Maybe it was my fault.

Punch.

Maybe I unwittingly lead him on.

Kick.

It might have been the isolation....you know being around only one girl for basically your whole life.

Left. Right. Duck.

But even still, why was Jackson in on it? What did he gain from---

"You're thinking too much," Kelen said as he swept my legs from under me for the fourth time. The thud of my body hitting the blue matt, mixed with my heavy breathing, was all he got in response. For almost two weeks now I had been stuck in my head, not knowing how to properly express what I was feeling. I had cried. Screamed. Threw my guts up. What more was there to do than lay it all out, something I don't think I could do.

"June, baby, you have to stop this," he started but I quickly cut in, still laying on my back.

"Stop what? Feeling betrayed, disgusted, hurt? I can't Kelen and I...I don't know how to move on. Thinking back on everything about my childhood with them is driving me crazy, making my skin crawl. I don't know what I missed. He never displayed any signs of...well being---"

"Enough June," he said gently before sitting down next to me. His soft hands pulled me into his lap, sitting me so my back was to his front. I snuggled further into his warm, relishing the calm he brought me. We just sat in silence and watched as Clent and Marcus fought in the ring. It was brutal, but nothing that would do too much damage. To their left, Casbian taught Alaric how to punch. They sight of the two together made me suddenly remember something.

"Why did Alaric run from you guys to begin with?" I ask, staring at the man in question. Kelen sighs then begins to talk while messaging my tense shoulders. I groan, but try to pay attention.

"We used to go to the same highschool, the five of us, but at the time Alaric wasn't in our group. He was the quiet kid with secrets in his eyes. By no means were we the popular assholes or football players we looked like. We were just a group of guys that hated highschool," he explained and I could tell he was smiling at a distant memory. "Graduation was around the corner and we began to go our separate ways. Clent had a girlfriend and Marcus's pack was on the brink of war with a vampire coven. Casbian was busy taking care of our mother, while I," he paused, "I struggled to control my powers."

"Alaric would never get bullied or anything, but I guess he saw something he shouldn't have because suddenly, some people came around looking for him. Long story short, we took him in---made him one of us. They were the closest," he said, jutting his chin in their direction. "Cas took him fishing, taught him how to be a man." He laughed lightly. "Even taught him how to make a girl fall in love...."

"And then?" I prodded when he had gone silent for too long. Other than the irrational sense of jealously I felt, I wanted to know more---know everything about them.

"And then...well people started disappearing into thin air. We thought Alaric was one of then until Marcus came back from hunting and found his mother's wedding ring, the one Alaric never let out of his sight. We still thought he was gone, but Marcus insisted he was still out there. So we looked...for days then weeks and finally a year. That's when we found this place, where Alaric had been hiding out. He only stayed a day before he was gone without a trace again. After that we didn't look for him."

I turned to face him with a frown, gazing into his dark eyes, which swirled with distant emotions. "Did you guys consider maybe he was just scared? I mean, you said it yourself that people were after him. They might have---I don't know---threatend him."

Kelen looked away from me, absentmindedly letting his hands trail up and down my bare arms. "Of course we did, but that's not the thing June. We had a code, if you will, back then. We were a brotherhood. And running away instead of trusting each other wasn't something we took lightly."

I slowly nodded in realization, turning back around to watch the guys fight again. Marcus dodged a fireball directed at his head, then countered with the swipe of his claws. He was really good at partially shifting. Casbian was now teaching Alaric how to kick. He was picking it up well but there was no really effort behind it.

"I sympathize for both sides," was all I could say. We couldn't go back in time and take back the hurt so we have to move on, which is what they seemed to already be doing. "Alaric must have been worried you all would get hurt or worse by the people hunting him, but doing so he broke the bro code," I giggled at that then continued on seriously. "Do you even know who it was hunting him?"

Kelen's hands were now playing with the hem of my shirt, dipping beneath then gliding back out. It was intoxicating and beyond distracting. Not to mention that he was hard enough to pound nails.

"His father was a very.....very bad man," was all he said, his voice low and dark. I could sense that's all I would get. From what I remember, Cas said Alaric's father beat him and his mother was gone. My arousal was momentarily forgotten as rage, sadness, and grief flowed me, causing my vision to blur.

As if sensing my incoming tears, Kelen spun me around to face him and wrapped his arms around me. "Hey, don't cry Love. It's ok. We're ok." I nodded, nuzzling my face into his neck. He always smelled so good, not better than the others, but his scent was stronger. After awhile of peace and warmth, he pulled back and looked me in the eye, bitting his lip sexily. "Can I kiss you June?" He asked, eyes drifting down to my lips. I licked them and I swear he got harder.

"Yes, Kelen" I whispered in his ear. "You can do anything you want to me." Kelen's breath hitched and before I knew it his lips were seared to mine. We kissed slowly at first, testing the waters of our passion, until I began to feel a familiar pulling in my chest. My fingers slide up into his inky hair, gripping it to pull him closer. Kelen groaned as I bite his lip lightly, my fangs coming out to play.

"Bite me," he demanded, digging his fingers into my hips and rocking me against his hard length. I hesitated for only a second before I bite into his lip hard enough for blood to gush out, but I didn't allow them to sink too far in. The guttural moan he release was primal and sent heat flooding through me.

Kelen's blood tasted exactly like he smelled; hazelnut, mint and oranges. I sucked on his bottom lip, trying to get more of the intoxicating taste. His hands slip up my shirt, gliding up my bare and sweaty back. When I finally found the strength to pull back, we stared at each other. Kelen was so damn breathtaking. From his sharp jaw and smooth creamy skin to his slick black hair and silver eyes. Everything about the man pulled me in and said I was safe to feel, to cry.....to love.

I didn't think I could fall for him more until he smiled; a wide smile that lifted his cheeks and showed perfect white teeth. "Do you feel better, Shatel?"

"Yes, but I would feel even better if you told me what that meant?" I prodded, lightly scratching his scalp.

"The kiss or Shatel," he challenged, lifting an eyebrow.

"Both," I decided, making him lightly chuckle.

"Shatel means Women of Shadows, and the kiss," he ran his tongue over his bottom lip and his eyes grew dark, "is just a little taste of all the things I'd like to do to you. If you only knew what was going in my mind, you'd understand why I really wanted to take it slow. Your just so fucking perfect June." I didn't know what to say, so I just crashed my lips to his. I've never wanted something so bad in my life---well other than Cas, Alaric, Clent, and Marcus.

"Cat let her claws out," I hear a voice drawl and it startled me enough that I jumped back. Looking back, I glared at Clent. He just smirked, staring back at me like he was inclined to jump me at any second.

"What do you want?" Kelen snapped, not amused.

Putting his hands in the air, Clent tried to appear innocent. "I just wanted to tell you to take this to another room. We can't focus with our girl moaning and groaning. Not to mention she gives off the fucking sweetest smell when she's all hot and bothered." While Kelen huffed, pulling us both to our feet, I blushed and cleared my throat.

"I...um...I'm sorry I distracted you," I finally stuttered out lamely. My libido was out of control.

"He's lying. He's just mad Kelen is hogging you," Casbian shouted from where he leaned against the wall, leisurely sipping from a bottle of water. The look in his eye told me he had watched out little show. And the bulge in the front of his pants told me he enjoyed it.

"Both are true," Marcus cut in. He now trained with Alaric, who was having a hard time getting into the proper fighting stance. "Even your little innocent boy can barely walk straight." I laughed then, looking at Alaric's bright red face. He gave me a shy smile and waved.

Clent suddenly picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder. "Last one to the table can't have her for the night! And NO CHEATING," he hollered then took off.