The three tall Nephilim stood facing us. The one in the center stared at me.

"Begin the proceedings," he said in a terse tone.

To his left, the Nephilim unfurled a scroll.

"Charges laid against Mardyl Charolais, Patricia Newton, and Evelyn Newton."

I frowned.

"Hold up,"

The Nephilim stopped, and all three of them looked at me.

"Who is Patricia Newton?"

"Your mother."

"Uh, no. My mother's name was Nancy."

"It does not matter. You are a half-breed. Your mother is inconsequential."

"I beg your pardon!" I snapped. "My mother does matter, and she is definitely not inconsequential. How dare you speak about her like that. Who is Patricia Newton?"

The three of them offered nothing, and I turned to Anzide, the only one that I could trust would give me a straight and honest answer.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No."

"My mother's name was Nancy. Ask Brad."

He turned his head to the house, flicking his fingers at the window. Seconds later, Brad emerged.

"State your sister's full name, please."

"Nancy Clare Newton."

"Perhaps it was a false name. We know that the Corbin line liked to hide themselves."

Brad shook his head.

"I've got all her papers. She never took a false name. Even Evelyn's birth certificate is registered as her legal name. I have no idea who Patricia is."

Turning to my father, I raised my eyebrows with the hope that he'd be honest. It was a long shot.

"So?"

"Her name was Patricia."

"Hang on a sec,"

Brad scampered back into the house, returning with the envelope that I'd not been able to look at. Pulling out the photos, Brad was shaking his head.

"This is not my sister. You've got the wrong person."

He tossed the envelope at Mardyl's feet, and the pictures of an unknown woman spilled out over the grass.

"You said that you could tell that she was your daughter," Brad snapped loudly. "How did you know so much about Nancy and Evie?"

Mardyl looked at Brad, then let out a reluctant sigh.

"Patricia and Nancy used to share a house before Evelyn was born. Patricia took on her surname as an alias for when the cops were looking for her. I knew both of them, though I only had relations with Patricia. They were both pregnant at the same time. I never saw Nancy after that time. Patricia and the child died during labor. When that lot came looking for answers, I said that either woman was possible."

The Nephilim in the center frowned at Mardyl. A soft growl of anger escaped from Brad.

"You said that you had a cognitive connection," Brad said in a rather loud outburst.

Anzide huffed with amusement.

Brad glowered at him.

"Not real?"

"I have not heard of such a thing, though, to be fair, I rarely delve into the land of fantasy."

As Brad lunged at Mardyl, Anzide pulled my hand back. The Nephilim watched as my uncle took his anger out on the man that was not really my father.

"He's going to hurt him."

"I think that in this instance, Mardyl will refrain from using his powers."

"Not what I meant. Brad is seriously angry."

"Then, so be it. That man walked into your house with the intention of using you to pay for his crime."

Pulling my hand free, I felt the anger build inside of me.

"Did you know?"

"We are limited on information. I was told where to be and who to watch. Evelyn Newton. She would be with her uncle Bradley. Mother dead, and the father being watched by another Nephilim. I was told that because of your father, you were a powerful witch, but if he is not your father, then we have an issue. You are clearly something, but as to what, we do not know."

"Shapeshifter," I whispered. "My great-grandmother was a shapeshifter. Can a shapeshifter mimic a witch?"

"They can,"

I turned to the one that spoke, the center Nephilim. He and the two that flanked him crossed the line, slowly moving to us. All the while, they ignored Brad and his efforts to make the liar pay.

The one that was clearly the leader looked down at me. Dressed the same, the three wore dark cloaks that covered them from head to toe. All that could be seen were the deathly white faces that quickly ended at the v-neckline of their clothes.

"We detect the lineage to be mixed, worthy of investigation, and the life to be removed as punishment."

"Unacceptable." I snapped.

His head tilted, an eyebrow raised.

"We do not,"

"I know. You do not bow down to the demands of the damned, but I am not damned."

"You," the Nephilim said curtly. "Are most definitely damned. Your line is detected as vampire,shapeshifter, and human. The lines of the creatures are not to mix."

"And where is our warning?"

That stopped his glower.

He glanced at the one to the right of him. The Nephilim offered a shrug of one shoulder.

"What do you mean, child?"

"I mean, and by the way, I'm eighteen, so not a child, that there is no warning about who we are supposed to breed with. Until I came to this town, I didn't know that vampires existed. Yet if they remained quiet and assumed that I was a vampire too, and we had a one-night stand that resulted in pregnancy, we'd be in trouble. Where. Is. The. Warning."

He said nothing in response.

"The majority of the people in this town have no idea that they've got vampires for neighbors. We go to school with them, yet no one knows. If it wasn't for Anzide warning me, I wouldn't know that my principal is a demon. How do you expect anyone to abide by these unspoken rules when we don't know what is in front of us? I think that you need to take these questions back to whoever it is that makes you do these ridiculous quests and ask them for clarification."

I was on a roll. With my hands on my hips and a defiant attitude flowing, I was set to take them on.

"All you're doing is creating division between the races. You've got no right to tell us what we can or cannot do in our lives or who we can love or be with. You can't even tell us what is expected of us. How is it that you can demand that we pay when we get it wrong? It's terrible that you're being punished for the crimes of your parents, but there is no way in hell that I will be. It's time for you to leave and don't bother coming back unless you're going to apologize for being rude about my mother."

His mouth opened. I raised my hand to stop him.

"I am not interested. I've got a lot of homework to do, and I've got a coven to run. So, get the hell out of my town."

