The next morning, I arrive at the training grounds early, determined to outrun my frustration. It had been a terrible, sleepless night. My mind wouldn't stop spinning with the revelation of my parents being Hunters and no matter how many times I tried to close my eyes and forget, I couldn't escape the thoughts and memories that ploughed their way through my brain.

How many times did I beg them not to go? How many times did I watch them leave and wish they would stay? How many times did they tell me how important their work was and that part of their business was travelling the world and making sales?

Far, far too many.

Why did I never even question their jobs? I believed everything they ever told me, but looking back now, I can see just how naïve I was. I grew up with nannies instead of parents, people who I barely knew had to look after me. All the missed birthdays and Christmases, the important milestones that I had to face without my mum and dad, were all based on lies.

Okay, maybe I am bitter about it. But I allow myself a free pass for now, resentment doesn't disappear over-night and the harsh sting of betrayal will heal eventually. I just need some time to get over it.

But, as soon as I walk into the training room, I can tell I'm not going to get it. My mother is sitting in one of the chairs in the far corner, her hands folded on her lap, her back poker straight as she watches the door.

"Peyton." As soon as I enter, she gets up and starts towards me. "I am sorry."

I take a step back from her and prepare for the confrontation. I hadn't wanted it, but now that she's right here in front of me, I can't stop the words that leap from my mouth. "For what? Lying to me? Keeping things from me? Constantly abandoning me to go on missions?"

"No." She shakes her head quickly. "I stand by those decisions. I'm sorry for telling you that you can't be a Hunter. I had a long talk with Lideri after you left last night. He says you're a natural. That's extremely high praise coming from him."

"He did?" I ask incredulously, my anger with her momentarily forgotten. I can't believe that Lideri would ever say anything nice about me.

"Yes. But Peyton, I stand my ground on this. I don't want this life for you. It's hard, lonely and dangerous. Your father and I are lucky enough to be a team."

Immediately, I think of Zach's ocean eyes and reluctant smile, of Caleb's messy hair and easy smirk. "I have a team," I argue.

"Yes and I can see that the one boy has a soft spot for you. Zach, was it?"

I almost snort at the ridiculousness of her question. "No way. Maybe you're thinking of Caleb." Although, after last night, I'm more confused than ever about my feelings for Caleb. I'm still angry that he kept such a huge secret from me. I understand that he had to, but that doesn't make the realisation any easier to swallow.

"Possibly." She frowns in thought. "Is there something there? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No offense, mum, but I'm still mad at you. So no, I don't want to talk boys with you. In fact, I don't really want to talk to you in general right now. Besides, don't we have more important things to focus on at the moment?"

"I just wanted a nice, normal moment with my daughter." She shrugs, completely disregarding my remark about not wanting to talk to her.

"You want a nice moment?" I widen my stance and raise my fists, eager for an outlet for my anger. "Let's train."

"Darling, I'm not going to fight you." She crosses her arms over her chest and looks me up and down. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"What's the matter, mum?" I goad her, my irritation with her fuelling my words. "You scared?"

Her eyes, identical to my own, flash at the challenge. I can see the confidence written all over her face, as she gathers her hair up into a ponytail and mimics my stance. "Bring it on, little girl," she smirks.

I circle around her, waiting for her to make the first move. She throws a punch, aiming towards my left shoulder, which I manage to dodge by mere centimetres. The air whistles as it sails past me and I know that if she had managed to land it, it would have hurt like hell.

"Not bad." She nods her approval. "Good reflexes."

"No thanks to you," I can't help but bite back.

She ignores my comment as we trade a few blows, each only managing to land a couple before stepping away and eyeing each other warily. I'm already sweating and slightly out of breath but I can't help the smug smirk that crosses my face as I notice that she is too. "What's the matter, mummy dearest?" I tease. "Getting tired?"

She laughs loudly, the sound almost jarring in the confines of the training room. "My sweet Peyton. I always warned you that your mouth would get you into trouble one day."

And with that she leaps towards me. I bring my arms up to cover my face thinking that's what she's aiming for. Instead, she tackles me straight to the ground. I land on my back with a thud, the wind knocked out of me. She takes the moment to scramble back onto her feet, placing the sole of her shoe on my windpipe.

"Come on, is that all you got?" she goads. "You can't even give your old mother a run for her money?"

I grit my teeth, biting back the yelp of pain that wants to leap from my throat. "I'm just getting started." I yank her ankle hard and she topples over, I roll out the way as she barrels towards the floor. She lands with an 'oof' and I scurry over, wrapping my arms around her neck and holding tightly.

"Tap out, mum." I increase my pressure a little bit, not enough to actually hurt her, but just enough to show her I mean business.

"Never," she chokes out, trying fruitlessly to pull my arms away from her throat.

"That stubbornness is going to get you in trouble one day," I comment and she manages to laugh, tapping twice on my forearm as she does so.

We're silent for a moment, catching our breath, both of us still on the floor. Her eyes meet mine and a wide smile crosses her face. "I'm proud of you, Peyton."

