Kallos (Kallos Series)

chapter FOURTEEN


Kallos wakes up and is still in pain. She looks around and is a little happy to be in her bed. She hears a noise to her left; she looks and is surprise in what she is seeing. Sean is there and so is Brandon. Then she remembers that the last thing she saw was brown eyes. It was Brandon who caught her before she passed out.

Sean’s face lights up when he sees that Kallos is awake. She looks around and doesn't see Ian, and it has her a little disappointed. She knows that Sean is feeling what she is. “How are you feeling, Babe?” Kallos looks back at Sean, and he is next to her bed now. Brandon is still where he was when she woke up.

“Still in pain,” her voice is a little horse, and she is wondering why he isn’t taking her pain.

“I tried to take your pain, but nothing happened.” Sean looks down and she knows that he is trying to help.

“Maybe you should try again now that she is awake,” Brandon suggests, and Sean thinks about it. Then he nods. His hands take hers, and she feels the cooling but that is all. The pain is as bad as it was before he touched her.

Sean closes his eyes, and his shoulders fall in defeat. “I’m sorry, Kallos. I don’t know what else I can do. Ian tried before he left, and he couldn’t do it either.” Despite the pain, she sits up.

“Don’t be sorry. Maybe my change is coming.” He still looks sad, but Kallos wants to know about Ian. “Where is Ian?” Sean looks at her and his face doesn’t reveal anything.

“With our parents. He wanted to help set up for his party.” She forgot about Ian’s birthday party, and then she remembers the card and brownies that are in her locker.

“Don’t worry; I grabbed your things from your locker before we left.” Well that's good. She doesn't want to see what happens to brownies that are in a locker over the weekend.

“What did your mom say?”

“She said that his demon blood is coming alive.” Kallos is confused, and she must have looked it. “He doesn't know how to control it yet,” Sean explains. It still doesn’t make any sense; this morning he was a totally different person. Kallos starts to get up, and both Sean and Brandon put a hand on her shoulders to hold her down. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I need to get ready for Ian’s party.”

“I don’t think so. You just had a major attack; you aren’t going anywhere,” Sean says with a demand in his voice. She raises one eyebrow at him.

“I feel better, and besides my parents already said that I could go.” Kallos really doesn’t like how Sean is telling her what she can and can’t do. She really needs to see Ian and talk to him. She wants to know what’s going on with him because she doesn’t think it has anything to do with his demon blood. Kallos still is trying to get up; she isn’t going to let them hold her down. She isn’t too happy that Brandon is touching her; he gives off bad vibes. “You guys need to let go of me.” Brandon does what she asks, but Sean shakes his head at her.

“I don’t think so. Kallos, you need to rest. You just had the worst attack you have ever had.” Okay, she is getting really tired of him telling her what to do. Kallos can feel this energy rising for her stomach to her arms. When it reaches her hands, the energy is turning into a burning heat. She looks at her hands, and she can swear they are glowing. Kallos looks back up at Sean, and he seems not to notice because he is concentrating on her face, but Brandon notices. His eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open. She looks back at her hands and they are now glowing red and orange.

“Sean, please let go of me.” His eyes narrow and he scowls at her. Kallos is taking that as a “No.” She brings her hands up and touches his bare arms. He gasps and then looks down. She can feel the heat running through her hands to his forearm. He pulls away from her, rubbing where she was touching him. She quickly stands up; she isn’t going to let them hold her down again.

“You got your first power before you changed.” That is all she hears Sean say before she leaves. She needs to get ready. She wants to have her makeup and hair looking perfect. When she walks out of her bedroom, no one follows her. Kallos walks into the bathroom and shuts the door. When she is done, she doesn’t want to go back to her room. She knows that Sean isn’t happy with her. She walks into the living room, and Sean, Brandon, and her parents are there. Her dad doesn’t look too happy, and her mom looks worried. Sean won't even look at her.

“Sweetie, are you sure you want to go? I’m sure Ian will understand,” her mom says as she stands up and walks over to Kallos.

“I’m fine,” Kallos replies as her mom hugs her tighter. “Really, Mom, I’m doing better.” Sean finally looks at her. He knew that she was lying; she is still in pain. She's hoping that he won’t say anything.

“Well, if you are feeling better, then I don’t think it will be a problem. What do you think honey?” Mom asks Dad. He just stares at Kallos.

“That’s fine; you’ll have Sean with you the whole night,” Dad looks at Sean who just nods in responses. She looks over at Sean, and she knows he is angry with her. His normal face that always shows love and happiness now is showing his uneasiness and anger. She isn't sure if he is angrier at her or at the situation.

“Well then let’s go,” Sean barks and walks to the door.

“Wait! I need to grab something. Give me five minutes.” Kallos is running toward the stairs. She isn’t going to wait for Sean to answer.

Kallos walks into her room and grabs her backpack. Sean put it in the same spot that she always puts it. She reaches inside and finds the card and brownies. She pulls the card out first and then the brownies. She will give him the brownies later. She reaches inside her backpack for a pen. She wants to write something, and the card’s whole left side is empty. Well, it has little lips and hearts all over it, but she can write over them.

Ian-

No matter what happens in our life, you will always have my heart. Happy

Birthday!

I love you with everything I have, Kallos

Kallos knows that it’s not much, but it is all she has. She puts the card back in the envelope and writes his name on the outside. When she walks down stairs, Sean and Brandon are both waiting for her. Kallos isn't too sure why Brandon is still here, but he did help her when she passed out.

