"There's been another sighting of this thing. A beautiful woman that emits a blue light when she kills. What the hell is she?"

The Hollow. Hope remembered her all too well, and the unlinking spell she'd done for Kol to separate the other witch from Davina. It had been not long after that that Hope had been taken, so the Hollow had gone underground, unable to remember what she was after.

How long had it been since they'd crossed paths?

Even as the question crossed her mind, the answer came.

Eleven years, exactly. Before her existence had been erased from the collective consciousness. Before Malivore.

Maybe this whole thing would be easier if she just went ahead and activated her vampire side. At least that way she could flip the switch and not feel anything at all. She would miss nothing and no one and be able to be the ruthless killer they imagined her to be. At least then, they would have a real reason to hate and fear her.

"You better keep your head in the game, freak," Burr cut her thoughts off. "Whoever we're going against, you need to be focused. Can't have you slipping up and getting humans killed because of your carelesssness."

He opened the door to the convenience store and Hope followed him inside.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about, asshole. I can hold my own. Question is, can you? You're the one who screwed up that last mission, not me. In fact, as I recall, I'm the reason it turned into a semi-salvageable success."

"One day, you'll mess up and I'll be able to finally put you down."

"In your dreams."

"Every night."

She rolled her eyes and headed to the drink section while Burr headed to the bathroom.

When she approached the counter to pay, she looked up to find herself looking into the kindest eyes she'd seen in so long, warm, deep dark brown and crinkled slightly at the corners. She blinked and lowered her gaze, but that was a mistake, because the next thing she saw was a plump pair of lips.

"Hello," he said with a smile.

She blinked and took in his whole face. He was beautiful with his brunette curls in wild disarray and a light scruff along his chiseled jaw.

"Going camping?" he asked, glancing at the equipment tied to the SUV at the pump.

"Uh no. Hunting." Hope set her sports drink on the counter.

"What are you after?" He rang up her drink as he spoke.

"We're uh, we're looking for a real killer." That's what the Hollow was. A woman who killed anyone and everyone in her path, just for the pleasure of taking a life.

"Specific target or are you just looking for the biggest kill?"

"Specific target who happens to be the biggest killer."

Did he know something or was he just trying to make conversation.

Concerned that she might be giving information away that might leak back to the Hollow, she studied his face, but found no hint of deception or fear in his eyes, so she decided he was just trying to make conversation and was a touch awkward at it.

"That made no sense," he remarked.

"Yeah, I know. But it's what we're here for." Hope handed him a bill to pay for her purchase.

"So, you're a big game hunter?" He looked her up and down, his grin deepening as he counted out her change. "Need a receipt?"

"No, thank you. And hey, don't judge me by my size, I like them the bigger the better. I got bored with the small stuff years ago because it got too easy, so now I've come up here, looking for something a bit more satisfying." Hope couldn't keep herself from smiling in response. She couldn't remember the last time she'd made any facial expression that involved her feeling good, and yet, here she was, talking to a cute guy in a convenience store and smiling like a fool.

"Gonna be around long?" He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second.

"Um, just long enough for us to get what we're after, then we'll be leaving."

"Maybe it'll take a while, then you'll have to come back here." He bit his lower lip and looked at her from under his lashes.

"Maybe."

"You're seriously flirting right now?" Burr growled as he stomped up to them.

"Cool it. If you wanna be a jackass, feel free to do so away from me." Hope pointed to the car and then raised her hand so that it was level with her temple. "Because I've had it up to here with your attitude."

As white hot as her anger spiked in that moment, she knew that her eyes flashed a dangerous yellow and Burr looked from Hope to the man behind the counter before stomping away. Not even he was stupid enough to push her any further when her wolf side started to express itself.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, just to make sure that her eyes were normal before turning back to the man behind the counter.

With defeated shrug, she said, "Sorry about that. He forgets his manners sometimes. Especially when it involves me."

"Is he your uncle? Your dad?"

"Coworker." Thinking fast, Hope added, "My boss thinks we need to have a bonding exercise since we keep butting heads and it can make unnecessary messes, especially in high stress situations. So she thought the Olympic Northwest would be the perfect place for us. Away from anyone and everything we know."

"Doesn't sound like the smartest thing she could have done, all things considered. Hell, I've got a coworker that I can't get along with and my boss knows better than to put us on the same shift because we'll get nothing done."

