Interesting guesses about why Callum got all hot in the previous chapter and then went back to normal. Most of you seem to think it has something to do with the mate bond so I'll say this again: humans, Gifted or not (and I'm talking in general, not saying that Callum is a Gifted), cannot feel the mate bond.

Have any of you considered that maybe Callum got colder because Keri's presence managed to calm him down? With it having to do with his human feelings for her, not the mate bond?

Or maybe it was something entirely different?

One of you mentioned someone might be targeting Callum and making his body temperature rise as a way to harm Keri; that's also an interesting option...

"And you can't recall ever having another such incident?" The pretty blond doctor asked again, this time with a pen poised over my medical record.

I swallowed as the image of Miriam's abuser on fire flashed through my mind.

"No," I croaked out.

That had been an accident. A problem with one of the gas lanterns. It had to be. It had nothing to do with my fever.

So why did I keep thinking of it?

The doctor raised her face from the papers in her hands, her golden eyes holding mine.

"I'm a vampire, coming from a long line of purebloods; I can hear your pulse from this close without a stethoscope."

"So?" I licked my lips.

Damn it, I'd kill for a drink.

"It skipped a beat before you replied."

Not a beer. Something stronger. Something way stronger.

"Want to try that again?" She asked.

"I don't recall having a sudden fever that just went away a few minutes later." I looked about the pristine examination room with all its fancy equipment. I knew there would be no alcohol here. My gaze kept searching for it anyway.

"But?" The doctor kept prompting.

I turned my attention back to her.

"But? But what? There's no 'but'. That was the first time. That's it."

"You are still hiding something from me." Those unnaturally-colored eyes bore into mine as she waited for me to spill the beans. A minute of silence passed. Then another. Finally, the doctor sighed and got up.

"I don't have time for this," she declared, leaving my chart on the corner table next to where I sat in a surprisingly comfortable chair. I didn't want to be in the Sentinel's medical facilities, but I couldn't deny they were well-equipped.

"The next one will have to deal with your attitude," she added as she took her tall frame towards the door.

"The next one?" I repeated. "The next what?"

The doctor stopped just as she'd reached for the door handle. She turned to me, her face the definition of professional as she evenly said:

"The next person who comes to examine you."

"There's more of this shit?" I jumped from my seat and headed her way. "I've been here for hours, I've had several vials of blood drawn, gave you a urine sample, got interviewed by two - two! - of you... And there's more?"

"The first person was a nurse who took your basic information. I am a doctor who did a more thorough examination and who prefers to talk to her patients in order to make sure that their records are correct. This new person who is coming is a Gifted and can read your energy. They can conduct test that I'm unable to. Then they'll tell me what they've found, I'll add that to the results from our laboratory and my own observations of you, as well as that of whoever does your psychological profile..."

"A psychological..." I took in a deep breath and fisted my hands. "A psychological profile?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"We like to cover all of our options. This fever is too odd to be natural, but we are still going to examine you for diseases, it could have something to do with your mental health so we want that covered too, and it could be of a supernatural origin, thus the energy reader."

"And if none of you find anything?" I could feel a vein pulsing on my forehead. The serial killer was back and the Sentinels were wasting my time doing silly tests over something that might never happen again.

I was fine!

Or at least, fine enough. And I had a job to do. I needed to return to the precinct. I also had to tell Keri I was well so she could go home, because that gorgeous, stubborn woman had refused to leave the medical facility without me. She was out there, in one of these hallways, waiting for me.

"If we don't find anything, we'll just assign more tests until we discover what happened to you," the doctor calmly replied and exited the room, leaving me to seriously contemplate drinking the rubbing alcohol. There had to be some in one of these cabinets, right?

I leaned back in my chair, my head bumping against the wall.

"Thanks again for doing this, Rhys!" I said into the phone.

"What are friends for?" He asked from the other end of the line. "Besides, I'm your Beta; I'm supposed to take care of the pack when you are not around."

I smiled. Even if that position had gone to someone else, Rhys wouldn't have been able to hold back and not help out. With me stuck at the Sentinel's medical facility while Callum went through who knew what tests while he put innocent lab techs and nurses through his grumpy mood, my childhood friend had taken charge over the Bullets. There were already strict security measures in place and I trusted him, but nevertheless, I couldn't restrain myself from checking how things were back home.

Rhys was glad to hear from me even though he and Riley had been disappointed that I had no news of what had happened to Callum. I'd told them about the Detective's sudden fever and that had been all since I myself knew nothing more. Twice I'd stopped the nurse who'd helped us fill in Callum's information when we'd arrived and twice she'd told me they were still doing tests. For how much longer, she didn't know. There was even the possibility of him having to spend the night here.

If that was the case, I'd also want to stay, but that was probably a bad idea. Callum didn't know of my motives and would probably be against it. Besides, my presence here was not helping anyone, but if I went home, I could go over the new crime scene once again. A part of me cringed at the idea, at the image of the destroyed, blood-soaked bedroom, but another part was only more motivated by the horror.

We have to stop that lunatic before there's another victim!

