Haunted.

“We’re going to have to be extra careful in the next few days or weeks until we can find out anything about the murders that can give us any insight to the killer” Peter stated while he was lounging on one of the stools by the desk.

“There was something I saw when they showed me pictures of the boy, he was wearing a ring that said ‘Purity’ on it, I think he was a virgin”

“Heather was a virgin also” When the two girls looked at Stiles weirdly, he went on to explain that it was one of his dear friends from childhood that was the first killed.

“I’m sorry about your loss, but if they’re going after virgins, we’re all safe, right?” Peyton asked, looking around the room at all of the werewolves and stopping only when her gaze landed on a terrified Stiles.

“You’re shitting me”

“It’s not entirely by choice” He defended and Peyton giggled.

“If you want help with that, I could fix it for you” She was suddenly in front of him and playing with the collar on his open plaid shirt he had over a white t-shirt in a way that had him instantly sputtering like an idiot.

“Down girl, he’s underage” Evan teased.

“Like that’s ever stopped either of us” she quipped back at Evan and returned to harassing Stiles, leaning in to whisper something into his ear that had all the werewolves in the room gagging. Well, except Peter and Evan, they were laughing.

“When you’re done molesting him, can we decide on what to do to protect him?” Scott interrupted and Peyton shot him a wink before walking over to the king sized bed and plopping down on it, much to Derek’s dismay.

“How old are you, anyways?” The irritating voice of the blonde finally spoke up and Peyton realized that she really did have the patience of a saint for not beating the shit out of her earlier.

“Peyt’s 19, I’m 22”

“Then why are you hitting on a teenager?”

“Clearly you haven’t looked at him enough” Peyton snapped, ignoring the look of surprise on Stiles’ face.

“I have looked at him; I just don’t see why you’re being a pedophile”

“Listen here, Sweetie, if you continue to try my patience I’ll have to give you a lesson in obedience, M’kay?” She drawled out, her accent sounding even thicker than it had been.

As if she wanted to push her luck, the blonde put her hand on her hip mockingly and smirked at her. “Is that a threat?” she sneered.

“No, Honey. That’s a promise”

She growled at Peyton and unleashed her claws in an obvious attempt at threatening her, but the redhead was completely unfazed by it and in fact, looked bored by it.

“Erica” Derek’s eye’s flashed red and she immediately returned to normal and looked like she’d just been told to go to her room by her daddy.

“Anyways, what do we do to watch over Stiles?” Scott asked.

“I don’t suppose devirginizing him is out of the question” Evan commented, looking at Peyton with a smirk on her lips.

“How about we just stick to patrolling his house at night and Scott can watch him during the day?” Derek suggested.

“If there’s someone out there doing this and we can’t even catch their scent, how could we patrol without anything to look for?” Evan added; her brow quirked in a sarcastic display. “Someone’s going to have to stay with him” Peyton finished for her.

“I can tonight, my Mom has the night shift” Scott volunteered.

“Okay, but what about tomorrow and the next?” Stiles questioned.

“How about we take turns?” Peter offered.

“No offense, but I’d rather not have you staying with me”

“That hurts me, Stiles”

“So I’ll do it” Peyton chimed in.

“What? But we don’t even know you or what you’re capable of” Scott objected vehemently.

