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We walked through an empty hall alone, stopping at an elevator. Lupin pressed the button and a moment later the doors slid open. 

“You're telling me there was an elevator this entire time and we were trekking up and down the stairs?” He didn’t look at me, his face still an emotionless mask. 

“We rarely ever use the elevator,” He explained. “The wolves believe it shows weakness.” He glanced down at me. “But you're injured and I don’t want you hurting yourself further.” We stepped into the elevator and Lupin pressed one of the inside buttons, the door closed and I felt the shift of gravity as the room lifted. 

“So am I your Third now?” He nodded and said nothing else. It was odd, I had known him for a little over 48 hours but when he was like this, pretending to feel nothing, it annoyed me to no end. “What does that entail exactly, we went over that.” 

“Nothing much,” He dismissed, rolling back his shoulders. “Rayen and I take up most of the grunt work, you're just the spare.” I regarded him dryly.

“That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I mean really, how have I not fallen for you yet?” He peered over at me out of the corner of his eye, his face still blank. I heaved a sigh and turned to fully face him. 

“What is it?” He shook his head and looked away. 

“Nothing.” It was all he said. I waited a few moments but he refused to acknowledge me. I decided to change tactics. 

“May I borrow your phone?” He obliged and handed me a black iphone. I turned it on and to my surprise it was not password protected. I selected his Phone icon and went to the keypad, typing in the number I knew by heart. 

The line rang once, twice and then picked up. 

“Fable Rene Walker, do you know what you have done to my heart.” I smiled and rolled my eyes. 

“My phone was literally crushed by vampires, Mom.” She clicked her tongue at me. 

“That is no excuse, young lady, you find another phone and you call your mother. Everyone was convinced you’d died.” She reprimanded me, as if I was still ten years old.

“I was unconscious for two days and I’m fine. I’m calling you now, aren’t I?” 

“Don’t be smart with me, child. You scared your younger brother out of his wits. The next time you go out you will bring your sword, I don’t care if everybody stares at you like a crazy monkey wearing woman.” I pause a moment but decide it best to simply ignore her weirdness. Instead I smile and try to placate her.

“I have my sword with me now, Mom.”  This time it’s her turn to pause, which is uncanny, because she never stops. 

“Where are you?” My mother asked. I looked around the small elevator, Lupin still staring unfeelingly, listening to our conversation. 

“I’m in an elevator.” I answered, I mean it isn’t a lie. A silence settled for a moment, my mom still uncharastically frozen. 

“Who did you kill, Fable Walker?” I winced, I somehow always managed to forget my mother could sense a death from hundreds of miles away. 

“He was a caucasian male, 6’4, blonde hair, brown eyes, probably in his late fifties, his name was Markus Grey.” My mothers tone turned hard. 

“What species was he?” I grimaced. I figured it’d be best to simply tear off the bandaid, but I end up defending myself to my mother like the ten year old she still thinks I am.

“He was a werewolf, mom, okay. I killed a werewolf today, big whoop.” My mom sighed.

“You forget, child, I’ve been around longer than you and know more. If you think I’m unaware of the werewolf hierarchy, think again.” I sighed.

“It was worth a shot.” I could swear I heard my mother roll her eyes. 

“What position do you hold?” I rubbed the back up my neck.

“I am now the Pennsylvania Pack’s Third.” 

“I suppose I should congratulate you on moving up the ranks so quickly.” Sarcasm dripped from my mothers voice. 

“Don’t be cross, mother. Who I kill is my business.” She sighed over the line.

“Of course dear, I just wish you’d tell us your loony plans before you act on them.” I smiled.

“But then I’d lose my charm.” My mother scoffed and quickly changed the topic.

“Salem just called us. He informed us of His involvement in all of this.” I could physically hear the hate in my mothers voice. She didn’t share her childrens scars, but she had watched us bleed and helped us heal. She hated the man whose hands had broken us, hated Him maybe even more than us. 

