was the smell of smoke and blood.

But as my vision aligned, Jed's face slowly but surely came into view. He was hovering over me, crimson blood streaking down one side of his face but he didn't seem to care. Instead, I felt the warmth of his palm as he held my face with a shaking hand.

"Quinn."

His voice sounded so strangled and terrified that it was almost physically painful to hear. But all too quickly, I became aware of a dull ache at the base of my neck, only cushioned by a steady brace that was his right arm. I dragged in a deep breath, watched his eyes scan my face rapidly as he tried to figure out whether I was conscious.

"Jed," I breathed, clutching at his shoulders. "I – I'm – " I broke off in a coughing fit.

He removed my seatbelt and wrapped his arm around my waist. The car weighed down on us; thick smoke threatened to engulf us. I stifled a whimper as he lifted the crushed dashboard that trapped my legs.

"Quinn." His voice rose sharply in faint panic when I squeezed my eyes shut, my head pounding with sheer pain. Tipping my head up, he brushed the pad of his thumb gently across my cheek until I was opening my eyes, blinking the dust away as I stared up at him. "Stay with me," He insisted, waiting until I had gaze squarely. When I finally focused on him again, he lowered his head, nudging my nose with his as he repeated, "Stay with me."

"Y-yeah, okay."

I dug my fingers deeper into his skin, knowing that the pain wasn't going to hurt him but it was an involuntary action, especially when he gently pulled me out of the mangled seat. When he dragged us out of the wreckage, he placed me by the roadside. I felt the sting of gravel on my legs, the sun scorching down on us, but that hardly mattered. All I could see was the wreck that the car had been reduced into. The car had been flipped on its side, the driver's seat entirely crushed. Mine wasn't. With vacant horror, I stared at Jed and realised that his arms were covered in blood, dark crimson seeping into his jeans and his leg bent at an awkward angle.

It wasn't until then that it occurred to me that Jed's arm had kept me in place. Kept my head from whipping back and my neck from snapping. That he'd bore the brunt of the crash, and he'd probably known it, but it hadn't mattered to him because his first thought was to keep me safe.

Coughing twice, I pushed myself upright and clutched at his arm. "You're hurt really badly," I choked, eyes blurring with tears that were an equal blend of horror and pain. "Do you need me to – call an ambulance, or anything?"

He shook his head, and I knew what he meant. No ambulances; no humans should treat his wounds. They couldn't find out what he was. He dragged himself to his feet and looked around. But the other car had already disappeared, and there were no witnesses to the accident. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had done it, though. The fact that Malthus Trevino and his allies had tried to kill us in broad daylight made it all the more terrifying.

After awhile, Jed seemed satisfied that there wasn't a looming threat anywhere near. He returned from the wreckage with his bag intact, ripped in some places but otherwise none the worse for wear. Then he sat down on the pavement, hesitantly stretching out an arm to me. I didn't hesitate to bury myself in his embrace, gingerly at first, because I was worried that I'd aggravate his injuries. But he didn't seem to mind; simply pressing his lips to my forehead and tucking his arm around my shoulder, mindless to his wounds.

Curling my feet up, I tucked myself against his chest, shivering to keep my fears at bay. To keep from breaking down. I had no doubt that Jed had mind-linked Adrian and the others back on Titan land, and they were probably on their way. Jed reached up and pressed his fingers gently to the base of my neck, adding a fleeting pressure in arbitrary patterns. The sharp pain that had been shooting through my nerve ends seemed to dim down when he did that, and I took several calming breaths, reaching for his other hand and interlocking my fingers through his.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive. The first person I saw was Adrian, climbing out of his black car as he parked a short distance away. His face was grim and he strode towards us quickly, eyes widening when he saw the car wreck. The others followed. Spike. Katya. Lance. Giles. Brutus. Jade. Vaughn. And several others who I didn't know well enough, but had seen hanging around the diner on more than one occasion. Jed looked surprised to see them all, and I realised that Adrian had probably brought along more reinforcements than expected.

