"Thank you for letting me hang out here until the storm calms..." I knitted my fingers together in my lap, trying to hold back my nervous energy. I hadn't spent much alone time with Seth, especially in his home. Just the two of us. It made me unsettled in a completely different way. He came into the living room with two steaming mugs, socks padding over the hardwood floor. I tried not to stare at him, though it was difficult. Seth wasn't classically handsome or anything. His face was a little too long, and his nose too pointy. Still, he had kind eyes and a good heart.

"Five."

I lifted a brow in confusion as he set one of the mugs down in front of me on the coffee table, "What?"

He set down on the couch next to me, turning his gaze in my direction, "You've thanked me five times within the last hour..."

My cheeks burned and I quickly leaned forward, letting my hair fall like a curtain, "Well, I didn't want you to think I wasn't grateful. I know a lot of people would probably have felt more comfortable leaving me out in storm then taking me into their house. So, just thank you..." My fingers wrapped around the handle of the mug, the heat from the ceramic stinking into my skin.

"And that's six." He muttered under his breath. I turned my face toward him, catching the teasing smirk on his lips. My stomach fluttered as he shifted closer to me on the couch, "I don't think anyone in Bedford is heartless enough to leave you stranded in the snow."

I scoffed at his words, leaning back into the couch, "I wouldn't be so certain. I'm sure you know what people in town say about me...it's not like I blame them for it..."

His stormy eyes seem to hold so much intention in them, "People say a lot of things but I have my own mind, Jez. I thought you would have picked up on that by now." I watched him take a sip from his mug, before leaning over to set it down on the coffee table. I couldn't stop my eyes from admiring the way the muscles in his arms flexed beneath his skin as he stretched. I longed to know what it felt like to be held, especially by Seth. I bet he would feel hard, and warm.

My cheeks grew hot again when he turned to me, catching me watching him. I cleared my throat, looking toward the frosted window, "I know you're not like them. You're different than most of the people in this town."

He bumped me gently with his shoulder, "So are you." I gave him a side glance. He was too much for me to handle. He had shown more kindness to me in my life than most, and I wasn't entirely sure it was deserved.

I sunk deeper into the couch, feeling solemn. I was different than the people in this town. I was different than most people in any town, "Yes, and that's kind of the problem, isn't it?" I grumbled, before lifting my mug and taking a sip. It was still a little too hot, the bitter liquid burning my taste buds before I quickly swallowed it. I looked down into the mug with furrowed brows, I hated coffee. I hated bitter things.

Seth let out a soft chuckle before taking the mug from me, our fingers brushing against each other, "I forgot you don't do coffee."

"It's okay." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to ignore the lingering sensation of skin to skin contact.

"How's your head feeling?"

I reached up on instinct, brushing my fingers over the Seth's patchwork, "I think I'll live, deputy." I gave him a soft teasing smile as I dropped my hand. My smile slowly faded as I caught the subtle movement of his eyes as they dropped my lips. My heart stuttered over its beats. I only now noticed how close we were sitting together on the couch, legs brushing against one another.

Seth lifted his eyes to mine with an intensity I had never seen before, "Jezebel..." My name sounded raw and it sent shivers racing down spine. I flicked my tongue over my lips as he shifted forward, bringing our bodies closer. His fingertips brushed against my cheek as he tucked some of my hair behind my ear, the tender action sending fire into my blood.

"Yes..." I croaked out, prompting him to continue. I didn't know what was going on but I didn't want to lose this opportunity. Eight years, and finally I might see my fantasies realized.  

"I hope this doesn't come off too forward, but I've thought about you a lot...like this..." I wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but I wanted to assume he was talking about being alone with him...intimately. My cheeks burned and my body sang.

"A lot?"

His lips twitched, "More than I should have. More than was decent for a girl your age." There was eleven years between us. I knew it was something that had weighed on me a lot. Mostly, because I didn't think he would ever see me as anything other than that little girl. I guess I had been wrong, somewhere along the way...he started to see me different.

"Well, I'm an adult now." I pressed, grabbing onto some confidence as I leaned in closer to him, "I'll be twenty in a couple of months. There's nothing wrong with touching me now...that is if you want too, I mean..." I was pretty certain my face was going to be stained with a permanent blush.

Seth's eyes dipped down to my lips, "You have no idea how much I want..." He swooped down and covered my mouth with his. I sucked in the air from his lungs as my lips parted in surprise. I hadn't expected such ferocity and hunger. Not only that, this was my first kiss. It wasn't like people were lining up to lock lips with a girl like me. I didn't know what to do, which Seth picked up on quickly.

He eased back a bit, quelling his passion some. I found myself relaxing under the tender whispering touches of his lips against mine. I felt like a flower slowly blooming, each stroke of his lips against mine pulled back another petal. Slowly, the fire inside of me began to burn hotter and our kiss a little more frenzied. I was drowning in him and I was completely okay with that. This seemed like a sweet way to die, no need to breathe any air that Seth wasn't feeding me.

The kiss ended abruptly at the heavy thud of something banging against the front door. We both jumped apart, breathing heavily. There was an eerie silence that stretched out before a faint sound could be heard, slowly growing louder.

Seth pushed up off the couch, "You hear that?" It sounded like the wailing of a child, as if it were right outside the house. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, goosebumps rising to the surface of my skin. This wasn't right. It had to be a trick, my senses screamed at me in a familiar way.

