Alliance in Blood
Chapter 1: Alice in Not-So-Wonderland

“You’ve changed.”

The sentence penetrated the fog in my mind, snapping me back into the present. The sound of the shot that went between Noin’s eyes continued to echo in my ears.

Meizer had finished his turkey sandwich and fries. All that was left on his plate were crumbs and a destroyed paper napkin. I looked down at my plate. My food was still there. Untouched. And, I had no desire to eat it. Damn. Hilde was gonna be in my ass when she found out I was skipping meals again. She always did. “What?”

“You’ve changed.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, from a lot of different people.” Just as I said that Sylvia walked by, depositing a refill for the table across from us. Turning around with a worried look thrown my way, she placed a styrofoam container in front of me before moving on to another customer. 

“Yeah well, it’s because you’re getting worse.” There was a second where it seemed Meizer wasn’t going to push the issue, but I saw where he decided that holding back wasn’t going to do it. “When you got back from… where ever the hell you were, you weren’t okay. It was obvious you had gone through some shit and were trying to get a handle on it. I didn’t want to pressure you, so I let it go. But lately Duo, you’ve been tanking. Seriously. Blackouts, jumping at sudden noises, weight loss, insomnia… What’s going on?” He leaned across the table as if imparting some secret. “Are you… are you doing drugs?”

I smiled. “Cob, the only drugs I do are Excedrin and Shiner Bock.” Having said that, I took a swig of the latter. Whatever else may happen in my life, my love of beer will never be effected. Ever. 

“Chang treating you okay? He’s not kicking your ass?”

I grimaced into my beer. “No, he’s not kicking my ass. Come on!” I banged the bottle down on the table. “Really? You think I’d put up with that shit? If he was, you’d be arresting me for his murder.” Exasperated, I threw my hands up. “The hell, Cob. What, do you want him to be kicking my ass?”

“What? No!” Meizer ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “I’m just asking because something is wrong and I know he’s the source of it.”

I leaned back, running a hand along my face. “You know, you’ve never liked him. Not since day one.”

“I’m a cop, Duo. I know trouble when I see it.”
“Oh? And what laws has he broken, huh? Not that he would, because he’s a fucking lawyer!”

“Yes!” Meizer threw his arms up in the universal sign of a touchdown. Two women at an adjacent table glanced our way, thought we were talking about sports, and promptly went back to their own conversation. “Exactly. He’s this big time labor lawyer making all of this money working in San Antonio and yet he lives out here in Pike Creek? The only people who live here are those who are born and raised here, or those who are hiding something.”

Unfortunately, Meizer was right on that one. Pike Creek wasn’t exactly the hot spot, and Wufei had one hell of a something to hide. “So because he chose to live here makes him no good?”

“No! I… I just… you know what? Never mind.” He threw some money down on the table. “I didn’t invite you to lunch to argue, okay?” He stood, staring down at me. Again, he decided not to hold back. “You know, ever since he came into the picture our friendship has deteriorated. Do you realize that? We used to be as thick as thieves.” He shook his head. “Now, we never talk.” He gave me a direct look. “Do you even want to be friends anymore?”

“Of course I do!” I said heatedly, feeling eyes from other tables on me again. I sighed and grabbed his wrist. “Sit back down, okay? I don’t know who’s making a bigger scene, me or you.”

He looked at me warily before he sat back down. He was on the edge of the seat though. I sighed again. I’ve known Meizer my entire life. We cared deeply about each other, but that didn’t mean that he would take any shit from me. One wrong word and I’d be eating his dust. “Cob… yes, things are rocky with me right now but I’m working through it. And I… I know that we haven’t been talking lately, but in my defense much of it has to do with your opinion of Wufei. You’re making him out to be some sort of possessive villain. He’s not.” Most of the time anyway.

Meizer was silent a moment, processing what I had been saying. “You know what scares me the most, Duo? What keeps me up at night? I’m afraid that you’ll finally realize something is wrong, and that you’ll come to me for help at a time where I might not be able to help you. Or worse, I could help you except I won’t know that you need help.” He stood again. “I know it seems like I rag on your boyfriend all the time, but I’m a cop. Cops have instincts, and my instincts say he’s dangerous.”

I reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Cob, I have an ‘instinct’ too.”

“Yes, I know.” He gently pulled his wrist out of my grip. “But is it any good?”

I stared into space as he walked away, upset that I had basically lied to my best friend. I knew that he knew it too. I was also lying to myself, as if my ‘instinct’ was of any good against the werewolves. Of course it wasn’t, that was one of the major things that attracted me to Wufei in the first place. Even if it was, I didn’t use my gift against people close to me.

Meizer knew that too, and had asked a rhetorical question.
***
“You’ve changed.”

I didn’t bother responding to Tsubarov. I kept on ringing his stuff up. “That would be forty-six thirty.”

He threw down a fifty. “Keep the change.”

I sighed. “I’d rather not.”

“Keep the change.”

“Whatever.” I slammed the register closed.

Tsubarov leaned against the counter. “Something the matter, Duo?”

“Look,” I said, as civilly as I could muster. Which wasn’t much. Fortunately, Tsubarov was used to me being a bastard. “Not today, okay? You can give me shit tomorrow, just not now. I’m… I’m not in a good mood.”

“Should I be surprised? You haven’t been in a good mood for months, Duo, and you’re never in a good mood around me anyway.”

“Well, that’s because you’re a cunt.” He snorted. “However, I’m extra pissy today.”

“Oh my,” he said in amusement. “Then I’d best be going. Don’t want you to give into temptation and shoot me.”

“That would be very likely.”

With another snort and a waggle of fingers, he was out the door. I watched as he got into the assholemobile and drove off for his home. Relieved that he actually listened for a change, I skirted around the counter and went outside. Using strength born of vampire blood and who-the-hell-knew what else, I ran up the side of the shack and onto the roof. I plopped down cross-legged and wondered where my rent-a-werewolf was hiding.

I looked up at the night sky. The one thing I loved the most about Texas was the night sky. It was always clear, and the stars were always bright. As a kid, a sense of peace would wash over me as I watched them twinkle. I used to imagine that it was my parents’ attempt to smile at me from heaven. I miss that sense of peace.

We had a full moon tonight that had any critter with canine blood howling into the darkness. Most nights the howling was haunting. Tonight, it only served as an irritation and made my headache worse. In an attempt to drown out their howls, I started to hum Ave Maria and let what was troubling me have free reign of my thoughts.

My life was falling apart.

The events of Siberia have made me into a fucking basket case. I had done things I didn’t know I could do, and I had done terrible things I never thought I would do. I had seen things never to be seen again, and heard sounds that chilled me to this day. All of that has made me question who I thought I was. The thought that I was not the man I worked so hard to be struck me in a way I didn’t know was possible. If I wasn’t who I thought I was, then who was I? How could anyone love me for me, if the me I presented to the world wasn’t real? Was I real, or was I something that had been born out of the dark and placed into a womb?

Since returning from Siberia I have felt a sense of being disconnected, especially with my family. It seemed as if a gap grew wider between Hilde and I every day. The gap wasn’t because of distance and time, but because we were no longer the same species. She was human, and I felt more and more like something else. Something ‘other.’

I was losing myself.
***
I sat on the floor of my room in the dark. My back was against my bed and my feet were planted on the floor. My beer sat next to my left foot and an ashtray sat next to my right. My elbows rested on my knees. My cigarette dangled between my lips as I screwed the silencer onto my Beretta. The windows were open, allowing a light breeze to blow my curtains in as the moonlight breached my windowsill. It was just enough light for me to see what I was doing. Vermillion Pt. Two wasn’t playing loudly, but the darkened house and tense atmosphere made the somber song fill every iota of air. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need to hear. I knew where she was.

“I won’t let this build up inside of me...” I sang quietly, raising my voice an octave to be in harmony with Corey Taylor. “I won’t let this build up inside of me.” It was early yet, around ten o’clock. If I did this fast enough, I should be able to be back in bed just before Howard and Hilde got home from work.

Finished with the gun, I placed it next to me on the floor as I took a deep drag. Exhaling slowly, I closed my eyes and tilted my head back to rest it on the bed. I let myself be enveloped by the music as she crept closer and closer, completely unaware that I heard every single thought that went through her head.

The song finished and started again. It seemed appropriate for my mood tonight. Reaching upon my bed, I patted the sheets a couple of times until I found my cellphone. Flicking it open, I pressed three and call.

He picked up halfway through the second ring. 

“It’s your turn.”

“Understood.” He hung up.

Enough time had passed. Tossing my phone back onto the bed, I stood and popped my back before shoving my feet into my shoes. Grabbing my book bag, I stuffed my cellphone into one of its pockets. Swinging it over my shoulder, I picked up the gun with my other hand and shuffled to the kitchen. I lowered my book bag to the floor and leaned against the sink, flicking my cigarette down the drain. Facing the back door to the porch, I waited for my victim to appear. It didn’t take long.

At first, I only noticed that a shadow was moving abnormally. It was slight, but had I not heard her thoughts I wouldn’t have noticed. She picked the lock easily enough, and quietly opened the door. I remained still as she stood from her crouch. Without hesitation I raised the gun and fired, putting two bullets in her chest. She dropped gracefully in the doorway. Stepping forward, I stood over her body to see her face.

Just like the others, she was beautiful. She had short, cropped hair that was so blond it was silver. Her skin was very olive with eyes a startling gray and a body like a goddess. Again, as with the others, it was a fucking waste.

As I heard Trowa and someone else approach, I touched her face.

/ What do they call you? /

/ Irma. /

I nearly cheered. Finally! Someone who spoke English.

/ Who sent you? /

/ I am a Hunter. /

I felt the honesty in her answer, but I saw the person in her mind like I had in the others. The individual was wrapped from head to toe in sapphire blue linen wrappings with a beautiful purple hooded robe. Their figure suggested that they were tall and female. Unfortunately, I was unable to learn anything more than that. This mummy could speak several languages, so I had no idea what nationality to start with. Irma didn’t know who this person was either, nor did she care. All she cared about was the information passed on about me. They weren’t speaking English, so I had no idea what the mummy said to her.

/ Were you sent here to kill me? / I asked instead.

/ Yes. /

/ Why? /

/ Because you are you. / With that, her soul left and she could say nothing more.

I stood and came face to face with Trowa and Quatre. Quatre had a bucket in his hand with cleaning solutions and scrub brushes. Trowa had a body bag.

“This is ridiculous!” Quatre snapped, body vibrating in anger. “This is the sixth Hunter in four months! This one actually found his house!” He turned to Trowa. “Trowa, we have to do something!”

“We are,” he said, placing a hand on Quatre’s cheek. “We will handle this.”

Quatre calmed, but it was obvious he was not appeased.

Between the three of us, it took no effort at all to get Irma situated in the body bag and into the backseat of the Hummer. With a wave to Quatre, Trowa and I jumped into the vehicle. The blond
shape-shifter gave us an agitated wave back and started filling the bucket with soap and water. 

“He doesn’t have to do that, you know. I will get it when we get back.”

“Let him,” Trowa said, rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache. “He has been... agitated lately. This will distract him for a while.”

I sighed.
 
Pulling onto the main road, Trowa and I started to make our way to Comfort. Comfort was this sleepy little town roughly thirty-five minutes south that was in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect place to bury the bodies of women who hunted the supernatural.

This started four months ago on an ordinary day. I had been out walking, minding my own business when someone (driving a Lexus of all things) tried to run me over. Somehow, I knew that she was a Hunter. Using agility I had picked up in Siberia, I ran into a woody area and up a tree. She hit the tree, intending to knock me down but only managed to activate the airbags. As she climbed out of the vehicle, I let go of the tree to land on top of her. I almost wasn’t fast enough. She had pulled a gun out from behind her, just like in the cartoons. She aimed at me and fired, narrowly missing. To this day, I still heard the bullet screaming past my ear. If I delved too far into the memory, I would flinch from the remembered pain of superheated air.