"Alpha, Luna." Adrian's jaw was clenched when he greeted us. He took one look at me, then at Jed, before swearing under his breath. "We'll burn them all to hell. Those bastards." Swearing loudly, he dragged a furious hand through his hair and took several steps towards the wreckage to have a closer look at it. He placed a hand on the dented door of the car, the side that wasn't didn't suffer the impact of the crash, and narrowed his eyes when he saw how badly the driver's seat was smashed. "We'll take care of this, Alpha," He assured Jed. "You two should get back and get those injuries looked at. Especially Luna's."

Jed nodded grimly. He climbed to his feet, refusing the hand that Lance held out to him. I tried to stand too, only for a sharp ache to shoot through my ankle. I grabbed onto Jed, unable to stop the cry of pain that escaped my lips.

"Careful!" Katya reached out to steady me. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good – "

But my voice caught when Jed slipped an arm around my waist. Before I knew it, he was hoisting me up, looping his other arm steadily under my legs as he carried me. My eyes widened with concern as I remembered how he'd injured his legs earlier in the crash, but he seemed to be moving perfectly fine, albeit with a slight limp as he carried me to Adrian's car.

"I'm fine, Jed, really, you don't have to carry me," I murmured, even as I instinctively looped my arms around his neck, my actions debunking my statement altogether. He glanced down at me, a glimmer of amusement in his green eyes and I felt my heartbeat kick up a notch when I suddenly realised how close we were. I blinked and ducked my head. "You know, traditionally, this is usually how grooms carry their brides into the room on their – "

The sound of stifled laughter made me stop abruptly. The others were still investigating the wreck, but Spike and Lance had been following us, clearly acting as our temporary bodyguards. And they'd heard every word I said to Jed. I couldn't help but blush when I met their discreet mirth-filled gazes over Jed's shoulder, and when I turned back to Jed, he was also biting his lower lip to hold back a smirk.

"Oh, no, Luna," Lance said smoothly, when I stopped. He stepped forward to hold the door of the car open for us and grinned. "Don't let our presence interrupt your fantasies of your future wedding night."

I rolled my eyes at him and looked up at Jed, who was gently lowering me down into the backseat. " – I'm not concussed, I swear."

He chuckled quietly, a low rumble in his chest that sent a shiver down my spine. And maybe it was that – how he seemed to let his guard down in its entirety when he was with me even though we'd come so close to a fatal car accident – that sent me curling up closer to him when he slid onto the seat next to me, eager for his warmth despite the scorching sun outside.

Lance took the wheel, while Spike climbed into the passenger seat. He threw us a backward glance over his shoulder. "You alright there, Luna?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"You sure?" He looked at my ankle, which was by now bruised and red. "That doesn't look too good."

"It's a little sore – " My reply made Lance snort in laughter again, and I would've kicked the back of his seat had not my legs been aching. "Shut up, Lancelot."

"My apologies, milady," Lance drawled, his grin widening when he caught Jed's unamused gaze through the rearview mirror. "Don't be jealous, Alpha, we'd ask about how you're feeling too but we all know where your pain really is."

It seemed that Jed was on the same wavelength as I was, because he aimed a swift kick at the driver's seat, sending Lance jolting forward at the impact and almost smacking his head on the wheel. Spike laughed, but I was more concerned about Jed, who couldn't quite stop grimacing from his actions. The kick was highly necessary, but it was clear that it had aggravated his earlier injury.

"Are you alright?" I asked, staring at the dried blood on the jeans right at his knee. "That must really hurt – "

"Oh, Luna." The grin on Lance's face was downright wicked now. "That's not the only part of him that hurts – "

Another kick from Jed, this time one that was strong enough to send Lance smacking right into the wheel. Spike laughed again and the rest of the drive was filled with the kind of light-heartedness that seemed almost ironic in the face of such a terrifying accident. In between Lance's jokes and Spike's laughter, it was so easy to forget about everything that had happened, were it not for the way Jed kept his eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror, his arm wrapped tightly around me.

