A dull hunger pang grew within Lori’s stomach. This hunger, different from the one she frequently gave into, came from her human side and was easily silenced with blood. But on few occasions the thought of eating human food was just as tempting. Pizza happened to be her favorite, topped off with extra cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives.
     Olives, she inwardly drooled. I would give anything for a bowl of black olives.
     Crossing the room to the door, Lori unlocked the handle and looked into the hallway. The light at the other end, almost unnoticed by human eyes, was enough for her to see. Several doors lined the long hallway, all shut and perhaps locked. Her interest wasn’t with them but rather the kitchen that was hidden somewhere within the maze that was the house.
     Lori rounded the corner and found the small kitchenette. The room contained a simple table and chairs, refrigerator, sink, microwave, and a basic oven, with white cabinets running along one wall. She flipped on the lights. The place was spotless. No fruit or other food sat out for quick use or any canisters of flour or sugar. Going to the cabinets, Lori began to search for any morsel of food. Her searching ended at the refrigerator. Old containers of Chinese food sat on the top shelf, while the door and other shelves contained other unsavory things, mostly condiments. Lori’s eyes dropped to the drawers at the bottom and began to look through them. Her spirits lifted as she found a small bag of oranges. Choosing the perfect one, she stood up, pleased at her find.
     “I thought I heard someone up.”
     Lori jumped at the sound of a female’s voice. She looked toward the doorway and saw a petite human with shaggy, short, black hair. She had never seen the girl before but her voice was familiar. Was this the phoenix?
     “I’m going back to my room,” replied Lori, her hands covering the orange like it was some precious orb.
     The girl lowered her head as she crossed her arms over her stomach, hugging herself. Lori stopped and read the subtle body language. “Are you a prisoner here?” she whispered.
     “No, I… I want to go outside for a little bit, just to take a walk. They don’t allow me to go upstairs during the day, but I was thinking that if you accompanied me, then it’ll be all right.”
     Lori shrugged. “I guess a short walk won’t hurt. What’s your name?”
     “Jayda,” the she replied, a new hint of nervousness rising within her voice. “What’s yours?”
     “Lori.”
     Jayda forced out a smile. “Nice to meet you, Lori. We can talk more outside.”
     As they climbed the stairs to the first floor, Lori mentally mapped the house’s layout. It was easy to see that the majority of the building’s activity took place below ground level. A typical comfort structure for most werewolves. Havens, the buildings used by vampires as sanctuaries, were constructed partially underground as well, but served as a means to hide from the sun. And havens were more like low-key hotels, while this place was a more like a private home. No, not a werewolf haven but a den. A nice, relaxing den that could house ten guests comfortably.
     But there was a mystery to this place. Why would a lone werewolf require such a large den? The place had the makings of a perfect headquarters for any pack, and the renovations smelled fresh.
     Reaching the front porch, Jayda stepped into the sun and kept walking with a new burst of energy. Lori, on the other hand, lagged behind, her attention returning to the orange as she began to remove its peel. Though the sun pressed down on her and stung her eyes, she continued on.
     “It’s kind of too easy, don’t you think?” asked Lori.
     “What do you mean?”
     “Escaping. You know they heard us up and about, so why didn’t they stop us?”
     Jayda stopped walking and looked back at the house. “Maybe they don’t want us.”
     Pulling off the last of the orange’s peel, Lori broke it in half and offered it to the frightened girl. Jayda waved away the fruit. Lori shrugged and took a bite, talking as she ate. “If that were the case, then why haven’t they offered to take us into town or help us get back to our homes?”
     “You’re right,” she whispered, her fear doubling. Turning around she continued down the driveway, walking faster this time. Lori sighed and followed.
     The road cut through the woods with trees towering overhead and blocking the direct sun. Lori breathed in the cooler air as she finished eating the orange. The small meal was enough to quiet her hunger. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
     “Get to the main road and flag someone down.”
     “Where to then?”
     “I’ll think of something.”
     Lori remained a few strides behind her as she kept her questions coming. “Why not stay?”
     Jayda didn’t answer at first. Why did she want to leave? “I spent my time in one prison. I’m not staying in another,” she quietly answered.
     “I thought you said you weren’t a prisoner?”
     “What about you?” she deflected. “What brought you here?”
     “I was checking up on some old friends last night.”
     “Is that sarcasm?”
     Lori smirked. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”
     Jayda slowed down to walk beside her. “How can you be so lighthearted about this? He almost killed you last night.”
     “Oh, that ol’ brute? It will take more than blood loss to kill me.”
     “What is that suppose to mean?”
     Giving her a sideways glance, Lori realized the obvious. “They don’t let you in on a lot, do they?”