"I think she's hoping we come back best friends, because having to rely on each other and all that should make us bond, but I think the more likely outcome is that," she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "a tragic accident befalls one of us."

"Well, if you need an alibi, just tell whoever questions you that you were with me and I'll cover for you." He winked.

"You think I'll be the one to come out on top if something like that happens?" Most people put their money on Burr, even with her special abilities, so for a stranger to pick her as the winner, it was curious.

"I mean, you're not the one who looked afraid just now, so I'd say you've got some skills he's worried about." He looked her up and down, his cheek bulging slightly as he pressed his tongue into it. "So, if you do need that alibi, just let me know, and I'll be it."

Hope glanced at his name tag, "Sure thing, Ryan."

"Might wanna give me a heads up though so in case I need to mess up security footage so they can't prove you weren't here or anything."

"Okay. I'll try." Hope couldn't resist laughing at how sincere he seemed.

Burr honked the horn and Hope found herself jerked out of the moment and she grabbed the bottle off the counter as she headed towards the front entrance. Time to head back into the real world and leave beautiful men with their sweet smiles to people who wouldn't get them killed.

"Wait. I never got your name."

"Hope. My name's Hope." She smiled.

Then a chill set into her bones as she realized what she'd just said. Had she really given him her real name? What was she thinking? Then again, Hope wasn't an uncommon name, and she needed him to know at least one real thing about herself, and her very ordinary first name was the safest thing she could give him.

Breathing deeply, she forced herself to relax. Freaking out about giving him her real name would draw attention to the fact that she was supposed to remain under the radar and that would bring about questions she really couldn't answer.

"Here's hoping I see you again." He grinned, then he ducked his head a little. "I'm sorry. That was so bad. You've probably heard that a thousand times."

"Actually no. You are the first."

"Seriously?" His brows furrowed as though he didn't believe her.

"Yeah, I um I don't spend a lot of time around people who tease me and try to make me laugh."

"That's a shame, because you have a pretty smile."

"I think yours is better." Hope left quickly, cheeks burning with her own boldness.

It wasn't often that anyone called her pretty or even noticed that she was anything other than a weapon and she wasn't sure how to process it, so it was better if she bowed out now, before she managed to make a fool of herself.

"Wonder what he'd say if he found out how much of a monster you are. No way a human in their right mind would want to be with a witch," Burr sneered as soon as the SUV door closed behind her, his comment ruining her good mood.

"Not everyone is as opposed to the supernatural as you are, Burr. Now if you would be so kind as to not speak to me unless it's relevant to this mission, that would make me less likely to send your mother your head in a box." Hope leaned her head against the window. She didn't want to fight with him, not now, not when she was still riding high from her encounter with Ryan.

"For all you know I have a wife and children and you'd be depriving a family of a father and husband, not just a son."

"A workaholic like you able to maintain a family life? I doubt it." She scoffed. "And if you did, I doubt they'd miss your presence, what with your attitude."

"Bitch."

Hope smirked. That was the only thing he ever could say when she verbally backed him into a corner he couldn't work his way out of. Satisfied that he would be silent for now, she turned back to her own thoughts.

Ryan with his dark eyes and shy smile as he teased her about her name played through her mind. If only there was a way she could see him again. Something about him drew her in and those eyes, they were the eyes of someone who'd seen far more than his face suggested.

Was he supernatural? She tried to think back to his scent, but she'd been too taken in by his face to even register if he was anything other than human. Nothing about him had triggered her fight instinct, which most supernatural people did, especially if they weren't a protected species. So maybe he was just a human who'd been through a lot.

Burr's phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts, and he checked it.

"Monster trail went silent, according to HQ. We're to set up here for a while."

If she made her presence somewhat known, Hollow would come for her specifically, even if the ancient couldn't remember why, and when the Hollow did come, Hope would be ready, with a spell that would trap the power hungry witch in a prison of her own making. Even if the other witch suspected Hope was planning something against her and that she might actually succeed, the bloodline call would be too much to ignore, so all Hope had to do was wait.

Not that she was going to tell Burr any of her plan. To them, she was a very powerful witch/werewolf hybrid who'd somehow destroyed Malivore's body when she was thrown in. Anything else that made her unique or special, she kept to herself, especially if it involved her ancestry.

With the fact that they might be in the area for a while came a realization. She might actually get to see Ryan again.