"Witches shop? Chad, what are you talking about?"

He looked at me with unsympathetic eyes and a humorless voice came next. "The air in this shop acts like a buffer for magic of any kind. The more power he tries to use, the more strain it will place on him."

As I looked at him, I couldn't imagine this being the same guy I hung out with. I knew Chad had his secrets, but this...

"What exactly do you want, Jake?" he asked, apparently unfazed by my confusion.

What did I want here? I wasn't even sure anymore. "Fen needs help. His father gave him an address for this place, so we came."

Chad looked us both over a few times without saying a word before turning toward the back of the shop. Then he walked out of sight.

"He's an ass," Fenix squeaked. He looked a bit pale and sweat continued to roll down his face, but he didn't look like he was suffocating anymore.

"I've never seen him like that honestly. How are you holding up?" I asked.

He just shook his head softly. It was obvious something was weighing down on him. "There's so much magic in here. It's like swimming at the bottom of a lake."

I already had too many questions to even begin asking what that meant. Hunter never talked about magic, but it was about time I learned more.

Chad walked back into sight and called beckoned us to follow. We walked passed the counter and down a flight of stairs until we were in a large white-walled basement that looked more like a science lab than a flower shop. There were shelves lined with vials and test tubes, tables covered in documents and bubbling beakers, and single mattress elevated like a hospital bed in the corner of the room.

From the hospital bed, an elderly man struggled to sit up while a green oxygen mask covered his face. Just like Chad, he wore a deep green polo shirt with the store's logo on the front. The guy looked old enough to be in a museum, but his eyes sharply trained on us from across the room.

"Gramps, this is Jake and the siren I told you about." Chad turned to me and added, "Jake, this is my grandfather. If you either of you upset him, I'll erase you myself."

The hostility caught me so off guard that I was speechless. I just stared at my former friend while he pulled a chair to sit down by the wall. Fenix on the other hand, had recovered a lot apparently.

He walked up to the mysterious man and bowed politely. "My name is Fenix Azure. I am the son of-"

The man broke into a fit of chuckling. When he settled again, he pulled off the oxygen mask and smiled at my kid. "I know who your parents are child! Do you think half-breeds like you can be kept secret? Where is your old man now?"

Fen glanced over at me before trying to answer. "My dad is...gone. He-"

"No!" he interrupted again. "Your father is dead, child! He was burned to ash in battle with Viridian's Alpha. Dead, not gone," he corrected.

I was close to stepping in to smack the gray of the man's pasty skin, but I reigned myself in after seeing Fenix smile suddenly.

"Creatures like your mother and father are never truly gone, child. Here, hand me that toy," he said motioning to the broken violin.

As it met his hands, light burst out from the wood and lit the room up like a giant aquarium. A soothing word-less melody filled my head and invoked memories of my family and friends. Warm and caring emotions flowed down from my head to my toes as the old man held the instrument.

"This toy is older than you by at least a moment, but it is yours nonetheless. It carries the love of your mother and father. Despite her being a wretched old hag and him being a pompous half-breed as well. You must keep it safe from now on, as there will never be another like it.

"As we speak, history is stirring up in this town. Forces more powerful than I have gathered here, and they intend for war. You must not be found by the Lycans, nor your own mother." The old man reached out and rested a gentle palm on Fen's head. "When the fighting begins, you may return here to hide if you choose."

Chad stood up suddenly. "Gramps! You can't be serious? We can't let them stay with you," he yelled.

The old man pouted at his grandson and then chuckled again. "No, that one over there isn't welcome of course. With a scent like that coming off of him, I wouldn't be surprised if he would be the one to start the worst of the conflicts. But this child can stay here with me when he chooses. I will also leave you to fix this toy for him."

I had some burning questions to ask about what he just said, and it looked like Chad and Fenix did too. But the strange old man returned the oxygen mask to his face and moved back to lay down on his hospital bed. With one final chuckle, he said, "Now get out of my shop!"

I blinked, and I was back outside staring at the front door with a misty-eyed Fen and an irritated Chad standing beside me.

Next chapter returns to Hunter's perspective! <3