"Our family," he corrected and I smiled.

"Don't worry about me...I think I'm falling in love with them." I held my fingers thumb and index finger up an inch apart. "Little bit," I said and smiled wider.

He stepped up to be one step under me, our heights matched.

"You're amazing," he said and lifted out entwined hands to kiss the back of my fingers and then led me down the last few steps to a kitchen full of watchful, weary and worried eyes all fixed on me.

Seventeen.

"Well, come on, pretty girl. Let's get this over with," Gran insisted as soon as my foot hit the bottom step.

I looked around at the packed red brick kitchen. There were some faces I recognized and some I didn't but, there was a blast of t.i.tters and whispers at our arrival.

"Gran," Kyle's mother protested and I couldn't help but think I needed to learn everyone's name. "Let her eat some breakfast first. I made coffee and honey buns. Caleb told me it was her favorite."

"I'm sure she's ready to not have that thing across her face anymore. Come on," she beckoned me again and took my hand to pull me into the next room. Her skin was cold and soft but I could feel her bones as she gripped me. "Caleb and Peter, you too, this isn't going to be fun."

I felt my eyes bulge at her words and wondered what she meant by that. She pulled me to lay on the chaise lounge and propped a pillow under my head as I saw Peter and Caleb come into the den with us.

"Now, Caleb, come sit right here," she instructed and pointed to the spot on the floor by my head.

"Is this going to hurt?" I asked unable to not ask. "It didn't really hurt the last time you removed one."

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

Caleb looked at her sharply and I realized he hadn't known that either.

"What do you mean?" he asked forcefully.

"Caleb, I'm sorry, sugar baby, but it was different last time. Yes his intent wasn't pure then either but, this time it was pure malice and deceit. She's gonna have to feel that when I take them back and she'll relive every attack."

"No." He started to get up and grabbed my hand to take me with him. "No, she's not doing it then."

"It has to be done." She held him in place with a hand on his shoulder. "She won't get her energy back until we take them off. Plus she doesn't want to walk around with those things forever."

"No, I don't," I answered softly.

"I didn't know it was going to hurt you," Caleb said softly, squatting down in front of me, pushing my hair back. "We don't have to do this today. You've been through enough already."

"I want to. I want it over with. It's ok."

Caleb looked none too happy about that but nodded tersely to Gran and stroked my other cheek with his fingers before scooting over to my head as I laid back down.

She motioned Peter to sit by my feet so he pulled my legs up to sit under them, pulled them into his lap. He patted my leg and smiled weakly at me.

Then Kyle ran in.

"What are you guys doing in here?"

"Healing Maggie. Now get over here and make yourself useful or hit the road," Gran said as she knelt beside me.

For an older woman, she sure got around really great.

"Help how?"

"Hold her hand and the rest of you...hold her down." I heard Caleb sigh inwardly in aggravation. "Alright," Kyle moved to kneel on the floor on the other side of the chaise and grabbed my hand. He even laced our fingers and his other hand held my arm by my elbow. He and Caleb glared at each other. "Let's get started. Maggie. You heard what I said. It'll be different than the last time I healed you because his intent was different. Before he was just trying to upset Kyle, this time, he was intentionally trying to hurt you. So it'll be worse but we'll get through it."

I swallowed and nodded. Caleb bent down to kiss my forehead and whispered that he was there and I knew his intention had nothing to do with Kyle being there. In his mind, he was extremely upset, p.i.s.sed about the whole thing, and wanted to grab me and run upstairs. I wondered how he would react when he saw me in the pain from doing this. It was in his blood to protect me.

Gran didn't do my face first and I wondered why but didn't say anything. She did the one on my hand, placing her fingers and palm in exact alignment as the black handprint and as soon as she was in place the vision hit me and I felt his hatred for me as I watched and felt the scene as it's ran its course backwards of how I received that mark. It showed Marcus grabbing me to push me in the open car door but it was in reverse and disorienting.

It choked me, burned in my skin and I yelped. Then it ended. When I opened my eyes everyone was watching, looking ill and angry. All I could hear was my erratic breathing.

Caleb grunted and breathed hard through his nose.

"Are you ok?" he asked gruffly.

"Yeah," I breathed.

He leaned his head on mine and I saw that he felt what I had felt, saw what I saw and was actually experiencing it for himself with me. It was killing him inside to see and feel what had happened to me before he got there to save me.

"Marcus better pray I don't ever see his sorry hide again," he growled.

"Go," I said to him as he lifted his head.

"No," he said firmly, knowing exactly why I was trying to send him away.

"You don't need to be here. The others won't relive it with me like you. Just go."

"Absolutely not."

"Caleb," I protested.

"Maggie."

"Did you know it was going to be like that for him?" I asked Gran not unkindly.

"No." She looked at him curiously. "No, I most certainly did not. Caleb, maybe you should go wait in the kitchen."

"Not gonna happen, Gran. She stays, I stay."

"So n.o.ble," Kyle muttered sarcastically under his breath but everyone ignored him.

"Caleb, I've never seen it where one significant feels another's removal of offense marks or anything else I've ever done. I'm not sure it's a good idea-"

"Gran, I'm not leaving." He looked down at me. "You still want to do this now?" he asked and I nodded. "Then let's finish it but I'm not going anywhere."

"Peter," Gran implored.

He shook his head and twisted his lips.

"Caleb knows what he can and can't handle, Gran. If this was Rachel, I wouldn't leave either."

