"Let me know if you hear anything?" Thadius agreed and hung up. He gathered some books from the archives and went to join Alaina in the parlor. He leaned on the doorframe to his office and observed this woman marveling at every thing she saw. Alaina looked around the interior of the house. Numerous antique paintings of old battles and warriors from different cultures donned the walls of the entry way. The ceilings were high and the molding was beautifully hand carved by the look of it. The sitting room Thadeus had motioned her toward was off to the left of the foyer. Two glass sliding doors marked the entryway. In the center of the back wall, there was a large ornate fireplace. By the look of it, it was victorian. Very well maintained, as she could tell the varnish had been redone but the wood was original. The mantle had similar carving to the molding. It was breathtaking. A few large trunks sat amidst a slew of couches and lounge chairs in the middle of the room. Alaina had a seat. Oooh they were soft. Thadeus continued to observe her pondering her environment. Shaking himself out of his moment of gazing, he proceded to the center of the room. He had a hefty stack of books in his arms and set them down in the middle of the trunk closest to her. Sitting across from her, he leaned toward her and interlocked his fingers in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees. "What do you want to know?" Alaina didnt know what to make of any of this so she asked the first question that came to mind.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Thadeus Morgan."

"And who were the guys at my house?"

"Wicked."

"No, I dont mean it like that, I mean who like what are their names?"

" Thats what they are called, and I've seen one of them before. The one you cut in the alley way is called Calder."

"And what did he want with me?"

"Thats what im trying to find out."

Alaina paused. "Whats a Wicked?" Thadeus picked up one of the smaller books from the table between them. It looked very old, its spine was crackled and its cover looked brittle with age. In black embossed letters, the cover read "In Praeditus." Sensing her confusion, Thadeus offered a translation. "It means The Gifted. These are probably the most relevant books on the subject, but if I were you, " He held the book out to Alaina. "Id start with this one."

Alaina sat in the living room for what seemed like ages. One page after another. What was she doing here? Not even 3 hours ago her house was being broken into by God knows what. She could hear Sophies head spinning. Here she was, like nothing had even happened, reading about nonsense. Wicked, Scorned, Sighted, Blessed. Preternatural beings from a place called the Vast. According to the text, the Scorned were The equivalent of bounty hunters and the Wicked were runaway trapped souls. Their "home" was called the Vast. It acted as a middle ground between heaven and hell. Souls would go there, be sent one place or another, or on occasion they would be presented with an opportunity to be "reborn". If chosen for that, they would come back as a member of the Scorned or one of the other menagerie of beings. Sometimes the souls got impatient and found a way out. if all of them were as nasty as the ones she had the displeasure of encountering, she shuddered to think of how often that had happened. She sat back and stretched her arms and legs. Glancing over towards the office, she noticed a rather stern look on her captors face. Having never been one to like having things witheld from her, she moved to investigate. Thadeus was trying to find out why Alaina was granted a free pass to all things Scorned. Usually the Vast was very tight lipped about things, especially to mortals. Whoever she was, he just hoped she was worth it. He had barely ended his train of thought when Alaina came in and shut the door behind her."Whats that face for?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Thadeus arched a brow towards her and sat back in his chair. "Did you finish the reading I gave you?" he asked. "Yes but seeing as this isnt a book club, I'd like to stop. I've always been more the seeing is believing type so unless you want me to walk out that front door, I suggest you prove you are... whatever you are." Thadeus cracked a slight grin. He knew full well there was not a chance she would be able to get off the property but she was certainly amusing him so he indulged her boldness. "Ok," he said as he rose fom his chair. standing at what must have been at least 6'3, he put his hands in his pockets and looked at her."What did you have in mind". Alaina swallowed. She forgot how tall he was. "Well, this book says you can run super fast correct?" Thadeus nodded in confirmation. "Ok so I'm gonna throw this at your face and you have to catch me before it hits the ground." He looked at the book, the doorway, and then back to her. "Agreed." Alaina looked at his eyes. they were laser focused on her. Chills of adrenaline rose up her spine. This man was intimidating as hell and she just challenged him to a game of tag. "When I say go?" he nodded to her once again. "One..." She waited a few moments. "Two..." She waited just a moment longer. "THREE!" she hurled the book as hard a she could at his face.

