"Alright, if we can all jog at the same speed, let's do that," Nolan muttered back. "But /don't/ step out of the wards."
    Jacob's fangs were out as the other vampires surrounded them, and he actually hissed at one that got unnecessarily close to them. Nolan made a hissing sound of his own and ushered them along as the vampires tested all around the wards, seeing if there was a way in.
    The witches that had appeared surrounded them in a triangular pattern, all eyes fixed on Nolan. They were all smiling. It made Nolan nervous.

    C.J. whimpered low in her throat but didn't move a muscle, eyes wide and staring up at Jayden. The vampire smiled, leaning down low over her face. "I'm going to enjoy this," he crooned. "I've been wanting to do this for years anyway, but now I can't wait to see the look on that bastard's face when he comes back and finds your body parts spread around the room."
    Even though she was on her back, the color still managed to drain from C.J.'s face. Jayden clicked his tongue. "Well now, that doesn't look healthy. We need some more color on that face." The shard of glass bit into the tender skin under her eye, drawing a curving line under it. C.J.'s lower lip trembled as blood began to dribble down her temple to stain the sheets.
    But when the glass had gotten a fair distance from her eyeball, she moved. Yes, she was a shifter, so she wasn't /completely/ helpless. It usually just took the right buttons to get her to that part where she fought like the tiger she was.
    One long leg rose in a smooth movement, and her foot smacked into the back of Jayden's head. It would've had more impact had she shoes on, but as it was, he was knocked to the side. The glass bit deeper into her temple but she rolled away, punching at him with one arm so she could get free.
    Jayden snarled, getting a good punch in the neck before she rolled right off the bed. She was surprisingly quick to jump to her feet though, and make a mad dash to the door. So Jayden did what any smart sadistic bastard would do: he threw the piece of glass at her.
    The shard sank into her back and C.J. hit the doorjamb instead of going out, bouncing back and falling to the floor. On her back, because she had no luck. The piece of glass sank all the way into her skin and she let out another weak scream.
    Jayden smirked. He was having a great time. Climbing off the bed, quite at his own leisure now, he ambled towards the fallen shifter. He heard a faint sound at the balcony but didn't pay it any mind as he reached C.J. and crouched beside her.
    "Sadi."
    Now /that/ he had to pay attention to, as his head swiveled and watched Christian walk into the room. His hair was mussed, his clothes a little rumpled, but his eyes were cold steel again. "Get away from her."
    His face having already twisted into something ugly and dangerous, Jayden grabbed a fistful of C.J.'s hair and used it to haul her to her feet. "I don't think you have any say in this, Christian. And this isn't even your concern, so get the fuck out of here."

    George sent a grunt after Nona but continued on his path up the stairs. Only a few more stories to go. It was possible he'd get there before the elevator even arrived.

    "Doesn't it though," Ry said with some amusement, looking upwards again when he heard the faint sound of a scream. "Wonder if they're having as good a time as it sounds."

    "Maybe I will," Adrian said, with just a touch of sardonic humor. "Safety in numbers?"
    He glanced at the hyena, his expression turning puzzled. "I have to say, I never expected Darshan to come charging in like the cavalry. For C.J., yes, but not for the rest of us." He thought that the dragon might care for them in his own little way, but still, it wasn't Darshan's usual style, which consisted mostly of sitting in the background and menacing anyone who approached his soulmate.
    "Because she hasn't spent enough time around him to know any better," Zeke muttered.

    The witches surrounding them made Fang uneasy too. He kept moving, though, only in part because he thought that Tala would bite his ankles if he stopped. This sucked in such a major way, and if he got out of this alive, he was apologizing profusely to all of the other band members, and never speaking to another tabloid reporter again.

    Nona waited impatiently for the elevator, scowling impatiently at the closed doors as if she thought that would speed up their opening. "Fuck," she muttered.

    The look which Kawada favored Ry with was faintly amused. "Why? Are you thinking of crashing their party?" Honestly, Kawada wouldn't have blamed him. The kind of surveillance work that Ry had been doing was not the most entertaining of past times.

    Mace couldn't even fake a smile at that. "No," he said softly. "These numbers won't do anything for you. They'll all turn on you, and there's nothing we can do to stop it." There was so much bitterness there, because it was shameful to admit that with Terra, they had no choice.
    Eyes rolled up the sky, in the direction the dragons had gone. "I think he wanted to get Terra more than anything," was his own observation, because he wasn't quite ready to mention the feel of Darshan calling to his blood yet. That would be expressed later, in a more one-on-one session with the dragon.
    "It's the thought of him more than the actual man," Wes said contemplatively. "She hasn't even been around him enough to be in love with him."
    "Love??" one of the gang scoffed. "Man, that's complete and utter lust we're talking about. Love has /nothing/ to do with it."

    Nolan kept them moving, keeping them all inside his square as he they got outside the suite. The witches moved with them, still hitting his wards, while the vampires started to ransack the suite. The sound of laughs and bottles clanking together was clear all the way out in the hall.

    "She's Darshan's girl; you should want to mess with her even less," Christian said softly, slowly moving in a slight circle around the pair. C.J.'s eyes were half-closed by that time, her face slack and pale and just on the other side of shock. Seemed she'd taken a mental vacation, any way she could.
    Jayden smirked at Christian. "Why are you here protecting his property?? Terra still keeping him busy??"
    "Let her go," Christian repeated softly. "I'm not going to tell you again."

    George wasn't quite out of breath by the fifteenth floor, but by the twenty-fifth one, he was starting to feel it a tiny bit. Didn't slow him down any though.

    "Thinking about it," Ry admitted easily. "Wouldn't hurt to take a peek, you know??"

    “I know, Mace,” Adrian said, gently. The other man seemed so brittle, Adrian got the strangest feeling that he would crack if treated harshly. “It’s not your fault. It’s in what you are… and Terra is a hard lady to say no to, in any case.”
    He made a wry sound of amusement. “But that’s new, too. Darshan’s never wanted Terra’s blood this badly.” His expression turned somber. “She hurt C.J. This morning. Walked right into the band’s hotel room and broke her arm.”
    “I agree,” Zeke said, “especially since I have my doubts about whether Terra is actually capable of that sort of emotion.”

    Fang continued to shuffle nervously along with the others, casting the occasional glance at the witches outside of their little ward. “So,” he said, after a moment, “lovely weather we’re having. Very… cold.”

    The pain was intense, so intense that it blocked out other sensations. So for a moment, Tristan didn’t even feel the gentle scrape of nails against his cheek. When he did, he whipped around, pointing the gun at the woman standing there.
    She watched him with cool gray eyes. “Put your toy away. I just need to know where Sadi is.”
    “Who?”
    A soft, annoyed sound escaped her mouth. “Jayden Sadi. Tall, somewhat ominous man. Orange eyes.” She flicked a glance over the crushed ruin of his legs. “I have the feeling that you’re intimately acquainted with him.”
    “You a friend of his?”
    Her expression become mildly amused, and he had the feeling that he was the one she was laughing at. “If you knew him at all, you wouldn’t ask that.”
    Tristan wavered, then let his gun drop. “Top floor. The balcony with all the broken glass.”
    She didn’t thank him, and he tilted his head back, watching the slow, spiraling flight of the vulture.

    Finally, the elevator doors opened. There was a middle aged couple inside. Nona scowled at them. “Please step out of the elevator, sir, madam.”
    The woman looked at her with wide eyes. Then she looked at the gun on Nona’s hip, with even wider eyes. “Are you a police officer?”
    “Sure, why not?” the shape shifter muttered. She ushered the couple out of the elevator, stepped in, and waited as the doors slid shut.

    “It could hurt a lot,” Kawada corrected, not without humor, and with another tilted smile. “But let’s go.” He turned back to the door, with a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Ry was following.

    Mace glanced at the healer, and gave a half-grin. “Terra’s a woman it’s impossible to say no to.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked over at his gang. The fact that he couldn’t say no to even protect his gang was probably the hardest thing of all to accept.
    He looked at Adrian when he spoke, brow raising in some surprise. “Did she really?? Well that would definitely explain Darshan’s rather exaggerated animosity towards her today then.” Because they both knew there was no one in the world who could make Darshan go dragon except C.J.
    “Maybe in her own way she is,” one of them offered.
    “Or maybe she’s just a freak psycho bitch,” another muttered.

    Jacob glanced at Fang, a little bit of startlement on his face. Then he smirked. “Observant, Fang, very observant.”
    “Guys,” Nolan said lowly, eyes flicking between the three witches as they reached the elevator. He punched it hard three times, foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the doors to open. The witches were smiling, funny little smiles, as they glanced at each other then focused on Nolan again.

    Jayden blew out a breath, shaking his head. “Christian, what the fuck do you /want/?? Like I said, this isn’t none of your business. Let Darshan come take care of his shit.” A cruel little smile curved his mouth. “I’d like to watch his face while I killed his girl.”
    As Christian had said, that was the last time he told him. This time, he just moved in with the silent speed of a striking hunter. Jayden saw the blur past C.J.’s slumped shoulder, and whirled her around to try to deflect Christian with a shield. But Christian’s hand was already past his guard, a fist forming as he reached, and he brought it down with bone-cracking force on Jayden’s elbow. The joint snapped and Jayden howled, grip instantly loosening in C.J.’s hair. Christian ripped the shifter as gently away as he could and pushed her down to the floor beside the bed. She dropped rather limply and just laid there for a minute, and only when Christian had turned back to Jayden did she crawl slowly under the bed.
    Christian’s hands found Jayden’s shirt and he lifted the man off his feet, then slammed him into the wall. “You’re a nuisance that needs to be erased,” Christian said contemplatively, and slammed him into the wall again.

