Concern laced the eyes of the young dragonkin. "Etienne?" Rhia gasped.

She hardly recognized him compared to how beat up he'd been the day before. The cuts and scrapes across his face were gone, there wasn't any sign of bruising from the seatbelt from what little she could see of his chest, and he seemed to be walking just fine, as if he hadn't had a piece of metal threatening to cut open his femoral artery. "Are you okay, Rhia?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" she gaped at him. "How are you here?"

The front door burst open and Maddox stormed out, his face red with anger. "Nova!" he shouted. "Heel!"

For the first time in the four years Rhia had known the dog, Nova didn't respond to Maddox's order. He made the command a second time, the fury in his voice making Rhia flinch. Nova reluctantly backed off from Church and returned to her master's side. Maddox stormed up to Church. Even with one arm in a sling and a noticeable limp, he was an intimidating man. "If you ever touch my sister again,"

"I didn't do anything," Church barked, slapping Maddox's hands away. "That thing..."

Church turned to throw an insult at Etienne, saw the distinctive pupils of a dragonkin, and closed his mouth. Maddox also gave Etienne a wary look. Rhia reached out to touch his arm. "I know him." she told her brother before looking up at the young male. "Come with me."

She led him out the gate and across the street before turning to look at him again. "Are you alright?" he asked her again.

"I'm fine, Etienne," she brushed off the question. "Why are you here?"

"I..." he hesitated. "I don't know. I just... I knew I needed to be here."

"You needed to be here? What does that mean?"

He didn't answer right away. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and looked down at his hands. "I don't... know..."

Rhia glanced nervously back at the house. Maddox and Church were arguing. Madeline, Richard, Mark, and Ashton were filing out of the house to see what all the commotion was about. Richard started walking towards them, his eyes flicking between Rhia and the dragonkin. "Etienne," she said quickly in a low voice. "My father is not a tolerant man. If he does or say something to offend you, please don't take it personally."

"Is everything alright, Rhia." Richard asked.

He stopped a few feet further than he might have normally when he saw Etienne's eyes. "Yeah." She told him. "He's a patient. I pulled him out of the accident yesterday."

"What are you doing here, kid?" Richard asked with more respect she'd ever heard him use with an Ancient.

Etienne looked over his shoulder to lock eyes with Church. He blinked and looked away. "I don't know, sir." He said softly.

"I don't think they should have let you out of the hospital so early." Rhia took his chin and turned his head to look into his eyes. "You must have hit your head pretty bad. Is there someone we can call? Your parents, or an elder, or something?"

Etienne nodded and pulled a card out of his wallet. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"It's no trouble." Rhia dialed the number and put the phone to her ear. "Who am I calling?"

"My community leader."

"Richard!" Mark called, opening the gate to join them.

"Everything's fine, Mark." Richard called back. "Go back inside."

"That thing attacked one of my officers. I have to..."

Richard whirled around and met Mark halfway across the road, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder. Rhia didn't have a chance to listen in as the call was answered. "Hello?" came a sweet, cheery voice she didn't expect from another dragonkin.

"Uh, hi there," she stammered, slightly taken aback. "My name is Rhia Kincaid, I am a paramedic with the city of Los Angeles. I was one of the responders to an accident involving one of your, uh, hatchlings," she looked at Etienne. By human standards, he was a fully grown man. It felt weird calling him the dragon equivalent of a child. He was still looking at his hands with narrowed eyes, like he was trying to remember something important. "Etienne Fabron. I'm with him now in a residential area of the city, and he seems to be suffering some mild cognitive impairment. He doesn't seem to know why or how he got here."

"Well, that's just not good!" The woman chirped without even a hint of concern in her voice. "Would you mind giving me an address? I'll send a car to pick him up. And would you mind putting him on the phone?"

Rhia rattled off the address and handed the device to Etienne. She looked over at Mark and her father shouting at each other. Maddox and Church were glaring at each other in the yard, waiting for one or the other to make a move. Madeline and Ashton stood on the front step looking annoyed and mildly amused respectively. Neighbors were starting to poke their heads through windows to investigate the commotion. A coupled of them came out to the street to watch the normally calm and reserved Richard Kincaid turning beet red and shouting the man they likely recognized as his friend. They eyed Etienne with a mix of suspicion and interest. Most of them had never seen one of the kin before.

