I collected my mind and wits, finished dressing, put my hair into its usual low bun, then headed towards the voices of my guys. The closer I got, the louder I realized their voices were. I could also make out Jackson and-

There was a crash, followed by snarling and shouts.

Without a thought I had shifted and warped into the kitchen. I ripped myself back into reality, color returning to my eyes. The sight before me was enough to make me cry.

Jackson was trying to break up a brawl between Julian and Casbian, Clent and Marcus were also going at it with Kelen as the referee, and mini fires were eating up at the chairs and table. The only flower in this jungle of chaos was Alaric. He was curled up in the corner as tight as can be.

My sweet boy wasn't moving.

I ran to him first, my heart stopping...then wildly starting again. Dropping to my knees, I pulled him gently into my lap. "Alaric?"

Nothing.

I brushed fiery strands of hair off his forehead, trailing my hand down his pale cheek. Looking down at him now, I realized how truly innocent and beautiful he was. His heart was still beating, fluttering like a delicate butterfly, so I didn't immediately start tearing apart the world. He must have passed out.

Getting up and ignoring the hormonal men around me, I went to the cabinet, got a glass cup, and then filled it with cold water. Alaric had started to stir, which made me release a sigh of relief. "Alaric," I said, bringing the cup to his lips and cradling his head, "I need you to drink. You're dehydrated. You need food. And I need a damn vacation."

His eyes fluttered open at my voice, then they shut again as he gulped down the water. Once the glass was empty, I set it to the side and helped him sit up. Those amber eyes bore into mine intently, then he smiled and hugged me.

"M-miss you."

More tears began to slide down my face as I hugged him back harder, never wanting to let go.

"I-I missed you too, Alaric." He pulled back and looked at my face with an adorable frown.

"Why do you cry?"

Sniffling, I chuckled humorlessly. "I'm crying because you said that you missed me and that was really sweet." That wasn't the only reason I was crying, but he didn't need to know that.

He pulled back from me to look around at the mess around us. "Why are they fighting?" He asked innocently. I shrugged, even though I knew it most likely has something to do with me.

"They...." I sighed, "They resort to violence when they don't get their way and they probably want me to break it up and take sides. So," I stood and took him by the hand, "we're gonna leave them to their drama and go exploring. There has to be something interesting around here."

Alaric seemed apprehensive at first before he shrugged. "Ok. I go where you go."

On our way out, we grabbed a couple boxes of cereal.

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

It didn't take Alaric long to see that I didn't know where the hell I was going. He had shyly taken the lead and guided us to a library, where we were currently hidding away.

"Why did he do that?" Alaric asked, with an anger in his voice I had never heard.

I stopped reading and sighed. "The author doesn't really say but I think he was drunk."

"Drunk?"

"Yeah, drunk. He had too much alcohol and it messed with his head; it's like a poison."

"Oh," he was about to lay his head back onto my lap but then his expression darkened again, "but...you shouldn't hit girls. I would never hit you."

I chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I know. Now lay back down so we can see what happens next." Alaric did as I said, shifting around until he was once again comfortable and my hand was massaging his scalp.

I opened my mouth to begin reading again when pounding footsteps could be heard coming our way. Quickly.

Alaric's head shot up and he looked at me in panic. I just grinned, jumping up and pulling him with me. "We can't let them find us can we?"

I didn't give him time to answer my rhetorical question before I took off, heading towards the back of the libary. I looked around, observing the seemingly endless shelves of books. There was a sitting area complete with a fireplace, flat screen, tables, and chairs. And like the rest of this....house they were themed black and grey, screaming luxury.

I heard the door to the library slam open, shaking me from my awe. I sprung into action, seeing a slither of unoccupied space in the corner where the shelves didn't touch. Running over to it, I squeezed myself into the small space.

Surprisingly, the book shelves had a lot space between them and the wall, allowing for someone of my size to walk down it like hallway. Crouching down low, I ran quietly to the other end, only stopping to peek between the books occasionally. I saw a flash of black, which only spurred me on faster.

"June. I know you're in here," Clent taunted. I had to cover my mouth to keep him from hearing my giggles. There he was, on the other side of the library, kneeing where Alaric and I had been sitting. He opened the book we were reading and inspected it.

"An interesting book," he mused, "I wonder what would happen if I-" Clent let his sentence trail off and suddenly ripped a couple pages from the book. I gasped, a mix of shocked and enrage.

I realized my mistake too late when his head whipped in my direction, his eyes scanning to pinpoint my exact location. Mutteting a curse, I began to run again.

"She's in the Y section, Casbian."

Damnit.

Shifting last minute, I warped to the library door. I pulled at the door frantically, managing to get it open but then I came face to face with Marcus. I didn't even get to take one step before he snatched me up.

"Thought you could hide from us, Little Luna?"

I laughed, struggling to break his firm grip. "Let me go Marcus."

He pretended to contemplate it, before growling out a no and beginning to walk. Shrugging, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Marcus's whole body tensed.

"What's wrong," I asked innocently, nuzzling his neck.

"June..." He growled in warning. I ignored him and began to lightly peck at his neck. I felt him shiver.

"Cold?" I taunted. Marcus just growled again, the vibration of his chest traveling through me. He was so damn....warm.

My kisses got risker, more frantic. I slide my tongue along his pulse, following up by a light scrap of my fangs. My legs tighten around him, bringing us impossibly closer, which made me more aware of his very hard and alarmingly big errection. He groan loudly, gripping my ass tightly.

Without really thinking about what I was doing, I sank my fangs into his neck.

I had just marked my first Beloved.