Luke barely managed to swallow a snarl, looking towards the kitchen. He really wanted to barge in and rip Mace away from that bitch, just because he knew how much she affected him. But the gang was right. If he did do that, not only would it /not/ help Mace, but it would likely result in his quite unpleasant death.
    So he blew out an unhappy sigh, ran a hand through his hair, then looked sharply over at Zeke. Adrian. Shit. At least it didn’t appear Kersti was with him, which could only be a blessing. Though the idea of Gift showing up about now wasn’t an unpleasant one.
    “Maybe we should…” Queenie started a little hesitantly, looking towards the window where Zeke was peeping out.
    “No,” Wes said wearily, shaking his head. “She would know, and Mace said to do it. There’s gotta be a reason.”
    Queenie closed her eyes, then moved to open the door when Adrian got close enough. “Hey healer man,” she said, forcing a bit of a smile.

    “Meet you at the top,” George agreed, and slammed through the stairwell doors. He took them two and three at a time, his personal zen starting to take over his body as he moved with studied calmness.

    “Well it is still early,” Christian said, his voice mild, his eyes still a frightening blank. The charge in the air hadn‘t dissipated yet. “His daughter would be displeased, would she??”

    “Do you like white chocolate?” Sahar asked, glancing back in the direction of Mace’s house, then towards the part of town where the Paris was located.
    His eyes remained fixed on Gift as she wheeled towards the sky, before Darshan turned and walked into the alleyway behind Starbucks. It stank, but he needed the privacy. The vicious, primal part of him was still too close to the surface, and there was really no question of what form he would take.
    The air rippled, and a moment later, a blaze of black and gold streaked upwards, casting an ominous shadow over the ground as he leveled up. With a few powerful wing beats, he was behind the cover of the clouds, and flying towards Mace’s house.

    “I’m sure that there is,” Zeke agreed. “We’ll do what we have to do.”
    He trailed behind Queenie as she went to the door, and listened to her greet the healer. Adrian smiled back at her, his eyes gentle and curious. “Hi, Queenie. I hear that Mace had a bit of an accident in the kitchen?”

    Pounding on the elevator’s button impatiently, Nona waited. It seemed like an eternity before the doors dinged and slid open. She stepped inside, and stabbed at the button for the fifth floor with one painted nail.

    “Mmm. Considering the early hour, you’ve been very busy. Did Sadi do something specific to offend you, or were you just feeling a bit tetchy?”
    One of Sonya’s shoulders rose and fell in a shrug at his question, and she looked at him evenly. “Honestly? No, probably not.”

    Koran perked up even more. “Chocolate?? Where?? Now??”
    The eagle seemed to float more than to fly, heading across the busy city below. Sharp eyes observed the movement of people, and managed to pick out one blond-headed vampire on a rather deserted street. Good to know he was still alive, anyway.
    Deciding to bypass that for now then, she continued soaring, looking ahead to the house a few blocks over.

    Wes rubbed his eyes as Queenie went to the door. Luke angrily wiped at the blood on his face, blue eyes gleaming.
    Gold eyes peered at Adrian for a minute, and they couldn’t hide the flinch she managed to keep from her face. “Yeah, he had a big one this time. Come on in.” She opened the door wide enough for him to enter.
    “Hey Adrian,” Wes and Luke greeted.

    George was already down the hall, a gun having found a way into his hand during the trip upstairs. He stood ready at David’s door, listening intently as he motioned Nona to come on.

    “A little bit of both,” Christian finally decided, voice contemplative. “And not to sound cliché, but he’s had it coming for a while.”
    A couple of silent seconds passed at her words, before a half-smile came to his face. The blankness was starting the slow trip of leaving his eyes. “I believe it. I also believe she’s quite unhappy with Terra now, isn’t she??”

    “Mmm-hmm,” Sahar said, and reached into her jacket pocket to remove half a bar of chocolate. She went to break off a chunk for herself, shook her head, and handed it all to him. “To tide you over until we can go get mochas.”
    Once in a while, there would be a flash of black against the dark gray of the clouds, but for the most part Darshan stayed out of the sight of prying eyes below. *How close are you?* he sent to Gift, as he felt the house - and Terra - grow nearer. He kept his own presence carefully hidden, wrapped tight in his power.

    “Sounds like Mace,” Adrian replied with soft humor. He stepped inside, nodding as the two men greeted him, and then frowned at Luke, and the small amount of blood lingering on his face. Adrian reached out, and touched the were-wolf’s cheek, and closed his eyes. What he found… disturbed him. A few broken bones in the face, nose downright pulverized, bruises not yet formed under the skin. He teased out a little bit of his power, knitting bones and soothing pain. As he did so, he surreptitiously tested the wolf’s emotions… nothing so invasive as roaming through his mind, just a sampling. He didn’t like what he found there. The wolf was far too distraught for a simple kitchen accident, far too angry.
    When he dropped his hand and opened his eyes, there was dawning suspicion on his face. He didn’t say anything, though, simply turned away from the gathered shape shifters and approached the kitchen.

    Nona stepped out of the elevator and nodded sharply to George. She walked so that she was standing to the other side of the door, her hand resting on her holster but her gun not drawn. Her tongue flicked out again, and she strained her ears for the slightest sound. “He’s here,” she said finally, so softly that not even the were-wolf inside would hear her.

    “Well, I can’t argue that,” Sonya replied mildly.
    Her eyes flicked towards the area where Terra had fought Darshan, but the blankness didn’t leave her eyes. That cool, withdrawn composure was Sonya on a day-to-day basis. “I think it’s fair to say that no one is terribly happy with Terra, ever.”

    “Oooohhh,” Koran cooed, accepting the chocolate like a prized possession. Chooocolate. He tore the wrapper open and took a big bite, glazed eyes half-closing in pleasure. Then, since he was such a charitable soul and all, he tore off a little hunk and gave it back to Sahar. “To tide you over as well. Then we’ll flyyyy.”
    *Almost there,* Gift murmured back, the house having come into view. She looked it over just in time to see someone walking in the front door. Didn’t have the look of a shifter either. Who…
    The eagle froze for a second, then dipped a wing and started a slow spiral downward.

    Luke’s eyes had closed when he felt Adrian healing him, and didn’t open when the boy backed away. He just…couldn’t. First Mace, now Adrian…and there was nothing any of them could do about it. The bitterness was thick and sour on his tongue.
    “We’re sorry, Adrian.” Queenie’s voice was a whisper that followed him to the kitchen, where Terra looked up from the table.
    “Hello Adrian,” she murmured richly.

    George nodded just slightly, face cold and grim. He held up his hand, three fingers extended. One went down, then two, but before the last one could, he heard the shatter of a window from inside the apartment.
    The door flew open and George was inside, hands extended, gun steady as he did a search of the room. And found his man by the broken window. “David.”

    “Good,” Christian said softly, eyes flicking after the departed Jayden.
    He looked back at Sonya. “I would imagine not.” Christian studied her for a second. “What are you doing with yourself these days, Sonya??”

    A small, choked laugh escaped Sahar’s throat when Koran offered her the chocolate, which she daintily accepted and popped into her mouth. She tilted her head back, just in time to see something with large, dark wings go slicing through the clouds, and descent towards Mace’s house. “Darshan,” she murmured.
    *I am almost there as well* Darshan replied. He started to shift almost as soon as he broke the cloud cover.

    When he finally saw Terra, it almost didn’t come as a surprise. After all, Adrian has always known that she would return for him, someday.
    His face turned solemn and tense. “Hello, Terra,” he said quietly, and although he spoke to her, he was looking at Mace. His eyes were soft and sad, and full of terrible understanding.

    Silently, Nona followed George inside.
    Next to the window, David tensed. He didn’t turn around to look at them, didn’t bother to reach for his gun, simply raised his hands slowly. “Shit.”

    “I rather suspect that you know perfectly well what I’m doing, Christian,” Sonya replied, not without amusement, her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Koran cooed, hopping around a little bit with his chocolate. Yum, chocolate. Almost as good as…well, other things.
    At Sahar’s murmur, his own eyes rolled upwards. He cooed again when he saw pretty dragony Darshan go flying by, then hopped up into the air. He wanted to fly! “Wanna fly??” he inquired of Sahar, since she seemed to currently be calling the shots.
    The eagle banked again, and started to gently descend. Swirling, spiraling down until she was about three feet off the ground. Another ruffling sound, and she dropped to the ground on two legs. Empty eyes observed the back of the house. It really was a nice house Mace had picked out for his gang, with multiple stories and lots of windows. It offered a wonderful into the kitchen, where she could see Terra sitting at the table with Mace. They both had their backs to her, but she could also see Adrian had just walked into the doorway.
    This was going to be interesting.

    Terra studied him for a second. “Adrian, it has been far too long, my dear. Won’t you sit with us??” She pushed one of the chairs out, clearly a command more than anything.
    Mace’s face was tired and lined, looking like he’d aged another decade since earlier that morning. Weary eyes looked at Adrian, and he offered a small shrug. The understanding in the witch’s eyes just made it worse, in the end.