    Ry smirked again and followed Kawada out, ambling down towards the elevator. “Almost sounds like it’s over,” he commented, looking to the ceiling again as most of the major noise died down.

    “She really did,” Adrian said, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “That’s surprising too. Terra’s never really pursued Darshan’s enmity before.”
    “There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” Zeke growled. He watched Mace and the healer, catching only whispers of conversation.

    “I’m a very observant fellow,” Fang said weakly, staring at the elevator doors.

    The vulture landed on the balcony, and Sonya shifted back into human form. The balcony was free of glass, since the window had been broken inwards, and shreds of the draperies were fluttering out through the hole where the glass had once been. Inside, she could hear Jayden and Christian, taste C.J.’s fear on the air. Obviously, the vampire in the parking lot had given her the right place.
    She grasped her gun, not the one at her hip, but the one kept in a leg holster over the black spandex of her pants. As she brushed the draperies aside and stepped carefully inside, she honestly wasn’t sure who it was that she intended to shoot.

    “Either that, or the noisy ones are dead,” Kawada said morbidly. He stopped by the elevators, and pushed the button. The doors slid open a few seconds later, and left him facing a very irritated shape-shifter. For a moment, he simply stared at her, wondering which he was supposed to find more distracting: the fact that she was wearing a gun, or the long legs in their fishnet stockings.

    “I don’t think I wanna know why she suddenly decided to do this,” Mace said on a mutter, unable to keep the unhappiness from his voice. Terra doing something new and unsuspected just made him nervous. Period.
    “/Why/ do we keep letting her do this??” Queenie demanded, looking at Zeke and Wes. “Why can’t we just…I don’t know, kill her or something?? Then maybe Mace can forget about her too.”

    Jacob muttered something probably very rude under his breath, but he was nice enough not to say it so other people could hear. Nolan just kept his attention on the witches, fingers itching at his sides.

    In the end, Christian was a guy. So when Jayden started to fly around the room, and bleed from his nose and mouth from swinging fists, who could honestly be surprised?? Sometimes one was just too furious to do anything but take it physical.
    C.J. remained under the bed, curled into a ball as she leaked blood on the carpet.

    Ry cast a quick glance over the woman in the elevator, taking in the fishnets and irritated expression. Then he flashed his winning smile. “Going up??”

    “Whatever the reason, it probably doesn’t bode well,” Adrian said gloomily.
    “Kill her?” Zeke asked, with bitter humor. “How do you intend to do that, Queenie? Glare at her while she orders you to rip off your own fingernails for trying to hurt her? We can’t do anything against her. The best that we can hope for is to stay the hell out of her way and hope that someone else gets her before she gets us.” He sounded angry, and frustrated. He wasn’t used to being helpless, and he wasn’t used to seeing Mace and the others helpless, and he just hated it.

    Sonya watched with mild interest as Christian threw Jayden around the room. Then she looked at the bed. Then she sighed.
    It was the right thing to do. It was even the responsible thing to do, since C.J.’s death would end all of Blaire’s hopes of alliance and turn a great many of her candidates into enemies. But damn, why did she never get to shoot anyone?
    She crossed the room, and reached under the bed. She grabbed the tiger by the upper arm, pulling her out from behind the bed skirts. “Come on. I’m not carrying you, so you’d better walk on you own.”

    A muscle in the corner of Nona’s jaw twitched, and her shoulder’s were tense. Vampires, both of them, and no one that she recognized. “Yes,” she said, her voice clipped and a little breathy. Because damn it, there was no chance that she was going to be able to take down two vampires at once.

    “At least it got her away for the moment,” Mace said with a lopsided smile. “And we’re free now, so we better take advantage of it.”
    Queenie growled, looking off to the side, because he was right. None of them could kill Terra, and Queenie couldn’t ask someone else to do it. So they were stuck, unless they managed to hide from her forever.
    Looking off to the side as she was, she saw the two figures approaching. Eyes squinted slightly, then she grunted at Wes. “Shit, is that Oblivion??”
    Eyes swiveled. “Man, it is. Hey Liv!”
    Oblivion nodded silently to the hails he received, his hand still clenching Koran’s shirt as he bypassed the gang and went over to Mace.

    C.J. made a little pained sound when someone grabbed her arm, eyes closing tighter. Her body remained alarmingly limp and she didn’t reply to Sonya; she didn’t even seem to notice the person holding her was female and, seemingly, nonviolent. Blood dribbled more quickly down her back from the movement but she didn’t seem to notice that either.
    Where oh where had C.J. gone.
    Jayden hit the wall, making plaster sift from the ceiling. The vampire blinked, then growled at Christian and threw himself at him. Christian caught him all too willingly, and threw him back into the wall. Dark eyes were filled with an even darker pleasure as Jayden’s head smacked off the wall. Now, /he/ was having a good time.

    “Oh good,” Ry said pleasantly, and stepped into the elevator. “So are we.”

    “Agreed,” Adrian said. He looked up as Oblivion and Koran approached, and inclined his head in a slight greeting. “I’m going to check and make sure that Luke was the only one injured,” he said quickly, and left the three men alone to talk, crossing the street to where the gang was waiting.

    After a moment of attempting to tug the limp woman out from under the bed, Sonya made a disgusted sound, and dropped both arm and woman back onto the ground. “Fine. Stay there.”
    She turned to watch the two men fight, leaning one hip against the bed. She tapped the gun rhythmically against her thigh, her expression dangerously contemplative.

    Nona stepped back, her shoulder blades bumping against the mirrored elevator wall. Her hand twitched towards her gun.
    “She thinks we’re a part of the party,” Kawada noted, “when really, we’re uninvited guests. Very rude, but nothing to draw a firearm over.”
    Nona hesitated.

    Mace and Koran watched the healer head off, the latter with his head cocked, still making little cooing sounds. Oblivion was watching Mace. “Mace??”
    “She came, she conquered, she left,” was the terse reply, and Mace’s eyes narrowed, shifting behind his gang. “Darshan and Gift followed her.”
    “Now??”
    “No.” Mace took a breath then looked at the vampire. “Darshan overruled her.”
    Oblivion’s brow moved just slightly. “Darshan??”
    “We’re going to have to talk about that,” Mace muttered, as Koran bounced.
    “Darshan,” he cooed. “He doesn’t like to share.”
    The gang was watching the three men, all clearly wondering what they were talking about. Queenie shook herself and half-grinned at Adrian when he approached. “You okay, Adrian??”

    Christian casually tossed Jayden into another wall before stopping and looking down at him. “Have you had enough??”
    Jayden smirked, rising up on his knees. He rested his fists against his thighs and looked up at him. “You’ve got a lot of anger in you, Christian. You should think about the Clan. I could slip you in, no problem.”
    His fist was a blur as Christian hit Jayden again. Blood splattered against the wall and Jayden fell on his side to the floor. He didn’t stay down this time. A second of laying there was followed by a blur of his own, as he tackled Christian about mid-belly and took him to the floor. Except he was a dirty fighter, and a knife buried itself in Christian’s kidney when the vampire fell.
    One of the other vampires was clearly drawn by the noise, for he appeared in the doorway with a half-empty bottle in hand. “Everyone alright in here??” He observed Jayden on top of Christian, then let his eyes flicker towards Sonya. A sneer curled his lip. “What the fuck you doing here??”

    Ry made little tsking sounds, waiting for Kawada to join them before punching the close doors button. “We just like to crash things, that’s all.” He glanced casually at the female. “And trust us, you wouldn’t be able to draw that gun before you no longer had it.”

    “I’m fine,” Adrian reassured her. “Don’t worry about me. What about you?” He glanced around, his brows drawing in over his eyes. “Did Terra hurt anyone besides Luke?”

    Blank eyes flickered, just for a moment, when Jayden sank the knife into Christian’s kidney. When she looked up at the vampire in the doorway, her expression was exceptionally pleasant.
    She lifted the gun in her hand, and shot an elephant tranquilizer into Jayden’s neck. It was quickly followed by another.
    “I’m shooting your boss,” she informed the newcomer.

    A lingering glance at the man’s broad shoulders and well-defined muscles was enough to convince Nona of the truth of what he said. “Fine,” she muttered. “Just get the hell out of my way after the door opens.” Because if they really were just crashing the party, then she had friends on the line and they didn’t.

    “Physically, no,” Wes muttered, looking around at everyone.
    “Thanks for that,” Luke murmured, reaching up to touch his nose lightly. He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at the healer yet either. Guilt was a terrible, terrible thing.

    Jayden fell off Christian with a solid thump. By the time he hit the floor, he was out. Too bad it wouldn’t last as long.
    “Well that wasn’t too fair,” the vampire tsked, stepping further into the room. “I think I’m going to have to hit you with something now.”
    “Don’t,” came a low voice as Christian pushed himself to his feet. Blood leaked freely from his side, staining his clothes a dark maroon color, but it didn’t stop him from glaring at the other vampire. “Just walk out of here and we’ll refrain from throwing you out.”

    Ry inclined his head all too agreeably as the doors closed and they started up. The short ride was silent, but that all ended as soon as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
    Nolan and Jacob weren’t actually expecting people to be in the elevator when it opened, so they took an instinctive step back. By the time they realized it was Nona, the witches were already moving. That momentary lapse in Nolan’s concentration allowed them to wiggle in, and they threw everything they’d been building at the wards at the exact same time.
    The wards imploded around the small group, sending them all flying into the elevator. Ry grunted as a wolf slammed into his chest, knocking him into the wall, and they all went tumbling to the floor. Vicious laughter was heard as one of the witches stepped forward and slapped the down button, making the elevator doors close and trap the whole group inside.

