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  “You know, I don’t really get cold,” Asher began, as he decided to just jump right into the anticipated conversation.

  “Really?” I asked, as I continued to walk beside him. “Not even a little?”

  Shaking his head, no, Asher smiled. “Sometimes when it is really, really cold out-- like frigid Antarctic temperatures, I get a little chilly. But my body is frozen in time, so the cold doesn’t affect me like it did when I was human.”

  I thought this over for a minute. I guess my body too had transformed and adapted to the weather differently too. After becoming a shifter, I realized that the fur of my body as a wolf kept me warm in the cold air and caused me to get over-heated in the summer.

  “I can understand that,” I said.

  “I guess you can,” he agreed, probably thinking some of the same things that I had thought.

  Turning, a lightbulb sparked as a realization struck me. “Your dad is a veterinarian. That makes sense now. Is that where you get your…” I wasn’t sure how to say the last part.

  “Yes, we use some of the blood my dad gathers from the animals and we hunt,” Asher stated matter of fact like. My mom works in our garden a lot because she uses that time to watch the town and make sure we are remaining safe from unwanted visitors,” he said.

  I nodded as I finally understood why his parents were always so secluded in their own world. They were just like the Shifters.

  “What questions do you have for me?” Asher asked, as he led us to a large stump from where a large tree had fallen during a storm last year. It now provided a perfect bench for us.

  I thought about this for a moment. I had millions of questions, but I wanted to start out slow and not freak him out. “Do you have fangs?” I spit out. Wanting to smack myself in the face for being so silly, I tried to correct myself. “I mean, in most Vampire movies and books, they have fangs. You know, to suck the blood of…”

  I was stumbling over my words and making a fool out of myself. Thankfully, Asher was prepared to save me from myself.

  Laughing, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him. We were so close, and I could see both of our breaths coming out in large, white puffs when we spoke. “Elle, it is ok. You can ask me that question. In fact, it is a normal question, I guess.”

  “Ok,” I said, as I waited for his response.

  “Yes, I do have fangs. They only break through whenever I am eating, or as you called it sucking the blood of my victims or when I am angry,” he said with a grin.

  “How have I not seen them? We are together so much,” I stated.

  Almost laughing, Asher smiled. “Elle, I’ve had plenty of time in my lifetime to practice self-control when it comes to showing my fangs. Yes, they protrude when I am hungry or angry, but I have found that I can control that when needed,” he finished.

  “So, have you shown them lately?” I asked, startled with fear and curiosity.

  Nodding, Asher looked down for a moment and studied the ground before talking. “Yes. Last fall when the Hunters were after you and I knew you were in danger, I…” he paused, almost like he couldn’t bear to say the rest.

  Squeezing his hand, I let him know I was here for him and prepared to listen to whatever it was he had to tell me. “Go on, I’m here,” I assured.

  With his eyes still transfixed on the floor of the woods, he began to talk again in a soft tone. “When I discovered you and Maddox had been locked in that...cage, rage overtook me. I am not proud of what I did, but I used my fangs to tear the throats of two of the Hunters who were working as guards. All I knew was that I needed to get you safe,” he said.

  My eyes widened at his admission. This story was a little different from the one he had first shared with me when he had saved me and Maddox that day. It all was starting to make sense now, like I was finding the missing puzzle pieces to a masterpiece.

  At the time, I was so happy to have the Hunters gone and my family and friends safe, that I didn’t take the time to really rationalize Asher’s story. Of course, a normal, human boy wouldn’t have been able to fight heavily armed and trained guards. This finally made sense.

  “That finally makes sense,” I said, with a reassuring smile. “Now, my next questions is about what you said about feeding. What do you eat?” I asked nervously.

  “I don’t hunt humans, if that’s what you are looking for,” he teased. “That was one of the main reasons why my family left our clan. We didn’t want to kill humans or use them to drink from. We found our nourishment from animals and we still do,” he stated.

  “That’s really good to know,” I smiled. “I think Maddox worries about that,” I admitted.

  Nodding, Asher tried to control his anger. “I understand Maddox doesn’t approve of our relationship, but at some point, he has to let you go. I will not hurt you; he needs to know this,” he stated.

  I agreed and hoped that eventually they would find a way to have this conversation too.

  “What else?” he prompted. “This isn’t as scary as I thought it would be,” he joked.

  “Scary?” I laughed. “You mean the Vampire was afraid of a little conversation?”

  “A little,” he mused. His blue eyes were piercing through the darkness of the evening, and I could see so much love and admiration shining back at me that I almost cried.

  “What about death?” I asked, shifting the conversation back to the serious topics we needed to discuss.

  “Well, technically I am dead,” he stated, seriously.

  “I understand that, but can you like die again? Cease to exist?” I asked. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as the words slipped past my lips. The thought of a world without Asher almost made me sick to my stomach.

  “Yes, everything in the world will eventually die or no longer exist. For me, that will just take much longer than for others. A wooden cross to my heart and then burning me alive would be the only way to kill me. I don’t bleed, and my body heals itself when broken. There is only one thing that will destroy me and cause me to never return to this world again,” he said, with so much power behind his words that I felt myself leaning in to listen carefully.

