The Arwain Chronicles Book I

Chapter Six

The Arwain Chronicles: Birth Of A Following; First Recruits...

"Can I join you," Dan didn't have to look around to her to know who it was. The light English accent in the voice betrayed its owner's identity.
Turning to look up at the vampire, he smiled, "Sure, have a seat." Dan turned back to find Claire looking at him incredulously for a moment before the expression vanished from her features. Despite the fact that by all looks of it, Claire seemed relaxed, Dan knew she was on guard just in case the vampire tried anything.
Dan regarded Elly, Carol and Victor as the three appeared shortly after Aliya, the vampire. Elly, who seemed to be pissed off by something, was leading the rest. Elly wordlessly sat down beside Claire fixing both he and the vampire seated beside him, a hard stare. Dan couldn't shake the feeling that he was part of the reason she was in such a foul mood.
Dan's head turned away from her as Chloe, the other new student, walked up to the table and quietly sat down beside Aliya. They were now seven in total seated at the table. On one side were Claire, Elly, Carol and Victor, the last two of whom were eyeing him, Claire and Aliya suspiciously. On the other side was he, Aliya and Chloe. Dan, for some reason, could not keep off the smile that came to his face as he regarded the new occupants of the table. "If we are going to share a table, we should at least get to know each other," he spoke up. "I'm Daniel, just call me Dan," he said though he knew that they'd all heard him introduce himself in their first lesson.
There was a moment of silence as they all regarded him, before Claire finally shrugged and said "I'm Claire, Claire Ravencloft." Dan watched as four shocked expressions turned to Claire. The three werewolves and the necromancer turned to look at her anew. Both their unease and guard going a few notches higher. “Yes, daughter of the one and only," Claire verbalized the thought that Dan knew was going through the minds of the four. From the easy smile on her face Dan could tell that, in spite of herself Claire liked the fact that the others at the table knew that she wasn't one to trifle with.
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The reaction of the other four seated on table was not lost on Ailin as she turned to regard them then looked back at the hunter. Whoever she was, taking from the reactions of the others seated at the table, she wasn't one to take lightly. Being from London, she wasn't yet acquainted with her, or her parents, her words making it abundantly clear that her family name was well known. "Aliya," she spoke up, calmly introducing herself.
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"Elliana," Came the cold voice of the werewolf seated next to Claire. The fact that she'd not introduced herself as Elly, told Dan that she didn't particularly like them at the moment.
"Carol," her best friend followed her suit briefly introducing herself. From the way she seated herself close to Elly, Dan could tell she was ready to move to the defense of her best friend in case of anything.
"Victor Raymond," came the calm voice of Elly's older brother. For some reason, Dan found himself liking the guy. Something about him spoke of intelligence courage and loyalty to those closest to him.
"Chloe," the necromancer briefly introduced herself too.
"Nice tats, by the way," Dan complimented.
Dan's eyes widened. Without actual conscious thought to it he leaned backwards on the bench. His knees were hooked under the table to support his weight and keep him from falling fully to the floor as he hang in the air parallel to it. Chloe's tray flew over him and crashed noisily onto the floor creating a mess as it spilled its contents onto the floor.
"I think what you mean to say is 'nice tits'. And no, most girls as you can see, won't count that as a compliment," Claire spoke up as Dan rose back to an upright sitting position confusion marring his features.
Dan confusedly turned to look at Chloe who was sending him a death glare. "Uuh, I think I know the difference between tits and tattoos," he spoke up.
Dan turned from one to the next of the five confused gazes and one disbelieving gaze turned to him. "What?" he posed not getting why they were all looking at him like they were.
"What are you talking about Dan? What tattoos?" Claire questioned him.
"Her tattoos," Dan spoke up pointing at Chloe. A bit of annoyance had started creeping into his voice at the fact that she'd just thrown a whole tray of food at him simply for complimenting her tattoos.
"Did you hit your head somewhere Dan?" Claire posed the confusion still present in her voice.
"No, why the fuck would you ask that?" Dan threw back a bit more harshly than he'd intended.
"Uuh... She's got no tattoos on her," Claire replied calmly despite the harshness of his voice.
Dan turned to regard her. She wasn't trying to pull one over him, her expression was genuinely worried. Dan turned to the others seated at the table, they all still had the look of confusion on their faces. He at last turned to look at the tattoos he could see on Chloe's arms from the back of her fingers moving all the way up all till they disappeared under the sleeves of her top. "Are you telling me that none of you can see her tattoos?" he posed.
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She'd found herself unable to control her rage at his words. He must have been in her first high school or have heard about her from those she'd been with in her first high school, and was now making fun of her as all the rest in her past had done. No part of Chloe's mind had considered it even remotely a possibility that he might actually be able to see the tattoos.
Her heart was now pounding hard within her as she listened to him question the others as to whether they really couldn't see her tattoos. Slowly raising the back of her hand to him, her heart beating harder the higher it rose. "What's drawn here?" She posed into the silence that had followed Dan's question.
His head turned to her, his eyes studying the back her hand. "the Egyptian hieroglyph for Anubis, god of the dead, protector of the underworld," he replied.
Dan along with everyone else seated at the table watched as the colour drained from Chloe's face as she stared unbelievingly at him. Her mouth voicelessly opening and closing but no words coming out. "I... I... Uum, I've got to go," Chloe spoke up nervously at last quickly rising from the table and making her way from the cafeteria.
Dan turned to watch her leave the cafeteria before turning to look at the rest who'd remained seated. They were all looking at him, a new kind of confusion in their eyes. None of them spoke, Dan wasn't sure whether it was lack of something appropriate to say or fear of him.
"Uh oh," Carol's voice was heard. Looking up at her, Dan found her gaze fixed at a point behind him. Turning to find the cause for her expression, Dan's gaze found Greg just as he rose from his seat and started moving towards them.
Dan's jaws clenched, he wasn't in the mood to get into any confrontation with anyone at the moment. Judging by the glare Greg had pinned on him, one would not be avoidable. Greg came to a stop beside the table, right next to where he was at the moment seated. Everything about his body language was screaming that he was looking for a fight. "You and I have got some unfinished business," he half said half growled in a dangerously low voice.
"Look," Dan began trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. "You and I got off to a wrong start. Sorry for how I acted in the morning," Dan said genuinely, part of him still hoping he could avoid a confrontation with Greg. "Hopefully, we can put all of that behind us," he said extending an open hand to Greg.
Greg's eyes moved to his open hand then back to regard him. Dan's jaws clenched even harder his lips forming a tight line as they pressed hard against each other. All thoughts of handling this peacefully quickly leaving him as he regarded his open palm where Greg's spit had just landed.
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Claire could feel the beat of her own heart rise as he regarded Dan from across the table. She'd found herself to a level impressed by the way Dan chose to handle the situation despite the fact that the werewolf had come clearly looking for a fight. For a moment, she'd thought the werewolf would take his hand but then he'd spat on it instead. With fear coiling a tight grip around her heart, she watched as fury etched itself onto Dan's face. His jaws were tightly clenched his lips in a tight straight line as he regarded his open palm.
She watched as a smile that did not reach his eyes slowly formed on his face as he turned to look up at the werewolf. "Lick it up," He spoke through gritted teeth, in a dangerous voice that was barely above a whisper yet clearly heard by all seated at the table. Claire could not, despite all her efforts to, dampen down the fear she felt. Of all those seated at the table, she was the only one who'd seen first-hand what Dan's rage could be like.
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Elly sat frozen watching the scene before her unfold. It was already abundantly clear how this was all going to end. Yet she found herself conflicted. If Dan had been human as they'd initially thought him to be, then this would have all been so much easier. She could simply step in and stop Greg from doing any kind actual harm to Dan. Even now that it turned out that Dan was a hunter, she would still have to intervene. Only this time, much as she loathed the thought, it would be in Greg's defense. Greg was pack and pack always came first. If they fought, she Victor and Carol would all have to move to Greg's defense.
Her teeth gritted hard as she watched Greg lean in closer to Dan. "I have a better idea," Greg replied in a low voice before swinging hard at Dan with his right arm.
Six pairs of eyes widened in shock as they looked on at the cold emotionless mask Dan's face had transformed into. Elly's eyes disbelievingly moved to where Dan's hand had stopped Greg's hand mid-swing and was now holding it. No hunter had the strength to physically block the punch of an omega, let alone an alpha. Greg's hand however was now held unmoving in Dan's vice grip.
"Last chance," Dan spoke in a dangerously low voice. It was only now that Elly realized that the other hand he had held out to Greg as an offer of peace had not moved an inch. Greg's left hand swung hard at Dan, only it wasn't curled up into a fist as his right had been. He had his palms open, his claws drawn. Elly knew he was counting on the speed with which he made this attack to keep the other humans from noticing his not so human attributes and also to catch Dan unawares.
However the force of impact with which Dan's closed fist made contact with Greg's sternum before his swing could meet Dan's face, made everyone on the table wince as an audible crack was heard. Faster than Elly had ever seen any human or hunter for that matter move, Dan took hold of Greg's clawed arm twisting it. As the hand Greg had spat on, covered the side of Greg's face and slammed his head hard into the table.
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Dan was doing everything in his power to keep from totally losing it. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened to Athena. How was it that the werewolf couldn't see that he had a snowball's chance in hell of beating him? He was sure his jaws would break simply from how hard they were clenched. He used every ounce of will and control he had to keep from breaking the hand he now held twisted behind Greg's back.
He was sure he'd broken his sternum from the punch he'd connected with Greg's chest. He wasn't sure how long it took werewolves to heal bones and at the moment, he didn't really care. Taking his time so that it sank down deep in Greg's mind who was who between the two of them. Dan smeared the spit all over Greg's face, before running his hand through his hair to make sure his hand was completely dry.
