Gio walks up to his father to know more on the case of Eric, even if he was present in the meeting and heard everything Ethan has to say he still was not satisfied and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

He wants to help Enzo on this as much as he can, he cannot imagine how Enzo was feeling and what will happen when Erika gets a sniff of this whole thing. To, even think Eric helping the monsters who was the reason for his sister's condition was as incredulous as it sounds.

There must be some, any reason for Eric's acts because he still cannot believe that Eric can do something so insensitive especially to his own family but no matter what Gio will always help Enzo, as he owes the man his life.

Even if it sounds crazy but if, it was not of Enzo's cold shoulder towards Erika, she would have never found Gio that fretful day while she went to visit her mother grave and if it were not for Enzo, he would have never met his beautiful Engel.

"Dad" Gio calls as he stands next to his father.

"Haven't you left yet?" Rom asks as he picks up the file on the desk.

"I will in a few, but dad what's going to happen next?" he asks curiously.

"Even I don't know Gio, even if we don't want to believe that Eric is somehow involved the proof Ethan has is strong and pointing against Eric...

The ball is in Enzo's court whatever he decides will be final and we work accordingly, for now this information is to remain between us, if this went out then we don't know how much damage will occur...

Especially for Enzo, he has been so loyal to our kind for so long; if this blows then...I do not even want to think about it. Make sure Engel or Erika none of them knows about it, it is not our place but Enzo to inform them...

Also, try to keep your schedule free Enzo will need all the strength and help from us" Rom advices his son.

"Okay, dad" Gio nods before he walks out of the room.

*******

Gio opens the door of his car and sets to get in when his eyes lands on a figure snooping out of the building. He chuckles as he sees the figure slowly rushing out of the building, so with the shake of his head he gets in the car and start the engine.

"Get in, Devilin" he calls as he drives towards the person.

"Me?"

"Who else, now get in before your father catches you" Gio calls waiting for him to get inside the car.

Once he is all set, Gio starts to drive again.

"You still have not stopped snooping around, have you? If you want to get in the meeting all you have to do is ask, I am sure as the future council leader you will get to sit in," Gio teases him.

"Leader and me"

"Well, with the way Dante has been boasting, I am sure all of our kind knows who has their name written on that seat...

Anyway, I thought you were on some mission, so how come you are here?" Gio asks as he remembers it.

"I was just..."

"Worried about Ariel, huh?" Gio finishes as he turns to look at Dev.

"Kind of"

"Well, don't worry; I am sure things will turn out good. Eric is a good person; he will not hurt her intentionally. Anyway, where shall I drop you, Ariel's place?" Gio asks as he focuses on driving.

"Sure" he answers with a sigh, as he gets more comfortable on the seat.

*******

"Devilin" Adrian calls the boy's name when he sees him pacing in the front of the door.

"Ya"

"What are you doing here pacing, get in" Adrian smiles as he opens the door and letting him in first before he follows.

"You must be here for Ariel, well boy I am glad you did. She has been in her room since you dropped her off...

I am worried she will go back to her shell again; none of us knows how to bring her back. We are just scared that something we say may tick her off, so...

I know it is hard for you as well because you have your own life and you cannot keep being around her, but I want to request you for the last time Dev...

Please save my daughter, we have gained her back after so long and we don't want to loose her again so please" Adrian requests with a heavy sigh full of sadness.

"I understand, don't worry I will protect her" he promises before making his way towards Ariel's room.

*******

Ariel lies on her bed while staring off at the ceiling; she has been inside the room for a few days and has no energy to do anything.

She knows her shutting off is hurting her parents and they are sad to see her like this but try as she might she cannot find anything to cheer herself.

She sighs turning her face down and borrowing it inside the pillow when she hears the knock on her door.

Getting up from her bed she slowly opens the door and blinks surprised to see the man in front of her.

"Dev" she cries jumping on him happily.