  “What is it,” I asked, when he paused.

  My breaths faltered, and my body stilled waiting for his response. “The only thing that can destroy me is losing you.”

  A smile spread across my face as his words drifted into my mind and heart. “Asher…” I began, but nothing I could say would ever match the beauty of his words.

  Pulling me closer, Asher stared deep into my eyes. “Elle, you are mine now. I am yours. Together, we can change the entire way of thinking for our kinds. We can revolutionize the way Shifters, Vampires, Witches, Angels, and everyone else who is considered other-worldly live. We can prove you don’t have to stick to your “kind” the way it was once thought. We can be together forever,” he said, with a loving smile that warmed my heart.

  I wanted to sigh like a silly school girl in love for the first time, but something he said struck me hard like a blow to the face. Forever. I didn’t have forever like he did. I wasn’t immortal.

  “Asher,” I began, knowing I would probably regret my words.

  Cutting me off, Asher closed his eyes and winced like he knew already what was coming. “Don’t say it,” he pleaded.

  Ignoring his request, I knew time was ticking away like an annoying clock sitting on my shoulder. My time on earth was slipping away every second of everyday while his continued on… Forever.

  “Asher, I don’t have forever like you do. I have right now. I have years into the future, but not forever,” I said, as my stomach dropped, and I could feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Thinking about dying and not being with Asher anymore took my breath away and made me want to collapse from the pain that was now coursing through my body.

  “It doesn’t have to be that way,” he began. His black hair swayed in the cold wind, and his blue eyes pierced through the night like beacons of light. He was beyond beautifu
l and I could just stare at him...forever. “Elle, you could have forever with me, too. Just think about it. Right now, we are young. Teenagers, but in the future when you are older, we could reconsider.”

  It was ludicrous. Crazy. And unheard of. But, it was also endearing. Enchanting. And, insanely romantic and sweet. Did I want forever with Asher? If he changed me, would I still be a Shifter, or would I be a Vampire? I had come on this date with Asher with the hopes of gaining more answers, but instead, I was faced with more questions.

  Noticing my distant stare, Asher shook my hands that were still placed in his. “Elle, I know you are getting lost in your own thoughts but stop thinking so much. Just talk to me. This is what we are here for,” he stated, with a warming smile.

  “Asher, this is becoming so confusing. Forever for me would mean eternity. But, as what?”

  I began to share with him my concerns and questions that had been rambling through my mind moments ago. As Asher listened, he took in everything I was saying. He was truly considering every option I laid out for him. When I finished, I exhaled a deep breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.

  Laughing, Asher breathed out a long breath too. “Is that all?” he teased.

  Poking him in the arm, I pretended to scoff. “Hey, not fair. Not all of us have been around for hundreds of years and have had the luxury of learning everything,” I stated.

  Wrapping an arm around me, Asher smiled. “Elle, I promise everything will be fine. To be honest, I have no idea what you would become if you considered allowing me to change you. That is something we would have to research and…” he paused, almost like he didn’t want to say the next sentence. “We would have to discuss all of this with your family and mine.”

  I cringed as he said the last part. Being a Shifter was important to my family and to me. How would they take it if I told them I wanted to live forever and possibly no longer be a Shifter? What would Maddox think? Would he ever be able to forgive me?

  “I guess we have a few years to prepare for that, if the time comes,” I said. “I am not sure that is even what I want, but being with you forever does sound nice,” I said, as I snuggled closer to him.

  Kissing me on my cheek, Asher continued to hold me. Being in his arms relaxed me and made the idea of forever seem more promising each second. “You know what?” Asher asked, as she sat up a little straighter so that he was taller than me, even sitting. “If… and I know it is a big if but allowing me to bite you and transfer my Vampire venom to you, may not erase the Shifter, but only increase your powers. What if you became some type of power hybrid of sorts?” he asked with an amusing smile.

  He was really considering this, like taking this idea to a whole new level. “Asher, maybe we should slow down for a second. Let’s research and take time to really think about this. I will make you a deal; when I am nineteen, I will make a decision, but only after we have learned as much as we can about Vampires changing Shifters. I also want to know if it’s even happened before or not,” I finished, with a hopeful smile.

  While I didn’t want to give Asher false hope, I also didn’t want him to think I wasn’t considering this option. As crazy as it all sounded; Vampires changing Shifters, hybrids, and powers, it was part of my life and I couldn’t rule out any chance of fulfilling my own destiny.

  Standing, Asher reached down and helped me up. “Enough of this future talk. We still have plenty of time to just be Asher and Elle. But, I do have one more thing to show you about being a Vampire,” he said, as he looked excited.

  I loved how he could so easily transition the conversation from something so dark and intense to light-hearted. He was pulling us back to our purpose for being out on our date tonight and that was for me to learn about his life as a Vampire, not what the future could hold for me.

  “What’s that?” I played along as I stood next to him.

  Leaning in, Asher got so close that our lips almost touched. I could feel his icy breaths against my cheek and I wanted to melt against his cool skin. “Vampires are incredibly fast. Possibly even faster than Shifters,” he dared.