Before I can answer, a slow clap fills the room and we both jump at the unexpected sound. Turning around I see Lideri, Caleb and Zach standing at the entrance watching us. Lideri lowers his hands back to his sides. "That was quite the show ladies. Very impressive," he praises before turning to my mother. "A word in the control room, Lydia?"

"Be there in ten," she responds, climbing to her feet, her breath still coming out in heavy pants. "Peyton, maybe after lunch, we can take a walk?"

"Sure," I shrug, my anger dissolving slightly. It would be nice to get some answers.

¤

"So, tell me about them?" my mother asks me as we sit on the grass just outside the farmhouse. "Please," she adds, as I open my mouth to argue. "I just want to hear about your life, Peyton. Tell me about your team."

I haven't entirely forgiven her yet, and I'd rather spend our limited time together learning more about our family. But, I find myself relenting slightly, eager to talk about the two men who have become such a big part of my life. "Caleb has supported me from the beginning, he helped train me, even when Lideri wasn't really on board. He's really funny and smart, extremely talented and confident. He's been the person I've leant on through all this."

I don't tell her anything else, not wanting to initiate a talk about my feelings right now. The moments that Caleb and I have shared seem almost sacred somehow, like they're reserved for just the two of us. I also don't want to think too much about the anger I'm still feeling towards him, or the fact that when he came into the training room earlier, I made a hasty exit, determined to avoid him.

"And what about Zach?"

I wrinkle my nose in confusion, unsure of how to put Zach into words. "Zach challenges me, he brings out my snarkiness to its full extent but he also pushes me to be my best. He's loyal to a fault and kind. He's got these walls built up around him and he's scared to let anyone in, but I think he's finally starting to let his guard down. There's these rare moments when he seems more relaxed and carefree, and I love being around him when that happens, it's like I'm seeing the real Zach. He's a good friend, although if you ask him, he would deny it."

My mum watches me as I talk, occasionally nodding in agreement. I had been unsure of what to say about Zach, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the words just spilled out, pouring into the empty space between us. For a moment I remember the struggle in Zach's eyes when he had something to tell me but knew that he shouldn't.

I wonder, if Caleb hadn't walked in, would Zach have been honest with me?

Yes. You know he would have.

"The last time I saw Caleb," my mum muses. "He was just a toddler running around. It's sad what happened to Kathryn. Unfortunately, it's a risk we all take."

I didn't even think about the fact that she might have known them before. Now I realise that they're roughly the same age, they probably would have been friends, or at least trained together at some point. "So, you and dad hunt werewolves?" I ask, wanting to get all my facts straight.

She nods. "As did your grandparents. If you are set on becoming a Hunter, it's something you should consider as well."

"No." I shake my head quickly, my decision was made long ago. "Vampires like Henry need to be stopped. I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else."

"Did you," she stops herself from asking the question, her cheeks flushing a slight shade of pink. It takes me a moment to realise what she's getting at, but when I do, I can feel my own face heat up.

"No." I answer quickly. I don't need the 'talk'. We've already had it before. "But, I did kiss him."

"And Caleb?"

I freeze like a deer caught in the headlights. She seems to read the answer in my eyes before I can even give it. A knowing smile crosses her face and she grins, nudging me with her elbow to get me to tell her about it.

"It's," I search for the right word. "Complicated. I don't know how to describe it. I'm not even entirely sure what's going on between us. Plus, there's the small matter of Lideri's rules."

Surprisingly, she laughs. "Peyton, do you really believe that anyone follows the 'no relationship' rule? In my day, flings were a common occurrence. Lideri can't really expect all the young adults to co-exist without romances forming. Deep down, he knows this."

Well that kind of explains my conversation with him. "But, you and dad left?"

"The problem isn't the flings," she explains. "It's when the relationship becomes a risk to the missions. Your father and I cared more for each other than we should have. It could have become a problem in a fight."

"And Caleb's parents?"

"Everett Calloway is," she pauses as though she's unsure how to phrase it. "A difficult man. I don't believe he ever truly loved Kathryn. His only real love is the hunt."

"That's... sad."

"That's how he was raised, Peyton. You weren't brought up here so it will be difficult for you to understand. Now," she checks her watch and stands up, dusting herself off. "I must get ready to go. I can't leave your father alone for too long."

Panic fills my chest at the thought of her leaving. We've wasted so much time talking about Zach and Caleb and I've hardly managed to ask her any questions about our family. "When will I see you again?"

"I'm not sure. Possibly at the Hunter's ball. Our current mission has been more difficult than we realised. It's been hard to get them on their own." Concern flits across her face, quickly replaced by confidence. "But we'll manage. We always do."

I can't even begin to picture my mum and dad taking on a werewolf pack. They've always seemed so normal to me. I can't imagine my dad, with his thick glasses and slight moustache, even wielding a blade. Even though I've seen my mum in action now, the thought of them fighting werewolves still worries me. "Please stay safe."

"So I take it you've forgiven us then?" She reaches down offering me a hand to pull me up.

I take it and rise to my feet, wrapping my arms around her in a goodbye hug. "Not quite, but I would still like you to return in one piece. There's a lot more answers I need."

"All in due time, Peyton." She strokes my hair softly before releasing me. "I promise I will tell you everything."