    “If anyone is feeling too jittery to function, I can help with that,” Adrian said, regretful. “Otherwise, I think it would be best if I conserved my strength. Darshan was bleeding pretty heavily, and there’s no telling who else is, or will be, injured.”
    He turned around, and found Luke touching his nose and very carefully not looking at him. “It’s not your fault,” he told the wolf quietly, “you did what you had to do. You all did. I know what Terra is like. If you hadn’t obeyed, she would have forced you, or hurt you for not doing what she told you to. This is better, much better.” He shrugged, diminishing their role in his trap to a simple rise and fall of the shoulders. “Besides, it didn’t turn out so badly.”
    “This time,” Zeke sighed.

    “It’ll be less fair if I put a bullet in his brain while he’s down,” Sonya said, replacing the tranquilizer gun in its holster and removing her real gun from the one on her hip. “I would suggest that you do as Christian suggested. Take your boss and go, and nobody gets dead.”
    She reached down and grabbed C.J. by the arm, dragging her upright. *Stand on your own two feet, tiger. You’re no friend of mine, and I have no qualms about leaving you here to wait for Sadi to wake up.*

    The ride up in the elevator was tense for Nona, who kept a careful distance from the two men. Or as much of a careful distance as was possible within the limited confines of the elevator. She was relieved when the doors slid open, and she stepped to the front, worry for her team already consuming her mind.
    She had just a moment to register that Nolan was standing there before the wards imploded and the people waiting outside were flung into the elevator. A slender vampire that Nona recognized as Gift’s daughter hit her full in the chest, and she wrapped her arms around the young woman, falling backwards onto the floor in a not entirely controlled tumble.
    Kawada stepped out of the way just in time to avoid being run into, wedging himself into the sheltered corner next to the buttons. He reached out to catch one of the newcomers by the back of the shirt, a blond man who looked like he had been clothes shopping with the girl from the elevator. He caught a glimpse of a hand snaking past him to the buttons, before the doors slid closed.
    A werewolf was really nothing more than a wolf wearing human skin. This was true of some werewolves more than others, and most of the time, Tala could control herself. Her thoughts were simpler, her mind more feral, but in she was in basic essence the same person. There were times, of course, out in the wilds of the bayou, when she gave herself over to the wolf and ran wild. There were also times, in moments of pain or duress, when the wolf part of her took control without any kind of intention on her part.
    This was one of those times. Suddenly, Tala found herself airborne, and in that moment of disorientation, all rationality was lost. The wolf was confused and afraid, and like any wild animal, it wanted to either run or lash out. So when Tala landed on something soft and yielding, it didn’t register that the man wasn’t trying to hurt her, only that he was unfamiliar. She snapped jaws that could take the tail off of a cow in one bite, sharp teeth closing barely an inch away from the man’s nose.

    By the time that he landed in the parking lot, Darshan was well and truly angry. He shifted as he descended from the air, so that the feet that touched down on the asphalt were human and not dragon. He smelled blood, and it didn’t matter that it was vampire and not shape-shifter. Every glass window on every car in the parking lot shattered. Car alarms shrieked angrily.
    “Impressive,” murmured a smooth, cultured voice behind him.
    Darshan didn’t even have a chance to turn around before the first bolt of lightning hit him, square between the shoulders.

    When Sahar walked into the Starbucks, she was windblown from the run but feeling remarkably better. She ran a hand through her hair, then winced as she tugged on the tender skin on her scalp, and winced again at the memory of Koran pulling her hair out, one strand at a time. “Chocolate,” she mumbled to herself.
    She glanced around the crowded interior, wondering who exactly it was that she was supposed to meet.

    Queenie looked around, taking stock of the gang now that they all knew Mace was safe. That seemed to have been the main thing wrong with everyone, as they were all more relaxed and calm now. “No, I think we’re good,” she said, looking back at Adrian. “Save it for someone who needs it more.”
    Luke glanced at Adrian after Zeke’s mutter. “And I don’t suppose telling you not to pay attention to any future calls from us would do any good??”

    The vampire looked at Christian, then Sonya, then C.J. when the former pulled the tiger to her feet. “We’re not supposed to leave without her,” he commented casually, pointing a pinky at C.J.
    “I think you’re going to fail this mission,” Christian said flatly.
    The vampire looked at him again, Sonya one more time, then shrugged. “Better luck next time.” He reached forward and grabbed the back of Jayden’s shirt, beginning to drag him into the common room. Just because they were cruel didn’t mean they were stupid.
    C.J. blinked at Sonya, her glazed eyes slowly starting to clear. Her legs stiffened beneath her, and she half-heartedly tried to pull her arm away from Sonya. “Fine, whatever,” she mumbled, her voice a little slurred.
    Watching this grimly, Christian sighed and moved behind C.J. He rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, holding her still as he probed lightly around the wound in her back. Just an edge of glass was peeking out from her skin, and it was already looking red, swollen, and starting to bruise. Not good.
    “C.J.,” he said softly, taking her gently from Sonya. “I’m going to pick you up.”
    “’kay,” C.J. replied just as softly, and he eased her up into his arms, moving slowly and gingerly so as not to injure her further. She didn’t make a sound and went limp in his arms as soon as his hold was secure, eyes closing again.
    Christian shook his head, then glanced up at Sonya and shrugged. Eyes slid sideways, looking over the blood-splattered and semi-destroyed room, then towards the broken balcony doors. *Adrian. I need you in the lobby of the Paris in about five minutes.*
    “Come on,” he said quietly to Sonya, and started out of the suite.

    Kersti gasped softly when she hit someone, eyes widening hugely as arms wrapped around her. Then her and the person catching her both fell, sliding down the elevator wall. Someone else landed on Kersti’s legs and she heard Jacob swearing softly under his breath, kicking out his foot to try to stop the elevator doors from closing. Too late. Too bad.
    Standing beside a man he didn’t know, Nolan looked down at the sprawl of people at his feet. Well at least he knew all of them, except for the vampires Nona had had with her. Which was good, since it meant none of the jerk witches had joined them. That would’ve been worse.
    A line formed between his brows as he immediately started forming wards around the elevator. Yes, he was suspicious by nature.
    Ry’s instincts were sharp and immediate. One hand reached up and closed over the wolf’s muzzle as soon as it finished its snap, digging in tightly to keep it closed, and the muzzle of his gun shoved itself into the wolf’s ribs. “Try that again, and I’ll rip you apart from the bottom up,” he murmured softly, staring the wolf in the eyes. “Look at me, understand me, wolf.”

    People were already starting to gather around Tristan, none of them having seen him fall but most of them a little concerned about the state of his legs. A few were just wanting to know how it happened.
    But when lightning appeared, they all ran away. No good Samaritans in Vegas, it would seem. Some shouted about the fucking ass weird weather happening in this goddamned city these days, but they all barreled into the hotel so the lightning wouldn’t strike /them/.

    Sitting in a booth a few spaces down from the front doors, a vampire and a shifter conversed softly. Gray eyes lifted when Sahar entered, and the vampire said something softly before rising to his feet and walking over to her.
    “Are you Gift’s…friend??” he asked, voice gentle but eyes shrewd as he looked her over.

    “No,” Adrian agreed, and attempted to smile. “But I promise to come with an escort next time.”
    He stumbled a little, surprised, as Christian’s request reached him. He shook his head to clear it, but his face had turned pale. He turned and walked over to where Mace, Oblivion, and Koran were standing, digging out Kersti’s car keys as he went. “Mr. Redfern? Would you please tell Christian that I’ll be there soon?”

    “Let me go first,” Sonya said quietly, her gun still in hand. “You’re injured, and Ms. Tigre is a burden, and we don’t know who is waiting for us out there.” She contemplated that for a moment. “It’s also likely that Mr. Sadi will awaken at any moment. Those are elephant tranquilizers, but I’m not sure how fast he’ll metabolize them.”

    “Stay down,” Nona muttered to Kersti, squirming out from under her and Jacob. She found Fang shoved into one corner of the elevator, then surveyed the rest of them.
    One of the vampires was watching Nolan; the other seemed to be dealing with a bloodthirsty wolf who Nona was relatively sure was Tala. Since neither situation seemed dire, she turned to pull Jacob to his feet. “Am I the only one who thinks that trapped in an elevator is not a good place to be?” she wondered.
    “Fuck me,” Fang said, still slumped in the corner, which seemed to be all the reply that she was going to get from him.
    A snarl erupted from the wolf when she felt the gun pressing into her, and it took a moment longer for her eyes and ears to focus on the man and what he was saying. It still didn’t make much sense, but she did realize one thing. Human. She needed to be human.
    Slowly, as if it was an effort, Tala shifted back into human form, her muzzle dissolving from his grasp as it became a human nose and mouth. A human mind processed what had been said to her, so much better than a wolf’s could. “I understand, sugar,” she rasped, her voice husky with fear and maybe just a little anger. “Now get your gun out of my goddamn ribs.”