“Are you ready goddess?” Brandon asks, and Kallos just rolls her eyes.

“Brandon, stop!” That is all Sean said before opening the door and holding it for her. As she walks pass him, their hands brush against each other’s, and he jumps back as if she hurt him. She looks up at him and he looks scared, and she can feel her heart dropping to her feet. He didn’t say anything; he just moved past her and walks to his car. She is still standing in the doorway, but she isn’t alone. Brandon is behind her, and she feels so confused.

“Using your powers on him wasn’t the best idea you’ve ever had. Now, he’s afraid to touch you,” Brandon tells Kallos. So, that is why Sean is scared of her. She didn’t even know that she could do what she did. She would never use it again, unless she was forced to, and she wouldn’t use it on Sean or Ian.

“I didn’t know it would hurt him; I didn’t even know what I was doing!”

Brandon steps closer to Kallos; he put his hand on her shoulder. “I know that, and I’m sure he does too. Just talk to him about it.” She turns her head to look at Brandon. Right now, he is being really sweet; yeah, maybe he is trying to get in good with her to make Ian mad. But for some reason she doesn’t think that is it. Kallos walks to the car and decides to get into the backseat. She doesn’t want to make Sean feel awkward in his own car. She shuts the door and sees that Sean is looking out the driver’s window.

Brandon isn’t far behind her and sits shotgun. The car ride took ten minutes, and they are parking. Brandon is the first one out of the car and that leaves Sean and Kallos alone. Before they go in, she needs to talk to him, “Sean can we talk?” She can't see his face, but she knows that he heard her. “About what happened earlier, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I'm more surprised than you are.” He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes; then, he turns around to face her.

“I know that you didn’t mean to do what you did. But, if you are already getting some of your powers, that means you will be changing sooner than we thought. And today, when you had your attack, she can’t take your pain. What if we can’t take it when you are going through the change? Kallos, the pain with these attacks are like a little warm up to the real change. When the change happens, you might not make it. That’s why it was good to have Ian and me to take your pain away. No matter how Ian is acting, I know it would kill him to lose you, and I wouldn’t know what to do. Ares told me that it’s a possibility that none of us would make it. He also said you will be the first Aphrodite ever reincarnated.” Kallos already knew that if she makes it through the change then she would be the first; Apollo and Ares have been reincarnated many times.

She really took a long look at Sean, and she can see anguish. He is really scared of losing her. Kallos moves up so their faces are inches from each other. She puts her hands on the sides of his face. When their eyes meet, Kallos shivers; there is something about him that always makes her do that. Her birthmark is tingling because she is touching him; since they met they always seemed to be touching in some way. She slowly moves closer so she can get what she has craved since she met him.

Their lips are almost touching when someone pounds on the driver’s window. Kallos jumps and hits her head on the roof; Sean swears and turns to see who it is. Her heart is beating so fast that she doesn’t even notice who it is. All she hears is Sean saying that they are coming now. She sighs; she really wanted a kiss. No, she needed a kiss. Her day has been so confusing and stressful.

“We need to get going,” Sean says and gets out of the car. Before Kallos has time to react, he is at her door. He opens it for her and puts out his hand. “My dad says that everyone is here and that Ian is acting strange.” His dad is the one who caught them almost making out. They are standing outside, and it feels chillier than it was when they left Kallos’ house. Kallos is shivering, and then she feels a warm arm go around her shoulders. She leans into Sean’s warm body and grins. This is perfect; being with him like this is perfect. They are heading to the house, and she can see that it is decorated for the party. Ian’s favorite colors were all over the house, red and silver. There are balloons everywhere, and a huge Happy Birthday, Ian banner. Kallos looks around; the whole school must be here, even people she hasn’t met yet. She looks at Sean, and he just shakes his head, “Our parents always go over board for our birthday parties.”

“I can see that.” Sean just smiles at her. They walk into the kitchen and that is where they find Ian, and he isn’t alone. Kallos stops in her tracks because Ian is surrounded by girls, and they aren’t wearing very much clothing. She can feel her heart stopping, and she wants to cry.

Nikki is sitting on his lap and is whispering something in his ear. Kallos can hear him laughing, and she feels her blood boil. Sean is trying to pull her away from them, but Kallos isn’t letting him. She is going to walk over to Ian no matter who is trying to stop her. Once again, she can feel the heat rising up and heading to her hands. Ian looks up at her; their eyes meet; and it feels like someone punched her in the stomach. His beautiful, baby blue eyes aren’t there anymore; they are replaced with a threatening dark blue.

“Kallos, you don’t want to do that. He isn’t himself right now,” she heard Sean say. She did stop, but she didn’t look at Sean. “We should go and see my parents.” Kallos finally looks away from Ian and turn to face Sean.

“I just want to give him this,” she holds up the card, and Sean looks like he is going to say something, but she doesn’t let him. “Will you come with me?” He thinks about it for a second and then nods. He grabs her hand, and they walk towards the group. As they were walking up, she can hear what they are talking about.

“So, Ian, how’s your birthday?” Nikki asks, and he smiles at her. It is that same smile that Ian gave Kallos this morning when she told Ian that she loved him.

