The heavy weight of the dream lifted off Julia as she surfaced back into consciousness. Her whole body felt light as a feather like she was floating. It was such a pleasant yet foreign feeling from what she normally encountered after waking up from her dreams. She didn't want to ruin this feeling by waking up. And enjoyed the sensation a little longer before she opened eyes, to find Alex carrying her.

It took her a moment to remember what had happened. Julia did a quick check by wiggling her limbs and surprisingly felt no pain. What the?She thought. Julia felt amazing, as if she could run to LA and back without breaking a sweat or she could uproot the giant redwoods and toss huge boulders like they were mere toys.

Alex smiled down at her. Julia couldn't help getting pulled into his intense gaze. She swore his piercing eyes could see straight into her soul. She felt an awkward sensation surface inside of her as she stared back at him caught in his gravitational pull. Julia couldn't quite put her finger on what it was until it started to coil its way around her heart.

Silently she gasped, turning away crimson with realisation. Damn hormones, Julia cursed trying to squash her desire to wrap her arms around Alex's neck and kiss his full lips. No, no, no! He's such a jerk... Albeit a sexy jerk. Julia groaned at herself. Besides he doesn't even like me and even if he did, there's the whole dark fae forbidden love thing. A different thought worked its way inside her head, the law only says no offspring, there's nothing to stop me from dating him. Her hands shot up to her head and ruffled her hair. She shouted at herself in her head, there is no way I will fall for him, and drew a mental line in the sand.

Alex tilted his head and chuckled. "Glad to see you're finally awake," he said and set her down.

Relieved to have something else to think about she focused on cautiously putting weight on her injured foot. When no pain jumped out at her, she gave Alex a beaming smile and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Wow! What is this? I've never felt so good in my life!" she said in a rush.

Alex smirked at her with a 'I told you so' look so on his face. "Yeah... You were bleeding badly after I set the bone back in place and I had to give you some of my blood."

Julia went white as a sheet as all the blood drained from her face and gasped in horror. A sudden and irrational fear took over, and all she wanted to do was run away from him. Fighting that urge she said, "But why? You know my dad was human. What about the side effects?"

He shook his head in frustration. "Look, Julia, trust me. Nothing other than you feeling fantastic will happen to you."

Anger reared up inside of her and she shouted, "Fine! Thanks for helping me." Then not caring if she got lost in the woods again or eaten by bears or worse she stomped off.

Alex caught up to Julia stepping in front of her. "I won't apologise for helping you the way I did." Julia's eyes widened and her hands shot out and she shoved Alex with all her might. When he didn't even budge she snarled. "Just calm down. We're back in Havenswood and if you go that way." He pointed over her shoulder in the opposite direction she was going. "You will reach your house."

Before Julia could reply he vanished leaving her alone to fester in her own rage. "What a pompous ass," Julia shouted into the empty woods hoping he could still hear her. "Yeah, that's right run back to your She Beast. She's the only one that could ever put up with you!"

Julia was seething by the time she reached her front door. Ren was waiting on the front porch. His mouth dropped open when he saw her covered in dirt and blood.

"What in the gods' names happened to you? You look terrible."

Julia shot him a murderous glare, walked over to him and kicked him so hard it made him wince. She knew she looked a mess, covered in blood, caked in dirt and her clothes torn to shreds. The last thing she needed was him telling her she looked like roadkill.

Ren hopped up and down rubbing his injured leg. "What was that for?"

"That was for abandoning me in the woods you jerk!"

Ren tried to apologise, but she cut him off. "Don't you dare try to say you're sorry. It's too late for that. Go home, Ren. Go home now before I tear your pretty face off." She whipped the front door open, slamming it behind her and stormed upstairs to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After a long and boiling shower Julia had time to calm down. She sat on the window seat, in a light blue camisole top and cropped pajama bottoms, looking out at the trees in the backyard. A smile spread across her face, replaying everything that had happened to her since Friday. Her thoughts eventually focusing on Alex, how his striking quicksilver eyes cut into her heart. Julia felt her cheeks flush and her heart flutter. She blinked a few times trying to process the dominate emotion that had surfaced inside of her. A scowl erupted on her face, what the hell is wrong with me; she thought and tried to slap those feelings away with no success.

Julia reminded herself that Alex irritated the hell out of her. But no matter how hard she tried to deny it she couldn't help feeling a strange sense of things fitting together. It was as if the two of them were the missing pieces in a beautifully complicated puzzle.

Argh, enough already, she told herself. Julia squeezed her eyes shut, fisted her hands in her hair and tried to think of something else but her mind didn't want to cooperate. Instead, she remembered Alex's intoxicating smell, and his full lips and her tongue darted out to moisten her own. Before she had a chance to scold herself, the door banged open and Rosalie rushed into the room out of breath, looking half crazed.

The minute Julia saw her mom she knew Ren told her what he saw. And being the over protective mother hen Rosalie was she rushed home.

Julia sighed. "Mom, what are you doing? I know what Ren told you must've upset you but he should've told you I was fine. You shouldn't have dropped everything just to come running home. Won't the town council get angry with you for skipping out on your patrolling duties?"

Along with the magical barriers that encircled the town there was also a team of sixteen that patrolled the borders. Rosalie was the leader of that team. Which meant Rosalie was always out at night; leaving Julia to get up to pretty much anything she wanted to. Julia understood the need for there to be a patrol but she never understood why there had to be so many of them. It wasn't like Havenswood was near any human towns or any other magical communities.