I fell flat on top of her, knocking both of us out. Thankfully, I recovered first and called Wufei. He, Trowa and Catherine arrived in a manner of minutes and took both of us back to the house. I wouldn’t ever forget what happened next either.

I was in the living room getting patched up by Quatre on the couch. Trowa, Catherine and Heero were there as well. Wufei had taken the Hunter upstairs to the antechamber to interrogate her. We left him to it. It was obvious he was pissed that someone had tried to... er... kill me, and that was the number one thing that would get you immediately on his bad side.

Quatre had just placed some ice on my head when there was a blood-curdling scream. It lasted only a few seconds before there was a vicious growl, a rip (where the screaming abruptly stopped), and a victorious howling. Underneath the howl, I could hear what sounded like someone drowning in their own blood. The noises were all the more terrifying because everything froze; no one moved, no one spoke, no one breathed. Even the air stilled.

After a few moments of silence, Trowa and Heero went up to the antechamber. They were there
briefly before Heero backed out and ran downstairs into the kitchen. He returned with a garbage bag and a bucket with cleaning products, and ran back upstairs to the antechamber. Quatre and I sat on the couch side by side as we listened to all of the commotion. If I had no idea what Wufei had done, I would’ve guessed that they were trying to move an elephant due to all of the racket that they were making. Shortly thereafter, Heero came back downstairs with the garbage bag over his shoulder, full of what I guessed was the Hunter.

I sent Glad an email. Their Flex garbage bags really flexed. They have no idea how much.

Since then this has become somewhat of a sick routine. I guessed when they figured that their Hunter had failed they would send another in her place. This was the first time that one has come to my house, however. Either they were trying to avoid my home and had finally upped the ante, or they just now learned where I lived. I didn’t like either option.

“What time did Wufei leave this morning?”

I thought about it. “Five thirty, I think. His flight left at eight thirty. He should be back at the end of the week. His client is innocent for a change, so it shouldn’t take long.”

Trowa snorted. “He’ll be back tomorrow night at the latest. He will not tolerate being away when a Hunter has attacked you in your own home.”

“She didn’t attack me. She didn’t even get her other foot over the threshold before I took her out. Besides, there’s nothing he can do about it now.”

Trowa snorted again. “You just tell Wufei that and see where it will get you.”

I smiled. “I know where it will get me,” I said, as Trowa turned off the highway. “No where.” I raised my hands and gripped the handles overhead. As I knew from experience, it was about to get bumpy.

Trowa drove another mile before turning off the road and driving through the hilly land. I hated this part the most. Right on cue, the body slid up and her head hit against the car door every time the vehicle tilted to the left. It... it grossed me out. It didn’t matter how we put them in. Whenever we would tilt one way or the other, their head would hit the car door. The time before last we sat the Hunter up in the backseat. That was worse than their heads hitting the door. When she suddenly fell forward, Quatre and I (it was his turn that time) freaked the hell out and nearly wrecked Trowa’s Hummer. We were since then forbidden to ever sit them up.

Not soon enough we were at the site. Turning off the high beam, Trowa and I slid out of the vehicle. I went to the trunk to get the shovels as he unbuckled Irma from the backseat and pulled her out. I stood out of the way and waited patiently as Trowa sniffed out a spot not... occupied. When he did, he grabbed a shovel and made several short dashes. “Here to here, and here to here.”

Quietly, we dug Irma’s grave and buried her. Afterwards, I said a prayer as Trowa waited nearby, hands and chin resting on the handle of the shovel. When I was done, we tossed the shovels into the trunk and made our way home.

The temperature was nice out, so we had the windows down. It felt refreshing to feel the wind against my face. I wished it were raining too, so that it would be cleansing as well as refreshing.

I sighed and closed my eyes. My bad mood plummeted even further.

This was not how I imagined my life to be.

Not at all. 
Alliance in Blood
Chapter 2: New Players to the Game

I was dreaming of him again.

He was standing on a sand dune, facing a sea of golden desert. The sky was a magnificent dark
blue and completely cloudless. The moon hung fat, full and bright, its light reflecting off of the sand to illuminate the shape-shifter that would have otherwise been hidden.

He was dressed as a nomad. His clothes were of different tones, always a shade or two above and below the color of the sand. The material was thin enough to allow the desert’s heat to escape his body, but warm enough when layered to ward off the night’s chill. His head and face were covered by the same material, both to protect him from the elements and to hide his identity. I couldn’t make out anything else. He was always in profile, so I could only see that he had a small nose and that his eyes were a light color.

He stood with his arms crossed and hip cocked, as if the desert had somehow annoyed him. Despite his body language, I knew that he was troubled. I couldn’t make out exactly what, but I knew that this person was weighed down by a massive responsibility. Part of the weight on his shoulders was his attempt to protect someone. His desire to keep this person safe burned through
him, his love shining brightly through my mind.

What made this... dream so frustrating was that I was never able to respond. I wasn’t present physically, only mentally. I was seeing this creature and his world like a movie. I could watch, but I couldn’t interact with him or the environment. I also couldn’t tell if he was aware of me.

He stared out a moment more before he sighed and started trudging back home. I felt myself drifting closer, trying to understand both who this person was and why I was seeing him. He was a stranger, but he seemed so familiar that if we met I would treat him as a friend.

As he started to ascend the sand dune, I took my leave. Mentally wishing him goodnight, I dissolved with the wind.
***
When morning came, I went about my day as if nothing unusual had happened the night before. I got the coffee going for Howard and Hilde, brought the paper in, and scoped around the house for any bits of ‘evidence’ possibly missed from last night’s kill. There was nothing. Quatre had cleaned my back porch well… Actually, he cleaned it a little too well. I had to throw some dirt around and stomp grass stains into the wood to make it look its age.

I took a quick shower before I headed into work. The day was slow as usual, which allowed me to zone out in an attempt to save what little sanity I had left. It also gave me the opportunity to learn more about the supernatural. Digging through my book bag, I pulled out the Creature Catalog. I hardly went anywhere without it. After flipping through it aimlessly for a few weeks, I decided to read it from start to finish. Now, there was no way in hell I would remember each and every creature, but it was so fascinating that I didn’t care. It blew me away how many creatures were real, and how many creatures existed that I’ve never heard of.

What I figured out right away was that the oldest creatures were at the beginning. Most of these creatures were vampires, dragons (which made me think of Serafima), werewolves, elves, and surprisingly, wizards. I ran across G’s page within a matter of days, and I was blown away to learn that he was thousands and thousands of years old. The Catalog speculated that he was born at the beginning of the end of the Neanderthal extinction. Despite my dislike of the wizard, I’ve developed a sense of camaraderie with him. I was the only clairvoyant that I knew of, and Wufei has assured me that I was the only one that had been born for hundreds of years. G was probably the only one of his people too. I couldn’t imagine how he felt about that, especially since he was a necromancer. To see his people die and know that he would survive them all indefinitely, or to try and save them by turning them into zombies…

At least there wasn’t a race of clairvoyants that became extinct. I couldn’t miss what never was.

I opened the Catalog to the first page and stared. I always did. The first page was a slightly familiar one. It was of a vampire named Treize Khushrenada. Apparently, he was the oldest creature in existence. I remembered his name from when the Prince mentioned him during an argument…

/ “Treize would be so disgusted if he saw you now.”

“Eat troll shit. Don’t bring him into this. Besides, you are one to talk.” /

Although I never got an explanation for what they were talking about, it stayed in the back of my mind. The mention of Treize was clearly a personal one for Wufei, and when I saw his picture it was entirely too easy to imagine what type of relationship they had.

Treize Khushrenada was very, very handsome. One entire page was just a picture of him. (There was so much information regarding him that his bio spanned several pages.) In it he was seated on a throne that appeared to be made of white marble, legs crossed with knee high black military boots, crisp white fitted pants and a blue, fitted coat with gold filigree on the shoulders. He had his hands clasped together over the handle of his sword, which was out of its sheath with the point to the floor. His sandy brown hair was the perfect length for his face shape, and his eyes were such a searing blue that they seemed to bore right through me. His warm complexion conflicted with the fact that he was a vampire, but it made him all the more attractive. His stats were just as impressive.

Allegiance: Himself.

I laughed at that. He seemed like the type to have allegiance only to himself.

Classification: Fallen Angel; Demon.

I found that intriguing. I read on, learning that the Hunters believed that Treize was once an angel, but had fallen with the devil. Somehow or another, as a reward or as punishment, Treize was made into a vampire: the first vampire.

Creature: Vampire.

Duh.

Nationality: Undefined.

Special Abilities: Flight, Weather Control, Beast Control, Mind Control, Element Control.

Fucking hell. They should’ve just said, ‘there ain’t shit he can’t do,’ and called it a day.

Titles: Master of Vampires; Master of Beasts; Master of Elements.

I snorted. Sometimes, I thought the Hunters were morons. After all, if Treize was a fallen angel, what the hell were they expecting? Limits?

I couldn’t help but wonder about him though. Looking at his picture, I could see Wufei being with someone like him, and I could see Wufei being an asset to him. What confused me was why a guy like that would let someone as powerful as Wufei walk away from him. The only way I would if I was in Khushrenada’s shoes was if I was dead, and I knew that he wasn’t dead. (Well, not permanently dead). I’ve seen some pages where the creature had been killed. There was a long, red stripe that went diagonally across their page. Their day of death was listed, along with who or what it was that killed them. So Treize was still around and kicking, even though the Hunters had no idea where.

Allegiance: Himself.

Maybe that was it. Wufei trying to get one over on the Prince backfired in a big way. Treize, did you try to do the same?
***
“Ugh. There ain’t shit on,” I whined, flipping through the channels. “Even with cable, this still sucks.”

“Here, I brought cards.” Heero tossed the aforementioned cards onto the floor. “We should play something.”

We both settled down on the floor behind the counter. “Go Fish?”

“Sure,” he agreed as I started to shuffle.

“Say, not to say I don’t enjoy your company, but where’s Quatre? I thought he was supposed to be my guard-wolf tonight?”

“He was.”  He picked up his hand. “He asked me if I would be ‘guard-wolf’ at the last second. He is… I am not sure what he is doing, but I am sure I do not want to know. Got a three?”

“Go fish. What do you mean, ‘I am sure I do not want to know?’ ”

He got a pair of fives. “What I mean is, Quatre is very, very, very good about getting information from all sorts of sources without anyone knowing it is him that is gleaming the information. He usually only does that when Wufei wants blackmail material or something done under the table. Got a three?”

Confused, I answered, “Uh, again, go fish.”

He ended up with a pair of eights. “Lately though, I have been noticing that he is distracted and easily irritable. He is not blowing up at anybody, but I have known Quatre for centuries. He is not himself. Got a three?”

Starting to feel some concern, I asked, “Is he feeling okay? Maybe he’s stressed out. Go fish.”

He pulled the card off the deck and put down two twos. “I would not be concerned but for the fact that it seems Trowa is not aware of what Quatre is doing, as Wufei has not assigned anything to Quatre.”

“I’ve never known Quatre to keep anything from Trowa.”

“That is because he does not. Trowa is his world, which is why this whole thing seems strange. I cannot imagine what it is that Quatre is doing that he thinks Trowa will not support him on. Damnit Duo, I know you have a three.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I done told you I didn’t.”

“And I am telling you, you lie like a dog in mud.”

“All the fuckin’ cards in this deck and you’re harping over a three?”

“Because I know you have it.”

“What is your obsession with three anyway?”

“I want. The fucking. Card.”

“I. Don’t fucking. Have it. You know what? Fuck you, I’m taking my turn.”

