"What's happened?" Like flicking a switch, dark and angry was instantly replaced by alert and tense.

"They died!" Brianna sucks in a shaky breath and grabbing a tissue wipes her eyes before blowing her nose.

"Gets me every time." I tell her, before it sinks in that Aiden is back. "How did you go?"

"I don't get it, who died? Are you ok?"

"Oh we're fine. Allie and Noah, not so much." I sigh. "But at least they're together."

"What?" He simply stares at us now.

"It's a movie." Brianna finally points out. "Thank you Sam. I really needed this."

"Anytime!" We hug and she hiccups, blushing slightly as Aiden catches up with our night.

"You got her drunk?"

"No, she did that all on her own." I argue. "If anything she got me drunk with her little magic bottle there."

Aiden simply shakes his head. "Not what I was expecting to come back to."

"Would you prefer us to be arguing and not getting along or is that more our thing?"

"Well if you weren't so hard to be around maybe we wouldn't-"

"See. Back for five minutes and already you're starting. If you don't like it you could always leave?" I'm not sure why I'm so annoyed all of a sudden or why we are starting an argument over nothing.

"Um, Sam, remember when I mentioned wolf traits and vampire traits?" Brianna whispers and I nod, it had only been like an hour ago. "Both species get a bit, I guess clingy, when they find someone they-"

"I can hear you." Aiden growls.

So can I and I'm not sure how I feel about what she's implying. Infact I don't want to hear a bit of it right now.

"Go home. You're drunk, witch." I tell her, before turning to Aiden. "Did your friend help?"

"More than I would have liked. I know who is in the photo."

"Oh. Well that's good? Now we can stop him, right?"

"Not quite that simple." That darkness is back again, coming over him like a shadow, yet I can't stop myself from going closer.

"Who is it?" Brianna asks quietly. I'd almost think she knew too.

"Yeah?" I add, not wanting to feel out of the loop.

"David Henson." He tells us.

It wasn't exactly the kind of name that would make you start to tremble as soon as you heard it. It was normal, grown up- I'd imagine him as an account or something. Not a psychopathic killer of shifters.

Brianna closed her eyes, mumbling foreign sounds to herself as she slowly started to sway. Instinctively I stepped further away from her and closer to Aiden only he didn't seem bothered by her at all.

"What am I missing?" I ask.

"Nothing. Don't even worry about it. Now we know, we can manage it." And by we he wasn't talking about him and me. "Don't tell the alpha's just yet. I don't need them starting a manhunt. Rumours are bad enough and he might not even be involved in all the murders. If he hears we suspect him, he'll disappear."

"Of course. Thank you again Sam, I'll be in touch." And within seconds she's gone.

"You two do this kind of stuff all the time?" I wonder.

"Not Brie, but I've done a few, things. This is her first time, and without the coven close by for support."

"I thought they were good witches, so what kind of things do you all get up to?"

Aiden smirks. "I do what they can't and what kind of things? Bad things."

"With this David guy?"

My question takes him off guard. The flirtation that we could have started has just as quickly ended and crossing my arms, I wait for his answer. He doesn't look thrilled to give it.

"No. Not for him."

"So how do you know-"

"No more Sam. Just forget everything okay? It's just, safer, that way. Soon it'll be over and everything will go back to normal."

Back to normal. In the last few weeks since having him invade nearly every thought I have, what did that mean for us exactly. Again that twist in my gut has me feeling the stab of rejection from him so why the hell was I still so interested? He wasn't a Noah and I am definitely not an Allie.

"Back to normal for both of us?"

"I don't see why not." He shrugs, picking up the wine to inspect what was left. Clearly it wasn't to his tastes as he makes a face at it.

Without thinking I snatch the bottle and gulp the tiny bit that was left, disappointed it wasn't still on automatic refill.

"If that's how it's going to be, maybe you need to return to the pack tomorrow and sort this shit out so we can all go back to how things were before David started his little killing spree."

"I can do what I need to from here, Brianna doesn't need me and if she does she'll come find me." He paused looking slightly confused. "What about Saturday night?"