     Jayda’s eyes went to the road as she shrugged. “I don’t really know them. I was… they were hired to kill the pack I belonged to.”
     Shocked, Lori remarked before thinking. “You were a pack slave?” The term struck the poor girl harder than a wooden club. Lori tried to recover. “The practice of slavery within a pack was banished centuries ago. Humans are a protected species in the eyes of werewolves. There are actually laws and groups out there that try to stop this on a daily basis. You should be thanking them for saving you.”
     With a weak voice, Jayda replied, “I did. But that’s not the complete story. I think they want me around for another reason.”
     “Sex?” Lori said, again, speaking before thinking.
     Instead a showing a look of disgust, the word didn’t faze the human. “No, it’s nothing like that. There was a reason why I lasted as long as I did within the pack. The Alpha kept me around because of my Sight.”
     The last word snagged onto Lori’s interest. “Sight?”
     “Some call it an ability. I can’t control it, but there’s times when I know something is going to happen. I know it sounds completely weird, but I know what I see and these things come true.”
     “How clear are these visions?”
     “Sometimes they’re not even visions. Most of the time they’re just thoughts, but I know them as truth. A few times they’ve been of the past, like watching a movie. The last one was in that house. It was so vivid. I could feel and smell everything.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry I’m going on like this. I just don’t have anyone to talk to.”
     “It’s all right. I’m a very good listener. Feel free to spill, spill, spill.” Lori found herself flashing a genuine grin. “You think you’re alone, don’t you?”
     Jayda’s face lit up. “Are you…?”
     “Like you? Nope, no clairvoyance here. But sometimes—on some rare occasions—I like to think I can read people’s thoughts. Not really a gift I’m born with, only borrowed.”
     “Borrowed?”
     “Long, long, story. But you… I know a place where you can be worshipped for the gift you carry. You don’t know how special you are.”
     “This isn’t a gift.”
     Lori could see herself dropping her guard around this girl. There was nothing malicious within her. And in a twisted view of the current conversation, she saw this as the beginning of a long friendship. “Give it some time. You’ll see things differently.”
     Picking up her pace, Jayda began to run as she saw the main road come into view. Lori continued to take her time in reaching the girl, who frantically looked up and down the road.
     “I don’t know which way to go,” Jayda admitted. “I never saw which direction they came in from.”
     Lori slid her hands into her back pockets and faked her interest in the choice. “All roads lead to a town, unless they say ‘Dead End,’ which in this case you don’t have to worry about. I think I have a coin if you want to flip on it.” She began to check her front pockets.
     “Wait, you’re not going?”
     Retrieving a silver coin from her pocket, Lori held it up to look at the old, Greek piece. The small object held more worth to her than anything else she possessed. “All right. If it lands on Athena, you go this way”—she nodded to the right—“Pegasus, you go that way”—she nodded to the left. “Ready?”
     Jayda grabbed the wrist holding the coin. “Please come with me! I can’t do this alone.”
     “You’ll be fine. You’re a tough girl.”
     She shook her head, confused. “Why do you want to stay there?”
     Lori sucked in her lower lip and returned the coin to her pocket, followed with a deep breath. “Tell you what. If you can tough it out and wait for me, then I promise I can get you out of there. Deal?”
     “I want to leave now.”
     Lori remained firm. “Do we have a deal?”
     Sensing the seriousness in her voice, Jayda nodded. “It’s a deal.”
     The sound of footsteps on gravel came to Lori’s ears. She grumbled. “The werewolf is looking for us.”
     Jayda once again became frantic as she tugged on the young woman’s wrist, urging her to run.
     “Not that way,” said Lori, her own hand taking hold of Jayda’s wrist and leading her into the woods. She kept their pace steady as not to provoke the werewolf into giving chase. The new path took them in a large circle and away from the driveway, ending as they came to the woods’ edge with the house a football field’s length away. Lori released Jayda’s wrist as they returned to the house.
     Instead of heading inside, Lori took a seat on the porch’s steps, relaxing casually while Jayda continued to stand.
     Rounding the corner of the driveway, the werewolf, Nicholas, approached. He looked as though he was in a hurry to leave the house, dressed only in a white tee-shirt, blue jeans, and unlaced work boots. Even his short, blond hair was unkempt.
     “What are you doing out here?” he fumed as he neared the two girls.
     Jayda hung her head in response to his anger while Lori stared at him, unflinching.
     “Chill,” she defended. “We were restless, so we took a walk. No harm done.”
     “You aren’t allowed to leave the house during the day.”
     “Sorry,” she mocked. “Your rules. Not mine.”