“Thanks to you, it's perfect.” His words slam into Kallos’ heart, and she wants to run. If it weren’t for Sean holding her tight, she would have. The way Ian is looking at Nikki makes Kallos want to slap him. She knows that he isn’t the Ian she loves right now, but it still hurts. He is just about to kiss Nikki when Sean clears his throat.

“Hey, Bro, Kallos has something for you,” Sean’s hand tightens on Kallos’. She looks around and all of the other girls are giving her dirty looks. Ian looks at her, and for a second, Kallos can see her Ian. The light blue broke through the evil, dark blue for just that second. It's taking everything she has inside of her to give him the card. She hands it to him, and he looks down.

“Thanks, Kallos,” he stands up, and she is thinking that maybe he is going to hug her, but he opens his jacket and put the card inside. Then he sits down and goes back to what he was doing before.

“Come on, let’s go and meet my parents. They can’t wait to meet you,” Sean murmurs in her ear. She lets him pull her away from this horrible scene and out into the living room.

The house is packed with people her age and older. She sees Brandon in the corner and he is with a girl. That doesn’t surprise her; he seems to be a ladies’ man or thinks he is. Sean is pulling her up the stairs, and it is getting quiet. When they reach the top of the stairs, he pulls her to the side and wraps his arms around her. “I’m sorry that you had to see that,” he says into her ear. When she first met the boys, she never thought that Sean would be the one comforting her. She always figured that it would be Ian. She isn’t minding Sean being the sweet, loving guy.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. Besides it’s not him; there’s something wrong with him,” Kallos tells herself that and repeats it so it burns into her brain. Sean moves away from her; now they are face to face.

“You know that you are way more beautiful than those girls down there.” She burst out laughing. He doesn’t have to do much to make her feel better. “It wasn’t that funny.” She laughs again. She leans in and kisses him. His arms tighten around her, and hers automatically go around his neck. This is what she needed; she wanted someone that she loved to hold her. He is the one to pull away, but he doesn’t go far. He places his forehead on hers, and they are eye to eye.

Kallos smiles at him. She never thought she would be this happy, but there is still a part of her that is hurting from Ian’s behavior. She is really hoping that they can fix him and soon. She doesn’t know how much more she can take from him. “My parents are waiting for us,” Sean smiles at her and kisses her nose. She isn’t thinking about his parents right now; she is thinking about kissing him some more.

“Okay, let’s go,” Kallos moves away from him, but he grabs her hand. He slowly brings it to his lips and kisses it.

“Now, we can go. I can’t wait for them to meet the girl I love.” They start walking to a door that leads outside. She looks over at him. It was getting colder outside, and she doesn’t want to go out there. She stops walking and that makes him look at her.

“What?”

“It’s cold out there, and my shirt isn’t that warm.”

“I’ll be right back.” He kisses her forehead and walks into a room. A few seconds later, he comes out with a black sweater. He hands it to her, and she puts it on Kallos grins because it smells like him. They walk outside and she sees a man and a woman. The woman is smiling at her. She has long, curly black hair. Her eyes are light blue, and they remind her of Ian’s eyes. She is wearing a bright red knee length dress. The off the shoulder look fits Sean’s and Ian’s mother but Kallos knows she wouldn’t be able to pull off such a sexy look. Kallos looks over at the man His gray eyes remind her of Sean’s, smiling she starts looking him over and realizes this is where Sean gets his broad masculine shoulders and tall frame from. The woman comes up to Kallos and pulls her into a tight embrace.

“It is so nice to finally meet you, Kallos. I’m Lisa Hunter,” she says and let’s go, but she doesn’t move too far away. Kallos looks over at Sean to see if he can help her, and she could tell that he is holding back his laughter. “You are more beautiful in person.”

“Thank you, ma’am, and it’s nice to meet you.” Sean finally walks up and reaches for Kallos’ hand. She gladly takes it. It’s not that she doesn’t like Sean’s mom, but it’s a little weird that she knows Kallos, and Kallos doesn’t know her.

“This is my dad, Joey Hunter,” Sean says and is still trying not to laugh. Sean knows that she was feeling uncomfortable when his mom was hugging her. She puts out her hand and offers it to Mr. Hunter. He takes it in his big, warm hand.

“My wife is right; you are more beautiful in person. Pictures don’t do you justice.” He grins at Kallos, and she knows where his sons got their charm and dimples. “And I can see why you caught my sons’ eyes.” Kallos feels herself blushing. Yep, Ian and Sean are like their dad.

“Thank you, Sir.” she mumbles.

“Okay, I think you guys embarrassed her enough,” Sean says as he pulls Kallos to sit on the love seat. She looks around and notices that the balcony looks like a living room, but outside. Sean puts his arm around her, and she moves closer to him. She is telling herself that she is moving closer because she is cold; really she just wants him to touch her. The scene down stairs still is hurting her, and she needs someone to take the hurt away. That brings her back to reality; she knows that their mom might be able to tell her what’s going on with Ian.

“Ma’am?” Lisa looks at Kallos with one eyebrow raised, and Kallos is freaking out. Did she already do something wrong?

“Ma’am? No, Kallos call me Lisa,” she smiles at Kallos.

“Lisa, do you know what’s going on with Ian?” Lisa nods and moves to the chair across from Sean and Kallos.

“I do, but I wasn’t sure until I saw him. It’s like he is a different person. He is getting his full demon blood, and right now, the evil is beating the good.”

