A week passes, and not a single sound from Deacon, or even the Motloes.

Ana quit her job and blocked Deacon from her phone. He hadn’t tried to show up, which she was thankful for. She wasn’t ready to start another job yet, and so she spent the next seven days tending to her garden and watching TV. Logan and Cora had invited for a night out on Friday but she had declined, claiming she was sick. It was a lie, but it was better than telling them Deacon had been secretly sending her private information to his super rich and super secret family, and now she was afraid to go outside.

Her mother had also called her, sounding distressed and still sick. She told Ana not to make Marchosias mad, which confused her. She hadn’t seen him since the day next to her dad’s grave. Had he visited her mom without seeing Ana too? Her mother hung up before she could get an answer.

After seven days of not seeing anybody, she decided to pay Beau a visit and prayed Judas wouldn’t be there. She hadn’t seen Beau since he gave her that paper with the spell on it, but she didn’t have any reason to use it.

She knocked on his motel door, and waited. The sun beat down on her, and she wiped a sheen of sweat off of her forehead. She wished it would rain again, and the sun to hide away too. She hated summer.

After a few minutes of silence, she pounded on the door and listened for any movement inside. None. It was afternoon, which meant the brothers should’ve been awake by now. Had they gone somewhere? Where could they have possibly gone in the middle of the afternoon? Beau didn’t make any mention of leaving the last time she saw him.

A maid passed by with a cart full of cleaning supplies, and Ana stopped her. “Excuse me, do you know who’s been staying in this room? Have you seen them?”

The old lady looked at her, and then the room she was pointing at. “No, ma’am. You must be mistaken. Nobody has stayed in that room in three weeks.”

“What?” Ana glanced at the door. “But…I’ve been in here. There were two brothers staying here.”

The maid shrugged, and continued pushing the cart. “I’m sorry. Nobody has stayed in there in awhile, I would know.”

They did leave, then. Without telling her. Beau had used a spell on the motel staff and made them forget they were ever there, maybe to cover their tracks. Wouldn’t he have warned her first? Or maybe he found out where his mother was, and left before he could complete their deal?

A spark of anger rushed through her, and she gritted her teeth. Of course he was never going to tell me. Why did I expect any different from him?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. It was Logan, asking if she wanted to go out tonight. Ana thought about it, her finger tapping the side of her phone. Was there really any harm now? She hadn’t seen Deacon in a week, and she was dying for a good distraction from all this mess.

She smiled at the thought of a good drink and music loud enough to block out her own thoughts, and texted her friend back.

—_—

Ana downed another shot and squeezed her eyes shut at the bitter taste. She set the shot glass down on the table the same time as Logan and Cora. The roar of the music reverberated in her chest, and she could barely hear the sound of her friend’s voices over it, but by their smiling faces she knew they were happy.

She, however, felt nervous ever since she walked into the club. She had planned wholeheartedly to get drunk tonight, but now she didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that. She felt as if somebody had been watching her this whole time, but it was hard to tell in such a crowded area. She had only two shots in the two hours she had been there but she was too afraid to take any more. She didn’t have a good feeling how this night would end.

Cora nudged her shoulder and leaned towards her ear. “You seem a little down tonight.”

Ana shrugged. “I just feel weird, that’s all.”

Ana had only known Cora for a few years. She had met her at a bar in Lexingside, during one of her and Logan’s bar-hopping sessions and they have been friends ever since. She owned a business here, some kind of shop that sold locally-made goat soap and lotion.

Cora smiled, the shorter strands of her curly brown hair falling into her face. “Well, it’s good that you came out! I knew you were sick a few days ago.”

“Hey!” Logan poked Ana’s arm and leaned against the table, already appearing tipsy after four shots. “If I see—If I see Deacon within a twenty-feet radius of you, I’m clocking him in the face.”

Ana laughed and quickly shook her head. “You don’t have to worry! I’m done with him, I promise. Besides, he’s not here.”

Logan raised her eyebrows and pointed to her left. Ana followed the direction of her finger and spotted Deacon appearing out of the crowd, as if summoned by Logan’s mention of him. Ana sighed and rubbed her face. “Okay, look—No fist-fighting.”

Logan shrugged and turned to Deacon, stepping in front of Ana. “No promises.”