    Lightning struck once, twice, three times more, first as Darshan tried to climb to his feet, and then as he started to gather his power for a strike. After the third one hit, he could no longer command fragile human muscles burnt to move, or focus past the pain in all too human nerve endings.
    “Now, Mr. Guivre, I would thank you to behave,” said the smooth voice, so close that the owner’s breath whispered across his blackened skin. “The human body is so fragile, so easily damaged. Your soul mate is even more human than you, so I can only imagine what Mr. Sadi is doing to her right now.” A hand caressed his shoulder, sending little zings of pain with it. “I am sure that you will find out soon enough. Once you can move again, it will be far too late to help her.”
    The roar of rage and pain was more mental than physical, a telepathic scream that echoed through minds the way that a voice would echo through an enclosed room.
    “This isn’t personal, you understand,” the man said, sounding far too pleased. “Just business. Goodbye, Mr. Guivre.” Then he was gone.

    In spite of herself, Sahar smiled at the man, a wide flash of the teeth. “I don’t know. Are you Gift’s friend?” Her tone was light, but there was just a hint of bruised wariness around her eyes. It had been just too long a day for her to maintain her usual cheer.

    Luke merely sighed and exchanged looks with the other shifters as Adrian went over to the three boyos.
    Oblivion looked at Adrian but didn’t say anything, just did as requested. Mace ran a hand over his face and Koran cooed at the healer. “How’s---”
    The witch’s question was cut off when Mace froze, eyes flying towards the gang. They had all stiffened, all looked towards him as the scream echoed in their heads. Yes, they were all still connected to Darshan. Still “his” gang, so to speak. And if they didn’t feel exactly what he felt, they all felt an overwhelming urge and need to go to him. To help and heal and fix.
    “Go,” Mace said hoarsely, waving a hand at the gang. Then he looked at the boyos. “We need to go to…the Paris. Now.”
    Koran bounced excitedly. “Drama drama drama!” The rest of the gang were already racing to the garage around the back of the house, where a multitude of cars were waiting to be used.

    Christian looked at her for a second, a thousand thoughts flying through his eyes. Yes, now that he focused on it, he sensed other people in the room. And more out in the hallway, which was going to make it difficult to get both women out in one piece. The most logical choice would be to go out the way he came in, but that would be next to impossible to do right now with C.J. in his arms. Even a hawk wasn’t capable of carrying a full-grown woman.
    So they were going out the doors.
    “Shoot anyone who approaches,” he said quietly. “Shoot to kill, Sonya.”
    Then he heard the roar in his mind, and his head moved to the door. “Now,” he said tightly, even as C.J. shifted a little in his arms and whispered Darshan’s name.

    Kersti stared at Nona but did as told. She’d learned listening to people in these kinds of situations was often her best bet.
    Accepting the help, Jacob shook his head once he was on his feet. “Security wise, it might be smart, because we have pretty much everyone in the same spot, so no one can get lost or grabbed or hurt,” he muttered. “But sanity wise, not so good.” He looked at Nolan. “What’s the deal??”
    “We’re warded again, and they don’t seem to be following,” the witch replied, speaking slowly as Jacob gave Fang a brief look. “It almost seems they wanted us out of the way more than anything. But that doesn’t…” He trailed off and his eyes flashed open as he looked at Jacob. “Call Tristan. I don’t have that ability.”
    Jacob’s face darkened but he looked towards the closed doors. *Tristan?? What’s going on??*
    Ry waited silently as the wolf shifted back to her human form, waited for her to acknowledge his words. Then he put his hand over her face and shoved her off him, rising to his feet in one fluid movement. He kept his gun at his side, looking over the contents of the elevator again. His eye caught Kawada’s and he smirked faintly. “Seems they brought the party to us.”

    Minutes passed in silence outside the Paris, as everyone had officially disappeared at the second strike of lightning. Another minute passed before someone dropped lightly beside Darshan, seemingly from thin air.
    Empty amber eyes studied the burned dragon, and Gift touched his chest very lightly. Obviously still breathing, heart beating, but hurt. Badly hurt.
    *Adrian, the Paris. Now.*

    Price studied her for another second, seeing the bruised look about her eyes. He reached out slowly, and gently touched her shoulder. “Yes, I’m a friend of Gift’s,” he said, voice so gentle. “Why don’t you come over here and I’ll get you some coffee. Are you hungry??” While speaking, he coaxed her towards the table he’d stood from.

    Gift’s call echoed through Adrian’s head.
    “Shit,” he whispered. He swallowed hard, and looked at Oblivion too, his eyes bleak. “Tell Gift, too. Please.” Then he was running for Kersti’s car. He tore away from the house with a carelessness which was uncharacteristic in the healer, and showed well just how dire the situation had become.

    “Of course,” Sonya said coolly, as if there had never been any doubt as to her lethalness. “Stay close behind me, and watch your back.” Of course, that caution was just as unnecessary as his telling her to shoot to kill.
    She edged out the door, gun first, her face stony as she swept a glance over the suite.

    “Security wise? Not so good, really,” Nona said softly. “Small, enclosed space with no real exits and no room to maneuver.” She reached out and jabbed the button for the hotel lobby.
    Tristan’s voice was tight, as if there was something he was trying hard to keep from Jacob. *The hotel parking lot just blew up. I don’t know what’s going on and I can’t help anyone right now. Where are you, and who are you with?*
    “Why, bless your little heart,” Tala said, in a tone of voice which implied that she’d rather rip out the organ in question. She climbed to her feet slowly, and reached out to kick Fang. Who made no effort to move from his slumped position.
    One corner of Kawada’s mouth jerked upwards in his customary smirk. “Considerate of them.”

    Although he was obviously conscious, Darshan didn’t move when Gift landed. There was a swift little mental probe, making sure that it was a friend and not a foe who had approached him, but the dragon seemed to have retreated into himself. The pavement around him was bubbling, heated by the lightening until it melted and began to stick to blackened and burnt skin.

    Sahar’s smile became a touch more sincere when she heard his tone of voice, gentle and a little coaxing, and a little chuckle escaped her mouth. “I’m not going to break, Mr. Friend-of-Gift’s.” The smile faltered just a little. “It’s just been a kind of shitty morning, you know? But food and coffee sound great.” The smile recovered, became faintly teasing. “Are you buying?”

    Another slight hint of movement from Oblivion’s brow, but he told Gift as well, even as he got into a car with Mace and Koran. It was an interesting experience, leading a gang of shifters in cars through Las Vegas. Not something he fancied doing again, and surprising that cops didn’t start following them after a few miles.

    Christian inclined his head and followed Sonya, glancing down at C.J. every now and then. She was starting to struggle just a little, muttering Darshan’s name in a constant, almost feverish way now. Which caused his face to get a little grimmer, because if she felt something wrong in her state, then it was serious.
    The common suite was actually empty, though the signs of invaders were still present.

    “But at least we can see if anyone is trying to sneak up on us,” Jacob said, his attempt at injecting humor into the comment failing miserably.
Kersti wrapped her arms around herself, looking around at them with her still wide eyes.
    *I’m in an elevator with everyone except C.J.,* Jacob replied to Tristan, looking at the two vampires with narrowing eyes. *And two vampires I don’t know. Is C.J. with you??*
    Ry looked at the ex-wolf and flashed a smile. Glancing to the side, he then met the vampire’s eyes and gave him a smirk, then looked over at Kawada again. “Don’t know if I liked the crashing as much as I thought I would. Maybe next time we’ll just wait for the invitation.”

    Gift shook her head when she saw the pavement begin to bubble, then slid her hands under his shoulders to circle his arms. Tugging, not heeding the melted pavement already stuck to his skin, she jerked him free of the hot asphalt, over to a normal section that had not been struck by lightning.
    *Darshan??* she sent, a quiet thought that sank deep into his mind as she looked him over. No, she wasn’t a healer, but she was a hunter, and she’d know killer wounds if she saw them.

    “Yeah, everyone has those,” he agreed, his tone of choice unchanging. “And yes again, I’ll put it on my tab. Why don’t you have a seat here and tell me what you want, and I’ll go get it.”
    He urged her into the booth seat, opposite the shifter he’d been talking to earlier. Cool gray eyes lifted, studying the younger girl Price had brought over.

    The emptiness of the suite didn’t make Sonya relax, and she swept her gun over the room once before she went and threw open the door to the other bedroom. She didn’t want any surprises coming at them from behind. When she found that empty, she moved towards the door to the suite, her face set with concentration as she strained her senses.
    She pulled the door open a little, keeping her body shielded behind it and her gun out in front of it, and looked out into the hall.

    The line of communication with Tristan was cut off abruptly as the vampire turned his attention elsewhere. *George?*
    Kawada made a rude sound, which seemed to be his only opinion of anyone foolish enough to invite Ry to their party.
    The answering smile that Tala gave the man was more a baring of the teeth, although her voice remained honey sweet. “You know, it’s customary to introduce yourself to a girl before pulling a weapon on her.”
    “Why does Tala sound like she’s going to implode?” Fang mumbled to Jacob from the floor.

    A little pained sound came from Darshan’s throat when she pried him off of the pavement. He was silent for a long time before responding to Gift’s query, as if he had retreated too far into his own mind to answer her easily. *Gift.* His mental voice held a dangerous note to it, feral with pain and rage, but at least he recognized her.

    “I’m easy,” Sahar said cheerfully, when he asked her what she wanted to eat. Sahar was not by nature a morose or nervous woman, and now, sitting inside the warm coffee house with the promise of food and a very accommodating, cute young man, she just couldn’t maintain her bad mood. It slipped away, like smoke in a breeze.
    She studied the woman that she had been seated across from, making no attempt to hide her scrutiny, and smiled pulled at her lips. “Hi.”