“No, you are not.”

“The hell I’m not.”

“It is still my turn.”

“Not if you’re going to be some kind of Three Nazi.”

“I would not have to be if you would hand it over!”

“Got a seven?”

“It is still my turn, Duo.”

“I’m goin’ fishing.”

“It is still my turn, Duo.”

“Damn!” I huffed. I picked up a card that didn’t match anything. “This is gonna be painful.”

“Give me your three.”

“Eat shit, Heero.”

He growled at me. Not the playful type of growl, but the kind that let you know you were about to be eaten.

I casually reached behind me and grabbed my shotgun, laying it across my lap. I opened the chamber so that Heero could see it was loaded. Locked and loaded, I laid it across my lap again and smiled brightly at the werewolf.

Needless to say, this was going to be the most dangerous game of Go Fish ever played… because he was not getting my three.
***
The hours passed into dusk in relative peace. We went through Go Fish (violently), Poker (where I lost every hand), Spades and Blackjack. After Heero dozed off from watching me play Solitaire, I began to build a card castle around his head. All was right in my world until the Special shot up, eyes wild and head tilted to point his ear to the ceiling. He rolled forward onto his hands and knees, crawling towards the door.
 
“They attacked last night!”

He sounded incredulous and worried. My heart sank into my stomach. “They’re back?”
I asked, choking. It felt as if I was trying to whisper and scream at the same time. Sparing a second, I reached out to read any minds close by. There weren’t any, human or otherwise. We were very much alone. I pulled my shields back up, terribly confused. “Heero?”

“Run! Don’t drive!” Heero barked before he changed over and charged out of my shack.
I did as I was told, but my heart damn near stopped when I saw that he ran to the right instead of to the left. The left went west, towards home. The right, east, was towards the apparent danger. I let out one last curse and ran west.

I was terrified as I ran. It had been months since I felt this way, and I couldn’t believe that I had forgotten its taste. Yes, I have been attacked by Hunters but I was able to read their thoughts. I knew what they were going to do before they had a chance to do it. Now, I had nothing. I was running down a gravel road by myself in the dark from... I didn’t know what. Was it another Hunter? Was it a werewolf? A vampire? A ghoul? Has Oburi resurrected himself again? Was the
Prince going to attempt to get revenge? Was Heero okay? Would I make it home in time to get help? Would I make it home, period? These questions crowded my mind to the point where I couldn’t even let down my shields. The jumble of questions acted like a doorstopper. So I channeled my inner Forest Gump and kept running.

I couldn’t have been out there for more than a minute when I heard a huge explosion. It was quite the distance behind me and I wasn’t in any danger from it, but I knew for a fact that there wasn’t anything big enough out here to cause that kind of explosion. Two minutes later there was another explosion. It was closer. I looked over my shoulder and saw a large hunk of flaming metal. I spotted Heero’s silhouette leaping across the flames and disappearing back into the dark. Facing forward I picked up the pace, and that was when I recognized the sounds.

Helicopters.

Shocked nearly shitless, I stumbled and tripped. I fell face-first onto the ground in a skid due to the momentum. I yelled from the burst of pain but did not let that stop me from rolling into the bushes alongside the road. Crawling under them, I used the opportunity to get my breath back and to try and see what the hell was going on. I was just in time. A helicopter had flown overhead, its lights shining down on the ground as if searching.

“Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered to myself as I peered through the leaves. “Are you shitting
me? Are you shitting me?” I lowered my head to the ground. This was unreal.

I thought that the pilot of that helicopter knew I was in the area. Instead of searching on, he would immediately turn around and come back. The light had shone over me again and again, but my dark clothing really blended in with the surrounding area. I figured that as long as I stayed where I was, I wouldn’t be found. So far, that theory rang true.

The chopper made two more passes before there was another explosion. It was closer than the two previous ones. Making some sort of last-ditch effort, the chopper dropped to the ground in the most insane landing. I had no doubt in my mind that anyone who was on that helicopter now had their stomachs in their throats. Once down, three tall figures jumped out and ran in different directions with something in their hands. I learned quickly when they started firing that those somethings were guns.

They were done searching. What they were doing was shooting up the bushes. Using words that blistered God’s eardrums, I rolled away from my bush. I was just about to ask the gnomes for help when a black form ripped through the area and gutted the three shooters within seconds. The form then broke through the window of the helicopter, and I heard someone cry out in fear before Heero ripped their throat out. As the propellers slowed, I rolled onto my back and flung my arms out. I laid on the ground and gasped for breath as the werewolf trotted up to me and collapsed beside me.

“What... the fuck... was that?”

Heero dropped back into human form. “I... have no... idea.”

I took several more breaths. “Rest now... think later...”

We were both out cold in seconds.
***
“He is not injured. It is safe to move him.”

I only had a second to think ‘Huh?’ before I felt arms gently enfold me and bring me against a firm chest. Automatically, I turned my nose into the neck of the person holding me. I knew before my mind completely processed the information that the body enveloping mine belonged to my lover. I inhaled deeply and clung to him.

I felt a hard kiss on my ear as well as several others along my jaw and neck. As he held me I started to become more aware of my surroundings. I could hear Sally talking to Heero, but I wasn’t paying enough attention to make out what they were saying. There was a great deal of lights flashing and movement all around us. There were doors opening and closing, things being dragged and orders barked. It sounded like a well-controlled crime scene.

With that thought in mind, I pulled back just enough from Wufei to look over his shoulder. The lights from the helicopter were blinding, but so many people were walking in front of it that it gave my eyes a break. Using his shoulder, I slowly rose to my feet. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Heero and Sally. Heero was standing as well, talking to the doctor. Besides some blood splashed across his face and chest, he appeared to be fine. Concern abated, I left the safety of Wufei’s arms and stepped towards the corpses. When I got a good look, the first thing that struck me as odd was their gender.

They were male.

The second thing that struck me as odd was the way that they were dressed. All were dressed in clothes that were a hodgepodge of colors and textures, as if they threw on whatever was available without concern or care about fashion. It all had a very nomadic feel that was... familiar.

Reigning in my desire to go ape-shit, I ran to the one closest to me and pulled down the cloth hiding his face. My eyebrows rose in surprise. I didn’t know who this person was; he had black hair, thick brows and very olive skin. Peeling back an eyelid I saw that he had dark brown eyes. Hmm. Very handsome. Still surprised, I laid my hand on the side of his cheek. After a few moments I gave up. He was a shape-shifter, and I knew that if I tried to breach his mind it would put me in a world of hurt. Or would it? I’ve never tried to read the mind of a dead Shifter before. Thinking it over for a bit, I decided that tonight wouldn’t be the night to try. So I touched the ground his body rested on, and his final thoughts seemed to jump out at me. Unfortunately, he spoke a language I had no way in hell of understanding. It sounded like every syllable came from the throat. He was Middle Eastern?

Wufei came up from behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Anything?”

“Nothing,” I said in honest bewilderment. “This... this is not jiving at all.”

“What is not ‘jiving?’ ”

I smiled as I heard the quotes. “I don’t know yet,” I said, as I crab-walked over to the next person. This one was of a similar ethnicity, as was the next one. The third person however, was a wizard, not a shape-shifter. Storing that bit of info away, I jogged around to the cockpit. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting to the pilot. I had to halfway climb through the broken window in order to reach him, and when I did I shrieked and promptly fell out.

“Duo!” Wufei yelled, racing over to me. Sally was right behind him. “Duo!” He dropped down to his knees beside me, Sally a second behind him on my other side. Heero appeared, standing over Sally. “Are you alright?”

“…ow.” I sat up with Wufei’s help, hand held to my forehead. “That smarted.” I could feel something pouring down my lips. Wiping it with my hand, I saw that it was blood. I had a nosebleed. Big one. Sighing, I brought my knees up to rest my elbows on them as I pinched my nose closed.

“What happened?”

I looked to my lover, still slightly dazed. “I don’t know. I only touched him, and it felt like I got zapped.”

“Everybody, back!” Heero barked. Everyone jumped away. I just jumped.

“Did you get anything?”

“I’m not sure,” I grimaced, hating how nasally I sounded. “A word popped into my head. Im… Impundulu?”

“An impundulu?” Sally’s shock hit me in the chest. I groaned in pain. “That can’t be right. If that’s the impundulu, where’s his wizard?”

“Right there,” I said, pointing. “The one that looks like he’s been tied up with his entrails.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Check the other corpses,” Wufei barked. “I want to know if there are any other creatures this… far from home.” I stayed seated as the werewolves loped off to do as instructed.

“How far from home are they?” I asked, tiredly. Boy, did I feel like I just ran a 10k in concrete shoes.

“Impudulus hail from South Africa, but in this day and age I’m sure they are all over the continent. Impudulu translated means ‘lightening bird.’” Wufei sighed softly and started running his fingers through my hair. “They shoot lightening from their talons and are vampiric in nature, even though technically they are shape-shifters. They thrive on drinking blood, and usually are the familiar or pet of a wizard.”

“How the hell did Heero avoid getting shocked?” I grimaced again. “Maybe he moved that fast?”

“I’ve never heard of an experience where a Impudulu struck another post mortem. He may have been prepared to electrocute Heero when he died, and you touched the essence of that attempt with you power.”

“So, had anyone else gone near him, they wouldn’t have gotten zapped.”

“Precisely.”

“Awesome.” I scoffed.

Wufei easily picked me up and pulled me into his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, he held me tight. “Duo?”

“I really, really feel like shit and I want to go home.”sx 




Wufei remained at my side as Sally looked me over. It wasn’t until the werewolves came back a good deal later that my nose had stopped bleeding. I had to shake my head a few times to help clear it. God. Needless to say, I was going to be more careful where I put my fingers. Holy shit on a stick.

“Can you stand?” Sally asked after she finished her assessment.

“Yeah, I think so.” Mentally counting to three, I rolled onto my feet. Just when I was about to celebrate, I wobbled. Sally reached out and grabbed my shoulder, steadying me. “Thanks.”

Wufei sighed and shook his head in exasperation. I couldn’t blame him. I was always getting myself hurt somehow, someway. Thankfully, he’s built up some immunity to it. I shook my head back at him. “I got nuthin.” I didn’t bother mentioning that the other two were shape-shifters. There was no way the others didn’t already know that. That familiarity was still nipping at my heels though. “Is there anything remaining of the other helicopters?”

“Yes,” Heero said. “There were two Shifters in each, six bodies total. They are charred though. I made sure to be thorough.” He grimaced. “I doubt we will find anything.”

I made a face that everyone in the vicinity thought funny. Bastards. “Yay for crispy critters,” I said, with a roll of my eyes and looked to Wufei. He stood there silently as he weighed his thoughts against what Heero said. I decided to throw in my two cents. “We may very well not find anything, but it’s worth a go.” I shrugged. “We won’t know we didn’t miss anything unless we look.”

He nodded once. “Go look. Sally and Heero are to accompany you. Come back to me when you are done.”

