After a quick stop at Cynthia’s, Jared drove us to his mother’s. We had been to Lil ian’s more than enough times for me to get past the night of the invasion, but no matter how many times we made a visit, an overwhelming sick feeling stil came over me as we pul ed into the drive.

“No need to be nervous,” Jared said.

“I’m not. I’m starting to wonder if it’s post-traumatic stress,” I said with a half-smile.

Jared didn’t share my humor over the subject. “It’s a possibility,” he said as he opened the passenger door.

We walked to the house, and Jared stopped abruptly.

“What?” I asked, scanning his face.

He was working far too hard to mask an emotion. “Nothing. Everything is fine.”

“Jared,” I said as we walked. “Something’s wrong.”

“No. No, everything’s fine.”

The closer we got to the door, the harder my heart throbbed against my chest. Jared reached out with one finger to press the doorbel .

The door swung open, and I gasped. “I don’t believe it.”

“Wel that’s a hel of a reception. I missed you, too.”

“Claire!” I squealed, wrapping my arms around her neck.

She didn’t hug me back, but stood with her hands on her hips. “You confuse me.”

“I’m sorry!” I said, breathless. “I just…I wasn’t expecting you.”

Lil ian walked to Claire’s side, casual y crossing her arms. “Surprise,” she said with her warm, sweet smile.

“Wait,” I said, my eyes darting to everyone. “Does this mean that Ryan is…?”

Claire nodded. “He’s at the Providence VA Hospital to finish his rehabilitation.”

My hands flew up to my mouth, and then I hugged her again. “I’m so glad you’re home,” I whispered into her ear.

“Me too,” Claire smiled.

We sat at the table for dinner. The symphony of our laughter fil ed every inch of the house. I cleared the dessert dishes, and listened to them talk and giggle. I waited in the kitchen, smiling to myself as I soaked in the sound of love Bex, Claire, Lil ian and Jared exchanged, even in their teasing.

“Nina?” Jared call ed.

“Coming,” I said, starting the dishwasher.

“I’m sure Nina wants to hear more about her friend,” Lil ian said.

Jared's expression changed so slightly, that I was sure no one at the table noticed but me. The skin around his eyes tightened as the corners of his mouth turned up—something he always did when he tried too hard to cover how he was feeling. I took his hand in mine and squeezed. He seemed to relax an infinitesimal amount, and I shook my head.

“Tonight is about Claire,” I said.

Claire touched the napkin to her mouth and rol ed her eyes. “He’s a machine. He’s been working like crazy trying to get wel . His psych analysis wasn’t exactly...he told them about me.”

“He saw you?” Jared said.

An awkward pause sent tension into the air. “He thinks he did,” Claire said. “My face was covered with the hijab, so he only remembers my eyes, but they’re questioning how a woman with the smal frame he described could have carried him out.”

Bex chuckled. “What a pinhead. Did he real y think they would believe him?”

Claire stared at the table. “He told them I was American. He told Colonel Brand he thinks he knows who it was.”

“Not good,” Jared said.

Claire looked up. “But he only told the Colonel. No one else. After they gave him the results of his psych eval, he insisted he be placed in Providence.”

“Way to go, Claire. You blew your cover,” Bex smiled.

Jared leaned his elbows on the table. “This is serious. You need to stay out of sight, Claire. Lay low.”

“I know,” Claire grumbled, her eyes returning to one spot on the tablecloth. “I could say the same thing to you, you know. No one’s torching my house.”

“What?” Lil ian said, her eyes darting to Jared.

He glared at Claire for moment, and then looked to Lil ian. “There was a smal …fire. Everyone is fine.”

“A fire?” Bex said. “They set explosives at the loft. Everything’s gone.”

“Who’s they?” Lil ian asked. She was concerned, but not in the way a typical mother might be. She didn’t seem overly worried about Jared’s wel - being. It was clear she was years ahead of me as far as experience with Hybrids. She knew exactly what her children were capable of, and I wondered if I would ever have that same peace of mind.