    The suite was completely empty, but that was only because everyone had filtered outside. The three witches that had been taunting Nolan were standing at the closed elevator, conversing with themselves and a vampire that had joined them. Five other vampires were standing in a semi-circle as another helped the rousing Jayden stand on his feet.
    Christian stayed behind Sonya but he was probing as well, casting out his senses to get a feel of the upcoming situation. Which wasn’t good, all in all.
    Across the hall, the door to the stairwell inched open, just enough for George to look out and get a view of the hallway. Which wasn’t good. There was no way for him to get into the band’s suite without being noticed, and likely followed. The fact that most of the crowd was at the elevator didn’t bode well for Nona’s arrival either.
    *Tristan, where are you??* he sent back as soon as he heard the other vampire.

    Jacob frowned slightly when he felt Tristan, well, not exactly ignore him, but look elsewhere. *Tristan?? Is C.J. with you??* The little ball of dread that suddenly formed in his gut was telling him otherwise.
    Another smirk was sent to Kawada, before Ry glanced down at Tala. “I would say it’s customary to introduce yourself to a man before you try to bite his face off, but…” He shrugged elegantly. “I don’t care.”
    “Tala,” Jacob muttered, giving her a brief look. He didn’t know these vampires but they weren’t being hostile, and he had no desire to raise it in them.

    *Darshan,* Gift said again, voice softer as she determined that he didn’t seem to be fatally wounded, nor was he bleeding internally. He just needed a good healing and he’d be good as new. And probably a few humans to munch on, but that would come later.
    *Just hold on for a few minutes so Adrian can get here, then we’ll get you back on your feet,* she told him, keeping a hand lightly on his chest as her head tilted up to look at the hotel. *Christian??*
    *Yes.*
    *Problems??*
    *Mildly. Where are you??*
    *Parking lot with Darshan.*
    *He okay??*
    *He’ll live. C.J.??*
    *She’ll live. Adrian’s on his way.*
    *I know.* Gift looked back at Darshan. *Darshan, Christian’s got C.J. and he said she’ll be okay.*

    “That I doubt,” Price chuckled as he led the little shifter over to the table. She actually seemed like one of the most…normal people Gift had ever introduced him to. How refreshing.
    When she was seated, he glanced at the brunette shifter, then back at the new one. “Friend of Gift’s, meet Keller. Keller, meet friend of Gift’s.” That done, he turned and ambled off to get all of them refreshments.
    Keller sent a tolerant look after Price, then looked back at the little shifter. Her gray eyes were still calm and cool, though little lines around the corners gave hint to her age. Silver also speckled her dark hair, which was pulled back into a loose ponytail for the day. Long fingers rested calmly on the table top as she scrutinized the other shifter in return. “How do you know Gift??”

    *Six and three, vampires and witches* Sonya sent to Christian *and Mr. Sadi is starting to wake up. We can’t beat those odds.* She chewed on her lip, an old habit, her expression thoughtful. *I can cover you while you cross the hall to the stairs, and give you a bit of time. One can hold this hallway for a few minutes, and after that, there’s nothing to stop me from going off the balcony myself.*

    *Parking lot.* Tristan replied, still studiously ignoring Jacob. *Everyone is in the elevator except for Tigre, and two unfamiliar vampires are with them. Tigre was cornered in the hotel room the last time I saw her. I’m not sure if the situation has changed; another vampire came looking for the man who attacked us in the room, and she didn’t seem to be having the warm fuzzies for him. One of Gift’s people, maybe? The same for the two in the elevator?*

    A grudging little smile passed over Tala’s face. “Well, my mama always did say that I had no manners.”
    She waved off Jacob’s warning, and looked up, watching the floor numbers tick by as they descended. She reached up to rub her hands over her arms, feeling antsy in the close confines of the elevator.
    “She reads romance novels, too,” Fang volunteered from his corner.
    “Shut-up, puppy,” Tala snarled.
    He smiled dazedly at her, and Nona frowned. “Did he hit his head?”
    Tala sighed. “No. He’s this way naturally.”

    Acknowledgement, followed by a rush of fierce relief when she told him that C.J. was okay. Darshan pulled away, withdrawing into himself, but there was a brooding violence to his silence now, as if he was contemplating what he was going to do to Jayden Sadi once Adrian put him back on his feet.

    “That’s just ‘cause you don’t know me,” Sahar informed him cheekily.
    “I know of you,” she said artlessly, when the young man introduced them. She extended a hand, filling in her own introduction. “I’m Sahar.” She looked honestly puzzled by the woman’s question, and shrugged. “I just… know her. Same social circle, I guess.”

    Christian considered that for a moment. He didn’t like it, because it left Sonya alone with a bunch of men who did not like women. And who would not respect Sonya’s position with Ms. Fluores, even if they knew it. At this point, he doubted even Jayden would respect that position.
    But, Sonya was very good and quite capable of taking care of herself. And it was, really, the only option they had at this point.
    *Alright,* he agreed, glancing at her. *Cover me, but try to stay out of sight. And as soon as I’m gone, go yourself. Sadi’s not going to overlook you next time.*
    He glanced down as C.J. whimpered softly in his arms, which was almost drowned out by a shout rising in the hallway, “Go fucking get the bitch! NOW!” Seemed Jayden had awakened far too early.

    *I’m at the floor and I’ve got a group of vampires and witches in the hallway, all male,* George replied grimly. *No sign of Tigre.* Which couldn’t be a good thing, if the guys had moved the party out here without her. Usually that meant she was no longer a part of the party.
    He eased two guns from their respective holsters, palming them silently as he considered his situation. *Maybe, but at this point, I really think Gift would’ve informed us if she was sending more people,* he admitted. He paused for a second, and when he spoke again, his voice was quiet, *Are you okay??* The fact that Tristan was in the parking lot was a pretty obvious sign that he wasn’t, but he had to ask anyway.

    “I’ll be sure and give your mama credit for where it’s due,” Ry commented, eyes raising lazily as the floor numbers dinged by. Apparently the party wasn’t as exciting as he’d thought. Too bad.
    Jacob glanced at his bandmates once before looking at the descending numbers himself. Tristan’s continued silence was starting to wear on him and he had the most god awful feeling that they’d left C.J. in the snake’s pit.
    “Shit,” he swore and reached out towards the buttons. “Guys, we have to go back up. I think something---”
    “No!” Nolan yelled, a sudden movement from the guy who’d been standing with his eyes and fists clenched tightly shut against the wall. But as soon as Jacob’s finger stabbed the up button, his eyes flew open and he flung out a hand in a belated effort to stop the vampire from pushing the button.
    Jacob stared at him as if he was insane. At least until the elevator came to a rather grinding halt, with many disturbing squeaks and squawks. Eyes shifted upward as there was the tell-tale lurch of a very important lever and cord.
    “I think you should’ve refrained from pushing that button,” was Ry’s mild comment. Just before there was another horrible grinding noise and the elevator started to plummet.

    Gift allowed Darshan his silence and his withdrawal, going silent herself as she continued looking up at the hotel. Her eyes had gone a little absent, her mind stretched out along the streets of Las Vegas.
    Yes, she was calling somebody. Wonder who it could be.

    Keller chuckled lightly, taking the offered hand. “Most people do,” she said, shrugging it off as easily as that. “Nice to meet you Sahar. So far anyway.” She studied her again. “The same social circles?? As far as I know, Gift runs in several different circles. The ones I’m most worried about, you wouldn’t be part of if you need my help.”
    She glanced over at Price, who was busy at the counter, then looked back at Sahar. “From what I’ve gathered, it would seem you’re in trouble.” Master of understatement; just what Keller wanted to be when she got older.

    *I’ll meet you outside the hotel.* Sonya promised, as gently as possible. It came out sounding curt and a little withdrawn, as though her mind was already focused on the job at hand.
    She kept her body behind the wall, where it would present a less promising target, her arm with the gun snaking out around the doorframe. She didn’t waste any time. Ready, aim, fire, and watch the gentle bloom of blood where there had previously been none. Each target picked with cool, methodical care, not a bullet wasted. Knee, shoulder, heart, head. Just like shooting duck targets at a carnival.
    *Go.*

    *Whoever they are, Jacob would have told me if they were doing anything questionable. Since they’re not, they probably aren’t enemies; these boys don’t strike me as the most subtle of fellows.* Tristan couldn’t help but feel a little worried about C.J. Even if she pissed him off sometimes, she didn’t deserve what that asshole would probably do to her… and if she got hurt, or got dead, it would be because he had failed her.
    He grunted softly at his boss’s question. *Worry about Tigre now. We can deal with my hurts later.*

    “Wha--”
    That was all that Fang got to say before the elevator started to plummet.
    It was like the worst roller coaster ride ever, a freefall that lasted for several stories until the emergency brakes kicked in and the elevator came to a halt with an ear-piercing scream of metal against metal.
    After a few minutes, Tala swallowed her heart back from where it was lodged in her throat, and voiced a husky agreement. “Definitely shouldn’t have touched that.”
    Kawada eyed the elevator buttons mildly. They seemed to be dead in the water, so to speak. “What do we do now?”
    “Orgy?”
    The made vampire turned, and raised his brows at Fang. Who smiled, and shrugged. “Just a suggestion. Never mind.” He looked at the buttons as well. “Failing that, you could probably hit the ‘help’ button and ask the hotel personnel to get us the hell out of here.”