"Well, you're of no help are you? Alright, you two, brace yourselves."

She did all the ones on my arms next. There were four between the two of them and each one was excruciating, horrifying and I hated that Caleb had to go through it with me. And I hated that I had to go through it all twice.

Then she lifted my shirt and we all saw the long arm print with fingers wrapped around my side as Marcus's friend had grabbed me around the middle. She lined her arm up and began as I felt the pressure of Peter's grip on my legs and Kyle's on my arm. I tried not to scream, tried to ride it out with grit teeth. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. When she released me this time she told us all to take a minute because the last one, the one on my cheek would be the worst.

I barely contained my whimper at her words and dreaded it being worse than it already was.

They all took their place a minute later, holding me down tighter this time. Caleb gripped my shoulders and laid his forehead on mine. I heard a small girly gasp behind Gran and looked up to see Maria.

"What are you doing? I heard screaming. Uncle Caleb?" she squeaked and looked at him like he was a monster.

"Maria, we're helping Maggie."

"Why are you hurting her?"

"Maria," Gran stepped towards her. "Listen, baby, sometimes you gotta do things you don't like in order to do something good."

"I'm fine, Maria," I told her as strong as I could, "Really. It's not pa-," I was gonna say painful but knew that was a lie. "It's just sucks that's all." I smiled weakly at her.

"Mama says I'm not allowed to say 'sucks'," she whispered and gave me a look like I was in trouble.

We all burst out laughing, even me.

"You know you're right. I shouldn't say that. It's not very ladylike is it?"

"It's ok. I won't say anything."

"Thanks."

"Alright, child," Gran said. "Get gone. We're almost done and we're gonna be a hungry bunch when we are. Why don't you tell your momma to have some plates ready, hmm?"

"Ok," she said reluctantly and turned to go but then looked back at Caleb. "Don't let her be hurt her anymore, ok?"

He didn't nod or say anything as she walked out, just looked at me with regret and guilt and I felt it pouring out of him. I needed to tell him but didn't want to in front of everyone so I focused in my mind and tried to send it to him. It worked surprisingly easy. And I felt the familiar beat of his heart as I always did when I focused on him or shared my mind with him.

Caleb.

His eyes jumped to mine and he leaned down to look at me upside down and stroke my cheek with his fingertips.

Yeah, gorgeous?

I smiled. And he smiled. But then I got serious.

You will not blame yourself for this. I was stupid. I was the one who let him tell me something that I should have known wasn't true. You didn't do anything wrong. You were out trying to help me.

I should have known they'd try something. I shouldn't have gone with my father.

That sounds a lot like blame. I'm serious. None of it.

He chuckled out loud and I glanced around and saw Peter watching in awe, Gran looking pleased and Kyle looking disgusted.

"I can't believe you're doing that. You know," Peter leaned forward on his elbows, my legs still in his lap, "your mother and I tried to do that for months after we imprinted and couldn't, until much later. It's amazing the things you two can do already."

"She started it," Caleb said and winked at me.

"Caleb, I mean it," I resumed my plea out loud since he'd been diverted. "Please."

He sighed.

"I'll try. But I mean it too. We gotta figure out a way for us to be together. I can't just let you go home and pretend everything's normal when I know that this isn't over. Marcus isn't going to just stop. We have to keep you safe and I can't do that sneaking in your window every night."

"Sneaking in her window!" Gran said scandalized.

"Gran, what else was I supposed to do? He was hurting her in her-" Caleb said while Peter said. "Now, Gran. You know with our kind there have to be exceptions."

"I know but...Lord have mercy. Back in my day you'd have been shot for sneaking in some girl's bedroom."

"Well, her dad doesn't know, Gran. Otherwise it wouldn't work."

She threw her hands up.

"Alright. Enough! My poor ears can't take much more." Peter and Caleb chuckled but then Gran knelt beside me and everyone sobered. "Ready, pretty girl? Last one, worst one. Let's be done with this."

"Ok."

Everyone grabbed on and Caleb resumed his previous spot, forehead to mine like he could take some of my pain away. She took a deep breath and laid her hands in line with the hand print and then pulled back.

"You've got a fever, Maggie."

"I'm ok." I glanced at Kyle and he rolled his eyes guiltily. "I'm ok, really. Go ahead."

She leaned over me, her gray eyes swirled green, making me dizzy to watch it. She realigned her hand and I saw her half moon tattoo on her inside wrist with 'Raymond' wrapped around the curved side right before the reverse vision came. In reverse and slow motion, I saw Marcus and his friend yelling something and Marcus grabbing my stinging wrist. Then a hand coming across my face and his hand dropped back to his side right after I pushed off the door, Marcus's mouth open in a scream, then kicking him in the shin as he tried to push me into the open car door.

The whole time the vision was. .h.i.tting me not only could I feel his hatred for me, I could taste it. Just like I know Caleb's feelings, I could feel Marcus's. And taste. The taste was bitter and acidic, burning my tongue, pulsing the burn along with the flare of his emotions as the scene played out.

I also felt my fear, as ripe as it had been when it was really happening. I didn't realize I was crying. I didn't realize I was yelling. I was trying to kick and push them away. I felt their grips tighten on me and with the vision at the same time it frightened me even more.

When I opened me eyes, Peter was holding my legs with both arms, Kyle was fallen back on his b.u.t.t looking at me with a 'what the-' face and Caleb was still grasping my shoulders and hovering above my face with his own. Gran was standing over us with a tired expression.