I nodded once, not really in the mood to tease. “Alright.”
***
I.Felt.
Like.Shit.
Iwastryingtodomyself„appointedjob,butIwasn
thaving
aneasytimeofit.Thesmellof
charredfleshandhairwasjust...indescribable.Ithastakeneverythinginmenottoupchuckall
overthe
place.Whatmadeittemptingwasthatvomitwouldactuallybeanimprovement.I
rather
smellandtastemydigestedbreakfastthanwhatIwassmellingandtastingnow.Italso
thelpthatIcouldn
tseeshit.Therewasn
tanylightingoutherebecausewewereinthe
middle
ofnowhere,andIblamemydelusionthatIhavenightvisiononthewerewolves.They
movedaroundsocomfortablyinthedarkthatitmademethinkIcoulddothesame.Sothis
meantthatHeerowasmyseeingeye„wolf.Hewasguidingmearoundthewreckagesiteswhile
SallyscoutedtheouterperimeteroftheareastopickupanythingIcouldn
tsafely
getto.
ItwasprobablybetterthatIò
couldn
see.IknewthatthesnappingIheardasIwalkedwasnot
fromtwigs,butbones.Iknewthatthesquishingundermyfeetwasn
tmud,but
lumpsofbody
fluids
andtissues.Myhandstrembledastheyslidacrosstheground,becauseIfelttheshockof
theirdeathsastheydid.Myheadthrobbedfromlackofsleep,fear,frustration,terror,and
drunkennessbyosmosis.Nauseakeptrollingthroughmelikeatrainstation.Iwantednothing
morethantogotobedandbeleftalonebytheworldforaweek.
Iheardsomeheavywalkingcometowardsus,andknewittobeSally. 
Findanything?
Heeroansweredforme. 
No.Youwereverythorough.
Ialways
am.
IignoredtheirconversationasIfinisheddoingwhatlittleIcoulddo.Itdidn
ttakemelongto
comeupwithnothing. 
Alrightguys,
Isaidquietly. 
tthinkthere
sanythingmoreIcan
sgoback.
BreathingasshallowlyasIcould,IletHeeroturnmearoundtoheadbacktotheothers.Afew
minuteslater,Istumbled.Wedidn
tthinkanythingofituntilIstumbledagain.Evenagainstthe
blackness,Iwasseeingstarsandknewthatsomethingwaswrongwithme.
Heero,
carryhimonyourback.Hisbreathingistooshallow,makinghisbrainshortonoxygen.
SallycameupfrombehindmeandliftedmeasHeerocametostandinfrontofme.Iwrapped
myarmsaroundhisneckashehookedhishandscomfortablyundermylegs. 
Good.Duo,
breatheintohisneck.Thatwillkeeptheworseofthesmellout.
Ididasshe
instructedandwas
happyto
findthatshewasright.IbreathedinÔ
sscent,
andrelaxedasthestarswentaway
andthethrobbinginmyheadslowed.
Ahandrestedonmybackforasecondbeforeshestartedrubbinginwarm,comfortingcircles.
Thewarmthmademerelax,whichmademefeelthatmuchbetter. 
Thatfeelsgood,Sal.
shesaid
inawhisper,handraisingtobrushdownthebackofmyhead. 
Youhave
not
beenhavinganeasytimeasoflate,Primus.
Shesighed. 
Icannothelpbutfeelitisduetosome
failureofoursthatthingsaredangerousforyou.
Thatisbecauseitisduetoafailureofours,
Heerosnarled,griptightening. 
Weareunableto
findwheretheHuntersaregettingtheirinformation!
Irubbed
athischest. 
Youdidn
tfailmetonight,didyouHeero?Youheardthemcomingand
hadmerun
tosafety...Yousingle„handedlytookdownthreehelicopters,Superman!
Ipatted
himonthe
chest. 
mstillalivebecauseofyou.
Hecalmedatmywords. 
Youaremy
Primus.Iwoulddefendyouwithmylife.
AndyouaretheSpecial,
Isaidintohisneck. 
Iamnomore
expendablethanyou.
Wecontinuedoninsilenceforawhile,SallygentlyrubbingmybackasIbreathedagainst
sneck.Feelingslightlybetter,Idecidedtosharemythoughts. 
Inthefamouswordsof
TowelieÔ
Ihavenoideawhat
sgoingon.
Heerosnorted. 
Isecond
thatshit.
Theyare
notconnectedtotheHunters,
Sallypointedout.Weweren
tnearasourceoflightyet,
butIcouldfeelhereyesonme. 
Thisissomeoneelsealtogether.
Theysmelledofsandandheat,
Heerothrewin,voicequietanddeep. 
Theywerefromthe
desert.
Thehair
onthebackofmyneckstartedtorise. 
Wasanyof
themtallwithblondhairandared
trench?
ThePlantwasnotamongthem,
HeeroansweredwhatIwasreallyasking.Iwasn
tsureIwas
relievedornot,soIsaidnothing.
Heeronodded. 
Ibelieveso,yes.TheRingsarethere,afterall.
Iperked
upatthat,thesmellcompletelyforgottenoverthisbitofinformation.L4?Rings?
Theyare
enteringourterritorywithoutpermissionandmeantharmtooneofours.
Wufeididn
twastetime.Stompingtowardsme,hereachedaroundmeandpainlesslypickedme
up.Carryingmeoutoftheslaughter,hemadehiswaytothelimousineIdidn
tnotice.Opening
thedoor
soharshlythatherockedthevehicle,heplacedmedownontheseat.WhenIlookedup
athimtoaskwhathewasdoing,heleaneddownandkissedmedeeply.Ihadlostallsenseof
whatwas
goingonandcoulddonothingexcepthangon.ThenWufeipulledaway.Isatthere,
gaspingforbreathandblinkingstupidly.Hestaredatmeforamomentlongerbeforekissingme
again,
exceptthistimewiththeutmosttenderness.Iwasleftjustasbreathlessasbefore.
Rashid,takehimhomeandprotecthim,
Wufeiwhispered,cuppingmyface.
Icouldfeelmyeyebrowsdrawingdown. 
Wufei,
no.Ican
mbeingwhiskedoffand
hidden
likesomegoddamnprincess„„
NowRashid,
Wufeibarked,steppingbackandclosingthedoor.Thelimoimmediatelytook
off.Frustrated,Ikickedandswungattheairlikeachildhavingatantrum.WhenIwasdone,I
scootedtothebarandservedmyselfaglassofbourbonandcoke.Afterdowningaglass,Iserved
myself
another.Astheseconddrinktookhold,Ifeltmyselfcalmingdown.







 
“What did
thePixiessay?
Aswasbecomingthecasemorefrequently,IhadabodyguardwhileIwasatwork.ThePack
memberstookturnslookingafterme.Itwasnice.Becauseofhowisolatedmylittlehutwas,it
wasagreatplacetohaveprivateconversations.Withthewerewolves
ultrasonichearing,privacy
wasnonexistentatÔ
sormyhouse.Italsogavemetheopportunitytogettoknowthelesser
membersofthePack.ItpleasantlysurprisedmehowmuchIhadincommonwithmanyofthem.
ThissetupworkedthebestwhenIhadsomethingonmymind.AtthosetimesIwouldarrange
forHeerotoplayguard„wolf.Thefactthatheusedtobehumangavehimtheabilitytoseemy
pointof
view.AshardasQuatreandTrowahavetried,thereweresomethingstheywouldnever
understand.ThosethingswereforHeero,alone. 
Mypagein
theCataloghasn
tchanged,
himasIdealtthecards. 
Akitothinksthisissomethingbeingdoneunderthetable.Hehashis
suspicionsandisgonnacheckthemout.
Hewillletyouknow?
Inodded.
 
Yeah.He
llsendme
themessagethroughtheusualchannels.
Twitter?
Hn.Gotathree?
GoFish.

Iwaited
patientlyasthePixiesread.AyameandYukiwerearguinginthebackgroundabout
something,butIhadlearnedmonthsagohowtotunethemout.IsmirkedalittlebitasTohru
triedto
breakuptheargumentwithaphrasethathermotherusedtouse.Judgingbyhowloud
svoicesurged,Iwasafraidshemadethesituationworse.
Bothlookedupatthesametimeandshooktheirheads. 
Nothing
schanged,Duo,
Harusaid
withafrown. 
ThisisthemostcurrentCatalog.Yourpageisthesameasitwasbefore.
Isatback
inmychairandswivelledfromsidetoside. 
Soeverythingisstilllistedas
unknown,
underinvestigation?
Yeah.Seeforyourself,
Kyosaid,andflippedthebookaroundtothewebcam.
IhadmyCataloginmylap.LookingbetweenmybookandÔ
s,Icould
seethatnothinghad
changed. 
matalossthen.
seyeswereallwateryconcern. 
AreyousurethattheywereHunters?
Kyoscoffed. 
Sixwomenhe
sneverlaideyesonbeforesuddenlytrytokillhim.Ofcourse
reHunters!Whatthehellelsewouldtheybe?
Inodded.
 
mpositive.There
snomistakingthemforanythingelse.
Kyoshrugged. 
IgottatellyaDuo,I
venever
heardofanyonefittingyour
BlueMummy
description.
Harushookhisheadinagreement. 
tellyou
though,isthatthat
Hunter.
Hestaredatme,hard. 
OnethingthatcanbesaidaboutHuntersisthattheydonothide
theiridentities.Ifthey
regoing
tokillyou,they
llwantyoutoknowit
Hecrossedhis
armsand
shookhisheadtohimself. 
ThewayIfigure,theBlueMummyissomeonewhois
willingtopassoninformationthattheHunterscoulduse;they
rejustnotwillingtobeassociated
withthem.
Hiseyes
wentdistantashedriftedintohisownthoughts. 
Whydosuchathing?
Harustartedchewingonanail. 
Maybeyoushouldcomehereforawhile.Shigurewon
Hell,he
llbehappytohaveyouaround.
sfacesuddenlytookuptheentirescreen. 
YesDuo,
come!YouandIcouldhavesucha
greattimeatmyshop!Icouldfityouintoallsortsofthingswiththatgreatbodyofyours!
Uniformsarewhat
sinseasonnow!Whateveryoucouldpossiblydesire,I
vegotthemall:
Policeman,fireman,FBIagent,CIAagent,secretservice,pilot,constructionworker,teacher,
chef,cableman,plumber,nurse,doctor,lawyer„„
Getoutof
here,youfreak!
Kyoyelled,forciblypushingAyameoutoftheÔ
webcam

tyouseethisisserious?!GomolestShigureorsomething!
WhenAyametriedtosnark
back,KyojumpedupandletloosewithanuppercutthatliterallysentAyamethroughtheroof.I
winced
asbitsofwoodfelltothefloor.Settlingbackintohisseat,hehuffedasheshookhimself
Pervert.
Helookedatme. 
Sorry,
Duo.
Ishrugged.Truthbetold,Iwasalittlecuriousaboutthesecretserviceuniform... 
Thanks
Haru,
tthinkthat
sagoodidea.InsteadoftheHunterstryingtokillmehere,they
lltrytokill
methere.Itwon
tsolveanythingandI
dbeputtingyouguysindanger.
shissisteranduncletoo,
Kyobroughtup,facingHaru. 
Hewouldn
twanttoleave
thembehind.
Harulookedatmeandfrowned. 
ttheycometoo?
Ishookmy
head. 
Itwould
havetobetheirchoice,Haru.Ifitwasjustmysistertoworryabout,
thenitwouldn
tbeabigdeal.She
scrazyaboutyouguys.
HildeandthePixieshititoffwell,
especiallyherandMomiji.Iwasterrifiedtofindoutwhatthosetwowouldgetuptoiftheyever
metinperson. 
Butmyunclewouldn
tcome,evenwiththepromiseofpainofdeathbecause
renothuman.Andifhewon
tgo,shewon
AfterHowardfoundoutthatQuatrewas
really
a
supernaturalbeing,henevertrustedaninnocentfaceagain.Hewassuspiciousof
everything,andImeanò
everythingó
.Threeweeksagohepulledagunonabunny.Abunny!It
tookmeoveranhourtoconvincehimthatthebunnywasreallyabunny,andeventhenhe
wouldn
tlethisgunoutofhissight.Quatrelaughedaboutthatfordays.
Oh.Sorry.
Isighed.
 