“But that didn’t happen to me,” Sean says, and his hand started to rub Kallos’ shoulder. She leans back into him.

“I know, but you are different. Maybe your god half is stronger. Ian’s god part is fighting with his demon part. And it looks like the demon is winning. He needs to be reminded of love.”

“You mean like a war inside of him?” Kallos asks and knows the answer before Lisa nods. “What can we do?”

“Well, tell me something. When you kiss him, does he act like the real Ian?” Kallos can feel her eyes widen. This is Ian’s mother asking her about kissing her son. Kallos feels a little uncomfortable. Lisa laughs, and she looks at Kallos again. “Don’t worry, Sweetie. I know that my boys have kissed a few girls and even done more.” She glances suspiciously at Sean. Kallos looks over at him too, and he looks away from her. This is something that they will need to talk about later.

“Yes, he is the real Ian when I kiss him,” Kallos says and looks back at Lisa.

“Then, all I think that needs to be done is that when you kiss him; remind him that you love him.” That seems too easy. “And when you tell him, you must be touching his bare skin.” That makes her eyes enlarge. “No, Sweetie, not quite like that. You just have to touch him with your hands. He just needs to be shirtless. And when you tell him that you love him, your left hand must be on his heart. Then, you have to kiss him there. You doing this, I believe, will bring him back to normal.” Okay, that didn’t seem that bad. “Will you do it?” Kallos doesn’t have to think twice before she nods. “Okay, Sean, tell your brother that we have his birthday present in his room.” Lisa looks at Sean.

“Okay, but I will be waiting outside. Just in case you need me.” He said the last part to Kallos and she nods. He gives her a quick kiss and then stands to leave. She can tell that Lisa wants to tell her more but wants to wait until Sean can’t hear her.

“Now, I will show you to Ian’s room.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” Lisa glances at Kallos and grins.

“You don’t miss much do you?” Kallos shakes her head. “Well, you have to change into a bikini. We need as much of your skin to touch his as possible. So, this is what needs to be done. But you need to hurry; you don’t want him walking in on you half-dressed do you?”

“No!” Kallos blurts out, and Lisa just laughs.

“Then, follow me.” Lisa gets up and Kallos follows. They walk down the hallway to a door that has Ian’s name on it. “Okay, Sweetie, the bikini is on the bed.”

****

Sean heads back down to his brother. He wants to punch his brother for treating Kallos this way. He has a good feeling he knows what Ian did with Nikki, and that is going to kill Kallos when she finds out. Sean knows that he and Kallos are also going to have to talk about what he has done. Sean knows that she is a virgin and that is fine with him, that isn't why he loves her. Sean can see Ian dancing with Nikki and Karissa. It seems like Sean’s ex-girlfriend is showing her true feelings for once. Sean isn't stupid; he has always known that Karissa had a thing for his younger brother.

“Ian!” Sean has to shout over the loud rap music. His brother’s eyes find him, and he looks at Sean like he wants to fight. “Ma’ sent me to get you for your birthday present!” Ian just stares at Sean for a second and then he nods.

As they walk away from the music, Sean can smell his brother; he smells like Nikki and Karissa. “You know you are going to break Kallos' heart. Did you really have to bang both of them?” Ian's eyes seem to get darker. “And everyone thinks I am the bad ass. That I don't care about anyone but myself, but that isn't true. I care about Kallos, and I will do anything to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Right now, you’re hurting her. You need to fight your demon. You need to be stronger for Kallos. She can only take so much before she breaks.” They are almost to Ian's bedroom when Ian turns to look at Sean.

“First, what happened with Nikki and Kris is none of your business. And second, Kallos needs to know about you, stud!” Sean already knows that he and Kallos need to talk.

“Ma' said it's in your room.”

“Where is Kallos?” Ian is looking around for her.

“I left her with Ma'.” He isn't lying to his brother. “Ian. Happy birthday. I love you.” Ian laughs at Sean and walks away. Sean is going to wait by Ian's bedroom door just in case Kallos needs him.

****

Kallos nods to Lisa, and Lisa opens Ian’s bedroom door for her. Lisa shuts it behind Kallos who can see a white two-piece lying on the bed. She picks it up, and it looks like her size. Kallos looks at the bottoms and smiles; they are shorts. Thank goodness that she doesn’t have to wear some skimpy bottoms. She quickly undresses and puts on the bikini top and shorts, then sits on the bed. It isn’t as bad as she thought; the top showed off a little more than she was used to, but at least, it was cute. The bottoms aren’t as short as she thought they would be, but they are tight. She finally looks around and isn’t surprised to see Ian’s walls are a light blue. When Kallos looked half way to the ceiling, she noticed the color changes to a darker blue. Ian also has glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. She laughs, and shakes her head. Kallos looks over at his nightstand and sees a picture of her.

She gets up to look at it; it is her and her best friend Bree. It was taken about a year ago right before a school dance. Kallos is wearing a light pink, knee-length dress, and Bree is wearing a light blue, knee-length dress. Kallos has all her hair in tight curls and pinned up into a bun. She doesn’t know how he has this picture. The only people who ever had it were Kallos and Bree. Kallos’ mom took it for them at their old house. She hears the door handle turning; she quickly puts the picture down and turns around. Ian walks in, and he doesn’t even see her when he shuts the door. When his eyes meet hers, she can feel his stare burning into her body. Kallos is happy to see them changing back to his light blue. She smiles at him and starts to walking toward him. He meets her half way and wraps his arms around her waist. Their lips are inches apart.

