"Holy shit." A long string of mozzarella cheese stretched from Tyler's mouth to the pizza in his hand. "No joke. This is the best pizza I've ever had."

I grinned and nodded as I chewed, which was a little tricky. The side of my tongue was killing me. I couldn't seem to recall how I'd injured it, but it was sensitive, and my raw throat wasn't helping either.

"We haven't eaten in days. This hits the spot." Lucas didn't look at me as he grabbed another slice. He was still in a bad mood, but at least he liked my cooking skills.

After Justin swallowed a huge bite, he tapped my arm from across the table. "You probably don't remember this, but you made me a sandwich once, and it was bomb ass. You told me you couldn't wait to feed us, and now you're doing it. I just can't get over how much you do for others without even thinking about it. You always give without question."

Lifting one shoulder in a shrug, I took another bite. "I was hungry, and I don't like leaving anyone out. It's just considerate. There really isn't any goal behind it. And I like good food, so I only make the best."

Sitting to my right, Tyler nudged my leg with his. "You do make the best, Shortie. You're fucking amazing at everything you do."

"Like what?" I pressed my knee against Tyler's.

"Well..." Lucas wiped his mouth with a napkin. "All your belongings are here, and you have a few instruments. Personally, I know you sing and play the guitar really well."

"There's no way I can do that." Grasping my sore throat, I shook my head as I tried to imagine myself singing. "And why are all my things here? I know this isn't my house. So, where did my stuff come from?"

"You sing like an angel, and your acting skills are better than a fucking movie star's." Justin chuckled. "I grabbed all your stuff from your aunt's house, but don't worry, she and your human mother, or should I say, babysitter, don't know you exist anymore. I took care of that."

"What?" I dropped my pizza to my plate as I searched their faces in confusion. "Why don't they remember me?"

"Don't worry." Tyler pressed his entire leg against mine, and comforting warmth flooded my chest. "If you want them to remember you later, we'll make it happen. It's just easier this way. It keeps the humans from searching for you. They're part of the Mortal Realm, and they're not who you think. They're nothing like us. Your real parents are who you need to worry about."

"My real parents?" Taking in his words, I picked up my slice of pizza and took a bite, trying to find them inside my memory, but they weren't there. "Why?"

"Because they're being held hostage just like you when your soul was taken!" Lucas was furious, causing me to lose my appetite and drop my pizza. "I can't believe we're just sitting here like nothing is wrong when we have work to do."

"Okay, let's get one thing straight." I glared at Lucas. "I'm lost in my head and confused as fuck. I know you care about me, but I've had it with your shitty attitude. So, either shut the fuck up or go away and be angry somewhere else. I don't know what the hell I did to make you so angry, but I don't fucking deserve it. I know you guys are having a hard time, but I'm not responsible for whatever happened. I would've never condemned myself to watching people being continuously burned for all eternity."

Tyler's free hand slid to my thigh, rubbing back and forth as the table went utterly silent.

I refused to stop glaring at Lucas, who averted his gaze to Tyler's hand on my thigh while he took another bite of pizza.

Kicking my chair back, I stood, and my hand came down hard, slapping the table. "Nothing? You can't even say you're sorry? I know you're upset, but fuck, I can't sit next to someone who hates me."

Flicking Lucas off, I stalked into the living room and claimed the end of the cushy couch in the living room.

Why was he so fucking mad? Lucas was officially on my shit list. I had no idea what was up with him, and deep down, I knew his anger was misplaced. He wasn't really upset with me, but I wasn't his whipping post.

I was still trying to figure out who in the hell I was, and I still hadn't even remembered my real name. None of them had supplied that crucial piece of information, and so far my only reality consisted of a shitty past in Purgatory and these three guys, which limited my perspective. All I knew was that Tyler was nice, Justin was remorseful, and Lucas was angry. That's it. That's all I knew about myself and my protectors.

Aggravated, I refused to give it any more thought. Snatching the remote, I started searching for a decent movie to lose myself in. I wanted, no, I needed to forget about what I'd been through in Purgatory.

After a long fifteen-minute search, I settled on a movie called The Matrix. It looked familiar, or at least I thought it did, and after watching the trailer, it seemed like the exact movie I was searching for. Queuing it up, I stood to shut off the lights and overheard the guys talking.

"She seems to remember a lot more than we thought she would," Justin commented, and I could tell he was talking with his mouth full. "She was down there long enough to have her entire memory wiped and things are coming back to her a lot easier than I ever thought they would. She's not even scared of us. She's so fucking incredible."

I smiled. Justin obviously adored me, which was why he was torturing himself for whatever happened.

"Yeah, but she doesn't understand the urgency of the situation." Lucas barked. "She's not asking the right questions. It's weird as fuck. She just lets everything go like it doesn't matter. She should be interested in knowing more about us and the Realms. Instead, she's making us fucking pizza."

Grinding my teeth together, I decided I would never make Lucas food again. He didn't deserve it. I was just trying to get my bearings and food was a good way to get back on track.

"Dude, she just got back. Give her a damn break. She was right to yell at you. We're all strangers to her, and she still made your sorry ass dinner." Tyler eased the pressure on my heart. He was arguing for me.

"Lucas is just worried. We only have a couple days to find a new place and our families haven't exactly been helpful. We're lucky Lucas's parents are out of town." Justin was partly defending Lucas's behavior, which hurt. "Oh, and Marlena contacted me. She finally received a response from their Master Stitcher. Getting rid of her mating call over the last week has been great, but this guy can cloak her mating call and location for months at a time, but first, he wants to meet her. He doesn't believe the Bringer is alive yet. I guess the cloaking spell takes some rare items and powerful energy, which he's not willing to use unless he's positive it's her."

