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  I told myself I shouldn’t walk her to her door, but I didn’t have any resolve left. I was already pushing it tonight, what would be the point of backing off now?

  I got out of the car but she was already outside before I could open the door for her.

  “What are you doing?” She seemed surprised that I hadn’t remained in the car, and that made two of us.

  I was being ‘old-fashioned’ as Luke called it, but screw him and his advice. A girl like her shouldn’t have to open her own doors. “Where I come from, we walk a lady to her door.”

  “And where is that exactly?”

  I opened my mouth to answer and then remembered the situation. She had one thin eyebrow cocked at me waiting for an answer. “Nice try.” I flashed a smile at her. “Oh, and Ana?” It was the first time I had used that nickname for her and I liked the way it sounded a little too much.

  “Yes?” She unintentionally gave me a coy look, and that made it even more appealing.

  “Have a good night.”

  She nodded and fled to her front door.

  I waited outside her dark house for a while, then drove the few blocks back to my house knowing I had Luke waiting for me when I got home.

  He knew exactly where I had been and, from the scent still lingering on my clothing, with whom I had been. He wasn’t happy about it either, but his threats were beginning to piss me off.

  “What is wrong with you?” It wasn’t really a question.

  “What?” I shrugged innocently as I threw my keys in the ceramic bowl on the counter.

  “You are going to screw this up. We need to just take care of her now—“

  “No.” I snarled.

  Luke had to be more shocked than I was. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for her.”

  “Shut up.” I shouldered past him on my way upstairs.

  “She’s a human.” He, of course, followed me.

  “So what, so were we.”

  “Were is the key word here, as in past tense. Is that what intrigues you so much about her, because you wish you were one of them?”

  I straightened, stopping in the middle of the staircase. Luke really wanted a fight tonight, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “I don’t have to answer to you.” I sped up the rest of the steps.

  I heard Luke curse, then continue to follow me. If I hadn’t been so pissed off, I might have been amused that our roles were suddenly reversed.

  “Ok, smartass. Since you’re the ‘older’ one and never can do less than perfect, let’s just discuss exactly what you’re doing here. So let’s say you continue your “relationship” with the girl and give up the opportunity of a lifetime to free your parents from the curse. Your mother and father have spent over a hundred years making a life for themselves and developing a front for our immortality. What if she doesn’t want you? What if something happens to her? Someone else gets to her? Are you willing to take those risks? Are you willing to be implicated?”

  Luke knew my weaknesses. “Fine,” I growled in defeat. “I’ll back off. For now.”

  Chapter Five

  Back at school, I had the full intention of keeping away from Adriana Alexander. That was, until I saw her pull into the parking lot that morning. Luke and I had been arguing, of course, and I had the full intention of humoring him today by avoiding her.

  I smiled at her as she drove by, remembering our forbidden time together on the ferry. Luke hit the horn, and I turned to him harshly. But he wasn’t looking at me, instead at Ana, leaving no doubt in her mind that he hated her.

  The action sent all my senses into fight mode. “You tell me to avoid talking to her, yet you give her a look that says you want to murder her?”

  He didn’t bother offering an explanation. He was so naïve. I didn’t know why I had bothered listening to him in the first place. “I’m out of here.” I grabbed my bag and jogged to catch up to Ana.

  “Good morning.” I reached her easily, and decided to try to melt some of the ice left by my brother by being unfriendly.

  She nodded but didn’t speak. In fact, she seemed angry. I wished I could just start fresh.

  “I apologize for being rude the other night. I wasn’t myself.”

  “You’re forgiven,” she stated without any real truth to her words.

  I had underestimated her anger. Maybe Luke was right. Maybe she wouldn’t want me. If that was the case, then I wanted her to understand, to realize the situation we were in. “You have to understand, I—“

  “Well, I don’t understand Hayden. You give me no explanations and avoid all my questions.” So she was not only talking about how I happened to find her in the French Quarter, but how I knew where she lived. I could hear the whisperings of other students and did not like the accusations they made at all. I took Ana off to the side.

  “We can’t be seen together.” I looked into her eyes, wishing she would just guess what was going on. Maybe after Luke’s hostility she would sense something was off.

  “Oh?”

  “People can’t see me with you.”

  “I...You don’t have to say anything else. I get it.”

  Shock overcame me. “You do?” Did she really understand the danger we posed and that we couldn’t be seen together if all-of-a-sudden she went missing? I didn’t think so as she tore herself from my grip and walked away.

  I made a move to follow her. “Leave. Me. Alone.,” she turned and said to me one last time.

  I cursed to myself. That was not how I planned for things to happen. I had wanted to rectify the situation and now I only made it worse. I didn’t bother attending the rest of my classes as I headed back to the car. Apparently I couldn’t think or act straight when Ana was around. I left Luke at school as I went for a drive to clear my head.

  I hesitated with my phone, already knowing whom I’d call.

  “Father,” I said as he answered.

  “Hayden.” He spoke but then hesitated, as if waiting for the news on how we handled the situation. If only he knew.