I stormed into the house but kept going through the back door. I couldn't be anywhere near the Nephilim, even if one of them was a step behind me. When I reached the forest, I inhaled deeply. Then, as I exhaled, I smiled. It was good to be back on the path to Niko again, even if he wasn't in his cave.

"You did well." Anzide offered.

"Thanks, but it's not over, and I have a lot of issues."

"Your true father will present himself in time."

"I'd rather he didn't. It's easier this way. I don't have to grow trust. I can just plod along in my life, and there are no worries."

"You are a fool if you think that life is that easy."

With a grim smile, I shrugged my shoulders. We stopped in front of Niko's cave. The footprints were still here, but I'm sure that once the impending storm starts, they'll wash away.

"Someone took his body. Who would do something like that?"

"There are many who have no morals. It is better to avoid thinking about it."

Sighing heavily, I kept moving along the path.

"Why did he do it?"

"Mardyl? To have a sacrificial lamb, of course. He knew that he needed someone to take the heat, and when he realized that the Nephilim had made a mistake, he rolled with it."

I smirked, nudging his shoulder with mine.

"Rolled with it?"

"Did I use the term incorrectly?"

"No, it just seemed a little modern for you. Maybe you've hung around me for too long."

His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead. Slowly, a wry smile crossed his lips.

"How come you're in a teenager's body?"

"They said it would be more assuring to you and allow me easier access. It would also make sense for a teenager to be seen with another of a similar age if there came a time when I had to reveal myself. Would you prefer that I was older?"

"I'd rather that you were not hiding the truth. You keep saying that you don't know how to lie, but this façade is a lie."

Anzide looked at me, curiously tilting his head.

"Unless you're like a freakish monster, then you can stay as you are."

"I am not a freakish monster. Here I was thinking that you were a new age, inclusive human, yet you strike me down with your cruel words."

"Ouch, man. Alright, get your freakish on."

Anzide rolled his eyes. Slowly the body grew upwards and a little outwards. The slender figure began to emerge, muscular beneath the leather pants and tight long-sleeved black shirt. I did not lean back and look at any particular curve and how fine it might be.

The whole view was insane.

Anzide stood at least a head taller than me. He still had the purple eyes, but his hair was now black and wavy, falling just past his shoulders.

I bit my lip, focusing on the path rather than how I should have kept my mouth shut.

"Well? Am I a monster?"

Yep. A monster that was always going to haunt me.

"Oh yeah, totally."

Anzide chuckled, nudging his shoulder against mine.

"You're not a very good liar."

Stepping forward, Anzide lifted a branch from the path. We'd reached a clearing, one that I was not expecting to find. This was where the witches cast their spells.

"This is not your land, but you can cast as if you are a witch, provided that the shapeshifter in you is channeling one."

"Sounds complicated."

"And too much for a newbie like you."

"Newbie? You really are hanging around me too much."

Silence hit us as we looked at each other. It was one of those awkward moments that always went one of two ways. We would either fluster our way through the following moments, or life would interrupt us. The universe threw us a lifeline. My phone rang.

Pulling it out, I wondered if Kannon knew that I was hanging out with Mister October through to December, aka Mister insanely hot. Would he get jealous now that Anzide was in his true form rather than the harmless façade of a teenager? Though, he might have been jealous of the other form as well.

"Hey, Kannon."

"Hey. Dad left in a hurry and said something about Brad calling him. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just the Nephilim showdown revealing that my father was really an imposter looking for a sacrificial lamb."

"Damn," he mumbled. "That's pretty low. I'm sorry, Evie."

"It's okay. I'm just going to get through this year and then deal with the issues. I don't think I'm a witch, probably just a shapeshifter channeling a witch."

"That's highly possible. You're untrained, so your abilities will be all over the place. Aunt Jess is looking through the library for you. She's made a bit of a stack. I hope you're ready to be bored senseless."

In the background, I heard Jess biting back. Kannon chuckled.

"Anyway, we'll be around tomorrow, provided all is well with your not-a-father."

"Sounds great. Looking forward to it."

As Kannon said goodbye, I felt the weighted stare of Anzide on me.

"Bye," I said softly, then ended the call.

"Why do you look at me like that?"

"Like what?" Anzide asked.

I shrugged, tucking my phone back into my pocket.

"Like any of this is possible."

"Anything is possible in this world, Evelyn. You will learn that soon enough."

We walked back in silence. My senses were heightened, fearing that we were not alone.

I could see the house. I could see the vampire guards roaming back and forth. It made me wonder what the neighbors thought. How did Brad explain people hanging around our house all the time?

Maybe he told them something in between, that they were security because we had issues.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If I was in serious danger and you were the only one around that was on my side, would you help me?"

Anzide smiled deviously.

"You assume that I'm on your side."

"Come on," I grumbled. "I know you are. You like being here."

"But that's the thing, Evelyn. I have to remain as you are still considered an issue until we have finality on the questions you asked."

"So, you don't want to be here?"

Was there a hurt tone to my voice? Perhaps.

"I never said that. Just because I have to stay doesn't mean that I don't want to. You should see a physician about your hearing."

We stopped at the edge of the forest, a thin row of trees between us and the expanse of lawn.

"Then you do want to be here."

"Oh, I never said that either."

I grinned, and the façade broke on the figure in front of me, Anzide smiled. It was the first time that I'd ever seen one like this. It was not haughty, mocking, or smug. This was a genuinely happy smile. It was as haunting as the rest of the view and I began to wonder if it was wise to demand he showed his true form.