    “You’re in a whole pile of it,” George agreed quietly, gun not wavering on his friend. “Turn around. Keep your hands in sight. You know how it goes.”

    One side of Christian’s mouth rose again, but not as if he thought it was funny. “I know the idea. I’d rather hear the specifics.”

    Sahar finished chewing her piece of chocolate, and glanced quickly at Koran. “Yeah, I’m almost ready to go. Just a few more minutes. Thanks for waiting around with me, Koran.”
    By the time he was a few feet from the ground, Darshan had shifted back to his human form, and he dropped the rest of the way, landing in a graceful crouch. He moved to where Gift was standing, and followed her gaze. His expression didn’t change when he saw Adrian, but something in him tensed.
    “She’ll have taken control of Mace and his gang,” he said softly. That complicated things. It would be difficult to kill her with them in the way. “I can take them away from her, or at least hold them, and throw the rest of what I have at her. If I do that, do you think that you can finish the kill?”

    “Of course,” Adrian said, more calmly than he felt. His chest hurt with fear, and he really didn’t want to move any closer to her, but he sat in the chair anyway, because he knew how to pick his battles. He wasn’t so brave that he could afford to waste his courage on something pointless.
    So he walked across the kitchen, and lowered himself into the seat, all with a sort of pained dignity. “What do you want, Terra?”

    Slowly, David turned towards them.
    Then he sneered, and rushed George.
    A shot rang out.

    Another one of Sonya’s Gallic shrugs. “What do you want me to say, Christian? You know what I’ve been up to; what sort of specifics do you expect me to tell you? How Blaire takes her morning coffee? The weather in Paris?”

    “What’re we waiting for??” he asked curiously, hopping from one foot to the other. Still nibbling on his chocolate. Sugar rush on the way.
    “Yes,” Gift replied just as softly. As long as Mace and his gang were out of the way, and Adrian now, she was going to kill Terra without delay.
    She glanced at Darshan. “You can hold the gang,” she said, because she didn’t doubt his ability. “Can you also keep Adrian out of the way??”

    Mace’s hands were clasped on the table, face distant and mostly unfeeling. There was anger in his eyes as he looked at Adrian, and a certain determination. He was well aware that Terra held feelings for him, and he wasn’t above using those to keep his people safe. Adrian qualified as such these days.
    “Now Adrian,” Terra chided, voice gentle but eyes cold as she leaned back in her chair. “You almost don’t sound like you’re glad to be here. Haven’t you missed using your talents on a day-to-day basis, strengthening them??”
    Her long nails extended and she gazed at them, a vicious smile starting to leak over her lips. “Where’s your girlfriend, my little healer boy??”

    The gun still smoking slightly in his hand, George closed in on his fallen foe. It was sometimes so easy, to turn from friend to foe. With the toe of his sneaker, he turned David onto his back, gun pointed steadily at his forehead now. The first shot had been a downer, a bullet through the hip to shatter the pelvis; painful as hell but not deadly for a were-wolf.
    “Talk to me,” he said quietly. It wasn’t a request.

    Christian’s eyes, recovered now but still cold, rolled towards the sky. The clouds had stopped rolling, and the electric charge was dissipating, but now it looked like rain was soon in the forecast.
    “Sonya,” he said, looking back at her. “You’re working for Terra Drago and Jayden Sadi’s daughter.” A pause, then he gave another half-smile. “Does she pay well??”

    “I’m just… worried.” Sahar shook her head, as if in so doing she could shake off her own gloom.
    “I can try,” Darshan said, with brutal honesty. “They’re shape-shifters. They’ll answer to my call. Adrian isn’t.”
    His eyes narrowed on the scene in the kitchen. “I like this arrangement, though. If I go in the front, I can take care of the gang and go into the kitchen to retrieve Mace and Adrian. That puts Terra’s back to the window… and to you.” There was the slightest hint of a question in the last word, asking her opinion. He respected Gift and her experience well enough that any plan which did not meet with her approval would be discarded.

    “No, Terra, I am not particularly glad to be here,” Adrian said softly, looking at her with steady eyes. He didn’t even bother to answer the second half of her question.
    Those steady eyes flickered for a moment, and Adrian’s voice didn’t exactly harden, but it became firm, almost stern. “Don’t, Terra. Leave Kersti out of this. You want my healing abilities, fine, you have them. But if you ever go near her, if you ever harm her, there’s not a damn thing you can do that will make me bend to your wishes.” It wasn’t an empty threat, because Adrian knew perfectly well what kind of things she could do to him to make him submit. Kersti was just more important than that.

    “I’m not telling you anything,” David growled.
    Nona made a low, angry sound. “Don’t shoot him again. The neighbors might hear. How about knives?”

    “Exceptionally well,” Sonya said, sounding mildly bored. “Why else would I be working for her? Is there anything else that you would like to know?”

    Koran’s head tilted, then he cooed sympathetically and sidled up beside her. His arm looped around her waist, cuddling her to his side, and he pressed a soothing kiss to her temple. “Poor kitty. Anything I can do??”
    Gift nodded once, accepting his answer for what it was. She’d come to expect nothing but the truth from Darshan, so they worked with it.
    His proposition received a slower nod. “Yes, that will work nicely. Keep yourself shielded for as long as possible, for as soon as she feels you, she’s going to get up in arms. Try to get the gang out of the house first, then Mace and Adrian when you can.” She smiled, eyes fixing on the back of Terra’s head. “I’m sure you’ll know when you can come into the kitchen.”

    “Well I’m sure that’ll change the longer you’re here,” Terra murmured, seeming to have no doubt on that front.
    Her expression became amused as she listened to his little heroic speech. Impressive, considering the little bunny she used to know. Mace was looking quite impressed too, or as much as he could in his currently stony personage.
    “Adrian,” Terra began, the amusement also in her voice. “I have you. I don’t need your little girlfriend to keep your loyalty, or keep your healing abilities as my own. No, I would use her to trap…other people.”
    The amusement became something harder, sharper, and Mace shook his head.

    “When I shoot again, it will be for the last time,” George said softly. “David, you know what I will do to you. And I will take a very long time doing it. Tell me.”

    Christian looked back at her. “No Sonya, there’s nothing else I want to know. But there is something I’d like you to do for me.” He smiled that brutal smile again.

    “I’m okay,” Sahar murmured, her brow still wrinkled with concern. “It’ll be okay. Gift and Darshan will take care of it. Right?”
    “I can hide myself until I reclaim the gang,” Darshan replied. “After that, she’ll realize that something is wrong. I’ll enter the kitchen as quickly as possible once they’re mine.” The last word had a low, gravelly rasp to it. Since there seemed to be nothing else to discuss, he walked away from her, and up to the front door.
    Very quietly, very politely, he knocked.

    “You have me,” Adrian said, flatly, “but can you use me? I’ll heal for you, but if you touch Kersti, I won’t heal anything. Not a scratch, not a splinter.” He tried to smile, couldn’t manage it. “I mean it, Terra. As long as Kersti is safe, I’ll use my talents to your benefit. But the moment she comes to harm, you no longer have any leverage over me. You see, no one else matters enough for me to even consider doing… what I used to do for you, ever again.”

    “Fuck you,” David spat out. He tried to get up off the floor, cringed, and fell back. His features were already becoming thicker, more animalistic. Then he looked at George, paused, and laughed.
    “God, George, did you really think that I would stand against a dragon for your sake? Do you think that -she- will?” He gestured at Nona. “She’s strong, and she’s beautiful, and she’s going to give us everything we deserve. Even under Daybreak, nothing has changed. Thierry and his do-gooders might try to pretend that we’re equal to everyone else, but the rest of you still treat us like second-class citizens. The dragon, she’s going to change that.”
    “Shut up, David,” Nona said, her voice tight.
    David laughed again. “I’m telling the truth is all. You don’t know. You haven’t met her yet. She’s not like that asshole Darshan. She doesn’t pretend to be less than she is.”

    A slight shift in Sonya’s posture which subtly, oh so subtly, put Sonya’s hand by her gun again. “What would you like me to do, Christian?” Her voice was patronizing, but her eyes were sharp and wary.

    “Of course they will,” Koran crooned comfortingly, starting to nuzzle lightly at her hair. So soft and thick and smelled soooo good. His arm tightened just slightly around her waist, more of a grip now, holding her in place.
    Gift nodded again and didn’t say anything as he walked away. She just continued to gaze at Terra, her eyes slowly going reflective.
    A few moments passed before the door was cautiously pulled open. Wary gold eyes peered out until Wes really caught sight of Darshan, then he just kind of froze. “Fuck me,” he whispered to no one in particular.

    This little speech made the amusement freeze on Terra’s face, and something ugly shifted through her eyes. “Adrian,” she crooned, “are you giving me ultimatums??”
    “Terra,” Mace said lowly.
    “Shut up, Mace,” she said pleasantly, burning eyes locked on the healer. “Adrian??”

    George stood silently through that entire spiel on, apparently, werewolf rights. Which was just really ridiculous, but George let him finish before he shook his head. “David, you don’t work for Daybreak. You work for Gift Redfern. Are you going to accuse /her/ of being prejudiced against shifters?? And do you really think she‘s going to let a dragon take over the world??”
    He stared down at his teammate for a second, unable to keep the disgust from curling his lip. “So you fell for the “I’m going to take over the world and give you a slice of the pie afterwards” scam. Alright, what else??”