“Donovan,” Jared said.

“Interesting,” Lil ian said, thoughtful y. “How do you plan to resolve that, Son?”

“We’re going to need help that won’t come,” Jared replied, clearly frustrated with his own words.

Claire’s eyes narrowed. “You talked to Samuel?” Jared nodded, and she continued, “Eli?” When Jared nodded again, she shook her head in disgust. “It’s that bad?”

“Eli talked about a balance,” I said. “They won’t get involved.”

“You know,” Claire said, leaning forward in her seat. “If it gets to that point…we could force them.”

“That better be one frightening, desperate point,” Bex said. “That would mean war.”

Lil ian held up her hand. “That would be a last resort.” She stood, making her way to me. “Nina, what I’m about to ask you wil be very difficult, but I need the truth.”

“Okay,” I stuttered, worried what she was going to ask.

Lil ian lowered her chin. “What did Gabe say to you on the plane?”

Jared frowned. “What are you talking about? He didn’t come to her on the plane.”

“Actual y….” I said, trailing off.

“Why didn’t you tel me?” he said, noticeably angry. Before I could answer, he began again, “Don’t you know that everything is important, now?”

“Jared,” I said, embarrassed, “he said to go home. He said not to see Claire. I knew you wouldn’t leave her there alone until you knew she was al right.”

Jared looked to Claire, and then to Lil ian. “Does he talk to you?”

His mother smiled. “At night. Only if it’s important. She knows about Kim now?”

“Yes,” Jared answered.

Lil ian’s mouth pul ed to the side, disappointed. “That was a mistake. Your main focus should be the book. It’s vital y important that you have it in- hand.”

“Kim and I made a deal,” Jared explained. “She wil help us obtain the book if we help her return it to Jeruselum, under the Sepulchre where her ancestor found it. She wants to free her family of it.”

Lil ian's eyes flitted about as she thought. “If she is helping you, why would your father try to keep Nina away from her?”

“Away from Kim?” I asked. “She's harmless.”

“Is she?” Claire snipped.

“Dad is wrong this time. We need her,” Jared said, clearly uncomfortable. Gabe was the foundation of their family, a fal en angel from Heaven, pure-blooded. The thought of him making a mistake was a hard pil to swal ow, and even Jared wasn't convinced of his own words.

Everyone at the table sat silently, processing the situation. Final y, Bex spoke. “We’re al here. Let’s go get it.”

“We need a plan,” Jared said. “And we can’t leave Nina unprotected.”

“So Bex watches Ryan and Nina, and you and I go,” Claire said.

Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve already tried. I’m tel ing you, we need a plan.”

“You went there and didn’t leave with the book?” Claire said, raising an eyebrow.

“He had it in his hands,” Bex said, chuckling. Jared shot Bex a sharp look, and the boy's smug expression immediately vanished. “Sorry,” he said, clearing his throat.

“I was a little outnumbered,” Jared explained. “By eighty or so.”

“So?” Claire said, unimpressed.

Jared huffed. “We’l talk about this later.”

The ride home was long, and the air in the cab of the Escalade was thick with tension. I didn’t dare talk first. Jared’s jaw was tight, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. He drove closer to Bex’s typical speed, impatient with the stop lights and traffic.

Jared parked in the drive, and then appeared at the passenger door. Without a word, he helped me to the ground. I wrapped my arm around his, and we walked in quiet understanding.

After a long shower, I set out clothes for Fal classes the next day. Jared waited for me, sitting on the end of the bed.

“You’re not staying,” I said, more of a statement than a question.

He stood. “Bex wil be outside. I won’t be far.” He tightened the belt of my robe, and then encompassed me in his arms, leaning down just inches from my face. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, pressing his warm lips softly against mine.

He intended the kiss goodbye to be quick, but his lips lingered on mine. I ran my hands over the perfection of his chest and stomach, and then made my way to the bottom of his shirt, reaching underneath the fabric to touch his soft, feverish skin.