Gripping the locks of hair at the back of his head Dan jerked Greg's head back hard and spoke, "You don't have to be my enemy Greg. Soon enough I'll have enough of those. But give me the reason Greg, and I assure I won't hesitate to break you," he warned before letting him go and sitting back down, perfectly aware of the stares from the others seated at the table.
Greg rose back to full height and regarded him with a glare of pure unbridled hate and rage fixed on him. He didn't bother to look back at him. Partly owing from the fact that Dan didn't feel the least bit threatened by him. And also partly from the fact that Dan wasn't sure he would be able to control the urge to break every bone in Greg's body if he made eye contact with him again. For his own sake, Dan was genuinely hoping that Greg didn't do anything stupid.
Dan didn't trust himself to look up even as Greg walked away, lest he be unable to resist the urge to go after him and make him truly submit. "Close your eyes," Dan looked up at Claire's urgent whisper.
"What?" Dan asked not sure he'd heard her right.
"Close your eyes," Claire repeated with more urgency.
"Why?" Dan queried in confusion, still not seeing the sense in her request.
"Just trust me and keep your eyes closed," Claire spoke through gritted teeth, rising from her seat and taking him by the hand and pulling him up and along after her.
Dan felt dumb walking around with his eyes closed following after Claire as she led him by hand to who knows where.
Dan heard a door swing open and instinctively held out his hand to keep it from swinging back into his face. They finally came to a stop within whatever room they'd just entered. "Stay there, let me first make sure we are alone," he heard Claire say to him causing an eyebrow to rise high on his face.
“Not happening buddy," Claire answered the question written all over his expression. In spite of himself Dan couldn't help the slight disappointment he felt. A smile however crossed his face a second after. He could have sworn he heard her say 'at least not today,' under her breath as she moved away from him.
"Well can I at least open my eyes now?" Dan asked.
“Sure," Claire replied.
Dan opened his eyes to find Claire opening the doors to the stalls in one of the bathrooms. "What are we doing in the girls bathrooms?" he asked. Despite the fact that Dan had had his eyes closed, after four years of going to the school he knew how all the boys bathrooms looked like. The one they were in definitely wasn't one of them.
"You need to call Ember," Claire said turning to him after checking the last stall. "Why?" Dan asked still not getting why Claire seemed to be alarmed.
"Because of that," Claire said pointing at Dan's reflection in the mirror.
Turning to the mirror, Dan took a startled step backwards from his own reflection, immediately seeing what she was going on about. Instead of their normal blue colour, Dan's reflection was looking back at him with crimson red eyes.
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Silence had engulfed the table after Dan left the table being dragged away by the hunter Claire. They'd all disbelievingly watched as the blue leeched away from Dan's eyes and be replaced by Crimson red as he delivered the warning to Greg. He was an alpha. She was still in shock at the sight of the deep crimson hue Dan's eyes had taken. If the popular belief that the deeper the hue a were's eyes took the stronger they were, then Dan was almost as strong as her own father, if not stronger.
In spite of herself, the first words out of Elly's lips were, "He's not a hunter." A smile slowly crept across her face as she regarded the doors through which he'd disappeared through with the hunter, letting the realization sink in.
"Yeah but then, what is he?" Victor voiced the question that had been in all their minds. None of them had been able to sense his animal form.
"May be he can hide it," Carol suggested, though her own voice betrayed that she didn't actually believe what she'd just said.
"Did you see how deep the colour of his eyes was?" Elly went on, the words of her brother and best friend only barely registering in her mind. From the silence that had followed her question, Elly knew that they too had seen them and that they too knew what they meant.
"A were that strong, his animal should have had a strong presence," Victor went on apprehensively looking at the cafeteria doors.
"And how easily he blocked Greg's attack," Elly went on unable to stop herself.
"Will you stop gushing for one minute and think," Victor shot at her sister.
Her brother's curt words had the desired sobering effect bringing a bit of composure back to her. "One way or the other," she said turning to them. "The answers to those questions won't be answered from this table," she said rising from the table with a smile and moving towards the entrance of the cafeteria.
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'Ember,' Dan called out through the bond that linked him to his guardians. 'Could you come to the school,' he asked.
'Is something wrong,' Dan could hear the note of immediate concern even in her mental voice.
'Uuh... I'm not sure,' Dan replied still eyeing himself in the mirror.
'Send me the image of where you are,' Dan heard Ember's voice in his head.
'What?' he returned confusedly through their bond.
'Memorize the place you are in right now and send the image to me, so that I can come directly to where you are,' Ember elaborated.
'Oh, okay,' Dan returned as he looked around at the bathroom burning every detail of it into his mind. When he was finally satisfied that he had a clear picture of it he closed his eyes and willed for Ember to see the same image as was in his mind's eye.
"You can open your eyes now," Dan heard Ember's voice right before him less than a second later. He did. Dan's face contorted in confusion as he watched the side of Ember's lips tilted upwards in a half smile at the sight of him, instead of the confusion or apprehension he'd expected to see. "I was wondering what you'd turn out to be. Though I must say I already had a pretty good guess of what it would be," she said.
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Dan questioned.
"What's happening to you is really rare but it does on occasion happen." Ember informed him. "When the bond between a witch or wizard and his or her guardians runs much deeper than a simple master-servant bond to the master, then the bond becomes strong enough to link the wizard or witch to some of the abilities of their guardians," Ember explained simply. "In simpler terms," she went on. "Kirra, Karra, Athena and I mean a lot more to you than simply being your servants therefore the link between us is much stronger than the normal master-guardian bond, and that is why, you possess some of our abilities," she elaborated.
"Wait, so his red eyes are..." Claire spoke up.
"As a result of the bond he has to Both Kirra and Karra," Ember finished her statement. "Wait, so I'm a weretiger?" Dan questioned confused.
"Not exactly," Ember replied. "The bond you have with us links you to our powers, it doesn't make you us. So while yes you will have the strength the speed and agility of a weretiger, you are not a weretiger," she went on to say. "Out of pure and simple curiosity,” Ember continued a smile on her face. "Did you honestly think it was your incredible athletic ability that enabled you to outrun both Kirra and Karra after only a week of training?" she asked a teasing note in her voice.
Dan went pink.
"So that's why I thought I could sense lust from both Elly and Carol earlier on," Dan said happy for a reason to change the subject, as the thought occurred to him. "My bond with Athena must be responsible for that," he went on.
"So what did he get from you?" Claire asked curiously.
"Yeah, what did I get from you?" Dan repeated the question the same burning curiosity in him.
"Take a wild guess," Ember said. "Hint," Ember added after a while of silence from Dan. "You've been training for the whole of the past week," she added.
Dan went remained for a while longer as he contemplated what Ember might be pointing at with the clue. Dan's eyes widened as it finally hit him. "I have no wounds on me," he finally declared. "I must have gotten over a thousand different kind of injuries over the past week, they are all gone," he said looking up at the phoenix.
From the way Ember's smile widened Dan Knew he was right. "Phoenixes don't fall sick or suffer injuries unless attacked by really powerful magic," she explained. "What do you think has been keeping you conscious through all of Athena's training sessions?" she finished off. "You are quite literarily incapable of losing consciousness,” Ember informed him.
"You say that as if it's a good thing," Dan said all of Athena's training sessions coming back to mind as Ember chuckled at his words.
"If he is only linked to your powers and doesn't change physically, then why are his eyes red? Isn't that the eye colour of an alpha were?" Claire posed.
"The answer to that is in both the question and a saying you humans have," Ember replied enigmatically. "The link, as you've just said taps purely into our abilities. Our abilities are only as strong as the amount of magic we possess. So then picture our abilities paired with the kind of power Dan possesses. The result is an exponential increase in the strength of his abilities," Ember elaborated.
"The eyes are the windows of the soul, you humans say. In one's eyes, if you're keen enough, their true nature is revealed," Ember's gaze turned to Dan. "He may not see or believe it yet, but Dan is a lot stronger and cunning than even he realizes at the moment. He embodies the very nature of what alphas are among weres. These two things put together are the reason for the change in the colour of his eyes. His link to Kirra and Karra tied together to his own powers and his own true nature," Ember finished her answer, regarding Dan.
"Wow, you sure know how to inflate a guy's ego," he said a slight chuckle.
Ember smiled at him. "It is not in my nature to flatter," she said to him.
"So why then are they not turning back to their normal colour," Claire asked. "Simple," Ember replied. "He's still angry," she said.
At her words, Dan realized all the rage that he'd felt from the altercation he'd just had with Greg was still present and burning hard within him. Clenching his teeth hard, Dan took a deep breath forcing himself to calm down and hating the fact that Ember was right. He'd made a promise to them that he would never let his rage get the better of him. Yet here he was, even with no cause for it, hanging on to the rage of a scuffle that had already passed. Taking deep breaths, Dan watched as the crimson red colour seeped away from the reflection of his own eyes. Dan looked back to Ember. "Sorry," he apologized.
"Rome was not built in a day," she replied smiling. "Even the best of us take years to truly master mental discipline," she added.
"Well, I guess I'd better go get ready for the next lesson," Dan said walking over to the door.
"Dan," He heard Ember call out to him.
"Yes," he replied looking back to her as he pulled the door open.
"Be careful," She said with a light smile that for some reason Dan couldn't explain, left him with the impression that she knew and meant more by making that statement than he understood from it at that moment.
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The wolf was right, none of the thousand and one questions that were now buzzing through her mind would be answered by sitting at the table. A were! How was it possible that she'd missed it? Rising from where she was seated she walked out of the cafeteria after Victor and Carol who'd just left in pursuit of Elly.
She frowned at the realization that she'd referred to them by their names and not simply as weres or wolves. "Less than a day here and already I'm getting soft." She groused feeling annoyed with herself. "A bloody were!!" she muttered disbelievingly to herself once again as she moved through the hallways following the vibrations she could feel coming off him.
Part of her still couldn't believe it. While it was possible for some weres to hide their animal forms from being detected by others, it was a rare ability that occurred once maybe at most twice in a span of five hundred years. No part of her actually believed the thought that he was one of those exceptional weres. Yet without sensing any particular animal she'd seen the change in his eye colour. "Worse still, a fucking alpha," she went on muttering and cursing under her breath.
She turned into the last hall that would lead her to him, her form froze mid-stride as she felt it. A new presence. Though the vibrations coming off it were not anything near as strong or as powerful as the ones coming off the boy, they were still more powerful than anything she'd ever felt before. Her eyes fixed on the door to the girls bathroom behind which, she could feel the vibrations coming from.
Even the wolves, had stopped a distance away from the doors, they too could feel it. Unlike the boy, whose magic had somehow been masked from being felt by anyone, this new occupant in the bathroom did not bother to hide their powers. Almost as if they were daring anyone stupid enough to try and attack them, to make the fatal mistake and see whether they would live to tell the tale.
Ailin was now growing increasingly uncomfortable, she was used to being the one who posed a threat to the lives of others around her, and now in less than a day, there were now two who could end her without sparing any effort to it. The instinct to survive was now trying to override the desire to know more about the boy with the overwhelming desire to put as much distance between herself and the boy as was possible.
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She stood frozen eyes fixed on the door to the girls' bathrooms, the magic coming from within very palpable. In her two hundred and fifty years of existence, she'd never felt anything even half as strong as what she was now feeling. Whatever person or creature that was behind the door, knew that only few could pose any real threat to it. The fact that it had not bothered to hide its magic, a very clear indication that it wasn't averse to obliging whatever poor soul that was actually foolish enough to confront it.
Was Dan in trouble? Her senses couldn't pick up anything from within the bathroom. This came as no surprise to her, a creature as strong as the one she was sensing would never leave themselves vulnerable to eavesdropping, unless they were setting a trap.
"We need to go," she heard Victor's voice from beside her, it was his no nonsense voice. The tone his voice usually took when he meant whatever he was saying regardless of the strength of the one he was addressing. "Now," he added taking firm hold of her upper arm and pulling her away from the door.
"Wait," she said pulling back against him. "For what?" Victor growled.
A ready answer for that question, she did not have, but her instincts were telling her to stick around. That there was still more that was to be found out that she still didn't know of. More than in one way or the other, she wasn't sure how, would be important in a way. "Just trust me," she said pulling her arm free from her brother's grip.
"In any other case I would have, you of all people know that best," Victor said the strain in his voice telling her that he was trying to be as diplomatic as he could. It was true, Victor had always been willing to follow her hunches and always trusted her instincts, sometimes even against his better judgment. More than once her instincts had been right in the end. But then they'd also been a good number of times that they'd led them to trouble, something he'd never held against her.
She knew perfectly well that he was always there for her cause he was always looking out for her. The fact that she was stronger than him had never stopped Victor from playing his role as big brother and protect his little sister. Something that made her love him all the more. In a way, she always felt much safer with him around than when she was alone. "But dad was very clear about this,” he continued firmly.
Elly turned to look at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?” she posed.
"I'm talking about staying away and not trying to confront the source of the powerful vibrations he'd been feeling," he replied.
The memory of the prohibition her father had made came back to her. “How do you know this is the source he was feeling?" she posed stubbornly.
From the way his jaw set, Elly knew Victor was running low on patience. "Whether it is or isn't changes nothing," he shot back. "We need to go," he stated finality clear in his voice. The fact that he'd not risen to her challenge and tried to argue whether it indeed was or wasn't the source of the vibrations their father had been feeling and instead made it plainly clear that they should go, told her that no matter what she said, she wouldn't get him to budge on this.
With a sigh and one last look at the door, she turned ready to walk away. She could have stayed if she chose to; both of them knew this perfectly well. But she hated arguing with Victor, especially when his protective instincts took over and his first priority became her well-being. The exact state he was in right now. Elly came to a sudden stop as Victor suddenly moved to stand before her his back to her.
Despite the fact that Victor had wasted no time and had been quick to stand protectively between her and it, she too had seen the demon. Her deep red hair, her tall feminine form, and her half feline, half reptilian yellow eyes, the only feature about her that wasn't human at the moment. Taking a step out from behind Victor she moved to stand before both Carol and Victor. If it chose to attack she had the best chance of holding her off as her brother and best friend escaped. Something she knew perfectly well, neither of them would do. Like she would in their positions, both would sooner die than let her face the danger alone.
Demons were nothing new to her, she had fought and killed a few of them in the past. The one now walking down the hall in their direction with a murderous look in its eyes however, was one that even she knew would require all of her skills and an obscene amount of luck to take on. And even it may not be enough. From the arousal she could scent in the air from the vampire, both her brother and Carol and the arousal that was now fast rising within her, it was obvious that the demon was a succubus.
Her muscles tensed, ready to react at a moment's notice to anything as the succubus got closer to them and the vampire on the other side of the hall. All the four sets of eyes tracked her movements as she moved determinedly towards them. There was barely any registration of their existence in its eyes, let alone the fact that they may actually be of any kind of danger to it. Elly's claws were already drawn and her wolf close to the surface.
She was equally relieved and confused when the succubus walked past them without even sparing them a second glance. Her manner and the very way she walked past them showing that neither of the three wolves nor the vampire were any kind of threat to her and therefore not worth her notice. All eyes followed her as she moved towards the door.
Elly had expected her to barge in, but at the door the demon paused and turned her back to the door. It was almost as if... as if he was guarding it.
For the first time since she'd stepped into the hallway, the succubus turned its gaze to survey them. Elly wasn't sure but it seemed like the sight of them only served to infuriate her further and fan the flames of her rage. Something about them had her barely in control of the rage. Elly was about to turn around and get both Victor and carol out and away from the hallway when she heard the door to the bathrooms being pulled open.
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"I will," Dan replied to Ember as he turned to the door to leave.
The meaning of Ember's word vaguely dawned on Dan as he felt the blow connect with the side of his face and throw him through the air back to the center of the bathrooms. Dan's eyes blinked open and closed several times trying to get rid of the double vision he was now experiencing as he looked up at the ceiling to the bathrooms.
He vaguely heard the door to the bathrooms close as he pulled himself to a sitting position with shaky hands. Dan looked up to find Athena's murderous gaze fixed on him. The look in them causing a slight tendrils of fear to brush against his heart, even with the knowledge that she would never truly hurt him . . . kill him, she would never kill him, he corrected himself after a moment's thought.
"Nice to see you too Athena," he said pulling himself to his feet with the aid of the sink nearest to him. "Any particular reason for the warm greeting," he posed still leaning on the sink not trusting himself to be able to maintain balance just yet.
"There is a necromancer, a vampire that is at the very least about five millennia old if not more and enough werewolves in the school to form a pack of their own, and it never occurred to you to let us know!" Athena spoke through gritted teeth. Dan could feel her fury through their bond and along with it something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on yet. She was masking the accompanying emotion from him. Slight traces of it however were seeping through the blocks she had up, enough for him to feel its presence but not enough to identify it.
"I didn't think it warranted my having my guardians by my side. None of them have so far made any overt threat to me even when we shared a table," he said diplomatically trying to assuage her anger.
"Simply because one doesn't try to rip out your heart the first chance they get doesn't mean they are not planning on it," Athena shot back icily.
"In case it's escaped your notice, I haven't exactly been lounging at the beach for the past one week. If any of them ever make the stupid mistake to try and execute that plan, it will be the last mistake they ever make," Dan countered just as icily. It did vaguely occur to Dan what the words that had just left his lips would mean if they were translated into action.
A scoff escaped Athena's lips as she rolled her eyes. "The stupid pride of alphas. All of you are all the same. Believing that you are the strongest and most deadly ones in the room even without the slightest comprehension of what else is in the room with you," she ground out. “So after only one week of training, you're ready to face off with a vampire that has lived over a hundred of your lifetimes? You are now ready to single handedly take down the close to twenty weres I can sense in the school right now, aren't you? The necromancer who's probably had years of experience in necromancy is no threat to the guy who learnt of magic existed only two weeks ago, is she?" she posed. "You're ready to face off with whatever it is that comes your way, after only one fucking week of training,"
Dan doubted Athena realized how much she'd raised her voice. "For your information Mr. Invincible, the vampire can take off your head before you even have a clue what is going on. The necromancer has the ability to cause your flesh to rot in a matter of seconds even while you are still alive. What would you do to counter that, huh? If you are so fucking ready to take on whatever, tell me how you would counter such an attack?"
"And in case you had your head stuck too far up your ass in our very first training session to hear me when I said it, I already told you, werewolves are a ruthless bunch. Especially female alphas, cause they, unlike the males, don't suffer stupid disease that is male pride. They actually think their attacks through and because of this, have the capacity to take down even alphas stronger than themselves. They would have torn you bit by bit, limb from limb. But what would a pack of twenty wolves be compared to the mighty Dan Arwain?" Athena was now breathing hard regarding him with eyes that had no less fury than when she'd stepped into the bathrooms. If anything her rage seemed to have gone up a few notches.
Dan was silent for a long while. "I'm sorry," he finally said. During her tirade, the guard she'd had on her emotions had wavered and the feeling she'd been hiding flowed through the bond to him.
It was fear. Not of anything or anyone that might pose any threat to her, but fear at the thought of what could have happened to him. All possible scenarios of what could have happened to him were playing in her head even then. And all the prospects were causing her to feel like tearing to bits anything that could pose any form of threat to him.
Her tirade had also served to make it acutely clear to Dan just how stupid and naive he was being. To believe himself ready to face whatever threat the new magical elements in the school could pose. She was right, it was more of pride talking than actual brains.
"What do you mean Dan Arwain?" Claire's voice was heard.
Dan had all but forgotten of her presence within the bathroom. Turning to her, Dan could see it in her eyes that her brain was already providing her with the logical and most probable answer to the question. However, the doubt etched on her expression told him that she was having a hard time believing what her brain was coming up with.
"Not important,” came Athena's scathing reply before Dan could say anything.
"Dan, what does she mean Dan Arwain?" Claire pushed now turning fully to him.
"I said, Not Important," Athena menacingly said taking a threatening step towards her. To her credit, despite the fact that Dan could see it in her eyes that she'd registered danger, Clare stood her ground returning the succubus' glare with equal intensity. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember directing the question to you," Claire returned.
How Claire moved from the center of the room to being pinned by Athena against one of the bathroom walls, happened too fast for Dan's eyes to register. Athena was now standing in her demon form her eyes blazing with rage, as she held Claire in a steel vice grip with her right arm Claire’s feet off the floor of the bathroom. "You sorely overestimate how hard it would be for me to end you, right here, right now," even her voice had lost some of its human quality.
Claire's legs, instead of dangling uselessly beneath her, drew all the way up into a squat position. With her back braced against the wall, or more accurately pinned against the wall by Athena, she kicked out hard with both legs. Though not far back, Athena was pushed back enough to break the hold she had on Claire, who fell to the floor.
Claire brought her legs up once again such that her knees were touching her forehead. Kicking up hard, she uncoiled like a spring trap and landed on her feet. From where she drew them, Dan had no idea but Claire now stood with two silver blades in her firm grip gleaming under the bathroom bulbs’ light. Her body was tensed yet at the same time seeming relaxed, she was ready to react to any attack the demon made.
"Stop it, both of you," Dan said in a voice that made it clear that he meant it. "Claire, Athena's right. It's better if you don't get involved in this, so back off! And Athena, back off and lose the demon form," he further instructed.
Both Athena and Claire stood glaring menacingly at each other for a few more seconds. Athena finally took a step back and took on her human form once again. Dan watched as Claire re-sheathed the two blades behind her back. "Look, I'm already late for the next class," Dan said. "When I walk out of here, Athena, you are forbidden from harming Claire in any way. And Claire, stay the fuck away from my guardian,” Dan instructed before walking out the door.
*******************************
Claire watched as the succubus turned a deathly glare to the phoenix, the very fact that Claire existed already dismissed by the demon. "You could sense all the magic in the school and you were still going to let him stay unguarded," she ground out through gritted teeth.
"Dan is a lot stronger and capable than you give him credit for," Ember replied calmly. "He's quite capable of looking out for himself. Besides, what are we all training him for if we plan to track all of his movements to see if there's any kind of danger in his immediate surroundings?" She posed in an even voice.
"When he is ready, then I'll have no problem letting him be on his own. But while he still isn't he needs to be guarded," Athena threw back.
Ember smiled, "I don't think I have ever seen you this concerned for the safety any of our previous masters."
"In case you've already forgotten, we've have just spent the past two and a half millennia on the other side in a box. Forgive me if I am not ready to go back after only one fucking week," Athena said icily.
Ember's smile widened, from the look in her eyes, Claire could quite clearly see that she didn't believe this was the only reason Athena was behaving as she was. "You are Dan's guardian, not his babysitter. Even if you stood by his side every second of every day you can't keep him protected and safe from all dangers," Ember said to the demon before bursting into flames and vanishing into thin air. With one last glare at her, Athena too left the bathroom leaving Claire alone.
Was it possible? Her mind immediately began soon as the door swung shut. Her heart rate rose at the enormity of what the implications would be, if what she was suspecting Athena had meant by referring to Dan by the name Arwain was indeed true. It certainly would explain the colossal amount of magic she'd felt from Dan when he'd lost control.
After minutes of motionlessly standing in the same spot, she finally moved exiting the bathrooms. The three weres and the vampire were still in the hallway looking on at her. No doubt they too were confused at the whole bizarre situation. If only they knew, she thought to herself as she turned and walked away to her next class.
*****************************
"Take a seat Daniel," Mrs. Aniston's voice was calm yet authoritative. Dan moved over to a seat at the very back. Even alone, he still never sat at the front. "Now be silent and in one hour, we can both end the day," Mrs. Aniston instructed turning to a book she held in her hand. Dan reached into his back pack and pulled out the leather bound book. Pulling it open to the last page he'd stopped at, he started reading once again......
"DANIEL!" Dan jerked back into reality at the loud voice from Mrs. Aniston reached him. The tone of her voice was that of one who'd been trying to catch the attention of one who'd spaced out. "Must be a pretty interesting book if you haven't heard me calling you for the past one minute," Mrs. Aniston spoke up glancing at the book.
Dan looked back down at the page where lord Arwain describes the casting of the spell that created the barrier. "More than you could ever know," he replied smiling.
"Well you can read it at home, as I plan to do mine," Mrs. Aniston instructed. Dan looked at her in confusion. "My, it is quite interesting," Mrs. Aniston answered his expression nodding to the clock on the wall. Dan's brows rose in surprise as he looked at the clock. An hour had gone by without him even noticing. Rising up from where he was seated and moving for the door Dan stepped out into the empty school hallways. Having already put away his books before coming for detention Dan moved straight for the exit to the school building.
As he stepped out of the school building, Dan reacted reflexively even before his conscious mind was aware of what was happening. Ducking low, he missed the punch that had been meant for his left temple. With a quick turn and back step, he turned towards his attacker while at the same time creating distance between them just in case they made another attack. His attacker however was much faster than he'd anticipated and kept with him sending another barrage of attacks before he managed to get a good look at them.
Dan had to admit, whoever they were they were indeed good. Had they met just over a fortnight ago, Dan would have left with more than a few injuries. But he'd spent the past week sparring with Athena, and compared to the succubus, whoever was attacking him was a joke. Dan took three steps back alternately leaning backwards to the right, left then right again as he evaded the blows sent his way by his attacker.
Leaning backwards he missed the round house kick. He in the same motion, kicked out hard at the leg that that had remained on the ground as his attacker made the kick. A feminine shriek of pain was heard as his foot connected with his attacker leg at the knee joint kicking it sideways. His attacker fell to the ground holding her leg which was now bent at an odd angle.
Despite the fact that her jet black hair had fallen across her face covering it from view, the tattoos that covered her arms betrayed her identity to Dan. "Chloe," Dan called out the confusion in his voice evident.
Her hair parted like curtains revealing her face as she looked up at him. Her jaws clenched hard as she tried to keep from screaming in pain. "What?" she questioned curtly.
"Why are you attacking me?" Dan asked, both cautiously and with a bit of concern moving towards her.
"I live by the principle kill my enemies, before they kill me," she replied through gritted teeth, her grip tightening around her bent leg.
Dan's face screwed up in further confusion as she looked at the girl on the ground. "And why would you think I'm your enemy?" he questioned.
"Apart from you, I've only ever met one other who could see my tattoos," she said watching him warily as he came closer. "He tried to kill me, and came damn close to succeeding at it too," she said as Dan finally knelt beside her.
Both of them had their guard up, and both knew the other did too as well. "Let go off your leg," Dan instructed.
"why?" She asked, suspicion evident in her voice. "I can heal it," he informed her.
"And why would you do that?" she asked not letting go.
"Cause I broke it," Dan replied simply. "Plus I'm fresh out of ideas on how to show you that killing you is the least of my priorities," he added, trying to recall all what Ember had taught him on healing as he pulled her hands away from her leg. "I don't get it," Dan spoke up.
"What?" Chloe questioned as she resisted his attempts to pull her hands away from her leg. A bit of the pain she was feeling started seeping into her voice.
"You've got magic, you're a necromancer. I've been told you can cast a spell that causes my flesh to rot in a matter of seconds even while am still alive," Dan said.
"The spell of corruption, what about it?" she asked.
"You could have used that and killed me without much trouble. So why attack with hand to hand combat? Why not just cast a spell and kill me?" he posed.
"And leave a nice amount of resonance behind for the council to hunt me by you mean?" she replied the sarcasm in her voice barely veiled.
"What council?" Dan asked as he studied the level of damage he'd done. The scoff that met his question told him that she didn't believe it a genuine question. Deciding not to push the issue, Dan remained silent as he focused both his attention and magic on the hurt area. Dan heard a gratified sound escape Chloe's lips as he rectified the damage he'd done. "There, how's that?" Dan asked as he pulled his hands away from her healed leg.
"I don't know," Chloe replied as she pulled back her leg bending it at the knee. "Let's find out," she then added.
Dan was met completely off guard by the kick that met him squarely in the chest sending him backwards onto the floor. Dan barely had time to draw back in the air that had been knocked out of him let alone react and ready himself for any attack that may follow before Chloe was on top of him. "I will only ask this once, who are you?" Chloe posed in an icy voice.
Dan drew in a large amount of air when his chest muscles finally relaxed enough to allow it. His eyes were drawn to the figure that appeared behind Chloe. A smile crossed his face. "I would let me go and get off me real slow if I were you," Dan said in reply.
"And why would I do that?" she posed drawing her hand back and curling her fingers threateningly into a tight fist.
"Cause if you don't, I'll gut you like a pig," came Claire's equally threatening voice. Her blades were very conspicuously gleaming in the evening sun.
Chloe froze as she realized that they were no longer alone. "Okay,” she said in a voice that had forced calmness. "I'm getting up," she said slowly rising off Dan. At full height, Chloe turned faster than Dan would have thought her capable of at a glance, and lunged at Claire. Claire however, seemed to have anticipated this attack and with a quick step to the left to avoid the attack, she turned and knocked Chloe out cold with one punch.
Taking a hold of the hand Claire had held out to him, Dan pulled himself to his feet with her help. "Thanks," he said dusting himself off.
"Don't mention it," Claire replied.
Both of them turned at the sound of claps coming from behind them. "An exemplary display of all what you have learnt the past week," Athena's voice permeated the air.
"Wait, you were here all this time?" Dan posed looking at her.
"Yes," Athena replied simply.
"Thanks for the help," Dan said sarcastically.
"Any time," the demon replied pushing herself off the wall she'd been leaning on and walking over to them. "So can I kill her?" she asked looking down at Chloe who was now lying at her feet.
"No," Dan immediately replied. The look of annoyance that crossed Athena's expression lasting only a second before it reverted to the indifferent one it had before, did not escape Dan's notice. "Take her back to the fort," he instructed.
"Not that I am trying to tell you how to do things. You obviously already have a pretty good idea as far as that goes," Athena spoke, her voice thickly coated with sarcasm as she said this. "But the fort was meant to be a place where only you and those loyal to you can get to. Not for taking everyone who tried to kill you to," Athena said not bothering to hide the pointed look she sent towards Claire.
"I know," Dan replied with a sigh. "But there are some answers I would like to get from her," Dan explained himself despite the fact that he knew he didn't have to.
A dangerous gleam lit in Athena's eyes as a smile slowly formed across her face. "Can I help?" she asked.
"Will you helping involve any form of torture?" Dan bluntly questioned.
Athena's smile straightened as she looked at him as if he'd just asked a really stupid question. "How else do you plan to get the information from her?" she posed in return.
In spite of himself, Dan smiled at the demon. Her nature would never change. "Just take her back I'll figure it all out when I get there," Dan said finally.
Both Dan and Claire watched as Athena bent down and took hold of Chloe's left ankle and rose back up pulling up the leg along with her. Dan’s eyes widened as Athena's wings opened up to full span. His head quickly turned to look around to see whether there were any people in the vicinity who could see her. "Relax," he heard Claire's voice as with one flap, Athena took to the air carrying the unconscious girl behind her by the ankle. "We're cloaked," Claire stated.
"What?" Dan questioned confused. He didn't remember either he or Chloe casting any cloaking spell.
"Athena had a cloaking spell on the two of you soon as Chloe threw the first punch," Claire explained as they both turned towards the parking lot. "She's been around since the lunch period, after the incident at the bathrooms. Which, now that I mention it, I've been meaning to ask you about. What kind of guardian can attack their master? Isn't that against the spell that binds them to you or something?" Claire posed.
"The kind that's been granted the permission to do whatever it takes to make me into the most powerful wizard that ever lived," Dan answered.
"Can I ride with you?" Claire asked as they reached his car.
"Sure," Dan replied pulling the door on the driver's side of the car open.
"And exactly how does that translate to her punching your living daylights out?" Claire further questioned once they were seated in the car.
"One of her lessons," Dan explained as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I am supposed to be able to react to threats and danger at a moment's notice without any prior warning," he said. "In spite of the fact that we all know that the punch had nothing at all to do with training, it still qualifies as such," he said smiling at the logic he knew the succubus was using.
"She cares about you, you know," Claire said after a moment of silence. "Despite her being rough, brash and cold on most subjects. Even with the little contact I've had with her, I can tell that she cares for you deeply," Claire went on.
Dan smiled at the truth of her words. "I know," he replied as they pulled onto the freeway. "Just don't ever let her catch you saying that. She might rip out your tongue for it," both of them laughed despite the fact that they both knew it was entirely possible.
"But technically speaking," Claire spoke up after a while of silence. “Aren’t you already the most powerful wizard that has ever exited?” Claire posed. Dan remained silent knowing exactly what she was getting at. "I am not an idiot Dan, it doesn't take rocket science to figure out who you are after all that I have heard and know about you," there was a note of annoyance in Claire voice at his silence.
"So where am I dropping you off?" Dan questioned after a while, momentarily casting a glance at her before turning his gaze back to the road, still not answering her question.
There was a long stretch of silence and even though his eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, he could feel her eyes fixed on him. He could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she regarded him. With a sigh she finally spoke up, "Your fort." There was a note in her voice that made him curiously cast another glance to her. She however had her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Please Dan," she added her voice indicating she already knew he would be objected to the idea. Her eyes however still remaining fixed on the road ahead. Dan opened his mouth to object but after a few seconds of nothing coming out, he closed it and turned back to the road.
With a destination now in mind, Dan floored the gas pedal of the car turning the steering wheel in the appropriate direction. With the car moving at almost full speed, the dilapidated house came into view less than three minutes after. Soon as the front bumper of the car crossed onto the threshold of the overgrown front lawn, the house vanished and the castle gates appeared before them.
Dan hit the brakes bringing the car to a stop, while he knew the gate would admit him without requiring him to actually open it, he wasn't sure it would do the same for Claire. "Open," he muttered under his breath willing for the castle to open its gates and allow him entry. After a second or so, the large gates in spite of their size, soundlessly drew themselves open.
"What part of not bringing people who want to kill you to your fort, did you not get?" were Athena's first words soon as Dan walked into the castle with Claire in tow.
"I thought you said people who've tried to kill me," Dan said his eyes moving over to Chloe who was now seated stiffly on a wooden chair under Ember's scrutinizing eye. Having seen Claire in the very same position, Dan already knew that the necromancer was magically bound hence the stiffness in her posture.
"The difference being?" Athena's voice cut through.
"Hallo Dan, how was your day," Kirra spoke up smiling up at him from one of the sofas. Dan smiled back at her before replying, "Nothing out of the usual, About twenty or so werewolves have now joined the school. Along with a five thousand year old vampire, at the very least on the age estimate at that, and along with her," Dan said nodding to over to Chloe. "I got attacked three times today, once by a werewolf with ego issues. Once by a mad succubus, if you could actually believe that and on the last instance by her." he said once again indicating Chloe. "All in all, same old same old," Dan finished smiling at Kirra who was now chuckling at his words.
"Hi Dan," Ember called out momentarily looking up from Chloe to him with a light smile upon her face.
"Hi," Dan replied walking over to her. "Can I safely assume that you can see her tattoos too?" Dan questioned a bit of fear that she was studying something else to do with the necromancer suddenly rising within him.
"Yes," Ember replied placating his fears. "Though only thanks to the bond I have with you, I must admit," she added her eyes moving back to the tattoos. "So shall we?" Ember questioned. Dan looked at her at a loss. "I was under the impression that you wanted to question her,” Ember clarified.
"Oh," Dan said turning to Chloe who was now looking at him nervously. Dan could quite clearly see that from the way she was eyeing his guardians and Claire, she knew she was way out of her league.
"Relax, we won't hurt you," he said genuinely trying to calm her.
"Speak for yourself," Athena quipped from where she stood across the room.
"Who are you?" Dan posed ignoring the demon.
"I already told you, my name is Chloe. Just Chloe," in spite of the slight tremor in her voice, Dan could hear the note of defiance in her voice. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, smiling at the fact that she wasn't cowering before him even when she was clearly outmatched.
"Okay then Chloe," Dan said, speaking in a calm voice that he hoped would put her at ease. "Why can't others see your tattoos?" he posed.
"Believe me, I would have saved myself a lot more crap than I've had to endure if I had that answer," she returned in a bored voice, disinterestedly looking away from him.
In spite of the tone of her voice, Dan could tell she was being truthful. "Actually," Ember spoke up from behind Dan. "It just so happens that I have the answer to that first question," Dan did not miss the both surprised and intensely curious look that Chloe sent Ember's way at her words.
All eyes in the room turned to Ember. "She's the queen of death,” Ember said to the further confusion of everyone.
"Oh, is that what I am? Why didn't I think of that," Chloe said sarcastically trying to sound disinterested despite the fact that Dan could see it in her eyes that she was dying to get more information from Ember.
"Explain," Dan said drawing Chloe's gaze back to Ember.
"Necromancers in the early days were an organized society of wizards and witches, very much unlike today. They lived in communities away from the rest of the magical community. Deeming it easier to live among others who had the same abilities as their own. Who wouldn't find the fact that they could see the ghosts or raise up a the dead in the form of zombies to be unnatural and creepy as some would put it."
"Their communities served to provide an environment in which they could live freely. Necromancers in those times were no more feared than any other member of the magical community, they were simply another part of it. The communities were all headed by a high priestess or queen of death as they called her. The most powerful out of all the necromancers. It was said she had more powers in necromancy than all the other necromancers put together."
"She was identifiable by tattoos that appeared on her body at the age of ten, and slowly start to spread to the rest of her body," Dan could hear Chloe's breathing rate quicken and her heart hammering in her chest, which he was only capable of as a result of his link to Kirra and Karra. "The tattoos however, were only visible to other necromancers," at that point Dan turned a confused expression to Ember. "But I'm not a necromancer, how then can I see them?" he posed.
"Actually," Karra spoke up for the first time. "You are," she said to his further confusion.
"What are you talking about?" he questioned his own mind trying to figure the answer to the question.
"The great purge," Karra said simply as if that explained everything. Dan's expression made it clear that she had only succeeded in confusing him further.
"When lord Arwain drew all of the magic into himself," Kirra went on further elaborating the answer. "He drew all kinds of magic into himself. You possess every imaginable kind of magic that existed at the time, warlock, elemental wizard, sorcery, name it. If it existed then, then you have it, even necromancy," she explained.
"What has lord Arwain's fairy tale to do with anything?" Chloe posed confused at the turn of the conversation.
"Not important," Athena spoke up from the other end of the room.
"Even if I were to tell you, you wouldn't remember," Ember added. Dan could read in between the lines and understood that Ember intended to modify Chloe's memory after they were done. Much as he hated the thought, he understood the necessity of it.
"Humor me then," Chloe replied her voice betraying that she too knew what they meant to do.
"All you need to know is that it isn't a fairy tale," Ember replied. "The society held strong for good amount of time, and for a long while, necromancers were the most well- structured and peaceful of societies in the magical community. But as with every other human society, greed for more power and desire for dominance and control found its way into their community as well slowly infecting it like a disease."
"Instead of being their leader, the queen of death the most powerful among them, became the prime target of attack by all other necromancers who sought to gain more power by stealing hers. Their society fell and necromancers broke away living with only their own families or totally on their own. Necromancy, is a form of magic that requires constant contact with the dead. Without the support their society offered to help deal with the toll this had on the one practicing it, most necromancers went off the deep end. Soon enough, necromancers came to be both feared and hated by the rest of the magical community." Ember relayed.
"I've never had anyone since I was ten to support me, how come I haven't lost my mind," Dan didn't miss the note of pain in her voice.
"I can't speak as to the accuracy of the claims," Ember spoke up in reply. "But I have heard it said, that the tattoos spoke to the queen of death," Ember said uncertainly. The curiosity glinting in her eyes very clear for all in the room to see, as she regarded Chloe.
Dan watched Chloe's expression closely as she turned to look down at the tattoos. It was as if she was seeing them for the first time as something she hadn't yet up to that point figured out, dawned on her.
*******************************
The realization hit Chloe like a sledge hammer. She had never taken for granted their presence or down-played the need for her tattoos. But up until the chick with the flame coloured eyes said it, she hadn't realized how close she'd become to the mysterious runes, patterns and hieroglyphics on her skin.
The thought of how much worse things could have been if they hadn't come along caused a tight icy grip of fear to close down hard around her heart. Even when she'd been on her own, she had never felt alone with them on her always giving her direction and watching out for her. They'd in a way come to fill the void left by the loss of her family.
"I wouldn't exactly say speak," She finally said looking back up at the rest of them. "I'm not exactly sure how, but I can know exactly what to do and what they need from me simply by looking at them," she explained.
"That, I believe," the chick with flame coloured eyes spoke up smiling at her in a way that in spite of herself and the situation that she now found herself in, made her want to smile back at her. "Is what has kept you sane throughout the period you've been alone," she explained.
"So then, the one who wanted to kill her after seeing her tattoos must have been a necromancer too," Dan more of said that asked.
"Yes," The flame haired chick replied. "As I said, only other necromancers can see the tattoos," she added.
"So when you attacked me..." Dan said turning to her.
"As I said, the last guy who saw my tattoos came damn near close to killing me," Chloe spoke up explaining why she attacked him.
"But then you still attacked him after he didn't attack you once you were down. And even when he healed your leg," the succubus spoke up.
"Trust issues," Chloe said neutrally trying to sound as unintimidated as possible.
*******************************
"When I asked you why you simply hadn't used necromancy against me you said something about a council tracking you what did you mean?" Dan posed.
Dan felt uncomfortable at her incredulous gaze a bit of colour seeped onto his face. "Wait, you mean to tell me that that had been an actual serious question?" even her voice relayed the shock her expression was clearly showing.
"Hey, I just discovered this whole magic world about two weeks ago, forgive me if I am not up to date on all its facets," Dan found himself saying a bit more defensively than he'd meant to.
"Hey," Chloe spoke up the side of her lips tilting upwards in a smirk as she regarded him. Dan could see that she liked the fact that she was making him uncomfortable. "I'm not judging," she said in a voice that hinted at just the opposite. "It's called the council of Arwain,” she went on to say her voice becoming a bit more serious. "The council that runs the entire magic world. A bunch of powerful wizards witches and magical creatures, using a fairy tale as an excuse to impose their own notions and rules on the rest of the magical community," Chloe said. The loathing in her voice was quite clear for all of them to hear.
"Wait, what do you mean the council of Arwain?" Dan posed his expression relaying his confusion.
"Like I said, just a bunch of powerful beings that want the rest of us to believe that they are in control as it is what some non-existent warlord that is supposed to have saved the whole of humanity from both the magical creatures that at one point enslaved us and from humanity itself, wanted," Chloe went further to say.
"And other members of the magical community just accept this?" Dan asked now his turn to be incredulous. "I mean does no one question how they can make the assertion that they are there as a result of lord Arwain's will?" he questioned.
"One, they have these very old texts that they claim were written by lord Arwain himself that guide law making and the running of the magic world. And two, if you want to walk up to the most powerful beings and start questioning their authority, then go right ahead and be my guest," Chloe replied.
"Why do you hate them so much?" Claire spoke up for the first time since they arrived. "You got something personal against them?" she went further to inquire.
"You mean apart from the fact that there is a standing, council issued kill order for all necromancers?" Chloe replied the sarcasm in her voice barely veiled.
"A what? Why?" Dan found himself asking angrily not getting what rationale there could be behind such an order to justify it.
"Remind me to ask next time I run into them," Chloe answered sarcastically.
"So you are on the run?" Dan asked.
"I never run from a fight," from the gaze she was steadily throwing his way, Dan knew that statement was also meant for him. "A couple of the council agents have come after me over the years. None of them was successful in leaving with their lives," she added her gaze never leaving him.
"I mean no offense by saying this, but right now you don't even exist on the list of things I plan to deal with in the near foreseeable future," Dan said calmly. "I am not your enemy Chloe. Like I told one other person today, soon enough I will have enough enemies," Dan said. "I really don't need you added onto that list," he went on.
"Then don't wipe my memory," Chloe cut in.
Dan regarded her silently before he finally answered, "That I can't do. As much as I wish I could implicitly trust you, I can't. You did just try to kill me. Whether to protect yourself or not, I can't be sure that if threatened you wouldn't do anything against me to protect yourself." Dan explained with an apologetic note to his voice.
"She's a hunter, she kills our kind simply because they exist and yet you seem to trust her fine," Chloe said turning to regard Claire. "What's different or special about her?"
"Yes Dan," Athena's voice was heard drawing attention to the succubus. “What’s so different about her?" Her voice barely veiled the fact that she didn't like Claire's presence.
"The difference," Claire spoke up before Dan could say anything. "Is that," she turned to regard Dan, looking him straight in the eye. "I want to join your following," she said.
For a moment, there was total and utter silence as everyone regarded Claire with shock. "You are joking right?" the threat in Athena's voice was heard by everyone in the room.
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," she replied her eyes never leaving Dan's.
"How do we know that this is not a trick," Kirra posed. "How do we know that you haven't already told the other hunters about Dan and knowing that there is no way a direct confrontation with him would turn out in your favour, you are trying to find a way to remain close to Dan so you can stay close to him. Spying as you plot against him?” She went on to ask.
"Two reasons," Claire spoke up. "First is that everyone in this room, with the exception of her," Claire said indicating Chloe. "Knows that I am a blue blade and is aware of the fact that right now I'm plotting against my father and the other hunters," Claire said.
"Everybody knows blue blades stopped existing when the hunters started using magic," Chloe interjected.
"What's the second?" Ember posed silently regarding Claire.
Dan didn't miss the look of uncertainty that crossed Claire's expression as her gaze wavered moving to the window that faced the front of the compound towards the gate then back to him, her fingers clenching and unclenching nervously. "The second," she began her voice further making her nervousness clear to the rest. "Is I want you to create a bond with me too," she said.
The silence that followed Claire's words lasted even longer than when she'd stated her desire to join her Dan's following. Dan regarded her silently for a while before he finally spoke up. "No," he said calmly.
All eyes in the room turned to him, surprise present in all of them except for Chloe's which relayed confusion. Claire's mouth opened to reply but no words came out. Dan could see the pain in her eyes at his rejection. "Why?" the word finally escaped her lips in barely more than a pained whisper.
"Because," Dan began in reply. "You know who I am Claire. If you were to join up with me you would not only be making yourself part of just any wizard's following. You are signing up to stand against the most powerful members of the magical community, cause one among them is my enemy. And I highly doubt that they will be alone. If what I've been told by Karra is true, then battle lines have already been drawn. And right now the only people standing on my side of that line are four.” Dan said hoping that she could understand. "I can't ask you, neither do I want you to fight for me with such odds."
Dan thought he saw a bit of the pain recede from Claire's eyes. "All that you've just said changes nothing," Claire answered quietly.
"I don't get it Claire," Dan said seeing that she wouldn't be swayed easily. "I broke the spell that bound you to a life you did not want. Why would you want to once again be in the clutches of another?" he posed.
Claire finally could no longer his gaze so she turned resolutely to the window. "I am alone," she said quietly. "While I have never truly had my own free will when I was under the control of the bond, I have also never felt as alone as I do now. The spell compelled me to in a way, love my father and while I was everything he wanted me to be, he too loved me. But now all that has changed. I am free of the spell and though he is still none the wiser and still loves me, I feel nothing but hate for him.
Everything else in my life is like feels like something out of a strange dream. I have absolutely no real connection to anything, friends, interests, hobbies, even other hunters that I at least got along with are right now strangers to me. It's only now that I realize that while the bond to my father enslaved me it also made for me a life. A life that now without it, I can barely identify with let alone live.
Don't get me wrong, I would sooner die a thousand deaths, rather than be bound to my father again, but then I think part of me has gotten used to being bound to someone that being independent without being bound to someone disorients me," A frustrated sound escaped Claire's lips, the same emotion etched onto her face as she turned to Dan. "Does any of what I'm saying even make any sense?" she asked.
Dan silently regarded her. Part of him understood how it felt to have something your whole life and then have it taken away as if it had never been. He sorely missed his mother. And though he would never openly admit it to anyone even at gun-point, now that he was removed from his life, he in a way did miss his older brother too. Good or bad, he'd still been his brother.
The bond that forced Claire to do what her father wanted wasn't something good. But from what she just said, Dan could see that it had also played a vital role in creating her life and integrating into that life. Good or bad, that bond had come to be an important part of her. Then he'd taken it away. But then another part of him wondered if she actually knew what she was signing up for. With a sigh Dan spoke up, “You do realize there is a very big chance that if you join my following, you will die before all this is over?" he questioned.
"One way or the other, I'm not going to live forever," Claire countered quick and neutrally.
"And that you'll be doing my bidding?" Dan went on.
"I'm fully aware of how a following works Dan," Claire returned neutrally.
"And if I create this bond with you, it won't be like the one your father created. I won't control your actions using my will, but I will be able to access your thoughts and emotions," He stated.
"And that's what makes me different," Claire replied. "There will be no question about my loyalty to you. You can at any time look into my mind and see if I am up to anything that you don't approve of," she said.
"Joining my following means that your quest for vengeance against your father will have to come secondary," Dan said at last more quietly knowing that this would be the hardest thing for her to accept.
Claire's mouth opened in reply but no words came out as the word fully registered in her mind. "Why?" she posed instead.
"Joining my following means that I have to protect you. I can't do that if I'm preoccupied with facing another enemy that I am yet to even put a face to. You join my following, you become my responsibility. I won't have you getting hurt because I'm too busy to protect you," he said.
A smile tipped the side of Claire's lips, "I'm confused, are you trying to convince me to join or not to join your following," she asked with a small smile. After a short span of silence she once again spoke up. "I can't promise you that I won't pursue my vengeance against my father. All I can promise is that it won't get in the way of anything you ask or require of me. And you don't have to worry about my safety. I may have lost the bond to my father, but I am still every bit the very same hunter I have always been. I don't die that easy," she went on to say.
"You also do realize that when others join Dan's following you will not be their most favourite member even if you fight for him? Others will not hesitate to try and kill you the first chance they get,” Ember spoke up for the first time.
"It won't come to that," Dan found himself interjecting.
"I'm not looking to be the most popular in his following, just a part of it," Claire spoke up, before turning her gaze in Athena's direction. "Besides, I have absolutely no reservations about returning the favour to whoever might try to kill me," Dan wasn't sure which had him more worried; the icy tone in Claire's voice or the chilling smile that was now slowly crossing Athena's face as she fixed the hunter a predatory gaze noting the unhidden threat.
"If you are to join my following I can't have you and other members who might..."
"Will," Ember corrected.
"Will join it later on, killing each other," Dan said firmly not missing a beat in spite of the correction.
"I would be happy, if I never had to kill a magical being for the rest of my life, believe me," Claire replied turning back to Dan. "But if they attack first, are you really going to ask me not to defend myself," she asked.
"Anyone in my following answers to me, and should any of them touch you then they will wish they had never been born," Dan answered in a dangerous tone, his voice making it clear that he meant every word.
Claire silently regarded him for a while before a smile slowly crossed her face. "The alpha role suits you," she said finally.
Even without any of them saying it, Dan knew his eyes had once again changed colour. Part of him liked it that they had, at least they would all now know that he wasn't bluffing. He did however take a deep breath forcing himself to calm down.
"W... What are you?" Chloe's voice was heard. Dan closed his eyes, gritting his teeth hard against each other. He had totally forgotten about the presence of the necromancer.
"Look," he said turning to her. "I don't know you well enough to trust you. I'm sorry but I can't let you go without wiping your memory," Dan said with finality before turning to Ember and nodding once at her before turning back to Claire.
"Even if you wipe my memory, I will still find you," Dan heard Chloe shout to him from behind causing him to stop and turn back to her as all eyes in the room turned to the necromancer. "And believe it when I say, I will know what you did to me," she said more silently in a menacing tone of voice.
"How?" Dan posed fixing her a both suspicious and equally dangerous gaze.
"I did not come to this town by sheer coincidence," Claire informed them. "For the past two years since my parents died, my tattoos have been taking me from place to place in search of something or someone. Before today I had no idea what or who it was," she explained. Dan could feel the intensity of her gaze increase as she spoke her next words. "I do now," she stated firmly. "Even if you wipe my memory, they will still lead me to you. May be not immediately but eventually I will put two and two together and know what you did to me, and when that happens..." she held his gaze letting the words hang in the air.
"Did you even pause to question the wisdom of threatening a wizard in the presence of his guardians," Ember broke the silence. Despite the calm tone of her voice, Dan clearly heard counter-threat in her words. Turning to her, Dan couldn't help the stroke of fear that traced its way across his heart. Whatever threat there had not been in her voice was clearly reflected in Ember's gaze. Her eyes now seemed to burn brighter directing a deathly glare to the necromancer.
Looking at the expression that had etched itself onto Ember's face, it occurred to Dan that he would rather face a thousand angry Athenas rather than the one angry phoenix that now stood regarding Chloe. The necromancer’s face had gone white as a sheet of paper. Even without her saying it, Dan knew Ember had already passed judgment and closed the case on what to do with Chloe.
Dan's nose wrinkled as an odor suddenly permeated the air around them. Though Dan had never before gotten the smell anywhere else in his whole life, his brain immediately identified it as fear. Cold, raw and unrelenting fear in its purest form. It was coming off Chloe in waves. "N... N, no wait," Chloe started up quickly. The panic in her voice clearly heard by all in the room. She now realized the mistake she'd just made in threatening Dan and was trying to backtrack. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. I only attacked Dan cause I feared he'd attack me first. Please, I didn't mean any of what I've just said," she pleaded her voice fading to a squeak.
It was a weak defense and they all, including Chloe, knew it. Judging by the unwavering glare that was still fixed on Chloe, it had done nothing to sway Ember's verdict. "I'll join your following," Chloe suddenly said in an attempt to undo what s he'd just done. She was speaking rapidly her gaze flicking between Ember and him. Not daring to last longer than a second on the former.
"You can bind me to yourself as she was saying," she went on indicating Claire. "That way you will know it if I am planning anything against you, and better yet you won't have to wipe my memory. Everybody's happy," she said smiling weakly at him. "She just said it herself," Chloe went on with the plea for her life indicating Ember but not daring to look at her, "You won't find a stronger necromancer out there, I could be a real asset to you," she stated. "Plus I..."
"Enough," it was as if someone had pressed a mute button on Chloe as she immediately went silent at Ember's command. Dan had half expected Ember to cast a spell that would burn Chloe to a crisp. He wasn't completely comfortable when Ember's gaze turned to him despite the knowledge that she would never really harm him. "Well?" she posed the one word as a question. Dan was momentarily at a loss as to how to appropriately reply to it. "Right now everything within me wants to end her," Ember informed him. "But she is right," Dan heard the grudging note in Ember's voice. "We won't find another as strong as she is in necromancy to join your following if we kill her," she stated. "So the decision now rests with you. Do you want her as part of your following?" Ember asked.
"And if I should say no..."
"She dies," Ember answered Dan's implied question without hesitation, a clear finality in her voice.
Dan turned back to Chloe's pleading eyes. Her mouth opened to say something but after a glance at Ember she seemed to think better of it and went back to pleading with her eyes. Once again Dan found himself in two situations he'd tried to avoid in the past. Recruiting someone to fight for him without them actually knowing what they or more accurately, he, was up against. It was after all, his fight not that of those in his following or even his guardians. And also, he once again found himself with the life and fate of another resting with him. Something he was fast coming to realize would occur more frequently than he'd initially thought.
There was absolutely no shred of doubt in Dan that if he chose not to take Chloe as a member of his following, she would be dead within seconds of that decision. The thought of stopping Ember from harming Chloe had crossed his mind but he also realized that he couldn't keep on defending those that had attacked him. At one point or the other, that mercy might prove to be his undoing. He'd simply have to come to terms with the reality that his enemies were to be killed, not pardoned. But then, was Chloe really her enemy.
Dan's now overly sensitive nose was picking up a slow but gradual increase in the smell of fear emanating from Chloe the longer he remained silent without a reply. "You do realize you will be in my following for life?" he finally posed.
***************************
'Just give me some time to figure him out before you say anything to dad,' Elly mentally pleaded with her brother through their family bond as they both moved among the trees at top speed in their wolf forms.
'Did you not hear what dad said?' Victor returned mentally. 'We are not to go anywhere near the source of the powerful vibrations he was picking up,' he stated.
'But Dan isn't the source of those vibrations,' Elly returned though she already knew what her brother's reply to that assertion would be.
'But he is in some way connected to the source of it,' Victor replied exactly as she'd expected.
'And that's a grey area,' Elly replied. 'Dad said nothing about anyone who might be in some way connected to the source of the vibrations,' Elly sent back mentally as they made the last turn in the route they'd been given as the route they would using for their training and exercise. They started moving back towards the pack compound.
'You know perfectly well that Dad won't see it as such,' Victor replied. 'You are asking me to go against dad's commands. I should have told him the minute we got back from the school,' Victor relayed, the fact that he didn't like what Elly was asking of him clear in his voice.
Elly knew what she was asking of him was unfair but she couldn't help it. She hadn't seen Dan for the rest of the day after he left the bathroom the hunter had dragged him into. She had however been unable to get him out of her thoughts. Something about him appealed to the human side of her and still called to her animal in a very primal way that no other male had ever done. The very thought of it sent chills throughout her whole body. She wanted to know more about him and get a better understanding of what it was she was feeling.