    For another silent second, Christian just looked at Sonya. Her sharp eyes, the wariness lurking there; her patronizing tone; the shift of her hand that made her gun stand out against her pants for a moment. The smile left his face and his eyes became hooded and flat. Something around his mouth suggested a momentary tiredness.
    “Just tell your boss I’ll be calling on her soon,” he said, turning away to run a hand through his hair. In the distance, he heard sirens. Because humans called cops at the slightest provocation these days. But he wasn’t into excuses; he just didn’t feel like dealing with this right now. He needed a cup of reheated coffee.
    “Go before they get here,” he said over his shoulder, and started to walk away. Sonya was safe for the moment; that was all he cared about.

    Something finally clicked as Koran’s grip tightened, and Sahar turned alarmed brown eyes towards the dragon-witch. Oh, yes. Hadn’t someone said something about not being alone with Koran under any circumstances? Yes, she remembered that now. “Uhm.”
    A bare smile flickered across Darshan’s lips when he heard Wes, and his eyes were cold. “Sorry, Mr. Lwellyn, but I don’t think of you that way.” He reached out and touched Wes’s cheek, then leaned forward to speak softly into the man’s ear. “Mine,” he whispered. As he said it, his power came forth in a rush, sliding beneath the bonds of power that Terra had formed, surprisingly gentle as he snapped the other dragon’s hold. From there it spread outward, to the rest of the gang, like the inexorable flow of water, drowning Terra’s power and filling the places it left behind. He didn’t do more than touch Mace, a gentle brush of power. Terra wanted that shape-shifter too badly for the battle to be won from afar.
    He stepped around Wes and into the foyer, straitening the cuffs of his jacket. Ruby and gold flashed as he touched his cufflinks. There was something quietly deadly about his stance, not the black rage of earlier but a sort of controlled malice. Although the use of power was efficient, he also wasn’t holding back anything, and it spread around him, cool and deep, and absolutely lethal.

    Fear spiked in Adrian, but there was no taking it back, and… did he really want to? “Think of it as a condition for services provided. I’m the best, Terra. No one else could heal half of the damage that you do to the body, much less the mind. Do you want your next plaything to bleed to death before you’ve had your fun? Or to go catatonic and unresponsive from trauma? No. You need me, and if you’re going to have my cooperation, you need to leave Kersti alone.”

    A deep breath came gusting out of David’s lungs. “You stupid asshole. Do you think that I’m the only one who wants a slice of the pie?”
    He reached for his gun.

    “Christian?” A soft sigh, almost one of annoyance. “I’m not good at… giving a shit. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t.” Sonya dropped her hand from her gun, and contemplated her friend’s back for a moment before turning to slip back into the same alleyway that she had arrived through.

    Koran’s eyes had half-closed by then, still nuzzling over her hair. He only had a few inches over her but he stretched his neck a little so he could smell allll over her head. So pretty. So pretty… “…little kitty, pretty kitty,” he murmured, and there was a giggle in his voice.

    Wes blinked once before he felt the power rushing through him. Something broke then repaired itself inside him, but in different chords. He no longer felt Terra’s pull, no longer felt the need to please her. Instead…oh hell, he wanted to bow to Darshan.
    Queenie and Luke were still in the foyer with Zeke and Wes, and they stared at Darshan mutely when he moved into the house. Several small keening sounds could be heard from the parlor, but Luke merely waved a hand in that direction so they could see it, and wouldn’t be tempted to come grovel to this particular dragon. Luke didn’t know the dragon /that/ well, but he did know the dragon, and didn’t think he’d like that even at this point.
    “What’s going on??” the werewolf asked, voice hoarse. He felt the need too, to grovel and beg and please his new master, but he was trying to his hardest to fight it. At least he didn’t think Darshan would kick his ass for not doing it, but they’d find out.

    Terra again waited until Adrian finished speaking, that ugly thing in her eyes getting closer and closer to the surface. Her long fingernails began to tap on the table, making harsh sounds on the wood. “That still sounds like an ultimatum to me, Adrian,” she responded, voice slow and low. “And you should know I don’t---”
    Her voice cut off then, her entire body freezing. Obsidian eyes went wide with surprise and fury and her head whipped towards the front of the house. Mace had stiffened a bit, his face more surprised than anything as he looked in the same direction. He’d felt the brush of power and knew who it was, but not entirely /why/.
    The dragon swept to her feet, her heels making cracking sounds on the floor as she headed for the doorway. Dark energy was already crackling around her, filling the air, ready to combat Darshan’s in a moment’s notice. Mace took a shaky breath, glancing at Adrian with a clear message in his eyes: get the fuck out, while she’s distracted.
    Spoken too soon though. Because before Terra reached the doorway, a voice spoke from the backdoor. Soft but infinitely more dangerous than any yell.
    “Drago.”

    The gun went off again. And like George had said, it was the last time.
    Holstering his pistol, the vampire looked up at Nona. “Let’s go.” His voice was emotionless, eyes indifferent; it was hard to tell if he’d cared about killing a team member.

    Christian didn’t look back, didn’t slow, but he did smile at the air in front of him. He hit the end of the block and headed back to Starbucks. Maybe he could track Darshan from there and fill the dragon in on what had happened so far. This whole situation was cropping up to be quite interesting.

    “Thanks,” Sahar said, a little nervously, and gently attempted to push herself away from Koran. “So, how about that mocha now?” The little giggle made her tense up, because that just did not seem like a good thing and oh shit, how did she get herself into this sort of thing?

    “I’m intervening,” Darshan said coldly. “The situation between myself and Terra has changed somewhat.” From uneasy truce to outright enmity. “Please remove yourself and the others from the house. Do what you have to do to keep them safe; use your own discretion. Don’t concern yourself for the younger Drache’s welfare. I’ll care for him.”
    He touched the wolf’s shoulder, absently, as if he wasn’t even thinking of the gesture, then moved towards the kitchen door. He positioned himself in the doorway, and looked down at Terra. “Hello, Terra.”

    “Of courssse,” Nona said, quietly. She didn’t seem as unaffected as George, as if the sound of the shot had bruised something in her. Or perhaps it was David’s earlier words which had done it. She leaned over and brushed David’s eyes shut with the palm of her hand. Then she motioned for George to lead the way out.

    This time, Koran didn’t seem to hear the little shifter. His other arm snuck up, sliding around her waist. He turned and tightened both arms so she came flush against him. Hands settled consideringly on her backside, giving a squeeze as he nuzzled her hair some more, again reduced to making soft cooing sounds.

    Luke stared after Darshan blankly for a minute, then shook himself. The two lions were exchanging glances, and Luke knew what they were all balking at. The idea of leaving Mace behind, when Terra was still in residence.
    But even if Darshan wasn’t a typical master, he’d given an order, and Luke felt the need to obey. He cleared his throat again, pulling up the command he possessed as second of the gang, and waved his hand again. Wes and Queenie hesitated, but eventually went. He leaned back to look into the parlor, and made little come on gestures at them. They were quick to hop to their feet and follow his instructions, all of them evacuating the house with all haste.
    Randi was looking kind of shell-shocked, the possession of one dragon and then another wearing heavy on her mind. Looks like she hadn’t been lying when she’d told Tala this gang was wilder than the homestead.

    The voice had stopped Terra in her tracks, though only for a second. Then she was turning, hate already twisting her features, and by the time she was facing Gift, the dark power was releasing. Heading straight for the other woman, with every intention of destroying.
    Except that Darshan appeared right then, snapping a piece of her attention to him. Some of the power doubled back, striking at him, because Terra felt cornered and she.didn’t.like.it.
    Mace, smart man that he was, had dropped from his chair onto the floor. He crawled under the table, reaching across the small area to grab Adrian’s legs, and hauled him under the table as well. He knew this fight wasn’t for either of them.
    “Don’t say a word,” he said under his breath to the healer, eyes sharp again as he watched the three pairs of legs he could see.

    George did indeed lead the way out, waiting for her to exit the room before closing the door silently after them. Then he calmly led the way to the elevator, and waited until both of them were inside before speaking.
    “Was he speaking the truth??” he asked, voice calm and almost casual. He wasn’t in any way angry at Nona, or thinking he was going to be; he just needed to know the truth, now.

    Suddenly, Sahar found herself pressed up against Koran, with his hands on her rear. And that was just Not Good. It wasn’t usually a position that would have bothered her, but she had heard enough about Koran to remain convinced that it was Not Good. “Koran, let go,” she said, with as much firmness as she could muster, reaching around behind her to try to remove his hands from her butt.

    No longer caught up in rage, the gold of Darshan’s eyes were cold and focused, centered on Terra. He leaned back on his heels when her power hit him, and rode it out. He didn’t retaliate, not yet, because there was something else he had to do first.
    “I wasn’t intending to,” Adrian said, then froze, because something, the sudden movement or the soft rasp of their voices, had drawn Darshan’s attention to them. He didn’t remove his eyes from Terra, but Adrian could practically feel the weight of his regard.
    “Mace,” the dragon said softly, and once again he reached out, a flood of dark power determined to wash away all in its path. Only this time there was something else to it as well, a deeper call which seemed to resonate in the blood.