     He pointed at the front door. “Get inside, now.”
     Lori glared at him. “You can’t give me orders.”
     “I believe I just did.”
     Unable to withstand the tension, Jayda obediently headed inside.
     Lori closed her eyes and leaned back, her face skyward as she soaked up the midday sun.
     “Get inside,” he repeated.
     Rolling her head forward, she opened her eyes, the carefree persona melting away. “No wolf commands me.”
     Nicholas stepped closer and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the steps. Lori wiggled from his grip, brushing past him to stand in the driveway. She heard a growl escape him.
     “I will go inside when I’m ready,” she said.
     “If you want to leave, then do it at night. I’ll even drive you into town.”
     “I didn’t say anything about leaving. You’re stuck with me, furball. I’m not going anywhere.” She looked him over and smirked. “I bet you’re not so tough without your hired muscle.”
     The rudeness of this girl was too much for Nicholas. This was his home, his land, and no one had the power to order him around. He went for her upper arm and began to drag her to the house. Lori, however, wasn’t finished testing him. She twisted her arm around and took hold of his, jerking him back and bringing her other hand to his neck. Her legs then swept his feet out from under him, his back striking the ground first. The quick movements ended as Lori moved over top of him, her fangs ready for his flesh. She closed in before he had time to push her away.
     Lori bit hard into his neck, its real purpose to show dominance than to draw blood. She bared down, her other teeth threatening to break the skin, as well. Nicholas grabbed a handful of her hair and gave a strong tug, causing Lori to release her bite. She eased up long enough to pin his arms to the ground.
     Her cold eyes stared into his and saw the first hints of his wolf side beginning to show through. His eyes, once blue, were now a light amber, and through his drawn lips she saw his teeth—menacing fangs, upper and lower, perfect instruments in ripping through flesh and muscle.
     Lori’s face softened. She had tested him enough. Any further actions would result in a full on fight with the werewolf, a feat she had no need for. She saw what she wanted. This werewolf could be trusted.
     Lori calmly backed away from him and stood, her hands at her sides in a show of obedience. Without a word, she headed into the house, leaving the wolf bewildered by the incident.
     As she moved deeper into the house she saw no sign of Jayda. The terrified girl was probably back in her room, door locked and waiting for the day Lori would make good on her deal. But the girl had nothing to worry about. No one would kill her because of the gift she carried. In the right company she would be protected by the strongest—protected by brutes like Nicholas’ pet.
     Lori opened the door to her bedroom. From within the darkness, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside. She heard the door slam shut and felt a strong hand grab her once more, holding her by the throat.
     The words that came from Arden were filled with raw anger, a complete one-eighty from the emotionless exterior he was so skilled at carrying. “Showing disrespect to Nicholas shows disrespect to me,” he hissed.
     “No one here can order me around!” she almost shouted, her own anger blistering to the surface. “Especially not some guardian. You should be—”
     “I am ordering you.” He squeezed his hand, nails digging further into her skin. “We allow you to stay here, and in doing so, you will obey the rules.”
     Lori clenched her teeth as she was forced to silence her pride.
     Arden released her, adding, “Rest during the day hours. Moving about in the sun attracts unwanted attention. As a dhampir who has lived this long you should know how to keep a low profile.”
     Lori wanted to reply but held her tongue. She wanted him to leave the room. Staring him down, she was the first to divert her eyes. “I agree,” she muttered.
     Scoffing at the hollow promise, Arden left the room and headed down the hall, back to his room.
      Nicholas entered the hallway, still fuming from the incident outside. “I don’t care what she knows about this group,” he snapped out. “I want that thing out of here.”
     Arden’s exterior returned to normal as he answered. “It was simpler when it was just you and I.”
     Nicholas scratched the back of his head, his anger subsiding. “We can talk about this later,” he said as he walked past the vampire, dragging his boots with each step. He went into his room and locked the door, one of the rare times he heard him do so.
     Things were simpler when it was just them. But Arden had his own mission this day. He heard Lori move about, in search of the kitchen, and even speaking with Jayda. He had then heard them leave the house. It was only at that moment did he alert Nicholas to their absence. Arden’s plan was to see what Lori would do. Would she actually leave with Jayda or convince her to stay? In all honesty, he assumed they would go through with it. But he was surprised to hear them return.
     The dhampir’s actions, however, led him to believe she was planning something. She seemed to jump at the opportunity to show her dominance over Nicholas, but in Arden’s presence, she was quick to back down. Perhaps it was the fact that hunting her kind was seen as sport to him. He still hadn’t made his decision on how he would deal with her. But if her insubordinate behavior against Nicholas continued, he wouldn’t think twice in removing her head.