By morning, I haven't heard any news of Zach and Caleb and I am officially going out of my mind with worry.

I didn't sleep a wink, and if I was able to walk, I would have worn a hole in the floor from pacing back and forth. As it was, I had to make do with running my hands through my hair and tapping my fingers against my leg, neither of which helped my anxiety.

When Angie came in around midnight, I asked if she knew anything, but she just shook her head sadly and checked my stitches. Surely we must have had some news by now? I don't think any of our other missions took this long. I'm sure we always got back before dawn.

The pain has reduced to a dull throb in my stomach but seems to have found a new home in my chest. Each breath seems to be harder as I struggle to calm myself down. My heart aches at the thought of something happening to either Zach or Caleb.

I hate this waiting. I never want to do it again.

Just after eight, according to the clock on the wall, Lideri walks in and it feels as though my heart stops altogether. I try to sit up straight, but pain sears through my abdomen and my breath catches. He approaches me with a solemn expression that makes my stomach drop to the floor.

"Zach and Caleb?" I manage to ask between gasps.

"Are both okay," he answers and I breathe a sigh of relief, the weight in my chest finally lifting. "But the target got away. They tried to track him and failed."

That's not good. It means that, not only does the vampire now know what Zach and Caleb look like, he will also be able to warn the others that we're after them. But, while it's not the best news, it's definitely something I can deal with. We'll just have to catch the vampire when I'm healed.

"They're on their way back now," he continues.

"Thank goodness. I was so worried."

"I understand it must have been difficult for you," he says with surprising tenderness. "Zach requested that I come here to tell you."

I smile at Zach's thoughtfulness, pleased that I don't have to wait for their return to find out about their well-being. "Thank you, Lideri. I was going out of my mind. I'm glad they're okay."

"May I?" He gestures towards the chair next to my bed and I nod, confused as to why he wants to talk to me. I thought he had just come here to pass on news about Zach and Caleb, but, judging by the serious expression on his face, he clearly has a very different conversation in mind.

"I think I owe you an apology Peyton," he starts.

Okay, I hadn't been expecting that.

I'm almost too shocked to answer. His sincerity renders me speechless for a moment. "For what?" I finally manage to find my voice and ask.

"For many things. But most importantly for the way I treated you when you first arrived here. Your parents have always been very good friends of mine, and I knew they wouldn't approve of you joining. The truth is, we are always desperate for new Hunters. Our numbers are dwindling by the day. Under other circumstances, I would have welcomed you with open arms."

"I understand." I nod, although to be honest, I'm still surprised by his admission.

"Thank you, Peyton. I believe you have made a wonderful addition to our ranks. You appear to be a natural at this, current predicament excluded of course."

"Was that a compliment, Lideri? I may faint."

He half smiles and clasps his hands tightly on his lap. "I'm not always the dictator you paint me to be. It would do you well to remember our previous discussion."

"I do."

"Everything I do is for a reason," he explains. "And that is why it saddens me to tell you that, for the next four weeks, you will not be cleared for missions. After two, we can re-evaluate and maybe you can start training again."

I'm floored by the sudden switch in our conversation and convinced I must have heard him wrong. "Wait, what?"

"I've spoken to Angie and we believe that this is for the best. The damage to your stomach, though minimal, will take a long time to heal. Truthfully, you should be on bed rest for longer than two weeks. Although, knowing how stubborn you can be, I knew you wouldn't agree to that."

"You're damn right, I wouldn't!" I shriek. "This is outrageous!"

"No, Peyton." He shakes his head, his voice calm and measured despite my outburst. "This is the best course of action to take. Sending you on a mission with a partially healed wound could hurt not only you, but Zach or Caleb as well. I would be blind not to notice that they both care for you. I won't send two of my best fighters in with a distraction."

"But-,"

"Please try and see the bigger picture here," he cuts me off. "I know that deep down, underneath your indignation; you know that this is the right thing to do. Zach and Caleb need to able to focus on missions, and I have no doubt in my mind that if you went with, you would be their first priority. That could be extremely dangerous for all of you."

I don't answer him, too stunned to speak for once in my life.

"Thank you, Peyton. I knew you would understand," he says as he stands up, even though I certainly do not agree with him. "Feel better soon." And with that he leaves my room while I try and pick my jaw off the floor.

¤

Four weeks.

I think of how I spent the night enveloped in worry and anxiety. How many times will I have to face this waiting game over the next month? I understand his reasoning, and I get that at the moment I am a liability. But four weeks seems like a really long time. I shift in my bed and pain streaks up my naval.

Okay, maybe it's slightly reasonable.