    “About…?” Nona sounded puzzled, before realization dawned on her face. Then she just looked angry. “I guess you’re totally justified in asking that, all things considered, but you’re still a jerk. I wouldn’t do that, George.”

    “Pretty kitty,” Koran crooned against her hair, hands seemingly refusing to be removed. His fingers gently kneaded the firm skin of her rear, cradling her against him in…well, the most intimate of ways. It wasn’t hard for her to tell he was greatly enjoying this.

    Terra was a dragon, and a many-horned one at that. No one had ever second-guessed her powers and what she would do with them. But the problem with power, it was only as good as its wielder. Terra was so ferociously fixed on doing immediate and lasting damage, she didn’t know how to /work/ with her power.
    Gift was aware of that, and it took no effort to slide to the side and forego the stabbing pain Terra was trying to inflict. Unfortunately, Darshan was in that kind of range where he couldn’t deflect it, so the power landed there. Terra got that little amount of pleasure, at least, though most of her attention was still focused on Gift. Darshan was a new enemy. Gift was an old one.
    Though he was watching intently, Mace wasn’t afforded a good enough view from under the table to see faces. He could see feet, legs, lower torsos, and arms, but that was it. So he wasn’t aware of Darshan looking at them, because he was, quite honestly, more concerned with Terra at this point. So when he heard the other dragon say his name, and felt the rush of power hit him, he was taken by surprise.
    A soft grunt of pain was unavoidable and Mace’s eyes closed tightly. Terra had worked her bindings so much tighter on him than the rest of the gang, even if Darshan had tried to be gentle, it still would’ve hurt some. The fact that he felt the call resounding in his blood didn’t help matters, and Mace grabbed Adrian’s arm instinctively to stay in his crouched position.
    It had hurt Mace, but when Terra felt it, there was only fury. A roar of denial exploded from her and she whirled on Darshan, arm stretched out to allow her tight fist a chance to slam into his face. “DON’T YOU DARE!!”
    Even as she screamed, her power flooded the kitchen again, but this time it was at Mace. The shifter made a little moaning side from under the table, fingers tightening bruisingly on Adrian’s arm as the two dragon powers warred inside him.

    “I know, Nona,” he said softly. “But I’d forgotten what a call dragons have over shifters, even after remembering she could command you if given the chance. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about C.J., but I’m going to ask Tala the same thing.” He didn’t sound happy about this new-found realization, but it was still there, and he was level-headed enough to know what he needed to work with.

    “Let -go-,” Sahar said insistently, and there was a little shiver of fear in her voice. She gave the hands on her butt a harder tug, started to squirm, then thought the better of it when she noticed how much Koran seemed to be enjoying this. “Come on, Koran. This isn’t cool.”

    As Terra’s power flooded the kitchen, Darshan swore softly. She was determined, and if they kept this up, they were going to rip Mace apart.
    He jerked to the side in time to miss anything but a glancing blow from her fist to his chin. He grabbed her wrist with one hand, and her throat with the other, an unconscious parody of his earlier hold on her. This time, however, he simply shoved her back towards Gift.
    “I can take him if I want, you know,” he informed her. “I had ties to him before you even knew he existed.”
    He gathered his power, as if he was about to try Mace again. Instead, he unleashed it on her, a solid wall of power that swept across the space between them.

    “I underssstand,” Nona said. Her gaze swept downward, as if she didn’t want to look at him. “In all honesssty, I can’t sssay that ssshe won’t be able to sssway me. I won’t go willingly to her ssside, like David did, but ssshe might be able to force me.”

    “Kitty,” Koran crooned again, but this time there was an almost humming quality to his voice. Not the humming along to the radio kind of way either. It was musical and soft, and filled with power. And when one hand moved from her butt to rest at the base of her spine, his fingers were warm and pulsing with magic.
    “Pet pet pet the pretty kitty,” he murmured, nuzzling her hair again.

    “You’re not TOUCHING him,” Terra screamed at him. “He’s been mine for YEARS!”
    Gift was letting the dragons work out their little difficulties, watching herself for the perfect opportunity. Which Darshan was so generous as to provide, as Terra was sent stumbling backwards. She moved forward with silent speed, her own hands moving up to slide over Terra’s shoulders. The dragon was still too focused on Darshan to even notice at this point, and it wasn’t until she felt Gift’s fingers digging into a pressure point at the side of her neck that she realized.
    The entire left side of her body went numb, then felt like needles were slamming into every pore. It still didn’t stop her from feeling Darshan’s power, and it was him she was focused on now.
    “No!” she shrieked, kicking out one of her high-heeled feet towards his groin, until she felt that power wash around her. She hadn’t been prepared for it, and her body went limp in Gift’s grip.
    Gift reacted immediately, using the limpness of Terra’s body to push the dragon to the floor. She dropped on her back, digging her knee into her spine and tangling her hand in all that red-gold hair.
    Terra let out another yell, and again her power swelled. This time though, it carried a command on it. *MACE!*
    Mace made a sick sound but couldn’t stop himself from sliding out from under the table. His eyes were a little glazed, his heart beating way too fast as he walked closer to Gift and Terra. Hands clenched into fists at his side as he looked at the two females. He still felt that pull from Terra, telling him exactly what to do, but he was /trying/ to fight it.

    George glanced at her, then nodded. “You can’t help it, Nona; it’s not your fault. It’s just a shifter weakness. I’ll talk to Gift and see what she says.”

    Koran’s hand touched her spine, and Sahar sighed, her muscles relaxing without any conscious thought on her part. Suddenly, she felt deliciously warm, and not at all nervous. But that wasn’t right, was it? She frowned a little.

    As soon as Gift had Terra on the ground, Darshan’s power twisted and changed, and instead of a wall, it became whipcord thin, like a vine made out of iron. It twined around her, binding her power as surely as Gift’s strength bound her body.
    He heard Adrian whisper a protest to Mace as the shape-shifter came sliding out from under the table, and approached the two women. Most of his attention still fixed on binding Terra, Darshan reached out with one hand to grip Mace firmly by the back of the neck, pulling the other man back into him.

    “Okay,” Nona said softly. She licked her lips, and looked back up at him. “What do you think he meant? About not being the only one?”

    “Pretty kitty, pretty pet,” Koran continued cooing, fingers moving up and down the base of her spine. Like one would stroke a cat, to be sure. His other hand remained on her backside, pushing her into him with increasing enthusiasm.

    Terra grunted when she felt Darshan’s power on her, wrapping her own power in a thick cocoon of containment. Resentment and bitterness welled in her, edged with a fine black hate, and she bucked wildly beneath Gift. The Karnee simple tightened her hand in Terra’s hair, and used the opportunity to slam her face into he floor. Ah, so that’s what that felt like.
    Stunned for a second, tasting blood in her mouth, Terra paused. In time to see Darshan take hold of Mace. The hyena’s body relaxed immediately, eyes closing in something like relief. Not that it had really been his decision anyway, but he was glad the choice had been taken away from him. Darshan could keep a hold of him all he liked until this was over. Something bubbled in his blood, just being that close to the other dragon. Something that had never happened around Terra, oddly enough. Though probably for the betterment of all.
    Terra watched that for a second, then her face twisted. For a second, she was utterly still, then she erupted so quickly Gift didn’t have time to stop her. Her skin split, her hair dissolved, her mouth extended into a snout full of razor sharp teeth. The dragon bucked once, sending Gift sailing through the air to land on the table with a sharp crack. Then she rose to her scaled hind legs, topping Darshan this time, and claws clicked.
    Mace had watched the shift, and he couldn’t stop a little shudder. Yes, he’d seen it before, but it never bode well when Terra actually took her dragon form.
    *Let go of him,* a reptilian sounding voice hissed through Darshan’s mind. *Now.*

    Something shifted on George’s face, something sharp and wary. “I’m going to talk to Gift about that too,” he said, voice still quiet. “But I think he meant exactly what he said.”

    A purr started low in Sahar’s chest, but… wait. That wasn’t right either. That was dangerous, in fact. Her hands rose lazily, as if they were fighting against a great weight, and she placed them against Koran’s chest and pushed. “Stop.”

    Darshan looked up at Terra calmly, seemingly unimpressed by her display, as the invisible bonds around her power tightened, digging in like wire into skin. “Kinship is a bond that not even you can erase, Terra,” he said, coldly taunting. “He is mine.” Even as he said it, he felt the weight of the words settling on him. He had avoided those ties and responsibilities ever since he had awoken, and it felt strange to be claiming them now. “He wasn’t even yours to begin with.”
    Then he flung Mace away, towards Gift and Adrian and the table. He was shifting as he moved, lunging for her, wicked claws and sharp teeth reaching for the tender flesh of her belly.

    “Ssshit,” Nona said, with soft feeling. “Do you think… who?”