tapologize,Haru.It
shishangup,notyours.
Irubbed
myforeheadinfrustration.
Hewassuchastubbornoldman.Paininmyass... 
Gettingbacktothesubjectathand,canyou
guyssee
howthisfitstogether?BecauseIcan
Myhands
movedwithmeasIworkedoutmy
thoughts. 
HowisitthattheHuntershavenoinformationonme,yetonefoundmyhouse?Why
ttheygottentogetheraSWATteamofHunterstotakemeandWufeiout,insteadof
sendingthemoneatatimewheretheycouldbeeasilydefeated?Infact...
Ileaned
towardsthe
webcam,
 
nowthat
I
thinkaboutit,Idon
tthinktheHunterknewthatthehousebehindherheld
thecommandoftheShenlong.
Iknewfor
a
factthatshedidn
t.Allofherthoughtswereofme.
Either
shehadablatantdisregardforthethreatthewerewolvesposed(whichIknewanyHunter
worthhersaltwouldn
t),orshe
hadnoideatheywerethere.
Shit.Icouldkickmyownassformissingthat.
Isthatright?
Ilooked
upatthenewvoiceandsmiled. 
Akito!
Heyman,howareyou?
Better
thanyou,apparently,
hesaid,
withaslighttilttohishead.Ichuckled.Akitowasstill
gorgeousandstillradiatedcoileddanger.Ilovedthatabouthim. 
Youlook
likeyou
vehadsome
sleeplessnights,andnotfortherightreason.
Ichuckledagain. 
Yeah.Thepossibilityofhavingmythroatslitinmysleepdoesn
shrugged. 
Andthethoughtofthemtakingmysisteroruncletogettomemakesitworse.
Hewassilentinthought.ThenheleanedoverKyoandlookedatmypageintheCatalog.Tsking
tohimself,heturnedbacktome. 
tthinktheyknowwhoorwhereyouare.
Icouldfeelmyeyebrowspulldowninconfusion. 
HarustoodupandgaveAkitohischair.AsAkitosatdown,HarusatinÔ
slap.Kyo
wrapped
hisarms
comfortablyaroundÔ
swaistandlistenedwithoutcomplaint.
Attheveryleast,theHuntersshouldknowthatyou
reAmerican.Theydon
t.Theyalso
should
veknown
thattheShenlonglivedrightbehindyourhouse,yetyoubelievethattheHunter
hadnoidea?
Inodded.
 
Isee.Althoughit
sknownthattheShenlongareinAmerica,it
privyto
manywhereexactlyinAmericayouallare.
Hecrossedhislegs. 
mguessingthatthe
Huntersthathavecomeafteryouarebeingfedinformationonanone„on„onebasis,andthatthe
person
feedingthemtheinformationdoesn
thaveall
oftheintelthemselves.Whatinteltheydo
haveisnotbeinggiventotheentireHunterclan,andthatinandofitselfisworrisome.
frowned. 
IhavedonesomethingsimilartothiswhenIwantedto...eliminateanindividualwhile
leavingtherestoftheirclanintact.Iwoulduseacontactasamiddlemantofindsomeone
suitabletoreachmytarget,sothatIwouldnotbedirectlyinvolvedintheirdemise.Thatmaybe
thepurposeofthisBlueMummy.Iwouldalsomakesurethatmycontactwouldbeoneofthe
fewthat
understoodtheimportantnatureofwhatIwasdoingandwouldneverletmysecrets
passtheirlips.
Hetiltedhishead. 
Whoeverthisisdoesn
tcareaboutyourPackmasteroryour
Pack,Duo.Theywantyou.
Isaidwithoutinflection.
Henodded,once. 
Inalllikelihood,yes.
Ileaned
backinmychairinnumbedshock.Itwasonethingtoknowwhysomeonewantedyou
dead.IknewwhySeptemandAlexhatedmygutsandwouldcelebrateseeingmycorpse.Hell,I
feltthe
samewayaboutthem.Itwassomethingelsethough,whensomeonewantedyoudeadand
youdidn
tknowwho
theywereorwhy.AllIcouldthinktosaywas, 
Akitofrownedatme. 
Youandyourfamilyaremorethanwelcometocomehereandstayafew
months
whileyourPackmasterhandlesthis.Or,theycouldcomehereandyoucouldgo
somewhereelse.Thesecondoptionmightbebetterbecausewhoeverisafteryouwillhaveto
workevenhardertofindò
Inodded
absently.I
drather
getHildeandHowardoutofhereanddealwiththismyself.
IwouldnotbesurprisedifanotherHuntershowsupsoon.Youarebeingworndownandthey
willtakeadvantage.
Inodded
absentlyagain.Ô
sfacebecamepinchedwithconcern. 
alsofindoutwhoitisthatistellingtheseHunterswheretofindyou.
Ichuckled,buttherewasnohumorinit. 
Ishould
justgonextdoorandask,
Isaid,spitefully.
Hell.If
theywantmedeadsobad,theycantellmetomyface.
Youthinkit
soneofyourPack?!
Kyolookedaghast.
Harudisagreed. 
snotoneof
them.Noway.
Iagree,
Yukiadded,leaningoverÔ
sshoulder.Shigurewasthere,alongwithHatoriand
Ayame.
Wherethehelldidtheycomefrom?! 
Youshould
veseenyourPackduringthe
negotiation.Theyaresoinlovewithyou.Theywouldlaydowntheirlivesforyou.
Ileaned
forward,frustrated. 
Thenwho
elsecoulditbe,huh?Whoelsecouldknowwhoand
whereIam?
Ihavemysuspicions,
Akitosaid,massaginghischininthought.
Really?
Iwassurprised.ThiswasthefirsttimeIbroughtthesubjectupwiththePixies.How
couldhe
suspectsomeonealready? 
Hewassilentamoment. 
tsayuntilIconfirmeditwithmysources.
Henoddedonce.
llcontactyouwhenI
Igaveatiredsmile.Forsomereason,myfrustrationmeltedawaywithÔ
swords.
Ifthere
wasanyonewhocouldfindoutwhothehellthisBlueMummywas,itwouldbehim. 
thebest,Akito.Youknowthat?
Actually,Ido.Andasatokenofourfriendship,thiswillonlycostyouthatfabulousTexan
Ilaughed,thefirsttruelaughI
vehadall
week. 
TencasesofShinerBock,comingup!
Achorus
of
blockedoutallothersound.
Ugh.Thereain
tshiton,
Iwhined,flippingthroughthechannels. 
Evenwithcable,thisstill
sucks.
Here,Ibroughtcards.
Heerotossedtheaforementionedcardsontothecounter. 
something.
GoFish?
heagreedasIstartedtoshuffle. 
Whatdid
thePixiessay?
Aswasbecomingthecasemorefrequently,IhadabodyguardwhileIwasatwork.ThePack
memberstookturnslookingafterme.Itwasnice.Becauseofhowisolatedmylittlehutwas,it
wasagreatplacetohaveprivateconversations.Withthewerewolves
ultrasonichearing,privacy
wasnonexistentatÔ
sormyhouse.Italsogavemetheopportunitytogettoknowthelesser
membersofthePack.ItpleasantlysurprisedmehowmuchIhadincommonwithmanyofthem.
ThissetupworkedthebestwhenIhadsomethingonmymind.AtthosetimesIwouldarrange
forHeerotoplayguard„wolf.Thefactthatheusedtobehumangavehimtheabilitytoseemy
pointof
view.AshardasQuatreandTrowahavetried,thereweresomethingstheywouldnever
understand.ThosethingswereforHeero,alone. 
Mypagein
theCataloghasn
tchanged,
himasIdealtthecards. 
Akitothinksthisissomethingbeingdoneunderthetable.Hehashis
suspicionsandisgonnacheckthemout.
Hewillletyouknow?
Inodded.
 