    The screech of his tires made Adrian wince as he took the corner into the hotel parking lot a little too sharply. He slowed down, since he didn’t want to hit anyone, and frowned when he heard the crunch of something under his wheels.
    A glance out the windows showed him that the entire hotel parking lot was covered in a thin layer of windshield glass. He also noted that none of the parked cars seemed to have their windows intact. “Well.” He ground into a parking spot, and climbed out of the car, stepping carefully and all the while thinking that this just was not a good sign.
    He threaded his way through the parked cars, wondering how he was supposed to find Gift and Christian. He didn’t have to wonder long. He just followed the smell of burnt skin and cooked asphalt to its source.

    Sahar laughed softly. “Ahm, yes, there are certain social circles of hers that I don’t really see much of. I’m an actress, not a…” She waved an eloquent hand, as if she was at a loss as to what word best described Gift and Gift’s chosen profession.
    Her smile wilted a little at the word ‘trouble,’ her eyes turning dark and unhappy, but she shrugged and tried for humor. “Blame it on the company that I keep?”

    Christian didn’t seem disturbed by Sonya’s tone, but then, he knew Sonya. He just stood still as she did her work, idly wishing he could have a gun in his own hand. But both were currently full with a very hurt tiger and his main mission at this point was getting said tiger healed before Darshan saw her.
    As Sonya started picking off her targets, he gently eased into C.J.’s mind, helping her be quiet and calm so he could move quicker. At Sonya’s word, he gave her a short nod and stepped gracefully, quickly, out into the hall and into the stairwell.
    Where he promptly ran into another vampire, two guns drawn. Dark eyes flashed and Christian immediately pulled power around him, especially when the vampire pointed two guns in his face.
    “Put her down and put your hands against the wall, right now,” the vampire growled, eyes cold and hard in a professionally blank face.
    Christian smiled. “You’re not going to make me do that with guns in my face.”
    Fingers tightened on the trigger. “Put Ms. Tigre down, right /now/.”
    The tone of his voice, a slight squint around the eye made Christian’s brow lift. He looked the vampire over once, then made an “ah” sound. “You’re part of Gift’s team. Good. Watch my back while we go down. I need to get C.J. to a healer.”
    Before the vampire could reply, Christian brushed past him and started down the stairs. George stared after him for a second, then shook his head and followed. *I found Tigre,* he told Tristan, not having been able to reply during the little confrontation. *I won’t go so far as to say a friend’s got her, but he knows Gift, and she’s still breathing. We’re coming downstairs.*
    In the hallway, the guys were shouting at each other, some laughing at the fallen ones. Guns were drawn and shots were lazily fired in random directions, since they weren’t exactly sure where the original shots were coming from.

    Jacob reached out to rest a hand against the elevator wall when it started to fall, an instinctive reaction even for a vampire. Kersti’s mouth had formed a silent gasp but she didn’t move otherwise, arms still tightly clasped around herself.
    Ry looked bored. Freak.
    Hearing Tala’s husky agreement, Jacob swallowed himself. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”
    “Do that,” Nolan said through his teeth.
    “Hey, you didn’t say anything about not touching elevator buttons,” Jacob defended himself, weak as it was. Still, he hadn’t expected it to start /falling/.
    “Just…don’t touch /anything/,” Nolan replied with some exasperation, as the elevator made another creaking sound. He looked at Fang when the vampire made his suggestion, and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like agreement. Before shaking his head at the next suggestion. “Don’t touch anything. Not one single button. What’s so hard to understand about that suggestion??”
    Ry looked at the witch in bemusement. “I bet you were the kid who pushed all of the buttons in the elevator when you left it, weren’t you??”

    Gift’s head turned towards the sound of breaking glass, watching Adrian approach. Her gaze was still a bit absent and she gave a small nod of acknowledgement to the healer when he arrived. *Injured badly, but not fatal. C.J.’s on the way down, I believe, about the same condition.* She rose to her feet, prepared to leave Darshan in Adrian’s quite capable of hands. Her eyes finally fully focused and she looked at the witch. *Adrian, where’s Kersti??*
    She didn’t look away from him when more screeching filled the hotel parking lot, and doors slammed and clanked as the gang arrived.

    Keller smiled. “Some people would say acting is worse than…” She left it open just as Sahar had, but there was no condemnation in her eyes.
    The smile faded some at Sahar’s darkened expression, and she nodded. “Yes, sometimes the company you keep can drag you down,” she agreed. There wasn’t any gentleness in her voice, like there had been in Price’s, but there was a collected coolness and understanding there. “Anyone in particular this time??”

    Sonya breathed a little easier when Christian got through the door. A few more shots, a few more injuries, a few more minutes head start for Christian and C.J.
    Her clip was empty, and tucked it back into its holster as she turned back into the hotel suite. The door swung shut without her body there to hold it open, but she was already walking through the bedroom door by then.

    *I’ll be waiting for you.* Tristan said. Then, with a certain amount of dark humor, *it’s not like I have much choice in the matter.*
    He turned his attention back to Jacob, finding that focusing on something else helped with the pain. *George is with C.J. They’re on their way out.*

    “El-la-lator go down the hooole,” Nona intoned, and sighed. “Okay, so if we’re not hitting any buttons, what do you intend for us to do to get out of here? Wait for George or Tristan or someone to come rescue our asses? That could take a good… long… time.”
    Meanwhile, Kawada was eyeing the emergency exit on the elevator ceiling with a disturbingly speculative look on his face.

    “She stayed with the band after I received the call from Mace,” Adrian said. He looked around the parking lot, then at Gift and the blackened form near her. “Gift, what’s going on? I had both you and Christian contact me within minutes of each other, and this looks like a disaster area, and…” He glanced behind him, where the gang was pulling into the parking lot, “and that lot can tearing out after me.” He frowned, clearly wondering why.
    Then he looked at Darshan again, and it seemed to register that their was an actual, living person there. “Oh my goddess,” he said softly, and went to kneel next to the dragon, ignoring the broken glass on the ground.

    That surprised a bright laugh out of the lioness. “Yeah, I’m sure that some people would. Whatever. Live and let live, is what I say.”
    Sahar gave Keller a thoughtful look, liking the calm collectedness in the other woman’s voice. She could only wish that she reacted like that when faced with a crisis. “There have just been… problems. Terra and Jayden did the horizontal mambo, and now they have a bouncing baby girl, and just… no one was expecting it, I guess. So…” Her smile held just the slightest hint of self-deprecation. “I am the weakest link.”
    She shivered a little, and turned her head to look out the window. She couldn’t see much; there were patches of frost on the glass. “Darshan and Christian sent me to stay with some friends this morning, to keep me out of trouble, but that didn’t work out. Terra showed up, and… God, I don’t think that I’ve seen any of them so afraid in my life.”

    There were no signs of pursuit from the guys in the hallway, if the snickers and comments were anything to go by. One voice was a low snarl, audible from down the hall but not comprehensible. Seemed Jayden was less than impressed with his Clan at the moment.
    Christian headed downstairs with a calmness he didn’t entirely feel, but a surety of movement that ate up the distance quick. George agreed privately that it was a lot easier going down than coming up, while keeping a sharp eye on their backs as he was told.
    *I’m not going to ask, because it’s you, and I don’t want to know,* he replied to Tristan with heart-felt sincerity. At least at this point. Once he was actually outside, that would be a different story.

    Jacob was staring at Nona and Nolan with a kind of depressed resignation. Security team, ha. They were stuck in an elevator that was proving to be malfunctioning, with C.J. in a potentially even more dangerous situation, and no one around to save them. This day was cropping up to be even better than the previous night.
    Tristan’s voice suddenly coming back into his head made him start slightly, though it did clear one worry from the chart. *Thanks,* he muttered to the other vampire. Then he had to inquire, *We’re stuck in an elevator, any suggestions??*
    “No, we’re not going to wait for Tristan or George to come save us,” Nolan grumbled, looking around the enclosed space they were all inhabiting. “I intend to make sure we don’t fall any further, and we’re going to wait for Gift to come save us.”
    The casually dropped name made Ry’s brow inch upwards, but he was looking at Kawada even as it did. When he saw where the vampire was looking, he smirked and made an “after you” gesture.
    Kersti was leaning carefully against the elevator wall, arms still wrapped around herself. She looked around at them, then sent out a hesitant thought. *Mom??*

    Gift looked at Adrian when he started speaking, then at the arriving gang as they all piled out and came running, jogging, and trotting to Darshan. Interesting. She’d have to inquire about that. Of course she didn’t get a chance to answer Adrian before he was moving towards the dragon himself, and she shook her head in some amusement. Healers.
    Moving away from the growing crowd, as the gang gathered around the fallen dragon, she carefully went around the parking lot, inspected the place. Deserted and loud, as car alarms were still going off. She saw a few people in the lobby of the hotel, peeking out, but clearly not willing to brave the new and interesting weather they thought was happening in Vegas.
    As she stepped around another car, Gift was given a view she could’ve done without. Tristan Chandler, laying flat on the ground, with spaghetti where he used to have legs. “Mr. Chandler,” she said, surveying his somewhat smushed state. “Harder job than you imagined in the first place??”
    Her eyes flicked up to the hotel when she heard Kersti’s voice in her mind. *Yes baby??*
    *We’re stuck in an elevator.* The young vampire’s voice was a little shaky but holding up well.
    *Who??*
    *Uh, me and the band except C.J., two of your team, and then two vampires I don’t know. The elevator started to fall but it stopped and now we’re stuck.*
    *Alright, we’ll be up momentarily to get you out. Are you okay??*
    *Yeah, I’m fine. Do you know if Adrian’s okay??*
    *Adrian’s fine, down here in the parking lot with me. Tell me if anything else happens.* She glanced over at Darshan, who was pretty much blocked from view behind the circle of gang members that had surrounded him. The only face she could really see clearly was Mace’s, because he was facing her, though looking down, and his expression was very grim.
    “Oh my god, what happened to him??” someone whispered in the crowd as they all stared down at Darshan in some amount of horror.
    “He looks fried.”
    A brief pause, then a sharply stifled giggle. “Dark dragon, extra crispy, please.”
    “I want a thigh!”
    “Dude, I’m so taking the breast.”

