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Matt shrugged. "Like the humans except that we are much closer, like a family. I firmly believe that your childhood would have been a lot easier if you had been around your own kind."

I felt the tears falling and asked, "How close is the nearest group?"

Koda whispered, "This one and it's about one hundred miles."

I stood up and started to walk towards my bedroom when Ares walked into the dining

room. He frowned at me and walked quickly to me wrapping his arms around me. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing Ares."

He growled. "What did you two say to her?"

Koda said. "She asked us about why she was an outcast with the humans and what it

would have been like to grow up around us."

Ares sighed. "Sorry Koda."

Koda laughed. "Don't worry about it Ares."

Ares pushed me back and said, "I'm sorry about your father. If I could change time for you I would."

I nodded my head and wiped at the tears on my face. "I know Ares. It's alright."

He snarled. "It's not alright. I'm going to find your father."

I shook my head. "You can't leave me again. PLEASE!" I grabbed both of his arms and gripped as hard as I could.

Ares stared in shock at my face and Matt cleared his throat making me release my hold a

little. Matt said, "She is starting to show the symptoms Ares."

Ares looked over my head at Matt. "Describe."

Matt said, "She started to panic when she watched you walk away from her and grew

increasingly nervous when you were out of her sight. She had to have Koda hold her to stop her panic."

Ares looked down at me and asked, "Is that true?"

I felt the blush on my cheeks, looked down and lied, "No."

"You have no reason to be embarrassed. It's part of what we are. It means that you are finally letting go and soon you and I will be fully connected."

I shrugged still looking down. "So, I was a little nervous."

Matt gave a short bark of a laugh. "You were about to run after him."

"Shut up Matt."

Ares shook his head smiling. "It's really alright Artemis. I promise I won't leave you unless I have to."

I felt my heart pick up and shook my head. "That's not a good enough promise." I growled. "I don't like this feeling."

Ares nodded his head. "I understand Artemis. I feel the same way."

I stared at him and said, "You don't act like it."

He smiled. "I hide it. Wouldn't you think I was a little odd if I got all nervous when I walked away from you?"

I nodded my head. "Ya, I guess you're right."

He hugged me against him. "We'll get through this first part and get on to the easier parts soon. I came in here to get you though. Will you come with me to speak with Victor and

Maurice?"

I shrugged. "As long as I can touch you while I'm near them."

Ares nodded his head. "Deal. I'm not sure why you are scared of them though. Your

werewolf side should make you feel safe around them."

I shrugged. "Maybe it's my other side."

Ares frowned. "Yes, probably. I hope Maurice and I are wrong about what you might

be."

I frowned. "What is that?"

Ares shook his head. "I can't tell you right now. Come on." I let him lead me by the hand to the living room where Maurice and Victor sat in chairs facing the couch. Ares sat down on the couch pulling me down with him. I scooted as close as I could without being in his lap.

Victor smiled. "I promise we won't hurt you or Ares."

I nodded my head and licked my lips nervously. "Okay."

Maurice smiled making his face look less frightening. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

He frowned. "How old were you when you stopped your first transformation?"

I shrugged. "I think ten."

His eyes widened a little bit, almost unnoticeable if you weren't watching for it. "Have you ever changed?"

I shook my head. "No, I almost did when Ares called to me or whatever, but my dad

threw me in the creek and stopped it."

Victor asked, "Do you remember hearing Ares' call?"

"When he howled on TV? If that was his call, then, yeah."

Victor asked, "Do you remember answering?"

I shook my head. "No, I was watching the TV and thinking how gorgeous he was in wolf form and that it was strange that I wasn't afraid of him at all when I saw him killing people, then I started convulsing. Then my dad threw me in the creek and put me to bed. When I woke up I felt something was wrong, no, I thought wrong, but it was more like I felt drawn outside and there was Ares and Koda and Matt."

Maurice asked, "Why don't you want to change?"

"I don't want to answer that in front of Ares." I said softly.

Ares groaned. "You might as well, because I'm going to be asking you anyway."