I watched as Seth moved towards the door hesitantly, "Maybe it's just the wind..." I whispered, my voice shaking slightly. The door rattled as if someone were pounding on it, the child's wails growing louder. I covered my ears and pulled my knees up into my chest. My heart beat heavy in my chest as I stared at Seth's frozen form.

"That is not the wind, Jez. Stay here." He launched himself into action, throwing his feet into his boots and grabbing his gun holster from the coat rack. I watched as he threw the door open, sending snow swirling into the house as he raced out onto the porch and into the raging winter storm. I pushed myself up off the couch, ignoring his demand that I stay inside. I didn't trust this situation.

As I was putting on my own boot a hunting horn rang out, rattling the windows and sending a chill up my spine. I remembered the sound from earlier, from my meeting with Cian. It hadn't made me feel good then, and it made me feel even worse now. I stood up straight, staring out the window into the blanket of white. Something was out there, someone was out there, "Seth..."

I stumbled out onto the porch, ignoring my coat. The wind blew in every direction, howling through the trees with a sort of fury. Seth stood a few feet from the porch, gun now in his hand as tried to see through the snow, "Seth!" I called to him over the wind.

He tossed a look in my direction, "I told you to stay inside."

I frowned as I stomped down the stairs, "Let's both go back inside. If there was someone out here, you're not going to find them in this mess." I couldn't explain it but my need to get us both back into the house was strong, it rivaled all my other urges.

"Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"That." Seth pointed into the snow with his gun.

I stared into the white, my breath catching in my throat as I watched shadows cut through the heavy snowfall, becoming more visible. It was a trio, dressed in full armor, weapons in hand: Axe, Spear, and Sword. The edges of them sharp and glinting. I felt the defiant pulse of dark energy in my mind. It raged with my fear. These were the people Cian had warned me about, lords and ladies of the hunt. I didn't know what they wanted from us but from the posturing of their bodies they did not come as friends. 

"What the hell?" Seth rasped out as he lifted his gun, arms steady, "Put down your weapons." He called out to them over the howling of the wind. They continued to march towards us.

I reached out and fisted the back of Seth's coat, tugging, "Seth..."

"Go back inside, Jezebel. Lock the door. Call the sheriff." It was a command. His voice hard as he drew back the hammer of his gun with his thumb, "Put down your weapons, or I'll be forced to take action." His voice was steady, as steady as his hands. Seth was not afraid or if he was, he was good at concealing it. He had the heart of a warrior, unbending and yet, he was gentle with me. He had always been that way. I wished that I was more like him. I was cowardly, always too late to save the people I loved. Harrison was proof of that. I'd stood by and done nothing as he was gunned down. My mother had taken her own life, a couple months after his funeral. Her heart too broken to carry on, even for me. My grandmother had died of illness, for all the power inside of myself, I could not save her either.

Seth fired his gun, the bullet nearly missing the armored lady with the spear, "That was a warning, shot the next one won't be. Now, put down your weapons." Still, they pressed on ignoring his order.

I swallowed my fear, leaping in front of Seth. I called to the shadows and they reached for me, never far. I directed my thoughts toward the man in front, the one with the large axe. The shadows heaved forward with a hissing sound, slamming into the chest plate of the lord's armor. I watched in satisfaction as he was thrown off his feet, and disappeared back into white from whence he came.

"Jezebel?" I heard the surprise in Seth's voice. He had heard the stories about me, but they had only been stories to him. Now, he had seen. I clenched my teeth together. He might shy away from me now too, but as long as he was alive that didn't matter.

The others paused in their approach, glancing back toward where their friend had been moments before. I felt a little breathless from what I had done but I forced myself to hold ground as the Lord with the sword turned toward me, flipping up the shield of his helmet. His face was not handsome as Cian had been. This lord's face was half rotted away, boney teeth clenched together as his hollow gaze remained fixated on me, "The Half-breed is mine."

He pointed his sword toward me, face lifting into a hungry smile. I could read the intention clearly, a challenge. I didn't think I stood a chance against all of them, but as long as I held them off long enough for Seth to get to safety...well that wouldn't be such an awful way to go. The one with the sword charged at me, while the others watched silently.

I called to shadows again, face twisting up in determination, "Seth go back inside."

"Are you crazy?"

"Please, Seth..." I hissed as I sent my power forward, and it clashed against the Lord's sword. He was somehow able to block it, though it pushed him back a couple of feet. I kept hammering him with all that I had, and he kept blocking. He made his way closer, taking every inch, he could grab. My strength was draining quickly. Cian was right, I thought to myself bitterly. I was strong but not strong enough to beat this creature.

Suddenly, Seth stepped up beside me, unleashing what remained of his clip into the swordsmen. My ears rang and my body burned with exhaustion. The bullets seemed enough to disable him, dropping him to his knees in the snow.

"You're not playing hero today, Jez. Neither of us are. Now, let's go." He urged me backward, gently pushing. I could see the fear in his eyes and I wasn't going to argue with him.

I turned toward the house when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. An axe flying through the air straight toward us. Time seemed to slow down and once again I was trapped in a hell that allowed me to do nothing but watch. Watch as the weapon struck Seth in the back. Watch as his stormy eyes widened in shock. Watch as he coughed out a breath, blood spraying into the air. Red stains in a white world.

I let out a scream as Seth crumpled into the snow before me.