Demons with deformed faces haunted Everett that night.

Those drawings sent cold chills down the back of his spine, and he couldn't stop thinking about how Rowena was the last person to see him that fateful day. When he asked her about it later that day, she wouldn't answer. Everett wasn't sure if she couldn't, much like her lips were sealed about the amulets, or if she just didn't want to.

Sinister sensations crept through his mind. Each time he gazed around his bedroom, he swore little shadows were out to get him.

Paranoia kept him wide-awake. He laid in his bed, trying to piece everything together. Was it possible that someone sent a demon after Rowena or himself? Perhaps that was what caused her to unleash her magic to protect herself? Why had he never known about her being an eyewitness to his kidnapping as a child? What a crazy fate that brought the two of them together at the library.

A gentle tapping came not upon his door, but at the windowpane. Everett rolled over on his side. Moonlight slithering in from the closed curtains as it came again, and curiosity urged him to steal a peek out into the night. Not before snatching his wand from his nightstand, conjuring a hexing spell just in case some wicked had come for him.

Everett yanked the curtains open. Only the night sky greeted him, and beyond, outstretched their backyard. Nobody was in sight. Perhaps a stray branch rapped against the window or his overwrought mind was creating illusions. If he weren't careful, he might go bonkers.

"Everett." The wind whispered his name.

Every nerve in his body froze like ice. Everett took a chance by opening the window, stretching his head out to the edge in shock at the sight before him. Kieran balanced himself on top of their roof, peeking down into each bedroom window. A smirk etched onto his crimson lips as he lowered himself down gracefully, cape fluttering behind him with the wind.

"Finally found you." Kieran broke into an amused grin. "May I come inside?"

"Of course."

Everett took an unsteady step back, placing his wand back on the nightstand, while Kieran slithered into his room like a mere snake. Allowing a vampire into one's home was very taboo, and surely his folks would stake him in the heart if they caught him, but Everett just wanted to see him again. Rules and laws be damned.

"What adorable sleepwear you have." Kieran chuckled, eyeing him with intrigue.

Little bats checkered his fleece gray pajamas. It brought a blush to his face for the vampire to see such silly sleepwear, but he was grateful for Kieran's presence. Everett hadn't a chance to even attempt to make himself presentable, with his hair messy from rest and he did not even bother to don his family's robes. It wasn't like Kieran cared about their family's honor and appearances.

All logic soared out into the night air when Everett threw his arms around Kieran, squeezing him tightly as if he could somehow chase away all the demons hiding in his life. Everything he'd learned only frightened him of what truly could be targeting him for looking into Rowena's murder. Things were a helluva lot more complicated than anyone knew.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kieran's gentle voice soothed him as he felt his fingers comb through his tousled hair. "Everett?"

"I think they're trying to kill me again." Everett choked out, slowly releasing his grip from the vampire.

Before he could pull back, Kieran took his hand and interlaced their fingers together. He crouched down to his height. Nothing sinister hid behind such lovely crimson eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul.

"I won't let anyone kill you, okay? I promise." Kieran planted a kiss on his wrist. "I've not sensed anyone lurking outside your home or anywhere in your room, so you're safe."

Everett nodded, inhaling a sharp breath. "Sorry, it's just been a crazy night. I should fill you in."

"You've learned something important if it has you this frightened."

"Yes." Everett cleared his voice, taking a seat at the foot of his bed. "I apologize for my state. I'm just rattled, but-"

"Nonsense, don't apologize." Kieran plopped down beside him in the throes of soft blankets. "Now, tell me everything."

Everett detailed all of his findings at the Supernatural Council's building. Even his old drawings of demons and how Rowena actually witnessed his kidnapping.

"Have you ever summoned a demon before?" Kieran asked.

Everett blanched. "Of course not. That's illegal here. They could strip me of my magic."

"Could you summon one without getting caught?"

