Dinner in the lodge was very . . . interesting, to say the least. As interesting as a dinner with bewildered wolves and a Fae King could get.

The moment they left their room after they both showered and got changed, they felt eyes on the two of them. Everyone seemed to be out for dinner, gathering what they need for their family and hanging around tables, the lounge, or bringing it back to their rooms. Some had scars, scrapes, dirt, or small wounds that didn't need immediate attention, and others were just fine. But collectively, they seemed to have trouble wrapping their head around a wolf walking around with the Fae; the king of them, to be exact. They could sense the royalty by the very presence he gives off, and by default, they knew Rayne was an upcoming alpha of another pack. So to them, see these two together just seemed bewildering and suspicious.

Their long, distrustful looks and twisted lips towards Jarrah made Rayne visibly uncomfortable as she'd shift from foot to foot when waiting in line with their plates ready. A few times, she'd catch their gazes and non-verbally demand them to say something to her with just the narrowing of her eyes and the furrowing of her eyebrows. Instead of taking the challenge, they'd look away instead, deciding not to argue with an alpha in front of everyone.

Jarrah moved closer behind Rayne and the subtle scent of hotel soap wafted into her nostrils at the slight movement. Something warm and familiar flowed through her body at their rather proximity, and she hated that. She hated the way she could feel his wet strands brushing her shoulders as he reached for certain food items with a crinkled nose. She even hated that she noticed his facial expression!

Rayne wasn't so sure if Jarrah noticed the constant staring and gnawing being thrown in his direction because, of course, he never faltered. He never shared his discomfort and still seemed rather quiet overall. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she was almost sure he wasn't at all worried about what others thought of him. If there was one thing that stubborn jerk was good at, it was not letting other people's opinions get to him.

One particular kid was openly gaping at the two of them after they gathered their chicken and rice dishes, and Rayne couldn't help staring right back at him with a 'boo' expression on her face that she inherited from her mother, according to her dad. The kid's eyes widened significantly, and he twisted his face into his mother's leg.

Jarrah made a snorting noise beside her and just when she looked up at him with spite again, the fiery gleam in her expression ready to be shot out, she instantly noted the amusement flashing behind his pretty brown eyes. The tips of his lips twitched, threatening to pull up and physically show she humored, but when he caught her curious eye, it stopped. He instead turned around and led the way to an empty table near other wolf families.

Most of the wolves bowed their heads respectfully to Rayne, and while she appreciated the movement, she could careless about wolf societal standards at the moment. Jarrah sat directly across from her and waited for her to get comfortable before they both pick at their food and nibble on the meat.

The stares were almost too much to bear; but at least the conversations weren't about them.

"People sure don't know how to mind their own business," Rayne said, her voice loud and carrying over to the table next to them. The stares moved away from the sides of their faces.

Jarrah cocked an eyebrow. "Someone's antsy."

That short phrase in itself almost pissed her off again.

"All these looks don't bother you?" she demanded, taking a harder bite than necessary out of her roll.

"I'm used to them," he shrugged, crinkling his nose at the rice, but taking a bite anyway. "I'm king."

Rayne furrowed her eyebrows. "But these people aren't looking at you the way your people do."

"Looking is looking. It doesn't matter how they do it, it's all the same to me."

"Hmm. I'll have to remember that," she said, her tone somewhat sarcastic, somewhat playful, as she fought her earlier annoyance. She didn't know what it was, but it was nice to have a decent . . . interaction, she supposed, without their usual hated. Even if it was only for a moment.

"Just don't pay them any mind. They're mostly staring at me, anyway," Jarrah added.

"I'd take the staring over the bowing any day."

"Try stopping people from kneeling. It's much worse," he admitted. There was something misty and distant in the grimace of his lips and the faraway glaze in his eyes. If Rayne could, she would have removed him from his oath because she hated feeling responsible for it. She didn't like the thought of him going into danger without even saying goodbye to his family. And as annoying as he was, she still felt frustratingly guilty.

And she didn't know when she would stop.

The two of them ate the rest of their dinner in a silence that made her eyes itch. There was nothing more to say, and seeing as how that was the most civil conversation either of them have had with each other since they met, it left an awkward hanging in the air. The tension still dripped in natural loathing, but they seemed to be entwined together since everyone else around them had a staring problem. Not to mention they have to share a room and possibly . . . a bed together, so as soon as they were back in the forest, she knew they would go back to their same old routine.

Once they were finished eating their dinner, the both of them awkwardly rose from the table, dumped their dishes in the dirty pile, and made their way back up to the room. The looks from the wolves were still heavy with curiosity and caution, in which it was Jarrah's turn to glare at them and moving his tongue in a warning hiss rather than Rayne's warning growl, and that time a smile tugged at her lips in amusement.

"Now who's antsy?" Rayne smirked, crossing her arms.

"Quiet," he mumbled, but the animosity in his joking nature wasn't there like it was before. They both climbed into the elevator and silently waited to get to their floor and hopped out.

