So to balance out all the presents I've been getting today I thought I'd give all of YOU a present! Here's the new chapter ;) Enjoy!

Love,

Robin

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In front of the Flynn house two large SUV's were parked, black with black tinted windows. They looked like the type of car that would come out of a massive car wreck with little more then a scratch. Demolishing the other cars involved completely.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were bulletproof too.

Next to the first car stood a tall, lithe man. He was dressed in a crisp suit, the collar of his white shirt opened to show a triangle of tawny skin. Expensive sunglasses perched on a straight nose gave him that typical Agent look.

I assumed that was the bodyguard that would accompany Hayden.

That was until I noticed another man standing next to the second car. Dressed all in black with a skin the color of charcoal I hadn't even noticed him there until he'd moved. My god that man blended in well with the shadows...

The first one approached us with an arrogant smirk on his face, 'Morning Miss Taylor.' His voice was low and rugged and his walk gave me the distinct feeling of a cat on the prowl. Pure lethal power coiled beneath a human exterior.

With a large but elegant hand he took off the sunglasses. I couldn't stop myself from gasping at the sight of his eyes. It brought an even more arrogant look to his face.

His eyes were the color of molten gold, with such an intense look in them that I could only compare it to that of a cat focused on it's prey. A large cat. That wasn't all, the pupils were so large in the dim morning light that there was more black to his eyes then actual gold. The pupil wasn't even completely round but slightly oval shaped.

'Jaden!' Missy exclaimed from behind me before she suddenly came careening passed. She jumped from the stairs at the door straight at him.

He caught her easily and spun her around before gently coming to a stop. A warm smile on his face, which was without a doubt breathtakingly handsome.

'Hey Missy my love, long time no see,' he said, his voice a rumble. He had yet to let go off her or even put her down, it seemed to be effortless for him to hold her like that, as if she weighted nothing at all.

'Way too long, where did Nate send you? He wouldn't tell me...' Missy pouted while she stroked a hand through the pure black locks of Jaden's hair, rubbing her fingers behind his ear like you would a cat.

I would have called that odd but even stranger was his reaction; he cocked his head sideways and made a purring sound, low enough that I almost missed it. How much more cat like could he be?

Jaden laughed and put her down, a warm easy smile on his face that took the edge of that dangerous aura he carried. One that gave me the feeling he was ready to pounce at any moment.

'I was just running errands. You know what Nate is like, Seratin is back as well by the way,' the cat man jerked his thumb in the direction of the second car where I knew that black man was standing. Even though I couldn't see him now.

Missy was already rushing over, Jaden completely forgotten.

'Miss Taylor?'

I turned to look at Jaden myself and offered him a tentative smile. I wasn't sure what to make of him, he looked so lethal and so... For some reason I felt the very strong urge to reach out and pet him. You know, the way you always want to reach out and pet that tiger in the zoo, you know he'd bite your hand off if you tried but still you have that urge.

'If you'd get into the car? I'm sure Missy and Jake will join you shortly,' he said politely. It didn't suit him... This man was completely untamed and wild, something his suit and sunglasses tried to hide, unsuccessfully.

I slowly made my way over to the car and then dared to ask him: 'You're the one taking care of surveillance at Riverwood High? Does that mean Seratin will be taking care of my little brother?'

I stumbled over the the unfamiliar name but was relieved to see Jaden nod, 'Yes, don't worry Miss Taylor. He'll be in good hands, the best in fact.'

I wanted to turn and go over to the black man so I could meet him and assure myself that Hayden would in fact be going with someone that I'd trust. But just as I moved to do that Nathaniel appeared, holding Hayden's hand and followed by a very angry looking Jake.

Nathaniel swung Hay up onto his hip as if he'd done it a million times before and then stalked right passed me and Jaden. He nodded in the cat man's direction, acknowledging his presence but that was all.

At the second car he stopped and said: 'Seratin.'

The black man stepped forward out of the dark shadows beside the car and finally I was able to see what he looked like.