Yeah.He
llsendme
themessagethroughtheusualchannels.
Twitter?
Hn.Gotathree?
GoFish.
Thenext
fewhourspassedbyinpeace.WewentthroughGoFish,Poker(whereIlostevery
hand),
SpadesandBlackjack.AfterHeerodozedofffromwatchingmeplaySolitaire,Ibeganto
buildacardcastlearoundhishead.AllwasrightinmyworlduntiltheSpecialshotup,eyeswild
andhead
tiltedtopointhiseartotheceiling.Herolledforwardontohishandsandknees,
crawlingtowardsthedoor. 
Theyattackedlastnight,right?
Myheart
sankintomystomach.Sosoon?! 
Isaid,choking.ItfeltasifIwastryingto
whisperandscreamatthesametime.Sparingasecond,Ireachedouttoreadanymindscloseby.
Thereweren
tany,humanorotherwise.Wewereverymuchalone.Ipulledmyshieldsbackup,
terriblyconfused. 
Heero?
Run!Don
tdrive!
Heerobarkedbeforehechangedoverandchargedoutofmyshack.IdidasI
wastold,butmyheartdamnnearstoppedwhenIsawthatherantotherightinsteadoftothe
left.Theleftwentwest,towardshome.Theright,east,wastowardstheapparentdanger.Iletout
onelast
curseandranwest.
IwasterrifiedasIran.IthadbeenmonthssinceIfeltthisway,andIcouldn
tbelievethatIhad
forgottenitstaste.Yes,IhadbeenattackedbyHuntersbutIwasabletoreadtheirthoughts.I
knewwhattheyweregoingtodobeforetheyhadachancetodoit.Now,Ihadnothing.Iwas
runningdownagravelroadbymyselfinthedarkfrom...Ididn
tknowwhat.Wasitanother
Hunter?Wasitawerewolf?Avampire?Aghoul?HasOburiresurrectedhimselfagain?Wasthe
Prince
goingtogetrevengeanyway?WasHeerookay?WouldImakeithomeintimetoget
help?WouldImakeithome,period?ThesequestionscrowdedmymindtothepointwhereI
couldn
tevenlet
downmyshields.Thejumbleofquestionsactedlikeadoor„stopper.SoI
channeledmyinnerForestGumpandkeptrunning.
Icouldn
thavebeenoutthereformorethanfiveminuteswhenIheardahugeexplosion.Itwas
quiteadistancebehindmeandIwasn
tinanydangerfromit,butIknewforafactthatthere
tanythingbigenoughoutheretocausethatkindofexplosion.Twominuteslatertherewas
anotherexplosion.Itwascloser.Ilookedovermyshoulderandsawalargehunkofflaming
metal.
I
spottedÔ
ssilhouetteleapingacrosstheflamesanddisappearingbackintothedark.
Facing
forwardIpickedupthepace,andthatwaswhenIrecognizedthesounds.
Helicopters.
Shockednearlyshitless,Istumbledandtripped.Ifellface„firstontothegroundinaskiddueto
themomentum.Iyelledfromtheburstofpainbutdidnotletthatstopmefromrollingintothe
bushes
alongsidetheroad.Crawlingunderthem,Iusedtheopportunitytogetmybreathback
andtotry
toseewhatthehellwasgoingon.Iwasjustintime.Ahelicopterhadflownoverhead,
itslightsshiningdownonthegroundasifsearching.
Un„fucking„believable,
ImutteredtomyselfasIpeeredthroughtheleaves. 
Areyoushitting
me?Areyoushittingme?
Iloweredmyheadtotheground. 
Thisisunreal.
IthoughtthatthepilotofthathelicopterknewIwasinthearea.Insteadofsearchingon,he
wouldimmediatelyturnaroundandcomeback.Thelighthadshoneovermeagainandagain,but
mydarkclothingreallyblendedinwiththesurroundingarea.IfiguredthataslongasIstayed
SallyandHeeroaretoaccompanyyou.Comebacktomewhenyou
aredone.
Inodded
once,notreallyinthemoodtotease. 
Alright.
I.Felt.
Like.Shit.
Iwastryingtodomyself„appointedjob,butIwasn
thaving
aneasytimeofit.Thesmellof
charredfleshandhairwasjust...indescribable.Ithastakeneverythinginmenottoupchuckall
overthe
place.Whatmadeittemptingwasthatvomitwouldactuallybeanimprovement.I
rather
smellandtastemydigestedbreakfastthanwhatIwassmellingandtastingnow.Italso
thelpthatIcouldn
tseeshit.Therewasn
tanylightingoutherebecausewewereinthe
middle
ofnowhere,andIblamemydelusionthatIhavenightvisiononthewerewolves.They
movedaroundsocomfortablyinthedarkthatitmademethinkIcoulddothesame.Sothis
meantthatHeerowasmyseeingeye„wolf.Hewasguidingmearoundthewreckagesiteswhile
SallyscoutedtheouterperimeteroftheareastopickupanythingIcouldn
tsafely
getto.
ItwasprobablybetterthatIò
couldn
see.IknewthatthesnappingIheardasIwalkedwasnot
fromtwigs,butbones.Iknewthatthesquishingundermyfeetwasn
tmud,but
lumpsofbody
fluids
andtissues.Myhandstrembledastheyslidacrosstheground,becauseIfelttheshockof
theirdeathsastheydid.Myheadthrobbedfromlackofsleep,fear,frustration,terror,and
drunkennessbyosmosis.Nauseakeptrollingthroughmelikeatrainstation.Iwantednothing
morethantogotobedandbeleftalonebytheworldforaweek.
Iheardsomeheavywalkingcometowardsus,andknewittobeSally. 
Findanything?
Heeroansweredforme. 
No.Youwereverythorough.
Ialways
am.
IignoredtheirconversationasIfinisheddoingwhatlittleIcoulddo.Itdidn
ttakemelongto
comeupwithnothing. 
Alrightguys,
Isaidquietly. 
tthinkthere
sanythingmoreIcan
sgoback.
BreathingasshallowlyasIcould,IletHeeroturnmearoundtoheadbacktotheothers.Afew
minuteslater,Istumbled.Wedidn
tthinkanythingofituntilIstumbledagain.Evenagainstthe
blackness,Iwasseeingstarsandknewthatsomethingwaswrongwithme.
Heero,
carryhimonyourback.Hisbreathingistooshallow,makinghisbrainshortonoxygen.
SallycameupfrombehindmeandliftedmeasHeerocametostandinfrontofme.Iwrapped
myarmsaroundhisneckashehookedhishandscomfortablyundermylegs. 
Good.Duo,
breatheintohisneck.Thatwillkeeptheworseofthesmellout.
Ididasshe
instructedandwas
happyto
findthatshewasright.IbreathedinÔ
sscent,
andrelaxedasthestarswentaway
andthethrobbinginmyheadslowed.
Ahandrestedonmybackforasecondbeforeshestartedrubbinginwarm,comfortingcircles.
Thewarmthmademerelax,whichmademefeelthatmuchbetter. 
Thatfeelsgood,Sal.
shesaid
inawhisper,handraisingtobrushdownthebackofmyhead. 
Youhave
not
beenhavinganeasytimeasoflate,Primus.
Shesighed. 
Icannothelpbutfeelitisduetosome
failureofoursthatthingsaredangerousforyou.
Thatisbecauseitisduetoafailureofours,
Heerosnarled,griptightening. 
Weareunableto
findwheretheHuntersaregettingtheirinformation!
Irubbed
athischest. 
Youdidn
tfailmetonight,didyouHeero?Youheardthemcomingand
hadmerun
tosafety...Yousingle„handedlytookdownthreehelicopters,Superman!
Ipatted
himonthe
chest. 
mstillalivebecauseofyou.
Hecalmedatmywords. 
Youaremy
Primus.Iwoulddefendyouwithmylife.
AndyouaretheSpecial,
Isaidintohisneck. 
Iamnomore
expendablethanyou.
Wecontinuedoninsilenceforawhile,SallygentlyrubbingmybackasIbreathedagainst
sneck.Feelingslightlybetter,Idecidedtosharemythoughts. 
Inthefamouswordsof
TowelieÔ
Ihavenoideawhat
sgoingon.
Heerosnorted. 
Isecond
thatshit.
Theyare
notconnectedtotheHunters,
Sallypointedout.Weweren
tnearasourceoflightyet,
butIcouldfeelhereyesonme. 
Thisissomeoneelsealtogether.
Theysmelledofsandandheat,
Heerothrewin,voicequietanddeep. 
Theywerefromthe
desert.
Thehair
onthebackofmyneckstartedtorise. 
Wasanyof
themtallwithblondhairandared
trench?
ThePlantwasnotamongthem,
HeeroansweredwhatIwasreallyasking.Iwasn
tsureIwas
relievedornot,soIsaidnothing.
Heeronodded. 
Ibelieveso,yes.TheRingsarethere,afterall.
Iperked
upatthat,thesmellcompletelyforgottenoverthisbitofinformation.L4?Rings?
Theyare
enteringourterritorywithoutpermissionandmeantharmtooneofours.
Wufeididn
twastetime.Stompingtowardsme,hereachedaroundmeandpainlesslypickedme
up.Carryingmeoutoftheslaughter,hemadehiswaytothelimousineIdidn
tnotice.Opening
thedoor
soharshlythatherockedthevehicle,heplacedmedownontheseat.WhenIlookedup
athimtoaskwhathewasdoing,heleaneddownandkissedmedeeply.Ihadlostallsenseof
whatwas
goingonandcoulddonothingexcepthangon.ThenWufeipulledaway.Isatthere,
gaspingforbreathandblinkingstupidly.Hestaredatmeforamomentlongerbeforekissingme
again,
exceptthistimewiththeutmosttenderness.Iwasleftjustasbreathlessasbefore.
Rashid,takehimhomeandprotecthim,
Wufeiwhispered,cuppingmyface.
Icouldfeelmyeyebrowsdrawingdown. 
Wufei,
no.Ican
mbeingwhiskedoffand
hidden
likesomegoddamnprincess„„
NowRashid,
Wufeibarked,steppingbackandclosingthedoor.Thelimoimmediatelytook
off.Frustrated,Ikickedandswungattheairlikeachildhavingatantrum.WhenIwasdone,I
scootedtothebarandservedmyselfaglassofbourbonandcoke.Afterdowningaglass,Iserved
myself
another.Astheseconddrinktookhold,Ifeltmyselfcalmingdown.