Deacon approached Logan and tried to speak to her, but she shook her head at anything he said. Ana couldn’t hear their conversation over the loud music, but she assumed Deacon wanted to speak with her again, and Logan didn’t want that. Ana didn’t feel like speaking to him, their last conversation still weighing heavy on her mind, but it seemed like Deacon wasn’t going to give up.

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Ana tapped Logan’s shoulder, and her friend turned around. “Let me talk to him. Just for a few minutes, and then I’ll run him off.”

“No!” Logan exclaimed. “I’m not letting you do anything with this worm—Not tonight!”

“Just a small talk,” Ana replied. “You can watch us.”

Logan gave her a disappointed look, but backed away. Ana didn’t look at Deacon as she walked to the far side of the club, but she knew he was following her. She leaned against the wall and turned back to him, her arms crossed. “Make it quick.”

He smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Well, I thought I could wait until you cooled down to speak to you again, see if you changed your mind.”

“You’re the stupidest person I know.” She started to walk away from him. “I told you to stop talking to me.”

He grabbed her arm and she immediately wrenched it from his grip. She turned back towards him, teeth barred. “You have some nerve—”

“Do I? I don’t think you get. Your father doesn’t care about you. Once he is done using you for whatever it is he’s doing, he’ll throw you away like trash! I’m offering you safety, Ana! You can’t get that anywhere else.”

“Safety?” Ana exclaimed over the loud music. “Safety in exchange for what? Fulfilling your fantasy of having a super-cambion for a child?! I won’t be the one to do that because guess what? I don’t get periods. I can’t have children. One of the potential risks of being a first-born cambion. Maybe you should’ve asked me that before making assumptions.”

He glared at her, his cold gray eyes glaring into hers. He didn’t look so confident now, his carefree demeanor now replaced with a serious look. He turned his nose up at her and set his shoulders back. “I’m still offering you safety. My family would still be interested in your double core…I know I am.”

A dark arm came in between them and pushed Ana back. Logan moved in between them, facing Deacon. “That’s enough. You’ve both had your little talk, now you need to leave.”

Deacon scowled as he looked down at Logan, not pleased with her interruption. “Maybe you should leave too. They told me about your second strike.”

“Go.” Logan pressed, and Deacon stormed out after a few moments of glaring. She visibly relaxed and turned back to Ana.

“Second strike? What is he talking about?” Ana asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Nothing,” Logan shook her head and smiled, placing her hands on Ana’s arms. “Why don’t we get back to Cora?”

Ana hesitated. “I…I don’t know. I’m not feeling that well. I might just go home early.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Why don’t I go with you, then? I’d rather you get home without making any detours.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “I’m done with him, I promise.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Logan started walking back to their table, and Ana followed. Ana watched as Logan leaned towards Cora’s ear and told her that they were leaving.

Cora nodded and smiled. “Yeah, don’t sweat it. Some of my friends are here, so I think I’ll stick around. You both get home safe, alright?”

“We will try!” Logan pulled Ana by the arm, and they headed toward the exit, giggling.

—_—

The feeling she couldn’t shake off throughout her time in the club was now gone in the cab they took home. Ana still couldn’t tell where it had come from. Maybe something, her mind or her core, was telling her there was a cambion near. Was that how it felt? Was that what she was missing this entire time?

“Shit…” Logan typed away on her phone, her painted nails clacking on the glass screen.

“What’s wrong?” Ana asked.

“My brother’s air conditioning broke, and he wants me to come over and fix it as soon as I can since his pregnant wife has terrible heat flashes. I might not be able to stay for long at your place.” She replied as the cab turned into Ana’s driveway.

“That’s fine, you don’t need to stay.” Ana grabbed her purse from where it was sitting at her feet. “I think I can handle unlocking the door.”

“Yeah, probably better than me, huh?” Logan giggled. “But seriously, I’ll visit for a few minutes just to sober up. My brother can wait.”

When the car stopped, and stepped out of the car and shut the door, Logan doing the same on the other side. She expected Jazzy to be at the front door waiting for her, but she wasn’t there. She didn’t run out from under the porch, either. Ana knew she let her out before going to Lexingside, so where was she?

“Where’s your kitty cat? Isn’t she usually outside?” Logan made a pspspsps sound before clicking her tongue, but no cat came.

Ana unlocked the door and entered the dark home. “Jazzy?” She called out to the pesky feline, but she was not given an answer. “She must be sleeping somewhere.”