He was tall, almost as tall as Nathaniel and that said a lot. His dark skin was so beautiful that I had no words to describe the exact shade of it. His eyes were so dark themselves that they appeared black.

The only thing that marred his beauty was a long jagged scar that ran across the line of his jaw. It looked very cruel and painful, but it was clearly old and faded over time.

'My Lord,' Seratin said, his voice musical and warm although his posture was tense and withdrawn. I noticed that although Missy had rushed to meet him she hadn't actually touched him.

'Meet Hayden, I entrust you with his safety,' was all Nathaniel said before putting Hayden down next to him and reaching into his pocket. From this distance I couldn't see what he withdrew from it but whatever it was he handed it over to the dark man with a nod.

It was impossible to read the expression on Seratin's face but he clenched his fist over his heart and then touched his forehead with his knuckles in a strange kind of salute. 'You can rely on me my Lord.'

Without further ado he opened the passenger's door to the SUV and gestured for Hayden to get into it.

I saw a surprised look on my brothers face which was replaced with determination, he shrugged his shoulders and then reached up to climb into the beast.

Nathaniel stopped him though, bending down to his level he whispered something in my little brothers ears. Then a look of concentration appeared on my soulmates face as he stared deeply into Hayden's eyes.

The boy nodded and then smiled warmly patting Nathaniel on his cheek, after that Nathaniel picked him up and set him down in the seat. He strapped him in the seat belt and then pressed a kiss to the boys forehead.

'Take care, you better call me if anything happens.'

Hayden waved at me as the SUV pulled away and drove off and I couldn't help but feel a little worried. Everyone seemed to think that Seratin was the best man on the job but... He seemed so cold and distant that I couldn't imagine him to be very good with children.

Nathaniel strode back over to me and I felt my heartbeat speed up at the sight of him. I had thought Jaden's walk predatory and lethal but it paled in comparison to him. He was all danger and male.

His stormy eyes flashed angrily as he met mine but I couldn't help but find it incredibly sexy the way his chocolate brown hair hung messily across his forehead. His jaw set and a frown in place he reached me.

For a painful minute we just stared at each other, he was only a foot away from me but the air between us was ripe with tension. Then he lifted his hand as if he wanted to touch my face and I narrowed my eyes threateningly.

'Have you changed your mind?' I asked him as I stepped back a little.

He dropped his hand and made a growling sound, his eyes flashing again but he turned toward Jaden.

'You protect her with your life, nothing is more important. There's a lot of young wolves at the school that think they can claim her. I trust that will be no problem for you?' Nathaniel said and he sounded very much like a war general now.

Jaden scoffed, 'Course not Nate. As if a bunch of mutts would ever be a problem!'

He turned his startling golden eyes on me with a speculative look in his eyes. 'Although... I can see why they'd think that, since you haven't marked her.'

The young man shrugged his wide shoulders, 'I could give her a mark, you know a temporary one.'

The growl that erupted from Nathaniel's throat was downright scary and had me shaking in my clothes but Jaden didn't seem fazed by it. He just shrugged his shoulders again, 'Just saying, it's a lot safer for her if they think she belongs to someone.'

'I am NOT letting you mark her Jay,' he said in such a low, deadly voice that Jaden finally took a step back and nodded.

'Suit yourself man...'

'I really, really ought to teach you your place. You're a royal pain in the ass instead of my loyal subject,' Nathaniel said but he seemed to relax a little. The comment had a repetitive sound to it as if he said it all the time to the guy.

Jaden just threw back his head and laughed, 'You love me Nate. It's why you keep me around... Admit it.' Then he winked and turned to me. 'Are you finally getting into the car or do you feel like taunting your poor mate even longer?'

I frowned but decided to obey and climbed into the backseat of the car, pointedly ignoring the helping hand Nathaniel held out for me. Missy jumped in beside me and stuck her tongue out at the two males.

'You're so going to be in pain by the end of the day mo dheartháir!' she said before she slammed the door closed on his face. We could both clearly hear Jaden laugh again while he hit Nathaniel on the shoulder.