    “I’d toast to that, if the service was faster here,” Keller said with a small grin, glancing over at Price again, who was still talking it up with the barista.
    The next small flood of information didn’t change Keller’s expression, though her eyes flickered slightly at some points. When Sahar seemed to wind down, she gave a slow nod. “Seems you’ve gotten yourself into a lot of trouble.” A shrewd look was sent Sahar’s way. “The people you were sent to stay with, when Terra showed up. Were they responsible for those blasts of power we were monitoring earlier??”

    The sound of Jayden snarling made Sonya smile, just a little. She didn’t waste any time, though, cutting through the bedroom and out onto the balcony. She climbed onto the railing, and balanced there briefly before diving off.
    She plummeted for a couple stories, before she shifted and an elegant swan dive became the swooping flight of a vulture.
    *I’m out* she informed Christian. She spiraled downwards slowly, circling the parking lot.
    *Fuck off* Tristan said succinctly. *You better get your ass down here soon. There’s a vulture circling me, and I don’t fancy getting pecked.*

    There was a contemplative silence from Tristan at Jacob’s question. *Well, Kersti, Nona, and your girl are there, right? Orgy?*
    “Sounds like a plan,” Nona muttered. She hesitated, as something else came to mind, and lowered her voice. The rest of them would hear, but it gave her and the witch the illusion of privacy. “You should know, David is dead.”
    “Like hell,” Kawada said in response to Ry’s raised brow. *Gift?* he added to the other vampire, with an upwards tilt of his mouth.

    When Gift approached him, Tristan shifted slightly, painfully. “I want hazard pay,” he muttered, “especially if some fucking carrion bird tries to eat me.” He pointed upwards, towards the vulture. He knew who it was, of course; the same woman who had approached him earlier.
    Adrian remained crouched by the dragon, his eyes closed and a little frown of concentration on his face. The damage was… amazing. He didn’t even seem to notice as the gang surrounded them.
    However, Darshan did notice, because as they started to discuss who got what part of him, a low, rumbling growl came from the blackened body in Adrian’s arms.
    Zeke took a step back. “He can hear you, assholes.”

    “Blasts of power?” Sahar asked, her eyes going a little round. “I don’t think that Mace is capable of anything like that, so no.” She tilted her head, and pursed her lips in thought. “It could have been the people who sent me into hiding in the first place, though. I called Darshan and Gift after Terra showed up, and Darshan could definitely do something like that. You know, if he went all ‘rawr’ and stuff. Not that I’ve ever seen him like that, but it could have been him.” Come to think of it, she had felt some power… ripples that she had assumed were Terra, and then something sweeter and darker, not so very long after she had seen Darshan fly overhead. Then Koran had distracted her, and she couldn’t remember anything after that, except for his warm soothing fingers on the back of her neck.
    A little shudder wracked her body, but she ignored it.

    *We’ll be with you soon,* Christian sent back as he rounded another floor.
    “Maybe we should consider taking the elevator,” George suggested, glancing at C.J., who was uncharacteristically limp and silent in the other man’s arms. He didn’t much like that, because if she was badly injured and managed to die, her boyfriend would eat him. After his boss killed him.
    Christian slanted him a sideways look, and that was all that was said about that suggestion. Resisting the urge to mutter something under his breath, George focused on Tristan’s voice in his mind. *If you’re trying to tell me you could be mistaken for vulture food, I’m not impressed.*

    Jacob was struck silent as Tristan’s suggestion echoed in his head. *Okay, either you’ve been spending too much time with Fang or vice versa, because he suggested the same thing not five minutes ago. Are you just trying to get out of a job, because from what I’ve heard, Gift Redfern would kill me for touching her daughter.*
    Eyes still upwards, set into a slight squint, as if he was looking through the ceiling of the elevator, Nolan didn’t automatically react to Nona’s words. But when he looked at her a second later, his eyes were dark and a hint of pain lingered at the corner of his mouth. “I figured. Rotten??”
    Ry smirked again, letting his hand fall back into his slacks pocket. “Chickenshit.” His eyes swept the elevator contents again, lingering for a moment on Kersti, before looking back to Kawada. *That would be the greatly esteemed Ethan Hawke’s soulmate. I have yet to meet another Gift in my life.*

    Gift followed Tristan’s pointing finger, expression bordering on amused as she watched the circling vulture. Funny, she wouldn’t have imagined Sonya involving herself when unnecessary. Then again, her job and her only friend were involved. That…well, pretty much covered everything that might be important to her, wouldn’t it??
    “I don’t think you have to worry about her,” she said, looking back to Tristan. “Last I heard, she didn’t care much for the taste of vampire.” The sound of an approaching engine brought her attention to the entrance of the parking lot, and she watched as a shiny black Dodge Durango eased into the lot, edging closer, tires crunching over the broken glass. It stopped a few yards away from the circled gang and the engine cut off. The black tinted windows didn’t give a hint as to who was inside, but after a moment, doors opened.
    Ethan slipped out of the driver’s seat, shoving the door shut behind him as he surveyed the parking lot. Ezio was given the passenger seat, as Rye and Jasper slid from the middle seats. A second passed before Zabri crawled from the very back, where she’d been making the entire third bench seat her very own.
    But, as the RoA surveyed the parking lot, they knew it was time to get to work.

    As the growl swelled in the short space, pretty much all of them took a step back just as Zeke did. A few gulps were heard, a few winces seen, and a couple even muttered apologies.
    Mace gave them all a half exasperated, half disgusted look, then his eyes were pulled past a few shoulders as he watched the Durango arrive, and the people who got out of it. All of them, together, in one place. Mace swallowed.
    Heads followed his gaze after a few seconds, and a few murmurs and a gasp or two were heard. Then someone seemed to sum it up perfectly.
    “Well, shit on me.”

    Keller’s expression had become a little grim as she listened. But amusement softened her features as Sahar wound down again. “All ‘rawr’?? I’m sure he loves being described that way.”
    She looked up as Price finally arrived, bearing a little tray of drinks and a few plates of food. He bowed, exceptionally well for a boy in his young twenties, and set cups down in front of the women. “Mom, I got you your usual. Sahar, I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so you got just regular coffee, sugar and cream on the side. And some kind of wrap that was highly recommended.” He flashed a grin and scooted in next to his mother with his own cup, which looked like a strawberries and cream frappacino. “Should I be updated on anything??”
    “Sahar was just touching on the blasts we felt earlier, mentioning Darshan might be involved.”
    Price glanced at the little shifter, then shrugged. “Must’ve had a good reason.”

    *My balls just got crushed by a fifty-story drop* was Tristan's droll response, *Allow me to live vicariously.* Then he cut off the line of communication, apparently not interested in hearing Jacob's response to that.
    A long, soft sigh rattled out of Nona's throat, and she was almost relieved to see the answering pain in Nolan's expression. She hadn't quite known how to deal with George's seemingly calm response to their teammate's betrayal and subsequent death. "To the core," she said quietly. "He's not the only one, either. We can talk about it after we get out of here."
    "Try it yourself, if you're so brave," Kawada said calmly. *Oh, really? So these are her people?*

    "Well, I am a particularly succulent little morsel," Tristan said, and he tried to leer, but his face was pinched with pain and the expression didn't come off quite right.
    He turned, and watched as the Durango rolled to a stop. Watched the people climb out of it. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, hard.
    Zeke turned to watch as well, and although he remained more or less composed, his eyes widened just a touch. He dragged his gaze away after a moment. watching the dragon and the healer, instead. Black skin was slowly flaking free, as new skin formed under it, pink and tender and new. It was more than that, though. He could -feel- the dragon, could feel the growing edge of feral hunger as Adrian did his work. It made him more nervous than the growl had.

    "He doesn't mind," Sahar said brightly. "He just says something pithy and ignores me, for the most part." She considered, then nodded, agreeing with herself. "If he minded," she added, in cheerful tones, "he'd probably liquefy my brain, or something. But since he hasn't yet, he's probably not going to."
    She accepted the food from Price gratefully, and was in the process of dumping obscene amounts of sugar into the coffee when he spoke. Her eyes had a fierce light to them, a subtle reminder that no matter how bubbly or guileless the lioness seemed, she was still a predator at heart. "Whatever Darshan did to Terra, she had it coming," she said, with soft conviction, "and I hope that he buried the bitch."
    Then she smiled, and continued lumping sweetener into her coffee.

    Well. Yeah, that was about all Jacob could've replied to that anyway, even if Tristan had still been paying attention. As it was, his eyes moved over to Tala and Fang. "Are we still really interested in staying here, or do you think it'll be okay if we relocate?? Immediately."
    Nolan's face tightened at the continued bad news, but he nodded. "Yeah, we should probably all be present for that talk." He looked up briefly, eyes flickering, before looking back at Nona. His voice dropped another notch. "You okay??"
    "Think I'll pass," Ry commented, eyes shifting to Fang. "Don't think I want some people looking up my ass." His eyes did another slow look over. *Don't think all of them are, but those two at least.* He nodded subtly at the witch and the shifter who hadn't tried to bite his face off.