"Your attendance is definitely non-mandatory. Besides you might have solved the case by then since you've got your lead and be gone. Blankets are in the hall cupboard, you get the sofa tonight." I finish, and without another word head to my room.

Just as I'm about to go in he grabs my arm, stopping me. "Sam, don't be like this. We can't be more than what we already are. I can't be what you need."

"I get it, I do. You gave me your not interested speech a few days ago and message received. Last night was, bad judgement after being attacked. I just needed a distraction to help get over what happened and you were it. That's why you now get the sofa and I get to countdown until you're gone. Good night Aiden."

He lets go and I shut the door, locking it again just incase either one of us changes their mind about anything. I guess that was pointless as when I come out just before lunch the next day he's gone.

________________

Taking on some extra work thanks to half of the staff taking christmas leave, the next few days flew by. I purposefully ignored Gwen and Hannah as their group chat had exploded after Hannah had to bring up our dinner guest. Since I had nothing to tell, I stayed out of it and even called my Mum a couple of times just to make sure I had no surprise visitors arriving to drag me back home early. My Christmas deadline was getting closer though and suddenly it was Saturday night.

Hannah turned up early in the afternoon so we could get ready together, which really meant stop me from bailing on her last minute.

"So what kind of people are his parents?" The fact she told me I had to make an effort made me curious. Any christmas parties my parents had previously were rather small and very casual.

Hannah pulls out one of the black cocktail dresses I had stashed in the back of my wardrobe and I instantly frown. "Rich people. His Dad is a retired judge and his mum was in real estate. You'd never guess what he comes from knowing Stephen."

"No I wouldn't." I agreed.

From what I knew of her boyfriend, he was a rather simple guy who did and liked guy things. Apart from our trip to Indigo Moon, nothing he did showed he came from money and he didn't act pretentious either.

"This with those shoes." Hannah decided, pointing at one of my many pairs of stilettos.

"Not too much black for a christmas party?"

"I don't think so. It's a bit sexy for you Sam." She pauses, and I don't like that cheeky look she gets. "So, is Aiden coming by soon or are we picking him up on the way?"

"Let it go Hannah. Aiden and I, not happening."

"Probably a good thing. I get bad vibes from him in a good, but not so good way, just your type." She laughs and I'm glad someone finds this all amusing. "You need a Stephen."

"I need a bottle of vodka and for everyone to stop mentioning him." I huff.

"Sorry. Are you really doing ok? You're just looking a bit off. Paler than normal if that's possible." She isn't teasing this time and I shrug.

"I've been doing some late nights with work. That's all."

"All you do is late nights. Your new years reso should be looking after yourself a bit better." She scolds.

"Yes Mum!" I roll my eyes and she lets it go, focusing more on what she was wearing which I was only too happy to talk about instead until it's time to go.

It's not a long drive to Stephens parents house - if it can be called a house. The entrance was even grander to what I was used to seeing at Kate and Nathan's, the long driveway lined with perfectly trimmed hedges all decorated with fairy lights which really added to the occasion. Hannah paid for our cab while I admired the front of the house which was a little more federation style than I was expecting.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Hannah gushed as we headed up the stairs.

"It's something alright."

Stephen was waiting in the foyer and once we left our coats with the doorman he was quick to find his parents who weren't all that interested in their son or his friends. How easily they dismissed us clearly annoyed him, but Hannah and I were happy to find the open bar was much more welcoming. The band were good, perhaps a little too good as they noticed the couples milling around the dancefloor with few actually dancing. It wasn't long before a slower, romantic song came on and watching Hannah and Stephen left me thinking of a certain jerk I really had to get over.

"Would you like to dance?" A male voice asked from behind me as a figure soon inched closer to my side.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." I told him, looking up into the most stunning pair of green eyes I'd ever seen.

"Are you sure? You look like you could really use some company."

Hannah chose that moment to look our way, her smile widening as she gave me a thumbs up. That meant she either knew him, knew of him or had decided I needed some kind of rebound for whatever was not happening with Aiden.