"Jennings!" Caleb's voice from the doorway cuts through my thoughts. I look up, a smile immediately crossing my face at the sight of him stalking towards me. A black eye is forming on his left side, and his lip is split down the middle. Blood trails down the side of his face and on his arms, but he's grinning and walking.

Most importantly, he's here.

"I was so worried about you!" I exhale, unable to hide the relief in my voice.

"I'm okay." As if to prove his point, he leans over the bed and places his lips on mine, cupping my cheeks in his hands. For a moment, I'm too stunned to move, taken aback by his abruptness. But I relax into his kiss until the taste of copper hits my tongue and I pull back, slightly worried about his split lip. "Sorry," he mumbles, leaning his forehead against mine. "I couldn't resist."

We're interrupted by someone clearing their throat by the door. Caleb pulls away from me, grinning widely and propping himself on the edge of my bed. I look to the entrance, just in time to see Zach stepping inside, looking mostly unharmed apart from a scratch along his cheek.

"Zacharias!" I stretch out my hands, beckoning him over to give me a hug. Although, knowing Zach, the chances are unlikely. "It's so good to see you!"

He surprises me by walking over and wrapping his arms around me, his cheek resting on the crown of my head. "And you, Peyton." He steps back, folding his arms across his chest and smiling down at me. "You have a bit more colour in you today."

"So I look less vampire-like then?"

He grimaces at my poor attempt at humour and sits down in the chair next to my bed. "I told you we would manage fine."

"Except, he got away didn't he? And now he knows what the two of you look like." This thought had been worrying me since Lideri left a couple of hours ago.

"Yes," Zach agrees. "But, he doesn't know where to find us."

How do they know that for sure?

Before I can ask, Caleb rests a hand on my leg, calling my attention to him. "Don't worry, Jennings. We'll be okay, I promise."

"Caleb's right," Zach reassures me. "You shouldn't concern yourself with such trivial matters. Instead, focus on getting better. The mission was," he pauses for a moment, "less fun without you."

"Zacharias, is that your way of saying you missed me?" I tease.

"I noticed your absence," he admits. "Neither I nor Caleb tripped over our own weapons." Both Zach and I chuckle at this while Caleb looks back and forth between us, clearly unimpressed at being left out of the loop.

"Tell me what happened," I ask, desperate to know the details. "How did he get away?"

Zach and Caleb exchange a look, appearing to have a silent conversation, the same way they used to when I first met them. It's been a while since they've done it and I can't say that I missed it. It's a few moments before Zach finally speaks again.

"Caleb and I were having a slight disagreement when we got out of the car," Zach starts. Caleb mumbles something under his breath that sounds vaguely like 'slight, my ass'. I almost question it, but decide not to, wanting to hear what happened first.

"The vampire caught us unawares," Zach continues despite the interruption. "Clearly he heard our argument as we approached and was alerted to our presence."

"He was stronger than we expected," Caleb picks up the story. "And without the element of surprise, there was no way we could get the upper hand. We traded a few blows before he managed to knock us both out and get away."

"By the time we woke up, he was long gone," Zach explains. "We did our best to track him, but it was pointless. The trail was already cold and we lost it somewhere along Mineford Road. It was too late at night and the streets were deserted, so no one had seen him."

"What were you guys fighting about?" It seems really strange to me. I've seen them disagree before, but I would never think they would let an argument get in the way of a mission.

They glance at each other again, and before Caleb even speaks, I know that he's going to lie to me. "The best way to handle the mission. We both had our own ideas of what we thought we should do."

I look at Zach, trying to figure out the truth, but he refuses to meet my gaze. "Come on, Caleb. You don't expect me to believe that do you? You guys would never risk a mission over something like that."

"Peyton," Zach says. "If it's okay with you, we would rather not talk about it. We have already had to explain ourselves to Lideri and he was very unimpressed. Rest assured though, that Caleb and I have since worked everything out and it won't happen again."

An uncomfortable silence settles over us for a moment. My curiosity has reached its peak, but I do understand that it's between the two of them and if they've managed to sort it out then that's all that matters. "Okay," I concede. "I'm just glad you guys are both alright."

"We are," Zach reassures me, his blue eyes finally meeting mine. "And we will catch him, Peyton. So, don't worry about that either."

"Speaking of, we better get going. We have to get to the control room, see if we can track this guy." Caleb gets to his feet and places a soft kiss on my temple. "Night of your life next week, Jennings. As promised," he whispers in my ear before stepping back and gesturing to Zach.

The two of them leave the room together and I am once again left alone with my racing thoughts.

Sitting on this hospital bed is going to get boring very quickly.