  “We are still watching the girl. No one seems to know about her yet but I fear if we continue to delay our response, someone will. We do know that it’s Delphine LaLaurie who is after her. She was compelled to her house; luckily I had been following her and got to her in time.”

  "It sounds like you two are handling things fine and I’m glad you didn’t make any hasty decisions." He knew there was more I was trying to tell him.

  “So, that’s about it.”

  "Ok, just let us know if you need us for anything. Oh and your mother says hello." I smiled as I heard her directing him in the background.

  “Thanks. Speaking of my mother, you know, funny thing is, I was just thinking the other night about how y’all met.”

  "Oh really?"

  I cringed. I was being too obvious. I should just tell him what I wanted to know. “Tell me again how you knew she was the One.”

  Every Hunter had One. We were created to live forever with one mate; they would eventually give us the heir a Hunter needed to be relieved from duty. My father found his within fifty years, Luke’s father took three times that long. Every Hunter was different and some spent centuries trying to find theirs.

  My father exhaled into the phone. He had told me this countless times before, except only then I hadn’t cared to know. "I knew because no matter how hard I tried to stay away from her and to fight it, I couldn’t," he said simply.

  “But I barely know her. I mean, you didn’t even have the chance to get to know her before you knew she was the One?”

  "Hayden, the Hunter's heart chooses before our mind does."

  And it wasn’t the first time that everything in my existence confirmed Ana would be mine. I would focus on the fact that Ana was a human later.

  Chapter Six

  Ironic how I was supposed to be the one avoiding her and now she was the one avoiding me. Well, all bets were off now.

  “Hello, Ana.”

  She must have been lost in th
ought or extremely unobservant this morning because I was able to surprise her.

  “Hello.” Her tone implied that she had not forgotten our previous conversations.

  “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter? That’s not standard high school reading material.” I examined the books she was carrying, and was pleased to see a familiar classic. “But my heart is a lonely hunter, that hunts on a lonely hill.” I quoted my familiarity with the novel.

  “You’ve read it?”

  “It’s one of my favorites.” I smiled, pleased that she had opened up.

  “It’s my third time reading it,” she admitted. I wanted to ask her more about it but she quickly recovered with another question. “And your other favorites?”

  “Actually, I’m quite eager to know yours.”

  “I asked you first.” There was a playfulness to her tone and I could do nothing but answer her. “Frankenstein, Madam Bovary, Great Expectations…,” I said without thought. Those were all books I had remembered growing up, no need to tell her they were also just released then.

  “Hiya Hayden.” It wasn't until we were interrupted by someone else that I realized how engrossed I had become in our conversation.

  I was caught a little off guard as I looked away from Ana to the source of the noise. “Hello,” I replied with the correct conversation skills to the unfamiliar girl that had tried to wedge herself between Ana and I. I turned back to Ana, thinking the conversation was over.

  “How are your classes so far? That English quiz was so hard.”

  “My classes are fine. Some are a great deal better than others.” I smiled wickedly at Ana, letting her know just which classes of mine were better. Her cheeks tinted pink at my response. Just then, the girl fully stepped between us, forcing me to look at her.

  She said something about a pep rally and then touched me. The hand that was on my shoulder made all my instincts flair to life. Hunters only claimed One, and it wasn’t this girl. My body was rejecting every attention she gave me. I fought to maintain normal, polite responses.

  I looked around her at Ana. I searched my memory for the girl’s name. “Stephanie,” I removed her hand from my shoulder with relief, “if you’ll excuse me, I was talking to Ana.” What had she wanted again?

  “Well, I'd better get to class.” Ana was starting to walk away from me.

  “Wait,” I called out before I knew what I was going to say. I wanted to talk to her more, but I couldn’t just expect her to miss class with me. “Are you going to the pep rally?” I had remembered something Stephanie said.

  “Yes?” she answered questionably.

  “Great, I hope we can talk more then.” I smiled as I watched her walk away.

  I had anticipated seeing Ana again. Everything new I learned about her came out as a pleasant surprise. All the years I spent worrying about what it was going to be like when I had I found the One were slowly disappearing. All the fears and anxieties of who, what, when and where meant nothing now. In its place was surety that I would do whatever it took to protect Ana, including sacrificing my eternity.

  * * *

  “We need to talk.” Luke caught me before I could lose myself in the crowd going into the gymnasium.

  “Can it wait? I’m on my way to the pep rally.”

  Luke looked at me disgusted, “And I’m sure I know exactly whom you’re meeting there.”

  “We’ll talk later.”

  “Ok, I guess I’ll just wait until later to tell you who broke into Ana’s house.”

  I whipped back toward him. “What?”

  “I just thought I’d let you know what your behavior is causing.”

  “Let’s talk in the car.”

  “But I wouldn’t want you to miss our little Ana at the pep rally.”

  I hated how he said her name. “Shut up and let’s go.”

  Luke had the honor of telling me the details regarding the break in at Ana’s house. The Vasquez were a clan of mortals who tried to be what we were. They carried out the dirty work of the Underworld but went where we wouldn’t—killing humans. They were in it for the money and power; they had a choice. We did not. I knew they would be after Ana if they got wind of the situation. LaLaurie must have changed her incentives. I wonder what she had offered them; what was Ana’s life worth to them? I was killing mad.

