There was no denying the fact that he was happy to see her, even if he was mad. The look on his face said it all when he looked at her. But it all disappeared quickly when he noticed she was not alone. It hurt to know that he did not trust her enough to ignore her pack. Then the girl walked out of the alleyway and Avina made a snappy remark out of anger and hurt that she instantly regretted. Apparently, this girl was his punishment. Avina knew he did not like to attack girls, so she made the jump that he was not happy about having to kill this changeling. Avina’s eyes softened as she looked up at him. 

She could almost physically feel the pain that was on his face for a minute as he looked at Violet. While to everyone else, his face had not changed, but to her she saw the flash of pain in his eyes. He had enough on his plate to deal with. Once again, she felt stupid for seeking him out. She should have listened to Brice, changed into a wolf and ran for it. Find somewhere for the three of them to hide. Move from place to place, throw off his scent. No, she could not have done that though, she had to see him one last time. Even if it was a mistake. “Devin, I didn’t know.” She whispered. Her voice was soft and comforting. She left the unsaid apology hang in the air between them.

Jessie looked at the poor girl, Violet, and saw the tear slide down her face. Her young heart jerked. How awful it must be to find out your transformation was just a punishment for someone else. Jessie wanted to move over to the vampire, but the moment she started moving, Brice caught her arm and shook his head. He knew better than to move right now. Two very strong and tense creatures were all but fighting in front of them. If Jessie moved she could turn this into a fight.

Avina saw the smirk, and dare she say cocky pride. fight to be shown on his face before he pushed it away. At least she knew that deep down he felt the same way she did. It did not really help in her plan to turn around and leave though. It was foolish to think that she could get through to him in enough time to find a place to stay hidden. Despite the look he just had on his face moments ago, Avina could still feel the hard black stare. She nodded once and turned around to walk away.

Brice, still not daring to look away, gave Avina a sad, I-told-you-so smile. She was about halfway to them when the other vampire moved. Brice took half a step forward, thinking that he was about to attack Avina when instead he just turned her around. Jessie gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. Avina had been right! He did care about her!

Avina felt his cold hand cool her arm as he turned her around before she registered the words he spoke to her. She had forgotten how wonderful the coolness of his hands felt against her overheated skin. She looked up at his eyes, happy to find that they were once again grey. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as he brushed away her hair. “I didn’t call my pack. They were already out looking for me.” She tried to keep the anger and frustration out of her voice but it did not fully work. “And I did not need them to protect me. I knew you would have.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and closed the gap between them. 

“If it is a fight you want, then it is a fight you shall have.” She gave him a cocky grin. Being that close made Avina want to reach up and press her lips against his once more. “Besides, I really enjoyed the way our fight ended last night.” She started to lean up to kiss him, completely forgetting about their audience. However, his changeling opened her mouth and broke the spell. With a soft sigh, Avina took a small step away from her vampire and looked at the changeling. “If this is only going to cause you more trouble, then we can go on our own way.” She offered, hoping he wouldn’t allow her to leave. 

Avina felt his hands leave her face, and sighed softly at the lose. It was clear that Violet was mad at her Elder, and probably Brice, Jessie, and her by extension. Not that it stopped Devin. “He will stay human.” Avina said with a nod then looked back at Brice. The big guy help his hands up in a careless surrender. “I can’t, remember.” He said with a pointed look at Avina. “I wanted him to hear you.” Avina turned to face him fully. “I don’t care what a dirty bloo-” He was cut off as Avina’s fingers wrapped around his neck and lifted him off the ground, despite the fact that he was a foot taller. Avina growled at him, her eyes flashing yellow. 

Brice stumbled a little when she let him go. Instead of glaring at her though, he sent a look of pure hatred to Devin while he rubbed his neck. Avina looked over at Jessie who took a step away from her. “I don’t even know how!” She cried. Avina took a deep breath and turned to follow Devin.

It was only one town over, and they were already at his hiding place. Looking at the house, it didn’t seem special. How was this place going to protect them? It looked just like any other house. Still she followed him to the door. A kid answered the door, human by the smell. His and Devin’s interaction made her smile. Though she was still unsure how a human kid could protect them. The human, Logan, Devin had called him ushered the party into the house. Avina let everyone go in first, and as she walked in she stopped beside Logan and put a hand lightly on his arm. She stood within inches of him, mostly because there wasn’t much room to stand in the doorway, and smiled up at him. “Thank you.” She said softly then continued into the house after the others.