Julia's mother rushed over to her, not taking any notice of what Julia said, and started checking her over. "Are you all right? Demetrius Youngthorn said he was out collecting moonberries and saw you and that Alex boy. He said you were unconscious and both of you were covered in blood!"

Exasperated Julia took a deep breath. She knew her mother wasn't finished overreacting. "Mom ̶"

"Don't you mom me! You two were outside of the barrier. Do you know what could've happened to you? That boy is dangerous and I want you to stay away from him," her mom practically shrieked.

Julia felt suffocated by her mother's overbearing protectiveness. "Alex may be a lot of things ̶ pretentious, obnoxious, and annoying but he isn't dangerous." Julia didn't know him well enough to be making that kind of assumption but it pissed her off that her mom was ready to paint Alex as a monster for no reason. "He helped me when I fell down a ravine." As soon as the words left Julia's mouth she cursed herself for saying too much.

Rosalie covered her mouth and gasped, her eyes widening into saucers. When Rosalie seemed to recover, she stretched out her shaking hands and started to paw at Julia; checking her daughter for any bumps or scrapes. "Were you hurt? What happened? Why were you out in the woods outside the barrier? Where was Oren!" she rattled off in quick succession at Julia. "He was supposed to be with you. That's the only reason I've let you two disappear into the woods for that so-called training."

Julia had enough; she brushed her mom away and stood up. "Mom, this over protectiveness has got to stop! I'm not a child anymore. I'll be a legal adult soon, able to do what I like and go where ever I want."

Julia's heart twisted, seeing the hurt look on her mother's face. "I'm sorry, Mom. Look, I'm not dad," Julia's voice was soft as she pulled her mom into a hug. "I am not going to run out on you. I'm fine, see." Julia pulled away so Rosalie could look at her.

Julia knew her dad abandoning her mom, when Rosalie was pregnant with her, leaving them both high and dry, still affected Rosalie. Julia also knew she was a constant reminder of her father. Julia didn't look a thing like her mother. Her caramel hair and fair skin with its pink undertone were all inherited from her father. Her mother on the other hand had beautiful auburn hair and a fiery Spanish complexion to match.

Julia never understood why she hadn't inherited a single feature from her mom other than Rosalie's hazel eyes. Even though Rosalie never showed it; Julia could tell having a child that had the same features of the very person who broke Rosalie's heart wasn't easy.

Julia sat back down on the window seat pulling her legs into her chest. Rosalie stared at Julia knitting her eyebrows together. Then her eyes widened she pointed at the faint colour change on Julia's ankle, where the bone had stuck out, and pounced on it.

Shocked and uncomfortable Julia shouted, "Mom, get off! Gods. I'm fine."

Rosalie looked up at her daughter, fear then anger coloured her face. "You broke your ankle."

The cat was out of the bag. Julia had two options, stand her ground and take the barrage of questions that was coming or run. Like any teenager, she opted for the latter.

Julia shot to her feet, "I'm fine," pushed past Rosalie, hurried out the door and down the stairs into the living room.

Julia's hand was on her coat when Rosalie ran down the stairs and said in a commanding voice, "Alt aquíjoveneta," halting Julia dead in her tracks. Julia knew she was in hot water because her mom only spoke Catalan when she was livid.

Rosalie didn't give Julia a chance to say anything. "What did you do!" It was an accusation not a question.

Julia couldn't believe how insane her mom was acting and huffed, "I am fine mom. Shouldn't that be the only thing that matters?"

Rosalie walked up to Julia, grabbed her chin, and locked Julia in a steely stare. "You drank his blood." There was no way her mother could've known but Julia didn't bother denying it instead she looked away. "After everything I've told you about dark faerie blood and what it does," Rosalie's voice was sharp with anger. "I can't believe you would defy me like that; for some boy no less."

Julia stood there, blinking at her mother, flabbergasted by the lies that poured out of her mother's mouth. Then the image of Alex telling Véronique about his encounter with Julia and what an idiot she was popped in Julia's head. Julia fisted her hands and glared at her mother. It was because of her mom that Julia had made such a fool of herself. The mere thought of having to face Alex Monday at school and him thinking she was some supernatural country bumpkin made her sick.

Humiliated; Julia yanked her chin away and lashed out like a cornered animal. "How could I? Really, mom; you're going with that? How could you lie to me all these years? It's because of you I made a complete fool of myself in front of him. I mean him of all people." She ground her teeth at the thought of Alex and Véronique laughing at her in class. "You lied to me. You knew dark faerie blood would have no effect on me and yet you lied. Whatever happened to: 'We are always honest with one another'?"

Rosalie frowned. "That's rich coming from you now isn't it; little Miss I will run away to Europe. The fact is, you ARE different from everyone and who's to say dark faerie blood wouldn't have adverse effects on you?"

Rosalie might as well have punched Julia in the stomach. Hearing her own mother calling her a reject freak caused unwanted tears to roll out of Julia's eyes and she deflated like a limp balloon. "I'm sorry you had to be lumbered with a freak like me. I already know I disappoint you every day and bring shame on the Malphas family. Mom, I don't need you shoving it in my face."

Rosalie gasped and tried to reach out to her daughter; but Julia recoiled away from her as if her mother's touch would burn her.

Rosalie said to herself, "Oh Ásgeirr, what have I done?" As she wiped her eyes dry and walked out the door.

Julia ran upstairs into her room, slammed the door behind her and flopped on her bed in tears.

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