Wanted.

Chapter Twenty.

"...and I am guessing he was drugged or Charmed in some way." I finally tuned into Doc's report on the man. I had been so focused on him that I had completely missed all but the end.

"Huh?" I fumbled for words. "Wait, what?"

Rye and Doctor Reed ignored me, conversing in hushed tones, obviously forgetting my improved hearing.

"Is he talking?" Rye asked, sounding particularly calm.

"If you mean can he talk, than yes, but he does not remember anything. Eve in the woods, attacking her in her bedroom, or arriving at her home. That is why I believe he was drugged or Charmed."

Rye groaned. "He could be lying."

"I'm not lying," the man said in a gravelly voice. "I honestly don't remember. I remember meeting you in a cave, and leaving. I met a man, he had bright blue hair and really yellow eyes, it was weird."

"Blue hair...yellow eyes..." Doc murmured, his head snapped up to look at Rye. "Do you think...?"

"I thought they were all demolished..." Rye gasped.

My composure gave in. "Who?"

They turned to me with wide eyes, as if they had forgotten I was here. Doc's eyes sparkled, but he didn't say a word.

Rye sighed. "Come on, out of here. I'll tell you, but not here."

"Why not-" I was flung over Rye's shoulder like an empty potato sack before I could even finish my sentence. "Hey!"

Rye's laugh made me vibrate. "You could use a burger." I rolled my eyes; I was in no way too skinny, but I wasn't fat either. I was a happy-medium.

"I. Can. Walk!" I pounded on Rye's rock-hard back with little success. He switched his grip on me, scooping me in his arms like a baby.

"Love, you don't seem to understand. I like holding you," He told me, blinking his navy eyes. I blushed as he swept my red hair out of my eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked him.

"To my room."

"I like your bed. It's fluffy." I giggled, feeling suddenly happy, but I realized Rye was playing with my emotions again. "Stop," I whined.

"What?" He gave me his irresistible smirk and I melted.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Jerk," I mumbled. He grinned at me, leaning down to brush his lips teasingly on mine. I whimpered. "Why don't you just kiss me?"

"Don't you want to hear about warlocks?" He asked me, and I groaned.

"Warlocks?" My thoughts drifted from Rye's lips, but my eyes didn't.

Sitting down on his bed, he set me in his lap. He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "If I kiss you, I'll forget what I'm supposed to be telling you."

"Oh alright," I muttered, but I sighed in defeat. "Since you really don't want to kiss me." I looked up at him with a teasing grin, but he looked shocked.

"Sketch..." he moaned, rolling me off his lap and onto the bed next to him. I flipped onto my side to look at him. "That's not fair."

"I know," I chriped at him and he rolled his eyes. Carefully, I lifted myself from the bed and back onto his lap. "Are you gonna tell me about warlocks or not?"

His eyes crinkled with my favorite grin. "Get comfy, it's a long story."

I snuggled closer to him. Rye told great stories; he could paint pictures with his words. I always wondered if that was a talent of his, but I never asked for the fear of embarrassing him.

Rye took a deep breath and began to tell his story.

"Back in the 1800's there were only three species of Spectrals: Pixies, Wizards, and Werewolves. There were no witches, and if there were, very few. Marriage between the three species were forbidden. Naturally, this rule was broken a few times among Wizards and Werewolves, but the genes never bonded together to form another species." I nodded, listening intently to the story. "The Pixies always abided by the rule; never mating outside their species.

"About 1825 or so, a Pixie and a Wizard fell in love." He looked down at me with raised eyebrows. "I think you know what happened from there. When the Pixie and Wizard had a child, it was beyond powerful. The child, Briar Elisedd, could not control his powers, causing good and bad with every emotion. As he grew, his father, Drest Elisedd, attempted to train him, constantly teaching him spells and hexes. Briar grew to be angry and powerful. When he was only fifteen when he killed his own mother. His father fled, barely managing to escape with his own life. Now, Briar is over two hundred years old, and he lives alone on the island of Exile, where his father cast a powerful Barrier spell; keeping Briar in, and everything else out."

"Two hundred years old?" I gasped. "Even we won't live that long!"

"Well, Wizards, and Witches, both live very long lives, and Pixies, they live until Fate decides to let them sleep."

"But how would there be a Warlock here if Briar was the only one ever born?"

"That's why Doc and I are so confused. At one point, Briar managed to find another Warlock, a woman. They married and had many kids, forming an angry army against Pixies and Wizards. A horrible war went on, only lasting a few weeks. The Werewolves allied with the Pixies, and that caused Briar's army to turn on us as well. Luckily, we destoryed all but Briar in the war, and now we think Briar is recreating his army."

I laid stunned in Rye's lap. Finally, I whispered, "But why do they want me?"

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Looking down at Eve, staring at me with tear filled eyes and quivering lips, her  red curls spread around her like fire, I felt a fire of my own building in my chest. A fire that was fueled by the fear in my mate's golden eyes.

"I think we ought to talk to your father about that," I told her, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she recovered her composure.

"My dad? What's he got to do with all this?"

"I think we should talk to him," I repeated.

"Well, I think they should be home soon. Might as well leave now, if I have any hope to get home in one piece." She laughed nervously, and rolled off the bed, landing gracefully on her feet.

I stood with her, took her hand, and all but dragged her out of my bedroom. After a few minutes of tugging and chasing, I managed to catch her.

"Eve," I tell her, "nothing, nothing, is going to hurt you."

She bit her bottom lip. "I don't like being scared." Eve curled herself into my chest.

She took a deep breath and pulled herself away from me. The girl I was holding a few seconds ago is not the girl I am looking at now. Chin held high, eyes tearless, and lips set, Sketch gave me a small smile.

"Let's go visit my father," she said with a new found confidence.

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