She sighs in relief as she wraps her arms around her best friend, happy to see him. She feels a sudden charge if energy burst inside of her as he hugs her back tightly.

"Dev" she gasps at the sudden flow of current with in as she feels all of her senses alive.

"I know," he whispers before letting her go.

"What are you doing here, you said you..."

"Ssh...I am here for you. How could I stay away knowing you will be like this? I cannot let you be alone and sad now, can I?" he chuckles as he walks inside the room.

"Oh Dev, I am so happy that you are here. Now everything looks bright," she confesses sadly.

"Hey now, don't get all emotional on me Air. I hate to see you so sad. I am here and I am not leaving your side not till I am sure you are perfectly fine," he states as he puts her chin between his fingers and smiles her way.

"You know I am perfectly fine when I am with you" she smiles as she holds his hand.

"So, what have you been up to?" she asks as she pulls him towards her bed and they both lie down.

"Nothing much, I could not take my mind off you so I had to be back to make sure you are all right with my own eyes" he admits which brightens her smile even more.

"Thank you for coming back, Dev. I did not say this before but I was worried when you said you were leaving," she admits as well.

"I won't be leaving, don't worry. So, did you get to meet Jane's mate? I hope she did not get kicked out of that house, it would have been fun to watch though" he grins.

"That's so bad of you, she is your sister, you should think positive of her and anyway I have not got a chance to meet her mate properly yet...

As for your sister, we have lost contact once she started living with her mate. And, what is this that I hear, that you have started living in your apartment and barely be at home these days?" she asks sternly making him cringe.

"Oh, so you do know about the apartment" he slowly states.

"Dev" she scolds him.

"Well, I do need some privacy after all" he cheekily grins.

"Still, go visit your mom once a while, you know she worries so much about you" she tries to convince him.

"I know, don't worry, I will go see her soon. We should go meet Jane's mate soon I want to see how long she gets to live with him...

I am sure with the way she is she has already made the poor guy run for his life" he laughs out loud.

"You are so mean, she is your sister" Ariel tries to scolds him but ends up laughing.

"Oh come on, brothers are supposed to be mean to their sisters" he defends himself.

"Anyway, jokes apart how are you doing?" he asks her seriously.

"Don't worry; now that you are here I am fine"

"Seriously Air, talk to me" he pleads which bring a heavy sigh out of her mouth.

"I don't know Dev, I am so confused"

"What is there to be confused about?"

"Everything, I mean Eric, he...how can he betray me like that? I would have happily given him my blood if he asked me, you know but going behind my back and using me in such a way...

I thought we had something, I thought he understood me, he was the first person who did not treat me as if I am a china doll who needs constant protecting and pampering...

I could breathe properly around him and he broke it all" she confesses her feelings.

"You could breathe properly, come now Air it's not so bad"

"Bad, how about suffocating? Everyone treats me like I am some piece of glass that will break; it chokes me to be around you all sometimes"

"I am not that bad," he mumbles interrupting her

"No, you are sometimes the worse" she giggles seeing him pout.

"Am I?" he asks her with a frown.

"Not all the time Dev, but sometimes I just feel like you hold back things from me. I want you to be free, talk to me and you do not always have to act like a Gentleman, I can handle a bit of roughness from you...

You are always so polite, never angry and sometimes it feels like I am taking too much out of you, so please don't hold back from me" she requests as she gets up and sits with her legs folded watching him.

"So, you mean it is okay for me to not be polite in front of you or act differently?" he asks to confirm and when she nods he grins widely.

"Thank the fuck" he sighs relieve which brings a smile to her face.

"You know this is like the first time you said that word in front of me, you always hold back," she points out to him.

"Don't worry, Air I will not hold back this time or any other time," he promises before pulling her back in his arm.

"So Eric" he starts.

"What about him?" Ariel asks as she lays her head on his chest.

"Do you really think he is your mate?" he asks her slowly.