    Koran pouted a little when she pushed him again, and his hand left her spine, trailing upwards to her cascade of hair. He tugged on the ends gently, lightly, until he yanked hard, pulling her head back so their eyes could meet. His glazed eyes gleamed with that sadistic look people so often forgot about him, and he smiled something to match that look. It all seemed about ten times magnified though, and that would be thanks to the chocolate. Yuuuummmy chocolate.
    “Sahar,” he crooned, lips moving slowly towards her.

    *He was ALWAYS mine,* she hissed back, claws on her forelimbs clicking again. *No pathetic excuse for kinship that you’re claiming now can change that, Darshan.*
    Mace, for his part, was staying silent. Being the topic of an argument between two dragons wasn’t actually as cool as it sounded. And when he was flung away, he was all too eager to get out of dodge.
    Gift had sat up on the table, her face cold and removed. Her eyes reflected the light when she shifted one leg off the table, and she caught Mace’s flying body with ease. “Get out,” she murmured, just loud enough for Adrian to hear. “Both of you. Right now.”
    Terra met Darshan head-on, having a slight advantage since she was already shifted. Her own dagger teeth latched onto the side of his neck, snapping together like a bear trap on the soft skin there. Tail lashing behind her, one of her back legs lifted, claws digging for his own belly. All the while she was making harsh sounds in her reptilian throat, dark eyes burning with bloodlust.

    “Someone we know,” he said quietly. “Someone who’s going to make a difference, I think.”

    Sahar grunted softly as her head was jerked back, and when she saw the look in his eyes, she trembled. She drew back and hand, and hit him hard in the chest in an attempt to loosen his grip. Then she screamed, loud and long. Anything, anything to get Koran to let go.

    “Yes,” Adrian agreed quickly. He grabbed Mace by the wrist, and jerked the other man towards the kitchen door, which he opened quietly. He needn’t have bothered; he had the feeling that the dragons were too caught up in each other to notice anything else.
    There was no response from Darshan. He didn’t waste words. He roared as he felt teeth in his neck, and he reached up with one clawed hand to dig into her eyes. The other one found her belly, and he scraped them down, trying to claw at her flesh while still keeping her talons from his own stomach.
    He did have one advantage, though, and that was that his power was unbound. He gathered it with care, and unleashed it, pouring it into her, stabbing it through her, doing his best to drown her and burn her at the same time with crackling dark power.

    “We need to report thisss to Gift,” Nona said. “Sssoon.”

    “Yeeesss,” Koran hissed softly, eyes starting to gleam. “Scream for me, pretty kitty. Screeaaam.” He tugged on individual strands, actually pulling them one by one from her scalp as he kissed her bottom lip gently.

    Mace stumbled behind Adrian, eyes dazed. “Adrian…where…”
    Gift remained sitting on the table, resting her palms on either side of her, ankles crossing where they hung off the side. Calm eyes watched the two dragons going at it. She had no intention of getting involved if it wasn’t necessary, but she’d hang around for a little while. Might be fun.
    The sound of a reptile screaming should’ve brought goosebumps to everyone within hearing rage. Terra shook her head wildly, trying to stave off the power with what she couldn’t reach herself. Instead, she focused on the physical. Pushing hard with her balancing foot, she tipped Darshan over backwards and landed on him with a hard thud. It gave her a better angle in which to gnaw at his neck, and trapped both their claws between them so no damage could be done to either belly.
    Maybe she couldn’t beat him metaphysically, but she could behead him just as easily.

    “Soon,” George agreed, stepping out of the elevator when it opened. “Let’s go fill Tristan and Nolan in.”

    Sahar felt Koran’s lips on her own, so she bit down, hard. Then she screamed again, and started to shift, the hair that he was pulling on blurring into fur, eyes lightening to a deep, tawny gold.

    “Outside,” Adrian replied, “now.” He pulled the hyena ‘shifter the rest of the way out of the house, and shut the kitchen door behind them. “No matter who wins, that isn’t going to end well.”
    Inside, Darshan was doing his best to prove Adrian right. He clawed viciously at Terra’s face and throat as she took him to the ground, sharp-toothed mouth snapping as he tried to find skin without removing a chunk of his neck in the process. The physical fight only held part of his attention, however, as he continued to gather his power, continued to throw it at her in searing waves. She had put him at a disadvantage physically, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t reduce her mind to ashes.
    Not even Adrian would be able to repair the damage that he intended to do.

    “Yesss, sssir,” Nona said, with a weak smile, and led the way out of the building and into the parking lot. She shifted back into her fully human form, scales and hiss disappearing as she stepped into the weak afternoon sunlight.

    Koran jerked back slightly when the kitty bit him. What a naughty kitty. She needed to be punished now.
    The feel of a shifting shifter in his arms was fun. Especially when he was zinged on chocolate. Chocolate!
    A big happy smile came to his face, and his eyes darkened and flared red for a moment. This time when he spoke, the power came from a fiercer level. “Sahar, stop.”

    “My house,” Mace said, looking back over his shoulder. The word ‘end’ kept repeating in his mind. “Think we can get them to come out??” He was feeling weird enough now to joke around. First Terra, then Darshan, now Terra and Darshan… Mace was taking a vacation.
    A steady rumbling sound, mostly fury but with a growing pained edge, was coming from Terra’s throat, and her teeth sank deeper into Darshan’s neck. Then she ripped outwards, tearing out a chunk of meat for him. When he took an opportunity to snap at her, she pounced again. This time her muzzle closed over his, and she flung her head, trying to rip it off his face. The pain was starting to become excruciating, making her mind fuzzy and hot, but she knew if she caused enough damage to him physically, he wouldn’t be able to focus magically.
    Gift’s head tilted slightly, and she uncrossed her ankles to recross them the other way.

    George glanced up when the sun hit him, making his eyes squint a bit. He didn’t like the sun. Imagine that.
    Nodding towards Nona, he headed over to his car.

    Stop. Koran had said stop, and Sahar felt the rush of dragon power. So she stopped. Everything; shifting, speaking, pushing, screaming. She just stared.

    “I wouldn’t want to try,” Adrian replied. He turned to look at Mace, his eyes narrowing with a healer’s speculation. “Are you okay?”
    Darshan roared with rage and pain as she tore out a piece of his neck, blood gushing down to stain the pristine white of his shirt. He continued to claw at her face, and as her teeth closed over his muzzle, he felt the soft pop-squish of his talon sinking into her eyeball. He dug in, doing as much damage as he could.

    As she climbed into the car, Nona sighed. She leaned forward, and rested her head against the dashboard. “George? When we’re all done for the day, I want you or Tristan to buy me a martini. I think that a martini would seriously improve my outlook on today’s events.”

    “Good kitty,” Koran crooned, smiling happily now. She was like a toy! A pretty little windup toy that he could command at will. She could get him…more chocolate!
    There was so much happiness in Koran at that point, he couldn’t resist giving the kitty another little kiss. Soft kitty. Peeettable kitty. She might actually look a little better though, with some…blood streaks. Pretty red streaks across her cheekbones. Yes, that sounded nice.

    “I would,” Mace said contemplatively. “It took me a long time to find the perfect house in Vegas. Maybe I could have a word with Darshan right quick.” Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to say Terra’s name. “And I’m fine. Terra didn’t have time to hurt me. This time.” His voice was still contemplative as he studied his house.
    It didn’t seem to quite register at first, that one of her eyes was suddenly…not there. It played havoc with her peripheral view, that was for sure, but Terra was so focused on ripping Darshan’s face off, she honestly didn’t seem to notice. Until the pain sank in, along with an inch of his talon in her eye socket. It made her body shudder subconsciously, and made her hyperaware that he was still attacking her mentally, and that stupid Redfern bitch was at her back, just waiting for her opportunity.
    And Mace was gone. God/dammit/.
    With another roar, Terra ripped outwards again. She tore herself away from Darshan at the same time, losing a few chunks of tissue alone the way, and wings exploded from her back, letting her levitate towards the ceiling. She stared down at Darshan with her remaining eye, full of too many emotions to really pick through them one at a time. A low hiss emanated from her throat, and her claws curled again. It seemed she was going to make a diving attack towards the other dragon. At least until something heavy landed on her back.
    The silence with which Gift had Shifted would’ve been more amazing had the dragons not been making so much noise in the small space. As it was, the heavy lioness landed with silent accuracy on her target, nails digging into the spaces between scales. She crawled up the dragon’s back as Terra began to whirl around, unable to get proper maneuvering room with her long wings. The lioness snarled low in her throat as Terra whipped in a circle, then she buried incisors into the side of Terra’s neck. Much like she’d done to Darshan. Fancy that.

    “I think we’re going to let Tristan pay for it all tonight,” George commented, starting his car and pulling out into that lovely Vegas traffic.

    Sahar made a soft sound in the back of her throat, almost a whimper. She was caught between being terrified, and desperately wanting to please Koran. She leaned into the little kiss without fully intending to, as though her body was no longer entirely under her control… or, at the very least, as though the part of her brain which was now calling the shots was not at all rational.

