Olive had woken to the sounds of Phabel and Danika talking in hushed tones, she rubbed her weary eyes as she sat up on the lounge. Phabel closed the door after Danika left, rushing to her side. He took her hands and rubbed his thumb over the ring. It was a perfect symbol of their reunited love.

'My love.' Phabel's face was concerned as he gently caressed her cheek 'I do not wish to alarm you but with this nonsense with the photos and now Brody, I sense that there is grave danger mounting. Someone is seeking to cause problems but I do not know why.'

'You don't like him, do you?'

'No.'

Olive frowned, she agreed with Phabel's distrust but they barely knew Brody. How could either of them dislike him without knowing him?

'Why?'

'Because he was able to break through the bond that we have. He should not have been able to give you his phone number.'

'Is it bad?'

'I don't know. I have spoken to a friend about it. What did you think of Brody?'

'Actually, he kind of gave me the creeps. I didn't want to take his number and I threw it in the bin anyway.'

'What was his reason for giving you the piece of paper?'

'Said he could do with a tour guide. Also said I could bring my friend if I wanted.'

'Danika?'

Phabel felt the sudden rush of the memory of a dark day not so long ago. The day that Danika died her human death and became a vampire.

'Yeah, why the look?'

'Because not so long ago someone within Lucian's family attacked her, he was banished to the werewolf realm as punishment.'

'Was she ok? I mean I know she is ok but you know, did it turn out ok?'

'Not really, no. She was human up until he stabbed her. It was his cousin, mothers side, not mine.'

'Oh. Glad you elaborated on that one. Are you going to tell Lucian?'

'Yes, I think I will.'

Ten minutes later Phabel returned to her room, his face etched with concern. It wasn't just because he had interrupted them yet again.

'Lucian agrees that you may not be the intended target, if there is something suspicious going on. However he does not wish to be lax with your security. I have my orders aui leabu. The king has ordered his most loyal subject, me, to protect the human known as Olive Matheson.'

Phabel leaned into her ear and whispered 'All night long.'

Olive blushed hard as she looked up at him, grinning slightly.

'I thought I had to study on week nights Professor.'

'Oh you will be, I have work to do as well.' he thumped his bag to the lounge 'Lucky I brought it with me and besides, it's Friday night so technically we are at the weekend.'

******************

The clock ticked over and over, Phabel couldn't distract himself with his work, all he could think about was Olive and the need to complete the bond. It may not return his memory but sex would bind them to each other and anything Brody tried would be futile. He didn't want to insist upon their love, he wanted it to be a moment of love that they wanted to share because they loved each other, not because there was a wolf sniffing around her. Most wolves had the decency to back off when they saw a bonding stone but not this one. Phabel knew there was more to this, he knew this was more than just their love. Someone didn't want them to consummate their love. He was determined, as much as he didn't want to force it on her, he knew that with gentle persuasion, she would happily comply. After all, she had wanted it last weekend, she had asked him to stay during the week. The course notes were tossed to the table as he got up from the chair, stalking to her with a sultry smile. Olive looked up from her books, seeing the smile she knew that look. It was the one that she had spent the past week wishing she could have seen, now it was wasted.

'I think study time is over.'

Olive wanted to crumble to the hot and husky voice that oozed lust as he kissed along her arm. He pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her.

'We can't.' she whispered with fear in her eyes.

'My parents aren't coming over tonight Olive, do not worry about them.'

'No Phabel I don't mean that.'

'You've changed your mind?' he interrupted.

'No, I mean that I can't.' she smiled softly 'I can't.'

Olive giggled as she watched the realisation come over him, he smiled with a little chuckle.

'Alright then. You should have said something during the week, I would have changed my policy on week night sleep overs.'

'It was rather unexpected actually.'

'How unexpected?' Phabel frowned.

'Two weeks.' she shrugged.

'Are you sure?'

Olive nodded wondering why he was so concerned. Though, she wasn't impressed that they had returned so quickly, she was thinking that a visit to the doctor was in her future to figure out why.

