"Are you sure it's ok for us to be here?" He asked as they entered into the house.
"I said it was ok for you to be here." Aiden replied turning around to look at the group of about ten people. "They on the other hand, might be a problem."
"I'm sorry it's just...we travel together; at all times."
"That must be really convenient." said Aiden sarcastically. "Uh, help yourselves to a seat...if there's enough for all of you."
"If it's too much trouble man we could leave, it's−
"Morgan?" Nick stepped out into the living room rubbing the sleep out of his lucid grey eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing." Morgan said looking just as confused as Nick. "You've been gone for days. Have you been here this whole time?"
"Uh yea. There's a lot of stuff going on. Stuff I had to deal with. Why are you guys here?"
"I met this guy in the forest." Morgan said nodding to Aiden. "You know, I was there just taking a walk, like I always do and−
"Morgan cut to the chase he knows about supernatural beings. He's a werewolf for crying out loud." Nick said folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
"He is yes I know. I just wasn't sure if he knew that."
Nick rolled his eyes.
"Anyway he invited us here since there were some things happening that we were all confused and kinda scared about." Morgan cleared his throat. "We thought that maybe we could talk about them."
"We all need to talk about the messed up shit that's going on and−
"Nick! Haven't you ever learned to make a goddamn bed in your..." I was shouting as I entered the living room but paused and moved closer to Nick. "Who are all these people?" I asked him quietly.
"Jennifer!" Someone who sat among the group of people yelled while pushing their way forward to me. I recognized his rich, cocoa brown eyes and the bright metallic smile.
"Del!" I returned the smile, hugging the intriguing boy I met once in the coffee shop. His body felt cool under my warm skin and he smelled like peppermint. "It's so nice to see you again."
"So, this is where you've been huh?" Del asked winking at Nick.
"It's not like that." Nick smiled at Del. "Not yet." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes in response.
"Not ever." I said. "Now, who are all these people?"
"These people are the members of my clan." Nick stated walking towards them.
I almost laughed. "Your clan?"
"Yes."
"You're the leader of something?"
"What? Am I not capable of being a leader?" He smirked. "Don't answer that."
"So, are they all vampires?"
"Nope; only four are, myself excluded, Del included." He explained. "I don't believe in having an army made up of the same soldiers. I believe variation is the key to survival and identical beings are useless simply because, if your enemy finds the weakness of one, they find the weakness of all."
"So Morgan, what are you?" Aiden asked.
"I'm one of the vampires along with Stacy and Melanie." Morgan gestured to two girls in the group; Stacy, a tall brown skinned brunette with dark brown eyes. Her hair was needle straight and stopped midway down her back. Her façade was serious but lightened up when Garrett walked into the room. Melanie was nearly a foot shorter than Stacy. Her platinum blond hair was straight as well but was grazed low at the back and long at the front just below her chin. There were several piercings going up her ears and one on her right eyebrow and the tattoos on her skin gave off a tense vibe, however when she smiled, the small gap between her two front teeth made her look quite cute.
"What are the others?" I asked.
"Sean and Stephan are werewolves." Nick answered. "Identical twins; comes in pretty handy." When Nick said they were identical, he meant identical. Every detail, down to the light dusting of freckles on the cheeks was the same. Their hair was jet black and touched their neck which reminded me of Ian's. They could even be Russian too. They were tall and well built and looked prepared for a fight at any unexpected minute. Everything on them made them striking but it was their bright sapphire eyes that made them stand out. Smooth ivory skin covered them both and like everything else on them it was flawless.
"My name is Jasmine." A girl with long curly bronze hair stepped forward. She was the same height as me and bared the same fair complexion. Her eyes were green. Not an emerald green like Adrian's, but a dim olive which was brought out by her lush pink lips. There was a small smile on them and for a second I thought she was smiling at me, but when I followed her eyes I realized she was looking at Aiden. He returned the gesture which made her cheeks flush. Slowly she took her attention off of him and gave it back to me. "I'm a banshee."
"The wailing woman." Satyr's voice sounded through the room. "I've only met one before. They're incredible creatures. And extremely beautiful I must say." She smiled shaking Jasmine's hand.
"This here is my special girl." Nick said putting his arms around a girl with fiery red hair which resembled Avalon's. "Found her all the way in Southern Arabia four years ago."
"I'm Darcy, pleasure to meet you." She smiled taking my hand. Darcy was the same height as Nick and her red locks were pinned into a bun, however if she were to let it go it might past the middle of her back. Her cheeks carried deep dimples when she smiled and her teeth were perfectly lined up as though she just removed braces. There was a small tattoo of a rose on her ankle and another one of stars which ran from behind her left ear and down the back of her neck, disappearing under her T-shirt's neckline.
"Darcy here is an Emere." Nick smiled. "I'm sure you've never heard of it. I didn't until I met her. An Emere is someone, mostly a woman, who has the ability to travel between the spiritual and physical world. Tricky little creatures they are, extremely dangerous as well but we take our chances."
