The dirt around me formed into a sort of air pocket in the ground. I felt six feet under.

Guess this is what it feels like when you die.

I still had the knife in my hand and I decided it was better to keep ahold of it, seeing as it might come in handy later.

A hand reached into the ground and yanked on my hair as it pulled upwards through the ground. I screamed and came up with the forceful hand, belonging to John. Aaron growled at him, but it didn't seem to faze him as much as it should have.

I was thrown to the ground and my knees knocked into some sharp rocks in the ground. I let out a cry as the first tear in a long time slipped out. I looked up at Aaron and the look on his face changed drastically. He went from angry to concerned in a second. He reached for my face and I drew back, scared. His face fell, sadness over coming him.

For the first time in my life I was scared.

I felt helpless.

Then it hit me.

Why am I scared when I am stronger than all of them? I would play them the fool to draw them in, as I formulated a master plan.

Steve whipped fire at my face and I cowered back, landing on my butt, trying to scoot away.

Aaron looked deeply concerned, when I realized that Avery, Cassie and Cornelius were gone.

"Where are my friends?" I questioned, and John laughed.

"It's been a day and a half since you've been under ground. They're in a holding cell before Aaron decides what to do with them." John said and I cried out a bit. There was a pang of pain in my side, when I remembered that I had been stabbed and was still healing. I sped up the process and healed fully.

I didn't like being in pain for any longer than I had to be.

I took the knife out from under my shirt and my hand was suddenly restrained by a tree root. It squeezed hard until I let go of the knife. It flew away and was gone from sight.

Steve lifted my shirt and showed that the wounds were gone from me intentionally stabbing myself.

"I don't want to be a pet." I said and Aaron looked at me concerned.

"You will never be a pet. I won't allow it." He said and I smiled sadly.

"I don't believe you." I said, backing up as far as I could with my hand being restrained.

"That's good. Shifters are smart I tell ya!" Somebody said behind me. I whipped around when a rope was thrown around my neck in a noose. I screamed when the man yanked on it. My hand forcefully popped out of its socket when the root fell to the ground. The rope ripped at my throat, my hands clutching it tightly as I tried to get it off my neck. I chocked out, reaching a hand out for Aaron. The man yanked again and I was slammed back onto the ground, unable to breath.

"Stop!" Aaron growled, advancing on the man who was crushing my throat with a rope. In that instance of distraction for the man who grinned at Aaron, I shifted into a mouse, slipping though the rope and sprinted away from them, completely out of breath.

"Oh no you don't!" The man yelled and I shifted into a giant red dragon, smoke flaring from my nostrils. Flames flew from my mouth directed at his face. He jumped out of the way and hit me in the face with another rope, but this time, I felt the electric vibe of the rope, and then was electrocuted. I heard Aaron shout something, but then the ground caught me and I shifted back into my human form, closing my eyes.

***

I woke up to the sound of beeping.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Steady, until I opened my eyes. I realized it was a heart monitor.

I started to panic, not knowing where I was.

I looked around, my eyes taking in the white room. Aaron sat next to me and I looked at him. He was asleep, clutching my hand. I looked at his hand, and felt it with mine. The scars that lined the top of his hand peeked my interest. I shifted my eyes, turning them black as a vampires during feeding. I felt his pulse under his skin, and healed myself inside. I felt bruised ribs and my face hurt from the electrocution I had taken earlier.

Where was that hunter...? I would teach him a lesson for messing with me, called ripping him apart until he dies.

I pulled the IV out of my arm, bitting my cheek to keep from making any noise. I kept my hand in Aaron's, trying to avoid waking him up. His touch seemed to be the only thing that was keeping me sane at the moment.

I got up, realizing I was wearing a half gown that only covered my front. I shifted my skin, scaling it over so nothing was showing under the gown. I got up and sat down in Aaron's lap, curling up. His heavy breathing calmed me down when I laid my head on his shoulder.

I nudged his neck with my head and he moved, jumping slightly when he noticed I was in his lap, trying to sleep. He looked down at our hands still intertwined and smiled, kissing my forehead. He picked me up, keeping our hands together.

He brought us up to his room and laid me down on his bed, hopping in bed next to me. I closed my eyes and went to sleep, exhausted.

***

I woke up, and a girl was standing in our room watching us. I screamed and she disappeared. Aaron flew out of bed, looking around.

"I saw someone!" I said, getting up slowly. Aaron looked at me and I realized I was still in the tiny dress from the little hospital under the house that I never knew about.

"There was someone in here. Watching us sleep." I said, then took off the tiny dress, showing my red scales. He smiled and I scowled at him, pointing to his dresser. He grabbed a long shirt and threw it at me. I put it on, loosing the scales. He smiled and I fully got out of bed finally, going out of the room.

I ran through the hallway, looking around. I shifted invisible, looking around.

There she was! A young woman was standing in the hallway, smiling at me.

"Why can I see you? Who are you?" I questioned, advancing slowly up to her.

"I'm John's wife. So your the girl my son spoke of. A shifter, with special abilities..." She spoke in an elegant voice.

"How do you know what I am?" I questioned, knowing I only told the boy about my dragon.

"I've been around. I know a few things about your kind that most people don't know. Especially about the abilities they can possess, like mimicking another's power." She said and I frowned. I wondered how she knew so much about my kind...

"Don't question it. My kind knows how your kind is." She said and I looked at her shocked.

"My abilities are to mimic others powers, but I can't shape shifter. Even if I've met your kind before, it doesn't happen. But you... You have my ability and being a shape shifter on top of it makes you special. I saw you in the library the other day, but I didn't know who you were.. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She said, coming up to me fast.

Aaron yelled for me, looking around the hallway. The lady grabbed my hand and forced me to shift visible.

"We're over here." She said, smiling at Aaron.

He looked at us and frowned.

"Kathy. Why are you with my mate?" He questioned and I looked at her. She smiled wickedly and then shrugged.

"Just wanted to see how the wonderful and all powerful shape shifter was doing. She seems fine, so I'll leave now." Kathy said, letting go of my hand and disappearing from view. Aaron shook his head, grabbing hold of my hand.

"Let's go make breakfast shall we?" He questioned and I nodded in response. I heard a scream, and Aaron tensed up slightly.

It sounded like Cassie...

I looked at him and he seemed stiff, continuing to walk briskly down the hallway. Another scream, and I think this time it was Avery. I yanked my hand from Aaron's and ran in the direction of their screams.

It brought me to the unopened door that I wasn't aloud behind. There was no door handle, so I decided that I would shift and get through it, no matter what.

Aaron came up behind me, and put his hand on my shoulder. I jumped back, and he went up to the door, putting his hands on it. He shifted the doors intricate pattern, then blew a gust of wind at it. Water leaked from the top of it, and then a vine swirled around the center of it.

A door that only he can open. The door let out a mechanical clunk, then swung inwards slowly. I pushed past him, and went inside.

On the other side of the door was only things I had seen in nightmares.