Crossingmylegsattheankles,Isippedmydrinkandthought.So,theBlackOrderwas
somethingthewerewolveswerefamiliarwith.Theirattitudetowardstheorganizationwaswhat
gotmyattentionmorethananythingelse.Wufei,HeeroandTrowadidn
thavethe
fearand
hatefulnessforthecorpsesliketheyhavefortheHunters.Ifanything,theyseemedsurprisedand
slightlyconcernedforthis...BlackOrder.Thatmorethananythingthrewmeforaloop.Itdidn
feelasthoughtheOrderwasanenemytotheShenlong,buttheyweren
texactlyanally.What
didthat
makethem?
AsIthoughtaboutit,IwasgladWufeiinsistedthatRashidtakemehome.Icouldgrabthe
CreatureCatalogandcallupthePixiesonSkype,orIcouldpumptheinformationoutofthe
lesser
membersofthePack.Theymayknowmoreandmaybewillingtotell,sincethesubject
tfeeltaboo.Iwasverycurious.
Whatwas
theBlackOrder,andwhatdiditentailtobean...Exorcist?BecauseiftheBlackOrder
tanenemy
oftheShenlong,whywastheFallenwiththeBlueMummy?Iheardhervoice
clearlyinhisheadwhenshewhisperedinhisear, 
MatanzaDuoMaxwell.
AllianceinBloodó
Chapter3:TheDestructionAftertheStorm
Duo....
Wakeup,
Duo.
Ihaveblueberrypancakes...
...and
coffee...
...and
homefries....
Bastardknewmyweakness...well,severalofthem.NowIwasgonnahaftagetoutofbed.
Rising
withthegrumpiestcloudovermyhead,IwobbledafterQuatreinmyboxers,t„shirtand
lonely
sockforthepromiseofhashbrownsandpancakes.Somehow,betweensimultaneously
scratchingmyheadandballs,Imanagedtogetdownthestairswithoutbreakingmyneck.Damn,
wasItalented.
Thehousewasdesertedaswemadeourwaydownstairsandtothekitchen.Atfirst,Ididn
anythingofit.Ionlyhadthreebraincellsfunctioning,andeachonewaspreoccupiedwitha
differentaspectofbreakfast.Asthemorningworeonhowever,therestofmysynapsesstarted
firing
andIknewsomethingwasup.Itwasadayduringtheweekandyes,everyonewastobeat
workand
school.Despitethat,itfeltasifthehousehadbeenvacant.ThesheetsonWufei
ofthebed
wereextracold.Theairdidn
tringwithfadingconversation.Quatrehadjustmade
breakfastandtherewasn
sworthof
dishesinthesink. 
HeyQuat,didtheycomehome
lastnightatall?
IknewIdidn
tmakeit.
RashidwasablockawayfromthehousewhenIfell
overinadeadsleep.Iwassoexhaustedfromthepasttwenty„fourhoursthatIcouldn
awake,
eventhoughIwantedtodosomeresearch.
hesaidas
hesippedhistea. 
BetweentheHunterthenightbeforeandthis,Wufeiis
having
enoughcowstostarthisownfarm.
Quatre
shookhishead. 
Idonotget
thisatall.
Whatdon
tyouget?
Iaskedas
I
gotupandtookourplatestothesink.
Komuiwouldnotallowthis.
Iturned
onthefaucetsoQuatreraisedhisvoicetobeheard. 
hasaheartbutheknowswhentobeuncompromising.
Whenthe
sinkwasfullofsudsywater,Iturnedoffthefaucetandquicklywashedthedishes.
WhoisKomui?IshetheleaderoftheBlackOrder?
Yes.Heis
theExecutiveoftheorganization,andChiefoftheScienceDepartment.Themanis
brilliant,butwacky.
Hegaveme
a
sternlook. 
Donotever,ò
volunteerforanyexperiment
heasksyouto.Orlethimcomenearyouwithasharpobject.Oranyobject,actually.
Arethey
a
threat?
Ilooked
overmyshouldertoseetheshape„shifter.
Quatre
hadasadexpressiononhisface. 
Youaredefinitelylearning,
hefrowned. 
Butno,they
arenotathreat.Theyarehumansblessedwithmagicalgifts;almostlikewizardsinasense.They
areonthe
sideofthechurch,butduetotheirmagicalabilitiestheHuntersconsiderthemmagical
creatures.
Hesnorted. 
Hunterskillthemwhentheycanjustliketheykillus.Bydefault,that
makesthesupernaturaltheirallies.
Hetookasipofcoffee.
AfterIdriedthedishes,Iplacedthembackinthecabinetsandsatdownatthetable. 
Well,what
doesanExorcistdo?IknowbetterthantorelyonwhatI
veseenin
movies.
Youwouldberightagain,
hesaidwithasmirkashesathiscoffeedown. 
Exorcistsbattle
whatiscalled
Akuma.
Akumaarethedeformedspiritsofthoseforcedtoresideonthemortal
planeinsteadofpassingontoheaven.
Ahh.ThatwouldexplainwhatIsawinJos
WhattheyhavetodoiskilltheAkumatoreleasethesoulwithin.Verydangerouswork.Very
heartbreaking.
Itilted
myheadsidetosidelikeadog.IknewQuatrewellenoughtoknowhewaskeeping
somethingfromme. 
Whatare
younottellingme?
Hesighedandtookanothersipofcoffee. 
Whathappensis...Iwillnottellyouhisname,buta
demonicbeingapproachesagrievinglovedone,andasksthemiftheywantthedeceasedback.If
thelovedoneagrees,theycallthesoul
sname.Whenthesoulreturnstothemortalplane,the
demonicindividualforcesthesoultokilltheirlovedoneandweartheirskinastheirown.That
theAkuma.
Icouldfeelthebloodleavemyface. 
Sothatwouldbelike...Idie.Hildecallsmebacktolife.I
wouldkillher,andwearherskinasmyown.
Ishivered.Twice.Icouldn
timaginethatbeingmydestiny.Fightingcreatureslikethat,knowing
howthey
cametobe... 
IneverthoughtIwouldbesogladtobeaclairvoyant.
heagreedwithasadsmile. 
Someonealwayshasitworse.
Ishiveredagain.Timeforachangeofsubject. 
HeerosaidthattheBlackOrderhastaken
membersagainsttheirwill.
Yes,theyhave.Iwillnotlieaboutthat.IfyouhaveInnocence,whichisthatmagicalgiftIwas
tellingyouabout,thenyouarenotanordinarypersonandcannotliveassuch.Undiscovered
Exorcistsaredangerousbecausetheydonothavecontrolovertheirability,andbizarreor
dangerousthingshappenbecauseofit.Forexample,thereisanewmembernamedMiranda
Lotto.
TheylearnedofherwhenareportcameinthatatowninGermanyhadrelivedthesame
dayover
andoveragainforamonth.
Damn,thatsoundedfamiliar... 
LikethatmovieGroundhog
hesaidwithanod. 
Butitwas
herInnocencethatcausedthattohappen.Shewasupset
aboutlosingajob,andinadrunkenragewishedthatthenextdaywouldnevercome.Thanksto
herInnocence,itdidnot.
Istoodthereandstaredathiminamazement.Wow. 
timaginehavingthatkindofpower.
Thereareothersmorepowerfulthanher.
Quatre
sighedandcontinued. 
Somewanttoremain
intheir
livesbuttheycannot.Itdoesnothappenoften.FromwhatIheard,Mirandawasmore
thanhappytojoin.Unfortunately,therearetimeswhenforcehasbeennecessary.
Ithoughtaboutthatandhadtoagree.Tohavethepowertostoptimejustbecauseyou
reupset
or
angry...notpretty. 
TheguylastnighthadFallen.
Quatre
saidgravely. 
HisInnocencerejectedhim.Thatisnotunheardof,butitisrare.He
musthavedonesomethingvery,verybadforthattohavehappened.
HebetrayedtheOrder,
Isaid,dryingthelastdish.
Quatre
stoodandwalkedovertome. 
Howdidhe
betraytheOrder?
Iplaced
thedryplateontopoftheothersandstaredatthesink. 
Heagreedtokillamagical
creature.
Quatre
shandsflewuptohismouth. 
OhAllah...heagreedtokillyou.
Isnorted. 
Howdidyouknow?
Hewrappedhisarmsaroundmeandpulledmeclose. 
Youwere
talkinginyoursleeplastnight
asIpulledyououtofthelimo,
hesaidquietly. 
Youkept
asking,
Whatdid
I
everdotohim?
didnotunderstandwhoyouweretalkingabout,butyousmelledsoexhaustedIdidnotwantto
wakeyou
toask.
Heheldme
tight. 
Donotworry,Duo.Therewillbehelltopayforthis.
Yeah,Iknow.
Ipulled
backtolookupatQuatre. 
Butwhen
doesitstop?
Quatre
sfacebecameasseriousasthegrave. 
Itstops
whenthosethatwanttohurtyouare
Well,hell.WhatcouldIpossiblysaytothat?
Inodded
curtlyonce,notinagreementorindisagreementbutjustinacknowledgmentthatI
heardhim.PullingawayfromQuatre,Ifinishedcleaningupthekitchenashewentupstairstodo
whateverheneededtodo.AfterthatIwentupstairsmyselftogetcleanedupandreadyforthe
AsIbrushedmyhairIthoughtaboutallthegapsinmyknowledgeofthesupernaturalworld.As
ifthesituationwiththeHunterswasn
tenough,nowIhaveanewproblem:theBlackOrder.
Only,theyweresupposedtobeonthesideofthesupernatural.Again,IfeltlikeIgotcaughtwith
mypants
down.
Iknewone
personwhowasnotafraidtocallmeonit,either.
Tyingoffmybraid,Ijumpedintomytennisshoesandgrabbedmykeys.Quatrecameoutofhis
roomasIwascomingdownthestairs. 
Yougoingout?
Hangon.
Letmegrabmykeys„„
IstoppedinfrontofQuatre.
Hesighed. 
Duo,therearepeopletryingtokillyou.Iknowthatsucks,okay,butthat
sliferight
now.You
gooutandgetkilledbecauseIwasnotthereandIwillneverforgivemyself.
Iputahand
onhisshoulder. 
ttalktome
ifyou
rethere.
IttookQuatreasplitsecondtofigureoutwhoIwastalkingabout.Ilovedsharppeople. 
Ahh...
hesaidinstead,andbegantotakehisclothesoff. 
Iwillfollowatadistance.Tellhimwhatyou
twodiscussisforyourearsalone.Iwillnotinterfere.
Inodded.
 
