she heard my message. Dad is rarely home since he's on a case. Uncle Seb is also not around since he decided to travel to Queens for holiday.

As usual, the beach is silent and the surrounding trees are compact enough to form a protective barrier. Ever since the Elise incident, Aunt Beth increases the security barrier to ensure that no one enters the territory again. 

Unfortunately, the constant use of power drains Aunt Beth. There are a few times I found her looking exhausted despite her trying to hide it. I always scolded her about it since I am perfectly capable of calling out for help if anything goes wrong and she didn't need to watch out all the time.

I watch the water for a moment, enjoying the scent of saltwater and the presence of my inner beast eager to hunt for live creatures. 

"Psst."

I whirl around in surprise, not expecting anyone else on the beach with me. 

"Ye have 15 minutes before the magic wears off," Pev snaps at the Dark Pegasus.

"Pev? Denise? What are you doing here?" I ask in confusion. My Siren self doesn't seem threatened at their presence, which baffles me. Usually she rambles about wanting to have humans for a snack or how annoying dragons are. It makes me ignore her, of course.

"We just want to check on you," Denise says worriedly, looking around the forest behind us. 

I narrow my eyes suspiciously at both of them. Pev looks fidgety enough to stand still. 

"You're lying," I accuse. "For goodness sake, just tell me already."

"Did ye tell anyone about us?" Pev asks sharply. He looks like the type to get angry really quick. I can tell that he's in a really bad mood.

"God no! What makes you think that I would?"

"How can we be so sure that yer telling the truth?"

"Pev, stop it," Denise snarls at the short grumpy elf. She stomps her feet in frustration. 

"Answer my question, Siren," Pev continues to prompt.

I roll my eyes. "Does it even matter?"

"She didn't do it, now leave her alone!" Denise defends me.

The Nomad Elf takes a step away from the black horse and then sneers nastily. "Ye've gotten soft, pegasus. That's going to be yer downfall. Dear Venus, I really hope ye'll not be the one to drag us down to extinction with ye."

The black pegasus neighs angrily. "Leave! Pomme made a huge mistake making you as the next clan's leader, you coward!"

"Remember that ye have 12 minutes left, and then ye're on yer own."

Pev disappears with a poof, leaving the pegasus with me. I stare at the angry pegasus who is pacing back and forth. 

"What happened?" I ask again.

Denise sighs and looks behind her again. She takes a loud deep breath before replying. 

"A Hunter found the village and killed two elves. They've managed to relocate safely, but Pomme's loss hit everyone hard..."

"Who's Pomme?" I interrupt. 

Denise's sad black eyes pierce mine. "You met him; he's the old man who sent you home. He was the leader of the Nomad Elven clan."

I gasps at the news. The old man may be rough around the edges, but there was something about him that made me respect him. 

"Now Pev's their leader," I state the obvious. 

"Yes. I was worried for you, but I didn't know where you were. Pev obviously thought you were a traitor who leaked information about the elves' whereabouts..."

"I won't ever do that!" I reply in disbelief, thinking of the very few people of a lost race. I send a little prayer that Petula and Pecker, the children I met, were alive and well.

Denise sighs as she paws the sand below her hooves. "Since Pev casts me out of my temporary sanctuary, do you have an idea of a place I could stay for a while? I think I have 5 minutes left before the invisible barrier weakens..."

"Can't you shift into another form or something?" I ask cluelessly.

The pegasus glares at me. "If I could do that, I wouldn't have been seeking for a sanctuary in the first place."

I wince in realisation. "Sorry. If we hurry, I think there's an abandoned factory north from here. It's far away enough for anyone to come in wandering."

"What about a cave in the woods? I prefer to stay close to you..." Denise looks at me worriedly. "It was my fault that I could have exposed your identity. If that Hunter managed to find a well-hidden elven village, I fear that they could find you too."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, the factory is this way."

Just like that, I have a pegasus in my care and may be hunted down by the same people who could also be looking for me.

Life's great.