"Can we trust him? Why hasn't he heard anything from the Supernatural Realm by now? I know a lot of the shifters were informed before we did that mass compulsion." Tyler said as he scooted his chair away from the table. "Griffin has a big fucking mouth, and there are still rumors. Once he knew who she was, he told everyone."

"Fucking Muncher." Lucas punched the table, which seemed to be how he dealt with everything that upset him.

"According to Marlena, we can trust him. I guess her Master Stitcher is a hermit. He agreed to see us tomorrow. Hopefully, Marlena can find us a permanent place to stay." Justin said. "We might even get to go back to school if the cloaking is as powerful as she says it is."

"School? Are you fucking kidding me?" Lucas scoffed as his chair screeched over the wood floor. "Who gives a shit about school?"

"Bro, eventually she's gonna remember everything she's missing. She's still supposed to be in the play and the talent show. She had a life before us, and if she had the choice, she'd wanna keep her friendships. People love her. We can't make every decision for her. If she can have a semi-normal life, we should try to give it to her for as long as possible." Justin said sadly, and tears came to my eyes. I wanted to hug him for caring about me so much.

"We have every right to decide for her," Lucas shouted. "She's not safe. She's unprepared, and she doesn't know shit about the Realms. She ran right to that Whistler for fuck's sake. A fucking Darkling, and she couldn't even stop herself. We were taught that shit as toddlers. She's a danger to herself all the time, and she thinks pizza is gonna heal it."

"That's enough!" The last chair screeched over the floor, and Justin growled. "I know you're upset, but think about what you're saying. I had to use compulsion on everyone we know. Even my fucking family! Do you know how many laws I've broken?"

"So? We all have." Lucas snapped.

"Dude, shut the fuck up! What's going on with you? You're being such an asshole. We'll keep her safe. She's stronger than before, and I can feel her energy getting stronger even now. Can't you feel it? Why aren't you trusting your senses? Now that she's off that fucking medication, we need to give her normalcy and start teaching her. She hasn't even shifted yet." Tyler argued.

"Exactly. All the more reason to find a cabin in the mountains and hide out there." Lucas said. "No one will be able to find her, and we'll teach her everything she needs to know."

"We can't do that! She'll hate us forever if we do that to her." Tyler was pissed for me, and I wanted to kiss him. He was right. Locking me away in a secluded place would only make me go crazy.

Justin cleared his throat. "Alright. Look, we know you want to keep her safe. We all want the same thing, but we can't lock her up and throw away the key. She's the Bringer. Her soul touches everyone around her, and that's the only way we'll get others on our side. People need her and she needs them. She needs that balance. Otherwise, she'll never forgive us for taking away her options. She loves to perform and sing. If we can give her that for a while, then we should. We have to do whatever it takes to keep her happy."

Unable to listen to them debate my future any longer, I flipped the lights off and fell back onto the couch, pressing play on the remote.

Just as the movie started, Tyler walked into the room. "The Matrix? This movie is badass."

"Really? I think I've maybe seen it before, but I don't know. Wanna watch it with me?" I glanced at Tyler, hoping he would agree. His attitude toward me made me happy. He loved touching me, and he'd even cried for me in front of everyone. He was the one I wanted to spend time with.

Justin was on my good list too, but I knew he was torturing himself for what happened to me, which made me sad, and I didn't want to be sad right now. I just wanted to watch a movie and forget about my shitty life.

"I'm headed up," Justin said as he looked me over from behind the couch. "I'm gonna take a shower. Maybe I'll shave too. Then, I think I'm gonna crash."

I sent him a tight half-grin. "Okay. Sleep good."

"We're gonna hang out down here and watch a movie." Tyler lifted my legs and sat before resting my legs over his, curling his arms around my knees. The gesture seemed so innocent, but it meant a lot to me. It was comforting to be caressed and adored.

"Okay. Remember what we talked about earlier and let me know if you need me." Justin sent me a sad look before he walked up the stairs.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. More than anything, I just wanted Justin to feel better. Seeing him so down on himself was hard. He needed to stop blaming himself for what happened, but I couldn't help him until I remembered how it all went down.

"What're you guys watching?" Lucas asked as he walked into the living room, but I refused to acknowledge him. He didn't deserve my attention.

"Bro, you know what we're watching." Tyler started massaging my legs, and damn, his hands felt incredible.

Lucas didn't look my way before he fell into the sofa across the room. "I was just testing you."

"Test yourself. I can recite this movie word for word." One of Tyler's hands skimmed over one of mine. Instead of letting his hand escape, I flipped mine over and let him touch my palm.

Tyler glanced at me as he ran his finger over each of mine, one by one. "How are you so fucking perfect? I expected to walk in here and find you watching some chick flick, but instead you're watching my all time favorite movie. How's that even possible?"

Grinning, I shrugged. "Maybe I was made for you."

Tyler didn't respond as the dark living room illuminated with a woman in skin tight black clothing. She was kicking ass on the screen. After a few minutes, Tyler moved me toward the edge of the couch and worked his way behind me, spooning me. After my head was resting on his arm, and his other arm was wrapped around my middle, he whispered in my ear. "I think we were made for each other."

I smiled, getting as close as possible before I whispered back. "I think you're right."

💙💙💙💙💙💙