The moment they got back into the room, Rayne was quick to get on the phone before it got too late. While she tucked in her legs beneath her on the chair with the phone's chord wrapped around her finger, she watched Jarrah lay down on the bed and lazily flip through channels on the television set. He looked unnatural in that modern element, but seeing as how he had nothing else to do, watching TV was his only pastime. She tried not to stare too long at any body part in particular so that she wasn't super obvious in her appreciation of the fine muscles rippling under the shirt. The thought of sharing a bed with him, no matter the space stretched out between them, made her cheeks flush and forced her inner cheek to seek solace between her teeth.

Luckily, Ronan finally answered.

"Ronan residence," he chirped, his voice smooth and familiar. A tension in Rayne's chest eased up and the dull ache of missing her best friend rolled into her body. She missed her family, but she had to call him first. He would be the same way.

"Shouldn't it go by your last name, Ronie?" Rayne teased, a smile gracing her lips. Her eyes fell to the red lingering in the tip of her finger as she wrapped the chord tighter in boredom.

Ronan's voice rose an octave, elation coloring his voice. "Ah, Alpha Raynie. Still bossy, I see."

"Ha ha," she drawled, rolling her eyes.

"I practically heard that one."

"Only because we were twins in another life."

"Even though the thought of that makes me cringe . . . I do have to admit, I miss bugging the shit out of you."

"Even though that makes me cringe, I miss slapping you for bugging me," she admitted. Ronan's tone made her miss home more than anything in the world.

Ronan cleared his throat. "Maybe you guys should . . . I don't know . . . come back and we'll figure something else out-"

Rayne's tongue was heavier suddenly, and she found it hard to swallow. "Roe, you know I can't do that."

"You're on a death mission, Rayne. Of course you could!"

"No, I can't. I can't risk any of you dying. And if getting this elixir will prevent death from happening, then I'll do everything in my power to get whatever drop I can get. You know that."

He huffed on the other end of the phone and she imagined her best friend rubbing at his eyebrow the way he usually did when she wasn't listening to his advice. They weren't in charge of the pack yet, but they listened to each other's points and weighed the pros and cons of every situation. They were inseparable before the trip to Crimson Peak. And though it was a death mission, she had to do it.

Even if it meant separating from everything she'd ever known.

"Look, I'll be home soon, alright? We're still traveling to Crimson Peak, so I'm sure we'll be there soon. Then I'll be right there with you guys, killing stupid vampires in no time."

Ronan snorted, though his tone seemed more relaxed. "More like I'll be fighting them for you. You suck at it, remember?"

Rayne smiled again, a small burst of laughter lighting up her chest. "You think I'm doomed? What about Amira?"

"Oh, she's a goner without me," he boasted.

"How humble of you," she said dryly.

"I thought so too. Anyway, you call alpha yet?"

"Not yet."

"Awwww you wanted to call me first, Raynie? I'm touched," he cooed.

Her nose crinkled. "Alright, on that note, I think it's time to call mom and dad."

Ronan chuckled, his voice much lighter than before. "Loooove you, Raynie. Stay safe out there and call as soon as you can."

"Ew, love you too, Roe. And you know I will."

Right after they both got off the phone, Rayne was quick to call her house phone, that picked up after a ring and a half. Her mother, much to her relief, was the one who answered the phone, and she swore she could have cried after hearing her soothing voice. Nevaeh's soft gasp of joy could have pushed tears into Rayne's own eyes if she wasn't so concentrated on the purple tinge to her finger now.

"Hey mom," Rayne whispered, trying to keep the hoarseness out of her voice.

"Baby, I've been so worried! Are you somewhere safe?" Nevaeh demanded. "Where are you calling from?"

"We're safe in a lodge somewhere along the trail."

"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed. "I miss you, honey. You're usually my little shadow."

Rayne's lips tilted at that, her chest still aching. "I miss you too, mom."

Someone shuffled into the background, followed by a tired grunt and then a stifle of surprise.

"Is that Rayne?" a voice demanded, and her excitement leapt at the familiarity of who was there with her mother.

Rayne could hear Nevaeh pass the phone over to Nashoba, and two seconds later, his anxious voice was flooding the phone.

"Chim achukma?" he demanded immediately.

She tried not to roll her eyes at his urgency. "Amachukma, dad."

"You sure? You don't need me or Ezra to go out there?"

"No, I've got it," she reminded him gently. "You're going to worry yourself sick if you keep stressing about me, dad."

"Too late," he muttered. "My baby's in the middle of nowhere with some-"

Rayne was quick to interrupt him, unsure of how well the Fae could hear. But seeing as how Jarrah's eyes darted to the phone, she knew he must have heard him. "Okay, okay. Everything is fine. We're safe at a wolf lodge right now, and we'll be heading out in the morning. So you might not hear from me for a while again."

Nashoba made a sound of disapproval. "Okay, Rayne. Stay safe, a tek. I love you."