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Next thing she knew she was pinned against the door with his face barely inches from hers. That large room got very small, very fast. She tried to gather her thoughts. "Where?" She stammered."Where is the book?" A silence befell the room. Thadeus could barely speak. Her aroma was intoxicating. She smelled like cocoa butter and lemon. " Shelf." He nodded his head toward the bookcase as his eyes traced every angle of her face. Alaina turned her eyes toward he book shelf and sure enough, it was tucked neatly back into the shelf. "How did you do that"? she asked. She already knew the answer. She had been reading about it. He had super human speed. The room stood still. They just stared back at each other. Tension crackled in the room between their faces. Thadeus loosened his grip and stepped back to allow her room to move out of the way. They were still inches away from each other. He studied her face. Her eyes darted back and forth from his. Her breathing was slightly labored and despite his loosened hold, she stopped making an effort to avoid him. What was she thinking? Alaina was, in that moment, speechless. The longer he looked at her with that focused gaze, the more warmth she felt spread throughout her body. She could hear Sophies voice in her head telling her to seize her moment. Before she could decide one way or the other, He had pulled away, straightened his shirt and left the office. "Beaux can show you to your room". Alaina was left standing in the office flushed when he came in. "Right this way ma'am." He held a hand out pointing towards the stairs. Silently, she followed him to what would be her room. When he opened the door she almost gasped. Like the rest of the house, the room was gorgeous. Definitely inspired by another era. Sophie would love this place. She wishes she had her phone so she could send her pictures. Maybe they would let her get it tomorrow. The color scheme was a mixture of robins egg blue, soft yellow and the lightest of grays. It was very calming. The slight smell of lavender and vanilla hung in the air. various throw pillows adorned the large canopy bed sat in the center. Alaina looked at it longingly. She could use some sleep. Despite what had happened, and all of her uncertainty at the moment, she felt safe here. "Is there anything I can get for you?" Beau asked, if only to break the silence. "No, I am ok but thank you." She smiled and closed the door. Realizing she didnt have anything clean to wear, she went back to the door and hollered down the hall."BEAUX?!" He turned around right before he would have turned the corner. "I dont suppose I could borrow a shirt or something? I dont have anything to wear and this is kinda covered in chaos." He thought for a moment. "Ill see what I can do." Thanking him for his kindness, she went back into her room went to take a shower. When she finished, she came out to a set of womens pajamas sitting on the end of the bed. Not questioning why this house full of only men had womens clothes, she got dressed and crawled into bed. After a while she was able to finally shut her eyes and get some rest.

Garryck was furious. How could they have been so reckless? He traipsed around the perimeter of the dilapidated building they currently called home. The tip of his sword dragging against the worn wooden floor beneath him, leaving a trail of scratches.. Staring off to into the general direction of his pawn, he pondered the events of the evening based on the report he was so sheepishly given. "So, remind me again, from the beginning, just exactly happened?" Calder stood silent."NOW!" Garryck shouted. Quivering in fear, Calder started to speak, since he was sure the alternative was less pleasent. "We showed up right where we was supposed to. When we got inside, we went to get the girl. All of a sudden like a dozen guys show up and tore the place up." Garryck listened with an air of disbelief. "Go on." Calder swallowed and continued." Well, when we got up again, she was gone." A large piece of wood collided with the side of his head before he was pressed face first against the floor. Garrycks hands were entwined in his hair holding him in place. Leaning forward just enough to scare him, Garryck whispered "Now, Now. We both know thats not entirely true, Calder. right?" Calder whimpered in agreement."And we also both know that this isnt the first time your dissapointed me, correct?" He whimpered again."What do you think the odds are, of you failing me a third time? I risked quite alot by bringing you with me. It would be a shame if you didnt deserve it." Calder began to sob in fear. Warmth spread beneath him as he was unable to control his bladder. Disgusted, Garryck released him. "I dont want any more excuses. I dont want lies. I want results. If you dont get me the girl and get her soon, all of this will have been for nothing. They will never stop coming for us, and when they find us, they wont send us back to the Vast. Oh no, no, no. You dont want that do you?" Calder stood in his shame and nodded. "So be a good lad, wont you? Find me the girl, and bring her here. If you dont, I will dispatch you myself. Do you understand?" Calder nodded. "Yes sir, I understand. Ill get her now, boss." He practically ran from the room. Garryck made his way to a window to watch the rat scurry off. Those fucking Scorned probably had her somewhere by now. They always had the luxury of coming topside. He was tired of waiting. How many years did he have to spend in that desolate wasteland? How long did it take for those pompous pricks to decide where people should go? He was tired of waiting. Nobody was going to send him back there. These portals wouldnt be open for long. If they didnt get that girl taken care of, they would be closed forever.