    “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Adrian said softly. “In fact, I think that we should get a little bit further away from the house.” He smiled, grim and serious. “You see, I don’t much fancy the idea of Terra finding me again, either.”
    Gift was on Terra’s back, and Darshan took a careful step back, letting the Karnee take her turn dancing with the dragon. His face was bleeding freely where she had torn out pieces of his muzzle, and he raised his hand to stop the blood flowing from his neck. He didn’t completely relent, however, continuing to hit Terra with his power.
    He sent his mind questing out for Luke, using the momentary reprieve to assure himself of the gang’s safety.

    Nona’s laugh was a little muffled by the dashboard. “Huh. Good for him. I take it you haven’t told him that, yet?”

    Koran cooed happily at his new toy, thinking of allll the wonderful things he could do to her. Such pretty things with such sharp, shiny things---
    A hand closed on the back of his shirt and tugged him off Sahar. “Koran, let go.” Oblivion’s empty voice could cut through any amount of excitement, and Koran turned towards him with a little pout.
    “Oh On,” he whined. “I was just playing a little.”
    “You don’t play with her,” the vampire replied, pulling him further away. “You have other playthings for that. Let her go.”
    Koran pouted again, giving Sahar a brief look of regret before his power rolled back into himself.

    Mace looked at the healer, blinking blankish eyes at him. Then he shook his head and looked more focused, more alert. “Okay, you’ve got that right. Let’s find my gang.” He took off at a jog around the house, hoping they were still around.
    Terra shrieked, low and long, as she swirled sharply again. The lioness hung up, nails digging deeper, teeth biting in harder. Flapping her wings hard, Terra flew upwards and slammed her back into the ceiling. Or, more to the point, the nuisance on her back. When Gift didn’t immediately drop off, Terra did it again and again, with enough force on the last one to actually smash through the second floor.
    The lioness yowled against Terra’s neck, and slashed at the back of her head with her claws. Terra roared, finding herself in a cramped bedroom with next to no room. So she did what any cornered, angry, pained dragon would do.
    She exploded out of the side of the house.
    Luke’s mind was abuzz with activity, mostly worry and anxiety and some amount of anger and pain, because Mace was still in there. At least it meant he was still alive.

    “He knows,” George said pleasantly. “As soon as we said we were going after David, he knew.”

    “Oh…” Sahar stumbled back as she was released, blinking blankly at Oblivion. Then the dragon power rolled back, and she could suddenly think again. She sat down suddenly on the sidewalk, hard pavement jarring against her tailbone. “Well, shit.”

    With a silent nod, Adrian followed Mace, forcing his own legs into a trot.
    A soft snarl escaped from Darshan’s lips as Terra and Gift went through the kitchen ceiling and he lost sight of them. Then he heard the splintering of wood and plaster as the two women went out the side of the house.
    He turned, and went out the same side door that Mace and Adrian had escaped through. His mind was still focused on Luke’s, and he used that connection now. *Get everyone out of here, Mr. Wolfe. Mace and the healer are no longer in the house, but the situation is destabilizing rapidly.*

    “I guess,” Nona muttered. “Do you think that he would buy me dinner as well as a martini? And maybe a beer or two as well?”

    Koran looked down at her with his nice little insane smile, then giggled madly.
    Oblivion didn’t seem to notice, though his hold didn’t loosen on Koran’s shirt. “Sahar. Did you give him chocolate??”
    “Chocolate,” Koran crooned.

    Mace was preparing to round the corner of his house when it, well, exploded above him. “Shit!” he swore, looking up as the dragon tore out of his home. He was all too pleased to see she had a passenger though.
    Now that she had the room, Terra wheeled and whirled like a professional this time. The lioness clung tighter, dropping blood to the ground that was about twenty feet down. Terra snarled and banked sharply, heading towards a tree. The intent clear there, the lioness rasped a laugh and swung her body on the side of the dragon’s, so when Terra slammed into the tree, all she did was slam herself into it.
    Which, of course, just enraged her even further. A roar blasted into the sky and she did a few twists in the air, slinging the lioness from side to side. She managed to move herself about ten feet off the ground by then, and a sudden shift of her wings had her upside down and slamming down into the ground.
    The lioness made an oomphing sound, and Terra mashed her into the ground a little bit before she rose back into the sky. The big cat laid there for a second, looking rather similar to a squashed bug.
    *I hope you told C.J. you loved her the last time you saw her,* Terra hissed at Darshan as she wheeled into the dark sky, *because it will be the last thing you ever get to say to her, fucker.*
    Though he couldn’t reply telepathically, as that would just be too convenient, Luke sent a sense of agreement back to the dragon and rounded up the gang, moving them further out to the road. They weren’t going to move any further until Mace was actually with them, as the vast majority were staring at the house with willful eyes.

    “I’ll let you have the dinner, but I’m monopolizing the beer,” George informed her with a little smile.

    Sahar’s eyes had bled back to their normal brown, and they were very, very wide. “Uhm, yes. Was I not supposed to? No one told me I wasn’t supposed to!” She stopped, as something occurred to her. “Should I avoid getting him wet or feeding him after midnight, too?”
    Her head jerked up as a roar split the air for miles, and shuddered. Well, shit again.

    A vague acknowledgement came from Darshan, but by then he had caught up with Mace and Adrian - just in time to see Gift fall to the ground, and Terra go wheeling off into the sky.
    Then he heard her voice, echoing through his mind.
    Adrian had reached out for him, but he waved the healer off. “Take care of Gift,” he said, a voice so commanding that there was no choice but to obey. He launched himself into the sky, ignoring the little complaints of his body as he shifted, black wings bearing him upwards. Even then, he knew that he wouldn’t catch her in time.
    So he sent his thoughts racing outwards, looking for the one person that he trusted to keep C.J. safe, and who wasn’t currently squashed on the ground. *Christian!*

    “Bastard,” Nona said with a smile, and punched him lightly in the thigh. “This is probably all hypothetical, in any case. Am I right in assuming that none of us are getting to take a break for a while? Unless Gift kills us for fucking up so badly, in which case, we can drink when we get to Hell.” She actually sounded remarkably cheerful at the thought.

    “You should just avoid him after midnight,” Oblivion replied, eyes shifting to the side when he heard the roar. “I have to go check on Mace, and I’m going to take Koran with me. Are you alright on your own??”
    Koran was bouncing again.

    Mace winced when he saw Darshan, but either didn’t have time or couldn’t think of anything to say before the dragon was taking to the sky. Instead, he went over to Gift, dropping beside her. Resting a hand on either side of her big furred head, he leaned over her, looking in her eyes. “Gift. Can you see me??”
    *Mace, get out of my face,* came her amused voice in reply, as her tail lashed once against the ground. Mace grunted and leaned back, and watched grimly as the lioness actually had to peel herself up a little from the ground. Couldn’t be pleasant, getting mashed like that.
    But she didn’t seem the worse for wear, rising to her feet and giving herself a thorough shake. Mace rolled his eyes, recalling the Karnee’s healing abilities. If she could pass that around, she’d put Adrian out of business.
    The lioness seemed to be ignoring him by then, head tilted upward, following the paths of the dragons. *Darshan??* It was a multi-laced question; if he wanted her to tag along, if he wanted her to stay with the gang, if he wanted her to move to a position so that when he brought Terra down, she could rip her throat out. He got to call the shots this time.

    *Yes??* Christian’s voice was simple and direct; though there were things he wanted to add, by the tone of Darshan’s sending, he didn’t think it was time for that.

    “Depends how busy she is today,” George observed, eyes sliding out the window to watch the rolling clouds. “We might get our last break in before the slaughter starts.”

    C.J. purred softly in that just-waking-up way favored by most cats. She stretched out her legs, then her lower back, and snuggled deeper into the warm body holding her close. Though was quick to fall asleep, she was a lot slower in the waking up part.
    Several minutes passed as her mind buzzed awake, then she yawned hugely and leaned back. Glancing up, she saw Fang had dozed off, and gave a little smile. For all his tattle-telling, he was a real sweetheart. No two ways about it.
    But she was /famished/, as Adrian had promised, so she wiggled her way free of his hold. Sliding off the bed, she did another full-body stretch, then hopped around the bed towards the door of the suite. She was still dressed in Darshan’s shirt and boxers and seemed none too self-conscious about it. Amazing what a little healing and the promise of room service did to one’s mood.
    Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she head the cracking sound from the balcony. Head swiveling instinctively, cat curiosity poking its head about, she stalked that way, crossing her arms over her chest as she tried to peek through the drawn curtains. No such luck, so when she was close enough, she reached out a hand and pulled one of them back.
    A monster’s face stared at her from the bare foot separating her from the glass. His skin had that look like he’d been badly sunburned or windburned or something to that effect, and his eyes were glassy and hate-filled, and sooo sleepy. A horrible smile gently curved his lips and his hair was spiky and wild, his trench coat streaked with grayish lines.
    Jayden stared at her for a second, her frozen to the spot. Then he lifted up his foot and smashed his boot through the glass, shattering it and sending shards streaking over C.J.’s bare legs.
    At that point, C.J. screamed.
    At the same time, in the main area of the suite, Nolan stiffened against the wall. Then he pushed off it, eyes going absent, turning towards the door leading towards the hallway. “Tristan, people are trying to get through the wards.”
    Even as he spoke, the front door was blasted open with enough force to knock it off its hinges. Three men were standing just outside the doorway, two leaning against each side and one in the middle with a lazy smile. “Hello boys. Aren’t you going to invite us in??”