“Sean said that our parents had my birthday present in my room.” He said and smiles. “This is the best present I could ever get.” His lips come crashing to hers. The kiss is harder than normal and she must have cut her lip because she tastes blood. But Kallos knows that his demon is still trying to break through. She moves her hands so that they are under his shirt. He pulls his lips away and looks down at her with one eyebrow raised. She starts to move her hands up a little. He grins and takes off his shirt. “All you had to do is ask, and I would have taken it off.” Kallos stands on her tippy toes to kiss him again, and he gladly kisses her back. She can feel his body and it is heating up against hers. She kisses his neck and starts her way down to his heart. Kallos looks up at him and he is smiling.

“I love you, Ian,” Kallos says as she kisses his chest. Then, she hears him gasp, and she thinks about how he told her he loves her. How happy she was to hear Ian say that. Kallos thinks about what her life could be with him. He steps away from her and sinks to the bed. He has his hand over the spot where she just kissed him. “Sean, Lisa!” Kallos is yelling for them; she doesn’t know if she did it right. The door slams open, and Sean is the first one in. He looks at her, and his eyes widen. Lisa isn’t too far behind. Sean and she rush to the bed. She grabs Ian’s hand and looks at Kallos and smiles.

“It’s working; you did it!” Kallos is so happy. She backs against the wall and slides down it; her feet can’t hold her up anymore. Sean is still staring at her, and she remembers that she isn't wearing much. She looks away from his gray eyes; she can’t tell if he is mad or happy. “Sean, why don’t you show Kallos to the bathroom? I’m sure that she wants to get dressed.” Kallos looks at Lisa and smiles. Sean comes over to her and helps her up.

When she got undressed, she put her clothes on the bed. Kallos walks over to the bed and looks over at Ian. She can’t see his face; he has his hands pressed hard, covering his eyes. She notices that his breathing is a little heavy, but besides that, he doesn’t seem in pain. Kallos turns around and looks at Sean; he is standing by the door waiting for her. She picks up her clothes and slowly walks to him; she doesn’t trust her legs completely yet. They walk out of the room and down the hallway to the bathroom. When they stop, she still doesn’t want to look at Sean. He knows what she did was needed to get Ian back. Kallos is getting the feeling that he isn’t too happy about it either. She goes to open the door, and he puts his hand on hers. She doesn’t want to look up and see his face.

“Do you want to tell me why you are dressed like that?” Yeah, she hears the anger coming from his voice.

“Your mom told me that we needed more skin contact,” she glances at him, and she is right; he isn’t happy at all.

“Kallos, you are making this really hard.” Kallos turns to face him. She wonders what she is making hard.

“What?”

“You are making it hard not to be jealous. I come into my brother’s bedroom and see my girlfriend half naked, and Ian is shirtless.” She is shocked and happy. He called her his girlfriend, and she has never seen him jealous before. Kallos brings her hands to his face. He is so beautiful. She doesn’t see how he could be jealous.

“I didn’t know until you left,” he smiles at her. Just like that, the anger on his perfect face is gone.

“That’s my mom for you. She didn’t want me to know all the details.” Sean is slowly moving his lips to hers, and she isn’t going to pull away. Suddenly, they both hear a throat clear. They both look over and see Brandon, and he isn’t alone. He is with Nikki, and his arm is around her. Brandon’s eyes are roaming over Kallos’ half-dressed body, and Nikki is glaring at her. Sean moves in front of Kallos to hide her from Brandon’s heated gaze.

“Where is Ian? He’s missing his own party. I had to ask Brandon to bring me to his room. I have a surprise for him.” Kallos can feel her own jealousy rising. With Sean knowing her feelings, he turns to her and brings his lips to her ear.

“Go get dressed before you need to rip someone’s eyes out. I’ll deal with this.” He whispers, and she giggles. Kallos opens the bathroom door and walks in. All she hears outside the door are mumbles. She gets dressed fast because she doesn’t trust Nikki. She knows that Sean won’t let her into his room, but still it's Nikki. Kallos opens the door, and Ian is standing there. His beautiful baby blues are smiling at her. This is her Ian, the one she is in love with. She throws herself at him, and he wraps his arms around her. It's so nice to have his arms around her again. Kallos knows that it has only been a few minutes, but it feels like so much longer. She can feel him lay his head on top of hers.

“I am so sorry, Kallos,” she hears Ian say, and she wonders if he remembers everything that happened today.

“Shhh, it wasn’t you.” Kallos squeezes him tighter around his waist. He pulls away so that he can see her face, and she can see tears in his eyes.

“I was a total jerk to you.” She smiles and nods. Yes, he was, and it broke her heart to think about how he treated her.

“You were, and like I said it wasn’t you.” Ian looks at her and then smiles. His hands are now framing her face.

“I love you, Kallos.” Then, he kisses her. When he pulls away, he kisses her nose. “I haven’t ever felt this way before, and I can’t believe you can forgive me this easily.” Kallos brings her hands to touch.

“There is nothing to forgive,” she says, and he looks away. She can feel her heart breaking a little more. Something happened, and his face is telling her that it's something big. “Ian what’s wrong?”