"Keri? Are you still there?"

I rubbed my phone-free hand over my tired eyes and returned my attention to Rhys.

"Yeah. What else is happening over there?"

We'd already gone over security measures and who was patrolling our grounds tonight, but I wanted to make sure I was informed on everything. I might be in a different town, but I was still the Bullets' Alpha.

"That's it. Everyone is on edge, but no more than when we first heard of the new murder."

"Alec still there?" I asked.

The evening after the poor woman had been killed, Alec had arrived unannounced on Everett's doorstep, complete with two very large, very expensive-looking suitcases and a very irritated-looking cat, who I'd assumed - and was later proven right - was the notorious, art-destroying Luka. The boy had simply announced that he'd decided to grace his father and step-mother with his presence, then had claimed their guest room for himself and his Russian Blue.

"He's here, but he isn't causing any trouble." Rhys replied, then added: "Well, apart from annoying people."

"Figured he wouldn't do anything to get kicked out of our grounds. I'm pretty sure he's over there to protect Ollie."

"As strange as it is, I have to second that. He keeps complaining that the little guy smells of a wet mutt and calls him 'the little beast', but somehow Alec always accidentally ends up in the same room as Ollie. He's even taken to feeding the kid."

I chuckled. Who knew that the way to make the vampire-shifter mix act like a human was to birth him a baby brother?

"And that cat of his... Luka. He keeps sneaking in our house to play with Luna. At least that's what Riley thinks the pet is doing, but Luka mostly just watches Luna and occasionally pushes one of her toys her way."

"He does?"

"Oh, yeah. It's one of her rubber balls. He pushes it away, she chases it, brings it back, he pushes it again. Riley says Luka might be trying to make a friend, but I'm not so sure. Luka always has this haughty, cold expression on his face. It's like dealing with another Alec, only... Only a cat."

I could just about imagine the way Rhys grimaced at the last word. My childhood buddy had never been a fan of felines. Riley on the other hand would've probably been ecstatic about a cat in their house, even a temperamental one, if he wasn't just as shaken at the recent events as the rest of us.

And just like that my mind was back on the killer and trying to figure out why she did what she did.

"Thanks, Rhys." I said through a sigh.

"No problem, Keri."

With that we hung up on each other. Reaching to the seat beside me, I picked up my now cold coffee. I was just finishing it up and looking around for a bin to dispose of the paper cup when two familiar figures approached me.

The one who stood out more was Sasha Mavis, the vampire's long, red hair mostly in a ponytail with a few strands free and framing her beautiful face. She was smiling and even gave me a slight wave.

Her partner - the brunet human Adrian Monroe, would also be quite catching if only he didn't have his robot face on. Okay, he didn't look exactly like a robot, but he was one of those professional, face-wiped-of-emotions type of people. Most of the time. Sometimes he looked thoughtful. And quite often, he looked peeved at his partner's careless demeanor.

The two of them stopped in front of me and it was Sasha who spoke first:

"We heard about Callum's weird fever; he okay?"

"He seems to be, but they are still running tests on him," I replied, fidgeting with my phone.

"Checking up on your wolves?" The vampire asked, pointing with her chin to the device in my hands.

"Already did. They seem to be alright, given... Given the circumstances."

Adrian gave a sympathetic nod.

"And Alec being there doesn't exactly help."

"Alec?" The male Sentinel's eyes had rounded, that one-word question coming out fast. I tried to remember if I'd ever seen him this... animated? Maybe that was the word. If I'd seen him this animated before. His partner was looking at him as she asked me:

"What's he doing there?"

"He's been visiting since his baby brother Oliver was born." I carefully watched their reactions as I answered. Adrian had schooled his features, but a flash of something - curiosity, astonishment; I couldn't tell - briefly manifested itself in his eyes. Sasha was also observing him, even though she was now doing so from the corner of her eye.

What was their deal with my best friend's older nephew?

I'd often wondered exactly why these two had been removed from the murder investigation and replaced with Clifford Clarence and Johnathan Mitchell. Could Alec have had anything to do with that?

Before I figured out a way to ask them without seeming nosy, the nurse we'd talked to when we'd arrived approached us.

"Miss Greer? Detective Callum would be staying here over the night and he said not to wait for him and to just head home."

"Oh." I got up and bit my lip. Had that really been all that Callum had said?

Would he mind if I...

"Do you think I can see him before I go?"

The nurse hesitated for only a moment before she replied:

"I don't see why not." She turned around and nodded for me to follow her. "But I should warn you: he's in a... bad mood."

"Surprise, surprise," I muttered as I followed her, passing by the two Sentinels, noting that the human one was rather tense.

First, Russian Blue is Luka's breed.

Second, Alec at Everett's: did you expect that?

Third (and again about Alec): any ideas how he could be involved in the removal of Sasha and Ian from the murder case?

I've mentioned it before online, but not in the books, so I want to read your theories on the matter.

Now back to Callum and Keri: do you think Callum would be pissed off Keri didn't leave and went to see him instead?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it and I hope you have a great time wattpadding!