"At this point I am not even sure what my heart feels. The first time I met him, I was not so sure what it was about him that attracted me...

He kept coming into my mind every once in a while for the past two years and seeing how everyone talked about mates and everything I thought may be he was my chance at love...

So, with all the courage I had I called him and I was relieved to find that he too thought about me, I mean how can two people feel same thing, I just assumed he is my mate. He has too if we feel same right?" she asks confused but when he does not answer she continues.

"You know it should have been hard for me to leave him alone like that, all of a sudden but somewhere inside of me it felt right...

Like, I was making the right decision of leaving him, I thought it might be I was not ready to start any relation with him, I still do not know...

The past week I was with him, there was this comfortableness between us but not that strong attraction that one I hear about, the one I wanted to feel between us...

He never touched me in any way that would make me uncomfortable, our kisses were not so passionate or breathtaking, it was just a kiss, it felt nice but nothing else...

I thought may be because of my past or may be we will grow close but it never happened, I still don't know if what we felt was what mates feel" Ariel concludes as she plays with the button of his shirt.

"I understand, give it time may be everything will be clear in time. Do not worry so much and think too much about it...

I am sure the truth about him being your mate will clear up soon. But, if I have a say in this, I think he is not your mate, because if he was he would have fought for you and not let you go so easily, just like that" he speaks a hint of anger in his tone.

"Thank you for coming for me that day, I did not say it before but I was glad you did. It's just that suddenly the idea of living with him did not felt so exciting or right like I felt the first time he asked me to...

My emotions about him are all over the places right now. I don't know what to do anymore" she sighs in worry.

"I think what you need is a good sleep, we can go visit Jane after that" he suggests which brings a smile on her face.

"Sound good to me" she smiles before she closes her eyes.

*******

"Dev, you are back. Oh god, where is Ariel, is she safe?" Jane fires questions as soon as she sees Dev walk out of the car.

"Breathe little Jane, breathe, she is all good and right here with me" he grins opening the door for Ariel.

"Oh Ariel" Jane sobs as she pulls her in her arms.

"I am fine Jane, please don't cry" Ariel tries to calm the girl.

"How can I not, you were about to get in such a big trouble while I was busy seducing my mate, which is a total failure" Jane pouts as she pulls her inside the house.

"Dad gave her too much freedom" Dev sighs as he follows them.

"You are just jealous that I got to get laid while you cannot" Jane teases him showing her tongue.

"Have some shame Jane; I cannot be ashamed on your behalf all the time" he sighs shaking his head.

"Shut up" Jane snaps as she glares at her brother before it turns in to a smile as her mate walks.

"Chris" Jane squeals as she jumps in his arm and wraps her arms around his waist.

"Hi" Chris waves at them shyly as he tries to pull his mate's arms away from him.

"Chris, a small request, please, do not kick my sister out of here, no matter how crazy and cave woman she behaves...

We cannot afford or keep her in our house anymore, so please promise me no matter what you will indulge and keep her with you" Dev makes, the request making, everyone laugh except his sister who throws her shoe his way but misses the shot.

*******

"I am bored to death, let us all go out clubbing" Jane suggests as she slumps on the couch and pouts looking at her mate.

"Sounds good" Dev agrees nodding in approval.

"Well, you can all go and enjoy" Chris comments as he tries to back off from their plans.

"No, why can we not go out and enjoy ourselves for once. I am sure it won't be such a bad idea, please Chris" Jane begs as she holds both his hands in her.

"You know what happens when I go out Jane, don't argue on this with me" he tries to talk her out of it but she just stomps her foot on the ground before storming out of the room.

"Come on man, I am sure it is not so bad being around people sometimes, you need to get out of the house more often" Dev pushes him to agree.

"No, I don't think so, excuse me" Chris disagrees before he goes in search of his mate.

Chris finds Jane in their room and to his surprise packing her bags.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asks trying to stop her.

"I am sure your eyes function well; I am going back to my own home. It's really not my style to live cooped up inside four walls...