“Kallos, I promise that we will talk later. But now, let’s go down stairs and enjoy the party.” She can see hurt in his eyes, but mostly she sees regret. She nods, and his perfect smile returns to his face. “Good, now let’s head down stairs.” They start walking down stairs, and Sean is waiting for them at the bottom. Once again, Nikki is there. Kallos is starting to get tired of seeing Nikki's face. She can feel Ian stiffen next to her. She looks over at him, and his eyes are on Nikki.

“Ian, I need to talk to you.” Nikki says in a whiny voice, and then she pouts. Kallos has to hold back her laughter, but Sean isn’t holding anything back. He is laughing so loud that she is sure that everyone can hear him over the music. That just makes her bite her lip so that she wouldn’t join in the laughter.

“Not now, Nikki. I’m going to stay with Kallos.” Ian says and Kallos can see sweat on his face.

“That’s not what you were saying a little while ago.” Nikki puts her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow at him. Her statement makes Sean stop laughing and makes Kallos bite her lip even harder. Nikki glares at Kallos, and if looks could kill, Kallos was pretty sure that she would have dropped dead on the spot.

Kallos looks at Sean, and he is looking back at her. She just wants to get away from here. She doesn’t want to deal with this drama and the pity looks from Sean. She lets go of Ian's hand. Kallos knows that it takes him by surprise because he reaches for her, but she’s moving away too quickly. She walks down the remaining stairs, and when she gets to Sean, she puts her hand up. Kallos needs to be alone and not with them.

“Please Sean let me go.” His eyes narrow.

“Kallos,” Ian says, but she is ignoring him.

“You can’t be alone. You know that,” Sean says. Yeah, she knows that the last time she was alone she passed out into Brandon’s arms.

“Fine, I’m not asking; I’m telling you. I’m going home; I need to think, and I can’t with you watching me like I’m a baby.” Kallos can feel the heat rising inside her; it seems to happen more when she is furious. Sean backs away from her; he also can feel that she’s angry and that causes her to use her new power.

“What are you doing, Sean? Don’t let her pass!” Ian pleads, and she can see that Sean is going to say something, but he’s too late. Ian touches her but quickly pulls away. She knows that she has burned him. “What the…!” Ian yelps.

“I was going to tell you not to touch her right now. She got her first power, and it hurts like hell,” Sean explains. “At least when we say that she’s hot, we aren’t lying.” Kallos glares at Sean for his stupid joke. “Okay, Kallos, you and I can go. I won't let you leave here without me. Ian, enjoy your party, and I’ll take care of her.” Kallos huffs her disgust at Sean’s statement. Sean seems to be digging a hole, and he won’t be seeing daylight anytime soon. He laughs at her. “Kallos, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No!” Ian demands. “It’ll take you less than twenty minutes to walk home. I’m going to head back, too. I’ll ride with Sean, and he can fill me in.” Kallos looks back at Ian, and he is rubbing his hand. She is feeling bad, but she is getting tired of them telling her what she can and can’t do. “When we get home, then, we can talk.” She doesn’t know if she wants to talk right now.

Kallos is pretty sure she knows what happened with Ian and Nikki, but she doesn’t want to put words to it. His baby blues hold hers, and she almost gives in to whatever he wants, but she just shakes her head.

“Thank you; I guess I’ll see you two later.” She walks away before she changes her mind. She just needs to think about everything and about the two boys in her life. Kallos wants to tell Lisa and Joey “Thank you,” but she doesn’t want to look for them. There are so many people here, and she does feel bad for leaving early. She walks out of the door. It is dark, and she starts to wonder if she remembers where she is going. She is also thankful that she has on Sean’s sweater; it's so cold out here that she can see her breath.

Kallos starts walking past Sean’s car and down the driveway. She is about two miles from the Hunter’s house when she hears something behind her. It sounds like something or someone running. She can feel her heart speeding up. Kallos is worried, and she wonders if she can control her new power. She thinks about her hands heating up, and they do. She is so happy; she wants to jump up and down. About forty feet in front of her, she sees a man; he is at least six feet tall. He moves closer into the moonlight, and she sees his chocolate brown eyes glisten. “Brandon? What are you doing here?” Kallos is almost happy to see him; at least it’s not some serial killer after her. He moves closer.

“I came to make sure you were going to make it home safe. I cannot believe they let you be out here alone. Tell me, Kallos, are you afraid of the dark?” he asks. She is scared of the dark.

“Have you been following me since I left the house?” Brandon chuckles.

“Yes I have. I watched you leave, and I know that Sean and Ian were mad when they saw me leave after you. But they didn’t do anything because you scare them.” They are now only a couple feet from one another; Kallos backs up a little. She doesn’t want to be too close to him.

“Why are they scared of me? I wouldn’t hurt them,” Kallos asks. Then, she thinks about what she did to Sean in her room. She did hurt him there, and she really didn’t mean too. “Besides that one time, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. They have to know that. And what happened with Ian wasn’t my fault; I didn’t force him to touch me.”

“Well, goddess, you haven’t changed yet, and you already have a power. And a strong one on top of that. Do you know how rare it is to have a fire touch?” Kallos is done listening to Brandon. She needed time to think about things, and he isn’t helping. “Goddess, how does it feel to have Ian and Sean at your beckoned call? I thought you and Nikki were going to have it out tonight.”