"I do like this song." I finish my champagne and take his hand which is surprisingly soft.

"Me too!" He smiles and I don't even think he is lying.

He is everything Aiden wasn't. Good looking in a big brothers best friend kind of way. He looked nice and friendly; his suit screamed expensive and the smile that was on his face looked like it belong. This guy looked warm and held the promise of possibly being a great match for double dates with Hannah and Stephen. He was the kind you'd be happy to take home to meet the parents.

But he isn't Aiden.

I discover his name is Brendan Johns. His parents knew Stephen's and coming to their christmas party was just as part of the holiday season as presents under the tree. Brendan's sister Imogen was somewhere by the bar and he was preparing to fight her for custody of her dog, a border collie she dumped on him at the start of the year while she went travelling to find herself. He really didn't want to give it back and as he went to kiss me, I pulled away.

"I'm sorry, it's really not you, it's me." I fumbled, putting a little space between us.

"Too much dog talk?" He didn't sound upset, but rather amused.

"No, I love that you love dogs. I hope you get to keep him. It's just I had this thing with this guy, and-"

"Say no more. I just broke up with my ex too, I get it." He smiled, and I felt better. It was nice to be with someone that was just easy to be around. "Thank you for the dance."

I smiled back at him as he headed towards the bar and not being able to see Hannah anywhere, started to wander through the house. I was admiring the paintings in the hall as a small group went by laughing, and feeling rather lonely decided it was time to call it a night.

After sending Hannah a text I went to the doorman to get my coat and as he checked my tag, he put down the clipboard to go and get my things. Idly i looked at the list we had signed on and as I saw the loopy name, I had to read it twice as the name sunk in.

David Henson.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I mumble under my breath, and torn between staying or leaving, I choose the stupid option. Stay.

"Here you are Miss Franklin." The older man forced a smile as he passed my coat over, but frowned as I pointed to the list.

"David, do you ah, know if he is still here?"

"He is." He confirmed.

"I just remembered I haven't tried the eggnog yet. Just forget this happened."

I'm away before he can answer and slipping outside quickly called Brianna.

"Hey Sam! How are you?" She sounds way too happy to hear from me and I know that will change in a second.

"He's here."

"Who?"

"David." I tell her, before whispering. "The killer guy!"

"What?" For a second I think she's dropped the phone. "He's with you?"

"Kind of. He's at the party I'm at. His name was on the coat check list."

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Well, no. But that can't be a super common name, can it?" The cold starts to set in and I look inside, eager to be back in there. "Should I go find him and see?"

"That won't be necessary." Aiden says from behind me.

"Aiden's coming, just wait a second Sam before-"

"Thanks for the warning." I mumble, ending the call.

"How are you always getting yourself into these kind of situations?" He scolds as though I had personally made sure David was here.

"I have no idea, but my life only started to turn into an episode of Charmed after you came into it. Isn't Brianna coming incase we need some witchy powers?"

"She can't right now. Pack stuff."

"What if he recognizes you? Won't he run?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I won't know until I see him." Aiden shrugs.

"You're rather calm about all of this?"

"Well the sooner I can get to the bottom of this, the quicker I can get out of here." He answers flatly.

"Good." I agree.

"Good." He mimics.

"Good." I say again, just to try and get in the last word. Not sure how or why

I turned down the guy of most girls dreams because of him.

We go inside and I dumbly follow Aiden through the house. People subconsciously seem to move for us rather than having to say excuse me a hundred times as we head into the main room, all while Aiden is clearly searching for this David person. His whole body is tense and alert, subtly scanning the space as he looks for a familiar face.

"Let's dance." It's more an order than question and looking at him very unimpressed, he doesn't notice until I'm not following him. "What?"

"I'm not just going to go and dance with you."

"Why not?"

"Because-" I freeze as Hannah is suddenly there.

"Aiden you made it!" She looks between us clearly confused and to avoid this conversation, I grab his hand and head to the dance floor.

