Chapter 8

"So 14 and 16 is that right, " Andrew asked as he drove. "She's a cute little thing, but that hair. I can't remember the last time I saw something like that, at least on a mortal" Andrew said. He sounded like he was in a dream.

"Well, admire her hair later we have to get these kids perked up, got any chocolate in here," Ryder asked looking through his bag. Andrew pointed to the glove compartment. Inside there were a few king-sized chocolate bars, without missing a beat Ryder took one for each of them and tossed them back to Anna, "this should help with the drowsiness, but keeping them together will help as well. Just make sure that their eyes don't start to glow too much."

"Why is that a problem, I thought..." Anna said, opening a bar and handing it to Willow. Then she began to open the second

"When their eyes start to glow we will have to pull over and get them away from the road, " Ryder said, passing some water bottles back to Anna. "That's what happens when their magic tends to start, and they can be a little unstable when they are like this" Ryder said. "While they did blow up your store, I don't know what else they can do and right now with hunters on our butts it's not a great time to see," Ryder said. He looked through his bag and found that he still had some form of alcohol in it. He immediately opened the bottle and began to drink, this was a night he was not going to be able to take on sober.

"You mean that humongous thing that happened at my store, they do that, and can do more than that even? I can believe it's not a great time for it, they look like they just ran from the capital without stopping" Anna said handing chocolate to Xavier now. "However, a stupid question why not tell any of us about what they could do?" The whole car was now looking at Ryder. Willow and Xavier both having part of a chocolate bar hanging out of their mouths looked up as if the answer would be something that could grant them a way home.

"Well, think of them as a little kid, now give that kid a loaded gun. Every time they are like that what happened at your shop will happen again. At least until they become stable, it is like that, but I wouldn't worry when they become stable and then they'll at least halfway know what they are doing. Still, you wouldn't want someone to get their hands on them, right" Ryder said, taking a drink and looking back at Willow and Xavier. They had moved to where Xavier was holding Willow and trying to make sure that nothing would happen to her. "This Alex guy, he should have told you at least some of what they could do. Also, why they need to get out of there so fast? Truly, he's an idiot for at least not trusting you with that kind of knowledge" Ryder said. He sounded mad, but at least he was giving some information that none of them had.

It was 30 minutes before they reached the right turn-off, after about 15 minutes or so they were safely parking in with other vehicles and being welcomed by people that were unfamiliar to both teenagers. They had gotten to the point where they were no longer dazed and thoughts started to flow through their minds again. Not that it mattered because now they were confused by their new location. The store that they had been in was gone and the last thing that they really remember was that stupid song, but they couldn't even remember all of the words to it. Slowly, they got out and not trying to be rude, just kept quiet and looked around at everything that was there. Was this some kind of magic travel place and they were going to just walk through a doorway to where they were going? Or was it something else like a place where they kept troublemakers, they sure had been causing a whole lot of that lately. Still, as they walked it looked like neither. It looked more like somewhere where people stayed. It was warm and comfortable and everyone there looked like they were happy. This made them feel uneasy, they were not used to so many people happy and it caused them to start to glow.

"Guys, calm down, this is the Everstone pack, and don't ask because I don't know where the name came from," Anna said. She was explaining as she was looking around. It was as if she was trying to find someone in the middle of all the people. Soon someone came up to Anna and greeted them.

"Hey, Anna, I thought you couldn't make it tonight. What happened did you change your mind," a guy said. He had a grin on his face and the way he talked to her made Willow and Xavier loosen up a bit. As they did the glowing faded then stopped.

"Two things the party and some business, is the Alpha busy? I'd like to see him now that I am here" Anna said.

"Anna you should know by now that he would drop anything for you, go on up, and these two Goddess, where did you find them" he asked the last part sounding shocked but still keeping it together somewhat. "Do you want me to get my mate to help find something for them? You know she's the best at that," he asked.

Anna thought about it "Maybe, but first, we need to go see Jake, and tell him we are here. Oh, and to answer the question you have been hinting at, yes, I have missed him too and I do want to see him more," and Anna led them up towards a large door.

"What did you mean by you missed him," Xavier asked. Willow looked at her like her like she was some unknown creature.

"Well, you see, the leader of this pack, has been, has been, well we sort of like each other. Not a bad thing, but I have that spell on me and he doesn't Alex has been looking to see what would happen to us if we" Anna said, as she linked her fingers together. *knock knock knock* Anna loudly knocked on the door, from the other side they heard a voice shout -to come in.