  I shook my head. “They must not be sure it’s her. Otherwise, it would have been done by now.” How stupid I was to leave her unprotected.

  “And yet you continue to put a big red X on her. How kindly do you think the Vasquez will take to your new friendship with their Hunted? They’ve always hated us; I’m sure it will make the kill that much sweeter.”

  Hated, was not a strong enough word. Our families had been enemies for centuries. My fists threatened to break the steering wheel. “They will not touch her,” I spoke through clenched teeth.

  “I tried to warn you, but you just couldn’t stay away from her could you? So what’s your genius plan now?”

  “They don’t know we're here yet, right? We watch her from afar from now on. I will stay back this time, for her safety.”

  He shook his head in disbelief and wonder at what was going on with me. My lips smirked; he would find out soon enough when he met his One. Maybe in the next millennia or so.

  Chapter Seven

  I still had access to the school but Luke and I didn’t attend any of our normal classes. I kept up my end to stay away from her. I had gone into the school early to do a search and was pleased that I had come up with no signs that the Vasquez had been there. I stayed inside while Luke patrolled the outside. With the first sense of the Vasquez, we would have to change our plans.

  I had left, heading towards my car well before school let out for the day. I would make sure she arrived home safely, then Luke and I could take shifts. I couldn't have been more surprised when I sensed she had followed me out of school. She left class early? I diverted my attention, hoping I could make it to the car without a confrontation.

  “Hayden,” She must have jogged to catch up because she was touching my arm now. It went against everything in my body to slip away from her. Of course nothing went as expected when it came to her. She had been practically ignoring me before this and now the one time I wished she would have…

  I offered her a ‘hello’ and picked up pace at human-speed toward the car. I prayed she would not hold this against me and just believe I had somewhere to be. An appointment, perhaps? Normal people had those.

  “Hayden, wait a sec. What is going on with you?” There was a slight pleading to her tone and I lost my resolve.

  “You don’t get it do you? I told you we couldn’t be seen together.” This was truer now than ever.

  “Now you’re back to this?”

  “What are you talking about, Ana?” I looked nervously around the parking lot trying to utilize several of my senses at once. I couldn’t properly comprehend her accusations while searching for any signs from Luke or the Vasquez. “Why are you acting like this, Hayden?”

  I saw Luke from between the trees in the far lot. Why was he watching me? Had he seen something? Was there something he had to tell me?

  “Ana, please, you just have to leave me alone.” For now. I had no other option than honesty as I hopped in the car to get as far away from Ana as possible. If someone was watching, then all they would see was me trying to duck the attentions of a girl.

  I fought the urge to knock out Luke as he jumped into my car.

  I was seething as we sat waiting down the street for Ana’s truck to pass. “There was no reason you flagged down my attention in the parking lot?”

  “I didn’t ‘flag’ down your attention; I was just watching to see who Ana was talking to.”

  “You knew it was me, do you know how you made me look?”

  He shrugged nonchalantly, “Why do you care?”

  Because she was made for me.

  I thrust the gear in drive as I pulled two cars behind Ana. It was needless to even was
te a breath speaking to him for the rest of the day.

  Chapter Eight

  We learned from our sources that a storm was going to hit New Orleans. That was going to complicate things. Sure, we could protect Ana from wherever she evacuated to but that would mean I would be forced not to have any contact with her. If she saw me, I wouldn’t be able to explain the coincidence.

  There was still school that Friday; the humans didn’t have our resources and couldn’t predict yet where exactly the hurricane would hit. Luke and I still kept the routine we’d been following these past few days and I was even able to attend a class or two. There was still no sign of the Vasquez and we couldn’t exactly go looking for them. It was like a ticking time bomb, something I normally wouldn’t have to worry about, but I couldn't afford to let this one go off.

  Finally, they were able to predict the path of the storm and they cancelled classes mid-session. There was a flurry of students when I exited to the hallway. I tensed, instantly feeling something was not right. My instincts surged to life. I could smell Ana’s fear. I had to find her. I wove my way through the halls, cursing that I couldn’t use any of my supernatural abilities. If I didn’t find her soon…

  As I finally spot Ana down the hall, I simultaneously hear the shouts from a male faculty member yelling, “witch!” Was this directed at Ana? All I knew was that I had to get her out of here.

  I was by her side in a second. “Let’s go,” I commanded. But she seemed too disoriented to move. I took her arm and, after analyzing the possible exit routes, led her the quickest way to the parking lot. I hadn’t realized I'd picked up my pace until I asked her for her keys and saw she was jogging to keep up.

  After having to adjust the seat, we took off in her truck. Ana hadn’t moved a muscle as she sat in the passenger seat. Her face looked paler than usual, her eyes vacant as if replaying unwanted memories.

  I knew I should say something. I had pulled her out of there with literally no explanations and I felt I should offer her some comfort. She looked ready to go into shock. What had he said to her? That she was a witch?