"I mean, sure." Everett fidgeted with his hands in his lap. "But it's dangerous. It's one thing to let spirits attach themselves to you, but demons are a lot worse. Their desire is to steal your soul. I've heard of many cases where demons possessed those hosts who were too careless. Demons feed upon your greatest desires."

"I won't ask you to do something you're uncomfortable with," Kieran said.

Everett sighed. Fear nestled deep inside him. "What if something goes wrong? What if I'm possessed?"

"That's why I want you to summon one," Kieran's voice softened.

"What?"

"Vampire hunters used demons to deceive us into biting their bait," Kieran explained. "It's an old, dangerous tactic they used in the war. They're very convincing. We're unable to detect if you're possessed by something or if something evil resides inside you."

Panic bubbled up in his throat as he shivered. It couldn't be possible. Everett would sense another entity within his own body, wouldn't he? Tears pricked at his eyes. If the Supernatural Council suspected such a thing, they would execute him.

"Everett, I didn't mean to frighten you. Surely that's not the case, but it's something we might need to consider. Perhaps that amulet is what keeps it at bay."

"Wouldn't I have hurt you when you bit me?" Everett asked.

"I don't know," Kieran admitted. "We could perform an exorcism."

"Gods."

"There's another way." Kieran cautioned as he reached out, gently brushing his fingers along Everett's cheek. "It's risky on my end, but it would be less painful for you."

"What is it?" Everett asked.

"We can open a soulful link between us, where I'll be open to all your mind. Anything there could attack me, and I might unlock old memories that your mind buried away. Even in your normal state, you might lash out if I remind you of your past traumas."

"How does that work?" Everett frowned. "Even the Council can only tap into memory from so long ago."

"A soulful link is different. You share everything, soul and mind. You need to channel some of your magic through your blood, as this connection will work both ways. It'll be like that night I fed off you. But it'll last longer. Whatever memories I peek into, you'll also see. I won't do anything without your permission."

"Could you detect a demon when doing this?" Everett's voice came out hoarse and uncertain.

"Most definitely. It'll try to push me out or kill me," Kieran replied. "I've only dealt with a few demons in my lifetime."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't, I hope. I only want to do this to make sure you're really the one in control, okay?" Kieran's eyes fogged with bloodlust as he exposed his fangs. "Do you trust me?"

Everett bit down on his lower lip, wavering on his decision. It wasn't that he was afraid of Kieran drinking his blood, but rather, what he might find. What if they unleashed some sort of demonic entity? What if he somehow hurt Kieran?

"Okay." Everett hesitated.

"Alright, just make yourself as comfortable as you can then."

"What do you want me to do?" Everett gazed aimlessly around the room, color touching his cheeks.

Kieran smiled. "Just lay down and relax your body as best as you can. I can't promise this won't hurt. I'll be tapping into very old memories of yours."

"Vampires have such abilities? I'd never heard of them being capable of this," Everett admitted as he readjusted himself in his bed, nestling his head down on his pillows.

"It's an ability passed down through generations of Acheron vampires," Kieran explained. "Not all vampires can do this. It was something my mother taught me how to do."

While Everett gazed up at his ceiling, Kieran gently tucked one of his blankets over his shivering body. The vampire snuggled up beside him, and he couldn't help but tense when Kieran gently trailed a finger along his neck. Soft lips brushed against the old pinpricks, then a sharp pinch lanced through his skin. Pain ebbed into pleasure, slowly traveling throughout the rest of his body.

Warmth cocooned him like a steamy cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter morning. Memories of sledding out on the snowy hills with his sisters came to mind. He felt himself relax against Kieran's body, and he instinctively reached down for the vampire's hand, squeezing it tightly.

Everett couldn't remember the last time he'd reminisced about his childhood, but the further back he thought on those days, the closer he got to that fateful day those damned hunters kidnapped him.

"Don't be afraid, Everett." Kieran's reassuring voice echoed in his ears. "I'll protect you."

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