"Fine, we'll dance."

Unlike my last dance partner, there is no easy conversation and I regret every second of my decision. Being this close to him does things to my head, I can't quite think normal logical thoughts and instead it's more like, has he always smelt so good?

"Brianna won't stop talking about your movie." He finally says. "I think it was a nice change for her, being able to just relax and be herself for a while."

"That's kind of sad."

"The coven can be overwhelming at times." He agreed.

"I know Nathan asked for help, but why would they give it? Don't we all keep to ourselves majority of the time?" I wonder.

"Well in this world, money is a very valuable commodity and for the protection shit she's giving them, it doesn't come cheap." He sighs. "We all gotta make a living somehow."

"And you?"

"I can't say no to fight, that hasn't changed since I was a kid only now I don't get my own ass beat. You could say I am employed by them for whatever needs to be done that they can't or don't want to do." He doesn't sound too proud about this and I don't keep asking.

"You're a good dancer." I say instead. Not once has he stepped on my toes and as we move around the other couples, the majority double our age it's hard not to get sucked into the moment.

"My grandmother taught me." Aiden's hold on my waist becomes firmer so now we're right against each other.

It makes it harder to move and instead we kind of just sway now as the slow, soft song doesn't seem like it wants to end anytime soon. Looking up at him again, his eyes have lost all colour and sucking in a breath a tiny part of common sense tells me to stay away from him. It's not like he's just a normal guy who made some bad life choices. He's practically told me he does the witches dirty work, and who knows what that entails. Aiden is dangerous. He shouldn't even exist because of what he is.

"Kiss me." I whisper, and we stop swaying.

"Sam I don't-"

"Please."

That's all it takes and then his lips are on mine. He holds me tighter, and my hands rest around his neck as the world disappears. There is just him and me; no tension now, no hesitation or reasons why we shouldn't. Our attraction took on a life of its own then as the force of his lips against mine grew, hands moved - eagerly feeling as much of each other as currently possible given the situation. A need that came from deep within flared to life and I wanted more, pulling back slightly I bit his lip causing his body to vibrate against me as a completely primitive growl came from him.

He can't keep denying me.

Only he did.

Aiden's shock was all over his face and I hated to imagine what I looked like now too. Then he looked up and over me, his body becoming hard against mine in a way I didn't want as he took a deep breath. Instinctively my nails dug into his shoulders, not willing to let him go because I knew he was about to leave.

"I see him. Stay here and find your friends." He ordered. "Don't go anywhere alone. I'll come back for you."

Not sure why any of that mattered as I wasn't the one in danger. If i ever got close enough to this vampire, serial killer or not, I was going to make him regret coming here tonight. Aiden took my hands in his, while his eyes never left his target.

"I promise I will come back."

I didn't answer and as he moved away, I watched the man go through the doors to outside as Aiden followed.

"Well that was, something." Hannah appeared behind me and without expecting it, I jumped. "Sorry, come back down to earth Sammy!"

"I- that wasn't." I groan. "I'll be back in a second."

Without really thinking I started towards the door and slipping outside the cold bit into my skin like a million tiny pinpricks. Shivering, there was no stopping my hair from standing on end and looking around Aiden was at the other end of the deck, staring into the darkness below before he was gone, jumping over the railing.

Ignoring the cold, I ran over. The sounds of a fight clearer the closer I got. Lights from the pool below gave an eerie glow of the backyard and the two men were merely shadows as they fought. It wasn't as though I could jump down there and help, and I thought about calling Brianna again. Telling who was winning was impossible until I got a glimpse of Aiden as he as thrown across the pool and into the darkness on the other side of the yard.

David walked poolside as he seemed to wait for Aiden to return only after a few seconds when he didn't, I slowly started to move back towards the house. I was nearly at the door when I heard footsteps behind me and suddenly David Henson was in front of me.

"Well, who do we have here?" He grinned, happy to reveal his fangs as he did so.

If Aiden was going to chose a time to reappear, now would be it. Even if it was just to yell me for not staying inside as he told me to do.