"Love you too dad, Give mom and Ezra my love," she sighed.

"I will, honey. Sleep well and far away from that fairy, will you? Give your dad just a little peace of mind, please."

Jarrah rolled his eyes across from her, his jaw tightening. Well, that definitely answered her earlier thought.

"Of course," she said, staring up at the ceiling. "Night dad."

"Night, baby."

Rayne untwisted the chord from her finger and hung the phone back up on the base before he could say anything else. Stifling a small yawn, she stretched herself up out of her rolling chair and made her way over to the other side of the bed, trying her very best not to be awkward about their sleeping placement. Jarrah still faced the TV, but she saw the slight tension in his muscled shoulders as she laid out as far away as she could get away from him, a strange silence enveloping them both.

Finally, Jarrah settled on a showing of It's Always Sunny in Silver Peak. She stifled a giggle at the over-exaggeration of the Fae TV show and found her gaze stuck on Jarrah's faraway look. He didn't seem to focus on what the characters were saying, but rather the Fae themselves. Did he know them? Did they remind him of home?

Rayne had the powerful urge to reach out and pat his shoulder, but she didn't. She did, however, speak up to check on him.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, pushing away her pride.

Jarrah turned his head to look down at her, an emotionless expression on his face, though a swirl of curiosity touched his eyes. She clenched her fingers under her head and tried not to focus on the soft curve of his relaxed lips and straining sharp jaw. He was beautiful, even if she tried to deny it.

"For what?" Jarrah asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I feel like a broken record at this point. But for being forced to come along on this death mission," she whispered. "I realize how . . . fortunate I am getting to say goodbye to my family, my friends, and can even call them. And you yourself didn't get the chance to say goodbye to your people, nor do you get to call them. And for that I-I am sorry."

He stared at her for a moment, his gaze stuck on her as if searching for the right response. She sat silently with her tongue forced between her teeth. What did she expect him to say to that, though? That it was okay? It wasn't. That it wasn't her fault? It was her father, which made her indirectly responsible for his actions, too.

"You shouldn't worry about it," he murmured, his voice jaw tight.

"I don't wish to," Rayne admitted. "But I do. When I look at you, all I can think about sometimes is how you could spend your last moments with your fiancé rather than with some girl who isn't even alpha yet. That you resent me for being the future ruler of a creature you despise. And I could live with that if it weren't because we have to work together to make it home alive. To both of our people."

"So, what? You want my forgiveness?" Jarrah remarked incredulously, an eyebrow raised.

She hurriedly shook her head. "No, I could never ask for that. I just want you to know that I'm sorry it has to be you, and I want to try to . . . get along, I guess. Just until we get the elixir. After coming to this lodge full of starers, I realized it really is just us until we either get the elixir or die at Crimson Peak. Either way, we're stuck in this mess together and being at each other's throats is just going to make all of this harder than it needs to be."

Rayne really wasn't sure where her speech was coming from, but she knew the situation had to be talked about. They both would rather be elsewhere, or at the very least, stuck with people of their kind. But they weren't, and if they were going to run into vampires again, they were going to have to trust each other enough to have each other's backs. She wasn't so sure that the next time they came cross a pair of patrolling vamps that there wouldn't be some amount of bloodshed. In fact, she was counting on it.

And she needed Jarrah to be on the same page. Their survival was essential to their families back home, and they couldn't very well accomplish anything at the rate they were going. Besides, it wouldn't be a bad idea to befriend someone just for their last days together. She never gave death much thought, but she supposed if it were to happen, she would want it to be beside a friend.

"Perhaps I have treated you a bit harshly," he finally admitted, pushing out a hard sigh. "It isn't you I blame. Even if your kind—"

He paused, then wrinkled his nose. That time, when he trailed his gaze up to her awaiting eyes, something in them softened just a little. His harshness rounded out into something much more friendly than she had ever seen on him, but still guarded enough that he wouldn't let her in. That didn't bother her so much. As long as he was willing to be civil, that was all she could ask for.

"Even if your kind is highly annoying," he finished. A small smile broke free across her lips. "Though I only rule over my kind, I'm still king and should act as such. No matter how infuriating you are."

"Oh, I so want to take my earlier sentiment back," Rayne said.

"Nope, you can't. The deal's already done," Jarrah chuckled, adjusting his body more comfortably against his pillows.

"Not yet. We can't have a deal unless we shake on it. No need for that mark on your body stuff, just a good old fashion shake."

Jarrah rolled his eyes, but held out his hand for her to shake, humoring her. Rayne ignored the way her soul jumped at the feel of his warm hand in hers when she wrapped her fingers around his, and they both gave a firm shake, their eyes connecting. It was very brief, lasting no longer than ten seconds, but a tiny part of her knew that she could have stayed forever in those ten seconds.

The thought terrified her, so she was thankful that Jarrah was the first to break the little connection. She placed her hand back under her head, trying to ignore the rapid beating of her foolish heart as she closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep.