The Styles Brothers

Chapter Twenty Two: Family

Elena's POV

Harry and I ran down the endless hallways, back to the guardian throne room. Our hands intertwined, the warmth from his rough palm enclosing mine in comfort. With a worried glance at me, he stopped at the door.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

I silently mulled over what we were about to do.The fight or flight response had kicked in. And we had chosen to fight. Fight for what we loved and what we believed in, whether it be freedom or one another.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline and confidence combined, I leaned in and pressed a hard, long kiss to Harry's surprised mouth. His were soft; chapped by the harsh wind.

When I pulled away, the familiar green eyes sparkled, already knowing my answer.

I turned back to the door and placed a hand on it. With a push, we burst through.Immediately, a Night Crawler was upon us. With a throaty growl, it lunged.

I knew what to do. I grabbed the dagger out of my thigh sheath and slammed it into the heart of the demon as it charged, deftly avoiding its outstretched black arms. While it dissolved to ash, I saw movement in the corner of my eye. Whipping around, I slashed flailingly at the large black bird streaking towards me; disintegrating mid-air.

Harry was locked in hand-to-hand combat with the other hooded figure, the one that wasn't Lily. Taking a leg sweep, the person knocked Harry clear onto his back.

As Charles de Carmelo watched in delight at the violence before him, I launched myself toward the figure before it could land a punch on Harry's shocked face.

Bad idea.

In seconds, the figure had me pinned; I struggled beneath them as they straddled my waist, Harry moaning in pain on the ground a few feet away from his impact. In the darkness behind the gray hood, I caught sight of a familiar, glowing pair of turquoise eyes.

"Koi?" I cried.

Koi pushed the concealing fabric back with one hand, the other still restraining me. "Hello, Victoria."

"I thought you were a human!"

"You thought wrong," he smiled, revealing sharp teeth. My insides chilled. Raising a hand, Koi flicked his wrist and I gasped at the small black claws that appeared on his fingertips. The back of his hand was oddly hairy, and his teeth were growing ever sharper; his voice more growl than human. With a shock, I realized Koi's entirety.

A werewolf.

My eyes widened with terror as he grinned wolfishly down at me. With deliberate slowness, Koi dragged a single claw across my cheek almost sensually, had it not been for the agonizing sting it brought with it.

Then Harry appeared at our sides. With an angered yell, he grabbed Koi's neck, flinging him to the ground beside me. Koi let out a loud roar at the impact. With a hand wrapped around the werewolf's shoulder, Harry vanished, taking Koi with him.

I scrambled to my feet, eyes wheeling wildly for the pair; breathing heavy and rapid. Harry had obviously teleported Koi somewhere, but where?

A moment passed, and Harry reappeared at my side, dripping wet and alone; clearly out of breath. I flung my arms around him in relief, despite his soaking exterior. "Oh my God. You scared me so badly." Then confusion kicked in. "Where's Koi?"

"Werewolves can't swim," Harry winked. "He's somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean."

I let out a breathy laugh, still shaken up from his sudden disappearance. "He'll doggy paddle."