Etienne handed her the phone. "Thank you, Rhia." He said quietly. "I really am sorry about this."

"It's fine. To be entirely honest," she glanced at Church, who was glaring at Etienne now. "I kind of needed the help."

Etienne matched Church's glare. Though he was younger, the defined slits of his pupils made the look all that more intimidating. "When a dragonking lays their hands on another," he said icily. "Their hands are sawed off."

She snorted with laughter and his crooked smile eased the tension in her shoulders. A familiar car rounded the corner of the neighborhood, and a wash of relief went through her. He stepped out of the car and opened up a dark umbrella. For a fraction of a second she saw the effect of the sun on him and her jaw dropped. He was not kidding about the skin thing. His normally lightly tanned skin went to a pallid gray. His cheeks turned sunken and wrinkled, and she was curious to know what his eyes would look like behind the sunglasses. He went back to normal when he was covered by the shadow of the umbrella and angled it perfectly to keep him entirely hidden. He almost jogged over to Rhia and Etienne. "Are you okay?" he asked quickly.

She wanted to lie and say yes. She didn't want him to worry. "No." was what she said. "Not even close."

She expected and hoped he would reach out and wrap his free arm around her shoulders. She could have gone for him simply taking her hand. Anything to feel close. She went to move closer, but he shook his head minutely, glancing over her head. She followed his gaze and met the eyes of her father and Mark. Richard's face was a mix of several emotions, like he wasn't sure how to feel. Mark looked like his head was about to explode. "I'm missing something." Nolan continued, eyeing Etienne. "What is a dragonkin hatchling doing here."

"I pulled him out of the car wreck yesterday. He doesn't know why he's here." She was getting tired of explaining it. "Why does everyone keep calling him a hatchling? You can't be that much younger than me."

"They're considered hatchlings until their powers re-awaken." Nolan explained and stepped closer to the boy to meet his eyes properly. "What does she mean, you don't know why you're here?"

"Just that, sir." Etienne answered quietly. "It was a feeling... I needed to be here, but... I don't know why."

"How old are you? How close are you to regaining your skin?"

"Twenty-one. Still a few years away."

Nolan made a curious sound. "That's enough!" Richard suddenly shouted. Rhia looked around, expecting to see him storming towards her, but he was restraining Mark from crossing the street again. "Stop acting like an idiot. Christian! Take the captain home."

Nolan tensed beside her. "Is that him?" he growled, glaring at Church.

"Yeah." She looked away from her ex's angry look.

"Richard," Church gestured wildly at the pair of Ancients next to Rhia. "What about..."

"You have both overstayed your welcome." Richard interrupted. "Take Mark home now."

He shoved Mark towards the car, keeping his body between Mark and Rhia. "You're just going to stand there and let her whore herself to a blood-sucker!?" Mark shrieked. "After everything we've been through?"

"Go home, Mark." Richard said coldly. "You're making a scene."

Mark spat at Richard's feet before turning and ripping open the door to the car he came in with Church. They sped off at a dangerous speed and the street was suddenly quiet. As the neighbors were finally heading back into their own houses, another car made its way down the street.

The dragonkin were polite and brief. They showed mild curiosity to why Nolan was present, shook Rhia's hand to thank her, and then turned their attention to Etienne. The younger male visibly hesitated and looked To Rhia. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

The kin all looked to Rhia, their faces a wash of confusion. She shifted uncomfortably. "I'll be okay, Etienne. Go home."

He nodded and let his elders guide him to the car. She turned to Nolan and let out a breath. "I'm just going to say goodbye to my mom, then we can go."

Nolan just nodded and she headed back to the property. Richard and Ashton had gone back inside. Worn out from confronting Church, Maddox was sitting on the front steps. Madeline met Rhia at the gate and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Call me later." She said softly. "I'll get Maddy home."

"Thanks, mom." She squeezed back. "I love you."

She bent to give Maddox a brief hug before jogging back to Nolan's car. "Did he hurt you?" he asked as they drove away, his voice laced with quiet rage.

"Not physically." She shrugged and leaned against the window. They drove in silence. It wasn't a pleasant silence. For the first time she felt awkward in his presence. She didn't like it. She realized a few minutes later that he wasn't driving in the direction of his house.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you home."

"What? Why? I thought I was coming over to your place?"