  Oh no, he wasn’t going to test my running capabilities. I was a Shifter-- part wolf, but I was also a natural born runner. It was on now.

  “Are you saying you are faster than me?” I questioned, as I felt my body begin to shift and transform into a swift and fast wolf.

  Smiling a devilish grin, Asher took a step forward. “I would never say that, but I might just show you,” he stated, before he took off with lightning speed. He became a blur and wind whirled all around me as took off running at speeds I had never seen before.

  Jumping in the air, I landed back onto the ground below on all four paws as I began to sprint forward to catch up and, hopefully, pass Asher. I knew where he was heading-- the pond we always went to just outside the clearing of the woods. I couldn’t let him beat me, not this time. Not ever.

  ***

  Five minutes later, I arrived at the pond only a step ahead of Asher. I had raced past him after only a few leaps, but it was clear Asher was fast--Insanely fast. It was thrilling to know that he could now run with me like Maddox did. This was something Asher and I could share, something we had in common.

  “Told you I was fast,” Asher teased, as he stood in front of me.

  “Hey not fair, you aren’t out of breath,” I noted, as I placed my hands on my hips.

  I was still in the shape of a wolf, since I didn’t have any spare clothes available to me. My chest heaved as I caught my breath.

  “I am dead, remember. I don’t really need oxygen filling my lungs to survive,” he kidded.

  “Now that you are a full-on Vampire, you have jokes,” I teased.

  “Yeah, guess I couldn’t kid about death before now,” he added to the humor.

  I shook my head and smiled. I sort of liked this new side to Asher. It was carefree, like he wasn’t on edge anymore. Well, at least not as much on edge as he usually was. It’s still uptight Asher, after all.

  We sat by the pond and talked about our upcoming weekend plans and laughed at some of the kids in our classes. After another hour, it was time for me to head home.

  “I will run with you, but no racing this time,” I said, as I looked at Asher.

  I knew he would want to take me back home; he looked after me like that, and it was just another reason I loved him.

  “Sounds fair,” he stated.

  We began a nice, slow jog as we made our way back into the woods. Our speed allowed us to admire the scenery around us. We were just about to the clearing to my house when something out of the corner of my eye caused me to stop dead in my tracks. Noticing my sudden halt, Asher stopped too.

  My gaze was focused on a grouping of thick trees by the outer edge of the woods. There, staring back at me; was the woman I had seen at the coffee shop the other night. I knew something was off about her, and now as she stood in the forest watching me, I knew I had been right.

  “Do you see her?” I whispered to Asher.

  “Yes,” he said, as he shook his head slowly.

  Before either of us could react, she slid back into the thick trees and escaped outside the forest walls. Asher and I both stood there too stunned to speak or move. I could feel my heart pounding and I swear it almost pounded right out of my chest. Asher just looked angry, like he could kill someone in that instant.

  “Was that?” Asher began, but his words were growls and he couldn’t finish his question.

  I didn’t need to hear the rest of what he was about to say. We both knew who that was. “Yes, that is the woman who I saw at the coffee shop. She isn’t just someone traveling through Shady Oaks, I believe she is after us,” I said, with a grimace.

  “We need to get you home and tell your family and mine,” Asher said, as he began to pull me forward.

  Taking his lead, I followed Asher back to my house, but I couldn’t help noticing that both of us never stopped looking around, like we were waiting for an attack that we both knew was
eventually going to come.

  Chapter 10

  Asher and I both burst through my front door screaming about the red-haired lady in the woods. As my parents listened, I could hear footsteps coming through my front door. Somehow, my dad had alerted the rest of the pack and they were emerging in my living room as Asher replayed multiple times what we saw, when it happened, and where it happened. Everyone around us listened intently.

  Stepping forward, my dad gained the attention of everyone in the room. “Asher, have you alerted your parents to this?” he asked carefully.

  Nodding his head, Asher said yes. He had texted his dad as soon as we rushed through the door. They would be here shortly.

  “Good,” my dad replied.

  Just as more people began to talk, and questions began flying around the room, I turned to see Asher’s parents along with Maddox running through my front door.

  “What is going on?” Maddox yelled over all of the commotion.

  “We came as fast as we heard,” Elliott called to my dad, as he stepped further into the room.

  Everyone was full of questions and the tension in the room was growing as more people arrived.

  “Let’s all settle down,” my dad bellowed over the noise. “What Elle and Asher have discovered is alarming; but I think we can all agree, we knew this day would eventually come,” he began.

  “Dad, what are you talking about?” I asked, as I stepped forward out of the circle of people.

  “Elle,” he began, as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Did you really think that the war with the Hunters was over when we killed the group after us last fall?” he asked with a grimacing look.

  I paused, because I had been naive enough to believe that the Hunters were gone and that my biggest problem was that my boyfriend was a Vampire.

  Realizing this too, Maddox jumped to my side. “Why didn’t you tell us if you knew the war wasn’t over. Did we make it worse?” he asked.

  I looked to Maddox, my best friend and savior when I needed him. Smiling, I hugged him as I knew he was going to be on my side.