    “I’ll keep that in mind,” Sahar said weakly. She blinked slowly at Oblivion again, then climbed quickly to her feet, and started to brush herself off. “Yeah, I think I’ll be okay. Unless you think that there’s something I can do to help? You see, Terra was… Gift and Darshan are there.” She was trying to sound cheerful, and for the most part she was succeeding, although her voice broke once or twice.

    “I think she’s alright,” Adrian said, looking at Kersti’s mother with blue-gray eyes gone dark with the trials of the day.
    *Terra is going after C.J.* Darshan sent the thought to both Christian and Gift, and unfortunately, he didn’t seem capable of saying much beyond that. He caught the undertone’s in Gift’s question, though, and narrowed the telepathic communication so that it was focused on her. *Do what you think is necessary, Gift. I do not trust my judgment right now. I am too… overwrought.* He didn’t sound overwrought, except for an edge of that cold, dark rage that he had shown earlier. *She always was my weakest flank.*

    Glass shattered, and Fang sat bolt upright in bed. He didn’t even wait to see what it was; after that morning, he was too strung out for that. Instead, he yelled, loud enough to be heard in the main room, his voice blending with C.J.’s scream.
    “Hold them as long as you can,” Tristan told Nolan, his voice tight and his eyes on the men standing in the doorway. He turned and headed towards the bedroom, because he couldn’t afford not to, not with screaming and breaking glass. “Tala…”
    “You got it, baby,” said the were-wolf, who was already changing form, seemingly having no problem with the thought of providing her own security. What choice was there?
    *George, we’re under attack.* Tristan flung open the bedroom door even as he spoke to the other man telepathically, his handsome face grim and a gun already in his hand.

    Oblivion looked at her for a second. “If Terra’s there, you can’t be much help, Sahar. Go somewhere.”
    “Come with meeee,” Koran sing-songed, then giggled again.
    Oblivion shook his head and tugged the bouncing witch back towards Mace’s house.

    “Please, give that woman a cow, she’ll be good as new,” Mace said dryly, seeming in much better spirits now that Terra’s tail was disappearing into the distance. Life was looking up.
    At least until he heard a crash behind him. A sigh blew out of his mouth. “Did you have to kill my house??”
    *Yes,* Gift replied absently, still watching the two dragons. The thought of Terra going after C.J. now wasn’t an unsurprising one, but…she was going the wrong way. The Paris was in the other direction.
    Head swiveling briefly, the lioness rasped softly then took off across the lawn. On the last pad of a paw on grass, she leapt into the air and Shifted, and the eagle again took to the sky. *Darshan, she’s not going towards C.J. She might be leading you into a trap.*
    Christian didn’t need to hear anything else. He left his cup of reheated coffee and immediately headed for the Paris.

    “Tristan,” Nolan said, but the vampire had already gone into the bedroom. Shit. Nolan was good, even he could admit it to himself, but he had three or four other witches banging on his door, so to speak. He wasn’t going to be able to keep that door closed for long at all.
    Jacob was on his feet, his glare alone worthy of a kill as he stared at the three people in the doorway. “What the hell do you /want/??”
    Shoulders lifted in careless shrugs. “Just to play.” Several eyes watched Tala change, and bloodthirsty thoughts moved behind them.
    Jacob took a step in front of her, showing sharpening teeth. “I don’t think so.”
    C.J. had fallen to her butt, eyes huge and full of a bone-deep fear as she stared at Jayden. She wasn’t high enough, or drunk enough, for a confrontation with Jayden. Her heart was going pitter-patter and she wanted to hide under the bed.
    The man of her nightmares smiled again, then let his eyes flick up to the males that were in the room. “Fuck off,” he said succinctly. “I just want her.” He pointed a finger at C.J., fangs extending as his eyes went half-closed. The tiger froze where she sat, her own eyes glazing over slightly. He crooked his finger at her and she shakily rose to her feet.

    George blinked in some sort of surprise when he caught Tristan’s thought because, seriously, he just wasn’t expecting it. “How the hell does a band get into so much trouble,” he murmured, and pressed the gas down further as he started to zip through traffic.

    “No, probably not,” Sahar agreed, her expression troubled. She didn’t argue any further, but it wasn’t Terra who provoked her to choose the better part of valor. The truth was, she really did not want to be around Koran right that moment.
    Besides, she had just remembered what Gift had told her to do before things had gone strange. Starbucks, near the Paris. With a gusty sigh, she turned and trotted back the way she had come, towards IHOP and Starbucks and the light and glitter of the Strip.

    “I guess,” Adrian said, and he turned to look in the direction that Darshan had disappeared into. The dragon had not been in very good condition. He was going to need more than a cow.
    A minute of silence, before Darshan responded. *Or away from one. I will make my way to the Paris. Terra can run where she likes… for now.* He shifted his direction slightly, away from the path that the other dragon had taken and towards the hotel where he had left his soulmate that morning.

    Now in wolf form, Tala stepped up so that she was standing beside Jacob instead of behind him. Her lips lifted, white teeth gleaming in the lamp light.
    Tristan smiled a lazy, challenging smile as he stepped further into the room. He noticed that Fang had grabbed C.J. by the back of her shirt and was trying to tow her back, away from the broken window and the dangerous man who had broken it, and that was fine, that was good. “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but you can’t always get what you want.” The smile didn’t change, but Tristan’s eyes remained careful and shrewd, fixed on the man in front of him.

    “How bad is it? Should I call in reinforcements?” Nona asked tiredly, straitening in her seat, an imprint of the edge of the dashboard on her forehead.

    Koran cooed after Sahar's retreating form, at least until Oblivion gave his shirt a little tug. Then the two men started down the block, where they could see a rather large group of shifters gathered at the sidewalk.

    Mace looked after the threesome himself for a second, then shook his head and rose back to his feet. "Come on, Adrian." He resumed his trot around the house, feeling the undeniable urge to look over his shoulder. It seemed he was going to be doing that a lot, now that Terra had had him and had now lost him. She was going to want him even more now.
    Christ, he needed a drink.
    *Good idea,* Gift agreed, though when Darshan turned, she remained on course. She saw flickers of color from Terra through the dark sky and followed them. Darshan was going to need some time to recuperate from his fight, but she didn't.

    "Oh, big puppy," one of the vampires crooned, and made a "come on" gesture. "Why don't you come out here and show us just how bad you really are??"
    Nolan's eyes were glazed, lips pursed tightly. A slight strain was pinching the corners of his eyes and he felt the edges of the ward start to peel inward. /Shit/. If they got through the wards, they were all going to be boxed in.
    "Tristan!" he shouted, following the other man's path to the bedroom.
    Jayden smiled again, lazy eyes sweeping over the other vampire. "But sometimes, you can." His lashes swept down in a slow blink and C.J. screamed again, then tore free from Fang and lunged towards Jayden.

    "Not sure yet," George murmured back, careening around a corner before slamming to a halt in front of the Paris. *Tristan, how bad??*

    Adrian walked sedately after Mace, looking tired. It wasn't from healing; he hadn't done enough of that to deplete him. It was the bone-deep exhaustion that bordered on despair and came from seeing Terra again, from having Terra try to claim him again. Goddess, but he hated that woman... and there just weren't many people that Adrian hated. But he feared her too, and that put a weary, desperate edge on the hate that rubbed his nerves raw and left him feeling drained and tightly-strung at the same time.
    "Damn," he muttered, even though the word sounded strange on his tongue, and ran a hand through his hair.
    As the two men rounded the front of the building, Mace in the lead, Zeke looked up. The expression that stole across his face when he saw the gang leader was one of open relief. He didn't say anything, simply reached out, jabbed Luke in the shoulder, and pointed.

    It was difficult to say whether Darshan had picked up the undertone to her thought-speech, or simply saw that she wasn't heading in his direction and made the obvious assumption. *Good hunting, Ms. Redfern* he said. *Call if you need aid.* Then he was off, wings beating in earnest. He was healing, but slowly, and painfully, the muscles in his neck spasming as they tried to knit themselves together. He would have to feed, and soon... but first, he had to make sure that C.J. was alright.

    The wolf's lips simply lifted in a snarl again. She was obviously, and with an effort, holding herself back, waiting.
    *Get them out of here, Nolan* Tristan told him, knowing that there was no way for the other man to respond. *Take Acacia and the others and get the hell out, if you can. I'll take care of Tigre.* Who had just pulled herself free of Fang, and thrown herself at Jayden. Tristan cursed softly and flung himself forward, punching her hard in the chest. It was meant to be a stunning blow, but he wasn't about to pretend that it hadn't been the tiniest bit cathartic as well.
    *If you don't get here soon, there's not going to be anyone left to rescue* he snapped at George. Then he lunged at the man on the balcony, already beginning to suspect that it would all be in vain.

    Although his hand was knocking on the door in front of him, Kawada's head was tilted back, staring at the ceiling. It had been one thing to sense the subtle battle of powers after stepping into the hotel, but now his sensitive ears could -hear- the commotion, a floor above or maybe two. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "I thought that this sort of establishment was supposed to be above that sort of thing."