It was like we were adrift for awhile, until we neared Titan-land. Passing through the recently invaded Deimos was necessary to get to Titan, and Lance drew the car to a halt near a security post that stopped us on the way over. Leaning out of the window, he spoke to the men guarding in hushed tones, before the divider lifted and we were let through.

"Extra security," explained Spike, when he noticed me looking at the guards. "No one can get in unless authorised. Alpha's orders."

I flicked a glance at Jed, but he didn't react, save to tighten his grip around my shoulder. We soon arrived back in Titan, and relief swept through me when I saw the familiar house. I had once thought it daunting and frightening, but now, it was my safe haven. After Lance parked the car, I tried to get out on my own but Jed was having none of it. He looped his arms around my waist and legs, and lifted me up.

"What about Adrian and the others?" I asked Jed, when he handed Spike the key to unlock the door for us. "Will they be safe?"

He nodded and Spike was quick to assuage my worries. "They'll be fine. There're our best fighters, they can't be taken down that easily."

"Yeah, Luna." Lance dismissed my question with a quick wave. "You should be more concerned about assuaging Alpha's – " He stopped abruptly and winced. "Funny, Alpha. Very blatant abuse of the mind-link."

I blinked and looked at Jed, who stared back at me with an expression that was too innocent to be true. "What'd you call him?"

He shrugged; his eyes glinting with good humour. I turned to Lance and he shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm not repeating that. Alpha would banish me if I said that word in front of you."

"Then you should definitely say it."

Jed chuckled again. Lance rolled his eyes at me, but Spike put him in a headlock before he could speak again. "We'll be at the diner. Let us know if you guys need anything," Spike told us.

The two of them headed off, and Jed carried me into the house. He set me down on the kitchen counter and retrieved the first-aid box from the cabinet.

I stared at him for awhile, watching as he prepared the bandages and medicine. It hadn't escaped my notice that Jed's actions were charged with an intensity that was almost bordering on desperate. The earlier light-hearted atmosphere that Lance and Spike had provided were now gone, and all that was left was the painful reminder that we'd barely escape a car crash. His hands were trembling as he treated my injuries with excruciating gentleness, like he was terrified that I could break.

A part of me wanted to stop him, to fix his injuries before he could fix mine. Regenerative healing or not, his wounds were clearly more severe than mine were. But I held back for a moment or two. He needed to do this. Everything about him – the way his jaw was clenched, fingers trembling, an entirely impassive expression on his face save for the terror in his eyes – all that spoke volumes. This was the only way he could stop from falling apart.

"Jed – " My voice was quiet when I finally reached down, stopping him by placing my hand over his shaking ones, my fingers skimming his bruised knuckles lightly. His eyes flickered up to meet mine uncertainly, a world of apology in his gaze.

It's okay to fall apart, were the words that came to mind.

" – I thought I lost you," was all I said instead.

His expression slipped for a moment. He set the medicine down and moved closer to me. He braced his arms on either side of me and leaned in, tipping his forehead against mine. His breath, featherlight on my lips, made my eyes fall shut. His scent overwhelmed me, a blend of blood and dust and him. It made everything seem so much more real.

His hand slid up so that it was flat against my cheek, and he tipped my head up slightly to capture my lips with his in a quick, heated kiss. He caught my bottom lip between both of his in a sharp but gentle tug that wrenched a quiet whimper from me, his tongue slipping in to tangle with mine until all I could feel was that delicious ache that made my head spin, until could taste was him, along with an unexpected twang of blood when I ran my tongue across his lower lip, feeling the slight fissure across his lips from the accident earlier. It should've hurt and it probably did, but instead, my actions forced him even closer, leaning in until I could feel the firm planes of his chest, hear the low, throaty groan that slipped past his lips as he deepened the kiss.

The metallic twang of blood and the sweet taste of him, and I couldn't get it out of my head how much of a representation it was of Jed. He was on either ends of every spectrum I knew – he was danger and he was safety; he did bad things for good reasons; he led me away from my house but he was my home.