“You could stay,” I whispered, smiling against his mouth.

“I want to,” he said, his voice strained.

“Just for a little while? I won't keep you long,” I began to raise his shirt, but he gently restrained me by the wrists.

“Bex is downstairs.”

“Crap,” I said with a grimace. My hands fel to my sides, and I blew my bangs from my face in a huff.

Jared left me alone, and I ambled to the bed. Once my head hit the pil ow, I was surprised the yearning for his warm body beside me, or thoughts of Ryan, or Jack, or the upcoming day of tedious bombardment of syl abi and introductory never crossed my mind. Heaviness came upon me, and I gladly succumbed.

“Nina!” Beth shouted from the end of the hal . She rushed to catch up, and then threw her arms around my neck. “Can you believe we’re back already?” She looked around, scanning faces of passing students.

“No,” I said, grinning at her endearing over-enthusiasm for everything.

I didn’t bother bringing my laptop; every class would be the same. Beth fil ed me in on the last few details she’d taken care of at Titan, and we discussed the monstrosity that was Sasha and the fact that she would be staying on.

“How far does she think sHe’ll go in that company, now that she’s made an enemy of you?” she asked, rol ing her eyes.

“You make the mistake of believing she thinks. She did take on the Christmas party. Makes me wonder what she has up her sleeve.”

“Hopeful y breath spray,” Beth said, covering her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.” Beth giggled, and I shook my head.

My attention diverted to a group of boys that walked through the door. Josh led the group. As Ryan’s best friend, he wasn’t a fan of mine, and made it quite clear that he’d rather not be around me. Chad admitted that Josh accused me of being the reason Ryan left. Beth came to my defense, of course, but that didn’t make him wrong.

Once Josh caught a glimpse of me, his eyes became unfocused. He looked right through me before pretending to be deeply engrossed in whatever his friends were saying.

Beth glared at him as he found his seat. “He real y needs to get over himself.”

“He’s just being the same kind of friend to Ryan that you are to me,” I mumbled, fiddling with my pen.

“Guess I can’t fault him for that.”

I found myself fighting the urge to tel her that Ryan was not only back, but just a few minutes away. Not being able to see him when he was so close was bad enough; even though I had thought a several different scenarios where I could happen across that information, I couldn't tel Beth until Claire gave me the green-light.

“Good morning,” the professor said, passing out the intro packet for the class.

I sighed when Beth handed me a stack of papers, and I took my own, passing on the rest. I didn't bother thumbing through the pages like the other students, but settled into my seat, making a valid effort to pay attention. The mundane pieces of my life used to be what I was so desperate to hold on to. In the last month, it was al I could do to make an active effort to be a participant. Col ege seemed trivial compared to the other part of my life.

After classes, I smiled at the sight of Jared’s Escalade waiting in its usual spot. He had warned me that morning that I wouldn’t see him at lunch; he said to give me time to catch up with the girls. Something about ‘holding on to a shred of normal’…I was too busy being offended to hear.

He quickly opened my door for me, and I wrapped my arms around his middle.

“Wel , hel o,” he said, amused at my eager affection.

“Oh, like you didn’t miss me, too,” I said, smiling up at him.

He raised one eyebrow. “Do you even have to ask?” He watched me settle into my seat, and then sighed. “I thought I should tel you. Claire call ed.

Ryan should be released soon.”

“Can I see him, yet?” I said, a bit more enthusiastic than was appropriate.

Jared tried to hide his disappointment at my words. “He hasn’t told anyone he’s here. How would you explain your visit?”

The tightness around his eyes gave him away. He was stil worried. Now that Ryan had been wounded, and was home after such a long time away, I imagined his concern was at a new level.

“Ryan and I are different people, now. Everything has changed,” I said, touching Jared’s cheek with my fingertips.

“As long as Ryan is in love with you, I wil always have reason to worry.”