“I wouldn’t have done anything,” Kallos said, and truthfully, she doesn’t know what she would have done. She knows that something is going on with Nikki and Ian. “And stop calling me ‘Goddess.’ That isn’t my name.” Brandon laughs.

“Can I call you, ‘Babe’ like Sean?” She turns to glare at him, and he starts to laugh harder. “Fine, fine, Kallos it is. You still haven’t answered my question, Miss Kallos.” She knows which question he is talking about, and she doesn’t think she has them at her beckoned call.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kallos starts walking again. She doesn’t want the boys showing up at her house way before she gets there.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Before you, they wouldn’t do anything for anyone. And they have known you for what, five days, and you have them living with you. You even got Ian to give up on Nikki. She is like his drug; he always went back for more. When his demon blood isn’t trying to take him over, he wants nothing to do with her. Our bad boy Sean won't even look at another girl, and he is the biggest player in the world. You have him looking at just you. I say that they are both whipped.” She just found out more about Ian and Sean in three minutes then she had in an entire week with them.

Kallos already guessed that Ian and Nikki had a thing, and she could tell that Sean is a bad boy and a player. But they never told her anything; she just guessed. She can see her house and Sean’s car. She stops moving; she really doesn’t want anyone to see Brandon.

“I think you should go now. I know that my dad won’t be too happy to see another guy. And besides, I know that Ian and Sean won’t like to see you either.” Kallos could feel him standing behind her.

“Tell me, how did you fix Ian?” The tone in his voice said he already knows what she did. She spins around and his deep chocolate eyes are inches from hers. She knows that he is trying to get to her and a small part of her is starting to give in to him. He is almost as beautiful as Ian and Sean. But she knows he is playing a game; she shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

“Why are you doing this?” Brandon raises an eyebrow, and the smile on his face says he’s enjoying all of this. “Why do you like to mess with Sean and Ian? Are you really that jealous of them?” Looking at him, Kallos can see that he is jealous, but there is something else there, too. Maybe sorrow? His kind eyes turn into daggers.

“Kallos don’t go there. You have no idea what’s going on, and you don’t want to know. I just want you to know that they may seem perfect, but they aren’t. Everyone in this freaking town thinks they are the golden boys, and I know better. I think you should too.” She just stares at him; she knows they aren’t perfect. But she still loves them, they are her soul mates.

“Whatever, I think we are done talking,” Kallos turns away from him. He puts his hand on her shoulder. She doesn't turn to face him; she is done talking to him.

“Kallos, I know that you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you. But if you need me, you can call me anytime.” His hand tightens on her shoulder; then he pulls away.

She quickly walks away, and towards her house. As she gets closer, she can see Sean and Ian waiting for her. They are leaning against the car, and she is wondering if they saw Brandon. They don’t look too happy, and she knows why. She looks at her phone to see what time it is. She left them over forty-five minutes ago.

“Did you have a nice walk?” Ian sneers, and her mouth drops open. She has never heard him be cruel. “How’s Brandon?” His eyes narrow on her, and she knows why he is being a jerk.

“The walk was nice until he showed up.” Kallos looks between Ian and Sean. Sean isn’t showing anything on his face, but she catches Ian rolling his eyes. “You don’t believe me. Have I ever done anything for you not to trust me?” That makes him show regret on his face, and she isn’t sure if she wants to know what happened with Nikki. She doesn’t think her heart can handle any more damage.

“Let’s get inside; it’s freezing out here,” Sean says, and Kallos knows that he is just trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, let’s go. I’m done talking tonight anyway.” Ian reaches out and grabs her hand, which takes her by complete surprise. He brings her hand to his lips and leaves his mouth press against her knuckles. He looks up at her, “I am sorry for hurting you today, Kallos. I don’t think I will ever be able to make up what I’ve done to you. But know this, no matter what happens in my life, you will always have my heart. I love you with everything in me, Kallos, and I am a complete jerk; you deserve better than what I have given you.”

She can feel the tears in her eyes; they are just about to fall. This is her Ian and this is what she has missed all day. She missed his sweet words and his looking at her like she is the only girl in the world. “Oh my beauty, don’t do that. Don’t cry.” He pulls her into his warm embrace, and she starts to cry harder. Kallos lays her head on his chest. She can feel him rubbing her back, and then she can feel another set of hands combing through her hair.

“Shhh, Babe, we’re here for you.” She can feel Sean brush against her back. Kallos is surrounded by the men she loves, and she doesn’t want to be anywhere else. Being here with them is all she needs. She is feeling bad because all of her tears are soaking into Ian’s shirt. Ian whispers, “I think your parents know we’re out here. I see someone looking through the window.” She looks over at the house, and she can see the curtains moving. Kallos moves her head away from Ian's chest so that she can look up at him. She has a strong feeling Ian did something with Nikki; the other girl basically just told her so.

“Ian, I love you, and I don’t want to know what happened with Nikki. All that matters is that you love me and that you won't leave me again.” He brings his right hand to her face and nods. She moves her lips to his hand and kisses his palm. Kallos puts her hand to her side for Sean to grab and then she takes Ian’s right hand in hers. She gives a little squeeze and walks towards the house. Kallos really doesn’t want to know what happened with Nikki, at least not now. She just wants them to be back to what they had yesterday.

“So, which one of you is sleeping in my room?” They chuckle, and then Ian squeezes her hand.

“Well, it’s my turn,” Ian says as a grin spreads across his face.