    Gift glanced down at Tristan and looked at him for a moment, not so much for the words as for the pain she saw on his face. She knew Tristan; the words weren't new or exciting.
    Instead, she looked over at the Durango again. *Rye.*
    The RoA was staring at the gang, who stared right back. Then most of the former flashed their most dazzling smiles, getting some more swallows and gulps, before Rye started towards Gift. The petite witch was wearing three-inch heels and black skirt slit straight up to mid-thigh on one side, flashing one lightly bronzed leg every time she took a step. Several eyes followed her path, and Jasper rolled her eyes and followed her friend.
    Zabri smiled lazily at the shifters and moved after the others, while Ethan maintained his post at the vehicle, indifferent eyes looking around the parking lot.
    Arriving beside Gift, Rye's eyes dropped to the person at their feet. One finely arched brow lifted. "I thought you people were supposed to be good," she commented.
    "Rye," Gift said, and the witch shrugged and knelt beside Tristan. Small hands just barely touched one knee, then a hip, her dull purple eyes focused inward.
    "They're all broken," she reported to Gift. "In each leg, all four bones are shattered. They've pierced his muscles and tendons and he's bleeding badly. His hips are fractured and they'll break if he tries to stand up. Same with his pelvis."
    Her eyes focused on Gift, seeming to not care that she'd said it all in front of Tristan. Better that he knows how bad the damage is, probably. "I can start to heal it, but I don't do healing."
    Gift nodded, glancing over at the circle of shifters as Jasper looked at Tristan with some interest. "Start on him. Adrian will help when he's done."
    Rye shrugged and turned back to Tristan. Her hands moved over his damaged legs, just barely touching the skin as she started to circulate some healing magic into his body.
    The gang was focused back on Darshan and Adrian now as well, all watching as the healer did his thing. They felt the same thing as Zeke, some of them swallowing again and glancing at each other, resisting the urge to take another step back. But most just watched, and waited.

    Keller didn't blink, though it almost looked like she wanted to. "How reassuring."
    They both watched Sahar's slight change in expression when she spoke, and exchanged glances when she returned to doctoring her coffee. "We haven't heard anything," Keller told her son with a little shrug. "They dropped off the radar once they stopped using their powers like that."
    "Nothing since??"
    She glanced at Sahar but didn't bother lowering her voice. She knew how good a shifter's hearing was. "There have been some spikes in power in the last fifteen minutes or so." Her head dipped in a slight nod out the window, indicating the dark clouds. "But it was labeled vampire, not dragon."

    "How do you figure we're getting out, if we're not pressing any buttons?" Fang glanced at Tala for confirmation.
    "We're not pushing any buttons," the werewolf agreed. "It didn't work out so good last time."
    "I don't think we'll have much of a choice in the matter," Nona said. She looked down, but tilted her head to look at Nolan when he asked his question. "I'll be okay. It had to be done, you know? I just never... you should have heard him, Nolan. He didn't even sound like David anymore."
    Fang saw one of the unfamiliar vampires look at him, heard the man's words, and flashed a brilliant smile up at the man. "I'm already looking up at your ass," he said, because he was still sprawled out on the floor. "I'm looking up at a lot of asses, in fact. And I can see up Nona's skirt."
    Which sort of explained why the lamia had as of yet made no effort to stand up.
    Kawada followed his gaze, and nodded minutely. *I would guess those two are the only ones. They bleed professional security; the other really...* He seemed to be looking for a word, and finally settled on *don't.*

    Tristan tilted his head, watching Rye's approach with a great deal of interest. He had always been a legs man, and the view from here was really quite splendid. Really, though, the distraction was more interesting than the view, right this moment. However, at her opening words, his expression simply shut down, becoming the blank mask of a professional bodyguard. "I fucked up, and got tossed out a window." Her next words simply made him shrugged. He had known that the damage was bad, after all. He could. Feel. It.
    He let out a long, ragged breath as she started the healing process. With that taken care of, he could focus on something else. "The vulture-lady called the man who attacked us Jayden," he reported to Gift. "I don't know if that rings any bells. George has C.J. and is on his way out, and Nona and Nolan are in the elevator. David..." He stopped, his expression turning frigid. He wasn't exactly sure how George and Nona had settled that, but he had the feeling that there probably wasn't a lot left of the werewolf.
    Ezio moved away from the Durango, his customary scowl on his face. He came to a stop next to Mace, and looked down at the healer and his charge. It look the eagle-shifter a moment to realize what he was looking at, and when he did, his brows jerked upwards. "Damn. Did Drago do that?"

    "Radar?" Sahar asked, with a curious tilt of her head. "Huh. How big does something have to be to register on your radar?"
    She added a healthy amount of cream to her coffee, and took a sip of it, her dark eyes remaining focused on Keller over the rim of the cup.

    "Good things come to those who wait," Nolan muttered at Fang's inquiry, and was only a little surprised to see Kersti nod in agreement. Which meant she'd contacted her mother, he figured. Just great. Gift was probably readying their pink slips before she headed over.
    His expression became just a little bleak at Nona's words. "Power does that to people, I've heard. Never expected it to be someone I knew though."
    Ry gave the sprawled vampire an amused look. "Well look all you want, but if you try to touch, you won't be getting that body part back."
    Jacob looked mightily tempted to kick Fang. Since he was down and all. In excellent foot range.
    Dark eyes lifted to Kawada again, another smirk forming. *There is that. The way it sounds, they're actually supposed to be guarding the others.*

    Knowing the likely cause of injury and having that knowledge cemented were two very different things, Rye figured as her head tilted back. She gazed up the long, long side of the hotel, and hmmmed. "You're lucky you didn't break everything," was her only comment.
    Gift didn't make one.
    Lifting a cigarette to her lips, lighting it deftly, Jasper's eyes flicked to Gift when Tristan spoke. The Karnee met her eyes and her lips hinted at a smile. Jasper's brow rose slightly and she hmmmed to herself.
    Gift glanced down at Tristan. "We'll take care of Jayden. What about David??"
    Some of the gang did some side-stepping, however subtle and slight it was, as Ezio approached. When it was just one of them around, they didn't much care and didn't show any special deference or obvious respect for the RoA. But when they were all together, it got a bigger reaction.
    Mace was about the only one who didn't look at the shifter when he stopped beside him. "I don't think so," he said quietly. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but, well, there you go.
    Oblivion and Koran took a few steps towards the gang, but the former's attention was caught by Ethan. He murmured something to Koran, who bobbed his head in understanding, and went to talk to the vampire. Across the parking lot, Ethan and Gift's eyes met. One of her brows rose, he shrugged a shoulder, and she returned her attention to her current group.

    Keller looked at Sahar for a moment. "We have several radars. Most of them just register small bursts of power, normal every day stuff that might happen. But some of them are specifically for the big stuff, which you'll only find among mass groups joining together or...certain individuals."
    "Gods Mom, sound a little more ominous, why don't you," Price murmured around his cup. Keller gave him a look.

    "Okay," Fang said, with a shrug. He was okay with waiting. The floor was actually remarkably comfortable.
    Nona moved away from Fang, going to stand on Nolan's other side where the lamia could not, in theory, look up her skirt any longer. She nodded at the witch's words, an almost imperceptible inclination of her head. "I know. It's just... David, you know? He used to buy me grilled cheese and fries at the diner down the street after we worked a shift together. He was a friend. I just... didn't expect this kind of shit from him, and I didn't expect George to... end it... so easily."
    At Ry's words, Fang simply grinned. "Well, I will have the utmost trouble keeping my hands from your luscious assets, but I will try to restrain myself." He made eyes up at Tala. "Want to help distract me?"
    "Eat shit," Tala replied, automatically.
    *Yes, that is what it sounds like* Kawada agreed. He looked around at the people inside the elevator. *Now, I've seen the two men and the wolf on the cover of some magazine or another, but who is the little green-eyed darling?*

    "I'm not feeling particularly lucky right this moment," Tristan drawled, with a tight little smile.
    His gaze shifted slowly to Gift, but it was George that he spoke to, a quick query. *George, Gift wants to know what happened with David.* As he waited for the response, he started to explain. "He was supposed to be on duty this morning. I got a call from Jacob a few hours ago, and he told me that a dragon had basically just walked into the suite and broke C.J.'s arm. I called George and we all came on down here, and Nolan and I stayed with the band, while Nona and George went to find David, who was playing least-in-sight by then."
    "Huh," Ezio said, thoughtfully. "I'd like to meet the fellow who could fry a dragon like that." Then he turned, and walked back to the Durango.
    Adrian finally sat back, and scooted away from the dragon with alarming speed. Darshan sat up slowly, and shook himself. As he did so, flakes of blackened skin came falling off, like long strips of charred paper. There was a sort of feral blankness in his eyes and in his mind, with nothing terribly human or conscious present.
    "Back off," Adrian snapped, "he's going to be..."
    Ravenous. He was ravenous, the need to hunt and kill and eat singing through his body. He had overextended himself, and Adrian's healing had drained his body's already depleted resources, using them in order to mend the damage. It didn't really matter, though, because there was prey gathered all around him, puny little watered down shape-shifters, who wouldn't even be able to run if he told them not to. He would just... But wait. That wasn't right. That wasn't right, because these shape-shifters were... "Mine," he rasped. He turned away from them, a little growl forming in his throat, and flung himself into the sky, shifting, until he could beat broad black wings and send himself upwards and outwards, towards better hunting grounds.
    "Well," Adrian said, a little weakly, brushing back the hair that had been flung into his eyes by the sudden wind produced by the dragon's wings. "It would seem that he was a little worse than I thought."