"So, Caleb Calloway then?"

I shake my head in disbelief. Of course my father doesn't want to talk about the whole 'hunting mythical creatures' thing. He would rather focus on my choice of date last night. When my parents had suggested that we meet in the dining hall, I had hoped that I would finally find out the truth from them. I should have known that the first thing my dad would say would be about Caleb.

It's a little too late to be worried about the boys I date. Where were you when I met Henry?

I bite my tongue, hoping to stop the retort from leaping out of my mouth. We're only five minutes into our conversation and I really don't want to start it off with a snarky comment. Thankfully, my mother comes to my rescue.

"Brennan." She places a hand on his arm with a disapproving glance. "Leave the poor girl alone. I'm sure she has a few questions she wants to ask us."

I do. But I have no idea where to start. There's so many things that I want to say to them, and even more that I want to know. But they're here for such a limited amount of time and I already know that the half hour they promised me is not going to be enough.

I settle for the first and most obvious one. "Why did you hide all this from me? And," I continue when I see my mum opening her mouth to respond. "Please don't say it was for my protection. I could have spent years training. I should have at least been given the choice."

They exchange a glance, a million unspoken words passing between them. I can almost see them debating how much to tell me and how honest they should be. The silence stretches on so long I wonder if they will actually answer me, or avoid my question altogether.

"Peyton," my mom finally says. "You should have realised by now, there isn't a choice. Once you're in there's no going back. We wanted to keep you from this and let you have a normal life."

"You could have at least told me about you guys though," I insist, not completely satisfied with her reasoning. "Why all the secrecy?"

"You won't be able to understand until you have a child of your own," my dad answers. "As parents we made what we believed to be the best decision under almost impossible circumstances."

"By letting me think you didn't care about me?" I'm annoyed to find that my eyes are starting to itch slightly and a lump is building in my throat. "You were always gone," I accuse, doing my best to keep my voice from cracking.

"We were making the world a safer place," he points out.

"But I didn't know that! I thought you just felt like your work was more important than me." A traitorous tear rolls down my cheek and I angrily wipe it away. "Do you know what I said to Zach when I first joined and he told me to think of an excuse to tell you? I told him you probably wouldn't notice anyway."

"That's not fair, Peyton," my mum says. "You know we love you. We did the best we could."

I nod, knowing that, in a way, she's right. It's impossible for me to judge them when I've never had children of my own. I can't imagine the situation that they were in. Despite their absence, I know that they do love me. And, even though they've lied to me for the majority of my life, I can almost understand their choices.

Almost.

"For what it's worth," she adds, placing a hand on mine. "We are truly sorry we ever made you feel that way."

It doesn't make it any easier, and it definitely doesn't make up for all the years I spent without them. But, maybe it's time to let go of the resentment and pull myself together. Carrying my anger around is only going to do me more harm than good.

"I forgive you," I tell them and the look of relief on their faces is almost identical. "But, I need some time to let go of my anger. It's been twenty-two years of absences and lies, and no matter how hard I try, I'm not going to get over that in a thirty-minute conversation."

"Of course." My dad finally cracks a smile. "You get your stubbornness from your mother."

"Brennan," my mom warns.

"When are you coming back again?" I ask, knowing that our time together is coming to an end. "I would like to know more about our family history, and I still have so many questions for you."

"We're not sure." My mum glances over at my dad, almost as though she's looking for confirmation. "But I promise you, Peyton, you will be the first to know. Even before Jax."

"I would appreciate that." I know that their short time here is usually controlled carefully by Lideri. They have to cram months-worth of information and reports into a day or two. It's the reason I could only meet them for thirty minutes, they have a meeting with Lideri before they go.

"I believe that you managed to take your mother down in a fight?" My dad changes the subject with a proud grin on his face.

"You would have been so proud, Brennan." My mum beams. "She fights just like you. Slightly unorthodox, but it works."

"And I hear that you have been working on your archery as well?" he asks. "Jax says your shots are getting better by the day."

I blush to the roots of my hair, the heat radiating off me like an oven. Compliments from Lideri are so rare, and it still surprises me when he graces me with one. "They were before I got injured. Now I guess I'll have to start all over."

"Not from the beginning, Peyton," my mum reassures me. "Muscles have memory. You'll be just fine."

"Now, if you'll excuse us." My dad checks his watch and stands up. "We have to get going. Jax isn't a fan of waiting."

I still have so much I want to ask them, so much I want to talk about. But his tone tells me there's no point in arguing and that he actually wants to avoid all my questions. So I let it go for now.

"We'll see you soon," my mum gives me a big hug, closely followed by my dad.

"I have one more question before you go," I blurt out as soon as he releases me. "What happened to your glasses?"