Inside there was a group of men with one sitting behind a large desk, at first he looked very tired, but then he saw who walked through his door. His fatigue seemed to evaporate because he knocked everyone else over to get to Anna. She smiled at him and laughed. "Annie why didn't you say you were here? Did you get hurt or have any problems getting here," he kept asking question after question like he was firing bullets from a gun. Then he began to look her over to make sure she was okay. After seeing she wasn't hurt he calmed and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Jake, I'm not hurt. None of us are surprisingly, but we came here for is something that needs your immediate attention, Alpha Jacob," Anna said. As she was talking Jake was looking her over like he was afraid there was something there that shouldn't be. At hearing what she said and the tone in which she had used he ordered everyone out. "Jake my store was attacked by hunters."

When she said this his eyes grew cold, "this is against the treaty, did you get a good look at them? I'll have them.." he started to say, but then noticed that Anna was laughing. "What's so funny? This is my land and they are not to be hunting you while you are on it," he said, Anna stopped laughing but she had tears in her eyes.

"We are fine, but I don't know if they are. My shop is also gone, thanks to these two" and Anna points to Willow and Xavier. Both are wondering who is going to watch who die at this moment. "They completely blew my shop and the whole block apart. I don't think they made it" Anna said. She was grinning like a cat, she loved making him squirm like this.

"You have got to be kidding? The whole block, you love doing this to me don't you" he said, he now went to stroking her cheek. While he sounded frustrated he also had a bit of a playful sound in his voice *knock knock knock* "Come in!" Jake yelled at the door. In walked the same one they had seen downstairs, he seemed a bit uneasy. "Annie, before anything happens, are they like us" Jake asked. He pointed at Willow and Xavier sternly. Anna nodded and he had them all sit down. "Who are we going to be sending away," he asked.

"A group of hunters have come asking to search the grounds, Alpha"

"Why don't they know that they can't come onto our grounds for anyone like us, so why even ask" he was sitting on the edge of his desk looking at him.

"Well, they claim that they are looking for some runaways, I have a feeling it's these two. However, they have a missing poster, I got a look at it, kind of looks like them so we may have to let them"

"Take these two to your room then show them up here. I'll give these hunters the benefit of hearing them out before I have them shown off my lands," As they began to leave, he stopped them," Annie, just a second," he whispered something to her and she nodded. "Go and don't worry about anything if they are who I think they are, we are in for some fun tonight."

"What did he mean by all of that, Anna" Willow asked. She was doing her best to keep up, but she wanted to look at everything and she was starting to get curious. It was causing Xavier to worry and keep a hold of her hand more tightly than he normally would not just to stay close to her, but to make sure she didn't get lost down a hallway. "Xavier, loosen up a bit on your grip or I will lose my hand," Willow whispered to him and he looked down her hand was turning red and some of the bruises were coming back. He did and looked at her with guilt in his eyes.

"Well, you might as well learn now before anything else happens, a couple of centuries ago ones like us," she pointed to everyone in the house, "had been in a big war of sorts. It then became something else slowly it became a war of us," she pointed again, "against the ones who both hunt and catch us. Now understand many can't die, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt a lot. We would attack them, and they would attack us, but the only problem was where the attacking was. We were fighting in the cities where normal humans lived, and it caused a whole lot of problems." Anna was talking like an old war victim now. Willow and Xavier could accept something happened, but the way this sounded made the stuff that happened at their school look like a simple fight between siblings. "Well, after some time everyone came together to make some kind of treaty. It was one where we had to be as close to human as possible wherever they lived. They did stuff for this creature stuff for the hunters it goes on and on. Some on all sides dislike all of this and break the treaty, more so now than ever." Anna said the last part with anger. It scared them wondering what could actually happen to them, but she took a minute to get herself under control then took them through the door.

The room they were brought into was huge, and the moment they stepped in their jaws dropped as they looked at all the things that were inside and then wondered, is there any place for us to sleep?

"Some of the tales I have to tell, I kind of wish I grew up, nowadays and not back then," Anna said, sadly. She had found a place on one of the couches. "I know I have been trying to forget about the things I both saw and did, but I don't know about Ryder and I wouldn't ask him, not unless you have to. For some of us, we treat the stuff we did and everything that went on like it was a bad dream, and we make sure that things don't get like that again. If these and the ones who were in town are like the ones I am talking about then we have a problem."

"Well, you guys were going to be catching one of the trains right? We can always see if they have that one that takes us. Worth a shot to look right"

"Thanks, and I know don't worry, Jake will make them quiver in fear before he's even halfway done with them," Anna said now smiling. A girl a little older than Xavier came in.

"Hey, I'm supposed to help get you guys ready and then you need to get downstairs. Apparently, if you don't you will look like you don't belong here. Now, Xavier go, see if there is something in my mate's closet" she said pointing towards a door. "Willow you come with me, I may have something in my collection that would make you look amazing on you."