Such a paradox – was all I could think of, the words branding themselves across my mind – and I am so in love with you.

When Jed finally pulled back, it was just fractionally, so that I could still feel the movement of his lips, a delicious friction against mine when he spoke. "Never," He murmured, in response to my earlier words, leaning in just slightly to seal promise with another kiss.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

It was just like that night when the rogues had invaded our house. The frightening reality of the situation didn't really register until much later. I woke with a choked sob and the stench of smoke overwhelming me. Thank God it was just a nightmare.

But the threats were very real.

I wandered downstairs after my shower, only to find the main door ajar. Jed was nowhere to be found, but muffled voices came from outside.

This clearly wasn't a conversation I was meant to participate in, so I simply brewed a fresh pot of coffee and left it sitting on the counter. After pouring myself a full mug, I grabbed a granola bar and headed for the library, walking slowly so as not to further aggravate my swollen ankle.

Time to make sense of the situation. This was something I always wanted – no, needed – to do since Jed told me about Claudius and Malthus. He had his suspicions and I had mine. His suspicions were founded on what he already knew: the neighbouring packs, the history of their world and his father's brutal legacy.

Mine was far-fetched, but not entirely unfounded.

Shutting the door behind me, I stood in the middle of the spacious room, squinting at the way the sunlight sifted through the crevice between the curtains, bathing the place in an almost ethereal glow. I headed over to the couch immediately, gathering my laptop off the table and propping it open. I'd lived in this house long enough to set up camp somewhere, and if Jed's workplace was his study room and the counter in the kitchen, then mine was here – curled up on the couch with the scent of old books and coffee.

Settling back against the arm of the couch, I booted up the internet on my laptop and stared at the search bar for a moment, my fingers hovering over the keyboard, ever ready to type – M-a-l-t-h-u-s T-r-e-v-i-n-o.

The letters were so tempting to key in, but was it a risk worth taking? If Prometheus knew where we were, knew when to catch us unaware and knew exactly when to intercept our car, what were the odds that they actually knew our plans before we even made them? Was it too far-fetched an idea to suspect that our every move was being watched by Malthus, including carrying out potential background checks on him?

"Damn it," I muttered. I shut my laptop and got up. If the internet wasn't an option, there was always Plan B.

Books.

Jed had kept the library in top-notch condition, but after spending many an evening in here, I eventually came to realise that most of the books weren't his. Jed hardly ever spent his free time reading, if he had any to begin with. No, the lingering scent of lavender and unusually feminine decorations that didn't seem to match the rest of the house at all were signs telling of the fact that this room belonged to a woman with a passion for reading.

His mother, probably.

She'd kept a vast variety of books here, and I trailed my fingers across the spines of the books. Jed had told me about his father's legacy, and what his brother had perpetuated. And, more importantly, the list of suspects that Jed had gathered over the years.

Malthus was never a name that would've caught my attention had not been for the fact that it was alongside a list of other names. None of these names were common. Raum. Dimitri. Azazel. Tamiel. Orcus. Xaphan. Why those? Why did they all sound so –

I stopped at a particular title: Mythology & Folklore. Its placement was odd; the book was between two classics. Strange. I pulled it out and set it down on the floor. As I flipped through it, I suddenly found another book wedged between its pages. And the title:

Instincts told me to drop the book, shove it right back where it came from and never look at it again. But, as always, curiosity killed the cat. Settling down on the floor and facing the shelf, I placed the book on my lap, opened it and began to read.

The first few pages ran a lengthy description of Demonology, describing it as a branch of study of theology, particularly relevant to supernatural beings with malevolent connotations and intentions. Demons in culture, demons in mythology, demons in religion. The list was exhaustive, but it was the index page that made me realise I'd finally found what I'd been looking for. Because, taped to the top of the page, was a lengthy note that ran –

The following suspects are rumoured to be part of a crime syndicate that has existed for decades:

Responsible for massacres that wiped out two-thirds of Ganymede.