I groaned and scooted a little ways away from Ares, not looking at him. "I don't want to change yet. If there is a chance that I could be human..."

Maurice interrupted me. "No. I'm sorry child, but even if you don't change you are still half werewolf and half..."

Ares cleared his throat stopping Maurice from finishing. I growled and glared at Ares.

"Why won't you let him tell me?"

Ares smiled. "It is too dangerous for you to know."

I snarled at him. "Just tell me."

He snarled back. "No and watch yourself. I will not allow you to challenge my authority."

I sighed and pushed down my anger, staring down at my hands. "Sorry Ares. It's hard to control my anger sometimes."

He sighed. "I understand. If you would change it would be a lot easier."

I groaned. "I get it alright. I need to change. Just give me some time."

Ares titled my head up and smiled at me. "I'll give you however much time you need."

I smiled back at him and then looked at Victor and Maurice who were watching us

intently. I pulled away from Ares and blushed. "Sorry. I forgot you two were here."

Maurice spoke softly, "She is delightful Ares, but you must teach her how to act

properly."

Ares nodded his head. "I'm sorry Maurice. I didn't know you were coming otherwise I

would have."

Victor laughed. "I think you should leave her be. It's nice to have someone not treating you different."

Ares smiled. "She's good at it."

I stared at the three of them. "I think I missed something?" They all nodded their heads and I shrugged. "Whatever."

Maurice asked, "Do you remember your mother?"

I shook my head. "No, she left when I was five years old."

Maurice's eyes widened considerably from shock. "When you were five? Exactly?"

I nodded my head. "I remember it because it was the day before my birthday."

Victor asked, "Did your father ever tell you about her?"

I shook my head. "At first he said she was going on a trip, but the more years that passed he just said that he didn't want to talk about it. I have seen a picture of her, but that’s it. I stopped asking Darren about her when I turned ten."

Victor asked, "When you started having the seizures?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, but I guess that was really me trying to change."

Maurice nodded his head. "Yes, it was."

I sighed and said, "My mother left because of me and I know that. I don't know why, but someday I will."

Maurice smiled. "I'm sure you will. Now, what did your father tell you about yourself?

How did he explain your purple eyes?"

"I didn't know I had purple eyes until Ares came to get me. I always had contacts in and we didn't have a mirror in the house. He always made me change out my contacts in the

bathroom too. It's why Bret didn't know either."

Victor asked, shock evident in his tone, "You didn't have a mirror?"

I shook my head. Ares explained, "She didn't even know what she looked like until she came here and I made her look in the mirror."

Maurice rubbed his chin. "I'm beginning to understand Ares' desire to find your father. To not tell your daughter about her heritage or to let her meet others of her own kind is monstrous."

I looked at Maurice. "Can I ask
you a question?"

"Of course."

I whispered, "What are you?"

Maurice smiled and looked at Ares. "May I?"

Ares nodded his head. "Of course. I was going to have Victor tell her later anyway."

Maurice smiled and said, "Do not be frightened child, I will not harm you, alright?"

I nodded my head and moved closer to Ares. He held my hand and smiled. I watched as

Maurice looked down at the ground and inhaled. I could feel a strange pressure, like the tide pulling at my legs, moving towards him. He looked up at me and I gasped, jumping over the back of the couch behind Ares.

Maurice's eyes were solid black like Victor's and he smiled revealing long fangs where

his small canines used to be. He said, "I told you not to be frightened."

I nodded my head and swallowed. "I know, but I couldn't help it."

Maurice smiled flashing his fangs again. "I will not hurt you, I have already eaten today."

I felt my heart speed up and asked, "Please tell me what you are."

He looked down and I felt that tide push past me, leaving his body. He looked back up

and his face and teeth were back to normal. "I'm a vampire."

"Like Dracula?" I asked curiously.

Maurice groaned and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Vlad was always looking for attention.

That bastard."

I stared at him in shock. "Dracula was real?"

He nodded his head. "Of course."

I asked, "The fog that was killing people that was vampires wasn't it?"

He nodded his head again. "Yes. We were trying to hide our existence."