Jake joined us in the car without a word and shortly after that Jaden took place behind the wheel and drove off. He followed Nathaniel's flashy red car out of the drive and I breathed out in relief when I realized he was going by himself.

I suddenly wasn't sure which one of us was going to be in 'pain' by the end of the day.

*

In the school parking lot we drew a lot of attention as we arrived. Nathaniel got no more then the usual gaggle of girls that asked him questions about class and such and a boy or two ogling his car.

But the SUV was something new and because the windows were so darkly tinted nobody could see inside it. Jake and Missy got out of the as if nothing was wrong and they were used to it, which might not be far from the truth.

Just before I got out Jaden stopped me.

'Miss Taylor, stay with Missy or Jake at all times. If you feel threatened at any point... Use this,' he handed me a small silver whistle. 'Just once, I'll hear it and come to your rescue,' he winked.

I nodded and smiled: 'Thank you Jaden. Oh and please don't call me that, it's Amelia okay? Or anything that sounds remotely like that, Hayden changes my name everyday.'

He must have seen me cringe when he called me "Miss Taylor" because he smirked and nodded. 'As you wish Amy, oh and a word of advice.' He leaned forward and opened my door for me, as he did so my nostrils filled with his very unique male scent. I shivered.

'Deidre ain't worth it... Trust me, she's a menace.'

Shaking my head I got out and slammed the door shut. Men... They really all seemed to hate the poor Deidre.

There was a lot of talk from the other students as I followed Missy inside, Jake was already gone. But I wasn't really paying attention to it anyway; instead my mind was on how Hayden was doing and what Deidre had done or did that made so many people hate her.

How bad could it be?

Missy appeared to be really excited as she pulled me down the corridors towards our first class. 'You have to act really sexy during Nate's classes got that? Make him sweat or he might never break before you do!'

Shocked I hushed her then quickly looked around to see if anyone heard us but the nobody seemed to be within hearing distance. Relieved I glared at my friend, 'Missy! Don't talk like that when people could hear you.'

Then I nodded, 'But I agree, any advice?'

We spend most of the first period talking about that until I got nervous when Mr. Reynolds kept looking our way. Then we started passing notes instead, however when Missy wrote me that this was all rather silly because Mr. Reynolds was a werewolf and he'd heard us word for word from the start anyway I stopped with that too.

My face turning red at the embarrassment. The old grizzled man had heard all of it? The look he had on his face when he saw me said all I wanted to know. He was shaking his head in amusement as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

It sucked having supernatural teachers...

Missy walked me to second period where I joined Jake. He was unusually quiet but I assumed that had to do with the fact that he was sort of mad with me. I was after all trying to force Nathaniel to help Deidre, the woman he loved but wished was dead it seemed.

I was utterly surprised when he walked me to third period and he revealed to me what he really thought about that.

'Amy... Thank you,' was all he said before he darted away.

I stared after him as he dodged other students and with long strides disappeared down a corner. His Mohawk bobbing with his movements and his backpack slung high on his shoulder as if he wanted to take on the world.

'So... Here we are again, enjoyed your weekend with Mr. Flynn?' Eliza sneered at me from beside me. It was obvious she implied we were doing something definitely against school policy.

I shrugged, 'It was okay I guess, we started decorating Hayden's room first. Did you know that Elliot's food is downright amazing?' Best I could do was be polite and pretend I didn't get her comment.

Without really saying anything else I brushed passed her and strode into Nathaniel's classroom. He was already seated behind his desk going through a stack of papers. At the last moment I remembered what Missy had told me and slowed my step.

I felt a little silly walking slowly passed his desk, swaying my hips more then usual. But as I did so I felt more then heard Nathaniel's breath falter a little. The hairs on the back of my neck stirred as my feet slowly carried me towards my seat.

Throwing my hair over my shoulder I chanced a look back to see Nathaniel's stormy eyes darkened with lust. I realized he wasn't the only one watching me though so I finished my walk a little faster then before.