All this however, didn't change the fact that she was asking her brother to go against the alpha's orders and disobey their father. Elly more than anyone else knew how much their father's approval meant to her brother. He did a good job of hiding it from others in the pack but he was her brother. She knew him inside out just as he knew her. The fact that their father had never treated him any less than he would had he been born an alpha meant a lot to Victor. He absolutely hated doing anything that displease their father.
Victor crossed the last checkpoint before Elly. Omega or not, he'd always been faster than her. Both of them morphed back into their human forms. Even though they were both stark naked neither was bothered by the nudity of the other. Modesty among weres was mostly a bother that would make shifting between one form and another more of a process than it had to be, especially where a quick reaction was required. "Can you do it for me, please Victor" Elly pleaded in spite of herself.
Victor locked gazes with her for a while. "Why are you so interested in him anyway?" He finally posed.
Elly suddenly wished they were back in their wolf forms as colour filled her face. "You can't tell me you're not even the least bit curious about him," she redirected. From the way he was regarding her Elly knew he'd seen right through her reply. After a while he silently turned and walked away towards the house. Elly understood perfectly well that his silence meant that he was still deciding. Without verbally committing himself to anything, Victor could just as easily go to their father and tell him about Dan as he could choose to remain silent about him. With a sigh, she followed him onto the house.
Elly sat at the dinner table full of both dread and hope. Hope because so far, Victor had said nothing to their father about. Dread because past experience had taught her that just because he hadn't told their father anything the first chance he got, didn't mean he wouldn't. "So how was school," except for a slight cough, Elly showed no other overt reaction to her father's question.
Not because the question hadn't sparked any fear in her at what Victors answer to the question would be. But she knew perfectly if she let her body react in any way to the question, it would not escape her parents' notice. It was part of what made her father one of the strongest alphas in the country. He was always keen to even the slightest of details, her mother as well. A slight change in her heartbeat, her scent, or even her expression would be all that was required to give her away. This was also a major part of the reason why both she and Victor could be such excellent liars when they so chose to, Victor more so than she.
Though she made every effort not to be obvious about it, Elly glanced up at her brother. When her eyes found his, her heart sank her gaze turning back to her plate. From the expression on his face it was obvious what he'd decided to at last do. "No," Victor's voice which was in some ways very much like their father's was heard. Elly almost gave them away by turning her gaze back to him too quickly but managed to control herself just in time. If at that moment she could, she would have pulled Victor into tight hug for not telling their father about Dan.
"Are you sure about that?" Both Victor and Elly looked up at their father, he only ever questioned them twice over anything when he knew they were lying or not telling him everything they should have.
Elly turned her gaze to Victor who to his credit, was leveling a calm gave back at their father. Elly knew he wouldn't neither did she expect her brother to further keep up the lie even for her. "Yes," Victor replied calmly.
Elly had to consciously keep herself from swallowing loudly as her father and brother kept their gazes locked on each other. To anyone else other than her mother and herself they would have seemed to be simply regarding each other. But she was perfectly aware they were her father was testing Victor's resolve to stick with the answer he'd just given. Though by now it was perfectly clear to everyone in the room that their father knew differently. Elly watched as her father's lips formed a flat line as it became apparent that Victor wouldn't back down or change his answer. "What is the first pack law?" He questioned.
"Pack comes first and should be everyone's priority," Victor replied easily.
“And all threats to the pack..." their father went on.
"Should be dealt with immediately and should the one who's discovered the threat not be able to deal with it they are to inform one in the pack who can, meaning either Rick or you," Victor completed the statement without missing a beat.
Her brother's words were followed by another short span of silence as the two males went on regarding each other. A smile tipped the side of their father's lips as he turned back to his plate. "Tell me about Daniel, or Dan, as he likes to be called," he posed looking back up at them as he brought a piece of meat skewered on his fork to his mouth.
The sigh that had been about to discreetly escape Elly's lips got stuck in her throat at the question as she looked to her father. How could he possibly know? It was in these moments that Elly envied the level of control Victor possessed. While she was using all of her conscious control to keep her own body from betraying them in any way, Victor barely seemed to be sparing any thought to it. “What about him?" Victor asked back.
"Greg reports to me that you shared a table with Dan moments before he attacked Greg. And that you did nothing to prevent this," he said in a deceptively indifferent voice.
At the mention of Greg's name, Elly lost the battle for control of her emotions. "He's the one that attacked Dan first," She replied heatedly knowing the response had given them away but suddenly not caring.
"Did he now?" Their father went on calmly despite her outburst. "Surely Dan, the hunter and the vampire at the table must have done something to provoke the attack," he posed the question.
Elly was about to say something back but the glare from Victor caused the words to fade at her lips. She grudgingly turned back down to her plate both furious at Greg and disgusted at herself. Victor had been doing a good job of keeping them out of trouble before she opened her big mouth.
"Dan did do something to provoke it," Victor spoke up once he was sure she wouldn't be saying anything else. Seeing as she had already screwed up there was no more need to try and control her reactions, Elly's head shot up to look across the table at Victor.
"What?" Their father inquired.
"I may have it all wrong," Victor began the paused the shadow of a smile crossing his lips. "But it looks like Dan likes Elly," he said catching all at the table by surprise.
The smile fully formed on his lips as he turned to her. "He's been fawning over Elly for the better part of the day," he reported.
"Is that true?" Their mother spoke up for the first time directing the question at Elly.
Despite her own shock at Victor's words, Elly luckily had enough presence of mind to reply. "Yes, he has. Quite a bother really," she said trying to sound disinterested.
"For one who was such a bother, you sure seemed quick to defend him," Their mother spoke up smiling at her daughter conspiratorially at her daughter causing a blush to come on to her face.
"I wasn't defending him," Elly muttered unconvincingly back at her.
"So was he cute?" Their mother further questioned.
"Mom!" Elly called out in a voice that was more girlish than she liked.
"Lexy!" Their father called out a moment after Elly had, eyeing her in a territorial manner.
"What?" She answered in a voice that feigned innocence despite her devilish smile. “My daughter has finally found a guy she likes after two whole centuries and I'm not supposed to be excited," she said when it proved impossible to maintain a face that matched the innocence she'd feigned in her voice.
"Who says I like him?" Elly found herself saying a bit too defensively.
"Do you even know how long I stayed single before someone who even remotely interested me came along?" She posed.
"Remotely, is not exactly how I remember it?" Their father spoke up looking at their mother with a predatory gaze that brought on a smile on her face.
"My mother had all but given up on me finding a mate," their mother went on ignoring her mate's words. "Just as I had with Elly seeing as she seemed to possess zero interest in Greg," she said.
"I don't think Elly is ready to have a mate yet," their father cut in.
"Hmmm... Now where have I heard that before?" Their mother spoke up feigning being deep in thought. "Oh, that's right, they were my father's words when you were trying to make me your mate. Didn't stop you though, did they?" she posed smiling at him.
In spite of himself, their father sent their mother a wolfish grin. "He was being over- protective and unreasonable," He sent back to their mother.
"And you are being totally reasonable and not in the least bit over-protective when you say your two hundred and fifty four year old daughter isn't ready to mate?" She posed sarcastically.
"Of course not, you were two hundred and sixty at the time," their father stubbornly replied.
Their mother rolled her eyes turning away from her mate muttering, "like that makes a whole world of difference," beneath her breath. "I wanna meet him," she said causing Elly to choke on the food she'd been swallowing. "Invite him over for dinner," she added.
"Whoa! Mom, I just met him today, I barely know the guy," Elly said after a short coughing slash choking fit.
"Well there you have it. This would be a great way to get to know him better," their mother said.
"For who? Me or you?" Elly posed.
"There is no reason why both can't happen at the same time," their mother replied.
"I think your mother is right, invite him over for dinner," their father spoke up. "I'd also like to get to know him better," he said with a bit more emphasis on the 'better' than Elly liked.
"I think I'll turn in for the night if that's okay with you guys," Victor spoke up pushing his seat away from the table and getting up.
"Me too," Elly said she too rising from the table and quickly moving out of the room after her brother.
"I still expect you to invite him over for dinner," their mother shouted after though she barely needed to.
"I'll think about it," Elly replied in a non-committal voice as she finally caught up to her brother. "Thank you," she said smiling gratefully at him.
"If you're going to ask me to lie for you, the least you could do is shut up and let me do it," her brother replied smiling at her in spite of his words.
Elly cringed as she remembered her outburst. "Sorry," she said. “You know you've always been better at controlling yourself than me," Elly went on.
"Don't beat yourself up too much. Your outburst is what gave me the idea of how to pull their attention away from Dan," Victor said then stopped in his tracks and turned to her with a serious expression. "You do realize that this is the only time I'll do this, next time I'm telling," he informed her.
"I wouldn't expect any different" she said smiling at him before they both parted to their own rooms.
***************************
"Did you believe them?" Lexy asked her mate after her daughter left the room.
Raymond turned to regard the door through which his two children had just left. "I think Victor is getting a bit too good at lying" he said turning back to her.
"And where does he get that from I wonder?" Lexy asked rhetorically, smiling at the wolf seated across the table from her.
"At the very least, Elly does seem to be genuinely interested in this Daniel," He said. "May be I should pay the school a visit," he added thoughtfully.
"You'll do no such thing!" Lexy shot back. "Let my daughter be," she added.
"I'm worried about her, that's all," Raymond said his hands raised in mock surrender.
"You weren't worried any of the times Victor dated any of the many girls he's so far dated," she pointed out.
"That was different," Raymond said.
"Exactly how was it any different," Lexy asked her eyes narrowing at her mate.
Raymond smiled at her already seeing that he wouldn't win this one. "I'll just ask Rick to put a beta on their tail," he said conceding defeat.
Lexy smiled at her mate "Tell him to put three, two on them and one on this Dan...