She turned on the hallway light and dropped her purse on the table next to the door. Logan closed the door behind her and took off her shoes. “Your house is always so spooky at night. Don’t you ever get scared?”

“Not really.” Ana walked to the kitchen, taking off her heels beforehand and dumping them near the stairs. “I’ve lived here all my life.”

Ana grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. She turned back to Logan, who leaned against the counter to the left of her.

“So…can I ask what happened with Deacon?” She asked, smiling.

Ana shrugged, looking down at her glass of water. “He…I found out he was sending private things about me to his family, and other people I don’t know about. He tried to justify it, but I just got mad.”

Logan frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry, Ana. I always knew he was a dick. I shouldn’t have let him talk to you at the club, then.”

Ana shook her head, taking a sip of her water. “No, it’s fine. He walked off without a problem, didn’t he? He won’t bother me again.” She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ve been too stressed lately, I think. Ending things with him takes some weight off my shoulders.”

“Glad to hear it.” Logan smiled. “You’ve been through a lot these past few years, you deserve the peace.”

Her phone vibrated once, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Her smile faded as she read the text she received.

“What’s wrong? Is it your work?” Ana asked. She knew Logan worked as a social media manager for some company in Tallahassee. She often had to make last-minute trips to take photos for their social media pages.

“Uh…yeah.” Logan replied, stuffing her phone back into her purse. “They want me to be there in 2 days for an event, or something.”

“Or something?” Ana raised an eyebrow. Her friend was nervous, but Ana didn’t know what about.

Logan clasped her hands together and smiled. “Yeah—I don’t know much about it. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Ana grabbed her hand before she could leave the kitchen. “Wait. What did Deacon mean when he said second strike? How do you know each other?”

Logan hesitated, looking away from her. “His family…works for the company I work at. I’ve been in trouble lately—I don’t know how he found out. That’s it, Ana. I swear.”

Ana looked away, grimacing. “Of course they do. I’m sorry, it’s just—I feel like I’m being lied to by everybody.”

Logan gave her a sorrowful look and wrapped her arms around Ana. “Don’t be sorry. I thought I told you before that my company was owned by the Carbonneau family—they own a lot of things in the south. Just…when I get back, I’ll tell you more, alright? Just wait until then.”

Ana nodded, returning the hug. Logan pulled away and looked up at Ana, smiling. “I’ll see you soon.”

Ana smiled back, watching as Logan left the house, shutting the door behind her. She sighed, her smile fading as she sank to the kitchen floor. Logan’s explanation made little sense, and Ana still felt like she was keeping something from her. She never knew Logan to lie directly to her, so why did she start now? Beau, Marchosias, Deacon, and maybe even her mother have been keeping secrets from her. Who else was hiding something?

Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Just under the kitchen cabinets, sitting on the ground, was a can of wet cat food. It was empty, and Ana touched the inside with her finger to find it was still wet. She never gave Jazzy wet food unless she was sick or if it was her birthday. Unless Jazzy suddenly developed opposable thumbs, somebody must’ve fed her while I was gone, and it was definitely not Marchosias. Beau..? But where is Jazzy?

A murr came from the living room. Ana dropped the can on the ground and jumped up, peering into the dark living room. Jazzy sat on the couch, looking at her intently. Ana sighed in relief that her cat hadn’t been taken somewhere, but that sill left—

Her front door opened, and closed. No sound after that. No footsteps, no voice. Marchosias wouldn’t have used the door, and Beau wouldn’t have crossed the spellwork on the porch. Her heart raced as she slowly walked to the hallway, her right hand automatically going to her lower back where her guns where. She couldn’t take them out, however, due to the short gold dress she was wearing. She would have to pull her dress up to touch the tattoos that lay under.

Her hands shook as she walked out into the hallway. She couldn’t see the door yet, but she prayed, wished even that it was just Beau or even Marchosias, but she knew this behavior was uncharacteristic of them. Despite that, she called tentatively called out the name that would get her the least into trouble.

“…Father?”

She could see the door now. It wasn’t Beau. Standing in front of the door, with his arms clasped in front of him, was Deacon. He smiled as if he was just a husband coming home from work, a gleeful look on his face as if he wasn’t an intruder in her home.

Ana wished Logan had stayed now.