Hespoke
assoonasIhadthephoneagainstmyear. 
Youlook
terrible,Primus.
Lookswho
stalking,
Isaidwithouthumor.Me?IknewIlookedbad.Ilookedlikesomeone
whowasexhaustedfrombeingattackedtwonightsinarow.Ihadscrapsandbruises,feltsore,
andhadbagsundermyeyeswhichonlyaddedtomysenseofweariness.Darlianhowever,
looked
asifhewasinaconcentrationcampinsteadofaprison.Hisskinwasevenmoretautthan
lasttime,andappearedgrayish.Hiseyesseemedtobebulgingoutbecausehisfacewasbeing
drawnin.Itwasobviousthathehadlostsignificantweight.Beingawerewolfmadethatworse.
Allofthe
werewolvesweremassesofmuscle.Toseehimlikethis,hurt. 
Darlian,whatthehell
isgoing
on?Aretheyfeedingyou?
Ishookmy
headinbewilderment. 
Youlook
likeyou
beingstarved!
hesaidwithagrimace. 
ButIambeingstarvedofmoonlight,notfood.
Hesawthe
worryin
myfaceandsmiled. 
Donottroubleyourselfinconcernforme,Primus.Thereis
nothingyoucandoaboutit.
Ihadjust
finishedbraidingmyhairwhenthesoundsofcardoorsclosinghadmedroppingmy
brushandrunningdownstairs.Quatrewaswaitingformeatthebottom,andthenthebothofus
ranoutsidetotheporch.WewaitedpatientlyasWufeidishedoutorders,Trowaandanaked
Heeroat
hisside.Whenhewasdone,everyoneelseranofftodowhattheyweretoldasmembers
ofthePrivilegedwenttorest.Heerobrieflyallowedmetoinspecthimbeforehetookofffora
shower.QuatreimmediatelygrabbedTrowaanddisappeared.IgrabbedWufeiandguidedhim
upstairs.AsIranhisbathwaterIstrippedhim,andtogetherwebathed.AfterIdriedhimoff,we
crawledintobed.Ashespoonedupbehindme,Icouldn
thelpbut
feelapologetic. 
msorry,
Donotapologizeforwhichyouarenotresponsiblefor.
Hekissedmytempleandheldme
tighter.Iclosedmyeyesandsoakedupallofhisaffection.
Hewasafterme,
Iknow.ThatwastheconclusionIcametoafterHeero
sdebriefing.
Heerocouldhavebeenhurt.
No.Heeroisextraordinarilystrong.Therewasnothingtheycouldhavedonetoharmhim.
Oh.Well,still...
Restwithme,Duo.
Herolledontohisback,pullingmeontopofhim. 
Thereis
thetimefor
this,justnotnow.
AlrightBigDaddy,ifyouinsist.
Yes,Iinsist.
Withasmileonmyface,Ifellasleep.
Notsensingdanger,Iwokeslowly.Ittookamomentformetoregisterwhy.Someonewas
trailingtheirfingertipsupmyarm.Theirbreathwashotonthebackofmyneck,butsteady.
Smirkingtomyself,Iremainedstilltoseewhathewoulddonext.
Sensingmyamusement,IfeltWufei
slipscurvedinasmirkbeforethefirstsetofkisseslanded
onmyneck.Theywerelightenoughtobarelybefelt,buthardenoughnottotickle.Hisfingers
stoppedtrailingmyarmsothathisarmcouldwraparoundmeandholdmeinplace.Thoselips
kissed
behindmyearashisnosemovedtomyhair,breathingitinandmakingamessatthe
sametime.Withoutanythoughtfrommemyhandslidalonghis,uptohisarm,elbowand
shoulder.Carefully,herolledmeontomybackandlaidontopofme.Holdinghisweightonhis
forearms,hekissedme.Ourkissesweredeepandslow.Wufeihadeveryintentionoftakinghis
timetonight.
Hemoved
nexttomyneck,bitinghardenoughforaspikeofpleasurebutnottobreaktheskin.
Ashemovedtopayattentiontotheothersideofmyneck,Imassagedasmuchofhisbackas
waswithinreach.Iletoutlittlebreathysighsashemovedovermychest,spendingsomuchtime
therethatIfelttheslightvibrationofair.Heloweredhimselffurther,bitingandkissingatmy
stomach.DespitethepleasureIsquirmed,grippingthesheetsashardasIcouldtohavesomesort
ofoutlet.Afterawhileofthis,therewasapauseasWufeisimplypressedhisfaceagainstmy
skinand
inhaled.Hishandsranupanddownmysidesasherubbedhisnosebackandforth.I
closed
myeyesandusedallofmysensestoenjoythefeelofhim.
Wufeicontinuedlowerstill,bitingandsuckingatthejunctureofmyhipsandtheinsideofmy
thighs.Hesparedasignificantamountoftimejusttouchingme,runninghishandsoverpartsof
methatweren
terogenousbutwonderfulallthesame:thesidesofmyhips,thebackofmy
calves,thesolesofmyfeet.Thenheeversoslowlypreparedme,andIwasonceagainsquirming
andgrippingthesheetsforlackofanyotheroutlet.
WhenItrulycouldn
ttakeanymore,Wufeienteredmeslowly.Hesetapacethatlastedfor
hours.
I
wouldbegandpleadwithhimtogofaster,onlytobegandpleadwithhimagainwhen
thepleasurebecamemorethanIcouldstand.ThenIwouldcomeandtheprocesswouldstartall
overagain.Iwouldbegandplead,onlyforhimtoignoremeuntilIbeggedandpleadedmore
whenitbecametoomuch.Eachtimeheheldhimselfback,lettingmeknowwithoutwordsthat
thiswas
allaboutmeandmypleasure.
Aftermy
seventhorgasmhefinallylethimselfgo,sensingthatIwasthrough.Iarchedwithhim
ashedid,
diggingmyfingernailsintohisback.Spent,heeasedhimselfdownbesideme,face
smashedintohispillow.IstaredupattheskylightasItriedtocatchmybreath,wishingthere
wassome
sortofmoonlightshiningdownonus.
Iwishthe
moonwasfull,
Wufeisaidthroughpantedbreathsashesnuggledintome. 
thetasteoftheraysonyourskin.
Iagreed,missingthefeeloftheraysonmyskintoo.
Ihatedhelicopterrides.
tthinkpeoplerealizedjusthownoisythesedamnthingswere.Addinthechatteroverthe
earphonesandthebumpinessoftheride,andIwasreadytojumpoutofthedamnthinginorder
tosavemy
sanity...andhearing.
WufeiandIweresittinginthebackasRashidandAudapiloted.TrowaandHeerowereflying
theirownhelicopterwithsomeoftheMaguanacs.Quatreandafewguardswerealreadywaiting
forusatthehoteltoensurethatsomeHuntersdidn
tgetwind
ofthislittleget„togetherandtryto
bombitor
something.
IthasbeenaweeksincetheattackfromtheFallenExorcist,andthosedaysweresurprisingly
pleasant.Thefeelingaroundthehousehasbeenoneofcalmalertness.Yes,Hunterswere
targetingmeandyes,someoneelsewastargetingmeaswell.Ijustcouldn
tbeafraid.With
AkitotrackingdowntheMole(forlackofabetterterm),Wufeiallovermelikewhiteonrice,
andKomuimeetingusinsomeubersnazzyhotelinHouston,Icouldn
tfinditin
metobe
terriblyconcerned.Wewillsortthisout.Iknewit,andIthoughteveryoneelsefeltit.
Asthehelicopterstoucheddownontherooftopofourhotel,Ifeltextremelyimportant.There
werequiteafewpeoplesurroundingustomakesurethatallwaswell.Manyofthemwere
securityandotheremployeesofthehotel,butoneofthemwasQuatre.Theshape„shifterwas
dressedinablacksuitandtie,withawhiteshirtandplasticblackreadingglasses.Helookedlike
theMenIn
Blackversionofapersonalassistant.
Therest
ofthemweredressedsimilarlyinthattheyallworesuits,butcolorsvariedfromthe
neutralcharcoalgraystothedarkburgundyWufeiworewithablackshirt.Withhislonghair
down,he
lookedlikeasupermodel.Iworejeansthathadbeenrippedtohell,anAmericanflag
shirtthathadadeepv„neck,chunkycombatbootsthatIworewiththelacesuntied,andavery
lightleatherjacketthatwastoppedoffwithsuperspysunglasses.Ileftmyhairlooseaswell,and
hopedit
wouldlookniceafterthewindsfromthepropellersgotthroughwithit.
Despitemyseeminglycasualstateofdress,itwasobviousthatthematerialsusedwerevery
expensive.Afterall,howmanyAmericanflagshirtsweremadeofsilk?Ididn
tknowwhatthe
jeansweremadeof,butitdidn
tevenfeellikeIwaswearinganything!
Allofuselegantlyclimbedoutofourvarioushelicoptersinourexpensivesuitsandsunglasses,
oozing
ifnotwealthandelegance,atleastasenseofsophistication.IremainedatWufei
asheapproachedQuatreandanabsolutelybeautifulChinesewomanwithdarkgreenhairin
pigtailsandpurpleeyes.SheworealongblackChinesedressthatwasveryfitted,withhighslits
uptoherhipsthatshowedoffherbeautifullegsandblackboots.
Lenalee,
Wufeigreetedwithasmile. 
Itisgood
toseeyou.
Heheldouthisleftelbow.
Withabrightsmile,sheloopedherarminhis. 
Andyouas
well.
Asone,we
startedtowardsthe
hotelwithourentouragesurroundingus.Mymindhappilyfilleditselfwithelevatormusicas
LenaleeandWufeispokeinChinese.Wemadeourwaydowntothehotel
srestaurantandwere
seated
immediately.ItwasbrieflyexplainedtousbyLenaleethattheotherswererestingfrom
thejetlagandthatwewouldhaveourmeetinglateronthatevening.Indifferent,Iwentbackto
browsingthemenu.
IwasdebatingwhetherornottohavethesteakorlobstermacaroniwhenIfelteyesonmyface.I
tookdownashieldjusttoconfirmthatitwasLenalee,thenraiseditbackup.Iwasn
tinterested
inpeepingintoanyone
sheaduntilIhadlunch.Iwasstarving,andifIdidn
tgetsomethingsoon
things
weregonnagetugly.
Chang,
Lenaleesaidwithasmileinhervoice, 
rebeing
rude.
Wufeihadfinishedsippinghisscotch. 
Iam?Howso?
heasked
inateasingvoice.
Youhaven
tintroducedmetoyourbeautifulwarlock.
BothWufeiandIsharedaglanceandachuckle. 
Isthatwhattherumorgoingaroundis?
Itis.ExceptthatheissupposedlywiththeSiberians.
WufeiandIsharedanotherglance,butnochuckle. 
Yes,Iamawareofthatmisconception.All
willbeexplainedthisevening,Iassureyou.Fornow,
heturnedtowardsmeandgesturedto
Lenalee, 
Duo,thisisLenaleeLee.SheisanExorcistoftheBlackOrder,PossessoroftheBlack
Boots.
tunderstandthat,butInoddedasifIdid. 
Lenalee,thisisDuoMaxwell,Primus
oftheLaGrangeFiveShenlongWerewolves.
Nicetome
wasallshewasabletogetoutbeforehissentencefullypenetratedherhead.Her
eyeswidenedandhermouthfellopen.Unabletostopmyself,Ibustedoutlaughing.Everyone
elseatourtableatleasthadthedecencytocovertheirsmiles,butmylaughterdisruptedthe
entire
restaurant.
msorry,
ImanagedasItriedtowipemytearsawayandcatchmybreath. 
Sorry.
Thatwas
rudeofme.
msorry.
Thatwasimpolite,
shesaid
withasmileandachuckle.
Releasingonelastchuckle,Iheldahandouttoher. 
Shetook
it. 
Lenalee.
Nicetomeetyou.
Andyouas
well.
Therest
ofthelunchpassedjustaspleasantly.
Ishould
haveknownbetterbynow.Ididn
tknowwhatthehellIwasthinking.
TheExorcistsweregorgeous.
This...meetingforlackofabetterterm,wasbeingheldinmineandWufei
sroom.Ithoughtour
roomwas
sofancybecausewehadaconferencetable,cushyswivelchairs,flatscreentvtodoa
teleconferenceon...theworks!However,weusedtheconferencetableforoursnacks,which
includingeverythingfromdoughnutstopotatochips,juicestoliquor.Whatwasdoneinstead
wasTrowahadalowleveltablebroughttotheroom,andoveradozenlargethrowpillowsfor
everyonetositon.Bucketsoficedottedtheroomsothatnoonewouldhavetostrayfartoget
any,and
smalltrashcanlitteredtheareasothatwewouldn
thave...litter.
BacktotheExorcists...LenaleeremainedwithWufeiandIsincelunchandhungoutinour
room.ShecaughtupwithTrowa,askingafterMariemaia,armwrestledwithRashid,watched
soapswithQuatre,andbanteredbackandforthwithme.Shewasagenuinepersonanditwas
nicetohavesomeonelikeheraround.ThefunlevelescalatedfurtherwhenanAllenWalker
arrived.Hewasveryyounginthathewasstillinhisteens.Hishairwassnowwhite,eyesa
bright
grayandjustaspleasantasLenalee.Heworeagloveonhishand,anddippingintohis
headIknewthathisleftarmheldhisInnocence.Apparently,hewasbornwithananti„akuma
weapon
asanarm.Wow.Hewasadorablethough.TenyearsolderandIwould
vetried
tohook
himupwithmysister.Plus,thatdudewasafantasticcheatatpoker.Iwillnever,everplayhim.
NextcameYuu„„callmeYuuandI
llbeheadyou„„Kanda.KandawasabeautifulJapaneseman
withlongdarkhairandeyesthatseemedtoshootdangers.Hewasveryhostile,butnoonepaid
hishostilityanymind.NotevenWufei.Dippingintohishead,Isawwhy.Kandalovedhisfellow
Exorcistsverymuch,andwouldfighttothedeathtokeepthemsafe.Especiallyacertainwhite„
haired
boy.OnceIunderstoodthat,Ipaidhimnomindeither.Besides,IlovedAllen
snickname
forhim:
BaKanda.Kandahatedtobecalledthat,especiallywhenIusedasing„songvoicetodo
it.Itwas
a
lotoffun,especiallywhenAllenandIwerebeingchasedbytheJapanese,sword„
wieldinglunatic.
NextcameSumanDark.HewasthemosthandsomemanIhaveeverseeninmyentirelife:
aristocraticbonestructure,lightskin,darkhairandeyes,andtall.Hewasdeliciouslybuilttoo.
Yowzah.Despitethat,Ididn
tlikethe
guy.Heseemedstandoffishandcold.Asdiscreetlyashe
could,
HeerotoldmeSumanwasoneoftheonestakenagainsthiswill.Sumanhadalittlegirl
backhomethathecouldn
tseeasoftenashewanted.Dippingintohishead,Icouldseehow
muchhemissedherandhowhejustwantedtobehome.Understandingthat,Ilefthimaloneand
keptmydistance.Hewasagoodguy,buttherewassomething...wrong,withhim.
Thelast
persontoentertheroomchallengedmypokerface.AsfarasIcouldtell,hewasthe
mostbeautifulofallofthem.
hesaid,
asheheldhishandouttome. 
Laviwas
moderatelytallandslim.Hehadredhairthatwaskeptoffofhisfacebyagreen
headband.Hisrighteyewascoveredbyaneyepatch,buthisleftwasavibrantgreen.Ilovedhis
body.He
wasslimandtrimandjust...perfect.HewaschipperjustlikeAllenandLenalee,andhe
wastheonlyonethatwouldcallKanda
anddidn
tmindnearlygettingbeheadedforit.I
waspleasedthatwewereraisingsucharuckus;itmadeiteasierformetopushdownmy
attraction.WhenIdid,IfeltmuchmorecomfortabletalkingtoLavi,andhearingaboutsomeof
thethingstheExorcistsdid.
Heero,
Trowa,QuatreandIwereseatedwiththeExorcistsaroundthelowtable,listeningto
someoftheadventuresthey
vehad.Wufeihadgonetohisroomtomakeaphonecall,and
Sumanwasleaningagainstthewall,watchinguswithaslightsmileonhisface.Thisparticular
storyhadtherestofusinstitches. 
So,Ihadjustgotteneatenbyacarnivorousflower,
managedtogetoutinbetweenchucklessaid, 
andthis
idiothere,
hepointshisthumbatAllen,
tellsme
thatIhavetotreatitwithaffection!
Iwipedthetearsfrommyeyes.Heero,TrowaandQuatrewerelaughingjustashard.Theother
Exorcistshaveheardthisstory(orexperiencedit)already,sotheirlaughterwasn
tquiteas
intense. 
So,what
didyoudo?
Iwheezedout.
Hewaslaughingsohardhehadhisarmswrappedaroundhisstomach. 
AllenandIturnedtoour
flowersandstartedscreaming,
Iloveyou!
Therest
ofusdied.IevenheardSuman
slaughterringinwithours.Thementalimageofsucha
thingwassohilarious,thatIbetifIhadseentherealthingitwould
vekilledme.
Therewasaknock,butweweren
tinanypositiontoanswerit.Shakinghishead,Sumanwentto
thedoor
justasWufeicameoutoftheroom.Wewerejustgettingourselvesbackundercontrol
whenSumanreturnedwithtwomen.Onewastallandslim,withshoulder„lengthdarkpurple
hair,darkeyeswiththin,rectangularglasses,andpaleskin.Heworealongwhitecoatwitha
whiteturtleneck,matchingpantsandwhiteberet.ThesymboloftheBlackOrderwasontheleft
breast
ofthecoat.
Thesecondmanthatenteredmustbetheonereferredtoaffectionatelyasthe
oldpanda.
manwasveryshort.(Yay!Someoneshorterthanme!)Hewasveryolive„tonedwithachuckof
haircomingoutthebackofhishead,goingupinanalmostquestionmarkshape.Therestofhis
headwas
bald.HeworetheBlackOrderuniformliketheothersdid.Heappearedtobefour
hundredyearsold,andhadveryvisibleblackcirclesaroundhiseyes.(Hence,the
resemblance.)Assoonashelaidhiseyesonme,Iknewthatthegigwasup.
NowondertheNecromancerissoenthralledwithyou.Youarethemostbeautifulclairvoyant
everborn.