During the entire class I tried to follow up on all Missy's advice. Such as that his nose was a lot more sensitive then mine and that moving my hair around would carry my scent towards him.

She'd told me more tricks like that but I had to be careful, I really didn't want Eliza or any of her friends to notice what I was doing. Actually, I didn't really want anyone but Nathaniel to notice, it helped that I sat in back row.

It was satisfying to see that by the end of the class Nathaniel was permanently seated behind his desk and his face was drawn. Even the rest of the students noticed that something was wrong because everything he said was short and clipped.

In fact every now and then his British accent made way for the Irish, not everyone noticed that but some definitely did. Wild speculations about it went around, but his normally quiet and tidy classroom appeared a bit chaotic now.

He did nothing to reign them in...

I smiled, who knew it was so much fun to tease him like this? I was pretty sure he'd cave as soon as the class was dismissed.

For a moment I considered leaving as soon as the bell signaled the end of the period. But then I remembered that I was doing this to make sure Deidre would get protected as well. If I would draw this out longer then necessary it might be too late...

'Nathaniel?' I thought to him, drawing his name out in a sing song voice. 'Did you change your mind yet?'

At my thought his eyes flashed to mine and his thought was no more then a single word: 'NO!' It was a growl and as I heard it I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud.

Beside me Missy elbowed me in the ribs as a warning.

Everyone had turned around in their seats to look at me as if I was crazy and Nathaniel looked pretty much angry enough to break things. I had to clasp my hand over my mouth to keep the very immature giggle in that wanted to escape.

Eliza's eyes were narrowed in suspicion as she tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with me now.

Any other teacher I knew would have said something along the lines of: care to share what's so funny Miss Taylor? It was a question everyone was thinking but since Nathaniel knew why I was laughing he didn't ask.

Just when Eliza started looking back at him and me as if she realized there was a connection between our strange behavior the bell rang.

I was the first up and out of my seat, Missy hot on my heels with a peculiar knowing look on her face. As per usual really.

It was a little unnerving the way everyone's eyes followed us as we made our way out of the room. I didn't even look at Nathaniel or the rest of them even though my skin was prickling anxiously the moment I passed his desk.

As we reached the cafeteria Jake joined us.

'What was that about Amy? Laughing out loud smack in the middle of class? Were you trying to get a detention from my brother? You sneaky girl...' Missy said as soon as we sat down with our lunches, although theirs were fake.

'It was NOT smack in the middle!' I told my friend when Jake's eyes widened in shock. 'It was right at the end...'

He snorted inelegantly, 'That does not make it any better sweetheart...'

Missy nodded emphatically at those words with a look on her face that told me: you better explain what happened! I'm dying here!

'Okay, I considered leaving class last so I could tease him more and ask him if he'd changed his mind yet. But then I thought that it would have more impact if I left class FIRST,' I explained.

Missy nodded, 'Hell yeah it does. You didn't see the look on his face as you left but I swear, if looks did kill... Something would be very dead now.'

I frowned, the plan was to make him want me so bad that he'd cave and extend his protection to Deidre as well. Not to piss him off...

Jake seemed to read my mind, 'Trust me you're doing it just right. After biology this afternoon he'll cave. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the call before that even.'

He ignored his sisters completely shocked expression and smiled at me, without opening his mouth. 'I do believe you were explaining something?'

'Right. So I didn't want to draw this out. Every minute counts... So I asked him telepathically if he'd changed his mind yet and then he basically 'growled' a no at me. It just sounded so hilarious that I couldn't stop myself.'

Jake laughed, 'You're evil. Remind me to never get on your bad side.'

I turned to look at Missy who was still staring at Jake as if he'd suddenly sprouted a second head. 'Oh snap out of it! As if you didn't see this coming... I thought you were all knowing.'

She turned her baby blue eyes on me and frowned, 'I'm not all knowing.' Then she smirked, 'But I'm damn close to it. I just missed this teeny tiny detail, big deal.'