'Has it happened before?'

'No usually I'm like clockwork.'

Wordlessly Phabel dragged her out of their wing of the castle and to where Lucian and Danika were. He stood at the threshold of the lounge room where they were watching a movie, snuggled on the lounge. Phabel didn't know how to approach this, he knew that there was something very wrong but he had to be delicate around such an intimate subject. He could imagine the level of embarrassment Olive would suffer if he just blurted out the issue in front of Lucian. Danika sat up on the lounge and looked at them.

'Can we have a word please?'

'Uh, sure.' she hesitated.

She found them waiting in the parlour, Phabel was pacing the floors looking like he was about to have a coronary, Olive looked confused.

'What's up?'

Phabel closed the doors behind her and turned on the lights.

'Olive is early.'

'I know.'

'Two weeks early, this isn't common for human females, is it?'

'I'm not a doctor Phabel.'

Danika watched as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to relieve the frustration.

'She said it's never happened before and I worry that someone is messing with her body.'

'Like a witch?'

Olive gasped as she widened her eyes, Phabel and Danika looked at her.

'Are there witches in this world?'

'Very much so but they are good people. Well most of them are. It's hard to tell if there is a witch around, they have managed to create spells that hide their true form to a human so that they can survive in this world. That woman in my office today was a witch.'

Olive thought that her heart had dropped into her stomach, the woman seemed human, she thought she was a human. Phabel turned back to Danika 'Do you think there might be a way if we can tell if things have been altered in her?'

'She's human Phabe, it's not like there's a healer for them.'

'Call a phoenix.' a deep voice whispered through the crack between the two doors.

'Is there no escaping you?' Danika chuckled as she opened the door.

'Not when my lovely bride is whisked away from me. I was getting cold and missed you far too much.'

Lucian wrapped his arms around her, slowly dragging her out of the room, his eyes meeting with Phabel.

'Call Miranda.'

********************

Olive was sitting on the lounge in her room, waiting for this Miranda woman to arrive. Phabel hadn't said much about her other than the fact that she was as old as the earth. She was the vampire, the first to ever walk this land. Now she was much more than a vampire, now she was a piece of all dark beings, possessing all quality traits that each of the dark beings had. She used to be referred to as the phoenix vampire but now that the maker had changed her, she was just a phoenix. There was only a few of them, one other had been created by the maker, the rest were created through breeding with dark beings. But Miranda was the woman to go to, being that she was the original, she had been here the longest. If there was anyone that knew of what made a human tick, it would be her. When the door opened she stood, watching a woman walk through. Olive thought that she looked far too young to be a vampire phoenix thing that had walked this earth for billions of years. She had to be an assistant or something. The woman smiled at her as she approached, her long thin body taking only a few strides to reach her.

'Olive?'

'Yes.'

The woman nodded and gestured for her to move to the table that was to the side of the room. She tied her long blonde curls into a pony tail behind her head, pulling it away from her pretty face. Olive waited patiently as she watched the woman pull away the chairs and ushered her onto the table. Her eyes glazed over the stone, she smiled at Olive warmly.

'How long have you two been together?'

'Just a short while.'

She nodded quietly as she moved to her side.

'When is Miranda getting here?'

'Miranda?' she smiled 'Did Phabel not tell you what to expect?'

'He said she was a vampire that has walked this earth since the beginning of time.'

'Oh she has.' she said dryly 'Are you expecting some crotchety old woman?'

'Well no, I just thought...'

Olive could feel her cheeks tingle with heat as she watched the woman rolling back her sleeves.

'How old is Phabel?'

'Uh, nine hundred and fifteen.'

'And how old does he look?'

'Mid twenties.'

'So you would agree that age can be deceptive.'

'You're her, aren't you?'

She nodded with a little chuckle.

'Sorry.' she muttered rather mortified.

'It's alright, you'd be surprised how often I get to hear how young I truly look. It's rather nice for the ego. Lay down and let me have a feel.'