Nolan didn't say anything until he pulled up to the house and put the car in park. His face was a mask of stern resolve. "No." his voice was rough. "We can't do this, Rhia. I never should have encouraged this."

She stared at him, a lump growing in her throat and her mouth going dry. "Are you..." she hated how her voice cracked. "Breaking up with me?"

He turned to look her in the eye. His bright blue orbs were filled with emotion that didn't translate to the rest of his face. "Yes."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Nothing." His hand twitched towards her before clenching into fists and forcing them into his lap. "You deserve better than me. You deserve a normal, human relationship. I can't give you that."

"Who ever said I wanted normal and human!" she snapped back. "The last human I was with put me in the hospital!"

"Rhia-"

"Is this because I'm human?" Rage filled her so suddenly she felt a little lightheaded. "Is this because you don't want a human girlfriend?"

"No, Rhia, this has nothing-"

"Then what the fuck is it?! Grow a fucking pair and tell me the truth!"

"Constantine has ordered me to return to Europe." He barked, eyes flashing red for a second. "You're not coming with me, and I'm not going to ask you to sit around and wait for me until this shit is over."

Rhia slumped in the seat, unable to keep her jaw from falling open in disbelief and hurt. Church's voice rang in her head; I'm the only one who will ever put up with your shit. She shook her head and tried to blink the tears from her eyes. "So, you just made this decision on your own?" she bit out. "This didn't warrant a conversation in your opinion?"

"My relationship with Constantine only works when we're on equal ground. My previous relationships have been with other Ancients who can fight back. He almost ate you this morning! He continued to threaten you after you left. If we stay together, he will use you to get what he wants from me. I don't have a choice."

You're damaged goods.

"Fuck Constantine!" she shouted.

Nolan's eyes flew open. "Wha-"

"You fucking heard me!" she ripped off the seatbelt and turned to face him properly. "Fuck. Constantine. Fuck him, fuck my father, fuck the fucking universe! I know what they want, and I think I've made myself plenty clear what I want. What the fuck do you want, Nolan! Because if you don't want me, I will get out of this car and walk away, content with the few memories of the best moments I have ever had in my life. I will respect that you don't want the constant temptation to feed from me, and I won't argue it even though I literally dream about it. I will respect that you don't want me to be a vampire, and I sure as shit don't want to be one either. I will walk away if that is what you want. But if you're doing this because that twisted son-of-a-bitch is getting off on his power over you, then you're only showing him that he's right. If you want me, Nolan, then all you need to do is fucking say so. For fuck's sake, we are fucking adults. We'll figure it out together. So, tell me what you want!"

Her face was hot and wet from her outburst and the tears streaming from her eyes. Nothing, not even Church's betrayal, had hurt this much. Nolan blinked once and looked away from her. She was wrong. That hurt more.

I'm the best you could ever hope for.

She kicked open the car door and stormed up the front walk to the house. Her hands were shaking so badly, she struggled to fit the key in the lock. When the door finally swung open, instead of the warm, cozy feeling of her brother's house, she was greeted by a cold and empty house that was never really her home. It felt like when she had first moved in. The same, endless feeling of loss and lack of hope. This time she didn't even have pain meds to help her sleep.

She gave the door a shove to slam it shut. Sudden Nolan was standing in the doorway. His eyes were glowing bright blue, not the red she was growing accustom to. "You want to know what I want?" he snapped, stalking towards her.

She squared her shoulders and faced him. "Yeah. I do."

In a flash he had shoved her hard against the wall, his powerful body pressing completely against hers. His hands cupped her face and his mouth crushed hers. She twisted his shirt in her fists and pulled him closer, kissing back with equal passion.

"I want to never stop doing that." He hissed, barely relenting to even say the words. His hand pushed up the underside of her dress to grip her ass and pulled her hips up to meet his. "I want to never take my hands off you." He kissed down to her neck and bit lightly, careful not to let his fangs puncture her skin but making sure she felt their full length. "I want to fuck you and feed from you until your bones melt from pleasure." He pressed his forehead to hers, making sure she was looking directly into his glowing orbs. "I want to spend an eternity with you. I don't know why; we barely know each other. I don't know how to do that without turning you into a vampire, and I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy. All I do know is that you make me feel like the person I used to be... the person I was supposed to be... I'm not ready to let that go."

He kissed her again, softer this time. Rhia reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and lifted herself up to meet him. "Then don't." she whispered.

~