    Mace glanced back at Adrian once, seeing the drawn look on his face. If there was one person who understood his fear of Terra, it was the healer, that was for sure.
    Once they'd rounded the corner and Mace saw all of his gang was there and intact, he slowed. Waiting for Adrian to get into step with him, then shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. "If I were you," he said slowly, voice low, "I think I'd ask Gift to put me in a safehouse." He glanced at him. "You and your girlfriend."
    Luke glanced sharply at Zeke, then turned to where he was pointing. The relief was evident on his face as well, then on everyone else's as they looked over and saw Mace too. Several whoops were released, and a few people jumped up and down in excitement. "Mace!"

    Gift sent acknowledgement back, then continued on her way.

    Nolan's thoughts, though unable to be actually sent mind-to-mind, were broadcasted loudly. Get four people out of a surrounded hotel room, when all of the exits were covered?? Yeah, real easy to see why Tristan was second of the team, uh huh.
    A grim look suffusing his features, Nolan reached the bedroom and reached in, hauling Fang out by the back of his shirt. "Tristan's got her, we've got to get all of you out of here," he said, voice low as he surveyed the other people. Jacob and Tala were both staring heatedly at the doorway and the taunting vampires there; they wouldn't be hard to protect. Kersti though was still sitting on the couch, staring at the door as well, but with wide eyes. Nolan broke into a cold sweat as he looked at her; he'd be much more optimistic if his boss's daughter wasn't in his hands right now. Especially when he felt his wards starting to be forcibly peeled back, inch by slow inch. He hated the thought of dropping them and leaving Tristan completely unprotected, but it was going to happen anyway. Better to save these people than none at all.
    "Alright people, come here," he said briskly, still with a hold on Fang's shirt as he went over and grabbed Kersti's wrist. He pulled that pair over to the other, and situated them all in a little lop-sided square. "I'm going to drop the wards from the suite to surround us, like a box. Then we're going to walk out of here as fast as we can. Ignore the people outside; they can't hurt us as long as we move fast enough. /Don't/ step more than two feet away from the group, or you won't be in the box anymore. I have to focus on keeping people out, not people in, so they won't stop you from leaving the protection. Everyone clear??"
    Kersti swallowed and nodded jerkily, thinking she was so relieved Adrian had left before this hit.

    C.J. let out a pained grunt when Tristan's fist hit her, the vampire's blow sending her sprawling back onto the bed. Jayden clicked his tongue, eyes amused now as he looked at Tristan. "I like your style, but aren't you supposed to /prevent/ that from happening??"
    His tongue clicked again when Tristan lunged at him. It was the most obvious course of action, and the most over-used. Because, seriously, Jayden had had enough people lunging at him to know exactly what to do. When Tristan got close enough, Jayden grabbed him by the shirt, lifted up, and let his own momentum send him right over the balcony's railing. What could be more simple??

    "Shit," George swore softly, tearing his door open and racing inside. *Come on Nona, hurry.* He bypassed the elevator again, taking the stairs three at a time.

    The door opened and Ry gave the vampire a lazy smirk. "You're just in time for the show. I think it's just getting really good." He opened the door wide enough to let Kawada pass through, his own eyes rolling upwards briefly. "They've been going at it for about the last ten minutes or so."

    "I'll try to convince Kersti to go," Adrian said in a low voice, "but I can't. There's going to be a need for a healer before this is all over, I think." He didn't look happy, but steady and resigned.
    "He's alright," Zeke said, and the tone of voice was more speculative than questioning, as though he was wondering to himself if this was really the case.

    Fang was protesting loudly at the thought of leaving C.J. behind, over Nolan's terse instructions. Then he felt the gentle prick of teeth against his leg, not yet breaking skin, but close. He looked down, and found a pair of yellow eyes glaring up. Tala withdrew, but there was a set of perfect little holes in left in his pant's leg.
    "Clear," Fang said sullenly. It would seem that 'shut the hell up' was one thing which could cross the species barrier.

    Tristan had a moment of clarity. In this moment of clarity, a small, snippy voice in his head informed him that he was a moron.
    Then he was falling, wind whistling past his ears. He twisted around so that he wouldn't land on his back or his face, but even then he knew that he wasn't going to come out of this unscathed, that the fall was too far even for a vampire.
    His feet hit the pavement, accompanied by the sickly sound of both of his legs breaking.

    There was no response from Nona; she simply vaulted after her boss, long legs racing up the stairs.

    "Who exactly is your upstairs neighbor?" Kawada asked, with one of his smirking little smiles. Trust Ry to pick out the interesting hotel.
    He stepped inside, just in time to see a blur of black go falling past Ry's window. Was that...? "Huh."

    "Adrian, Terra is out to /get/ you," Mace said, voice dropping even lower. "She's going to want you even worse now, and you're not going to be any help to anyone if she gets you."
    Luke squinted towards the gang leader. "He's got that protective look. Must be trying to get Adrian out of dodge."
    "Speaking of which, are /we/ getting out of dodge??" Randi felt compelled to inquire.

    Nolan glanced at Jacob, who gave a short nod as well, and the witch closed his hands. Fingers twitched at his sides, then the wards around the suite constricted. The breaking ends repaired themselves as he brought them in, forming a thick square box around them. He made sure they were completely covered, even underneath their feet about half a foot down and through the floor.
    "Okay, start walking," Nolan said quietly. The vampires had already started coming in, apparently been given the all clear from their witch counterparts.
    "Oh, leaving so soon??" one of them crooned, reaching out towards them. He jerked his hand back when his fingers got burned on the wards, then rolled his eyes. "How clever. Adam!" The yell was sent over his shoulder, and two more men walked into the room. Nolan tensed, ushering the band along as the witches came closer.

    Jayden glanced over the railing at the falling vampire, then rolled his eyes and turned back to the broken balcony doors. It would seem style didn't account for brains.
    Just as he reached the door, the wards dropped. He smiled and walked into the room, bending over casually to pick up a shard of glass as he went to the bed. C.J. was making harsh little wheezing sounds, rubbing her chest where Tristan had hit her. She was having a bad day, but when she felt the bed give, and focused her eyes on the person who'd climbed on it with her, her day plummeted to hell.
    Jayden smiled at her and she screamed again, already trying to scramble off the bed. But he grabbed her and threw her against the headboard, before grabbing her ankle and hauling her back down so she was on her back. C.J. stared up at him with the kind of horror one usually only felt towards death.
    Then again...
    Jayden straddled her belly, knees digging into her triceps and making her squirm. At least until he rested the pointiest edge of the glass right under her left eye. "Wiggle again, and I'll push down," he crooned.

    Christian heard the whistling as he reached the hotel and paused long enough to look up. And paused a little longer, to watch as someone flew out of the sky and landed at his feet. With the sick sound of bones breaking.
    He looked at the man for another minute, determined he was a vampire and wasn't in danger of his life, then shifted into his hawk form and flew straight up. Yeah, he just knew the vampire had fallen from the band's suite. No questions needed.

    George lengthened his stride, able to hit four stairs at a time as he headed upstairs. Momentarily lapse in judgment, as he'd forgotten the band was on the top floor. Shit.

    "A band," Ry explained, which about covered it in his mind. Though this ruckus was a bit different than the one he'd heard last night.
    He glanced towards the window and another smirk appeared. "I was waiting for that. Drink??"

    "I'm not going to be any help to anyone locked up in a safehouse, either," Adrian said reasonably. "Besides, she's also after you, Mace. Do you intend to ask Gift to put you in a safehouse, too?" His smile was a little strained, and his eyes were haunted. "Believe me, Mace, I have no desire to be under Terra's power again. The things I did to please her, they were... atrocities. Evil. I'll do what I have to in order to keep myself safe..." Including not taking anymore house calls, possibly, "...but I won't hide."
    "Good luck," Zeke muttered. He glanced at Randi, and shrugged. "That depends on what Mace decides to do. Maybe. I imagine that anywhere-but-here sounds pretty good to him right now." He reached up, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "The problem is, Terra will probably follow us wherever we go. She wants Mace. Always has."

    "I'm thinking we should go a little faster than a walk," Fang muttered.
    It was difficult to say whether Tala's menacing little snarl was intended for him, or the men lingering just outside the wards.

    For a minute, Tristan couldn't feel his legs. A minute later, he only wished that he couldn't feel his legs. They didn't just feel broken, they felt shattered, as if they had been crushed into little tiny pieces and all those little tiny pieces were grinding against each other. There was blood on the pavement, where bone had broken skin.
    Shit.
    Carefully, he tuned out the pain, and assessed the situation. It hurt like hell, but he would live. He would probably even heal. And somehow, in the fall from the balcony, he had managed to keep a hold on his gun. All in all, things could have been worse. Except for one thing: now he was down here, and C.J. and the man were still up there.

    It seemed that Nona had the same thought, because on the third-floor landing, she suddenly broke off from him, running towards the elevators and jabbing the button. There was no telling which way would be faster at this point, but Tristan and Nolan needed reinforcements now.