Olive laid back onto the table as Miranda pressed into her lower stomach, searching through her body.

'I am a phoenix, it means that after a certain amount of time I go through a rebirth cycle. My death is far different to any of the other dark beings. Essentially I can only die if my heart were to be removed.'

'That's pretty nasty.'

'It is.' Miranda grinned 'Well my dear, I would say that your body has been tampered with. Right here.'

Olive winced as she pressed into the skin right above her hip bone.

'There's a bit of magic in here. A little red shimmering circle that is very naughty.' she grinned 'Always on the move to avoid detection. We have a smart witch on our hands here, that in itself is a tad worrying.'

'Why, what reason was this necessary?'

'You and Phabel haven't had sex yet, have you?'

'No.'

'So the bonding stone is sitting in limbo land, that's why it's glowing like a beacon. It does that so that your mate can see you and it will continue to glow like that until you two play hide the snake.'

Miranda chuckled as Olive flushed with embarrassment.

'This is your problem Olive.'

She took her hands and lifted her to sit up on the table.

'Someone has done this to you because they know what that stone means. They know why it glows and what you two haven't done. Whoever this person is, they want something and being that they are trying to stop you two from consummating your love, I'd say that something is Phabel. The only thing I can suggest to you is to... you know, hide the snake.'

Her eyes lit up with a wicked grin.

'But I can't, not at least for a couple more days.'

'Would you like some motherly assistance?'

'I don't know, do I?'

'That would depend on whether you want to continue with your body doing as someone else pleases or if you'd like to get rid of this unexpected annoyance to have a fun weekend.'

'Fun weekend thanks.'

'Well then.' she grinned madly 'Lay back down and don't freak out because this witch is about to do some freaky shit on you.'

Half an hour later, Miranda was done. She had voided the spell that was hiding in Olive's body, it wasn't an easy process for Olive, it accelerated the pain. Miranda had just hit an imaginary fast forward button on her body and pushed it through her at a faster rate. Olive smiled at her even though she was still in pain, her arm wrapped around her stomach as if it would protect her from it.

'To the bathroom Olive, let it flush from your body and then have a relaxing soak in the tub. All will be well again within the hour. I will leave you in peace now. Oh and Olive...' she turned back from the door 'I am looking forward to the wedding, you two make a fine couple. The maker is most pleased with your union. Don't be a stranger.'

As soon as Miranda closed the door, Olive rushed to the bathroom, nearly crumpling with the pain.

Miranda sauntered through the house, finding Lucian and Danika sitting at the table, Phabel pacing the floor.

'Well?'

'Well young shifter, I have exceeded your expectations and solved your problem. But how will you afford such a fee?' she grinned teasingly 'Maybe your first born to be named for me.'

'And what if they have a boy you cheeky devil?' Lucian laughed.

'Oh that would be terrible to name a boy Miranda, would it not?' Miranda turned back to Phabel 'Jokes aside, there was a spell inside her body. Very tiny, always moving to avoid being found. Someone does not want you and Olive to consummate your bond.'

'Should I be worried?'

'Absolutely. Give her an hour to let my work pass, when she is rested and feeling better I would suggest you get on with it.'

'Can't you put a ward in her to stop any further attempts?'

'You are suggesting to mess around with a frail human body that has already been altered. What you suggest is not unreasonable but not wise either. You want to stop someone trying to mess with your love life? Go and love your woman, that will fix it.'

'I'll get the earplugs.' Lucian sighed as he lifted his body from the chair.

'Hilarious.' Phabel muttered 'You all forget that it's being forced upon us, where is the love in this nightmare?'

'You love her, there is love. You see this as being forced upon you, yes there is truth in that but how you take it from here will be what makes or breaks the moment. If you walk into that room with anger at the situation then of course it isn't going to be loving or fun. But for a moment stop and think about it, you want to be with her, you gave her that stone and that ring because you love her. There is no forcing it if you walk in there and create the passion to make it a worthy moment.'