“Everyone’s capable of anything they put their minds to, and as for the whole ‘We don’t know you, wahhh’ thing, I’m pretty certain that if I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead” she smiled at him then and he actually took a step back from her.

~~~

Rolling over onto her side, Peyton stuck both her hands under her head and gazed at the boy lying in front of her with a soft smile on his lips with his head resting in his hand that was propped up by his elbow as he sprawled out on the bed.

His curly sandy blonde hair was to his chin in a messy wind-swept way like it always had been, his ocean blue eyes were as playful and teasing as she remembered, and even the slight stubble on his jaw was just like it had been when he was with her.

“You’ve been frowning” He stated in his deep, southern drawl rather than questioning her because he’d always known when she was upset, it was a trait she both hated and loved.

“You haven’t visited me lately” She shot back at him and the returning smile he flashed her still managed to melt her heart even after so long.

With his free hand he brushed a few strands of her cherry red locks away from her face and he rested his palm on her cheek, his thumb caressing her upper lip in slow, soothing strokes that had her closing her eyes and nuzzling into his touch. “Who dared upset my Strawberry?”

She smiled at the use of the pet name he’d given her when she was nine; it had originally been used to insult her due to her bright red unruly hair and freckles when she was little and it had slowly made a place in her heart as an endearment.

“No one, I’ve just missed you” she reached out and tangled her fingers in the baby-fine blonde hair she adored so much, receiving a huge grin in response-She’d use to play with his hair when he was angry and he’d always calm at her touch, her beautiful Sam.

“You know I can’t see you all the time, it gets harder with each visit we have to leave”

She scooted closer to him and cuddled up against his chest, breathing in his woodsy scent and relishing in his body heat. “But I don’t want you to leave me”

“That’s why I can’t stay, and you now that” he grabbed hold of her right hand with his left and played with her fingers.

“Why can’t I just have you back?”

“We both know what would happen if that were to ever be the case, and it wouldn’t be pretty” they entwined their fingers and she sighed into his touch.

“I know that, but is it really that bad to be selfish for once?”

“I understand, but darlin’ we ain’t meant to be together and you know that”

“Fuck destiny, I want you” she lifted her head up and stared into his eyes with a longing he yearned to make better, but he knew it wouldn’t be possible for either of them without repercussions, terrible ones.

“And I want you, Peyton. But it’s time for you to wake up now, I promise to be here when you need me” He pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss that was way too short for her liking and squeezed their still entwined hands.

“I’ll always need you” She felt a lone tear fall down her right cheek and he smiled at her, the entire scene was already starting to fade as he leant down to kiss her tear away and the next thing she knew, she was back in her hotel room in the maroon colored bed opposite Evan’s while the elder girl snored loudly in a very lady-like manner.

Sighing, she flung the covers off her body and looked over at the clock to see that it was barely past seven and the sunlight was already streaming in through the cracks between the curtains and the wall.

Just another day in paradise.

She begrudgingly rolled out of bed and walked over to her bag, pulling out a pair of grey yoga pants and a lime green sports bra, slipping out of her t-shirt and panties so she could put them on and tie her hair up in a ponytail.

Five minutes later and she was skipping down the stairs, her headphones and ponytail bobbing up and down with the vigor in which she moved, Classic rock music blaring through said headphones from the white iPod in the arm strap on her left bicep.

Her morning runs had become a habit a few years ago when the nightmares had started and her sleeping schedule had been fucked up, so she’d taken to exhausting herself with a ten mile run every day as opposed to just sitting there until Evan woke up, which was never a specific time, anyways.

Humming along to the music, she took off at a full on sprint as soon as she was near enough to the woods and let herself go to the adrenaline rush of moving her body so quickly.

~~~

Later on that day, after Peyton finished her run and came back, Evan had gotten up while she was gone and surprised her by having breakfast waiting and a cup of hot water with an Earl Grey tea bag, she’d told Peyton to go ahead and hop in the shower and afterwards they’d sit down and eat.

Stepping out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel wrapped around her torso and another holding her hair up, Peyton sat down at the small, two-person table the room had and went about steeping her tea.

“Is it big girl panties time?” She asked her elder and she nodded behind her cup of coffee. “I think we need to talk about what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with” she tilted the cup back and sipped at her brew.

“I swear, I’ve been safe” Peyton immediately exclaimed, making Evan snort the steaming hot liquid and burn herself, putting the cup down quickly so she could wipe at her nose, the redhead giggling the entire time.

“Forgetting the fact that you a hoe, you know what I meant”

“I think for now we can trust them, I mean it’s not like we’re just going to offer up our undying loyalty, but if we don’t at least trust them with something they’re going to assume we really are the killers”

“What kind of something did you have in mind?” Evan reached into the white pastry bag and pulled out a chocolate doughnut with chocolate glaze and handed it to Peyton, reaching back in to return with her croissant.

Smiling at her in thanks, the redhead took a generous bite and patiently chewed it before swallowing it and taking a sip of her tea. “What about we tell them a little bit of our predicament? I know you’re not that excited about that idea-neither am I-but we need them to trust us or else we’re just going to end up at each-others’ throats before the day is even over”

The blonde nodded and took her time pulling off small pieces of her pastry and nibbling on them while she thought of a decent response to give Peyton.

“We could just tell them our packs were murdered by hunters and I found you on a hunt” they both thought about it for a few moments in silence, debating on if it even sounded like a lie and then the youngest shrugged.

“As long as we seem like we’re opening up while still keeping our shit to ourselves, I don’t care if you tell them I’m your maid”

“You’re too bitchy for that to work, you’d actually have to comply with what I’d say and we both know how well you listen” Peyton kicked her shin under the table and Evan grinned at her.

“Well, they already think you’re my Alpha” the youngest rolled her eyes at that and took a sip of her tea.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, at least this way we have the advantage”

“Yeah, but I’m sensing I’m going to have to play the beta part a lot in the coming days”

“Now, why would you think that?” the shit-eating grin Evan gave her then was the equivalent of having the door slam shut in a house that you know you’re the only occupant in, her eyes only flashing red for barely even a second as she gave her that sinister smile.

She can be fucking terrifying when she wants to be.