“Are you okay, dear?” I let out a long sigh.

“Yes.” But then I sighed again. “No.” I shook my head. “I thought it was over.” 

“We all did, honey. How’s Arrow?” I shifted my weight. The elevator doors opened and we walked through, into a dimly lit empty hall.

“He’s letting the Shadows have his emotions.” I explained and my mother huffed.

“You tell that boy to stop it, it’s not healthy. You’ve got to feel your fears.” I followed Lupin down the hall. 

“Both Salem and I went over the Veil, mom, we all deal with it how we can.” She tsked but didn’t argue. 

“Your father is heading over to Salem’s to help with any preparations they can think of. Echo is on her way here, I know she has every intention of begging me to send her to you. I believe she is traveling with Lani who is rather peeved that Arrow didn’t tell her he was leaving. I think once they realize they won’t get my permission they’ll arrive suddenly at your doorstep. Just a forewarning.” I groaned as Lupin held open a door for me.

“Thanks, Mom.”  I intoned. We walked straight into the Sitting room of Lupin’s penthouse. I froze and turned to him. He moved on, ignoring my look and strood into the kitchen, adjacent to the Sitting room. No wall blocked off the two rooms, but the carpeted floor switched to tile as I followed him to the dark wooden island. 

I had been too preoccupied to recognize the familiarity of the hallway. I stared incredulously at the werewolf as he opened the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of apple juice. 

“I also talked to Adelaide.” My mother said, reminding me of her existence. 

“Oh, and what did she say?” I asked, now preoccupied with Lupin and his apparent belief that I was going to be staying with him, in his rooms. 

“She says your wolf seems very agreeable.” I turned away from my staring contest with Lupin as he smiled slowly. 

“Mom.” I warned but she paid me no heed. 

“Arrow sent me pictures and I have to agree. He is very handsome, Fable, if you don’t accept soon, someone else will take him from you.” I opened my mouth but she continued before I could speak. “Not to mention your combined features would make a marvelous child. Could you imagine, your golden hair and his eyes? Not to mention the power your child would possess, I mean they always said mating Bonds were decided for genetic compatibility, but my god. With his inherited strength as a Shapeshifter and your-”

“Mom!” I interrupted. “He’s right next to me.” I admitted and I swear to god I could hear her smile. 

“Oh,” She breathed. “Is he?” She asked, her voice dripping with false innocence. 

“I’m hanging up now.” 

“Ok, you kids have fun.” She called her tone high with implication. 

“Mother!” I shrieked and she cackled. 

“Don't be a prude, Fable. You're twenty six and I’m already a grandmother, I don’t care.” I blinked perturbed as the line died. A moment passed and slowly I turned to face Lupin. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, sipping his juice, a grin hanging from his lips. 

“Your mother is quite interesting.” I tossed the phone down on the island between us. 

“Don’t start.” I warned and he smiled brighter. 

“I now see where your brother gets his attitude from.” I sighed and flopped down on one of the stools along the island. “Can I assume you take after your father?” I winced at that, thinking of my father. He used to be the person I learned from and looked up to. He taught all of us how to fight and was our teacher of the magical world. He had always been reserved and strict, but he loved us all very much. He took our scars even harder than my mother had, believing himself responsible for what had happened. He wasn’t to blame and we told him as much, but still he felt like he should have found a way to prevent it all. His children had broken and he helped fix us, but he broke a little in the process. My father was never the same after that, he changed in a way I could never understand. 

I smiled tartly at Lupin and he watched me with sympathy, feeling my sadness. 

“Salem takes after my father the most, in character. I happen to be the spitting image of my mother.” I leaned forward, resting my head on my elbows. “Only Arrow and I share my mothers blonde hair, Echo and Salem have my fathers dark hair.” I smiled. “We all have my mothers blue eyes, except for Arrow, he has my fathers brown.” I shrugged. “It’s what happens when you have two parents who look like opposites, all your siblings are like mismatched tie dye.” Lupin chuckled lightly. 