"Why are vampires and werewolves working together? I thought they hated each other?"

Ares laughed and said, "That's a story we made up so the humans would not hunt us both at the same time."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Victor smiled. "Vampires and werewolves have been allies since we found out about

each other. The original vampires could not go out in the sunlight so the werewolves became our daytime body guards. It was mutually beneficial because they would protect us during the day and then the vampires would work at night and pay for everything for the werewolves. When the witch hunts of the seventeenth century and werewolf hunts of the eighteenth century happened, we decided it was time to go into hiding and wait for our chance to take over the world."

I nodded my head. "I understand about waiting to take over, but I had no idea about you guys being allies."

Victor laughed. "Neither do the humans. It really is a great plan. So far the humans just think that the wolves are so fast that when a human walks in the fog they just ran over and kill them."

"I remember seeing the video. It was creepy to see the fog move." I stared at Victor for a second until all of the pieces clicked into place. "You can change into fog! You can shapeshift!"

Victor and Maurice smiled. Maurice said, "She is very smart."

Ares nodded his head. "Yes. Smart like a werewolf."

"Is that how he formed out of the shadow?" I asked curiously,

Ares nodded his head again. "Yes. They can shift to shadow, mist, wolves, fog, bat, rats and some others I don't remember."

My eyes widened in shock at the extensive list. How would you even be able to tell the

difference between a vampire in animal form and a regular animal? They could have been

around me all of my life and I never knew it. "Good thing you are on our side."

All three men laughed at me causing me to blush and looked down at my hands. Maurice

asked, "Do you know what a vampire is?"

I shook my head. "Only what I’ve seen in movies."

Maurice said, "We are no more than a cursed soul. Like the werewolves are cursed with lycanthropy."

I looked up at him in shock. "So, you aren't a living dead monster?"

Maurice frowned, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "Of course not. I can't believe humans even believe that kind of thing."

Victor sighed. "It's not like they came up with it on their own. One of us told them that."

"Okay, so you just have a curse which gave you fangs and the ability to shapeshift and you have to eat blood to survive?" Victor and Maurice nodded their heads. I shrugged. "Okay.

So, is that all? Can I go eat?"

Ares raised one of his eyebrows. "You aren't scared, nervous or going to ask questions?"

I shook my head. "I can't be prejudiced. I mean it’s not like they chose it."

Ares smiled. "Well that's refreshing to hear."

My stomach growled loudly. "Can I please get some food?"

Ares nodded his head. "Sure."

I stood up and quickly walked to the kitchen. Koda stood by the fridge holding a piece of steak. I took it from him and threw it in the microwave turning it on for forty seconds. I watched as the steak rotated inside the microwave. Koda cleared his throat behind me making me turn to him. "Are you alright?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

He frowned and started to reach a hand out towards my face. "You're pale."

I focused on my body and noticed that I was shaking. I held up my hands and felt my

eyes widen as I saw them shaking uncontrollably. Koda grabbed my hands and stared into my eyes. "What's wrong, Artemis?"

"It's that feeling again. Like the one I had when Maurice was at the door. I'm just

suddenly
terrified
."

Koda picked me up in his arms and ran into the living room. Ares snarled when he saw

me in Koda's arms, but stopped when he saw my face. He asked, "What's wrong?"

Koda said, "She's scared. Her hands are shaking real bad and she said it's the same feeling she got when Maurice was at the door."

Ares turned to Maurice. "Did you bring someone with you?"

Maurice stood up and shook his head. "No." He inhaled and then spit. "That's not a vampire. It's an..."

Before he could finish his sentence the wall to the living room smashed into pieces. Koda turned his back to the wall and crouched down to protect me from the flying pieces. I heard the popping and snapping of bones telling me that someone was changing into a wolf and tried to look, but Koda was suddenly running through the house. I held on to his neck as hard as I could as he ran with me. He turned his shoulder towards the bedroom wall and smashed through it. I gasped as the sun shone in my eyes. We started running through town, in a blur of colors. Koda kicked open the door to the concrete warehouse, never missing a beat. "Bret!" He yelled.