“I hope you don’t mind heavy snoring,” Sean says.

“I don’t snore! Okay, not too bad,” Ian states. Sean and Ian laugh harder. Kallos just shakes her head. They walk into the house, and she isn’t surprised to see both of her parents waiting for them. Her mom stands up and comes to them.

“Did you have another attack?” Her mom asks as she pulls Kallos away from the boys. She doesn’t give Kallos time to answer; she is holding on to Kallos as if Kallos is going to disappear. Kallos's dad is next to them, and he looks like he aged five years in the past few hours. Kallos feels really bad that this is all her fault.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dean, she didn’t have another attack.” Before Ian could say anything else Kallos decides cuts him off.

“I’m just tired, and I can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow.” Her mom looks like she is buying it, but her dad doesn’t. He looks over at Ian and Sean; of course, he is going to blame Sean. He narrows his gaze on him, and Kallos clears her throat. She wants her dad’s attention on her and not on Sean. Besides, Sean didn’t do anything and doesn’t deserve her dad’s dirty looks.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Kallos turns around to face Sean and Ian. Sean smiles at her, and Ian gives her his usual half smile. “I’ll see you in a little while, Ian.” He nods, and then Kallos turns around to look at her parents. “Good night, Mom and Dad. I love you.” She hugs her mom first because she is the closest. She moves a couple of feet to her dad, and hugs him. He hugs her tightly. Kallos breaks away.

“Good night, Sweetie,” they say together.

She walks up stairs and into her bedroom. Kallos grabs her pajamas and puts them on. As she is pulling her shirt over her head, she hears a soft knock on her door. She walks over to her door and Sean is standing there. Kallos moves to the side to let him in. She didn’t think she was going to get away without telling him good night.

“Now, Mr. Hunter, what are you doing here?” She can't keep a smile off her face and the laughter out of her eyes. She shuts the door and leans against it.

“Well, Miss Dean, I do think you forgot to tell me good night,” Sean slowly walks toward her. She pushes off the door and meets him half way. Facing each other, Sean softly flirts, “Did I tell you that you looked so beautiful tonight? And not just in the bikini.” His hand brushes her hair away from her face. Her blush is burning her whole body. “You know, I love when you do that. I love to see you blush.” He keeps his hands on her cheeks.

“Well, aren’t you a sweet talker tonight?” Kallos replies and Sean starts to laugh. She loves Sean’s laugh. It’s so warm, and it makes her want to laugh with him. “So, you just want to tell me good night then?” He winks at her and shakes his head.

“No, I think I should be able to get a good night kiss too. We did get interrupted earlier.” Thinking back to their time in the car before his dad hit the window, makes Kallos tremble.

“I think you need to remind me where we were interrupted. I can’t remember what we were doing,” Kallos teases. Sean gives her his heart-melting smile and leans in to kiss her. But his lips hover right above hers, and she wraps her arms around his neck. His arms go around her waist to pull her closer.

“We were right about here if my memory is correct, with our lips almost touching. Then we heard banging on the window,” Sean whispers against her lips, and Kallos smiles. She rises so their lips meet. He tightens his hold on her, and she does the same around his neck. The kiss goes from slow and sweet to hard and rough. He pushes her against the door, and she doesn’t stop him. She can feel the door handle turning against her side, that’s when she pulls away from him. They are both breathing heavy, and he puts his forehead on hers. “I think you are going to be the death of me.” Sean sighs as they stare at one another, and she smiles. “I love you, Kallos.” Every time she hears them tell her they love her makes her heart get bigger.

“I love you too, Sean,” Kallos whispers, and suddenly there is pounding on her door. “I think someone wants our attention,” she giggles. Sean shakes his head and moves away from her. She turns to open the door; Ian is standing there. Sean is still standing behind her, but when he takes one look at Ian, he moves closer to her.

“You know I can feel what you two were just doing.”

“Then why would you try to come in here?” Sean snaps at him.

“Hey, it’s my night to be with her! You got to wake up with her this morning.” They are really fighting over her.

“Okay, knock it off, you two,” Kallos interrupts. “It was just a good night kiss.” Ian narrows his eyes on her. “Don't you dare give me that look,” Kallos orders.

“That wasn’t a good night kiss. If I didn’t try to come in when I did, what would have happened?” Her mouth falls open because of what he is implying is insulting.

“Ian, you cannot be serious!” He looks down at his feet.

“What I was feeling was pretty strong.” Ian pauses and keeps his eyes away from Kallos. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Well, if you aren’t going to be changing into some demon beast, I’m going to go,” Sean steps from behind Kallos and gives her a quick kiss. “Good night, Kallos.” He walks to Ian by the door. “Ian, be nice, and good night,” Sean closes the door quietly as he leaves.

Kallos walks over to the bed and gets into it. She is so ready for today to be done with.

“Kallos, I am sorry about everything that has happened today. And what just happened,” Ian is by her bed and is looking down at her.

“We can deal with it tomorrow. I just want to go bed.” His eyes are showing hurt, but he nods. “Good night, Ian.” He walks over to the couch and lies down.

“Good night, Kallos.” Then she turns away from him and faces her window. On her nightstand is the flower that Ares gave her; it still looks like it did in the garden. It is still beautiful and has no signs of dying yet. She shuts her eyes and her last thoughts are of the beautiful garden.