"So, you can see spirits?" I asked.
"Yes I can, plus I can talk to them and feel them as if they were real." Darcy smiled.
"Interesting."
"And my name is Griffin." A dark blue haired guy stepped towards me taking my hand and placing a small kiss on my knuckles. He was almost a foot taller than I was and was a lot fairer too. His skin was flawless like the twins and his eyes were so light brown they almost seemed golden. "You are very pretty." He smiled.
Before I could reply Nick cleared his throat loudly and glared at Griffin. "Griffin is a Nagual. Came across him in Europe and decided to let him join my clan. A decision I'm currently reconsidering." He said a bit annoyed.
"Jealousy is an illness Nick. Get well soon." Griffin smiled.
"Anyway, a Nagual is a human being who has the power to magically turn himself either spiritually or physically into an animal form; any animal." Nick said and walked next to Griffin. "By the way, jealously is not an illness, it's a flaw, and you my friend are far from perfect." He smiled and tapped Griffin's shoulder.
"Angel, this here is−
"Chad!" Avalon's voice came shrieking through the room as she darted for the blond haired boy who Nick was about to introduce me to; the one with amber colored eyes. Eyes I have never seen someone with before, contact lenses included.
"Who's that? How does Snow know him?" Garrett asked Jessie who had just entered the room.
"That's the guy she's been spending all her time with." Jessie said not even trying to hide his irritation. "Her new boyfriend."
Garrett laughed. "Oh, you mean the guy you're jealous of."
"I am not jealous of him."
"I would be. He's fricking hot, and I'm a guy who's saying this. Don't even get me started on those eyes, damn."
"Wow, looks like Avalon has some competition." Jessie rolled his eyes.
"This is the guy I've been telling you guys about! He's incredible isn't he?" Avalon smiled while squeezing Chad in her grip.
I laughed. "Um, we don't quite know him yet Avalon, but I'm sure he is."
"Great to meet you." Chad said giving me a hug instead of a handshake which I was expecting. "All of you." He smiled looking at the others.
"Chad is a hybrid along with his sister Kaitlin. Hybrid meaning that they're a mixture of vampire and werewolf. It's actually rare." Nick explained. "I've known them since I became a vampire myself. They were two of the first members of my clan."
Kaitlin introduced herself with a smile which showed the resemblance between her and her brother. Her eyes were not as stunning as his however they possessed a glossy caramel which was almost as pretty. Her hair was blond just like his and fell down the entire length of her back in a French braid. The skin on them both looked so flawless that I almost touched it to test its authenticity. I have never seen a more perfect shade of ivory before. Every feature on them seemed as though it was chiseled by an artist ten times more successful than Michelangelo and their movements mirrored the perfect amount of grace. If my entire life depended on picking out the smallest thing wrong with their physical appearance, I would, without a doubt, die.
"Great, now that we're all friends and have become another twisted version of the Brady bunch, how about you guys elaborate on what happened today in the forest." Nick said.
"There were these animals, just running and ramping as though something scared them." Morgan explained.
"So a bunch of animals trampled through some bushes and you call a family meeting?" Nick folded his arms.
"They didn't just trample." Aiden stepped forward, his face serious. "They...they killed themselves. All of them."
Nick's mouth opened then closed, and then opened again. "Are you sure it was suicide? It could've been a hunter's trap or something that−
"No, it was suicide." Morgan said. "And it was pretty fricking scary. Hundreds of animals don't just kill themselves!"
"Satyr?" I turned to the woman we've become acquainted with over the past few days.
"It's expected for things like that to happen." She sighed. "Animals can sense evil. Just like right before a hurricane birds scatter across the skies, dogs sometimes never stop barking. This is more serious than a hurricane. These creatures are not only affecting the lives of the werewolves, they are affecting everything bringing darkness to nature itself."
"We have to do something Nick." It was Chad who spoke. "Did you find anything? Figure anything out?"
"Actually, we know how to stop them." Nick said looking at Satyr and I.
"You do?" Kaitlin stood next to her brother.
"Yes, Satyr here told us about a prophecy that her sister made. The prophecy states that the blood of three people would be able to defeat them and we already have, well we know one of the people. We just need to gather all of them and let Satyr do her hocus pocus." Nick explained.
"Simple as that?" Darcy asked.
"Well it sounds simple but finding these people will actually be like a kick in the balls." Nick stated digging in the pocket of the robe he borrowed from the guest room pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "I mean it's not like they'll just come walking through the door." He lit the cigarette in his mouth and blew smoke into the air which earned him a glare from me.
"Wow looks like I came just in time for the party." A familiar voice came from the door. A voice I've been dying to hear for so long. When his curly hair came into view without thinking I pushed through Nick and darted for him holding him so tightly in my arms that his breathing probably stopped. "Ok Jen, I can't...breathe."
"Oh my God, I'm not even sorry! Adrian!" I pulled away and kissed his face multiple times. "You're alive, you're ok!"