“Both Ember and I take after our mother, we tease our father about it, but he says he prefers it that way.” He shrugged, watching me with a relaxed smile on his face. I sighed, alright.

“I can’t stay here, Lupin.” I said and the smile disappeared, replaced with the expressionless mask.

“Why not?” 

“Because…” I started, but the words died in my throat. I didn’t really have a reason. Honestly, I was just afraid of what I’d want to do in an empty room with him, alone, for a long period of time. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. 

The mask slipped slightly and he smiled. 

“Is that it? Because?” I growled at him. 

“Shut up, I’m thinking.” He chuckled lightly and put down his glass, finished with his drink. As I thought, Rane sauntered over to me. She inspected the pool of blood I had created on the floor. After a moment she placed her paw in the red liquid. Immediately she was repulsed, meowed and jumped away, attempting to shake off the blood as she went. I laughed at her and then inspected the blood myself. The pain of my wound had ebbed meaning it was already healing, most supernatural creatures had a proclivity to fast healing. Yet even with the wound painless, still I bled. I grimaced and looked up at Lupin. 

“I’m making a mess.” I informed him. He pushed off the counter and came around the island to see what I was talking about. He swore and pulled me off the stool, away from the blood. As if the red liquid was the offender. 

He grabbed my hand and directed me across the room. I looked back as my shoes left bloody foot marks on the carpet. 

“You realize this is just making more of a mess?” At my words he scooped me up into his arms, I was small and he was a werewolf, he didn’t even pause. 

“This is not what I meant.” I sighed, but wrapped my arms around his neck. He carried me down the hall and into the room I had been recovering in after the vampire attack. He turned to the left and into the bathroom. He put me down carefully and started filling up the tub. I watched the bath fill with water and blinked at the nightmares. 

I tried to bat away the memories. But they were punishments, they were meant to stick and burn. The memory surfaced. The tang of blood burning down my throat, the world blinded in a coat of red, as I was drowned over and over again. Pushed back down as I fought against the hands holding me. Allowed up only to inhale one breath of air, so that I would not die, and then cast under again. Drowning on blood, blood I had spilt. Sophacating, slowing and agonizingly, in a vat of gore. Gore I had created. My punishment, to choke on those I had killed. 

I stumbled away from the tub, just a step. I couldn’t do it, even years later I couldn't submerge myself in any form of liquid. It felt too similar. 

Lupin looked over his shoulder at me, feeling my fear and uncomfort. He saw my face and straightened alarmed. 

“Do you…” I eyed the tub, and then looked back at him. “Do you have a shower?” He followed my gaze to the bath and recognized what it was I feared. He didn’t ask questions, just nodded, turning off the water and pulling out the plug. 

He led me by the hand, the memories still a shock to me. We crossed the hall and entered another room. This one was marginally bigger then the one I had stayed in and was obviously lived in. The room was painted a light blue and the furniture was all dark wood. A cat tree stood by the far window-wall. The dresser was full and things rested on top of it, cat food, a mirror, some books, and a grocery bag. The light grey carpeted floor was clean and the bed unmade. The room smelled strongly of Lupin, forest and pine and sandalwood.

He walked me across the room and into a ginormous bathroom. A two person sink lined the left wall, granite countertops and black faucets. Across from the sinks was a walk in shower, just a large, black tiled space with a drain and a shower head protruding from the wall. A clear glass divider stood between the shower and the tub. The tub was also black, and humongous, it most likely had jets and modes. I chuckled at the enormity of it. Lupin shrugged following my gaze. 

“Wolves like bathes,” He explained. “But we also like space.” He let go of my hand and turned on the shower. The rest of the room was tiled white, I found myself liking the aesthetic of the room. Lupin stuck his hand into the water and left it there for a minute. He stepped away, wiping his hand on his thigh.  

“Do you need assistance?” He asked me. I gave him a look and he smiled. 

“I think I can manage, thanks.” He sniggered as he left.