He laughs loudly. "They're difficult to fight with, Peyton. I only ever wore those at home. In the field, I use contacts." He taps his temple knowingly, offering me a wink before taking my mum's hand and dragging her away.

I'm left standing there, wondering if I even know my parents at all.

¤

At a loose end, and unable to find Caleb or Zach anywhere, I wander around for a while. The ache in my stomach makes itself known with every step I take, a throbbing pulse that never really goes away. I have to wait another two hours before I'm supposed to have another pain killer, so I resign myself to it.

I should just go to my room and relax, but the talk with my parents has left me antsy and unable to sit still. I want to speak to my team, to be reassured that despite the absurdity of my parents being hunters, there's still two people I can trust in this concrete labyrinth.

Finally, just as I'm ready to give up, I stumble across the viewing room that I had sat with Lideri in what feels like a year ago. I go in just to take a seat and relax for a few minutes, but when I look through the clear glass, I see the two guys I have just spent hours searching for.

Zach and Caleb trade blows on the floor below. I can't hear them from where I am, but they appear to be arguing about something. Their frustration shows clearly through each hit. Scowls adorn each of their faces as they exchange words and I can see the sweat coating their skin from here.

I've never noticed before, maybe because I've never actually seen them fight at the same time, but their combat styles are completely different. Caleb uses cunning moves and brute like force, spinning often on his heels. His every move is confident and sure, his punches and kicks are strong and well placed.

Zach is grace personified. He's light on his feet, flexible and far more agile than I would have given him credit for. Every move he makes is careful but calculated, and it almost seems like he's moving in slow motion.

While Zach focuses more on defence than attack, only attempting a hit when he knows it's going to land, Caleb moves wildly, swinging his arms in a constant rhythm. They're beautiful to watch, almost as if they're performing a dance that only the two of them know.

Did someone turn up the heat in here?

I watch as Zach manages to land a particularly hard blow on Caleb's chest, sending him stumbling to the floor. He crouches over him and raises his fist as though to land a punch, but Caleb catches it before it can hit him. He yanks on Zach's arm hard, before rolling them both over until Caleb is the one on top.

Zach dodges Caleb's fist before bending his knees and kicking out, throwing Caleb straight over his head, where he lands with a thud I swear I can feel, even from here. They both lie there on their backs for a moment, catching their breath. Then, almost in sync, they leap to their feet and face each other again, fists raised.

I'm not going to lie, it's very impressive.

I lose track of how long I watch them, fascinated by their skills, until finally, when Zach has him in a chokehold, Caleb taps out. Zach releases him, getting to his feet and helping Caleb up. They shake hands, big grins on both their faces and I wonder if I imagined their earlier frustration.

Zach lifts the hem of his grey shirt up to wipe the sweat off his forehead, revealing a toned abdomen that I've never really noticed before. He says something to Caleb as he releases it to stretch out his limbs. It's only as he raises his arms above his head that he looks up, catching my eye immediately through the clear glass.

Crap.

I step back quickly, embarrassed to have been caught spying on them. Hustling out the room with flaming cheeks, I head down the hall as fast as I can. It's only when I hear an unmistakable voice call out my name that I know I wasn't quick enough.

"Peyton!"

I turn to see Zach jogging to catch up with me; how he got here so fast, I will never know. Heat rises to my cheeks as I take in Zach's appearance, my blush deepening as I remember what's hiding beneath his grey t-shirt. "I'm sorry," I blurt out before he has a chance to say anything.

"Why?" he looks at me quizzically. Sweat glistens on his face and his exposed arms, trickling down his skin. His eyes seem to be a darker blue today, as deep and endless as the ocean I always compare them to.

"For," I'm suddenly not sure, my embarrassment at being caught has knocked all rational thoughts from my brain. "For watching you guys."

"There's no need to apologise," he assures me. "It's good to watch other's train, you can pick up some new skills."

"I miss it," I admit softly, even though I hadn't realised it until now. I feel a pang of shock in my chest at my words, surprised that they had come out of my mouth. Who would have thought I would miss the constant bruises and stiffness that came from training?

"Peyton." Zach reaches his hand out as though he's going to place it on my shoulder, but then he clearly decides against it and lets it fall back to his side. The air between us cackles for a moment, as though filled with electricity and things left unsaid.

A million words race through his eyes, like stars against a navy blue sky. His mouth opens and closes a few times like he can't think of the right thing to say. I can already tell I don't want to know what it is, and when he finally speaks, my worst fears are confirmed.

"Caleb and I are going after that vampire," he says, his apologetic gaze refusing to leave mine. "Tonight."

My heart drops so fast, I'm sure that it leaves a hole in the floor.