It seems you are comfortable with it but I am not, as I am not comfortable with withholding sex from my own mate...

So, after I go back you can live easily and happily without me being around to irritate you" she snaps at him in anger as she pulls out her clothes from the dresser.

"I never said you irritate me and we both know how I feel when I am out. As for, the intimate part just give me sometimes...

I just don't want to jump in bed with you just for the heck of it"

"Oh so does that mean you have no sexual feelings towards me after I have thrown myself at you for so long?

Wow, you sure know how to boost a girl's esteem. Moreover, I think you should get out more, meet new people, do something about your weakness; you cannot just live in this house, away, hiding from people for the rest of your life...

You are fine with me, Dev and even Ariel being with you so I am sure it won't be such a bad idea to just get out of here for once" Jane sighs as she finishes her say.

"I still think it is a bad idea but I will agree on going just so you stay here" he finally gives in cheering her up.

"Yay, you are the best, I promise we will be fine" she grins hugging him tight.

"You are not going to leave again are you?" he asks her in a worry.

"Ah, of course not, the chances of you leaving me are higher than me ever leaving you" she winks grinning wickedly.

"I won't leave," he promises kissing on her temple as he hugs her tight.

*******

Crystal watches her son step out along with his mate, Dev and Ariel. Even if she wants to stop him, she feels that for him to get out of his shell filled with fears, it must be done.

May be this new step will help him out to socialize more and get over his fears.

Chris holds Jane's hand in his as he tries not to bolt out of the car, his shuffling on the seat does not go unnoticed so his mate puts her head on his chest to calm him down.

"How about we go for dinner then see where it goes after that?" Dev suggests as he drives around the city.

"Sounds good" Jane answers for all of them.

It does not matter where they go as long as she was with her mate and out in air.

Both of the couples settle down at their table waiting for their food to arrive.

*******

UT packs her bags as she finishes collecting all the samples for the day, she along with her team walks out of the Hp grounds with blood samples of the warriors inside the building.

She steps away from the group when she finds Enzo waiting for her at the front of the door, she ask her team to leave without her before she walks up to Enzo.

Her father had called her to inform about what went on at the council meeting so she was aware that Enzo would be coming to seek her.

"Hello, Uncle" she smiles standing in front of him.

"How have you been?" Enzo asks as he hugs the girl.

"Good" UT replies waiting for him to talk.

"I guess you know why I am here" Enzo starts and with her nod of the head, he continues.

"I would like to see the results myself on the drugs both used on Chris and the culprits; as well I would like to see what you have found so far"

"Well, I never thought we would meet in such a way but circumstances...anyway I was heading to the lab so we can drive there together" she states before walking around his car to go take the front seat.

"Were you for here for the monthly test?" Enzo asks starting the conversation as he keeps driving.

"Yes"

"I thought the interns were the ones doing it, any reason why you are present?" Enzo asks curiously this time.

"Oh, yes that...well I have taken the job to collect the blood sample myself for the past few months...

Few of the interns were caught playing around with the blood samples so Matt made the decision that only the doctors he appointed will be taking it from now on...

I got the duty to do it until he appoints someone else"

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yes, it's not such a difficult task and I get to know few of them closely help me to socialize, I guess...

Anyway, there has been found some strange things in the blood of the few warriors and Matt wants someone he can trust to do the task so the word won't get out" UT informs him.

"Strange things?"

"Yes, I don't know about it fully but it seems like some of these warriors are using some sort of drugs to heighten their senses, we are personally observing them still Matt is not sure what exactly they are using...

And, no before you jump to the conclusion it is not the drug Eric used, though we did suspect it, the drugs found in Chris and the culprit caught in Martin's pack body does not match" UT explains it to him.

"But chances are that he is the one making it" Enzo states it straight.

"It's not my place to speak on things I have no proof on, it will be better if you talked about it with Matt himself...